A spell of time in the life of a family in rural Tochigi prefecture. Yoshiko is not an ordinary housewife, instead working on an animated film project. Uncle Ayano, a successful music producer, is looking to get his head together after living in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Sachiko is concerned with why she seems to be followed by a giant version of herself. As the lazy days pass by, each member of the family is followed in a series of episodic vignettes.

'The Taste of Tea' is a wonderfully charming and original film with stunning cinematography that captures an eccentric Japanese family's daily life through surreal, magical realist elements. The ensemble cast delivers excellent performances under Ishii's masterful directorial vision. However, opinions divide sharply on pacing and engagement, with some finding the 143-minute runtime meditative and rewarding, while others felt it dragged tediously. The episodic writing structure also polarized viewers, working brilliantly for some but feeling disjointed to others.