Madadayo

During a German-language class, Uchida tearfully announces his retirement to crestfallen students. He is a Japanese academic and author living in the period just before WWII. The moment underscores his waning career and foreshadows the life changes to come.

In 1943, Uchida moves into a spacious house, though his wife worries about neighborhood safety. Two students visit to pretend to burglarize the home, only to discover Uchida has written directions on how to break in.

He hosts a dinner for several students, but wartime shortages embarrass him as only venison and horse meat are available. The gathering reveals the warmth of student-teacher bonds despite rationing. The evening underscores resilience in difficult times.

The couple's house is burned down during U.S. bombing raids, forcing them to live in a small one-room shack with no indoor toilet. They cling to a few remaining possessions as war reshapes their lives.

After the war, his former students organize a banquet to honor him. The event prompts him to face mortality, answering repeatedly whether he is ready to die with Not yet, giving the banquet its name.

Two American military policemen arrive at the Not Yet Banquet and observe the lively gathering. They smile, recognizing the ceremony's warmth and the community's resilience.

With help from his students, Uchida constructs a new house and a pond with a small island in the middle. The project symbolizes renewal and the enduring bond between teacher and students.

A stray alley cat named Nora arrives and Uchida eventually adopts it, reflecting his gentle attachment to small joys amid changing times.

The developer purchases the lot across from their house, hoping to tower over Uchida's view. Uchida refuses to sell, and his students pool resources to buy the lot back and return it to the original seller, who promises not to disturb the view.

Nora disappears during a storm, causing Uchida to fall into heartbreak and depression. He conducts searches with the help of his students and townspeople, though Nora is never found.

A new cat named Kurz appears, and its presence helps lift Uchida from deep mourning. The companionship of the animal offers him renewed hope.

His former students host the seventeenth Not Yet Banquet, now including children of the students and grandchildren with a large cake. The event blends humor, affection, and memory as Uchida remains reluctant about dying.

After receiving the cake and delivering remarks, Uchida collapses from arrhythmia and is taken home. He rests, falls asleep, and dreams of hiding as a child, still hearing others ask if he's ready to die.

In his dream, he searches for a place to hide and ultimately finds one, turning his gaze toward a golden sun. The image suggests a peaceful, enduring hope beyond mortality.

The film closes by noting that many vignettes come from Uchida's writings, and Kurosawa uses them to comment on post-war Japanese history, including the American occupation.