Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial
# Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial

Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial (男はつらいよ 寅次郎サラダ記念日, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Sarada Kinenbi) is a 1988 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Yoshiko Mita as his love interest or "Madonna". Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial is the fortieth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series. The title comes from Machi Tawara poetry collection Salad Anniversary, on which this movie was based.

## Synopsis

In his travels through Japan, Tora-san meets and falls in love with a female doctor, but he is afraid of committing to a relationship.

## Cast

* Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō
* Chieko Baisho as Sakura
* Yoshiko Mita as Machiko
* Hiroko Mita as Yuki
* Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō
* Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
* Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
* Hidetaka Yoshioka as Mitsuo Suwa
* Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
* Gajirō Satō as Genkō
* Toshinori Omi as Sei
* Chishū Ryū as Gozen-sama
* Tomoko Naraoka as Machiko's mother

## Critical appraisal

Yoshiko Mita was nominated for Best Actress at the Japan Academy Prize for her role in Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial. Kevin Thomas at the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial four out of five stars, labeling it one of the highlights of the series.

## Availability

Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial was released theatrically on December 24, 1988. In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1989 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.

