My Personal Reflection of the Film ‘Tampopo’

In light of the seemingly “miraculous” economic prosperity that Japan has experienced over the past half-century, it is rather interesting that women are portrayed, at least in the 1985 Japanese film Tampopo, as essentially accessories to men, either as submissive sexual “playthings” or as a soulless household “appliances” whose existence is based on their utility — either as a sexual partner or as a long-suffering mother.

At the risk of oversimplification, I think that the the film shows two types of female characters: the meek and the assertive. Throughout the film, the director juxtaposes the negative fate of the meek to the positive fate of the assertive. The former, exemplified by the awful fate of the long-suffering housewife who basically died the way she lived — fulfilling society’s expectations of a responsible mother and a housewife, and the latter is personified by the protagonist, Tampopo, who is portrayed as a “maverick” businesswoman, albeit thanks, in part, to the extensive assistance of her male friends. Still, two reasons why this dichotomy might not be accurate is that some in contemporary Japanese society may argue that the former died an honourable death, and that Tampopo is merely one of the movie’s female characters that Japanese women could emulate.

In terms of changes in the role of women in contemporary Japanese society, the film does shows some positive changes, but they remain very subtle and appear to be quite limited in scope. For instance, Tampopo is a widowed mother, an owner of an independent business, and she seems to have a significant cash reserve for her to be able to close her restaurant for such an extended period to master her cooking skills. Such a unique circumstance certainly puts her within a very small minority of Japanese women. Indeed, in contrast to the terrible fate of the sick housewife, being a widow has actually freed Tampopo from the confines of society’s expectations.

In terms of changes in the role of women in contemporary Japanese society, the film does shows some positive changes, but they remain very subtle and appear to be quite limited in scope. For instance, Tampopo is a widowed mother, an owner of an independent business, and she seems to have a significant cash reserve for her to be able to close her restaurant for such an extended period to master her cooking skills. Such a unique circumstance certainly puts her within a very small minority of Japanese women. Indeed, in contrast to the terrible fate of the sick housewife, being a widow has actually freed Tampopo from the confines of society’s expectations.

Finally, it is important to realize that Tampopo’s character merely straddles the traditional and the modern. Without putting any value judgment whether or not this attribute is right or wrong, it is nonetheless clear that her being a “maverick” has more to do with her unique circumstance than any meaningful changes to the Japanese society itself. It is therefore unsurprising that even though Tampopo becomes more assertive as the movie progresses, she has nevertheless retains her meekness, as demonstrated by her non-protest when she is being referred to by the men around her as if a she were an aged “appliance” in need of redecoration. Her subsequent transformation to a younger, more trendy look is a case in point. The point, therefore, is that the film shows that the roles of women in Japanese society has changed very little — women are still expected to do most, if not all, the household chores, to become “invisible” (spaghetti scene), and to be subservient to their husbands.