

River of Fireflies
1987, Japanese. Directed by Eizō Sugawa.
The boy sees the fate of men. The girl knows how women's lives are.
During the winter in Toyama in 1962, Tatsuo Mizushima is fretting about his feelings for his classmate Eiko Tsujisawa while agonizing about his upcoming high school examinations. When he was little, he and Eiko had heard that in April of a year when the winter has been very harsh, any couple finding fireflies together needs to get married. However, his family's situation does not allow Tatsuo to continue his worrying about such things for very much longer.
- Runtime
- 1h 55m
- Post-credits
- None listed
- Language
- Japanese
- Rated
- Check local
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Where to watch River of Fireflies
River of Fireflies isn’t streaming on any OTT platform in India yet; it released on 21 February 1987.
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Cast & crew
Details
- Released
- 21 February 1987
- Original title
- 螢川
- Country
- Japan
- Written by
- Eizō Sugawa, Kyōhei Nakaoka
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News & fan talk
What River of Fireflies is based on
River of Fireflies is based on Hotarugawa by Teru Miyamoto.
Hotarugawa
By Teru Miyamoto
Source details from Wikidata and TMDB.
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River of Fireflies: quick answers
Is River of Fireflies worth watching?
River of Fireflies doesn’t have enough ratings for a verdict yet.
How long is River of Fireflies?
River of Fireflies runs 115 minutes (1h 55m).
Does River of Fireflies have a post-credits scene?
None is listed for River of Fireflies. Viewers tag these on TMDB, so a brand-new film may not be tagged yet.
River of Fireflies parents guide: is it suitable for kids?
No age rating is listed for River of Fireflies yet.
Which OTT platform is River of Fireflies on?
River of Fireflies isn’t streaming on any OTT platform in India yet; it released on 21 February 1987. (Checked 12 November 2026.)
What movies are like River of Fireflies?
If you liked River of Fireflies, try The Ballad of Narayama, Maborosi, The Young One.
Who directed River of Fireflies?
River of Fireflies (1987) was directed by Eizō Sugawa and stars Rentaro Mikuni, Yukiyo Toake, Tamae Sawada.
What is River of Fireflies based on?
River of Fireflies is based on Hotarugawa by Teru Miyamoto.