title: Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial
text: # 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.
  
  