Japanese movies
by linghongpei | created - 21 Jul 2017 | updated - 29 Jul 2017 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Silence (I) (2016)
R | 161 min | Drama, History
In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano
Votes: 123,027 | Gross: $7.10M
2. Oh Lucy! (2017)
95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A lonely woman living in Tokyo decides to take an English class, where she discovers her alter-ego, Lucy.
Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi | Stars: Shinobu Terajima, Soseki Yamatoya, Miyu Yagyu, Kayano Masuyama
Votes: 3,359 | Gross: $0.38M
3. The Emperor in August (2015)
135 min | Drama, History
The War ended on August 15th, 1945. What took place in Japan on the previous night? The unknown destiny of the day is unveiled.
Director: Masato Harada | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi
Votes: 714
4. The Kirishima Thing (2012)
103 min | Drama
A story about the disappearance of Kirishima, a star athlete of the volleyball club, and how this affects every person in his school.
Director: Daihachi Yoshida | Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Ai Hashimoto, Suzuka Ohgo, Masahiro Higashide
Votes: 2,624
5. The Cat Returns (2002)
G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After helping a cat, a seventeen-year-old girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat Prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette come to life.
Director: Hiroyuki Morita | Stars: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda, Takayuki Yamada
Votes: 64,557
6. The Devil's Path (2013)
128 min | Thriller
Journalist Shuichi Fujii receives a letter from convicted killer Junji Sudo. Writing from death row, Sudo wants to confess to crimes unknown to the police. On visiting Sudo in prison, Fujii... See full summary »
Director: Kazuya Shiraishi | Stars: Takayuki Yamada, Pierre Taki, Lily Franky, Chizuru Ikewaki
Votes: 1,244
7. Saido kâ ni inu (2007)
94 min | Drama
In this coming of age story, ten-year-old Kaoru's life undergoes big changes when her mother leaves home. Kaoru forms a surprising bond with her father's lover, Yoko, as she learns a lot about life during one unforgettable summer.
Director: Kichitarô Negishi | Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Hana Matsumoto, Takeru Taniyama, Rie Mimura
Votes: 316
8. Pacchigi! (2004)
118 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Kyoto 1968. Several high school students deal with their life as Korean-Japanese trying to earn each other's love and respect. But the times are not kind to them.
Director: Kazuyuki Izutsu | Stars: Shun Shioya, Sôsuke Takaoka, Erika Sawajiri, Kyôko Yanagihara
Votes: 436
9. Azumi (2003)
Not Rated | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Raised to deal in cold blooded death, the teenage assassin girl Azumi must defeat three evil warlords while also battling her own heart.
Director: Ryûhei Kitamura | Stars: Aya Ueto, Kenji Kohashi, Hiroki Narimiya, Takatoshi Kaneko
Votes: 15,160
10. Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005)
Not Rated | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Young assassins Azumi and Nagara continue their mission to prevent a civil war. In their hunt for Masayuki Sanada, who is protected by both an army and a dangerous clan, they meet Ginkaku, ... See full summary »
Director: Shûsuke Kaneko | Stars: Aya Ueto, Yûma Ishigaki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shun Oguri
Votes: 5,715
11. Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Star-crossed lovers must fight on opposing sides in a battle that will determine the next Shogun.
Director: Ten Shimoyama | Stars: Yukie Nakama, Joe Odagiri, Tomoka Kurotani, Erika Sawajiri
Votes: 12,944
12. The Cowards Who Looked to the Sky (2012)
141 min | Drama
A married woman has an affair with a high school student. A video of their exploits soon turns up on the internet affecting the lives of both couples.
Director: Yuki Tanada | Stars: Kento Nagayama, Tomoko Tabata, Mieko Harada, Masataka Kubota
Votes: 236
13. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
R | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryô Kase
Votes: 170,086 | Gross: $13.76M
14. The Old Capital (2016)
117 min | Drama
Chieko Sanda has operated a dry goods store in Kyoto for the past 20 years. Her family has owned the store for generations. Chieko is conflicted on whether her daughter Mai will take over her position with the changing of times.
Director: Yûki Saitô | Stars: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Ai Hashimoto, Riko Narumi, Reina Aoi
Votes: 92
15. Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (1978)
130 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After the Tokugawa shogun's death by poisoning, his sons Iemitsu and Tadanaga compete for the shogunate, dividing the land into warring factions. Iemitsu's mentor, betrays all to secure Iemitsu's power, leading to widespread conflict.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Kinnosuke Nakamura, Shin'ichi Chiba, Hiroki Matsukata, Teruhiko Saigô
Votes: 1,668
16. Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)
Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama
During the violent chaos of post-War Japanese black market, a young gangster called Shozo Hirono has to keep up with the rapid shifts of power between unscrupulous bosses.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, Kunie Tanaka, Eiko Nakamura
Votes: 4,309
17. Memories of Tomorrow (2006)
122 min | Drama
A successful businessman's family life is shattered by an early onset of Alzheimer's.
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi | Stars: Ken Watanabe, Kanako Higuchi, Kenji Sakaguchi, Kazue Fukiishi
Votes: 921 | Gross: $0.14M
18. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
Not Rated | 159 min | Drama, Horror
A teenager called Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Tokoyama, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's "family circle", ... See full summary »
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Kazue Fukiishi, Tsugumi, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Shirô Namiki
Votes: 4,993
19. Sketches of Kaitan City (2010)
Not Rated | 152 min | Drama
In the city of Kaitan, during the winter, the local shipyard is downsized and workers are laid off. Futa (Pistol Takehara) lives with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura). He loses ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | Stars: Mitsuki Tanimura, Pistol Takehara, Ryô Kase, Kaho Minami
Votes: 186
20. Antena (2003)
117 min | Drama
Yuichiro is a college student whose sister went missing 15 years ago. That traumatic event hangs over him as he wanders Japan's S&M clubs. But his younger brother claims to be able to sense their sister with his "antenna."
Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | Stars: Megumi Asaoka, Makiko Emoto, Kôji Enokido, Minoru Fukuda
Votes: 206
21. Over the Fence (2016)
112 min | Adventure, Drama
A recently divorced and traumatized man moves to Hakodate, Hokkaido and attends a vocational college to learn carpentry along with several other students who are in the same boat as he. ... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita | Stars: Joe Odagiri, Yû Aoi, Shôta Matsuda, Yukiya Kitamura
Votes: 494
22. The Long Excuse (2016)
124 min | Drama
A recently widowed writer whose wife died in a bus crash comes to terms with his grief, or lack of it, in caring for the children of a working man who also lost his wife in the same accident.
Director: Miwa Nishikawa | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Pistol Takehara, Eri Fukatsu, Kenshin Fujita
Votes: 1,318
23. Rage (2016)
142 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A grisly unsolved murder links three seemingly unrelated stories in three different Japanese cities.
Director: Sang-il Lee | Stars: Ken Watanabe, Mirai Moriyama, Aoi Miyazaki, Satoshi Tsumabuki
Votes: 3,409
24. Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016)
125 min | Drama
A strict, but caring mother has an awakening when she is told she has cancer and it is terminal. She has a few months. She needs to complete her tasks in that short time frame.
Director: Ryôta Nakano | Stars: Rie Miyazawa, Hana Sugisaki, Aoi Itô, Yukiko Shinohara
Votes: 2,471
25. From Five to Nine (2015– )
54 min | Comedy, Romance
"From Five to Nine" is a romantic comedy drama. It is a story of girl who works as an English teacher and dreams of moving to New York, but unexpectedly, she encounters a handsome monk, and the story begins.
Stars: Satomi Ishihara, Tomohisa Yamashita, Kei Tanaka, Yûki Furukawa
Votes: 1,725
26. My Man (2014)
129 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
After losing everything in a tsunami, 10-year-old Hana is taken in by 26-year-old distant relative Jungo Kusarino. They live as father and daughter but share a profound sense of loss. Jungo... See full summary »
Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | Stars: Fumi Nikaidô, Tadanobu Asano, Aoba Kawai, Tatsuya Fuji
Votes: 710
27. University of Laughs (2004)
121 min | Comedy, Drama
In wartime Japan, a government censor tries to make the writer for a theater troupe alter his comedic script. As they work with and against each other, the script ends up developing in unexpected ways.
Director: Mamoru Hoshi | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Gorô Inagaki, Masaya Takahashi, Masao Komatsu
Votes: 1,089
28. Saimin (1999)
110 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Three apparently unrelated suicides occur on the same day in Tokyo. One involves a young athlete, one a groom at his wedding reception, and the third an elderly man celebrating his wife's ... See full summary »
Director: Masayuki Ochiai | Stars: Gorô Inagaki, Miho Kanno, Takeshi Masu, Ken Utsui
Votes: 735
29. Guilty of Romance (2011)
144 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
A grisly murder occurs in Maruyama-cho, Shibuya, Tokyo - a love hotel district - a woman was found dead in a derelict apartment. Kazuko (Miki Mizuno) is a police officer called to ... See full summary »
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Miki Mizuno, Makoto Togashi, Megumi Kagurazaka, Kazuya Kojima
Votes: 5,838
30. Cold Fish (2010)
Not Rated | 146 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Megumi Kagurazaka
Votes: 14,529
31. Himizu (2011)
129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After two teenagers from abusive households befriend each other, their lives take a dark adventure into existentialism, despair, and human frailty.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô, Tetsu Watanabe, Mitsuru Fukikoshi
Votes: 4,711
32. The Face of Another (1966)
Not Rated | 124 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Mikijirô Hira, Kyôko Kishida, Miki Irie
Votes: 10,426
33. Sword of the Beast (1965)
Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Drama
After killing a counselor of his clan, a fugitive samurai befriends a couple poaching the shogun's gold in the mountains.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Mikijirô Hira, Gô Katô, Shima Iwashita, Toshie Kimura
Votes: 3,092
34. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
R | 116 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Yui Natsukawa, Michiyo Yasuda
Votes: 51,545 | Gross: $0.85M
35. Survive Style 5+ (2004)
120 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Five bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one and other eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances.
Director: Gen Sekiguchi | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Kyôko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe
Votes: 10,150
36. The Sting of Death (1990)
115 min | Drama
Period drama set in the 1950's about a couple isolating themselves from the outside world as they attempt to salvage their faltering marriage, no matter what the costs, after the husband has an affair.
Director: Kôhei Oguri | Stars: Keiko Matsuzaka, Ittoku Kishibe, Midori Kiuchi, Takenori Matsumura
Votes: 382
37. Harmful Insect (2001)
92 min | Drama
Following the divorce of her parents, her mother's suicide attempt, and the rumors of an affair with her teacher, a lonely 7th grader starts skipping school in an attempt to find herself.
Director: Akihiko Shiota | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Seiichi Tanabe, Tetsu Sawaki, Ryô Amamiya
Votes: 951
38. Shinjuku Incident (2009)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet.
Director: Tung-Shing Yee | Stars: Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Jinglei Xu
Votes: 13,579
39. Shall We Dance? (1996)
PG | 136 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A successful but unhappy Japanese accountant finds the missing passion in his life when he begins to secretly take ballroom dance lessons.
Director: Masayuki Suô | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eri Watanabe
Votes: 11,738 | Gross: $9.68M
40. The World of Kanako (2014)
Not Rated | 118 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
As former detective Akikazu searches for his missing daughter, Kanako, he soon learns she has a mysterious secret life.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroya Shimizu
Votes: 5,896 | Gross: $0.02M
41. Confessions (2010)
Not Rated | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada, Yukito Nishii
Votes: 42,081
42. Departures (2008)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 54,996 | Gross: $1.50M
43. Kiraware Matsuko no isshô (2006)
130 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
When Matsuko is murdered, her nephew, Sho, gets to progressively unveil the many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't just a forgotten outcast and had led an intriguing yet bizarre life.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Miki Nakatani, Eita Nagayama, Yûsuke Iseya, Mikako Ichikawa
Votes: 8,746
44. The Edge of Sin (2015)
120 min | Crime, Drama
Ando (Masaaki Uchino) can't accept this his daughter Kana committed suicide. Kana fell from the ledge of a school building and died. Ando attempts to find out the truth behind his ... See full summary »
Director: Yuki Otsuka | Stars: Seiyô Uchino, Miyu Yoshimoto, Mitsuki Tanimura, Wakana Aoi
Votes: 35
45. Happy Together: All About My Dog (2011)
Comedy, Drama, Family
A series of short stories explore the connection of love between dogs and people.
Directors: Hisashi Eto, Soichi Ishii, Jun Kawanishi, Yutaka Mizuochi, Shunichi Nagasaki, Naoto Nakanishi | Stars: Nao Ômori, Nanako Matsushima, Mana Ashida, Misaki Itô
Votes: 65
46. Homeland (2014)
118 min | Drama
Jiro Sawada is a sophomore in high school when a false accusation drives him out his hometown: a small village in Fukushima Prefecture. The entire village is abandoned after the 2011 Tohoku... See full summary »
Director: Nao Kubota | Stars: Sakura Andô, Renji Ishibashi, Tôru Kizu, Ken'ichi Matsuyama
Votes: 112
47. The Land of Hope (2012)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
An earth-quake causes a nuclear crisis in a fictive Japanese prefecture. In wake of the disaster, the members of the Ono family who reside just outside the border of the mandatory evacuation zone face uncertainty.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Isao Natsuyagi, Naoko Ohtani, Jun Murakami, Megumi Kagurazaka
Votes: 1,265
48. Be Sure to Share (2009)
109 min | Drama
Shiro is twenty-seven years old and is tormented by his father's terminal cancer diagnosis. He copes by communicating his care and love to his father. We see the father and son relationship... See full summary »
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Akira, Eiji Okuda, Ayumi Ito, Keiko Takahashi
Votes: 465
49. Suicide Club (2001)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A detective is trying to find the cause of a string of suicides.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Masatoshi Nagase, Mai Hosho, Tamao Satô
Votes: 22,228
50. Love Exposure (2008)
Unrated | 237 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A bizarre love triangle forms between a young Catholic upskirt photographer, a misandric girl and a manipulative cultist.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Andô, Yutaka Shimizu
Votes: 15,915
51. Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)
Not Rated | 129 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A renegade film crew becomes embroiled with a yakuza clan feud.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Jun Kunimura, Fumi Nikaidô, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Hiroki Hasegawa
Votes: 8,992 | Gross: $0.03M
52. Antiporno (2016)
Not Rated | 76 min | Drama, Horror
Japan's oldest major movie studio asks a batch of venerable filmmakers to revive its high-brow soft-core Roman Porno series.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Ami Tomite, Mariko Tsutsui, Fujiko, Sayaka Kotani
Votes: 5,013
53. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Not Rated | 89 min | Animation, Drama, War
A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara
Votes: 310,651
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