Tora-san's Dream of Spring (1979)

Tora-san befriends the descendant of a feudal lord. The man asks Tora to locate his deceased son's wife who resides somewhere in Tokyo.

Tora-san, un vendedor ambulante, vuelve a casa después de veinte años para encontrar que sus padres fallecieron y su única hermana, Sakura, trabajando en una tienda de dulces locales y vive con su tía y su tío. Tora de mala gana está de acuerdo con el matrimonio previsto de Sakura con un pintor, pero sólo consigue arruinar el matrimonio cuando se comporta de forma escandalosa en la fiesta pre-boda. Sin darse cuenta se enamora de la hija de un sacerdote budista. Al enterarse de que ella ya se está preparando para su propio matrimonio, decide salir de su casa de nuevo para ocultar su disgusto.

Se descubre a Kuruma Torajiro buscando en Kioto a alguien especial para él.

La hermana menor de Tora-san, Sakura, invita a su tía y tío a un viaje de spa en el derecho de Kyushu cuando Tora-san vuelve a casa! Durante su estancia solitaria en su casa, determina para el tratamiento de su familia más agradable cuando regresen. Un día, Tora-san se encuentra con uno de sus antiguos compañeros de clase, y presenta a su hermana menor Ritsuko a Tora-san. Ritsuko provenía de una familia rica, pero ella insiste en ser un pintora y tiene que sufrir de la pobreza. Tora-san se siente atraído por ella, pero ella ya está enamorada de otro hombre.

Tora-san's opinions about Americans get challenged when another wandering peddler Michael Jordan stops by Shibamata.

When his travels take him to rural Hokkaido, Tora-san helps a cantankerous old veterinarian (Mifune) in his relationships with his estranged daughter, and a woman in whom he is secretly interested.

Tora-san spends several days at the home of a hard-working salaryman ("salaried worker"), who abruptly disappears. When the man's wife asks Tora-san to help find him, he falls in love with her, and secretly hopes the husband will not be found.

After an encounter with a dying yakuza's son and at his sister Sakura's urging, Torajiro attempts to change his vagrant lifestyle and become an honest worker with a steady job.

When Tora-san returns to visit his family, he is surprised to find an arrogant professor occupying his room. The professor and Tora-san become rivals for the affection of Chiyo.

Mitsuo goes to Nagoya to visit Izumi, whose father left Izumi’s sad, bar hostess mother for another woman, so together they decide to confront him in Oita. Meanwhile, Izumi’s mother befriends Tora-san and together they travel to Oita to meet them, with Tora-san quickly falling for her en route.

Tora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.

Tora-san visits brother-in-law Hiroshi's hometown to attend a memorial service for his late father. When the local temple priest becomes intoxicated, Tora-san wearing the priest's robe delivers the memorial speech, much to his family's surprise. Thinking he's found his true calling, Tora-san decides to join the order, and falls for the priest's divorced daughter.

On the road again, Torajiro meets a kindred spirit in Lily, a lounge singer.

Tora-san's nephew Mitsuo is exchanging letters with Izumi, a former classmate whose parents divorced and took her out of Tokyo.

Tora-san returns to his family home to learn that his brother-in-law cannot go to Mitsuo's (Tora-san's nephew) athletic event. Tora-san volunteers to take his place, but gets into an argument with his brother-in-law's boss and returns to the road. He meets a young woman in Niigata who, unbeknownst to him, is a popular enka singer.

When Tora-san's infatuation with his nephew's school teacher causes family turmoil, he leaves on his travels again. When he returns, he falls in love with the teacher's mother.

After winning big at the races, Torajiro Kuruma wants to take his aunt and uncle on a trip to Hawaii to partly pay the great filial debt he feels he owes them, but the plan hits a snag. Also, a pretty kindergarten teacher rents a room at Toraya.

Tora-san helps out a runaway bride.

Tora-san regresa a su ciudad natal y se reconcilia con su madre Kiku, y comienza su vida como un errante nuevamente, hasta que conoce a Hanako, una joven inocente no muy inteligente que trabaja en una fábrica textil. Tora-san tiene la intención de ayudarla a regresar a su ciudad natal, pero Hanako termina trabajando en la tienda del tío de Tora-san.

Tora-san arrives in Shibamata on Mitsuo's first day of school only to find that on his account, Mitsuo was embarrassed. After a fight with his family, he goes to a bar to drink, then brings home a surly old man with a sad story, whose identity will surprise everyone. Later, Tora meets Botan, a geisha.