is a 1996

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

written and directed by

Juzo Itami , born , was a Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director. He directed eleven films (one short and ten features), all of which he wrote himself. He is the namesake of the Juzo Itami Award, founded in 2009 to honor his legacy. Early life ...

. The film stars Juzo's wife and regular leading-lady

Nobuko Miyamoto is a Japanese actress. She was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, and raised in Nagoya. She was married to director Juzo Itami from 1969 until his death in 1997, and regularly starred in his films. She has been nominated for eight Best Actress Japanese ...

as a woman who is hired by a failing supermarket to help it compete against an aggressive local rival. Another frequent star of Juzo's films,

Masahiko Tsugawa , born Masahiko Katō (加藤雅彦 ''Katō Masahiko''; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor and director. Career Tsugawa was born January 2, 1940, in Kyoto, Japan. After acting as a child, he made his major debut at 16 in t ...

, plays her boss and later romantic interest. ''Supermarket Woman'' was a box-office success in Japan and was nominated for six

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, including Best Film, Director and Actress, but did not win in any categories.

Plot

A new supermarket 'Bargains Galore' opens, and threatens the longer-established 'Honest Goro' with its aggressive price cutting. The owner of 'Honest Goro' (Goro, played by

) inspects the new store, and bumps into an old classmate he hasn't seen for years (Hanako, played by

). She uses her 'housewife's know-how' to show him why his supermarket is performing so badly. He resolves to make his supermarket the best in Japan, and gives her a job as head cashier. She helps to improve customer service and introduces new sales techniques and a policy of selling only fresh food. However, in doing so she angers senior staff members who don't want to change their ways. However, the store gradually attracts more customers. Meanwhile, the manager of 'Honest Goro' is taking bribes from 'Bargains Galore', and eventually resigns to start work at the new supermarket, trying to take the rest of the staff with him. After an impassioned speech by Hanako, the majority decide to remain loyal to Goro, and redouble their efforts to provide customer satisfaction. In a last-ditch attempt to sabotage Goro, the old manager and the head butcher attempt to steal all the store's meat. Hanako discovers them, and is locked in the back of their freezer van when they drive off. Goro pursues them in a

dekotora , an abbreviation for "decoration truck", are a style of decorated trucks in Japan. Commonly featuring neon, LED or ultraviolet lights, detailed paintjobs and murals, and stainless steel or golden parts (both on the exterior and the interior) ...

, and after a high-speed chase Hanako is saved. 'Honest Goro' opens on New Year's Day to a store full of customers, while 'Bargain's Galore' is practically empty.

Cast

as Hanako Inoue *

as Gorô Kobayashi * Ryunosuke Kaneda as Gorô no Ani - Ichirô * Chikako Isomura as Ichirô no Ichizoku

Release

''Supermarket Woman'' had its world premiere at the Seattle Film Festival on 5 June 1996. ''Supermarket Woman'' was released in Japan on June 15, 1996 where it was distributed by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

Reception

In Japan, the film was popular among adult audiences, earning a distribution income (

rentals Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the use of a good, service or property owned by another over a fixed period of time. To maintain such an agreement, a rental agreement (or lease) is sign ...

) of in 1996, making it the fifth highest-grossing Japanese film of the year. It grossed $13.9 million.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

* * 1996 films Japanese romantic comedy films Films directed by Jūzō Itami 1996 romantic comedy films 1990s business films 1990s Japanese films 1990s Japanese-language films Films scored by Toshiyuki Honda Japanese-language romantic comedy films {{1990s-Japan-film-stub