From Up on Poppy Hill

Set in Yokohama in 1963, as Japan rebuilds after the war and braces for the 1964 Olympics, the city hums with fresh energy and old memories. Umi Matsuzaki, a diligent high school student who tends a lighthouse by the harbor, befriends Shun Kazama, a thoughtful transfer student with a keen eye for history. Their friendship grows through school clubs, coastal walks, and late night conversations that hint at something deeper. Yet a buried secret from the past begins to surface, threatening the confidence they’ve built and testing the limits of trust between them. As the pair navigate friendship, responsibility, and the pull of an ambitious era, the story keeps its focus on ordinary moments that feel freighted with meaning.

Directed by Goro Miyazaki, this Studio Ghibli feature presents an original story credited to Keiko Niwa Hayao Miyazaki and Tetsurō Sayama. Released in 2011, the film continues the studio tradition of intimate, character driven drama set against a period backdrop.

Budgeted at about 22 million, the film earned roughly 61 million worldwide, signaling solid reception beyond Japan for a thoughtful Studio Ghibli drama that resonated with audiences in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Critics praised its restrained storytelling and its ability to translate a pivotal era into a personal coming of age. The film examines memory and resilience amid modernization, while keeping the romance between Umi Matsuzaki and Shun Kazama grounded in everyday life. It quietly asks how communities recover and honor memory.

An animation style typical of Studio Ghibli infuses warm color palettes, meticulous period detail, and expressive character animation. The production emphasizes 1960s Yokohama settings from harbor scenes to school interiors. The voice cast includes Masami Nagasawa as Umi Matsuzaki, Junichi Okada as Shun Kazama, Keiko Takeshita as Hana Matsuzaki, Yuriko Ishida as Miki Hokuto, and Rumi Hiiragi as Sachiko Hirokoji, all under Goro Miyazaki's direction.