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The film’s story centers on Musashi Miyamoto, one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. He pioneered the Hyouhou Niten Ichi-ryuu style of two-sword fighting and wrote “The Book of Five Rings,” a book that has been compared to Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” for its insight on tactics and strategy.

It is a typical day in the life of actor Kazuki Shimizu when a gun is found inside his bag, leading to all sorts of trouble for him. A Day of One Hero is a direct-to-video film starring Kazuki Shimizu as himself in a mockumentary of his acting career as Don "Doc" Dogoier in the Super Sentai series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. The film also features cameo appearances by Tokusatsu veteran actors Yoshio Yamaguchi and Nao Nagasawa.

Yellow Magic Orchestra playing songs from the album Service in the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan in the 22 Dec. 1983

A film dedicated to the band Fishmans and their "Long Season Revue" tour in 2005, the first since the death of frontman Shinji Sato.

Actress Satomi Ishihara, known as a travel-lover, visits leisurely for four days in the Basque region of Spain. From unknown experience at a three-star restaurant to the stroll around the bar and serving homemade dishes to local gourmets, you can discover a new side of her. What’s in her suitcase？How does she describe herself for the next 10 years？ You can see the real face of today’s shining actress！

Nagisa Oshima's documentary details the rise of Chairman Mao during the revolution and shows the Communist Party's struggle and cultural upheaval. Made in 1969 for NTV station, this TV documentary also questions Mao's dictator tendency during the cultural revolution.

Starring Yellow Magic Orchestra and David Brooks Palmer, YMO Propaganda is 1984 Musical film directed by Shin Saito. Originally premiered theatrically throughout Japan in 1984 and is considered by some to be the best visual work from 'Y.M.O.'

Diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019, Japanese competitive swimmer Rikako Ikee returns to her destiny: the center lane, in Hirokazu Kore-eda's short film for skincare brand SK-II.

Satoshi Kuribayashi and his team filmed the insects for over an astonishing 430 days, resulting in breathtaking images and scenes from a still fairly unknown world. Watch a mantis sneak up on its prey and catch it with its razor sharp claws. Experience a deadly, thrilling wasp fight. Sit back and watch the world of the insects unfold before you like you have never experienced it before.

Nagisa Oshima interviews Akira Kurosawa, leading him to share his thoughts about filmmaking, his life and works, and numerous anecdotes relating to his films and his various film activities.

An extremely lovely tribute to Ozu, on the 20th anniversary of his death. It uses a combination of footage from vintage films and new material (both interviews and Ozu-related locations) shot by Ozu's long-time camera-man (who came out of retirement to work on this). Surprisingly (or perhaps not), it focuses less on Ozu's accomplishments as a film-maker than on his impact on the lives of the people he worked with..

This documentary examines the plight of Korean veterans who were conscripted into the Japanese imperial army during World War II and later left destitute in postwar Japan. Many, disabled by their service, are denied compensation because of their Korean nationality. Filmed for Japanese television, the work confronts public apathy and exposes the unresolved moral responsibility Japan bears toward those who fought in its name.

An anthology movie containing both documentaries and dramas, all staring members of local idol units.

Nippon TV's NEWS ZERO program produced an hour long documentary on the making of Ponyo, known in Japan by it's full title "Ponyo on the Cliff." A rare look behind the scenes of Studio Ghibli.

Making a film about a radio station doesn’t sound like the most visually compelling of projects. How many takes do you need before the acoustic transition from the opening to the closing of a door is perfect or the reader's voice correctly modulated? Nicolas Philibert has accepted the challenge to portray that which cannot be seen. Shouldering his camera, he spent half a year wandering the endless corridors of Radio France’s ‘round house’ on the banks of the Seine where he filmed people who dedicate themselves utterly and meticulously to their work.

Documentary filmmaker Kenjiro Fujii takes a look at the history of a distinctly Japanese brand of softcore pornography in this extensive examination of the "pinku eiga" genre (ピンク映画 Pinku eiga or Pinkeiga). For more than 40 years, so-called "pink" films have served as both a key source of revenue for the Japanese film industry as well as a launching pad for the careers of such mainstream filmmakers as Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After providing a detailed history of the still-profitable and popular genre through interviews with a variety of behind-the-scenes players and clips from such classic pink films as Fish Bait Boobies, director Fujii shifts his focus to the production of an upcoming pink film to offer a glimpse into the creative and stylistic evolution of the genre.

Director Koreyoshi Kurahara chronicles a year in the lives of Flep and Leila, two foxes living in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, where the freezing winters are long and the mild summers short. After Flep defeats another male fox to become Leila's lifelong partner, they mate and raise a litter of five kits. With their family complete, the group must contend with human interference in their habitat, such as chicken farms and snowmobiles, and struggle against the debilitating cold of winter. The animals experience both triumph and tragedy, as the law of this harsh land proves – only the strong survive.

In this documentary we travel to the Swiss Alps and to the Canadian Prince Edward Island looking at the origins of the two classic TV series - Heidi, the Girl of the Alps and Anne of Green Gables. We will also learn how the Japanese scenery found its way into the latter. As the documentary was released as part of the From up on Poppy Hill promotion, a portion of it is dedicated to Yokohama, where the events of the film by Goro Miyazaki take place.

In a house nestled in the lush mountains of Onomichi, lives 100-year-old Tetsuyo Ishii, who lives alone. In her younger days, she worked as an elementary school teacher. After losing her husband at the age of 83, she has been living with the support of her niece and neighbors. Despite the increasing challenges that come with age, Tetsuyo skillfully encourages herself and adapts her lifestyle with a free spirit.

A master of Japanese animation, Gisaburo Sugii talks candidly about his career and creative process in this rare and exciting piece of film.

Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "High and Low" (1963).

Documentary about the eclectic Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto during the recording sessions for his 1984 album "Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia".

The fight for survival in one of Tokyo’s vanishing geisha districts. Documenting everything from ancient moss-covered woodlands to the streets of his old Brooklyn neighbourhood, Japanese photographer and Wallpaper contributor Yasuyuki Takagi is known for his quiet vernacular style.

Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926) designed some of the world's most astonishing buildings, interiors, and parks; Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara constructed some of the most aesthetically audacious films ever made. With camera work as bold and sensual as the curves of his subject's organic structures, Teshigahara immortalizes Gaudí on film.

This exploration of Japan's fascination with girl bands and their music follows an aspiring pop singer and her fans, delving into the cultural obsession with young female sexuality and the growing disconnect between men and women in hypermodern societies.

A man applying for refugee status in Japan was told falsely that, "If you work in the decontamination effort, your visa will be extended," following the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. "ALARA" was created based on this incident.

One of Japan's most inspirational documentaries of 2018 "Life Goes On..." True stories of ordinary people struggling to rebuild their lives after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Courage and compassion in the face of adversity. Six years after East Japan's Great Earthquake & Tsunami, director Mia Yoon reveals why she returned to the affected area. "The tragedy of Tohoku has been broadcasted to the world, but since then, rays of hope and happiness have begun to emerge, and these stories deserve to be told.” Actress Norika Fukiwara introduces to us the realities of life in this beautiful yet tragic landscape. We learn from farmers, children, house wives, a hotel manager, oridnary people struggling to re-build their lives. Against the trauma of lost love ones, devastated commuities and the threat of nuclear fallout, the resilience and benevolence of ordinary people is nothing short of insprational: a message for us all.

A documentary produced by NHK following the production of "The Boy & The Heron" over 7 years.

An omnibus film consisting of 4 short films and a documentary related to COVID-19.

A documentary about the lives of actors in the Sakura-tai theatrical troupe, which had arrived in the island of Hiroshima to begin preparations for the staging of a play just before the atomic bombing.

A documentary exploring the multiple facets of sexuality, the film took over five years of preparation and two years' filming. From the United States to Japan, via Brazil, Raphaël Sibilla delves into the world of the staging and fulfilment of fantasies, from the most straightforward – swinging soirées and SM bars – to the most extreme, fetishism and scarification. Although the notion of sexual pleasure is always present, the filmmaker gradually enlarges upon his subject and moves away from the simple, raw representation of sexual practices. He raises more general issues, without ever being judgemental, about his interviewees’ relationship to their bodies, seeking to understand the secret motivations and aspirations of men and women who are sometimes ready to go as far as mutilation to experience more intense pleasure.

The making of the most controversial scenes of Takashi Miike's cult film, Ichi the Killer.

In response to the Fukushima disaster, Yama-san is running an election campaign with an anti-nuclear message. But unlike last time, he has no money, no machine, no nothing. Does he even stand a chance? On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced one of the most calamitous nuclear disasters in history. But in two national elections following the accident, the pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) achieved landslide victories, gaining control of the two parliaments. Why? 'Campaign 2' by Kazuhiro Soda observes a small local election right after the disaster and gives insight into this difficult question, presenting a microcosm of Japan's political-psychological landscape.

AKA Serial Killer documents the social upheaval and political oppression that roiled Japan in the 1960s, profiling a nineteen-year-old serial killer Norio Nagayama. An indictment of media sensationalism, the film humanizes the young man by situating his crimes in the larger context of his environment.

A beautiful session between dancer Tanaka Min and director Wim Wenders that illustrates something before we started speaking with words.

In memory of the Japanese earthquake on 3.11, each director presents a 3 minute and 11 second short film in tribute to those who were lost that day.

In 1961, a spectacular criminal case shocks Japan: at what became known as the “Nabari Poison Wine” incident, five people lose their lives at a village social gathering. One of the attendants, Masaru OKUNISHI, is made out as the main suspect. Rumor has it that he wanted to kill his wife and his lover in order to end his extra-marital affair. After being questioned by the police for days, he signs a confession, only to withdraw it soon afterwards. Nonetheless, he is sentenced to death and all pleas for a retrial are denied.

An hour-long conversation between Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki which took place in Kurosawa's home near Mt. Fuji.

Finding their place between the forest and the sea, the Japanese have always felt awe and gratitude toward Nature. Since ancient times, they have negotiated their own unique relationship with their natural surroundings. Acclaimed photographer Masa-aki Miyazawa discovered the essence of that ancient way of living in Ise Jingu, Japan’s holiest Shinto shrine. Inspired by the idea of sending a message to the future in the same way this ancient shrine keeps alive the traditions of the past, Miyazawa used an ultra-high resolution 4K camera to create a breathtaking visual journey linking the Ise forest with other forests throughout Japan.

Since the enactment of the Anti-Boryokudan Act and Yakuza exclusion ordinances, the number of Yakuza members reduced to less than 60,000. In the past 3 years, about 20,000 members have left from Yakuza organizations. However, just numbers can’t tell you the reality. What are they thinking, how are they living now? The camera zooms in on the Yakuza world. Are there basic human rights for them?

A tribute to the legendary Japanese film director featuring the reflections of filmmakers Lindsay Anderson, Claire Denis, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Aki Kaurismäki, Stanley Kwan, Paul Schrader, and Wim Wenders

The documentary sees actor Yumoto Yuma guide the viewers through hide’s last moments and the documentary features footage taken on the day before his death, the first time it’s been seen publicly. We also see Yumoto travel throughout Japan and Los Angeles as he pieces together the life and history of hide. “HURRY GO ROUND” also features appearances by Hiroshi Matsumoto (hide’s brother), the band Spread Beaver, and recording engineer Eric Westfall among others.

An intimate chronicle of the shooting of Ran (1985), a film directed by the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was an extraordinary musician who passed away in March 2023. He meticulously chronicled his final days in his personal diary. By tracing the last three and a half years through his journal, one can see how he confronted the end of his life and the legacy he sought to leave behind.

Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "Dodes'ka-den" (1970).

Behind-the-scenes of Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight 3rd StarLive "Starry Diamond" concert.

Standing almost alone in the great Southern Ocean, South Georgia island plays host to some of the largest concentrations of animals anywhere on Earth during the spring and summer months. This is the story of these vast animal cities, and of the order that lies beneath their seeming chaos.

Roughly chronological, from 3/96 to 11/96, with a coda in spring of 1997: inside compounds of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist sect led by Shoko Asahara. (Members confessed to a murderous sarin attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995.) We see what they eat, where they sleep, and how they respond to media scrutiny, on-going trials, the shrinking of their fortunes, and the criticism of society. Central focus is placed on Hiroshi Araki, a young man who finds himself elevated to chief spokesman for Aum after its leaders are arrested. Araki faces extreme hostility from the Japanese public, who find it hard to believe that most followers of the cult had no idea of the attacks and even harder to understand why these followers remain devoted to the religion, if not the violence.

​Isao Suzuki is a legendary Japanese jazz bassist known worldwide. Once elected as one of the top 20 jazz musicians in the world, he is better known outside of Japan than inside, thanks to his sessions with many renowned musicians. What kind of life has he led as a musician, what kind of influence has he had on his younger students, and what has he been like in his later years as the Godfather of Jazz? We take a look back at his life through interviews and his personal life.

KINGS OF THE SQUARE RING captures some of the most amazing battles ever seen in the field of mixed martial arts, an extreme sport that combines elements of boxing, wrestling, karate, muay thai, jujitsu, and tae kwon do into a no-holds-barred style of fighting. The collection presents archival footage of fighting greats like Masutatsu Oyama, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Rikidozan, Antonio Inoki, and Muhammad Ali.

Gekijōban Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Orchestra Concert (劇場版 「少女☆歌劇 レヴュースタァライト」オーケストラコンサート; "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight" the Movie Orchestra Concert) was a live concert event that took place on February 6, 2022 at Makuhari Messe Event Hall in Chiba, Tokyo.

A look into the life and career of the legendary wrestler Antonio Inoki

The documentary of director Katsuyuki Hirano and adult film actress Yumika Hayashi's 41-day biking trip.

In 2010, more than 90 civilians were killed and 2,000 injured during crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in Bangkok; to date, Thai authorities have not held any government or military officials accountable. The film reframes the experiences of survivors by filming them sharing their stories in facilitated workshops and discussing how to seek justice for their family members with a human rights lawyer.