Tokyo Story

The plot of Tokyo Story is as simple as a film plot can get. Shūkichi and Tomi Hirayama are an old retired couple that visits their children in Tokyo. Their eldest son and daughter are both too busy to spend time with their parents, who interfere with their rigorous schedules. The visit is a bittersweet experience that reveals glimpses of the disappointments between Shūkichi and Tomi and the rest of their family. Tokyo Story is a slow film where the characters reveal major plot moments through quiet and genuine conversations. It makes for a somber and minimalist reflection on the tension between the traditional Japanese family and the Westernization of Japan after World War II.

Production

Directed by Yasujirō Ozu

Produced by Takeshi Yamamoto

Screenplay by Kōgo Noda, Yasujirō Ozu

Starring Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū, Chieko Higashiyama, Kyōko Kagawa, Haruko Sugimura

Music by Takanobu Saitō

Cinematography by Yūharu Atsuta

Edited by Yoshiyasu Hamamura

Production companies: Shochiku Company

Distribution & Stats

Distributed by Shochiku Company

Release date: November 3, 1953

Running time: 136 minutes

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Box office: ¥132 million (Japan rentals)