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Drama

Tokyo Story

東京物語

Durée
137 minCriterion digital restoration from a 4K film transfer Sources des versions ↓

Tokyo Story follows an elderly couple visiting their adult children in postwar Japan. For a first watch, place the family relationships first and let its quiet pace reveal where care and obligation pull apart.

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Langue
Japanese
GentleBleak Accessible · Modéré Drama

Édité par Monocurator

Tokyo Story: Momo sits with tea in a sunlit tatami room overlooking a Japanese coastal town.

Image: Monocurator · source · Original Monocurator artwork

Tokyo Story’s family: who is Noriko?

Noriko, played by Setsuko Hara, is Shūkichi and Tomi Hirayama’s widowed daughter-in-law. Her husband was their second son, Shōji, who died in the war. She lives in Tokyo and welcomes the visiting parents into her small home. Shochiku’s synopsis identifies this relationship.

Shūkichi and Tomi are the elderly couple travelling from Onomichi. Their five children connect the film’s three family locations: Onomichi, Tokyo and Osaka.

The Hirayama children, from eldest to youngest
ChildWhere they fitHousehold to recognise
KōichiEldest son · TokyoA doctor with a wife and two sons.
ShigeEldest daughter · TokyoRuns a hair salon; lives with her husband.
ShōjiSecond son · died before the storyHis widow is Noriko, living in Tokyo.
KeizōYoungest son · OsakaThe son the parents visit on their journey.
KyōkoYoungest daughter · OnomichiLives with her parents; remains home during their Tokyo visit.

Shochiku’s family and story record · Criterion’s cast list

Why does the Osaka visit appear so late? Journey and later-story spoilers

The parents have already stopped to see Keizō on their way to Tokyo. That first Osaka visit happens offscreen. The film shows their later stop on the way home, after the Tokyo visit and the disappointing stay in Atami.

  1. KōichiTokyo · eldest son
  2. ShigeTokyo · eldest daughter
  3. NorikoTokyo · Shōji’s widow
  4. KeizōOsaka · youngest son

David Bordwell’s Criterion essay points out that these visits are presented in the children’s birth order, with Noriko occupying her late husband’s place. This is the order of the family visits we see, rather than every stop the parents make.

For what the family’s later parting means, continue to Why Is Tokyo Story So Moving?, which discusses Noriko’s conversation with Kyōko and the ending.

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À quoi s’attendre

Tokyo Story observes a family visit through everyday rooms, polite conversation, and pauses that say more than open conflict. Yasujirō Ozu's calm, low viewpoint invites attention to small gestures and changing distances between generations. The restraint never makes the emotions smaller; it gives them room to arrive gradually. The film endures because its questions about time, duty, and care feel ordinary in the deepest sense.

Comment aborder le film

The family relationships matter more than plot, so take a moment to place the elderly parents, their adult children, and their widowed daughter-in-law. Ozu often cuts away before a dramatic arrival or departure and returns to the room afterward. Do not mistake those omissions for missing scenes. The film asks us to notice the emotional weather left behind.

À savoir

Une brève note non exhaustive Deals with aging, bereavement, family neglect, illness, death, and the loneliness created by changing obligations.
Momo's Note Peut contenir des révélations sur l’intrigue Qui est Momo ? → (S’ouvre en anglais)
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Ozu gives empty rooms the dignity of a close-up. A cushion, a corridor, or a view beyond the rooftops can hold what the family is too polite or tired to say. I find the film compassionate because it does not need a villain. Time rearranges everyone's duties, and kindness appears in imperfect, easily missed portions.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Générique et versions

Générique
Distribution
Chishu Ryu · Chieko Higashiyama · Setsuko Hara
Scénario
Kogo Noda · Yasujirō Ozu
Production
Shochiku
Photographie
Yuharu Atsuta

Carte des versions

Comparer les éditions : Tokyo Story: Which Version Should You Watch First?

Criterion digital restoration from a 4K film transfer 137 min · restoration · US Criterion lists this digital restoration at 137 minutes; other presentations may differ. Source : Criterion Collection — Tokyo Story (1953) Référence pour la durée · Vérifié le 2026-08-02

Sources des données

Pour regarder et lire

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U.S. search destinations · Links checked 2026-07-27 · Stock, editions, prices, and availability can change · Disclosure

Pour poursuivre la découverte

Envie d’un prochain film plus doux, plus court ou plus étrange ? Demandez à Momo un film dans le même esprit → (S’ouvre en anglais)
Momo est de service. Visiter Momo Cinema → (S’ouvre en anglais)

D’autres films de 1953 → (S’ouvre en anglais) D’autres films de Yasujirō Ozu → (S’ouvre en anglais)
Ce film est l’étape 02 de Where to Start with Japanese Classic Films → (S’ouvre en anglais) Parcours nº 03
Pour aller plus loinTokyo Story: Which Version Should You Watch First? → (S’ouvre en anglais) Journal Pour aller plus loinWhy Is Tokyo Story So Moving? → (S’ouvre en anglais) Journal Pour aller plus loin15 Best Black and White Movies: Choose Your Next Film → (S’ouvre en anglais) Journal

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