Taeko's Father

"Acting is out. Show business people are no good."

Mr. Okajima is the father of Taeko, Nanako, and Yaeko Okajima, as well as the husband of Mrs. Okajima in Only Yesterday.

Personality
Mr. Okajima's character represents a typical Japanese father of the 1960's. Although he cares deeply for his family, he is very enigmatic and often comes across as cruel.

In film
Mr. Okajima is shown many times through Taeko's flashbacks of when she was a child. When Taeko asks him to buy her a new enamel purse, he tells her that he should have taken Yaeko's when it was offered to her. The most significant scene is arguably the one in which the family is getting ready to go to the food fair. Taeko, disappointed and mad at her sister, spitefully threatens to stay home. When they start to leave without her, she rushes outside barefoot, prompting her father to smack her across the face in anger. He is noticeably very guilty about doing this.