Greatest Japan Movies
by fufundany30 | created - 23 Jul 2017 | updated - 06 Nov 2019 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. We Were There: True Love (2012)
121 min | Drama, Romance
Nanami and Yano were in-love. But because of unavoidable circumstances, they cannot commit to their plans and promises. They can decided whether they want to live life as it is, or find a way back to each other's arms.
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Tôma Ikuta, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Narumi Akizuki, Yumi Asô
Votes: 545
2. We Were There: First Love (2012)
123 min | Drama, Romance
It chronicles the love relationship between a boy called Motoharu Yano and a girl called Nanami Takahashi, starting from their teenage years and continuing during their early twenties.
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Tôma Ikuta, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Sôsuke Takaoka, Yuika Motokariya
Votes: 701
3. Chihayafuru Part I (2016)
111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The first part of the "Chihayafuru" trilogy. Chihaya is a high school student who loves Karuta, a traditional card game from Japan. Chihaya and her friends start a Karuta club at high school to become the greatest Karuta player in Japan.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Suzu Hirose, Shûhei Nomura, Mackenyu, Mone Kamishiraishi
Votes: 1,208
4. Chihayafuru Part II (2016)
102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The second part of the "Chihayafuru" trilogy following the Karuta tournament in Tokyo. Chihaya's team is ready for the national competition. However, she is disappointed to hear that her childhood best friend has quit the game.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Suzu Hirose, Shûhei Nomura, Mackenyu, Mone Kamishiraishi
Votes: 939
5. Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)
133 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Leaving her provincial home, teenage Mutsuko arrives in Tokyo by train to take a job in a major automotive company but finds that she is employed by a small auto repair shop owned by ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Maki Horikita, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Koyuki
Votes: 2,463
6. Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007)
146 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Chagawa finds it increasing difficult to support his young ward Junnosuke in his store across the street from the Suzuki garage on Third Street. Unless he can provide a better life, ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Shin'ichi Hatori, Maki Horikita, Fumiyo Kohinata, Kazuki Koshimizu
Votes: 1,107
7. Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012)
142 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
The Tokyo Olympics are about to open, and Rynosuke Chagawa is excited to receive a new TV set to watch the upcoming events. His wife Hiromi is pregnant and he has built a second level on ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Hidetaka Yoshioka, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Koyuki, Maki Horikita
Votes: 740
8. Orange (2015)
139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A girl mysteriously receives advice from her future self and as a result her group of friends, along with a newly arrived, troubled classmate, learn how to be better friends and a better community.
Director: Kôjirô Hashimoto | Stars: Tao Tsuchiya, Kento Yamazaki, Ryô Ryûsei, Hirona Yamazaki
Votes: 1,972
9. The Liar and His Lover (2013)
117 min | Romance
A love story between a famous 25-year-old songwriter, who keeps his identity hidden from the public, and a 16-year-old high school student who possesses a gifted voice.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Takeru Satoh, Ryô Yoshizawa, Masataka Kubota, Takashi Sorimachi
Votes: 1,593
10. The Last Chance: Diary of Comedians (2013)
115 min | Comedy
The story revolves around two struggling comics, Takashi Komoto (Keisuke Koide) and Yohei Tanaka (Atsushi Ito), who have been performing together as a manzai comedy duo called "Boso ... See full summary »
Director: Teruyoshi Uchimura | Stars: Atsushi Itô, Keisuke Koide, Masami Nagasawa, Becky
Votes: 138
11. Love Strikes! (2011)
118 min | Comedy, Romance
31 years old, broke, single and lonely Yukio encounters four beautiful women suddenly appearing in his life. Will he be able to escape his "Moteki" status?
Director: Hitoshi Ône | Stars: Mirai Moriyama, Masami Nagasawa, Kumiko Asô, Riisa Naka
Votes: 1,192
12. I Am a Hero (2015)
TV-MA | 126 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A manga artist assistant is surprised by a zombie apocalypse.
Director: Shinsuke Sato | Stars: Yô Ôizumi, Kasumi Arimura, Masami Nagasawa, Hisashi Yoshizawa
Votes: 7,789
13. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (2010)
124 min | Drama, Romance
Diving to save a camera from a fall down a flight of stairs, high school junior Naomi Sukuse wakes with no memory of the last four years. Naomi must remember who she was and figure out who ... See full summary »
Director: Hans Canosa | Stars: Maki Horikita, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yûya Tegoshi, Anton Yelchin
Votes: 684
14. Hospitality Department (2013)
123 min | Comedy
Set within the hospitality division of the Kochi Prefecuture, employees attempt to find new ideas to promote tourism in the region.
The hospitality division in Kochi Prefecture can't promote... See full synopsis »
Director: Yoshishige Miyake | Stars: Ryô Nishikido, Maki Horikita, Kengo Kôra, Megumi Seki
Votes: 101
15. Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011)
Not Rated | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Kato's (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) death changes Kurono's (Kazunari Ninomiya) view of life completely. He decides to keep fighting until he earns 100 points so that he can bring back Kato. GANTZ ... See full summary »
Director: Shinsuke Sato | Stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Ayumi Ito
Votes: 4,674
16. Gantz (2010)
Not Rated | 130 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
After trying to rescue a man on the subway tracks, two teens wake up in a room dominated by a mysterious black sphere that sends them to hunt down and kill aliens hiding on Earth.
Director: Shinsuke Sato | Stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Kanata Hongô, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Natsuna
Votes: 8,310
17. Cyborg She (2008)
115 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
A lonely university student develops a romance with a beautiful interesting woman, who turns out to be a cyborg from the future.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Haruka Ayase, Keisuke Koide, Risa Ai, Nya Daigo
Votes: 4,250
18. Ima, ai ni yukimasu (2004)
119 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A young woman returns from the dead to her guilt-ridden husband and son, but she cannot remember them.
Director: Nobuhiro Doi | Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Shidô Nakamura, Akashi Takei, Karen Miyama
Votes: 5,022
19. Heavenly Forest (2006)
116 min | Drama, Romance
A photographer named Makoto travels to New York during Christmas to look for his best friend, Shizuru. The two first met when Makoto attended his university entrance ceremony. Due to his ... See full summary »
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Munetaka Aoki, Saori Ban
Votes: 3,602
20. 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: 55,007 | Gross: $1.50M
21. 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: 42,091
22. Hana and Alice (2004)
135 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When two best friends develop a crush on the same boy, they develop a plan to trick him into dating them.
Director: Shunji Iwai | Stars: Anne Suzuki, Yû Aoi, Tomohiro Kaku, Sei Hiraizumi
Votes: 4,913
23. Time Traveller (2010)
Not Rated | 122 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A high-school girl acquires the ability to time travel.
Director: Masaaki Taniguchi | Stars: Riisa Naka, Akiyoshi Nakao, Munetaka Aoki, Anna Ishibashi
Votes: 1,721
24. Battle Royale (2000)
Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama
Votes: 194,529
25. Crows Zero (2007)
130 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A transfer student attempts to take over the most violent high school in the country, whose students form factions and battle each other for power.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shun Oguri, Kyôsuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, Kenta Kiritani
Votes: 8,925
26. Crows Zero II (2009)
133 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Tension escalates and violence ensues when a young student unwittingly breaks a non-aggression pact between two rival high schools.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shun Oguri, Kyôsuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, Kenta Kiritani
Votes: 5,418
27. Parasyte: Part 1 (2014)
109 min | Action, Drama, Horror
The humanity is suffering from murders all over the globe, called "Mincemeat murders". High school student, Izumi Shinichi has a parasite living off him, having replaced his right hand, and he might be the discoverer of truth.
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Shôta Sometani, Eri Fukatsu, Ai Hashimoto, Kazuki Kitamura
Votes: 5,408
28. Parasyte: Part 2 (2015)
117 min | Action, Drama, Horror
Humanity is under attack by human-mimicking flesh-eating alien parasites. One parasite bonds with his young high school student host, and he convinces the parasite to help him stop the others.
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Shôta Sometani, Jun Kunimura, Ai Hashimoto
Votes: 3,246
29. Niji no megami (2006)
118 min | Drama, Romance
Incompetent film set gopher Tomoya finds out that the girl he loved has died in a plane crash, after he e-mails a picture of a rainbow to her. While her family sets off to retrieve a body, he recalls the love affair they never really had.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Hayato Ichihara, Juri Ueno, Yû Aoi, Wakana Sakai
Votes: 1,495
30. 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: 15,921
31. Midnight Sun (2006)
119 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Kaoru has a sickness that hindered her to go out when the sun is up. Despite this sickness, she fell in love with a boy named Koji. If she decides to pursue her love, it will mean risking her life.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Yui, Takashi Tsukamoto, Kuniko Asagi, Eri Fuse
Votes: 1,952 | Gross: $9.03M
32. Initiation Love (2015)
110 min | Romance
An ordinary guy falls in love with her dream girl Maya. Maya feels doubt and betray when they begin a long term relationship. Her feeling completely reverses some day.
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi | Stars: Shôta Matsuda, Atsuko Maeda, Tsurutarô Kataoka, Fumino Kimura
Votes: 1,154
33. Boku to tsuma no 1778 no monogatari (2011)
139 min | Drama
A science fiction writer finds out his wife has cancer, and decides to write her a story every day to keep her alive, like a reverse Scheherazade or perhaps to cope with the inevitability of his loss.
Director: Mamoru Hoshi | Stars: Kazuyuki Asano, Jun Fubuki, Yôko Imamoto, Tai Kageyama
Votes: 291
34. My Pretend Girlfriend (2014)
Drama, Romance
Miyazaki asks Noboru and Momose to pretend they are dating to stop bad rumor about him. Both begin to act like a couple in front of others and soon he begins to develop feelings for Momose, who is still in love with Miyazaki.
Director: Saiji Yakumo | Stars: Akari Hayami, Anna Ishibashi, Asuka Kudô, Osamu Mukai
Votes: 380
35. Forget Me Not (2015)
94 min | Drama, Romance
A high school student falls in love, but must document their time together to prevent forgetting. What will happen next?
Director: Kei Horie | Stars: Nijirô Murakami, Akari Hayami, Chiharu, Mickey Curtis
Votes: 609
36. Tears for You (2006)
118 min | Drama, Romance
8-year old Yotaro gains a 3-year old step-sister, Kaoru, when his mother marries a jazz musician who plays in a club in Naha, Okinawa where they live. Before long Kaoru's father deserts ... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiro Doi | Stars: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Masami Nagasawa, Kumiko Asô, Eiichirô Funakoshi
Votes: 1,187
37. From Me to You (2010)
128 min | Drama, Romance
A girl that resemble "Sadako" of the movie Ring is being feared by her classmates. She is avoided by everyone.While everyone is avoiding her, the popular boy Shota Kazehaya befriends her, and their love begins to grow.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Mikako Tabe, Haruma Miura, Misako Renbutsu, Haru Aoyama
Votes: 2,945
38. Kiyoku yawaku (2013)
126 min | Comedy, Romance
Kanna Seto lost her childhood friend Haruta in a car accident when she was a freshman in high school. Carrying the emotional pain from that incident throughout her life, Kanna is still ... See full summary »
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Masami Nagasawa, Masaki Okada, Yûki Furukawa, Kengo Kôra
Votes: 644
39. I Give My First Love to You (2009)
122 min | Drama, Romance
Takuma knows that his life is shorter than the others and he feels that his demise is getting near. He chose to stay away from the girl that he loves so that she can easily move on. What he didn't know is that he is under-estimating her.
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Mao Inoue, Masaki Okada, Natsuki Harada, Keiko Horiuchi
Votes: 2,846
40. The Snow White Murder Case (2014)
126 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A young woman who works at cosmetic company becomes the prime suspect after her beautiful co-worker is murdered.
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura | Stars: Mao Inoue, Gô Ayano, Nanao, Misako Renbutsu
Votes: 2,099
41. Yell for the Blue Sky (2016)
126 min | Drama, Family, Romance
Aozora Yell centers on Tsubasa, a girl who saw an inspirational brass band performance at the finals of the Japanese high school baseball championships one summer. Tsubasa vows to join the ... See full summary »
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Tao Tsuchiya, Ryoma Takeuchi, Shôno Hayama, Arata Horii
Votes: 228
42. Waterboys (2001)
91 min | Comedy, Sport
In a Japanese high school, a class of adolescent geeks joins the new synchronized swimming teacher and takes up the challenge to take part in the competition, in spite of the mockeries of the "real sportsmen".
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi | Stars: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Akifumi Miura, Kôen Kondô
Votes: 3,062
43. My Love Story!! (2015)
105 min | Comedy, Romance
A pretty young girl and a sweet but plain-looking boy fall in love. Will their relationship prevail?
Director: Hayato Kawai | Stars: Ryohei Suzuki, Kentarô Sakaguchi, Mei Nagano, Sawa Suzuki
Votes: 784
44. Silver Spoon (2014)
111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Yuugo, who grew up in the city, finds himself in an unfamiliar environment at Ooejo Agricultural High School, surrounded by nature and animals. Yuugo is also the only one who doesn't know ... See full summary »
Director: Keisuke Yoshida | Stars: Kento Nakajima, Alice Hirose, Tomohiro Ichikawa, Haru Kuroki
Votes: 381
45. Your Lie in April (2016)
TV-14 | 122 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A piano prodigy who lost his ability to play after suffering a traumatic event in his childhood is forced back into the spotlight by an eccentric girl with a secret of her own.
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Kento Yamazaki, Suzu Hirose, Anna Ishii, Taishi Nakagawa
Votes: 1,719
46. Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)
TV-MA | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former assassin who has resolved to never kill again has his vow sorely tested.
Director: Keishi Otomo | Stars: Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Yû Aoi, Munetaka Aoki
Votes: 29,027
47. Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
TV-MA | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Kenshin Himura goes up against pure evil Makoto Shishio who is attempting to overthrow the Meiji government. The fate of the country hangs in the balance as Kenshin Himura takes up the sword that he vowed to never draw again.
Director: Keishi Otomo | Stars: Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yôsuke Eguchi
Votes: 18,355
48. Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014)
TV-MA | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Shishio has set sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the Meiji government and return Japan to chaos, carrying Kaoru with him. In order to stop him in time, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.
Director: Keishi Otomo | Stars: Takeru Satoh, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Emi Takei, Munetaka Aoki
Votes: 14,608
49. Flying Colors (2015)
117 min | Comedy, Drama
Fact-based tale of a slacker high-school girl, years behind in her studies, who decides to start working hard and pass the entrance exams to a prestigious university in Japan.
Director: Nobuhiro Doi | Stars: Kasumi Arimura, Nanami Abe, Morio Agata, Atsushi Itô
Votes: 4,008
50. Soranin (2010)
126 min | Drama
Meiko and Taneda are a couple graduated from university two years ago. Unhappy with their lives, Meiko quits her job and encourages Taneda to have this band become professional. They ... See full summary »
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Takao Handa, Arata Iura, Kenta Kiritani, Yoichi Kondo
Votes: 922
51. Erased (2016)
120 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear to express himself. However, he has a supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back... See full summary »
Director: Yûichirô Hirakawa | Stars: Tamae Andô, Kasumi Arimura, Yasushi Fuchikami, Kôta Fudauchi
Votes: 944
52. Oppai barê (2009)
102 min | Comedy, Sport
A female teacher takes charge of a high school volleyball club and promises to show the students her breasts if they can win the next game.
Director: Eiichirô Hasumi | Stars: Haruka Ayase, Munetaka Aoki, Tôru Nakamura, Seiji Fukushi
Votes: 724
53. Kiki's Delivery Service (2014)
108 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Fuka Koshiba, Ryohei Hirota, Machiko Ono, Hiroshi Yamamoto
Votes: 1,026
54. Maniac Hero (2016)
109 min | Action, Comedy
A vigilante squad made up of a clerk, an underwear thief, an elderly salaryman, and a cute girl get more trouble than they bargained for.
Director: Keisuke Toyoshima | Stars: Masahiro Higashide, Tsurutarô Kataoka, Nana Komatsu, Masataka Kubota
Votes: 142
55. Drowning Love (2016)
111 min | Drama, Romance
Natsume - a teen fashion model from Tokyo - feels empty after having moved into a country town with her family. One day, she meets Koh, heir of Shinto priest family and finds herself falling under the spell of a selfish yet handsome boy.
Director: Yûki Yamato | Stars: Nazuki Amano, Mickey Curtis, Masami Horiuchi, Miwako Ichikawa
Votes: 1,364
56. Beck (2010)
145 min | Drama, Music
A normal fresh year highschool kid found his daily basis life extremely boring, until one day he met a dog and the owner of it that leads him to a completely new life filled with passion within musical stuff.
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi | Stars: Hiro Mizushima, Kenta Kiritani, Aoi Nakamura, Osamu Mukai
Votes: 1,056
57. Fish Story (2009)
113 min | Action, Comedy, Music
Several seemingly unrelated but surprisingly intertwined tales reveal how a Japanese band that independently invented punk rock in 1975 is, 37 years later, connected to a comet that is about to destroy the world.
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura | Stars: Atsushi Itô, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Noriko Eguchi, Hidekazu Mashima
Votes: 3,433
58. Haunted Campus (2016)
93 min | Horror, Thriller
Set at a university where a series of bizarre and unexplained phenomena are occurring the movie is the plot of the popular Haunted Campus novel put to film. Members of the 'occult study ... See full summary »
Director: Satoshi Takemoto | Stars: Yûma Nakayama, Haruka Shimazaki, Maryjun Takahashi, Miu Tomita
Votes: 111
59. One Week Friends (2017)
120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Yuki Hase befriended a lonely girl classmate when he notices that she's always alone. Upon knowing the girl, he found out a serious matter about her that can either make him put a space between them, or make them closer to each other.
Director: Shôsuke Murakami | Stars: Haruna Kawaguchi, Kento Yamazaki, Seika Furuhata, Sairi Itô
Votes: 1,523
60. Norwegian Wood (2010)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama, Romance
Toru recalls his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, and another woman, the outgoing, lively Midori.
Director: Anh Hung Tran | Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara, Kengo Kôra
Votes: 12,466 | Gross: $0.01M
61. Chihayafuru Part III (2018)
128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The third part of the "Chihayafuru" trilogy that takes place 2 years after "Chihayafuru Part II". Chihaya is now a high school senior who is ready to enter another national competition alongside her friends.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Suzu Hirose, Shûhei Nomura, Mackenyu, Mone Kamishiraishi
Votes: 679
62. My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday (2016)
111 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
On the way to his university in Kyoto, a 20 y.o. man falls in love with a woman on the train. He tells her. They start dating. She has a supernatural secret.
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Sôta Fukushi, Nana Komatsu, Masahiro Higashide, Yuki Yamada
Votes: 5,266
63. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)
Not Rated | 109 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A high school student discovers one of his classmates, Sakura Yamauchi, is suffering from a terminal illness. This secret brings the two together, as she lives out her final moments.
Directors: Jun'ichi Fujise, Tomoyuki Itamura, Masaharu Tomoda, Shin'ichirô Ushijima, Daisuke Yoshida, Fumihiro Yoshimura | Stars: Mahiro Takasugi, Lynn, Yukiyo Fujii, Yuma Uchida
Votes: 24,300 | Gross: $0.28M
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