like all of ozu's sound films, "tokyo story"'s pacing is slow. important events are often not shown on screen but revealed through dialogue. for example, the train journeys to and from tokyo are not depicted. a distinctive camera style is used, in which the camera height is low and almost never moves; film critic roger ebert noted that the camera moves once in the film, which is "more than usual" for an ozu film. the low camera positions are also reminiscent of sitting on a traditional japanese tatami mat. ozu rarely shot master shots and often broke the 180-degree rule of filmmaking and screen direction. characters, who often sit side by side in scenes, often appear to be facing the same direction when speaking to each other, such as in the first scene with shūkichi and tomi. during some transitions, characters exit a scene screen right and then enter the next scene screen right.