Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "japanese-culture"
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1. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 850,321 | Gross: $10.06M
2. The Last Samurai (2003)
R | 154 min | Action, Drama
Nathan Algren, a US army veteran, is hired by the Japanese emperor to train his army in the modern warfare techniques. Nathan finds himself trapped in a struggle between two eras and two worlds.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, William Atherton
Votes: 471,529 | Gross: $111.11M
3. 47 Ronin (2013)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A band of samurai sets out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.
Director: Carl Rinsch | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano
Votes: 171,252 | Gross: $38.36M
4. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
PG-13 | 145 min | Drama, Romance
The heartwarming tale of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who transcended from her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Suzuka Ohgo
Votes: 160,903 | Gross: $57.49M
5. Harakiri (1962)
Not Rated | 133 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 68,778
6. Sayonara (1957)
Not Rated | 147 min | Drama, Romance
A US Air Force major in Kobe confronts his own opposition to marriages between American servicemen and Japanese women when he falls for a beautiful performer.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Marlon Brando, Ricardo Montalban, Patricia Owens, James Garner
Votes: 7,724 | Gross: $26.30M
7. Black Rain (1989)
R | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw
Votes: 59,725 | Gross: $46.21M
8. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, Hiroshi Mikami, Junya Fukuda
Votes: 13,799 | Gross: $0.44M
9. Rising Sun (1993)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When an escort girl is found dead in the offices of a Japanese company in Los Angeles, detectives Web Smith and John Connor act as liaison between the company's executives and the investigating cop Tom Graham.
Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Votes: 48,284 | Gross: $63.10M
10. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
R | 123 min | Drama, War
During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano
Votes: 20,038 | Gross: $2.31M
11. Late Spring (1949)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
Several people try to talk 27-year-old Noriko into marrying, but all she wants is to keep on caring for her widowed father.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura
Votes: 19,363
12. Topsy-Turvy (1999)
R | 160 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Set in the 1880s, the story of how, during a creative dry spell, the partnership of the legendary musical/theatrical writers Gilbert and Sullivan almost dissolves, before they turn it all around and write the Mikado.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher, Sukie Smith
Votes: 13,484 | Gross: $6.20M
13. The Pillow Book (1995)
Not Rated | 126 min | Drama
A woman with a body-writing fetish seeks to find a combined lover and calligrapher.
Director: Peter Greenaway | Stars: Vivian Wu, Ewan McGregor, Yoshi Oida, Ken Ogata
Votes: 13,651 | Gross: $2.29M
14. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
PG | 81 min | Documentary
A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
Director: David Gelb | Stars: Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto, Daisuke Nakazama
Votes: 38,035 | Gross: $2.55M
15. Mr. Baseball (1992)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
Jack Elliot, once a great baseball player, is forced to play in Japan where his brash, egotistical ways cause friction with his new teammates and friends.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Tom Selleck, Ken Takakura, Aya Takanashi, Dennis Haysbert
Votes: 12,189 | Gross: $20.88M
16. The Yakuza (1974)
R | 112 min | Action, Crime, Drama
American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Eiji Okada, Herb Edelman
Votes: 10,458
17. The Ramen Girl (2008)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a râmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master.
Director: Robert Allan Ackerman | Stars: Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard, Soji Arai
Votes: 11,104
18. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (2004–2006)
TV-Y7 | 22 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi follows two famous Japanese rock stars reacting to event their lives, their fans, and the adventures they go on.
Stars: Ami Onuki, Yumi Yoshimura, Grey Griffin, Janice Kawaye
Votes: 4,903
19. The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
Approved | 123 min | Comedy, Drama
In post-WWII Japan, an American captain is brought in to help build a school, but the locals want a teahouse instead.
Director: Daniel Mann | Stars: Marlon Brando, Glenn Ford, Machiko Kyô, Eddie Albert
Votes: 3,779
20. The Temptation of Kimono (2009 Video)
86 min | Drama, Romance
A young bride, Mikage, is soon to be married to Youiti, the son of the chairman of a supermarket chain. Because Youiti insists, she moves in to stay with him at his father's big house to ... See full summary »
Stars: Osawa Yuka, Tarô Kai, Risa Sakamoto, Yoshihiro Tanbara
Votes: 162
21. The Hunted (1995)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
An American businessman visiting Nagoya, Japan, meets a woman in a hotel bar. Returning to her room, 3 ninjas kill her and wound him, but he sees the ninja boss' face. Now, he's the prime target of a dangerous ninja cult.
Director: J.F. Lawton | Stars: Christopher Lambert, John Lone, Joan Chen, Yoshio Harada
Votes: 5,699 | Gross: $6.61M
22. Natsume's Book of Friends (2008–2017)
24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
When Natsume Takashi inherits a book that belonged to his late grandmother he realizes the book is filled with the names of spirits she defeated and bound to her will. He then decides to return their names so they can be free once again.
Stars: Matthew Elkins, Hiroshi Kamiya, Kazuhiko Inoue, Christopher Wehkamp
Votes: 2,494
23. My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
The life and misadventures of a family in contemporary Japan.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Yukiji Asaoka, Tôru Masuoka, Masako Araki, Hayato Isohata
Votes: 15,973
24. Late Autumn (1960)
Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
A widow tries to marry off her daughter with the help of her late husband's three friends.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Yôko Tsukasa, Mariko Okada, Keiji Sada
Votes: 6,183
25. The Hedgehog (2009)
Unrated | 100 min | Drama
The life of a determined young girl is changed when she befriends her building's concierge, a solitary woman who is more than what she seems.
Director: Mona Achache | Stars: Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Togo Igawa, Anne Brochet
Votes: 9,769
26. Blood Beat (1983 Video)
R | 87 min | Horror
A young woman accompanies her boyfriend to his family's rural Wisconsin home for Christmas, where the spirit of a Japanese samurai begins wreaking havoc on them.
Director: Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos | Stars: Helen Benton, Terry Brown, Dana Day, James Fitzgibbons
Votes: 1,512
27. Love & Pop (1998)
110 min | Drama
A high school girl engages in compensated dating in order to buy an expensive ring before the day ends.
Director: Hideaki Anno | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Megumi Hayashibara, Akira Ishida
Votes: 1,872
28. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary
Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Director: Mami Sunada | Stars: Hayao Miyazaki, Yumiko Miyoshi, Toshio Suzuki, Shinsuke Nonaka
Votes: 5,663
29. Early Spring (1956)
145 min | Drama
A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chikage Awashima, Ryô Ikebe, Teiji Takahashi, Keiko Kishi
Votes: 3,730
30. Edo Porn (1981)
Not Rated | 119 min | Biography, Drama, History
The famous woodblock artist Hokusai (1760-1849), a widower in need of a steady income, lives with his daughter Oei in the house of his friend Bakin.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Ken Ogata, Toshiyuki Nishida, Yûko Tanaka, Kanako Higuchi
Votes: 465
31. Toppuresu (2008)
108 min | Comedy, Drama
The ever-lively and upbeat Natsuko tries to mend a broken heart by carrying on with a string of short-lived affairs after her break-up with Tomomi. But when Tomomi announces her plans to ... See full summary »
Director: Eiji Uchida | Stars: Mina Shimizu, Erika Okuda, Aya Ohmasa, Akifumi Uchida
Votes: 108
32. The End of Summer (1961)
103 min | Drama
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Ganjirô Nakamura, Setsuko Hara, Yôko Tsukasa, Michiyo Aratama
Votes: 4,505
33. Little Forest: Winter/Spring (2015)
120 min | Drama
Ichiko lived in a big city, but goes back to her small hometown Komori, located on a mountain in the Tohoku region. She is self-sufficient. Ichiko gains energy living among nature and eating foods she makes from seasonal ingredients.
Director: Jun'ichi Mori | Stars: Ai Hashimoto, Mayu Matsuoka, Yôichi Nukumizu, Karen Kirishima
Votes: 2,894
34. Fear and Trembling (2003)
Unrated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
A Belgian woman looks back on her year at a Japanese corporation in Tokyo in 1990. She is Amélie, born in Japan, living there until age 5. After college graduation, she returns with a ... See full summary »
Director: Alain Corneau | Stars: Sylvie Testud, Kaori Tsuji, Tarô Suwa, Bison Katayama
Votes: 4,811
35. Little Forest: Summer/Autumn (2014)
111 min | Drama
Ichiko lived in a big city, but goes back to her small hometown Komori, located on a mountain in the Tohoku region. She is self-sufficient. Ichiko gains energy living among nature and eating foods she makes from seasonal ingredients.
Director: Jun'ichi Mori | Stars: Ai Hashimoto, Mayu Matsuoka, Yôichi Nukumizu, Karen Kirishima
Votes: 3,475
36. Cherry Blossoms (2008)
Unrated | 127 min | Drama, Romance
After Rudi's wife Trudi suddenly dies, he travels to Japan to fulfill her dream of being a Butoh dancer.
Director: Doris Dörrie | Stars: Elmar Wepper, Hannelore Elsner, Aya Irizuki, Maximilian Brückner
Votes: 6,119 | Gross: $0.10M
37. Osen (2008– )
Comedy
Handa Sen is the "okami" (proprietress) of a long-standing restaurant in one of the lower parts of Tokyo. Though she is normally air-headed and loves to drink, she has an impressive mastery... See full summary »
Stars: Orie Tôjô, Yû Aoi, Ranran Suzuki, Hiroki Uchi
Votes: 139
38. Sing a Song of Sex (1967)
103 min | Drama
Four high school students preparing for their university entrance exam fantasize about a classmate, and meet up with their inebriated teacher, while singing bawdy drinking songs.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Ichirô Araki, Kazuko Tajima, Jûzô Itami, Akiko Koyama
Votes: 876
39. Rikyu (1989)
135 min | Biography, Drama, History
Legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu is faced with his warmongering lord's unrealistic pretensions.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Yoshiko Mita, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kyôko Kishida
Votes: 833
40. Madame Butterfly (1932)
Passed | 86 min | Drama, Romance
Lieutenant Pinkerton marries geisha-in-training but soon after abandons her and goes back to the US.
Director: Marion Gering | Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, Irving Pichel
Votes: 447
41. Maria Watches Over Us (2004– )
Not Rated | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Sachiko has offered to be Yumi's soeur, the most popular girl at the school as her "sister" and guide for all her years at the academy. The whole idea has Yumi completely flustered because they hardly know each other.
Stars: Kana Ueda, Sarah Hauser, Candice Moore, Miki Itô
Votes: 291
42. The Story of Yanagawa's Canals (1987)
167 min | Documentary, History
A live-action documentary film, this independent film was produced by Nibariki (Miyazaki's personal office), with the revenue from Nausicaä. At first, it was supposed to be an animated film... See full summary »
Director: Isao Takahata
Votes: 200
43. Picture Bride (1994)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama, Romance
Riyo marries a man more than twice her age. She is devastated and labors in the sugar cane field. At the end she is able to love her husband.
Director: Kayo Hatta | Stars: Yûki Kudô, Akira Takayama, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tamlyn Tomita
Votes: 1,185 | Gross: $1.24M
44. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Adventure, Family
Race with Sonic and the SEGA characters once again with all new races, transforming cars, and new playable characters from other properties.
Stars: Tom Clarke Hill, Danica Patrick, Brian T. Delaney, Will Overgard
Votes: 591
45. Tokyo Idols (2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Music
Girl bands and their pop music permeate every moment of Japanese life. Following an aspiring pop singer and her fans, Tokyo Idols explores a cultural phenomenon driven by an obsession with ... See full summary »
Director: Kyoko Miyake | Stars: Rio Hiiragi, Yuzuha Oda, Masayoshi Sakai
Votes: 1,315
46. Japan with Sue Perkins (2019)
58 min | Documentary
Inspired by a childhood friendship Sue Perkins travels around Japan experiencing a nation caught between the demands of a high-tech future and the pull of a traditional past.
Star: Sue Perkins
Votes: 167
47. After-school Hanako-kun (2023– )
TV-14 | 10 min | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
When not preserving harmony between the living and spirit realms, Hanako-kun and his human assistant Nene Yashiro, a first-year student at Kamome Academy, fill their time with other activities.
Stars: Yuri Yoshida, Chitose Morinaga, Mai Kanazawa, Kenjirô Tsuda
Votes: 81
48. Dream Girls (1994)
50 min | Documentary
Women join Japan's all-female Takarazuka Revue musical theater troupe, portraying men's roles. The film explores gender dynamics, desires, and complexities of female identity in Japanese society through these performers' experiences.
Directors: Kim Longinotto, Jano Williams | Stars: Takarazuka Kagekidan, Miki Maya, Anju Mira
Votes: 58
49. Chop Socky Chooks (2007–2008)
TV-Y7-FV | 11 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
Three kung fu fighting chickens battle the owner of their city-sized shopping mall.
Stars: Paterson Joseph, Shelley Longworth, Rupert Degas, Paul Kaye
Votes: 597
50. I Survived a Japanese Game Show (2008–2009)
60 min | Adventure, Game-Show, Reality-TV
Ten Americans, many of whom have never traveled beyond the borders of the United States, head to Japan to compete in the ultimate Japanese game show. Hilarity presumably ensues. The final winner will take home $250,000.
Stars: Rome Kanda, Donnell Pittman, Meaghan Cooper, Mary Catherine Greenawalt
Votes: 584