Popular from Japan
Godzilla
(ゴジラ)
A 164-foot-tall monster near Odo Island in Japan goes on a rampage that threatens the entire world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1954
- Director Ishirō Honda
- Cast Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami, Sachio Sakai
- Genre Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Available on fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, Plex,
Pokémon
(ポケットモンスター サン&ムーン)
Join Ash Ketchum on his adventures of becoming a Pokémon Master!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Creator Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori
- Cast Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Otani
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Netflix basic with Ads
My Neighbor Totoro
(となりのトトロ)
Sisters and spirits come together in this magical tale.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1988
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Noriko Hidaka, Hitoshi Takagi, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi
- Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Ghost in the Shell
(GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊
)
A group of cybernetically enhanced cops are called into a stop a biohacking threat.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 1995
- Director Mamoru Oshii
- Cast Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Iemasa Kayumi, Kouichi Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano, Tesshou Genda
- Genre Action, Animation, Science Fiction
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV, Freevee
Howl's Moving Castle
(ハウルの動く城)
A young woman cursed with old age seeks the help of an insecure magician and his companions, who live in a moving castle.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2004
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashūin, Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Genre Fantasy, Animation, Adventure
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Attack on Titan
(進撃の巨人)
When the human race is hunted nearly to extinction by giant monsters, a small group of humans fight back.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Creator
- Cast Yūki Kaji, Marina Inoue, Yui Ishikawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Saki Fujita, Yoshimasa Hosoya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Death Note
(DEATH NOTE)
A brilliant, cynical teenager holds the power of life and death, but his crusade for justice blurs the line between good and evil.
- Japan • 2006
- Creator
- Cast Mamoru Miyano, Noriko Hidaka, Nozomu Sasaki
- Genre Animation, Mystery
- Available on Vudu, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Peacock, Freevee, Netflix basic with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Delicious in Dungeon
(ダンジョン飯)
Adventurers become expert gastronomes as they turn dangerous monsters into delicious dishes.
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Shoplifters
(万引き家族)
Sometimes it's better to choose your own family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kirin Kiki
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Hulu, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV
Spirited Away
(千と千尋の神隠し)
A ten-year-old girl must save her parents from hostile spirits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2001
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Yumi Tamai, Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
13 Assassins
(十三人の刺客)
Take up your sword.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Kazue Fukiishi, Hiroki Matsukata
- Genre Adventure, Drama, Action
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, fuboTV, Peacock, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
Ran
(乱)
The Greatest Shakespeare Film
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, France • 1985
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki
- Genre Action, Drama, History
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
I Wish
(奇跡)
A little bit of magic and a little bit of love.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2011
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Koki Maeda, Oshiro Maeda, Nene Otsuka, Joe Odagiri, Ryôga Hayashi, Hoshinosuke Yoshinaga
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, FlixFling, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Freevee, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
Cure
(キュア)
A detective and a psychologist must solve a series of murders, but this killing spree is beyond both their fields.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yukijiro Hotaru, Yoriko Douguchi, Denden
- Genre Crime, Thriller, Horror, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video
One Piece
(ワンピース)
A pirate boy and crew set out to find a mysterious treasure that will allow him to become the pirate king.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1999
- Creator
- Cast Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Genre Action & Adventure, Comedy, Animation
- Available on Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Hoopla, Crunchyroll, Pluto TV, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
New from Japan
The Face of Another
(他人の顔)
A man with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1966
- Director Hiroshi Teshigahara
- Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyō, Mikijiro Hira, Kyōko Kishida, Eiji Okada, Miki Irie
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Criterion Channel
Of Love & Law
(愛と法)
A documentary following Fumi and Kazu, who run the first law firm in Japan set up by an openly gay couple.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom, France • 2017
- Director Hikaru Toda
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID
Revolutionary Girl Utena
(少女革命ウテナ)
A student who strives to be a prince fights to protect the Rose Bride.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Creator Kunihiko Ikuhara, Yoji Enokido
- Cast Yuri Shiratori
- Genre Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Hoopla, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Solo Leveling
(俺だけレベルアップな件)
A weak monster hunter awakens new powers within himself as he strives to grow in strength
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
One Piece
(ワンピース)
A pirate boy and crew set out to find a mysterious treasure that will allow him to become the pirate king.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1999
- Creator
- Cast Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Genre Action & Adventure, Comedy, Animation
- Available on Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Hoopla, Crunchyroll, Pluto TV, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Lily C.A.T.
(LILY-C.A.T.)
The expendable crew of a space vessel must stop a murderous organism that somehow got on board.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1987
- Director Hisayuki Toriumi
- Cast Chikao Ohtsuka, Eiko Yamada, Osamu Saka
- Genre Animation, Horror, Science Fiction
- Available on The Roku Channel
Yuki's Sun
(ユキの太陽)
Family is more than blood.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1972
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast
- Genre Animation, Drama
- Available on MUBI
The Last Ronin
(最後の忠臣蔵)
An army of loyal samurai plot to revenge their unjustly executed lord.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2010
- Director Shigemichi Sugita
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Koichi Sato, Nanami Sakuraba, Koji Yamamoto, Jun Fubuki, Kunie Tanaka
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Tubi TV
Bleach
(BLEACH
)
A young man with a bizarre gift must defend humans from evil spirits and escort souls to the afterlife.
- Japan • 2004
- Creator
- Cast Masakazu Morita, Fumiko Orikasa, Hiroki Yasumoto, Yuki Matsuoka, Noriaki Sugiyama, Kentaro Ito
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store
Sword Art Online
(ソードアート・オンライン)
Thousands become trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG with no way out but to beat the game.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2012
- Creator Reki Kawahara
- Cast Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Ai Kayano, Maaya Sakamoto, Junichi Suwabe, Sakura Tange
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Mio on the Shore
(わたしは光をにぎっている)
A young woman struggles to adapt to suburban Tokyo life
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Ryutaro Nakagawa
- Cast Honoka Matsumoto, Daichi Watanabe, Eri Tokunaga, Kaito Yoshimura, Shugo Oshinari, Ken Mitsuishi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions
(中二病でも恋がしたい!)
A high schooler tries to break free of his embarrassing past with chūnibyō.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2012
- Creator
- Cast Jun Fukuyama
- Genre Animation, Comedy, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, HiDive
37 Seconds
(37セカンズ)
A manga artist suffering from cerebral palsy embarks on a journey of sexual and personal self-discovery.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Hikari
- Cast Mei Kayama, Misuzu Kanno, Shunsuke Daitoh, Makiko Watanabe, Yoshihiko Kumashino, Minori Hagiwara
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Sherlock Hound
(名探偵ホームズ)
A loose retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" where all the characters are animals.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Italy • 1984
- Creator Hayao Miyazaki, Kyosuke Mikuriya
- Cast Taichirō Hirokawa, Chikao Ohtsuka, Yôko Asagami, Kousei Tomita, Shozo Iizuka, Hiroshi Masuoka
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Mystery
- Available on Amazon Video, The Roku Channel, Retrocrush, Freevee
Still the Water
(2つ目の窓)
A teenage couple investigates a mysterious occurrence.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Japan, Spain • 2014
- Director Naomi Kawase
- Cast Nijiro Murakami, Junko Abe, Miyuki Matsuda, Tetta Sugimoto, Makiko Watanabe, Jun Murakami
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Telescope Recommends
Yojimbo
(用心棒)
A ronin comes to a town divided between two gangs and decides to play them off each other to his advantage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1961
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Seizaburō Kawazu
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Tokyo Sonata
(トウキョウソナタ)
When Megumi accidentally finds out Ryûhei's secret and doesn't tell him, her trust in him, and their marriage, suffers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Netherlands, Hong Kong • 2008
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki, Yū Koyanagi, Koji Yakusho, Haruka Igawa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Tubi TV
Rashomon
(羅生門)
A singular crime from four different perspectives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1950
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Takashi Shimura, Masayuki Mori, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijirô Ueda
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex,
Mirai
(未来のミライ)
A young boy meets his sister from the future.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Yoshiko Miyazaki
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
Throne of Blood
(蜘蛛巣城)
Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan ranks among his most acclaimed films.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1957
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Akira Kubo, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Hiroshi Tachikawa
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Criterion Channel, TCM, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Plex,
Early Spring
(早春)
A young salary man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital affair.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1956
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chikage Awashima, Takako Fujino, Ryô Ikebe, Daisuke Katô, Keiko Kishi, Kuniko Miyake
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Tubi TV
Nope
Residents in a lonely gulch of inland California bear witness to an uncanny, chilling discovery.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Japan • 2022
- Director Jordan Peele
- Cast Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun, Wrenn Schmidt
- Genre Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Available on Peacock, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
A Touch of Sin
(天注定)
Sin is in all of us --- it just takes different forms.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, Japan, France • 2013
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Jiang Wu, Baoqiang Wang, Zhao Tao, Zhang Jiayi, Luo Lanshan, Han Dong
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hoopla, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Metrograph, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Kino Now, Kanopy
Tampopo
(タンポポ)
Two Japanese truck drivers help a widowed restaurant owner learn to cook amazing ramen noodles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1985
- Director Juzo Itami
- Cast Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Rikiya Yasuoka, Hyôe Enoki
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube
A Silent Voice: The Movie
(映画 聲の形
)
A high-school boy seeks forgiveness from the deaf girl he bullied in elementary school.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Director Naoko Yamada
- Cast Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuki, Kensho Ono, Yuki Kaneko, Yui Ishikawa
- Genre Animation, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
I Was Born, But...
(大人の見る繪本 生れてはみたけれど)
In moving to a new town, two young brothers come of age when faced with new social and class struggles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1932
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Tomio Aoki, Tatsuo Saitô, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Hideo Sugawara, Takeshi Sakamoto, Teruyo Hayami
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
An Autumn Afternoon
(秋刀魚の味)
An aging widower arranges a marriage for his only daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1962
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada, Teruo Yoshida, Noriko Maki
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Plex,
Stray Dog
(野良犬)
During a sweltering summer, a rookie detective searches Tokyo’s streets for his stolen Colt pistol.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Noriko Honma
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Crackle, Tubi TV, Plex,
Princess Mononoke
(もののけ姫)
The fate of the world rests on the courage of one warrior.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura, Tsunehiko Kamijô
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
The End of Summer
(小早川家の秋)
The Kohayakawa family is thrown into distress when childlike father Manbei takes up with his old mistress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1961
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Ganjiro Nakamura, Setsuko Hara, Yôko Tsukasa, Michiyo Aratama, Keiju Kobayashi, Masahiko Shimazu
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kanopy, Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel
Oscar Season: Koji Yakusho
13 Assassins
(十三人の刺客)
Take up your sword.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Kazue Fukiishi, Hiroki Matsukata
- Genre Adventure, Drama, Action
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, fuboTV, Peacock, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
The Third Murder
(三度目の殺人)
Everyone has a truth they want to believe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2017
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Masaharu Fukuyama, Koji Yakusho, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Mikako Ichikawa, Izumi Matsuoka, Isao Hashizume
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Cure
(キュア)
A detective and a psychologist must solve a series of murders, but this killing spree is beyond both their fields.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yukijiro Hotaru, Yoriko Douguchi, Denden
- Genre Crime, Thriller, Horror, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
(一命)
Love. Honor. Revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 2011
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Naoto Takenaka, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima, Ebizo Ichikawa, Kazuki Namioka
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hoopla, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex,
Tokyo Sonata
(トウキョウソナタ)
When Megumi accidentally finds out Ryûhei's secret and doesn't tell him, her trust in him, and their marriage, suffers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Netherlands, Hong Kong • 2008
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki, Yū Koyanagi, Koji Yakusho, Haruka Igawa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Tubi TV
Pension Metsa
(ペンションメッツァ)
A woman named Tenko runs a pension alone in a beautiful forest in Nagano, and makes conversation with her guests.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Creator
- Cast Satomi Kobayashi, Koji Yakusho, Shizuka Ishibashi, Bengal, Yuka Itaya, Takashi Yamanaka
- Genre Documentary, Drama
- Available on MZ Choice Amazon Channel, Mhz Choice
The Blood of Wolves
(孤狼の血)
Detective Shogo Ogami and his rookie partner Shuichi Hioka investigate mysterious disappearances amidst a growing yakuza turf war.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Kazuya Shiraishi
- Cast Kōji Yakusho, Tori Matsuzaka, Yoko Maki, Kenichi Takitoh, Takuma Otoo, Joey Iwanaga
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Shudder, AMC+ Amazon Channel
Tampopo
(タンポポ)
Two Japanese truck drivers help a widowed restaurant owner learn to cook amazing ramen noodles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1985
- Director Juzo Itami
- Cast Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Rikiya Yasuoka, Hyôe Enoki
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube
The Boy and the Beast
(バケモノの子)
A lonesome beast and an orphan boy join forces in this heartfelt coming-of-age film.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2015
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shota Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mamoru Miyano
- Genre Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Classic Films from Japan
Street of Shame
(赤線地帯)
The daily personal dramas of five women employed as sex workers in Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1956
- Director Kenji Mizoguchi
- Cast Machiko Kyō, Aiko Mimasu, Ayako Wakao, Michiyo Kogure, Kumeko Urabe, Yasuko Kawakami
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Immortal Love
(永遠の人)
While her fiancée is away fighting, a woman is raped by a landowner's son and forced into marriage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1961
- Director Keisuke Kinoshita
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Keiji Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Nobuko Otowa, Akira Ishihama, Masakazu Tamura
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Stray Dog
(野良犬)
During a sweltering summer, a rookie detective searches Tokyo’s streets for his stolen Colt pistol.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Noriko Honma
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Crackle, Tubi TV, Plex,
Floating Clouds
(浮雲)
Returning to Japan following WWII, Yukiko hopes to continue an affair started during wartime, but realizes the man won’t divorce his wife.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1955
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Mariko Okada, Isao Yamagata, Chieko Nakakita, Daisuke Katō
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Good Morning
(お早よう)
Two young boys stop speaking in protest when their parents refuse to buy a television set.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1959
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Keiji Sada, Yoshiko Kuga, Chishū Ryū, Kuniko Miyake, Haruko Sugimura, Kôji Shitara
- Genre Comedy, Family, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV
Floating Weeds
(浮草)
Members of a traveling theater troupe meddle in the personal life of the troupe's leader.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1959
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Ganjiro Nakamura, Machiko Kyō, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Ayako Wakao, Haruko Sugimura, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Kanopy
High and Low
(天国と地獄)
A wealthy executive becomes the victim of an extortion plot after his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1963
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura, Kenjirō Ishiyama
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Tokyo Twilight
(東京暮色)
Two sisters discover the existence of their long-lost mother, but the younger cannot take the truth of being abandoned as a child.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1957
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishū Ryū, Isuzu Yamada, Teiji Takahashi, Masami Taura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Tubi TV
Woman in the Dunes
(砂の女)
An entomologist suffers extreme psychological and sexual torture after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1964
- Director Hiroshi Teshigahara
- Cast Eiji Okada, Kyôko Kishida, Ginzô Sekiguchi, Kôji Mitsui, Sen Yano
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Yearning
(乱れる)
After a bombing raid destroys the family store, Reiko rebuilds and runs the shop out of love stopped short by destruction.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1964
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Yûzô Kayama, Mitsuko Kusabue, Mie Hama, Aiko Mimasu, Yû Fujiki
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(女が階段を上る時)
A middle-aged bar hostess, constantly in debt, is faced with numerous social constraints and challenges.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Katō, Ganjirô Nakamura II
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Early Summer
(麦秋)
28-year-old Noriko's parents pressure her to marry in postwar Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1951
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake, Ichirô Sugai, Chieko Higashiyama
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV
Dragnet Girl
(非常線の女)
In this silent gangster film, a career criminal is drawn to a sweet, strait-laced girl much to the ire of his longtime moll.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1933
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Kinuyo Tanaka, Joji Oka, Sumiko Mizukubo, Kōji Mitsui, Yumeko Aizome, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
The Naked Island
(裸の島)
The only inhabitants of a small island in the Seto Inland Sea struggle to get by.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Kaneto Shindō
- Cast Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube