"5 Centimeters per Second" (秒速5センチメートル, Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru) is a 2007 Japanese animated film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, produced by CoMix Wave Films. It is a romantic drama told as three linked short stories that together follow the life of Takaki Tōno from childhood through early adulthood, centering on his relationship with a girl named Akari Shinohara.
The film's three segments are:
- Ōka no Hana (Cherry Blossom) – Set in the 1990s, it follows Takaki and Akari as close elementary-school friends who are separated when Akari's family moves away. Takaki takes a long, weather-delayed train journey to see her one snowy day, and the two share a quiet, poignant reunion.
- Cosmonaut – Years later, in high school, Takaki has moved to a coastal town. A classmate, Kanae, has feelings for him but senses he is emotionally distant, still fixated on someone from his past.
- Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru (5 Centimeters per Second) – Now adults living separate lives in Tokyo, Takaki and Akari's paths drift further apart, culminating in a bittersweet, ambiguous moment that closes the film.
The title refers to the speed at which cherry blossom petals are said to fall (about 5 cm per second), used throughout as a metaphor for the slow, inevitable drifting apart of people and relationships over time and distance.
The film is known for Shinkai's signature visual style — highly detailed, photorealistic backgrounds, dramatic skies, and trains as recurring symbols of connection and separation — as well as its melancholic tone and ambient, atmospheric soundtrack featuring the song "One More Time, One More Chance" by Masayoshi Yamazaki. It's often cited as an early landmark in Shinkai's career, foreshadowing later works like "Your Name" and "Weathering with You," and is frequently discussed for its themes of nostalgia, unspoken longing, and the passage of time.