Ken Mitsuishi

Mikako Ichikawa

Ryô Kase

Satomi Kobayashi

Taeko is a stressed career woman who leaves her life in the city for an island vacation. The vacation does not become what she expected as everyone on the island is strange.

Megane

Megane (2007)

Hikari Mitsushima

Kazunari Ninomiya

Ken Kasugai has been deserted by his wife, because he was absorbed in a game. One day, missing child robot Tang appears in front of him.

Tang

Tang (2022)

Jun Murakami

Sôsuke Takaoka

Manami Konishi

Quiet and introspective Kayako routinely has lunch on a rooftop with three of her friends that attend an all girls high school with her in a seaside town. One day she invites Masami Endo to join the group. As her friendship with Masami grows, she loses contact more and more with the others. She is impressed with Endo's greater knowledge of music and art, and although Endo proclaims that she is insignificant with no aim in life, Kayako says that she wishes that she could be like her new friend. Their feelings deepen beyond friendship and she proclaims her love for Endo on a lonely beach. The two become physically intimate but when summer comes Masami disappears and Kayako learns that she has gone to Tokyo to meet a married man with whom she had an affair the year before. An abortion had led to her being suspended from school. Feeling betrayed when Masami returns and lies about where she has been, Kayako keeps to herself and starts painting a still life, emulating Cezanne paintings in one of Masami's books. Although they reconcile and Kayako speaks of them going way to study together, her love of painting leads to her leaving for Tokyo alone to study art, while Masami remains behind. Masami sends a videotape showing a shot of the beach, and then the blue sea, proclaiming that unlike Kayako, this is all that she can do in an artistic sense.—Brian Greenhalgh

Blue

Blue (2002)

The floating clouds between the high buildings, the lines of the taillights under the moonlight, the swirling human waves... Every view in Tokyo looks as if it is alive. Before even she realizes, TOUKO starts to run away from somewhere in the city. As an actress in a fantasy world, Touko seems to have lost her grip on reality. Along her journey, she makes acquaintance with people who carry similar issues. A midnight truck driver NAGANO, who happens to give Touko a ride, is grappling with the discovery of his soul, and his soul is unable to move forward. His escape from reality is to continually move from place to place. A movie theater manager KIKUCHI is uncertain of her life. She has moved to new surroundings but feels more lost than ever. A young job seeker at the zoo YASUKO has no faith in her future. She thinks that the luck is slipping away from her. During the extraordinary time they spend together Touko and the 3 characters start to feel a new awareness growing and discover a natural freedom. Together they feel the sense of change taking place. The moment they find the oasis within. Finally, Touko begins to walk again with lightened steps toward a new beginning of everyday life in Tokyo.—Nikkatsu

Tokyo Oasis

Tokyo Oasis (2011)

Kumiko Asô

Jun'ichi Okada

Yoshinori Okada

Nojima Satoshi (Okada Junichi) is a photographer whose job depends on his friend Shingo, a model, who in turn is in a middle of a career crisis. Nojima wants to photograph scenery, but is held back because he feels obligated to stay back with his friend. His neighbor, Nanao (Aso Kumiko), works at a flower shop, has dedicated her life to her job and isn't involved in any romance. They have never met, however, they're aware of each other's presence through the sound each makes in their daily lives through the thin wall. Each character is the story is going through some sort of struggle - either with their identity, their career, or their love life. In a fast-paced society, it feels like there is never enough time to stop and recognize things that are most important in one's life. Through twists and turns, they gradually realize their true desires, and on the road to reach their goals, their paths somehow intersects, in this believable modern-day fairy-tale.

Oto-na-ri

Oto-na-ri (2009)

Sôsuke Ikematsu

Mitsuru Fukikoshi

Mariko Tsutsui

Ichiko is a care-giver and a nurse. She provide home-care to the Oishos' elderly woman and is almost considered part of the family as she visits and performs her tasks routinely. What is more, Ichiko is helping Oisho Motoko to also become a care-giver and potentially replace her one day. The two have become close, which is useful when Motoko's sister Saki disappears. She is returned safely one week later, but the kidnapper is too close to home.—aghaemi

A Girl Missing

A Girl Missing (2019)

Kazuki Kitamura

Fumino Kimura

Ryûhei Matsuda

Suffering from population decline, the small seaside town of Uobuka decides to welcome 6 strangers into the community. A malevolent fishing boat operator (Kazuki Kitamura), a sexy caregiver, a frightening launderer, a timid barber, a methodical cleaning woman (Mikako Ichikawa), and a simple-minded deliveryman (Ryuhei Matsuda) are all brought together by this mysterious government-sponsored program. Even Tsukisue, the young city official put in charge of the program, has no idea why they've been brought to town. But when the truth comes out about the six strangers' mysterious past and a body is discovered in the harbor, Tsukisue begins to suspect the motley crew of foul play. Part black comedy, part murder mystery thriller the latest from director Daihachi Yoshida perfectly blends humor and suspense.—Anna Page, Hawaii International Film Festival

The Scythian Lamb

The Scythian Lamb (2017)

Ayame Misaki

Elaiza Ikeda

Yûna Taira

Arata Kaizaki (Taishi Nakagawa) is 27-years-old and unemployed. He quit his prior job after working for the company for 3 months. Arata Kaizaki decides to take part in a research program "ReLIFE." He takes medication that makes him look 10 years younger and he is to attend high school for a year. There, he falls in love with female high school student Chizuru Hishiro (Yuna Taira).—AsianWiki

ReLIFE

ReLIFE (2017)

Takahiro Miura

Newcomer Shizuka Ishibashi throws herself into the role of Mika, a nurse by day, a 'girlie bar' hostess by night, subject to feelings of anxiety and isolation, and unable to reach through a hard outer shell that stops her from expressing tenderness to anyone else. Sosuke Ikematsu, one of Japan's most important young actors, stars as Shinji, who struggles as a day-hire construction worker with a sense of impending doom, but who still tries to find the source of an unnamable hope he feels inside. The setting is Tokyo in 2017, where empty words, a sense of doom, and feelings of isolation co-exist with hope, trust, and love. In the sense of real life conjured up in these two people is a new kind of film: the densest kind of love story.—Hong Kong International Film & TV Market

Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue

Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue (2017)

Kei Tanaka

Hidekazu Mashima

A single woman runs a rent-a-cat service to provide companions for lonely people.

Rent-a-Cat

Rent-a-Cat (2012)

7.1 / 10

Comedy
Drama

5.4 / 10

Comedy
Drama

6.6 / 10

Action
Drama

5.8 / 10

Action
Drama

7 / 10

Action
Drama

6.5 / 10

Action
Drama

6.4 / 10

Action
Thriller

6.6 / 10

Action
Comedy

6.5 / 10

Action
Drama

6.9 / 10

Action
Comedy