The uneventful life of a medical professor and his suburban-minded wife are disrupted by their 16 year-old niece visiting from Osaka.
Aunt Tokiko disapproves of Setsuko's modern ways - driving, drinking, smoking - but her vivacity charms Uncle Komiya. Meanwhile his assistant Okada is cornered into helping a friend's son with maths but in doing so, he too meets Setsuko.
Toniko tells an unwilling Komiya to go on a planned golfing weekend but, following Setsuko's example, he hides his clubs with Okada and ends up with his niece getting drunk and visiting a geisha house.
Of course Toniko finds out about the deception and the resulting confrontation leaves the three relatives changed...
Pleasing performances from Tatsuo Saito as Komiya and Michiko Kawano as feisty Setsuko overshadow the dull Sumiko Kurishima as Toniko.
Shelf or charity shop? It's a shelf as it shares the same DVD disc as my more personal favourite EARLY SUMMER but it is very enjoyable in it's own right. As I said it's worth it for the performances of Tasuo Saito and Michiko Kawano (who was to tragically die nine years later) and Ozu's assured and leisurely direction.
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