A Taxing Woman

"He has a Yen for her, but he won't tell her where it's hidden..."

1987 2h 8m JA

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 43

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

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Intrepid tax investigator Ryoko Itakura sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo, a suspected millionaire and proprietor of a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels, who has for years succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. Itakura and Gondo soon find themselves engaged in a complicated, satirical battle of wits.

“He has a Yen for her, but he won't tell her where it's hidden...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nobuko Miyamoto
Ryoko Itakura
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Hideki Gondo
Masahiko Tsugawa
Hanamura
Yasuo Daichi
Ijuin
Kinzō Sakura
Kaneko
Hajime Asô
Himeda
Kiriko Shimizu
Kazue Kenmochi
Kazuyo Matsui
Kumi Torikai

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jūzō Itami
Writers: Jūzō Itami
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "A Taxing Woman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jūzō Itami, shot by Yonezō Maeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshiyuki Honda. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Akira Suzuki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nobuko Miyamoto and Tsutomu Yamazaki and Masahiko Tsugawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He has a Yen for her, but he won't tell her where it's hidden...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0093502 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jūzō Itami directs. Yonezō Maeda behind the camera. Toshiyuki Honda scores. Akira Suzuki cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "A Taxing Woman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Jūzō Itami, shot by Yonezō Maeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Toshiyuki Honda. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Akira Suzuki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Nobuko Miyamoto and Tsutomu Yamazaki and Masahiko Tsugawa carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He has a Yen for her, but he won't tell her where it's hidden...".
8IMDB entry: tt0093502 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yonezō Maeda
Original score: Toshiyuki Honda
Editing: Akira Suzuki
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: A Taxing Woman (1987)

Awards

Japan Academy Prize for Screenplay of the Year
Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year
Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

A Taxing Woman Collection

Nobuko Miyamoto stars as Ryoko, Japan’s relentless female tax inspector, who matches wits with Gondo, a cunning tax-evading love hotel owner, in a gripping battle of detection and deception laced with mutual attraction. The hit romantic farce evolves into a darker sequel, where Ryoko takes on a religious cult, gangsters, and a high-stakes conspiracy involving politicians and construction.