Tokyo Story (1953)

8.1Not Rated136 minDirector: Yasujirō Ozu

1953 Japanese film by Yasujiro Ozu

Tokyo Story (Japanese: 東京物語, Hepburn: Tōkyō Monogatari) is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama, about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children.

Upon release, it did not immediately gain international recognition and was considered "too Japanese" to be marketable by Japanese film exporters. It was screened in 1957 in London, where it won the inaugural Sutherland Trophy the following year, and received praise from U.S. film critics after a 1972 screening in New York City.

Tokyo Story is widely regarded as Ozu's magnum opus and one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. It was voted the greatest film of all time in the 2012 edition of a poll of film directors by Sight and Sound magazine.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Tokyo Story about?
Tokyo Story (1953) — Elderly couple Shukishi and Tomi Hirayama live in the small coastal village of Onomichi, Japan with their youngest daughter, schoolteacher Kyoko Hirayama. Their other three surviving adult children, who they have not seen in quite some time, live either in Tokyo or Osaka. As such
Is Tokyo Story based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Tokyo Story scary?
Content rating: Not Rated. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.