The Garden of Words (Japanese: 言の葉の庭, Hepburn: Kotonoha no Niwa) is a 2013 Japanese anime drama film written, directed, and edited by Makoto Shinkai. The film was animated by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. It features actors Miyu Irino and Kana Hanazawa. The music was composed by Daisuke Kashiwa, replacing Tenmon, who had previously worked on many of Shinkai’s films. The film’s theme song, "Rain," was originally written and performed by Senri Oe in 1988. For the movie, the song was remade and sung by Motohiro Hata. A manga version of the film was created by Midori Motohashi, and a novel version was written by Shinkai. Both the manga and novel were released in the same year as the film.
The story follows Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old boy who wants to become a shoemaker, and Yukari Yukino, a 27-year-old woman who meets Takao at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden during rainy mornings. Takao skips school to work on shoe designs, while Yukari avoids work because of personal issues in her career. Yukari does not share her name or background with Takao, but Takao tells her about his love for making shoes and offers to create a pair for her. When Takao discovers Yukari’s identity, both characters experience strong emotions as they realize they have been teaching each other "how to walk." Shinkai wrote the story to explore the idea of "lonely sadness," inspired by the traditional Japanese meaning of the word for "love." Shoes in the story represent life. Themes in the film include rain, poetry from the Man'yōshū collection, and Japanese gardens. The age difference and personalities of the main characters show how people, even adults, can feel unsure about growing up.
The film premiered at the Gold Coast Film Festival in Australia on April 28, 2013, and was first shown in Japan on May 31, 2013. At the Japanese premiere, the film was paired with an animated short called Dareka no Manazashi (Someone’s Gaze), also directed by Shinkai. The film had an unusual release schedule because it was available on iTunes on the same day as its Japanese premiere. Its DVD and Blu-ray versions were released while the film was still playing in theaters on June 21. The film was licensed for distribution in North America by Sentai Filmworks, in the UK by Anime Limited, and in Australia by Madman Entertainment. It was later added to Crunchyroll on December 3, 2025. The film was shown at many film events and performed well in theaters for a long time. It was highly ranked on the iTunes Store in 2013 and named the Year’s Best Animation in iTunes’ Best of 2013. The film won the 2013 Kobe Theatrical Film Award and received awards at the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film. Online reviews were mostly positive, with praise for the film’s art, though some viewers had mixed opinions about the story’s length, plot, and emotional ending.
Plot
The story begins at the start of the rainy season in Tokyo. Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old student who wants to be a shoemaker, chooses to skip his first class and draws shoe designs in the garden at Shinjuku Gyoen. There, he meets Yukari Yukino, a 27-year-old woman who is skipping work. Yukari says goodbye to Takao with a tanka, a type of Japanese poetry. Takao does not understand what the poem means. They meet again in the park on rainy mornings but never officially introduce themselves. Takao decides to make a pair of shoes in Yukari’s size. When the rainy season ends, he stops visiting the park and focuses on his work.
The tanka Yukari shares is:
Narukami no sukoshi toyomite
Sashi kumori, ame mo furanu ka
Kimi wo todomemu.
(A faint clap of thunder, clouded skies—will you stay with me?)
After summer break, Takao returns to school and sees Yukari. He learns she is a literature teacher who faced gossip and bullying. To avoid problems, she skipped work and went to the park to find strength. However, she quits her job and leaves the school. Later, Takao meets Yukari at the park and greets her by reciting the 2,514th poem from the Man'yōshū, a Japanese poetry collection, which matches Yukari’s tanka. After a sudden rainstorm, they go to Yukari’s apartment and spend time together. When Takao confesses his love, Yukari is moved but reminds him she is a teacher and must return to her hometown on Shikoku. After Takao leaves, Yukari realizes her mistake and runs after him. Takao becomes angry and criticizes her for being secretive. Yukari hugs him, and they cry as she explains that their time in the park helped her heal.
The tanka Takao recites in return is:
Narukami no sukoshi toyomite
Furazu tomo, ware wa todomaramu
Imoshi todomeba.
(A faint clap of thunder, even if no rain comes—I will stay with you.)
At the end of the story, Takao barely passes his final exams but continues working toward his goals. Yukari returns to Shikoku and resumes teaching. In a post-credits scene, Takao visits the park in winter, reads a letter from Yukari, places her finished shoes on a bench, and vows to find her after achieving his dreams.
The manga and serial novels differ from the film. In the manga by Midori Motohashi, some scenes are added or changed. For example, after the rainy season, Takao misses a rainy day in summer because he visits a footwear college, disappointing Yukari. At the story’s end, Yukari is shown wearing the shoes Takao made. In the novel, Takao prepares to study shoemaking in Italy and has a farewell party with his family. While in Italy, he exchanges letters with Yukari monthly and leaves his email address in one letter. Later, in May 2018, he returns to Tokyo, reunites with Yukari in the garden, and gives her the shoes he promised.
Production
The film The Garden of Words was directed by Makoto Shinkai, who also wrote the original story and screenplay. He was responsible for creating storyboards, animation work, key animation, and editing the film. Shinkai explained that he took on many roles in the production because his company was small, which allowed him to shape the film to better express his ideas.
The animated film was produced by Shinkai Creative, CoMix Wave Films, and Noritaka Kawaguchi was the producer. Kenichi Tsuchiya was the animation director and designed the characters, while Hiroshi Takiguchi was the art director. Planning for the film began in the spring of 2012, and the project was announced on December 24, 2012. The Japanese release was planned for the first half of 2013. Production took six months, starting with location scouting by Shinkai in Shinjuku. Official production began after he created storyboards based on the photos he took.
In early 2013, Shinkai was asked to adapt the film into a manga, which was later done by Midori Motohashi. Shinkai said he would not help with the adaptation, leaving it entirely to the manga artist. However, he expressed interest in seeing the finished work.
Shinkai mentioned that The Garden of Words was his first attempt to tell a love story using the traditional Japanese meaning of "love." In the era of the Man'yōshū, the word for "love" (now written as koi) was once written as 孤悲, meaning "lonely sadness." Shinkai noted that a more modern idea of "romance," called ren'ai, came from Western influence. The film focuses on the original meaning of koi—a "longing for someone in solitude"—but in a modern setting. Loneliness is the central theme of the film, and Shinkai hoped to help people who feel lonely or disconnected in their lives. He emphasized that the film does not view loneliness as something that needs to be fixed.
Although loneliness is the main theme, the film uses shoes, rain, Man'yōshū poetry, and a Japanese garden as symbols. Rain, which is often seen as sad, helps make the world more vivid and protects the main characters from the challenges of their lives.
Shinkai explained that shoes were a metaphor for life, as Yukari learned to walk again, and Takao’s shoe-making represented their relationship. Yukari’s choice of food and drinks—beer and chocolate—was a metaphor for her emotional health, as she had a stress-related change in taste.
In many of Shinkai’s films, sad endings from misunderstandings and unrequited feelings are common. He said his stories aim to help teenagers deal with these experiences. He admitted he had faced rejection from women and felt his stories were encouraging because his characters keep trying, even when they fail. The Garden of Words also shows that people do not grow up in a straight or perfect way. Shinkai related to Yukari’s character, saying, "We’re all still just children at age 27," a sentiment that voice actress Kana Hanazawa agreed with.
The idea for The Garden of Words came from Shinkai’s desire to show the beauty of modern Tokyo. He lived in Shinjuku for ten years and took thousands of photos there, which he used for storyboards. He modeled the garden in the film after Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo. After the earthquake in March 2011, he worried the garden might be destroyed and wanted to preserve it in an animated film.
Like other Japanese anime, The Garden of Words uses hand-drawn animation, rotoscoping, and computer animation (CGI). CGI helped make the rain scenes look realistic. Shinkai created half of the film’s backgrounds using his photos as a base and drawing over them in Adobe Photoshop, while the other half were fictional settings made with traditional animation and computer graphics. The backgrounds are detailed and realistic, while the characters are drawn with less detail but still look convincing.
For the rainy scenes at the park, the colors were softer, and pale green shading was used to match the gloomy weather. This helped highlight the characters’ faces. Shinkai tested different coloring methods and chose one that integrated character colors with the background, mimicking how light reflects on skin in nature. He believed this method made the anime stand out.
Shinkai originally wanted Takao to be someone who helps others and has a passion for creating things. He chose "shoes" as a craft after testing it with the story, realizing that shoemakers also help people by making things they can use.
When first sharing the story with his team, they thought Yukari seemed selfish. To fix this, Shinkai gave her nervous traits and flaws, like letting her emotions show during small problems. He later realized some of Yukari’s quirks were similar to a former girlfriend, whom he wrote about in his short film She and Her Cat. Making Yukari flawed and attractive to a young boy made her character more complex to plan. Shinkai focused on her appearance, ensuring she wore nice clothes and shoes. He researched shoemaking, worked with a clothing coordinator, and held weekly fashion meetings with his team.
One challenge was making Yukari’s sense of purity clear through her voice. After listening to many auditions, Shinkai chose Kana Hanazawa, who had a deep voice despite usually playing young, high-pitched characters. He was impressed by her ability to express a wide range of emotions.
The final scene of the film made Shinkai happy he cast Hanazawa. He knew Yukari’s crying needed to be powerful to show a strong emotional
Soundtrack
The music for the film was created by Daisuke Kashiwa. It was first released on May 31, 2013, by CoMix Wave Films and later released on June 21, 2013, by Toho Animation Records.
All of the music was composed by Daisuke Kashiwa.
- Daisuke Kashiwa – composed the music, worked as a recording engineer, and worked as a mixing engineer
- Mio Okamura (岡村 美央, Okamura Mio) – played the violin
- Seigen Tokuzawa (徳澤 青弦, Tokuzawa Seigen) – played the cello
- Hideaki Takahashi (高橋 英明, Takahashi Hideaki) – supervised the music
- Junji Kubo (久保 淳司, Kubo Junji) – managed the music production
- Tetsuya Yamamoto (山本 哲也, Yamamoto Tetsuya), Daisuke Kashiwa – worked as recording engineers
- Daisuke Kashiwa – worked as a mixing engineer
- Studio Flat, Meguro Sōko (目黒倉庫) (Meguro, Tokyo, Japan) – recording studio
- Meguro Sōko – mixing studio
Themes
Two common themes in Shinkai's films, such as The Garden of Words, are quiet romances and emotions that remain with people. However, the film's focus on "lonely sadness" (koi) was understood in different ways. Cynthia Webb from The Jakarta Post said the loneliness is shown at the end, when Takao learns to deal with Yukari's move to Shikoku. Luke Carroll from Anime News Network believed the end of the rainy season and the separation between the characters created the feeling of koi.
Bradly Halestorm from Hardcore Gamer noted that through their conversations, Yukari and Takao found companionship. Takao found someone to share his interests with, and Yukari found someone who treated her as a person. However, the age difference changed how each character experienced this connection. For Yukari, an older and more experienced person, her feelings of loneliness ended when she realized she could connect with Takao, which she saw as a way to find hope. For Takao, a boy with few friends and a family that did not support him, he did not understand his loneliness until he met Yukari. At first, he thought his feelings were romantic, but later he realized they were more about friendship. The age difference did not matter in this case. At the end of the film, both characters kept their friendship through letters but also moved on with their lives, possibly forming new relationships. The hope was that one day they might reunite and reconnect without depending on each other. However, neither could move forward if they stayed isolated and relied only on each other for comfort.
Another theme in the film, discussed by reviewers, is rain or water. Cynthia Webb said rain symbolized "unfulfilled longing." Bradly Halestorm saw water as a third main character in the story, helping Takao and Yukari meet and representing the renewal of life. In this way, rain showed their loneliness while also showing Shinkai's idea that rain stands for love that cannot be controlled.
Promotion and release
The anime film was first announced in Japan on December 24, 2012, with a planned release in early 2013. Updates about the film were shared on its Facebook page. On February 20, 2013, the film’s production company, CoMix Wave Films, released a trailer with subtitles in several languages on YouTube. They also confirmed the Japanese release date as May 31, 2013.
In early April 2013, it was announced that the film’s world premiere would take place at the Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. The premiere was scheduled for 4:00 PM on April 28, 2013, and was part of the "Cool Japan" Gold Coast lineup. The film’s director, Shinkai, attended the event and spoke with the audience. The premiere in Australia was a way to thank Australians for their support. The film sold out quickly, so it was moved to a larger theater. Shinkai was nervous about the premiere but asked the audience not to share the story until after the Japanese release. He stayed longer than planned to sign movie posters due to high demand.
Before the Japanese premiere on May 31, the first five minutes of the film were shown on TV Tokyo and NTV on May 12. On May 22, Shinkai’s official Twitter account announced that the film would be released simultaneously in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It would also be available on iTunes on the day of the release. The Japanese premiere included a screening of Shinkai’s earlier short film, Dareka no Manazashi. By October, many theaters in Japan extended the film’s screening.
The film’s official English premiere in the United States took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 6 and 7 as part of Anime Expo 2013. Sentai Filmworks hosted the event, and Shinkai was the Special Guest of Honor. The Canadian premiere occurred at Montreal’s 2013 Fantasia International Film Festival, with screenings on July 22 and 25. The film later returned to Australia, where it was shown alongside Ghost in the Shell: Arise at Madman Entertainment’s Reel Anime 2013.
The film was shown in Moscow on September 27, 2013, with Shinkai answering audience questions. He also attended the UK premiere during Scotland Loves Anime 2013 in mid-October, where the film was shown with his earlier work, The Place Promised in Our Early Days. By late February 2014, the film had been shown in 11 countries. It was later featured at the Imagine Film Festival in Amsterdam, the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film, and the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco.
The film was released digitally on iTunes on the same day as its theatrical release, which was unusual. DVD and Blu-ray versions were also available while the film was still in theaters. In Japan, the DVD and Blu-ray editions were released on June 21, 2013, less than a month after the Japanese premiere. The DVD included a 16-page booklet and about 30 minutes of bonus content, such as short interviews with Shinkai and the cast. The Blu-ray had similar features but included 90 minutes of bonus content, including longer interviews.
On April 24, 2013, Section23 and Sentai Filmworks announced they had acquired the rights to release a digital version and bilingual DVD and Blu-ray in North America later that year. Both formats were released on August 6, 2013. The Blu-ray used 1080p AVC with a 1.78:1 widescreen format and audio encoded with the DTS-HD Master Audio codec. It did not include inserts or a reversible cover.
Anime Limited licensed the DVD and Blu-ray for the UK, announced on October 18, 2013. At the 2013 Lucca Comics & Games convention, Italian publisher Dynit announced it had acquired distribution rights. Australian distributor Madman Entertainment released the DVD on February 19, 2014. French publisher Kazé released a German and Japanese dubbed DVD on March 28, 2014, which also included Dareka no Manazashi.
Related media
A manga version of the story, drawn by Midori Motohashi, was published in Kodansha's monthly magazine Monthly Afternoon from April 25 to October 25, 2013. Kodansha later combined the seven chapters into one book, which was released on November 22, 2013. In February 2014, the North American publisher Vertical announced at the Katsucon anime convention that it had received permission to publish the manga in English. The English version was released on October 28, 2014.
With help from Media Factory, Shinkai wrote a novel version of the story. This novel was published in monthly parts in the September 2013 to April 2014 issues of Da Vinci magazine. The full novel, which included scenes not found in the film or earlier chapters, was published by Kadokawa Shoten on April 11, 2014. In March 2020, Yen Press announced it had received permission to publish the novel in North America. The English version was released on August 25, 2020.
On October 14, 2019, it was announced that the U.K. theater group Whole Hog Theatre would create a stage play based on the film. The play was performed at London’s Park Theatre in Finsbury Park from July 15 to August 15, 2020, after previews on July 15–16. The play was also performed in Tokyo, with Nelke Planning involved in the production. The play used English with some Japanese dialogue and included puppets, movement, and projected images. Alexandra Rutter, who also directed the stage play version of Princess Mononoke for Whole Hog Theatre, directed and co-adapted this play with Susan Momoko Hingley. The project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but continued. In April 2023, Whole Hog Theatre announced the play would resume. On May 31, 2023, it was announced that the play would be performed in London and Tokyo to mark the film’s 10th anniversary. The London show ran from August 10 to September 9, with Hiroki Berrecloth as Takao and Aki Nakagawa as Yukari. In Tokyo, the performances began on November 9, with Kurumu Okamiya and Mitsuki Tanimura cast as Takao and Yukino, respectively.
Reception
The Garden of Words, like many of Makoto Shinkai’s other films, was best suited for teenage and adult audiences because of its emotional and personal tone. The film was successful in theaters, with many theaters showing it for longer periods. Because of its popularity, it became one of Shinkai’s most successful films. Shinkai himself considered it one of his best works, and critics across different media praised the story. The digital version of the film ranked 7th on the iTunes store for Western and Japanese films by the end of 2013. In the year after its release, it remained popular at film events around the world. The review site ICv2 listed the DVD in its "Best of 2013: Anime" section.
At Anime News Network, Luke Carroll called the film a "visual treat" but noted that its short length and new coloring style were distracting. Jon Hayward praised the realistic look of the scenery, especially in Shinjuku Gyoen. Bamboo Dong, the Managing Editor, described the film as "beautifully designed and tenderly animated," noting its detailed story, music, and art. She highlighted the film’s use of light, rain, and camera angles.
At UK Anime Network, Andy Hanley gave the film a perfect score of 10/10, calling it "visually beautiful with a touching story." He praised the relationship between the main characters and the film’s emotional ending. He felt it was more focused than Children Who Chase Lost Voices and had a better ending than 5 Centimeters Per Second, calling it Shinkai’s best work. Dan Rhodes said the film was a return to Shinkai’s earlier style after Children Who Chase Lost Voices, which he felt tried to meet expectations of being like Hayao Miyazaki’s films. He praised the film’s beauty and pacing but found the ending rushed and overly emotional. He also criticized the English dub for affecting the film’s tone.
Bradly Halestorm of Hardcore Gamer gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "painfully intimate and touchingly sentimental" and "the most beautiful animated film ever." He noted that the film’s short length did not prevent it from connecting with viewers. However, he warned that some might miss its subtle message. Curtis Stone of Geekenstein gave it 5 out of 5 stars, calling it the best anime of 2013. Lindsay Nelson of Midnight Eye compared it to Whisper of the Heart for its use of simple settings, but criticized its emotional climax and music.
Andrew Hamlin of Northwest Asian Weekly gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising its use of nature but criticizing its short length. Trung Rwo of Twitch Film praised the artwork and called the film "clean and cute," though he found the ending overly emotional. Sam of Otaku's Study gave it an A−, calling it an "immersive love story" with strong voice acting and music. Allen Moody of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews said the artwork was strong, though the story was weak and the ending abrupt. Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post praised the artwork but felt the plot was simple and the age difference between characters was awkward. Amy Wong of Yam called it a story about loneliness and love, praising the animation but finding the climax too intense. Akumetsu of Anime e Manga said the film could have been a masterpiece but felt the plot was too simple and the ending too dramatic.
Chris Beveridge also reviewed the Blu-ray release, noting clear dialogue and high-quality video. Matt Hinrichs of DVD Talk praised the clean transfer to Blu-ray and the sound effects. Dan Rhodes of UK Anime Network gave the DVD a 9 out of 10, calling it a "barebones release" but praising its reversible insert.
The iTunes Store recommended The Garden of Words and named it the Year’s Best Animation in its "Best of 2013" list. It also won the 2013 Kobe Theatrical Film Award. At the 2013 Fantasia International Film Festival, it shared the Satoshi Kon Award for Animation with Berserk: Golden Age Arc III – Descent and won the Audience Award for Best Animation Feature. It was part of the Jury Selections at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival. At the 2014 Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film, it won the AniMovie Award for feature films. It also won the French award "Daruma Best Screenplay" at the Japan Expo Awards 2016.
From June 28 to October 19, 2014, storyboards, original art, and other materials from The Garden of Words were displayed at the Ooka Makoto Kotoba Museum in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture. The museum also showed Shinkai’s Cross Road commercial, She and Her Cat, and 5 Centimeters Per Second. A replica of the shoes designed by Takao was also on display.