Juzo Itami

Tampopo

Tampopo

The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous “ramen western” by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges—our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her café a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal Tampopo is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1985
  • 114 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • Japanese
  • Spine #868

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • The Making of “Tampopo,” a ninety-minute documentary from 1986, narrated by director Juzo Itami
  • New interview with actor Nobuko Miyamoto
  • New interview with food stylist Seiko Ogawa
  • New interviews with ramen scholar Hiroshi Oosaki and chefs Sam White, Rayneil De Guzman, Jerry Jaksich, and Ivan Orkin
  • Rubber Band Pistol, Itami’s 1962 debut short film
  • New video essay by filmmakers Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos on the film’s themes of self-improvement and mastery of a craft
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by food and culture writer Willy Blackmore

New cover by Ping Zhu

Purchase Options

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • The Making of “Tampopo,” a ninety-minute documentary from 1986, narrated by director Juzo Itami
  • New interview with actor Nobuko Miyamoto
  • New interview with food stylist Seiko Ogawa
  • New interviews with ramen scholar Hiroshi Oosaki and chefs Sam White, Rayneil De Guzman, Jerry Jaksich, and Ivan Orkin
  • Rubber Band Pistol, Itami’s 1962 debut short film
  • New video essay by filmmakers Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos on the film’s themes of self-improvement and mastery of a craft
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by food and culture writer Willy Blackmore

New cover by Ping Zhu

Tampopo
Cast
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Goro
Nobuko Miyamoto
Tampopo
Koji Yakusho
Man in the white suit
Ken Watanabe
Gun
Rikiya Yasuoka
Pis-ken
Kinzo Sakura
Shohei
Yoshi Kato
Noodle-making master
Hideji Otaki
Rich old man
Fukumi Kuroda
Man in the white suit’s moll
Setsuko Shinoi
Old man’s mistress
Yoriko Doguchi
Pearl diver (oyster girl)
Masahiko Tsugawa
Supermarket manager
Credits
Director
Juzo Itami
Executive producers
Seigo Hosogoe
Executive producers
Yasushi Tamaoki
Produced by
Juzo Itami
Written by
Juzo Itami
Director of photography
Masaki Tamura
Film editor
Akira Suzuki
Art director
Takeo Kimura
Set decoration
Toshiharu Ochi
Music by
Kunihiko Murai
Costume designer
Emiko Kogo

Current

Making Ramen “Itami Style”
Making Ramen “Itami Style”
When it comes to capturing the sensory pleasures of food on film, it’s hard to beat Juzo Itami’s mouthwatering 1985 “ramen western” Tampopo. A mix of wicked humor and surreal eroticism, this culinary odyssey follows a widowed noodle-shop owne…
Tampopo: Ramen for the People
Tampopo: Ramen for the People

Blending irreverent comedy and surreal eroticism, Juzo Itami’s international hit is a utopian look at the peculiarities of gastronomic culture.

By Willy Blackmore

Ping Zhu Harnesses the Wild Energy of Tampopo

Studio Visits

Ping Zhu Harnesses the Wild Energy of Tampopo

With her thick, flowing brushstrokes and eccentric sensibility, illustrator Ping Zhu captured the buoyant flavor of Juzo Itami’s “ramen western.”

Juzo Itami and Nobuko Miyamoto's Creative Marriage
Juzo Itami and Nobuko Miyamoto's Creative Marriage
Beginning in the 1980s, director Juzo Itami and his wife, actor Nobuko Miyamoto, became a powerhouse duo on the international film scene, finding success with a string of movies about hardworking independent women. In the latest installment of our Cr…
Ana Lily Amirpour’s Taste for Tampopo
Ana Lily Amirpour’s Taste for Tampopo

Filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour shares her love for Juzo Itami’s foodie classic in this new video, which we’re sharing just in time for National Noodle Day.

Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein’s Top 10
Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein’s Top 10

Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein are New York City–based filmmakers.

Tampopo’s Delicious Return to Theaters
Tampopo’s Delicious Return to Theaters

Juzo Itami’s 1985 “ramen western” is back in theaters, in a 4K restoration, for the first time in decades. Here, we compile a selection of articles and videos to offer a taste of this outrageous culinary comedy.