Tampopo
The first Japanese Noodle Western.
1985 | 115m | Japanese
Popularity: 6 (history)
| Director: | Jūzō Itami |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Jūzō Itami |
| Staring: |
| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Nov 23, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Jūzō Itami |
| Writer: | Jūzō Itami |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | restaurant, business woman, widow, restaurant owner, bullying, sensei, food, truck driver, erotic vignettes, hoodlum, foodie, stealing recipes, eastern philosophy, ramen, food culture, small town cook, gastronomia, joyous, helping people, whimsical, ridiculous, japanese restaurant, ramen noodles |
| Production Companies | New Century Producers, Itami Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $1,500,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Dec 17, 2025 Entered: Dec 17, 2025 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| 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 Katō | Man in White Suit's Henchman |
| Toshiya Fujita | Man with Toothache |
| Fukumi Kuroda | Man in White Suit's Mistress |
| Nobuo Nakamura | Old Gentleman |
| Mariko Okada | Spaghetti Teacher |
| Yoshihei Saga | Salaryman |
| Setsuko Shinoi | Old Man's Mistress |
| Hitoshi Takagi | Restaurant Owner |
| Chōei Takahashi | Salaryman |
| Ei Takami | Homeless Man |
| Akio Tanaka | Salaryman |
| Masahiko Tsugawa | Supermarket Manager |
| Hideji Ōtaki | Rich Old Man |
| Naritoshi Hayashi | Accompanying Man |
| Yoriko Doguchi | Pearl Diver |
| Ryutaro Otomo | Ramen Master |
| Gilyak Amagasaki | Homeless Man |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Akira Suzuki | Editor |
| Takeo Kimura | Production Design, Art Direction |
| Emiko Kogô | Costume Design |
| Takashi Moro | Assistant Camera |
| Jūzō Itami | Director, Screenplay |
| Kunihiko Murai | Original Music Composer |
| Shigeru Sakurada | Casting |
| Kazuki Shirayama | Assistant Director |
| Kyōji Kōno | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Masaki Tamura | Director of Photography |
| Kosaburo Sasaoka | Casting |
| Masatoshi Saito | Sound Effects Editor |
| Masatsugu Takase | Fight Choreographer |
| Toshiharu Ochi | Set Decoration |
| Midori Konuma | Makeup Artist |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Seigo Hosogoe | Producer |
| Jūzō Itami | Producer |
| Yasushi Tamaoki | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 10 |
| 2024 | 5 | 20 | 26 | 14 |
| 2024 | 6 | 19 | 33 | 12 |
| 2024 | 7 | 24 | 40 | 13 |
| 2024 | 8 | 20 | 39 | 13 |
| 2024 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 17 | 25 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 14 | 22 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 14 | 18 | 11 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 340 | 579 |
Nobuko Miyamoto is the eponymous lady who runs her small noodle bar always with the same regulars and... well it's all just a bit routine. That is until "Gorô" (Tsutomu Yamazaki) and his young sidekick "Gun" (Ken Watanabe) arrive and decide they are going to help her realise her dream to improve her ... shop. Her emporium also serves as the lynch pin for a few tangential stories that focus around her customers and their need for food - and not only for nourishment, either! My favourite has to be the old woman who insists of squishing the life out of his produce then not buying anything - much to the chagrin of the poor shopkeeper. There is also quite a fun tale of an housewife on her deathbed who rises, just before the end, to cook her family a delicious dinner; and of a gangster - clad in a white suit, who finds quite an erotic way to use his dinner, too. It is funny and quirky, this film, with some really engaging performances and the two hours it takes just flies by.