Like most other Japanese businessmen, Sasaki Hiroyuki – Dad – commutes to work every day on crowded Tokyo trains. Married to housewife Megumi – Mom – he leaves early and comes home late. This lifestyle does little to promote a bond with his two sons, Taka (18) and Kenji (11). Kenji, meanwhile, is a sensitive boy who has a secret desire to play the piano, an instrument Dad believes is only for girls.

The story, set in contemporary Tokyo, begins like any normal day, with Dad preparing to depart for work. Unlike other days, however, on this day Dad will unexpectedly lose his job. Facing totally unfamiliar circumstances, Dad decides not to tell Mom and to enter the world of the secretly unemployed. These are people who “save face” by concealing their unfortunate reality from family and friends while they look for new employment. With hope and a stoic commitment to carry the burden alone, Dad departs each day “for work,” when, in fact, he is killing time in shopping malls and parks.

Paralleling Dad’s plight is Kenji’s story. Intimidated at school and forced to bring money for school bullies, Kenji is also concealing another truth. He is secretly using his karate tuition to pay for lessons on the piano, something he loves and does exceptionally well at. Each morning at breakfast, Dad and Kenji lie to Mom to maintain their secret lives. Questions about work, school and karate receive answers that avoid the truth.

Dad is eventually forced to accept a low-paying job that lacks prestige and is physically demanding: he becomes a janitor at a shopping mall near Kenji’s school. Dad still refuses to tell Mom about his new job. Thus, he continues to leave for work and to return home in his business suit. Kenji’s clean karate uniform, however, convinces Mom that he may not be training at all. One day after his janitorial work, Dad follows Kenji and discovers the truth. His blatant lying infuriates Dad, who bans him from both karate and the piano.

But Kenji’s problems are just starting. He is again confronted by the bullies who demand the money that Kenji “owes” them. Unable to pay, Kenji find himself in a life-threatening situation. Only Dad can avert the situation… but in saving his son, both Dad’s job and his falsehoods will be revealed…
Source: AsianMediaWiki


Year: 2008
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English (srt)
Cast: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Inowaki Kai, Haruka Igawa, Kanji Tsuda, Kazuya Kojima, Koji Yakusho
Runtime: 120 mins
Awards: 8 wins & 1 nomination


IMDb, MidnightEye, Lunapark6, AsianMediaWiki


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One Response to “Tokyo Sonata”

  1. JAHnoOtoko Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 7:16 AM

    Very good movie, it turns kind of slow and weird at the end. But the plot is very good, and it is definitely the reality of Japan’s families.
    Very interesting movie for those interested in Japanese culture.

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