The Garden of Words

Name: The Garden of Words
Genre: Animation, Drama, Romance
Released: 2013-05-31
Duration: 46 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Miyu Irino, Kana Hanazawa, Fumi Hirano, Takeshi Maeda, Yuka Terasaki

2013·Movie·PG-13·46 min·★ 7.6(2,241)

Animation Drama Romance More Japanese titles

Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open up to each other. But the end of the rainy season soon approaches.

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Where to watch The Garden of Words in United States

Stream

Criterion Channel

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Kanopy

Click a service to open The Garden of Words there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is The Garden of Words streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Criterion Channel, HiDive, Kanopy	—
India	Sony Liv, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel	—
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Canada	Criterion Channel, HiDive	—
Germany	—	Apple TV Store
Spain	—	Amazon Video
Japan	Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, U-NEXT	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
South Korea	wavve, Watcha	wavve, Google Play Movies

About The Garden of Words

The Garden of Words is a 2013 Japanese-language animation, drama and romance film directed by Makoto Shinkai. The cast is led by Miyu Irino, Kana Hanazawa, Fumi Hirano. It has a runtime of 0h 46m. Viewers rate it 7.6/10 across 2200 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Criterion Channel, HiDive, Kanopy.

The Garden of Words was produced by CoMix Wave Films and made in Japan. It was released on May 31, 2013, and carries a PG-13 certification. At the box office it grossed around $1 million worldwide.

Director: Makoto Shinkai
Writers: Makoto Shinkai
Release date: May 31, 2013
Original language: Japanese
Age rating: PG-13
Status: Released
Country: Japan
Box office: $1 million
Production: CoMix Wave Films

#chocolate#age difference#garden#rain#alcoholism#coming of age#tokyo, japan#park#cityscape#high school student#teacher student relationship#high school teacher#rainstorm#seinen

The Garden of Words cast & crew

The Garden of Words was directed by Makoto Shinkai and written by Makoto Shinkai.

The cast features Miyu Irino as Takao Akizuki (voice), Kana Hanazawa as Yukari Yukino (voice), Fumi Hirano as Takao's Mother (voice), Takeshi Maeda as Takao's Brother (voice), Yuka Terasaki as Takao's Brother's Girlfriend (voice), and Takanori Hoshino as Teacher Itou (voice).

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Daisuke Kashiwa, cinematography is by Makoto Shinkai, and it was produced by Noritaka Kawaguchi.

Is The Garden of Words worth watching?

The Garden of Words holds an audience score of 7.6/10 from 2,241 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed animation films.

At 0h 46m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy animation, drama, and romance, The Garden of Words is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Garden of Words

In United States, you can stream The Garden of Words on Criterion Channel, HiDive, and Kanopy. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.