One Million Yen Girl

One Million Yen Girl

Year: 2008

Runtime: 121 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Yuki Tanada

Drama

After serving time, a 21‑year‑old woman leaves prison and immediately confronts relentless neighborhood gossip and strained relations with her family. Determined to start anew, she vows to save one million yen, move to a place where no one knows her, and repeat the process seeking a fresh start.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – One Million Yen Girl (2008)

Trace every key event in One Million Yen Girl (2008) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Move-in with Riko and Takeshi

Suzuko agrees to share an apartment with her coworker Riko after leaving her parents' home. She learns that Riko's boyfriend Takeshi Hamada will also be staying for a while, and that Suzuko and Takeshi will end up as the two people living there. The arrangement marks the start of Suzuko's independent life but foreshadows the tension to come.

Shared apartment (Riko's place)
2

Kittens and a rainy day

One rainy day Suzuko finds a kitten left in a cardboard box and brings it back to the apartment. Takeshi abandons the kitten, and Suzuko goes out to search for it, only to find that the kitten has died. Enraged by the loss and Takeshi's behavior, she destroys some of his belongings and moves out of the apartment.

one rainy day Apartment
3

Detention and fine

Takeshi presses criminal charges against Suzuko for property damage, and she is detained and fined 200,000 yen. She pays the fine and returns home to a changed social atmosphere. The incident deepens her sense of isolation from family and neighbors.

Detention facility
4

A vow to leave home

Back at the family home, Suzuko faces sharp criticism from her younger brother who hopes to take the entrance exam for a private junior high school. The pressure makes living at home increasingly uncomfortable. She declares that she will leave home once she has saved one million yen and begins working hard at part-time jobs.

Family home
5

First destination: seaside town

Suzuko's first stop after leaving home is a seaside town where she takes a job at a beach house and earns praise for her shaved-ice skill. A flirtatious regular named Yuuki makes her uneasy, prompting her to quit once her savings reach one million yen. She plans to move again after the next leg of her journey.

Seaside town (beach house)
6

Peach village and the Peach Girl campaign

In a peach-producing region she works at a peach farm and lives with an elderly mother and her son. The village chief announces that Suzuko will be the village’s 'Peach Girl' to promote peaches, and a national TV crew will cover the campaign. Suzuko refuses the role, prompting an emergency village meeting where she again rejects the assignment and leaves.

before harvest season ends Peach village
7

Move to Saitama: a DIY store and a new romance

Suzuko moves to a small city in Saitama Prefecture and finds part-time work in a DIY store, where she works in the gardening department and meets Ryohei Nakajima, a university student who becomes a supportive presence. After a casual chat, Suzuko confides her past—her criminal record—and explains her self-imposed goal of saving one million yen. They grow closer and begin a budding romance.

Saitama city (DIY store and nearby cafe)
8

Tomoyo joins and relationships thicken

Miyamoto Tomoyo, a fellow university student, joins Suzuko's gardening team and quickly becomes close to Ryohei, introducing a potential complication to the budding romance. Suzuko senses the shifting dynamics as new affections enter the picture. The emotional landscape grows more complex with Tomoyo's presence.

DIY store, Saitama city
9

First loan: 50,000 yen

One night after they have sex, Ryohei asks for money and Suzuko lends him 50,000 yen, hoping to support their relationship. The loan begins a recurring pattern as he asks for more, testing Suzuko's trust and boundaries. She starts to feel used and questions whether his affection is genuine.

DIY store and nearby cafe
10

Second loan and break up

Ryohei borrows again from Suzuko, and the financial dependence strains Suzuko to the breaking point. She decides to end the relationship and leave the town, convinced that the romance was built on money rather than true affection. The separation marks a turning point as she continues her journey alone.

Saitama city
11

Money repayment and a final pursuit

After Suzuko's departure, Ryohei repays all the money he borrowed, attempting to restore balance. Tomoyo privately asks whether Ryohei is okay being misunderstood by Suzuko, highlighting the money-driven tension between them. Ryohei chases Suzuko to the station on his bicycle, and they exchange glances on a footbridge as the film ends.

Station area, footbridge

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 12:01

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One Million Yen Girl Summary

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One Million Yen Girl Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in One Million Yen Girl

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Characters, Settings & Themes in One Million Yen Girl

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One Million Yen Girl Spoiler-Free Summary

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