Popular from Japan
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
Akira
(AKIRA
)
Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1988
- Director Takashi Nakamura
- Cast Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshou Genda, Hiroshi Ohtake, Kōichi Kitamura
- Genre Science Fiction, Animation
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Vudu
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,
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, 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, Peacock, Peacock Premium, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
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 Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
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
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
Cowboy Bebop
(カウボーイビバップ)
Amid rising crime rates across the solar system in 2071, bounty hunters, or "cowboys," chase criminals in exchange for rewards.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1998
- Creator Hajime Yatate
- Cast Koichi Yamadera, Unsho Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Tada
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Western
- Available on No streaming locations found.
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
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
Seven Samurai
(七人の侍)
Seven samurai answer a village's request for protection after they lose their masters and fall on hard times.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1954
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katô
- Genre Action, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
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
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
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
New from Japan
Blood-C
(BLOOD-C
)
A seemingly normal small town high school girl lives a double life as a monster hunter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2011
- Creator Nanase Ohkawa
- Cast Masumi Asano, Misato Fukuen, Jun Fukuyama
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Mystery
- Available on Vudu, Apple TV, Hulu
Slam Dunk
(スラムダンク)
A young delinquent joins his high school's basketball team to try and impress his dream girl.
- Japan • 1993
- Creator Nobutaka Nishizawa, Takehiko Inoue
- Cast Hikaru Midorikawa, Takeshi Kusao, Kiyoyuki Yanada, Akiko Hiramatsu
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on Amazon Video, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
The World
(世界)
Employees experience alienation at a Beijing theme park filled with recreations of famous monuments.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, Japan, France • 2004
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Zhao Tao, Cheng Taishen, Jue Jing, Jiang Zhongwei, Yi-qun Wang, Wang Hongwei
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Hunter x Hunter
(HUNTERxHUNTER
)
A young boy decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Hunter - a special class of warrior.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Poland • 2011
- Creator Yoshihiro Togashi
- Cast Banjou Ginga
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Crunchyroll, Peacock, Freevee, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Weathering with You
(天気の子)
Hodaka runs away from home to rainy Tokyo and meets a young girl with a mysterious and magical power.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Makoto Shinkai
- Cast Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu, Sei Hiraizumi, Yūki Kaji
- Genre Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Flight from Ashiya
(あしやからの飛行)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 1964
- Director Michael Anderson
- Cast Yul Brynner, Richard Widmark, George Chakiris, Suzy Parker, Shirley Knight, Danièle Gaubert
- Genre Action, Adventure, Romance
- Available on ScreenPix Apple TV Channel
Radiance
(光)
A woman who creates audio descriptions of movies for blind audiences falls in love with a photographer who's losing his sight.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, France • 2017
- Director Naomi Kawase
- Cast Masatoshi Nagase, Ayame Misaki, Tatsuya Fuji, Kazuko Shirakawa, Kanno Misuzu, Mantaro Koichi
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers
(夫婦以上、恋人未満。)
Two complete opposites partnered for their school's "marriage training" must play the perfect couple to get switched to their crushes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2022
- Creator
- Cast Seiichiro Yamashita, Saori Onishi, Saki Miyashita, Toshiki Masuda, Sho Nogami, Minami Takahashi
- Genre Animation, Comedy, Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store
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
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
PLUTO
When the world's seven most advanced robots and their human allies are murdered one by one, Inspector Gesicht soon discovers that he's also in danger.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- • 2023
- Creator Toshio Kawaguchi
- Cast Shinshu Fuji, Yoko Hikasa, Minori Suzuki
- Genre Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Perfect Days
The film follows the daily life of Hirayama, who works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Germany • 2023
- Director Wim Wenders
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Tokio Emoto, Yumi Asou, Sayuri Ishikawa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
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
Ninja Kamui
After his family is brutally murdered, a former ninja seeks bloody vengeance on the clan that trained and then betrayed him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Kenjiro Tsuda, Atsushi Ono, Yuuki Wakai
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Yu Yu Hakusho
(幽☆遊☆白書)
When 14-year-old Yusuke dies before he’s supposed to, he is resurrected and becomes a Spirit Detective.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1992
- Creator
- Cast Nozomu Sasaki, Shigeru Chiba, Megumi Ogata
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Telescope Recommends
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
(かぐや姫の物語)
A princess's crime and punishment
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Director Isao Takahata
- Cast Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata
- Genre Animation, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Ponyo
(崖の上のポニョ)
A fish makes herself human to return to a boy on land, but she must fix the disastrous consequences of her magic.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2008
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, George Tokoro, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Yuki Amami, Kazushige Nagashima
- Genre Animation, Family
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
We Are Little Zombies
(WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES)
Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can’t cry. So they form a kick-ass rock band.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Makoto Nagahisa
- Cast Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Youki Kudoh
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Peacock, OVID, Night Flight Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Plex,
3-Iron
(빈집)
A young man rides around Seoul entering empty apartments, eating residents' food, and completing housework before he leaves.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, Japan • 2004
- Director Kim Ki-duk
- Cast Lee Seung-yeon, Jae Hee, Kwon Hyuk-ho, Choi Jeong-ho, Lee Mi-suk, Lee Ju-seok
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV
Whisperer of the Heart
(耳をすませば)
Shizuki lives a simple life, dominated by her love of stories and writing, until one day she meets her “Prince of Books.”
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1995
- Director Yoshifumi Kondou
- Cast Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Keiju Kobayashi
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Ash Is Purest White
(江湖儿女)
The violent love story of a young dancer and a mobster spanning from 2001 to 2017.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, France, Japan • 2018
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Feng Xiaogang, Xu Zheng, Zhang Yibai, Diao Yi'nan
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Tubi TV, Kanopy
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
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, Max
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
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 Rickshaw Man
(無法松の一生)
A poor but optimistic rickshaw driver becomes a surrogate father to the young son of a widow.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1958
- Director Hiroshi Inagaki
- Cast Toshiro Mifune, Hideko Takamine, Hiroshi Akutagawa, Chōko Iida, Chishū Ryū, Haruo Tanaka
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Platform
(站台)
An amateur theater troupe evolves after China's "open door" policy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, China, Japan • 2001
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Zhao Tao, Wang Hongwei, Liang Jingdong, Tian Yi Yang, Wang Bo, Han Sanming
- Genre Drama
- 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,
Sansho the Bailiff
(山椒大夫)
A family is tragically separated after the patriarch is sent into exile.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1954
- Director Kenji Mizoguchi
- Cast Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyōko Kagawa, Eitarō Shindō, Akitake Kôno, Masao Shimizu
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Unforgiven
(許されざる者)
Jubei vowed to never again pick up a sword, but poverty gives him no choice, and he must become a bounty hunter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Director Lee Sang-il
- Cast Ken Watanabe, Koichi Sato, Akira Emoto, Yuya Yagira, Shiori Kutsuna, Eiko Koike
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
Oscar Season: Koji Yakusho
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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, 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, Peacock, Peacock Premium, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
Classic Films from Japan
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
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
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
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
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
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
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, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV
A Man Vanishes
(人間蒸発)
This riveting documentary chronicles the missing-person’s case of Tadashi, a Japanese businessman who has vanished into thin air.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1967
- Director Shōhei Imamura
- Cast Yoshie Hayakawa, Shōhei Imamura, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
- Genre Documentary, Drama
- Available on OVID, Apple 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
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
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
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
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
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,