In Only Yesterday, what is the name of the protagonist?

The protagonist of Only Yesterday is Taeko Okajima. The film follows Taeko as both a 27-year-old office worker and her remembered ten-year-old self.

In the present-day story, Taeko leaves Tokyo for the countryside of Yamagata to help relatives with the safflower harvest. The journey brings back vivid memories of her childhood in 1966, including school friendships, family arguments, first romantic feelings, and her struggle with fractions. These recollections gradually change how she understands her adult life.

Taeko’s host, Toshio, is a farmer and a distant relative by marriage. Through conversations with him and her experiences in the countryside, she begins questioning whether her urban life reflects what she truly wants. The film’s emotional focus is less on adventure than on memory, identity, and the choices that connect childhood with adulthood.

Viewers sometimes mistake Toshio for the protagonist because he is central to Taeko’s eventual decision, but the story remains Taeko’s personal journey. Only Yesterday was directed by Isao Takahata and released in Japan in 1991.