Japan House London is delighted to present two free screenings of The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice as a part of a film season exploring the cinematography of Ozu Yasujirō.

This black-and-white film, made in 1952, a year before Ozu’s career defining masterpiece Tokyo Story, is a beautiful, bitter-sweet domestic saga. The film tells the story of a childless, middle-aged couple who find themselves drifting apart as the wife’s big city sophistication constantly clashes with her husband’s small-town tastes.

Their marriage, being an art of compromise, results from their decision to obey social roles and expectations, whereas their independent, young niece embodies an ongoing generational change and transformation towards modernity.

Although family dynamics are a central theme of Ozu’s film, post-war Tokyo with its new baseball stadiums, shops and streets provides a background for many crucial scenes, inviting a reflection on how the city has changed, grown, and evolved along with its inhabitants’ changing lifestyles.

The screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Duration: approx. 116 mins.

Guests who are booked to attend the screening can also enjoy 10% off drinks at The Stand on their way in.