Tampopo
タンポポ
“The first Japanese Noodle Western.”
Synopsis
In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Ana Lily Amirpour on TAMPOPOOfficial
Type: Featurette • Published 2017-10-06
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Goro
Nobuko Miyamoto
Tampopo
Ken Watanabe
Gun
Koji Yakusho
White Suit Man
Rikiya Yasuoka
Pisken
Kinzō Sakura
Shohei
Hyōe Enoki
Pisken's Henchman
Gō Awazu
Pisken's Henchman
Mario Abe
Restaurant Owner
Izumi Hara
Old Woman Pressing Camembert Cheese
Isao Hashizume
Waiter
Hisashi Igawa
Running Man
Toshimune Kato
Young Employee
Kenso Kato
Hira
Yoshi Katō
Noodle-making Master
Yoshihiro Kato
Man in White Suit's Henchman
Toshiya Fujita
Man with Toothache
Fukumi Kuroda
Man in White Suit's Mistress
Release History & Theatrical Window
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
October 21, 2016
Wide Cinema Exhibition
May 1, 2017
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$1.5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
Pending
Total global ticket sales
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Jūzō Itami
- Screenplay & Story
- Jūzō Itami
- Original Score
- Kunihiko Murai
- Original Title
- タンポポ
- Country of Origin
- Japan
- Spoken Languages
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 1h 55m
- Production Budget
- $1.5M
- Production Studios
- New Century Producers, Itami Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Jūzō Itami
Jūzō Itami
Kunihiko Murai
Masaki Tamura
Akira Suzuki
Jūzō Itami, Seigo Hosogoe, Yasushi Tamaoki
Department Leadership Roster
Jūzō Itami
Screenplay
Jūzō Itami
Director
Jūzō Itami
Producer
Seigo Hosogoe
Producer
Yasushi Tamaoki
Producer
Kunihiko Murai
Original Music Composer
Masaki Tamura
Director of Photography
Akira Suzuki
Editor
Emiko Kogô
Costume Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Suitable only for adults 18 years and over.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Tampopo.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Tampopo.
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:37:48 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:35:07 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
collection
Food
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Frequently Asked Questions About Tampopo
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Tampopo about?
In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
Who directed Tampopo?
Tampopo was directed by Jūzō Itami.
Who stars in Tampopo?
The principal cast of Tampopo includes Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Rikiya Yasuoka.
When was Tampopo released and how long is it?
Tampopo was released in 1985 with a total runtime of 1h 55m.
Who composed the musical score for Tampopo?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Tampopo was composed by Kunihiko Murai.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Tampopo?
Tampopo holds official age classifications: DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); GB: 18 (Suitable only for adults 18 years and over.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).