Your Name is one of those movies that stays with you long after it ends. Many viewers felt the beauty of its story but also found it a little confusing — especially the time shifts and the ending.
Here, I’ll explain the movie step by step, so you can understand both its story and the emotions behind it.
The movie begins with Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana, the two main characters, wondering why they always wake up with tears in their eyes yet can never remember their dreams or what made them cry. It feels as if something important — something dear — is missing from their lives, though they cannot name what it is.
They also mention that this feeling of something missing wasn’t always there. It all started on a certain day — the day when stars fell from the sky.
Next, the movie jumps back in time, and we see Mitsuha Miyamizu’s life in the village. She’s a high school student living in Itomori with her sister and grandmother. One morning, she wakes up from a dream and starts acting a little strange. Even the people around her notice that she’s behaving differently.
The next day, she’s back to her usual self. Her family and friends tell her how oddly she had been acting the day before, leaving her confused and unsettled.
Later, we see the same thing happening to Taki Tachibana, the second main character. He’s a high school student living in Tokyo with his father. One morning, he also starts acting strangely after waking up from a dream. Later, his friends and coworkers tell him how different he was acting the previous day.
Soon, both Mitsuha and Taki realize that the same incidents keep happening again and again. At this point, they’re really confused about what’s going on. The only thing they know is that they’ve been having strange dreams — dreams where they are in a different place, in someone else’s body — and the dreams feel almost too real. Taki dreams of a quiet, peaceful village where he’s in the body of a high school girl, living her daily life. On the other hand, Mitsuha dreams that she’s a high school boy living in Tokyo.
In the movie, we also see that a comet is making headlines. The news reports that it will pass very close to Earth in a month — close enough to be visible to the naked eye. It’s a big deal because this comet only appears once every 1200 years.
Later, this comet plays a very important role in the movie.
Soon, we learn that the strange dreams Taki and Mitsuha were having weren’t dreams at all — they were actually switching bodies 🤯. And the trigger for this body switch was sleep.
Imagine you and a random person go to sleep, and while sleeping, you somehow switch bodies. When you wake up, you find yourself in their place, living their life — that’s exactly what was happening to them.
At first, both Taki and Mitsuha weren’t happy about it because it felt like an invasion of their privacy. To protect each other’s personal lives, they set a few ground rules and left notes for each other before switching back, so they could stay up to date on what happened when they weren’t in their own bodies.
But slowly, they became friends and started helping each other out. Taki helps Mitsuha deal with class bullies. Thanks to him, she becomes popular at school — not just among boys but also girls. On the other hand, Mitsuha helps Taki with his love life. With her feminine perspective, she manages to set him up on a date with Ms. Okudera, who works at the same restaurant as Taki and was also his crush.
Since they keep switching bodies, they understand each other better than anyone else possibly could. They know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, habits — even the most personal details that only they would know 😅.
Because of this, they slowly start falling for each other. Signs like Taki not enjoying his date with Ms. Okudera and constantly thinking about Mitsuha, or Mitsuha cutting her hair short like Taki and wanting to meet him, clearly show that both had started falling in love.
During Taki’s date with Ms. Okudera, she realizes that Taki likes someone else. Before ending their date, she asks him if he’s in love with someone. Taki blushes and denies it, but his reaction says it all. By now, even he realizes that his feelings for Ms. Okudera are gone — he likes Mitsuha.
After the date, Taki feels a strong urge to talk to Mitsuha. He tries calling her for the first time but can’t reach her. So, he decides to tell her about the date the next time they switch bodies... But they never switch bodies again!
The body switching had stopped. Days passed, but they never swapped again. Why did it stop? Did something bad happen to Mitsuha? How could he find her?
These questions made Taki restless. He started drawing everything he remembered from the village — the lake, the hills, the scenery.
One day, he finally decided to search for Mitsuha. Taking all his drawings, he set out with his friends. They visited several villages, talking to locals, but found no clue about Mitsuha or her village.
Then, at a ramen shop, the owner recognized one of the drawings and told him that the place was Itomori. But what shocked Taki even more was what came next — Itomori was destroyed by a comet three years ago! The entire village was wiped out. Hundreds of people died or went missing.
Taki was stunned. It had only been a month since he last switched bodies with Mitsuha — how could she have died three years ago?
Remember that comet? The one from the news? On the night of the festival, the villagers of Itomori had gathered to watch it pass by. But a small fragment broke off and fell to Earth, striking the exact spot where everyone had gathered. Over 500 people died, and many went missing.
But if Mitsuha died three years ago, how was she switching bodies with Taki until now?
The answer is simple — they weren’t just switching bodies; they were also traveling through time. Mitsuha was switching bodies with Taki, who lived three years in the future!
Later, the movie shows that Mitsuha once came to Tokyo to meet Taki. She even found him on a train, but Taki didn’t recognize her — because at that point in his timeline, he hadn’t started switching bodies yet. To him, she was just a random girl calling his name.
As the train stopped, Mitsuha started to get off. Taki, confused but curious, asked, “What’s your name?” She replied, “Mitsuha! My name is Mitsuha!” and handed him the colorful thread she used to tie her hair.
That scene was one of the most iconic, emotional, and beautiful moments of the movie ❤️
Now you know why Taki didn’t recognize her and where the colorful thread — the one he always wears on his wrist — came from 😉
Taki didn’t lose hope. He believed that if he could switch bodies with Mitsuha one last time, he might be able to change the past and save everyone. So, he returned to the sacred place where the Itomori villagers worshipped their god.
He had visited this place once before — when he was in Mitsuha’s body — along with her grandmother and sister. They had come to offer Kuchikamizake to their god.
Kuchikamizake means "mouth-chewed sake" and refers to an ancient method of making sake by chewing rice and other grains to break down the starches, which are then spat into a container and left to ferment. The enzymes in saliva, such as amylase, initiate fermentation by converting the starch into sugar. This was one of the earliest forms of sake brewing in Japan and was often performed as a spiritual practice 🔗Wikipedia
(In earlier scenes of the movie we did see that Mitsuha performing some kind of ritual where she dances and also chews cooked rice to make Kuchikamizake)
Taki enters the temple and finds the Kuchikamizake made by Mitsuha. Since Mitsuha made it, it is referred as Mitsuha's "half". Hoping to connect with her again, he drinks it. Suddenly, he slips and falls — and in that very instant, his soul breaks free from his body and enters a completely different dimension 🤯.
Time stands still. Space feels endless. In this mysterious realm, he witnesses Mitsuha’s entire life — from her very first cry to her final breath — like watching a movie from the inside.
After that vision, Taki wakes up — and finds himself in Mitsuha’s body! His wish was fulfilled.
Next, we see Taki (in Mitsuha’s body) doing everything possible to stop the villagers from attending the festival. To do this, he even takes help from Mitsuha’s friends.
Taki realizes that if he’s in Mitsuha’s body, then she must be in his. Hoping to meet her, he rushes to the mountain shrine. There, he shouts her name. Mitsuha, in Taki’s body, hears him — but they can’t see each other. Are you wondering Why?
Because they’re separated by three years in time.
Think of it like this — if you were singing in your room yesterday, could you see or hear yourself today? Of course not, because yesterday no longer exists.
So why could they still hear each other? Because of the god of Itomori — the divine connection that transcends time.
Taki and Mitsuha were so close, yet unable to see or touch each other. But then something magical happens — the Magic Hour — the brief moment of twilight when it’s neither day nor night, and the border between worlds blurs.
During this Magic Hour, they’re finally able to see and touch each other, despite being separated by time. It’s the first time in the movie that they actually meet face-to-face. Mitsuha cries tears of joy 🥹 — it truly was their “golden hour.”
Before the moment fades, Taki tells Mitsuha what she needs to do next and says they should write down each other’s names so they don’t forget. He quickly writes something on her hand, but before Mitsuha can do the same, the Magic Hour ends — and she disappears right in front of him.
Fun fact: it wasn’t Taki’s name that he wrote on her hand 😉 Go watch the movie to find out what it was 😂
Moments after Mitsuha disappears, Taki forgets her name — because, according to the timeline, she no longer exists. It’s like the “grandfather paradox” in time travel.
We then see that Mitsuha successfully saves everyone from the disaster. But after that, both of them forget each other.
Finally, the movie returns to the timeline where it began — with Taki and Mitsuha living in the same city, both searching for someone they can’t quite remember.
Destiny brings them together again. One day, while traveling on trains going in opposite directions, they spot each other through the window.
And finally... they meet. Taki asks, “Have I met you somewhere?” Mitsuha, with tears in her eyes, replies, “I thought so too.”
I hope all your doubts about the movie are clear now 😊 If you haven’t watched it yet, I’d highly recommend it — it’s a must-watch movie!
