Kinema Junpo's Top 200 Japanese Films of All Time (2009)
by pompellio | created - 04 May 2021 | updated - 04 May 2021 | Publichttps://letterboxd.com/bobhoveyga/list/japanese-movies-all-time-best-200-kinejun/
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101. Dokuritsu gurentai (1959)
109 min | Drama, War, Action
When Sergeant Okubo's brother is murdered at a Japanese outpost in Northern China during the Second World War, Okubo poses as a war correspondent and seeks out his brother's killer. The ... See full summary »
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Makoto Satô, Izumi Yukimura, Misa Uehara, Tadao Nakamaru
Votes: 251
102. Samurai Vendetta (1959)
Not Rated | 109 min | Drama, Action
Tange Tenzen and Nakayama Yasubei are honorable samurai living in an era of corrupt officials and treacherous clans. But after finding themselves in opposing clans and ensnared in a love ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Raizô Ichikawa, Shintarô Katsu, Chitose Maki, Tokiko Mita
Votes: 305
103. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983)
104 min | Romance, Sci-Fi
A high-school girl acquires the ability to time travel.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Tomoyo Harada, Ryôichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi, Toshie Negishi
Votes: 954
104. Tokiwa-so no seishun (1996)
110 min | Drama
A look at the youthful beginnings of manga giants Motoo Abiko, aka Fujiko Fujio, Fujio Akatsuka and Hiroo Terada, when they all lived in the same, dingy apartment building -- named Tokiwa-so -- in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.
Director: Jun Ichikawa | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Sadao Abe, Satoko Abe, Arata Furuta
Votes: 130
105. Pale Flower (1964)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Crime
A gangster gets released from prison and has to cope with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman, who got in bad company while gambling.
Director: Masahiro Shinoda | Stars: Ryô Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Fujiki, Naoki Sugiura
Votes: 4,393
106. Take Care, Red Riding Hood (1970)
89 min | Drama
Director: Shirô Moritani | Stars: Yûsuke Okada, Kazuyo Mori, Masasuke Hirose, Ayako Hôshô
Votes: 51
107. 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
108. Tora-san's Forget Me Not (1973)
99 min | Comedy
Tora visits his family after a year. After a misunderstanding he gets upset and leaves to end up in the countryside. On the way he meets Lily and they feel a connection. Sometime later Tora... See full summary »
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baishô, Gin Maeda, Chieko Misaki
Votes: 127
109. Yakuza Graveyard (1976)
Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When a cop is transferred to a new precinct it is obvious that the area's yakuza mob are not dealing with just another policeman. The cop is bent on results and is not immune to becoming ... See full summary »
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tetsuya Watari, Meiko Kaji, Tatsuo Umemiya, Hideo Murota
Votes: 938
110. What the Snow Brings (2005)
112 min | Drama
Manabu Yazaki (Yusuke Iseya) lost his business and wife in Tokyo after the dot com crash. He returns to his hometown in Hokkaido during the middle of winter. Manabu Yazaki then takes the ... See full summary »
Director: Kichitarô Negishi | Stars: Yûsuke Iseya, Kôichi Satô, Kyôko Koizumi, Kazue Fukiishi
Votes: 130 | Gross: $0.00M
111. A Class to Remember 3: The New Voyage (1998)
133 min | Drama
A widow who has raised her autistic son alone loses her job and begins attending a technical college. She meets others looking for a new start in life, including a former salary-man with whom she begins a furtive romance.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Shinobu Ôtake, Yûki Kuroda, Nenji Kobayashi, Casey Takamine
Votes: 93
112. All Under the Moon (1993)
109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Story of everyday life and romance of a taxi driver who is a Korean resident in Japan.
Director: Yôichi Sai | Stars: Gorô Kishitani, Ruby Moreno, Moeko Ezawa, Masato Furuoya
Votes: 185
113. 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
114. Rape! 13th Hour (1977)
73 min | Action, Crime, Horror
A serial rapist takes on a young protégé to his craft as he is pursued by a homosexual gang seeking vengeance for an attack on their leader.
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe | Stars: Yuri Yamashina, Yûdai Ishiyama, Hidetoshi Kageyama, Tamaki Katsura
Votes: 295
115. Stakeout (1958)
116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two cops on stakeout wait for a murderer.
Director: Yoshitarô Nomura | Stars: Minoru Ôki, Takahiro Tamura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Hideko Takamine
Votes: 443
116. Night of the Felines (1972)
70 min | Comedy, Drama
Masako is a prostitute who works at a bathhouse in downtown Tokyo. She is sexually involved with her neighbor in the next apartment. However, when his friend falls in love with a young woman this creates a problem for all three of them.
Director: Noboru Tanaka | Stars: Tomoko Katsura, Ken Yoshizawa, Hidemi Hara, Keiko Maki
Votes: 242
117. The Outcast (1962)
119 min | Drama
A young man struggles to come to terms with his true identity in a remote caste-based village in early 20th century Japan.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Raizô Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Hiroyuki Nagato, Rentarô Mikuni
Votes: 216
118. Go, Go Second Time Virgin (1969)
65 min | Drama, Horror
After being raped in an unknown rooftop, seventeen year-old girl Poppo meets a mysterious boy, and both share their sexual traumas and fears, with fatal consequences.
Director: Kôji Wakamatsu | Stars: Mimi Kozakura, Michio Akiyama, Yôko Yamamoto, Seshio Zenbei
Votes: 2,697
119. Profound Desires of the Gods (1968)
Not Rated | 173 min | Drama
An engineer from Tokyo arrives on a drought-ridden tropical island to drill a well to power a nearby sugar mill. He meets the inbred Futori family, hated by the locals for breaking religious customs.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Chôichirô Kawarasaki, Hideko Okiyama, Kanjûrô Arashi
Votes: 1,948
120. The Sea and Poison (1986)
123 min | Drama
Downed American fliers in WWII are vivisected by Japanese surgeons in cruel medical experiments.
Director: Kei Kumai | Stars: Eiji Okuda, Ken Watanabe, Takahiro Tamura, Kyôko Kishida
Votes: 324
121. The Human Bullet (1968)
116 min | Drama, War
During World War II, a Japanese soldier finds himself assigned to a kamikaze mission against a U.S. battleship.
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Minori Terada, Naoko Ôtani, Yûnosuke Itô, Shinsuke Achiwa
Votes: 478
122. The Human Vapor (1960)
Not Rated | 81 min | Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A librarian is subject to a scientific experiment which goes wrong and transforms him into 'The Human Vapour'. He uses his new ability to rob banks to fund the career of his girlfriend, a ... See full summary »
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Tatsuya Mihashi, Kaoru Yachigusa, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Keiko Sata
Votes: 506
123. Path of the Beast (1980)
71 min | Drama, Romance
Seventeen-year-old Saki has a low paying job and two boyfriends. Things get serious when she becomes pregnant and must decide if she wants to keep the baby.
Director: Tatsumi Kumashiro | Stars: Ayako Yoshimura, Minako Mizushima, Yûya Uchida, Noboru Mitani
Votes: 92
124. Ten Dark Women (1961)
103 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A man has a wife and nine girlfriends, all ten of whom are fed up with his shameless polygamy and plot to kill him. However, this is easier said than done.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Fujiko Yamamoto, Mariko Miyagi, Tamao Nakamura, Kyôko Kishida
Votes: 259
125. Destiny's Son (1962)
71 min | Action, Drama
A samurai seeks revenge and redemption after his family is executed by a rival clan.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Raizô Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Mayumi Nagisa, Masayo Banri
Votes: 524
126. Seisaku's Wife (1965)
93 min | Drama, Romance, War
On the eve of the Russo-Japanese war at the beginning of the 20th century, small-town girl Okane has married an old wealthy man to escape a life of poverty.
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Ayako Wakao, Takahiro Tamura, Nobuo Chiba, Yûzô Hayakawa
Votes: 671
127. Face (2000)
124 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
With no parents left to keep the peace and order two sisters, who could not be any more different, allow their frustrations and animosity to come to a head.
Director: Junji Sakamoto | Stars: Naomi Fujiyama, Etsushi Toyokawa, Michiyo Yasuda, Riho Makise
Votes: 434
128. 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
129. The Family Game (1983)
107 min | Comedy, Drama
Japanese parents hire a tutor for their foolish son and get a critic of their lifestyle.
Director: Yoshimitsu Morita | Stars: Yûsaku Matsuda, Jûzô Itami, Saori Yuki, Ichirôta Miyakawa
Votes: 1,117
130. Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992)
R | 83 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When metal-worshipping fanatics abduct his son, a father unleashes his dormant destructive power, as his naked rage transforms the once-feeble flesh into a grisly symbiosis of metal and tissue. Who dares to defy the ultimate body-hammer?
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto | Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Nobu Kanaoka, Sujin Kim
Votes: 5,099 | Gross: $0.00M
131. Graveyard of Honor (1975)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Crime
A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the Japanese mafia but quickly loses his self control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tetsuya Watari, Tatsuo Umemiya, Yumi Takigawa, Eiji Gô
Votes: 1,960
132. The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979)
Not Rated | 147 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A high school science teacher builds an atomic bomb and uses it to extort the nation, but cannot decide what he wants. Meanwhile, a determined cop is catching up to him, as is radiation poisoning.
Director: Kazuhiko Hasegawa | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Kenji Sawada, Kimiko Ikegami, Kazuo Kitamura
Votes: 1,299
133. Wet Sand in August (1971)
92 min | Action, Drama
One summer morning, Kiyoshi (Shosuke Hirose) is racing on his bike down the beach. While there, a girl with her clothes torn up is thrown out from a green convertible. This is how he and ... See full summary »
Director: Toshiya Fujita | Stars: Masasuke Hirose, Takenori Murano, Naoto Nakazawa, Midori Fujita
Votes: 106
134. The Twilight Samurai (2002)
129 min | Drama, Romance
As the feudal Japan era draws to a close, a widower samurai experiences difficulty balancing clan loyalties, 2 young daughters, an aged mother, and the sudden reappearance of his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Ôsugi
Votes: 25,520
135. Love Hotel (1985)
88 min | Drama
In a fit of despair, Muraki decides to kill himself and a prostitute he has picked up. However, he loses his nerve and doesn't go through with it. Two years later he runs into her again.
Director: Shinji Sômai | Stars: Noriko Hayami, Minori Terada, Kiriko Shimizu, Nobutaka Masutomi
Votes: 386
136. Kamyu nante shiranai (2005)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama
A group of eccentric students decide to make a movie. But, when their star suddenly quits, this witty ensemble cast begins to live the film, including murder, deception and true love. Japan... See full summary »
Director: Mitsuo Yanagimachi | Stars: Shûji Kashiwabara, Hinano Yoshikawa, Ai Maeda, Hideo Nakaizumi
Votes: 537
137. The Insect Woman (1963)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama
Life story of a woman born in poverty trying to succeed. Through her many schemes, she faces her ups and downs in a cyclical nature, fueled mostly by self-interest.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Seizaburô Kawazu, Kazuo Kitamura, Tanie Kitabayashi, Teruko Kishi
Votes: 2,502
138. Kids Return (1996)
107 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
Dropping out of high school, two friends at first find success, one as a up-and-coming boxer and one as a low level gangster. Yet, their life decisions still find a way of catching up with them.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Ken Kaneko, Masanobu Andô, Leo Morimoto, Hatsuo Yamaya
Votes: 6,772
139. Boy (1969)
97 min | Drama
A young boy reluctantly aids his swindling father in a threatening scam.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Fumio Watanabe, Akiko Koyama, Tetsuo Abe, Tsuyoshi Kinoshita
Votes: 1,884
140. Kyûpora no aru machi (1962)
99 min | Drama
Set in Kawaguchi, just north of Tokyo in the early 60s, the movie chronicles the lives of poor foundry workers and their families; and one girl's dreams of self-improvement through going on to higher education.
Director: Kiriô Urayama | Stars: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Mitsuo Hamada, Eijirô Tôno, Shôichi Ozawa
Votes: 200
141. Himatsuri (1985)
126 min | Drama
The villagers in a beautiful remote area of Japan are divided into the woodsmen, who worship the mountain goddess, and the fishermen, who worship the goddess of the sea. These traditions ... See full summary »
Director: Mitsuo Yanagimachi | Stars: Kin'ya Kitaôji, Kiwako Taichi, Norihei Miki, Junko Miyashita
Votes: 312
142. Till We Meet Again (1950)
110 min | Drama, History, Romance
The hero Saburo (Okada Eiji) is obstructed by a series of events from meeting Keiko (Kuga Yoshiko), his fiancee.
Director: Tadashi Imai | Stars: Yoshiko Kuga, Eiji Okada, Osamu Takizawa, Akitake Kôno
Votes: 212
143. Angel Guts: Red Porno (1981)
67 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Nami is a staff member at an exclusive department store. Her libido is chiefly satisfied alone, until a co-worker talks her into subbing on a porno modeling job. Her appearance in the magazine Red Porno has no end of complications for her.
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda | Stars: Jun Izumi, Masahiko Abe, Kyoko Ito, Michiko Asô
Votes: 381
144. Capricious Young Man (1936)
77 min | Comedy, Drama
Akanishi Kakita moved from the countryside to a big city. Although he comes from the samurai class, he now lives in poverty among the common people in times of rebellion, but the failed Kakita is not skilled in martial arts.
Director: Mansaku Itami | Stars: Chiezô Kataoka, Shôsaku Sugiyama, Sôjin Kamiyama, Yôko Umemura
Votes: 124
145. A Certain Killer (1967)
82 min | Action, Crime
A former soldier, reduced to working at a restaurant post-war, becomes a contract killer for the yakuza gangs he's in contact with.
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Raizô Ichikawa, Mikio Narita, Yumiko Nogawa, Asao Koike
Votes: 199
146. Riyû (2004)
160 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Four people are murdered in an apartment block, but none of them seem connected.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Takehiro Murata, Saki Terashima, Miyoko Akaza, Takuro Atsuki
Votes: 150
147. Preparation for the Festival (1975)
117 min | Drama
A young Japanese man comes to the realization that he must leave his village if he is to ever have a chance at a full life.
Director: Kazuo Kuroki | Stars: Jun Etô, Haruko Mabuchi, Hajime Hana, Yoshio Harada
Votes: 124
148. The Graceful Brute (1962)
96 min | Comedy, Drama
A greedy, materialistic family attempts to cover-up the embezzlement committed by the son while keeping their other schemes active. They discover there are other, equally conniving players involved.
Director: Yûzô Kawashima | Stars: Ayako Wakao, Yûnosuke Itô, Hisano Yamaoka, Yûko Hamada
Votes: 400
149. Cruel Story of Youth (1960)
Not Rated | 96 min | Crime, Drama
A harsh young man seduces a freeloading young woman and eventually takes advantage of her knack for hitch-hiking to rob middle-class men.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Miyuki Kuwano, Yûsuke Kawazu, Yoshiko Kuga, Fumio Watanabe
Votes: 2,535
150. Seishun no satsujinsha (1976)
132 min | Crime, Drama
Though his parents help him run the family business, Jun still feels persecuted by their love; when they bar him from meeting with his girlfriend, tensions increase.
Director: Kazuhiko Hasegawa | Stars: Yutaka Mizutani, Mieko Harada, Etsuko Ichihara, Ryôhei Uchida
Votes: 369
151. Umbrella Flower (2000)
116 min | Drama
A government employee meets a hostess of a "pink club," and together they set out on a journey.
Director: Shinji Sômai | Stars: Kyôko Koizumi, Tadanobu Asano, Kumiko Asô, Akira Emoto
Votes: 344
152. Moving (1993)
125 min | Drama
Renko, a girl in the sixth grade, is at first unperturbed by her parents' decision to separate. With the companionship of her boyfriend, Minoru, and Sally, a classmate in the same boat, ... See full summary »
Director: Shinji Sômai | Stars: Kiichi Nakai, Junko Sakurada, Tomoko Tabata, Mariko Sudo
Votes: 679
153. Akuma no temari-uta (1977)
144 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Kôsuke Kindaichi, a somewhat peculiar private detective, visits a remote town. He meets a police detective and they start to investigate an old unsolved murder. Then some murders happen. ... See full summary »
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Kôji Ishizaka, Keiko Kishi, Akiko Nishina, Kôji Kita
Votes: 378
154. Children of the Dark (2008)
138 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Middle-aged Japanese ex-pat journalist investigates child organ trafficking in Thailand and he uncovers a sinister network.
Director: Junji Sakamoto | Stars: Yôsuke Eguchi, Aoi Miyazaki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kôichi Satô
Votes: 264
155. Swing Girls (2004)
105 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A tale of delinquent and lazy school girls. In their efforts to cut remedial summer math class, they end up vitiating and replacing the schools brass band.
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi | Stars: Juri Ueno, Yûta Hiraoka, Shihori Kanjiya, Yuika Motokariya
Votes: 4,684
156. Crayon Shin-chan: The Hidden Treasure of the Buri Buri Kingdom (1994)
95 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Shinchan and his lookalike embarks on a journey to defeat forces of a ruthless leader Mr. Anaconda and his forces.
Director: Keiichi Hara | Stars: Akiko Yajima, Miki Narahashi, Keiji Fujiwara, Yumi Takada
Votes: 627
157. Street of Joy (1974)
78 min | Drama
It's the evening before the day all brothels must be shut-down, according to the new law, in 1958. At the Kofukuya's (literally, the house that sells happiness), five prostitutes decide to ... See full summary »
Director: Tatsumi Kumashiro | Stars: Junko Miyashita, Meika Seri, Naomi Oka, Aoi Nakajima
Votes: 207
158. Mabuta no haha (1962)
83 min | Action, Drama
The protagonist Chujiro, who possesses many attractive qualities, is a victim of unkind circumstances: his mother abandoned him as a child, so he had no choice but to live outside society. ... See full summary »
Director: Tai Katô | Stars: Kinnosuke Nakamura, Hiroki Matsukata, Michiyo Kogure, Keiko Okawa
Votes: 92
159. Violence Without a Cause (1969)
71 min | Action, Crime
Three young men from the countryside spend their lives in Tokyo alternately complaining about their boring existence and brutalizing people. When they come to violent ends themselves, they claim to be victims of society.
Director: Kôji Wakamatsu | Stars: Muraoka Hiroshi, Toshimasa Sakaguchi, Kazuya Jô, Rei Ikegami
Votes: 152
160. Conflagration (1958)
99 min | Drama
Goichi Mizoguchi, an aspiring Buddhist monk who became involved in the temple that was owned by his father, through a series of flashbacks, framed as a police interrogation, Mizoguchi ... See full summary »
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Raizô Ichikawa, Ganjirô Nakamura, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôichi Funaki
Votes: 949
161. Comic Magazine (1986)
120 min | Comedy
Kinameri is a moderately successful television journalist itching for a big scoop. So when a corrupt local businessman barricades himself in his house, of course he's going to be excited with things picking up.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Yûya Uchida, Yumi Asô, Takeshi Kitano, Hiromi Gô
Votes: 211 | Gross: $0.03M
162. Lullaby of the Earth (1976)
111 min | Drama
The story of an orphan girl, brought up in naive, rustic innocence by an elderly relative, who is suddenly exposed to the brutality, greed and deceptiveness of the outside world, when her grandmother dies.
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Mieko Harada, Natsuko Kahara, Meiko Kaji, Shigeo Katô
Votes: 254
163. The Devil's Island (1977)
141 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A scruffy detective investigates the murders of three sisters on a small Japanese island in 1946.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Kôji Ishizaka, Yôko Tsukasa, Reiko Ôhara, Mitsuko Kusabue
Votes: 246
164. Burst City (1982)
115 min | Action, Drama, Music
Punk rock gangs and music groups clash with one another and the brutal police force in a futuristic Tokyo setting.
Director: Gakuryû Ishii | Stars: Takanori Jinnai, Shinya Ohe, Yuto Iseta, Hitomi Tsurukawa
Votes: 898
165. P. P. Rider (1983)
118 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Three high-school students tangle with the Yakuza and the police as they set out in search of the class bully, who has been kidnapped.
Director: Shinji Sômai | Stars: Tatsuya Fuji, Michiko Kawai, Masatoshi Nagase, Shinobu Sakagami
Votes: 140
166. Confidential: Secret Market (1974)
83 min | Drama
A rough, uncompromising film about a washed-up prostitute going through the hardships of life on the margins of society.
Director: Noboru Tanaka | Stars: Meika Seri, Junko Miyashita, Genshû Hanayagi, Moeko Ezawa
Votes: 391
167. Shinjuku, Messy District: I'll Be There (1977)
87 min
Director: Chûsei Sone | Stars: Miyako Yamaguchi, Moeko Ezawa, Jun Aki, Machiko Aoki
Votes: 50
168. Station (1981)
132 min | Drama
Constantly put to the test and faced with tragedy wherever he turns, can a man finally find solace and a modicum of love or rest with what is left of his hometown, his family, love or himself?
Director: Yasuo Furuhata | Stars: Ken Takakura, Chieko Baishô, Ayumi Ishida, Setsuko Karasuma
Votes: 282
169. I Are You, You Am Me (1982)
113 min | Comedy
9th-graders Kazuo (boy) and Kazumi (girl) take a tumble at a temple in a small seacoast town in Japan. Through supernatural intervention, their minds and bodies are switched, and the result... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Satomi Kobayashi, Toshinori Omi, Makoto Satô, Sayuri Ishibashi
Votes: 528
170. Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers (1972)
86 min | Action, Crime
The great Bunta stars as a gangster who is sent to jail for the sake of his gang, but when he's released he finds everything completely changed and his gang has swept him aside for being too violent.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Kunie Tanaka, Mayumi Nagisa, Yôko Mihara
Votes: 184
171. 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
172. Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp (1969)
91 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
Tora-San, an itinerant peddler who is thrown out of his father's house twenty years before but reconnects with his aunt, uncle and sister Sakura. Tora wreaks some havoc in their lives, like getting drunk and silly at a marriage meeting.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baishô, Sachiko Mitsumoto, Chishû Ryû
Votes: 572
173. Big Time Gambling Boss (1968)
95 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Tokyo, 1934. The boss of the clan that controls gambling agonizes and some of his followers propose to Nakai to take his place, but he refuses the offer and suggests they choose Matsuda, who is in prison.
Director: Kôsaku Yamashita | Stars: Kôji Tsuruta, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Hiroshi Nawa, Nobuo Kaneko
Votes: 360
174. Kurenai no nagareboshi (1967)
97 min | Action, Crime
A young yakuza hitman named Goro does a job and needs to hideout away from Tokyo for a while. He hangs out with loose women and hard men and always manages to stay one step ahead of the law... See full summary »
Director: Toshio Masuda | Stars: Tetsuya Watari, Ruriko Asaoka, Jô Shishido, Kayo Matsuo
Votes: 199
175. The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (1963)
103 min | Comedy, Drama
This comedy portrays the everyday life of an ordinary salary-man who uses himself as a model to write a novella.
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Keiju Kobayashi, Michiyo Aratama, Eijirô Tôno, Jerry Itô
Votes: 311
176. Crazed Fruit (1981)
85 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A working class young man, Tetsuo, who distrusts all rich people, falls in love with a girl, Chika, from an affluent family. He has a difficult time, but love survives despite the problems.
Director: Kichitarô Negishi | Stars: Yûji Honma, Yuki Ninagawa, Eiko Nagashima, Nobutaka Masutomi
Votes: 130
177. The Young Rebels (1980)
132 min | Drama
A newspaper reporter investigates the lives of juvenile delinquents.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Kaneko Iwasaki, Gô Katô, Kunitarô Kawarazaki, Junko Mihara
Votes: 63
178. Sekai daisensô (1961)
110 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
This Japanese film speculates on the events which lead the U.S. and the Soviet Union into a nuclear Armageddon.
Director: Shûe Matsubayashi | Stars: Furankî Sakai, Akira Takarada, Yuriko Hoshi, Nobuko Otowa
Votes: 263
179. The Rocking Horsemen (1992)
135 min | Comedy
It is 1965. High-school student Takeyoshi Fujiwara Yasufumi Hayashi) hears "Pipeline" by the Ventures, and is mesmerized by their unique sound. With three friends, he forms a band called "... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Ryô Amamiya, Aiko Asano, Tadanobu Asano, Toshiki Ayata
Votes: 209
180. Sanrizuka: Heta buraku (1973)
146 min | Documentary
Documentary on the life of the farmers of the Heta Village opposing their resettlement due to the construction of the Narita Airport.
Director: Shinsuke Ogawa | Star: Shinsuke Ogawa
Votes: 74
181. Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler (1972)
86 min | Action, Crime
Nami (played by Meiko Kaji) returns to Tokyo to find the man who killed her father 13 years ago. On the way she saves a young woman named Hanae whose father had sold her for prostitution, ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi | Stars: Meiko Kaji, Shin'ichi Chiba, Shingo Yamashiro, Fujio Suga
Votes: 198
182. Summer Days with Coo (2007)
138 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A boy befriends an orphaned water spirit, or Kappa, he found dried up and buried in a riverbank. He and his family help the creature adjust to life in the modern world.
Director: Keiichi Hara | Stars: Kazato Tomizawa, Takahiro Yokokawa, Naoki Tanaka, Naomi Nishida
Votes: 2,157
183. The Imperial Navy (1981)
145 min | Drama, War
A lavish retelling of the true story of the final voyage and ultimate destruction and sinking of the battleship Yamato, Japan's greatest flagship during the Second World War.
Director: Shûe Matsubayashi | Stars: Susumu Fujita, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Akihiko Hirata, Tôru Ibuki
Votes: 106
184. Hakkodasan (1977)
169 min | Drama
Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army tackled Mount Hakkoda in the winter of 1902 to prepare for war with Russia.
Director: Shirô Moritani | Stars: Shôgo Shimada, Ken Takakura, Hideji Ôtaki, Kin'ya Kitaôji
Votes: 215
185. The Life of Matsu the Untamed (1943)
100 min | Drama
Matsugoro is a poor rickshaw driver whose animated spirit and optimistic demeanor make him a favorite of the town. Matsu helps an injured boy, Toshio, and is hired by the boy's parents.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Tsumasaburô Bandô, Keiko Sonoi, Yasushi Nagata, Kamon Kawamura
Votes: 221
186. Akai tori nigeta? (1973)
99 min | Drama
The story of three friends who don't know what to do with their lives.
Director: Toshiya Fujita | Stars: Yoshio Harada, Kaori Momoi, Masaaki Daimon, Kazuko Shirakawa
Votes: 27
187. Gendai kôshoku-den: Teroru no kisetsu (1969)
78 min | Drama
From an apartment belonging to a single woman, two detectives spy on sex-obsessed radical.
Director: Kôji Wakamatsu | Stars: Yûko Ejima, Tomomi Sahara, Hitomi Suma, Hiromasa Haruta
Votes: 147
188. Gozenchû no jikanwari (1972)
100 min | Drama
Two college buddies try to understand a young woman's suicide through her Super-8 films and clips from their summer trips together.
Director: Susumu Hani | Stars: Takuji Hatano, Aya Kunikida, Sumei Shau
Votes: 78
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