Today we’re going to take you for a culture trip through some of our favorite Japanese movies.
Aside from foods, movies are often one of the best gateways to have a closer look at one culture. If you are familiar with foreign films, you would probably agree that Japanese cinema is one of its kind.
From food-theme movies, to classic movies to cult-following anime, each genre is an art form itself. They are compelling, daring, imaginative and distinctive in style.
Today at JOC, we’re excited to share a selection of our favorite Japanese movies that will take you a deeper look into the country’s history, culture and values. It’s popcorn time; make some Homemade Popcorn with Truffle Salt!
Let us know if you have watched any of these movies on the list. And if you have any recommendations, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Food-Theme Japanese Movies
1. Sweet Bean あん – 2015
This drama film Sweet Bean received a Critic’s Pick by the New York Times, and it is said that “The movie, beautifully shot and acted, earns its ultimate sense of hope by confronting real heartbreak head-on, and with compassion”. The story centers around Sentaro, a middle-aged man who runs a tiny shop selling Dorayaki (Japanese sweet bean pancake). He finds himself confronted by Tokue, a woman in her mid-seventies with some deformities applying for the position when he puts up Help Wanted sign in his window. Reluctant at first, Sentaro changed his mind after tasting her homemade bean paste. This starts a relationship and life lessons that is much more than just food.
2. Tampopo タンポポ – 1985
Tampopo is a comedic tale of truck drivers Goro and Gun in search of some good eats and run into a widow who runs a small ramen shop. As she is facing some life troubles, they decide to help her on her quest for the perfect ramen recipe and make it the best noodle soup in town. The most recognizable character in the movie is Ken Watanabe. The movie is hilarious with its unique qualities. It comes with evocative accounts that weaves in social aspects of food, sex, cultural hang-ups etc. You may want to watch this while slurping some hot bowl of ramen!
3. Jiro Dreams of Sushi 二郎は鮨の夢を見る – 2011
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary of 85 year-old legendary sushi master Jiro Ono. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station. Jiro clearly loves his job. As the title suggests, he even dreams about sushi in his sleep. His life-long devotion to the Japanese craft also brings about a complex relationship between him and his two sons.
4. Little Forest: Summer & Autumn リトルフォレスト夏/秋 – 2014
Little Forest: Summer & Autumn is set in a rustic rural mountainside. The story follows a young woman named Ichiko returns to her hometown of Komori (which means ‘Little Forest)’ after being unable to find her place in the big city. Upon her return, she comes to enjoy the simple life as she discovers her new-found connection with food and the surrounding nature and its people. As Ichiko continues to find her own self through the changing seasons, she is also facing her conflicted feelings about her return to Komori. If you don’t mind its slow pace rhythm, this simple movie may make you want to take refuge in the kitchen and start making your own bread & jam from scratch. What’s fascinating is the film has captured the desires of many stress-out city folks for a simple organic lifestyle. The bigger question: is the return to the hometown simply an escape, or the right decision?
5. Kamome Shokudo (Kamome Diner) かもめ食堂 – 2006
Kamome Diner is about a young woman who opens a Japanese diner in Helsinki, Finland. The specialty of her menu is onigiri (Japanese rice balls). As the story develops, the diner appears to attract customers with personal problems. Her delicious food and personable nature seems to help lessen their misery. Relatively slow-pace, this independent film focuses on its visual aesthetic and character development. At the heart of Kamome Diner, food has a powerful way to bring people together and of self-discovery.
Japanese Anime
6. Spirited Away 千と千尋の神隠し – 2001
Dubbed as the Japanese Alice in the Wonderland, this international acclaim anime film is about Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by spirits, witches and gods, and where humans are changed into beasts. Spirited Away is bound to ignite your imagination.
7. Grave of the Fireflies 火垂るの墓 – 1988
Grave of the Fireflies is a story of a young boy and his little sister’s struggle for survival in Japan in the aftermath of the World War II. Get your kleenex ready!
8. The Wind Rises 風立ちぬ – 2013
The Wind Rises is loosely based on the real life story of Jiro Horikoshi, the chief engineer of Japanese fighter planes during Word War 2. Despite the many controversies that surfaced during its release, the film is a remarkable work of Hayao Miyazaki, as it entwines imaginations with reality, ambitions with failures and love with war.
9. My Neighbour Totoro となりのトトロ – 1988
For a more family oriented anime, My Neighbour Totoro is definitely our pick for children and adults alike. The fantasy film takes you to the adventures of two little girls who befriend with the forest spirits when they move into a house to be closer to their ailing mother. One of the magical creatures they meet is Totoro, a huge friendly bear. Together, they set out on several magical adventures. Visually enchanting, the film taps into the wonder and innocence of being a child.
Japanese Classic Movies
10. Seven Samurai – 1954
Set during the civil unrest of 16th-century Japan, the story follows a village of farmers that hire masterless samurai to protect them against the bandit attacks every harvest season. An unforgettable masterpiece of director Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai is an all-time legendary picture you must watch.
11. Rashomon – 1950
Considered one of the most daring films of its era, Rashomon is another acclaimed work of Kurosawa that served an introduction of Japanese film for international audience. The plot recounts how a crime was recalled from different perspectives of a bandit, a samurai, the samurai’s wife, and a woodcutter, before ending on a climax that questions the nature of humanity. You may heard of the term ‘Rashomon Effect’? It gets the name from the movie, which refers to contradictory narratives of the same event given by different people.
Japanese Drama
12. Like Father, Like Son そして父になる – 2013
Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Like Father, Like Son follows a story of a successful businessman whose world is turned outside down when he finds out his biological son was switched with another child at birth that he has been raising. When he faces the reality, he must make the decision to choose between his true son or the boy he raised as his own. You can expect powerful performance in this touching family drama.
More Japanese Movies?
Enjoy Japanese Movies!
We hope you enjoy this movie list we put together. You can watch some of the trailers on Youtube or find them on Amazon or your local library. Don’t want to miss a recipe?
I’ve seen some of these movies. I’d always liked “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” very much. Last week I saw “Sweet Bean”! It is a wonderful movie. I really recommend it highly. In fact, I’d like to watch it again. 🙂 I love anko so much, so that made it even better!
Hi Erin! I love anko too, so I enjoyed the scene of making anko even more. 🙂
Hi! I replied on the Facebook page as I was on my phone last night but here are mine:
Lady Snowblood, Spirited Away, Kikujiro, Departures… There are many more but these are the first that come to mind!
Forgot to add Twilight Samurai and Our Little Sister!
Hi Tatiana! Thank you for sharing your favorite! I have to check out your suggested films! 🙂
Sooo pleased that Tampopo is on the list at number 2. its an absolute classic! Saw it on the big screen in London’s West End back in the eighties, skipped work with my then secret indian girlfriend (Later became my wife for a number of years and mother to my two beautiful daughters). Fond memories of better times with noodles and egg!
Hi Andrew! I didn’t mean to rank these movies but glad you enjoy Tampopo. Wow you saw it on a big screen! >_< Very weird movie to us, and it was never a popular movie in Japan. I still think it's interesting many foreigners like that weird movie! LOL. Thank you for sharing your sweet memory. 🙂
Hi Nami
Thank you for this selection. “The wind rises” is gorgeous and “Seven samourai” is a classic !
I can add “Kamakura Diary” – in french “Notre petite soeur”. It’ delicacy and subtlety
The last film in France : “Your name” “Kimi no na wa” top top top
Have a nice day !!!!
Hi Anne! Yeah I love Kamakura Diary too as I love Kamakura area. I have to watch Kimi no Nawa! Thank you for sharing!
My favorite movie is おくりびと。My husband is from Sakata City and we laughed so much at the local dialect. Such a great movie!
Hi Melissa! I also enjoyed that movie too! How cool that you two can understand the dialect. It’s hard to guess for Japanese living in other regions!
Thank you for posting this! I love Japanese movies and I hope you can update this post with the recommendations from your readers as well.
I also like Departures and the recent Your Name. I also highly recommend “Like Someone in Love ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ Raiku Samuwan In Rabu ” by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami.
I am going to search for Kamome Shokudo, Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Little Forest: Summer & Autumn. 🙂
Hi Angie! That’s our plan now. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your favorite with us!
thanks for the list! I haven’t seen enough Japanese films but this list will help. I saw sweet bean (あん)on the plane, it was such a nice film, fireflies is my favourite ghibli film so far. Really want to watch the entire kurosawa collection but only seen Rashomon so far. そして父になる I might just go buy on amazon now. I also heard that ‘Nobody knows’ is a good film.
Hi Quintin! Ohh so hard to watch a sad movie on the airplane with interruption. I cry like crazy and I’ll be so embarrassed. LOL. I have to watch Nobody Knows too!
My daughter”s favourite film is “Totoro”. I have seen “Like Father Like Son” recently and love it. I wish I could find the proper episodes for “Watashiwa Candy” because that used to be my favourite program when I was a child..To be honest I grew up watching all sort of Japanese cartoon series full of love, friendship and joy..
Hi Tugce! Oh my gosh!!!!! Candy Candy!!!!! I can still sing that song. >_< I should rent a dvd this summer and watch with the kids. 😀 Interesting to hear so many people watched Japanese cartoon outside of Japan. xo
I have watched Grave of The Fireflies and Like Father Like Son. I think Princess Mononoke should make the list.
Hi Minh! Yeah it’s a good movie! Maybe I’ll include it in the list vol 2! 😉
Totoro is definitely my favorite! I also love grave of the fireflies, majo no takkyuubin, kaze no naushika and spirited away. My favorite Japanese drama is Hotaru no Hikari, Hana yori dango, last Christmas, 1litre of tears and there are so many others!
Hi Kay! Thank you for sharing so many movies with us!
I love Seven Samurai, and all of the Ghibli movies! One of my very favorites is Shall We Dance. I haven’t seen some of the ones on your list. I’m going to put them on my “must see” list!
Hi Sue! I love Shall We Dance! Definitely a must watch!
Akira Kurosawa’s Dream
Hi Mary! I gotta watch that one! Thank you for sharing!
My favourite anime movie is kimi no nawa and five centimetre per second… ???????????? Thanks to your country that I can watch so much good anime and anime movies… it really helps me… loads of love to your country ❤️
Hi Rushi! I haven’t watched that movie. I am not familiar with anime movies (I only watch Ghibli movies). I started to have more readers who are Japanese anime fans. I’d love to re-make popular foods from manga!
What a fun list! I have not seen too many live action Japanese films, mostly anime. I did watch a subbed version of Kimi ni shika kikoenai and I just loved it. So sweet and so sad. It was a movie that stuck with me.
I hope to use your list in the future to expand my cinema experience! Thank you!
Hi Mallory! Thank you for recommendation! I will check it out!
midnight dinner!!! shinya shokudo
Hi Angie! The movie version? I finished watching half way through.