The film is a series of vignettes following the daily lives of the Yamada family: Takashi and Matsuko (the father and mother), Shige (Matsuko’s mother), Noboru (aged approximately 13, the son), Nonoko (aged approximately 5, the daughter), and Pochi (the family dog).

Each of the vignettes is preceded by a title such as “Father as Role Model”, “A Family Torn Apart” or “Patriarchal Supremacy Restored”. These vignettes cover such issues as losing a child in a department store, the relationships between father and son, or husband and wife, the wisdom of age, getting one’s first girlfriend and many more. Each is presented with humour, presenting a very believable picture of family life which crosses cultural boundaries. The relationships between Matsuko, Takashi and Shige are particularly well observed, with Shige giving advice and proverbs to all the family members, and having a great strength of character which far outweighs Matsuko’s. Takashi and Matsuko’s relationship is often the focus of the episodes, their rivalries, such as arguing about who has control of the television, their frustrations and their difficulties, but the overriding theme is their love for one another despite their flaws, and their desire to be the best parents possible for their children.

Info & Credits

The characters

	Takashi Yamada The father and head of the Yamada family. Takashi is authoritative and commanding. He is easily irritated and does not like to be disturbed while relaxing. He likes baseball games, smoking, snow, and eating. He likes to impress his superiors at work. He sometimes daydreams about how he would be if he were someone else.
	Matsuko Yamada The mother of the Yamada family. She takes care of the house, but has next to no cooking ability, leading her to make the same meal several days in a row. She is constantly forgetting things. Her relationship with her husband is sometimes warm, sometimes strained.
	Shige Yamada Matsuko’s mother and grandmother to the Yamada children. Shige lives with the family. She is sometimes blunt in her words. She has a strong sense of personal duty, and volunteers for the city, doing things such as cleaning up the park and clearing leaves.
	Noboru Yamada The son of the Yamada family. He attends high school, and is not a particularly good student. He argues with his parents frequently. He is sneaky and seems to like getting his family irritated at him.
	Nonoko Yamada The daughter of the Yamada family. She is mostly naïve of the world around her. She is unusually smart for a 4-year-old. She has a good memory, but not too much logic.
	Yamada’s dog The Yamada family dog, Poochi, is indifferent to the world around him. He sleeps through most of the film.
	Aunt Yamada The Yamada children’s aunt. Nonoko adores her.
	Noboru’s classmate A girl in Noboru’s class. She’s somewhat dense.
	Toshio Kimura A young boy, even younger than Nonoko. He gets lost in a shopping center. Nonoko helps him find his mother.
	Motorcycle Gangleader The leader of a dangerous motorcycle gang. He is loud, demanding, and especially intimidating. He likes talking about his bike, but dislikes talking to anyone who thinks he has any problems.
	Saburo A volunteer who knew Shige when she was a little girl. Apparently their former relationship was unfriendly, as Shige still dislikes him after 40 years.
	florist A florist in the Yamada’s neighborhood. He likes it when people comment on his flowers.
	Yamashita One of Noboru’s friends. He enjoys magazines (in the film, the “swimsuit issue”).
	Tanaka A boy who attends Noboru’s school. One of the girls has a crush on him, but he doesn’t even acknowledge her.
	Noboru’s teacher Noboru’s teacher is a typical schoolteacher. She does not bend to Noboru’s arguments about unfairness and test-taking.
	Nonoko’s teacher Nonoko’s teacher is quiet. Her motto is “Keep it simple”.

Production Credits

Voice Casting

My Neighbors The Yamadas Trailer

Screenshots from the movie