The film focuses on Takao Akizuki, an aspiring 15-year-old shoemaker, and Yukari Yukino, a mysterious 27-year-old woman he keeps meeting at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden on rainy mornings.

While Takao is skipping his morning class to design shoes, Yukari is avoiding work due to personal problems in her professional life.

Shinkai wrote the story as a tale of "lonely sadness", based on the meaning of the traditional Japanese word for "love", and uses shoes as a metaphor for life.

Online reviews were generally favorable with universal praise of the art, though opinions were mixed regarding the story's length, plot and emotional climax.

鳴神の 少し響みてNarukami no sukoshi hibiki miteさし曇りSashi kumori雨も降らぬかAme mo furanu ka君を留めむKimi wo tome mu [A faint clap of thunderClouded skiesPerhaps rain comesIf so, will you stay here with me?]

鳴神の 少し響みてNarukami no sukoshi hibiki mite降らずともFurazu tomo吾は留まらむWare wa tomara mu妹し留めばImōto shi tome ba [A faint clap of thunderEven if rain comes notI will stay hereTogether with you] The credits show Takao barely passing his final exams, but still working towards his goals, while Yukari moves back to Shikoku and resumes her teaching career.

In a post-credits scene, Takao revisits the park that winter, reads a letter from Yukari, places her finished shoes on the bench, then vows that he will find her after he has made progress with his career.

[30] Although rain is typically seen as sad and gloomy, in The Garden of Words it makes the world more vivid and protects the two main characters from the reality of their lives and the limitations imposed by society.

[34] The original idea for The Garden of Words came from Shinkai's desire to capture the beauty of the daily scenery in modern Tokyo and showcase it in a film.

[39] Shinkai originally envisioned Takao as a boy who wants to help people,[22] but also felt that he should have a passion for making something, since creative work can be rewarding and fulfilling.

[41] Shinkai later realized that some of these personality quirks and temporary professional challenges seen in Yukari were present in a former girlfriend, for whom he had written his short film She and Her Cat.

Though it took days of listening to the audition tapes, Shinkai finally chose Kana Hanazawa, who had a very low natural voice, despite typically playing the roles of high-pitched younger girls.

Though many Japanese voice actors could portray a naïve 15-year-old boy, Shinkai immediately recognized that only Miyu Irino could produce the intense emotion needed for the closing scene.

[23] During an interview at Anime Expo 2013, a representative from Toho, the film's distribution company, emphasized that the quality of the story and the reputation of its director played a key role in the decision to bring it to theaters.

[52] All music is composed by Daisuke KashiwaTwo common themes among Shinkai's films, including The Garden of Words, are subtle romances and lingering emotions.

According to Cynthia Webb, the rain represented "unfulfilled longing",[17] while Bradly Halestorm saw water as a third main character to the story, acting to both bring Takao and Yukari together and to symbolize the renewal of life.

[28][61] Scheduled for the end of the festival[54] at 4:00 PM on April 28, 2013, the film was part of the 'Cool Japan' Gold Coast lineup and included a guest appearance and discussion with Shinkai.

[62] Despite feeling nervous about the world premiere,[17] Shinkai provided a discussion of the film[54][62][63] and asked everyone to not share the plot and story until after the Japanese release the following month.

[32] The official English language premiere of The Garden of Words was next shown in the United States at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 6 and 7 as part of Anime Expo 2013.

[90] The French publishing company Kazé released a German and Japanese dubbed DVD on March 28, 2014, which also included the short film Dareka no Manazashi.

[93] In February 2014, North American publisher Vertical announced at the Katsucon anime convention that it had licensed Motohashi's manga;[24][82][94] the English translation was released on October 28, 2014.

[109] At Anime News Network, Luke Carroll praised the film, calling it a "visual treat", but was disappointed in the short length and found Shinkai's new coloring method to be distracting.

Hanley felt that The Garden of Words had a "tighter focus" than Children Who Chase Lost Voices and a better ending than 5 Centimeters Per Second, concluding it was Shinkai's best work yet.

Bradly Halestorm at Hardcore Gamer gave it a 4.5 out of 5, describing it as "painfully intimate and touchingly sentimental" and "the single most beautiful animated film ever created".

[46] Lindsay Nelson at Midnight Eye compared the film to Whisper of the Heart by Studio Ghibli for its poetic use of "seemingly bland and uninteresting locations".

[26] Sam at Otaku's Study gave the film an A−, describing it as an "immersive love story" and complimenting the Japanese voice acting and music.

[49] Chris Beveridge at The Fandom Post praised the artwork, but felt that the story was weak, noting the simplicity of the plot, the abrupt ending, and the awkwardness of the age difference between the two main characters.

[38] Chris Beveridge at The Fandom Post reviewed the Blu-ray release, noting that the dialogue was "clean and clear" throughout the entire playback and described the high definition video as something worth showing off.

[89] Matt Hinrichs at DVD Talk felt the video made a clean transfer from digital to Blu-ray, the atmospheric sound effects were "carefully crafted", and that the dialog in the center channel was clear.

[122] Storyboards, original art, and other material from The Garden of Words were exhibited between June 28 and October 19, 2014 at the Ooka Makoto Kotoba Museum in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture.