What Is Departures About?
The premise of Departures in 253 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the quiet, snow‑kissed town of Yamagata, former cellist Daigo Kobayashi finds his life upended when his orchestra dissolves, forcing him and his wife Mika to leave the bustle of Tokyo for the family home he inherited after his mother’s passing. The house, tucked behind a modest coffee shop once run by Daigo’s estranged father, bears the weight of unspoken grievances and lingering memories. As Daigo confronts the stark contrast between his artistic past and the modest rhythm of provincial life, the film sets a contemplative mood that balances gentle humor with a reverent melancholy.
A chance advertisement leads Daigo to an unexpected apprenticeship at a local mortuary, where he is introduced to the delicate ritual of preparing the departed for their final journey. The work, initially foreign and unsettling, becomes a quiet arena for personal reckoning, offering him a new language through which he can explore themes of loss, dignity, and the fragility of existence. The setting—softly lit funeral parlors, communal baths, and the ever‑present natural landscape—infuses the story with an understated elegance, inviting viewers to linger on the subtle beauty found in everyday rites.
Through his relationship with Mika, who oscillates between concern and quiet support, Daigo navigates the tension between societal expectations and his burgeoning sense of purpose. Their dynamic, set against the backdrop of a close‑knit community that both judges and cherishes its members, highlights the film’s gentle exploration of how an unlikely vocation can illuminate deeper connections to family, memory, and the quiet dignity of life’s inevitable passages.
What Happens in Departures?
The complete story of Departures, from the first scene to the last, in 601 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Daigo Kobayashi [Masahiro Motoki] loses his job as a cellist when his orchestra is disbanded. He and his wife Mika [Ryoko Hirosue] move from Tokyo to his hometown in Yamagata, where they live in his childhood home that was left to him when his mother died two years earlier. It is fronted by a coffee shop that Daigo’s father had operated before he ran off with a waitress when Daigo was six; since then the two have had no contact. Daigo feels hatred towards his father and guilt for not taking better care of his mother. He still keeps a stone-letter — a stone which is said to convey meaning through its texture — which his father had given him many years before.
Daigo finds an advertisement for a job “assisting departures.” Assuming it to be a job in a travel agency, he goes to the NK Agent office and learns from secretary Yuriko Kamimura that he will be preparing bodies for cremation in a ceremony known as encoffinment. Although reluctant, Daigo is hired on the spot and receives a cash advance from his new boss, Sasaki [Tsutomu Yamazaki]. Daigo is furtive about his duties and hides the true nature of the job from Mika.
His first assignment is to assist with the encoffinment of a woman who died at home and remained undiscovered for two weeks. He is beset with nausea and later humiliated when strangers on a bus detect an unsavoury scent on him. To clean himself, he visits a public bath which he had frequented as a child. It is owned by Tsuyako Yamashita, the mother of one of Daigo’s former classmates.
Over time, Daigo becomes comfortable with his profession as he completes a number of assignments and experiences the gratitude of the families of the deceased. Though he faces social ostracism, Daigo refuses to quit, even after Mika discovers a training DVD in which he plays a corpse and leaves him to return to her parents’ home in Tokyo. Daigo’s former classmate Yamashita insists that the mortician find a more respectable line of work and, until then, avoids him and his family.
After a few months, Mika returns and announces that she is pregnant. She expresses hope that Daigo will find a job of which their child can be proud. During the ensuing argument, Daigo receives a call for an encoffinment for Mrs Yamashita. Daigo prepares her body in front of both the Yamashita family and Mika, who had known the public bath owner. The ritual earns him the respect of all present, and Mika stops insisting that Daigo change jobs. At the funeral, Yamashita is permitted to witness the burning of his mother’s body through a peephole on the retort and listens to a heartfelt anecdote about death told by the furnace operator.
Sometime later, they learn of Daigo’s father’s death. Daigo experiences renewed anger and tells the NK office that he refuses to deal with his father’s body. Yuriko tells this to Daigo in an effort to change his mind. Daigo berates Yuriko and storms out before collecting himself and turning around. He goes with Mika to another village to see the body. Daigo is at first unable to recognize him, but takes offence when local funeral workers are careless with the body. He insists on dressing it himself, and while doing so finds a stone-letter that he had given to his father, held tight in the dead man’s hands. The childhood memory of his father’s face returns to him, and after he finishes the ceremony, Daigo gently presses the stone-letter to Mika’s pregnant belly.
Departures Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Daigo loses his cello job and returns to his hometown” to “The stone-letter ties past to future”. 12 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Daigo loses his cello job and returns to his hometown
Daigo Kobayashi loses his job as a cellist when his orchestra is disbanded. He and his wife Mika move from Tokyo to his hometown of Yamagata and return to his childhood home. He carries guilt for his mother's death and resentment toward his father, along with a stone-letter given by his father.
When:After the orchestra disbands Where:Tokyo and Yamagata
- 2
Daigo accepts the encoffinment job at NK Agent
He sees an advertisement for 'assisting departures' and assumes it's a travel agency job. He is hired on the spot and receives a cash advance from his new boss. He keeps the true nature of the work secret from Mika.
When:shortly after interview Where:NK Agent office
- 3
First encoffinment assignment
His first assignment is to assist with the encoffinment of a woman who died at home and remained undiscovered for two weeks. He is beset with nausea and later humiliated when strangers on a bus detect an unsavoury scent on him. To cleanse himself, he visits a public bath.
When:early in his assignments Where:the deceased woman's home
- 4
Public bath reunion with Yamashita's family
While cleansing in the bath, Daigo reconnects with the community when Tsuyako Yamashita, mother of a former classmate, runs the bathhouse. The memory of his own childhood surfaces as he encounters the Yamashita family. The encounter foreshadows how the job will touch his life.
When:shortly after the first assignment Where:public bathhouse
- 5
Growing acceptance and Mika's discovery
Daigo gradually becomes more comfortable with his profession as he completes assignments and earns the gratitude of grieving families. He endures social ostracism from some corners of society. Mika finds a training DVD showing him playing a corpse and leaves him to return to her parents' home in Tokyo.
When:over several months Where:Yamagata; home
- 6
Mika returns pregnant and they argue
After a few months Mika returns and announces she is pregnant, hoping Daigo will find a job their child can be proud of. She questions whether his current work will allow that future. Their argument marks a turning point in their marriage.
When:a few months after she left Where:Daigo's home in Yamagata
- 7
Mrs Yamashita's encoffinment is scheduled
Daigo receives a call to prepare Mrs Yamashita's body, the mother of his former classmate, for cremation. He conducts the encoffinment in front of the Yamashita family and Mika, earning their reluctant respect. The moment underscores the social divides and the professional dignity of his work.
When:later Where:funeral site
- 8
Yamashita's cremation and the peephole moment
During the funeral, Yamashita is permitted to witness the burning of his mother's body through a peephole in the crematorium. He listens to a heartfelt anecdote about death told by the furnace operator. The scene deepens Daigo's sense that the living owe something to the dead.
When:during the funeral Where:crematorium
- 9
Daigo learns of his father's death
Sometime later the news reaches the NK office that Daigo's father has passed away. He feels renewed anger and refuses to handle his father's body at first. Yuriko tries to persuade him to reconsider and take part in the ritual.
When:sometime after Yamashita funeral Where:NK Agent office
- 10
Confrontation and decision to confront his father
Daigo berates Yuriko and storms out of the office when pressed to deal with his father's body. He decides to go with Mika to another village to see the father’s body. The act signifies his wavering acceptance of the family duty.
When:immediately after Where:NK Agent office / on the road
- 11
Dressing the father and the stone-letter
In the village, Daigo is initially unable to recognize his father and is angered by careless funeral workers. He insists on dressing the body himself and searches the corpse's hands for the stone-letter. Upon finding it, a childhood memory of his father's face returns.
When:during dressing Where:village funeral site
- 12
The stone-letter ties past to future
After finishing the ceremony, Daigo presses the stone-letter to Mika's pregnant belly, a tangible link between his father's past and their growing family. The moment marks a quiet reconciliation with his father and a hopeful note for their child's future.
When:end Where:village funeral site
Who Are the Main Characters in Departures?
4 characters, among them Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), Mika Kobayashi (Ryoko Hirosue) and Yuriko Kamimura: who each one is and the part they play in the story. 2 of them link to the actor’s page.
- DK
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki)
Played by Masahiro Motoki
Former cellist who loses his job when the orchestra is disbanded, Daigo relocates from Tokyo to his Yamagata hometown and begins working as an encoffinment technician. He initially hides the true nature of his job from his wife and struggles with social stigma and guilt toward his mother. Over time, he finds purpose in giving families a respectful, heartfelt farewell for their loved ones. The stone-letter from his father becomes a turning point, reconnecting him with family memories.
- 🧭 Duty
- 🫂 Family
- 🕯️ Memory
- MK
Mika Kobayashi (Ryoko Hirosue)
Played by Ryoko Hirosue
Daigo's wife who moves with him to his hometown and becomes pregnant. She worries about Daigo's new job and initially leaves, staying with her in-laws, but returns after learning of pregnancy and hopes he finds a career their child can be proud of.
- 👪 Family
- 💬 Communication
- 💪 Support
- YK
Yuriko Kamimura
NK Agent office secretary who informs Daigo about his father's death and pushes him to consider his future. She confronts Daigo with the personal history that shapes his path and reveals the impact of his choices on his family.
- 💼 Colleague
- 🗣️ Guidance
- 🕊️ Remembrance
- TY
Tsuyako Yamashita
Owner of the public bath frequented in Daigo's childhood; She is the mother of one of his former classmates and provides a tangible link to his past. She witnesses the reactions surrounding an encoffinment and plays a quiet role in the community's memory of the father.
- 🛁 Local business
- 🕊️ Memory
- 👩🏫 Classmate's mother
Where and When Is Departures Set?
Departures is set in Tokyo, Japan, Yamagata and Japan. Here is why the place matters to the story.
When
Set in contemporary Japan, the story contrasts urban life with the quiet rhythms of a rural hometown. Modern work life, family expectations, and changing attitudes toward death frame Daigo's transformation. The events feel present-day and relatable through everyday details like work, marriage, and ritual.
Where
Tokyo, Japan, Yamagata, Japan
Daigo returns to his hometown in Yamagata, moving into his childhood home beside a local coffee shop once run by his father. The rural setting provides a quiet, memory-filled backdrop that anchors the film's themes of family, loss, and reconciliation. The coffee shop and family home ground the story in a place where past ties shape present choices.
- 🏙️ Tokyo
- 🗻 Yamagata
What Are the Themes of Departures?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Death & Ritual, Family & Forgiveness and Calling & Identity.
-
01
Death & Ritual
Death is treated as a meaningful, communal act rather than an end. Daigo's role in encoffinment brings him face-to-face with grieving families and the dignity of the deceased. The ritual reveals a path to empathy, acceptance, and healing for the living. Through the ceremonies, the film suggests that remembering those who have passed can reconcile broken relationships.
-
02
Family & Forgiveness
Past wounds from Daigo's father and his mother's death haunt him as he navigates his new vocation. Mika's absence and eventual return test their marriage, while shared tragedy pushes them toward reconciliation. Yuriko's insistence on confronting the past also underscores the family-centered nature of healing. The film presents forgiveness as a gradual, communal process.
-
03
Calling & Identity
Daigo's transition from professional musician to mortician challenges conventional prestige and personal pride. He discovers meaning in honoring the dead by treating each ceremony with care and respect. The work reframes success as compassion and responsibility rather than public recognition. The profession becomes Daigo's true calling, transforming his sense of self.
What Kind of Film Is Departures?
Bittersweet in tone, with slow pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Bittersweet
- Pacing
- Slow
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A slow, contemplative drama that finds profound meaning and quiet beauty in the rituals of death, offering a moving portrayal of grief, redemption, and the dignity of human connection.
- contemplative
- respectful
- melancholic
- hopeful
- solemn
- quiet
- grief and loss
- coming of age
- family reconciliation
- finding purpose
Content notes: depictions of dead bodies.
Quiz
How well do you remember Departures? Test yourself on the story.
