Perfect Days: parents' guide
Best for ages 10 and up. Rated PG for some language, partial nudity and smoking.
A gentle, meditative Japanese drama about a Tokyo public-toilet cleaner who finds joy in routine, music, books and trees. It is slow and quiet, so it suits patient older kids and teens more than young children. Content is mild: a couple of subtitled s-words, bathhouse scenes with bare male backsides, some smoking and drinking, and one drunk man stumbling. An estranged family and a character's cancer bring sad moments. The PG fits; the slow pace and grown-up themes are why we suggest 10.
What's in it
Violence
NoneNo violence at all. The only physical action is a sumo bout playing on a TV.
Language
ModerateMovieguide counted two s-words, one hell and two misuses of God's name in the subtitles. Otherwise the sparse dialogue is clean.
Sex and nudity
MildNo sexual content. In a public bathhouse, men's bare backsides are seen from behind, with towels and angles hiding the rest. A kiss on the cheek, some hugs, and a song lyric mentions a brothel.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateCharacters drink beer and spirits at a bar, a man is seen drunk and stumbling out of a toilet, and two men share cigarettes, coughing because they rarely smoke.
Scary or intense scenes
MildNothing scary. Sad notes include an aging father in a nursing home, a supporting character with cancer going through chemotherapy, and an emotional visit from an estranged sister.
Worth talking about
Ask what makes the main character content even with a modest job, and which small daily routines bring your family joy.
On our lists
Similar picks around 10+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against the MPA, Common Sense Media, movieguide.org, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.