Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray) is an American film actor, far past his
prime. He visits Tokyo to appear in commercials, and he meets Charlotte
(Scarlett Johannson), the young wife of a visiting photographer. Bored and
weary, Bob and Charlotte make ideal if improbable travelling companions.
Scarlet is looking for "her place in life," and Bob is tolerating a mediocre
stateside marriage. Both separately and together, they live the experience of
the American in Tokyo. Bob and Charlotte suffer both confusion and hilarity
due to the cultural and language differences between themselves and the
Japanese. As the relationship between Bob and Charlotte deepens, they
come to the realization that their visits to Japan, and one another, must soon
end. Or must they?