In conjunction with Japan House London’s exhibition Looks Delicious! Exploring Japan’s food replica culture, guests are welcome to enjoy two free screenings of Ozu Yasujirō’ domestic drama The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice as a part of a film series exploring Japanese society in the 20th century through the lens of food.

This black-and-white film, made in 1952, a year before Ozu’s career-defining masterpiece Tokyo Story, 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.

Depicted as a humble, delicate metaphor for the taste of marriage itself, ochazuke (green tea poured over rice) is a simple, unassuming dish that brings as much comfort as it does melancholic contemplation. By brightening up leftover rice with the subtle taste of tea, in the context of the everyday home as opposed to the formality of the tea-room, the dish comes to symbolize the compromise of the couple’s marital union, a result from their decision to obey social roles and expectations.

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.

The exhibition Looks Delicious! Exploring Japan’s food replica culture is on display in the Gallery at Japan House London from 2 October until 16 February, 2025.

Main image: courtesy of Janus Films