Popular from Japan
Shin Godzilla
(シン・ゴジラ)
A god incarnate. A city doomed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Director Hideaki Anno
- Cast Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Kengo Kora, Satoru Matsuo, Mikako Ichikawa
- Genre Action, Science Fiction
- Available on Fandango At Home, AMC on Demand
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 Video, AMC on Demand, Kanopy
Your Name.
(君の名は。)
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Director Makoto Shinkai
- Cast Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Masami Nagasawa, Etsuko Ichihara, Ryou Narita, Aoi Yuki
- Genre Animation, Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
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 No streaming locations found.
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 No streaming locations found.
Dragon Ball Z
(ドラゴンボールZ
)
A powerful young martial artist joins a search for seven orbs which together can summon a wish-granting dragon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Ryou Horikawa, Toshio Furukawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Naoki Tatsuta
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
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, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Drive My Car
(ドライブ・マイ・カー)
A car ride across Japan leads to an unlikely connection between a widowed stage director and his introverted young driver.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Cast Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon
- Genre Drama
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
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
Dragon Ball
(ドラゴンボール)
A young orphan teams up with a girl to seek out the seven wish-granting Dragon Balls.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1986
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Tōru Furuya, Naoki Tatsuta, Naoko Watanabe
- Genre Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Action & Adventure
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
(葬送のフリーレン)
Elvish mage Frieren is blessed with a long life, and decades go by as Frieren embarks on a journey of several lifetimes, allowing her to gain a unique perspective on the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Atsumi Tanezaki
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
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
Monster
(怪物)
When a single mother notices her young son Minato is behaving strangely, she confronts his teacher to discover why.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2023
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta, Shidô Nakamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
New from Japan
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 Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, Freevee, Netflix basic with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Wolf Children
(おおかみこどもの雨と雪)
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2012
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Yukito Nishii, Momoka Ohno, Amon Kabe
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
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 Fandango At Home, Apple TV
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
(魔法少女まどか☆マギカ)
A schoolgirl is offered a wish in exchange for a commitment to battling witches.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2011
- Creator
- Cast Aoi Yuki, Chiwa Saito, Eri Kitamura, Ai Nonaka, Emiri Kato
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Mob Psycho 100
(モブサイコ100)
A boy with strong ESP powers tries to live a normal life until a tragic event forces new circumstances.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Creator
- Cast Setsuo Ito, Takahiro Sakurai, Miyu Irino, Akio Otsuka
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
The Sting of Death
(死の棘)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1990
- Director Kôhei Oguri
- Cast Keiko Matsuzaka, Ittoku Kishibe, Midori Kiuchi, Akira Yamanouchi, Miyoko Nakamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Plex, Plex Channel
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 Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, OVID, Night Flight Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
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 Boy and the Heron
(君たちはどう生きるか)
With the help of a mysterious grey heron, Mahito ventures into a mystical world to find his dead mother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2023
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Drama
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Telescope Recommends
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 AMC+ Amazon Channel, Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Kanopy
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, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Red Beard
(赤ひげ)
A look into the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1965
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Yûzô Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Reiko Dan, Miyuki Kuwano, Kyōko Kagawa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
The Ballad of Narayama
(楢山節考)
Only Time Could Change the Cruelty of Tradition… Only Their Love Could Survive It…
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1983
- Director Shōhei Imamura
- Cast Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejo, Shoichi Ozawa, Fujio Tokita
- Genre Drama
- Available on ARROW, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Double Suicide
(心中天網島)
Jihei's schemes to buy a courtesan's freedom yield ruinous consequences for his business, family life, and reputation.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1969
- Director Masahiro Shinoda
- Cast Kichiemon Nakamura, Shima Iwashita, Hōsei Komatsu, Yûsuke Takita, Kamatari Fujiwara, Yoshi Katō
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Russian Ark
(Русский ковчег)
2000 cast members, 3 orchestras, 33 rooms, 300 years. All in one take.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Russia, Germany, Japan • 2002
- Director Aleksandr Sokurov
- Cast Sergei Dreiden, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy, Maksim Sergeev, Vladimir Baranov, Kirill Miller
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, History, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Battle Royale
(バトル・ロワイアル)
Could you kill your best friend?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2000
- Director Kinji Fukasaku
- Cast Takeshi Kitano, Tsuyako Kinoshita, Eri Ishikawa, Sayaka Ikeda, Tomomi Shimaki, Tamaki Mihara
- Genre Drama, Thriller, Adventure
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Japanese Series
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Max Amazon Channel, Max
I'm Standing on a Million Lives
(100万の命の上に俺は立っている)
A lone-wolf middle schooler is transported to a dangerous, game-like world with his two classmates.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2020
- Creator Kumiko Habara
- Cast Yūto Uemura
- Genre Animation, Drama, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Children of the Whales
(クジラの子らは砂上に歌う)
On an isolated island surrounded by oceans of sand, a young archivist stumbles upon an outsider for the first time.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2017
- Creator
- Cast Natsuki Hanae
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Sailor Moon Super S
(美少女戦士セーラームーン)
A young girl is given the ability to transform into her magical alter ego, the titular Sailor Moon, in this beloved classic.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1994
- Creator
- Cast Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, Emi Shinohara, Rica Fukami, Tōru Furuya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, Pluto TV, Spectrum On Demand, Freevee
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, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX)
An elite task force investigate a number of cases connected to an dangerous hacker and terrorist.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2002
- Creator Kenji Kamiyama
- Cast Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Osamu Saka, Taimei Suzuki, Takashi Onozuka
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Hoopla, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Plex, Plex Channel
Neon Genesis Evangelion
(新世紀エヴァンゲリオン)
Humanity must fend off a monstrous attack using bio-mechanical weapons called Evangelions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1995
- Creator
- Cast Megumi Ogata, Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Fumihiko Tachiki
- Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Netflix, Microsoft Store, Netflix basic with Ads
Digimon Tamers
(デジモンテイマーズ)
When their Digimon card game characters suddenly come to life, a group of 12-year-olds begin to defend Shinjuku against wild Digimon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Mexico, Spain • 2001
- Creator Yukio Kaizawa
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Yuka Imai, Makoto Tsumura, Mayumi Yamaguchi, Fumiko Orikasa, Aoi Tada
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Digimon Frontier
(デジモンフロンティア)
Five teens gain the ability to transform into ancient Digimon warriors.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Mexico, Spain • 2002
- Creator Yukio Kaizawa
- Cast Junko Takeuchi, Hiroshi Kamiya, Masato Amada, Kumiko Watanabe, Sawa Ishige
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball
(ドラゴンボール)
A young orphan teams up with a girl to seek out the seven wish-granting Dragon Balls.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1986
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Tōru Furuya, Naoki Tatsuta, Naoko Watanabe
- Genre Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Action & Adventure
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball Z
(ドラゴンボールZ
)
A powerful young martial artist joins a search for seven orbs which together can summon a wish-granting dragon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Ryou Horikawa, Toshio Furukawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Naoki Tatsuta
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Mononoke
(モノノ怪)
A mysterious master of the occult known as the "Medicine Man" journeys through feudal Japan hunting evil spirits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2007
- Creator
- Cast Takahiro Sakurai, Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Eiji Takemoto, Aiko Hibi, Fumiko Orikasa
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads
Future Boy Conan
(未来少年コナン)
A young boy isolated from the rest of the world agrees to help a girl save her family from the evil government.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1978
- Creator Hayao Miyazaki, Alexander Key
- Cast Noriko Ohara, Hideyuki Tanaka, Masatō Ibu, Kazuyo Aoki, Ichirō Nagai
- Genre Animation, Action & Adventure, Family, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
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
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
Classics from Japan
The Ballad of Narayama
(楢山節考)
In a remote mountain village, a family struggles with a policy in which 70-year-olds are carried up a mountain to die.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1958
- Director Keisuke Kinoshita
- Cast Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yūko Mochizuki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yūnosuke Itō, Ken Mitsuda
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
(お茶漬けの味)
A childless middle-aged couple faces a marital crisis of sorts.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1952
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Shin Saburi, Michiyo Kogure, Koji Tsuruta, Chikage Awashima, Keiko Tsushima, Eijirô Yanagi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
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
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
Ikiru
(生きる)
Mr. Watanabe tries to find a meaningful human connection after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1952
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Takashi Shimura, Haruo Tanaka, Nobuo Kaneko, Bokuzen Hidari, Miki Odagiri, Shinichi Himori
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
(続・座頭市物語)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1962
- Director Kazuo Mori
- Cast Shintarō Katsu, Yoshie Mizutani, Masayo Banri, Tomisaburō Wakayama, Yutaka Nakamura, Sonosuke Sawamura
- Genre Action, Adventure
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
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
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
Funeral Parade of Roses
(薔薇の葬列)
The trials and tribulations of Eddie and other drag queens in Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1969
- Director Toshio Matsumoto
- Cast Pîtâ, Osamu Ogasawara, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Emiko Azuma, Yoshihiro Katô, Koichi Nakamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Night Flight Plus, Kanopy
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, Plex, Plex 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
Here's to the Young Lady
(お嬢さん乾杯)
A young woman from an established family seeks out the self-made owner of a car shop for a husband.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Keisuke Kinoshita
- Cast Shūji Sano, Setsuko Hara, Chieko Higashiyama, Keiji Sada, Takeshi Sakamoto, Sachiko Murase
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
The Munekata Sisters
(宗方姉妹)
A young woman tries to reunite her sister, now stuck in an unhappy marriage, with a former lover.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1950
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Kinuyo Tanaka, Hideko Takamine, Ken Uehara, Sanae Takasugi, Chishū Ryū, Sō Yamamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Return of Daimajin
(大魔神逆襲)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1966
- Director Kazuo Mori
- Cast Hideki Ninomiya, Riki Hashimoto, Shinji Hori, Masahide Iizuka, Muneyuki Nagatomo, Junichiro Yamashita
- Genre Drama, Fantasy
- Available on ARROW, Midnight Pulp, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, Cineverse
You Only Live Twice
James Bond travels to Japan to investigate the disappearance of American and Russian spacecraft.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States, Japan • 1967
- Director Lewis Gilbert
- Cast Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurō Tamba, Teru Shimada, Karin Dor
- Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Directors: Yasujiro Ozu
The Only Son
(一人息子)
A poor factory worker finds even her son's college degree doesn't make a difference in Depression era Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1936
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chôko Iida, Shinichi Himori, Masao Hayama, Yoshiko Tsubouchi, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Plex, Plex 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
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, Plex, Plex Channel
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, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Plex, Plex 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, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
Late Spring
(晩春)
Widower Shukichi feels obligated to marry off his only daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura, Hohi Aoki, Jun Usami
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex 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
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, Plex Channel
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
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, Plex, Plex Channel
There Was a Father
(父ありき)
Widower and father Shuhei Horikawa grapples with raising his son amidst financial strife and personal failings of honor.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1942
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Shûji Sano, Haruhiko Tsuda, Shin Saburi, Takeshi Sakamoto, Mitsuko Mito
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Plex, Plex Channel