1. Dirty Gold: The Disappearance of the Japanese war booty
From 1937 to 1948 gold, silver, platinum and diamonds were looted by the Imperial Japanese Army during its campaigns throughout Asia-a treasure trove worth billions whose location has remained unclear until today. Rumor had it that hundreds of tones of gold were buried in the Philippines. In an exciting investigation of the 20th century history, director Egmont R. Koch embarks on the trail of Japan’s stolen gold, a journey that takes him to the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan. He discovers documents that prove that the disappeared loot was used to finance the Cold War in Asia and to corrupt nationalist Japanese politicians.
2. Half-Life in Fukushima (Demi-vie à Fukushima)
In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a Japanese farmer ekes out a solitary existence within the radiation red zone.
It has an average vote of 6.6 on TMDB.
3. The Cove
The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.
It has an average vote of 7.922 on TMDB.
4. W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult
The war in the South Pacific, a country doctor in Colorado, victims of industrial pollution in a Japanese village — all were captured in unforgettable photographs by the legendary W. Eugene Smith. This program showcases over 600 of Smith’s stunning photographs and includes a dramatic recreation in which actor Peter Riegert portrays the artist using dialogue take from Smith’s diaries and letters. Interwoven through the program are archival footage and interviews with family and friends of this brilliant, complicated man, whose work developed from twin themes of common humanity and social responsibility.
5. Fish! A Japanese Obsession
Charles Rangeley Wilson, author, journalist and BBC 2's Accidental Angler, travels to Japan to explore the Japanese people's passionate relationship to fish.
6. Abortion: Stories from North and South
Women have always sought ways to terminate unwanted pregnancies, despite powerful patriarchal structures and systems working against them. This film provides a historical overview of how church, state and the medical establishment have determined policies concerning abortion. From this cross-cultural survey--filmed in Ireland, Japan, Thailand, Peru, Colombia, and Canada--emerges one reality: only a small percentage of the world's women has access to safe, legal operations.
7. A. K. (A. K.)
In 1985, Chris Marker traveled to Japan to attend the filming of Ran, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Marker analyzes the progress of filming; the infinite patience of a team under the orders of a meticulous director down to the smallest detail; the antithetical mixture of the modern with the traditional; of the real with the fictitious; of life with cinema… and literature.
It has an average vote of 6.219 on TMDB.
8. Tokyo Trial: Judging Japan (De Nuremberg à Tokyo)
The story of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, known as the Tokyo Trial, which, just after the Second World War, was established in Japan as a special jurisdiction in 1946 to judge the war crimes of the Japanese leaders; and how and why officials in Washington prevented Emperor Hirohito to be seen sat on the bench.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
9. Un samouraï au Vatican (Un samouraï au Vatican)
(Un samouraï au Vatican)
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
10. Under the Cherry Tree (桜の樹の下)
Feature documentary debut of 29 year old director Kei Tanaka. In the Japanese town of Kawasaki, elderly residents who have lived hard lives are now facing their own death at a public housing complex called “Danchi“. The young director explores and depicts the ageing population in Japan by focusing on the personal lives of few individuals who live quietly on the outskirts of society. While some of the protagonists chose to interact and establish friendships with their fellow elderly residents, others prefer to spend the rest of their years in solitary.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
11. Okinawa: The Afterburn (沖縄 うりずんの雨)
On April 1, 1945, the United States military launched its invasion of the main island of Okinawa, the start of a battle that was to last 12 weeks and claim the lives of some 240,000 people. This film depicts the Battle through the eyes of Japanese and American soldiers who fought each other on the same battlefield, along with Okinawa civilians who were swept up in the fighting. The film also depicts the history of discrimination and oppression forced upon Okinawa by the American and Japanese governments. Carrying up to the current controversy over the construction of a new base at Henoko, the film explores the root causes of the widespread disillusionment and anger expressed by many Okinawans. This ambitious documentary was directed by the American John Junkerman, long-term resident of Japan and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker. Okinawa: The Afterburn is a heartfelt plea for peace and an expression of deep respect for the unyielding spirit of the Okinawa people.
It has an average vote of 1 on TMDB.
12. Ama-San (Ama-San)
A dive, the midday sunlight filtering down through the water. The air in her lungs has to last until she can dislodge the abalone. Dives like these have been carried out in Japan for over 2000 years by the Ama-San.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
13. Eyewar
What threads of history bind Manhattan's Ground Zero to those of Nagasaki and Hiroshima? Or connect sight to truth, games to war, or the silkworm to the drone? What does the United States hold to be the role of science in warfare? How has war historically been waged in Buddhist traditions? These are some of the topics addressed in Eyewar: 80 minutes of found footage which traces the development of the digital image from the maps of the second century to the screens of the twenty-first, and the uses of the field of cybernetics from Japan in the 1940s to Chile in the 1970s and Iraq in the 1990s.
14. Tsukiji Wonderland (TSUKIJI WONDERLAND（築地ワンダーランド）)
Through the lives of professionals working at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, the film portrays how Tsukiji has been the center of fish culinary culture and helped Japanese food culture to flourish as we know it today.
It has an average vote of 7.853 on TMDB.
15. Hanako (花子)
An unusual family portrait questioning the definitions of art, family, and what it means to be disabled. Imamura Hanako is a 22-year-old girl with severe autism. Once a week she attends a painting class, where she paints pictures in oils. Every evening after dinner, she creates what her mother Chisa has named “food art.” This may only involve arranging the leftovers from the day’s meal on the floor or a tray, but Chisa records the works every day, accumulating some thousands of photographs. The collection of photographs has now been exhibited around the country. Following Hanako’s daily life in the routine of the four members of the Imamura family, we watch as a portrait of a “very ordinary” family unfold.
16. Modern Tokyo
This Traveltalk series short looks at pre-World War II Tokyo, highlighting the influences of Western culture.
17. A Day in Tokyo
A Day in TOKYO in 1968, Nostalgic bygone era. Planned by Japan National Tourism Organization. Produced by Koga Production. This film was produced to explain Tokyo for foreign tourists.
18. Making the Happiest Employees in Japan: The Challenge of Hotel Associa Nagoya Terminal (Nippon'ichi shiawasena juugyouin o tsukuru! Hoteru Asoshia Nagoya tâminaru no chousen)
A renowned old hotel near Nagoya Station has been in the red for four consecutive fiscal terms. When the old management stepped down, Akio Shibata, who has long been in the board of the labor union, is appointed its new general manager. Shibata's method for reviving the hotel consists of neither the laying off of the staff nor the introduction of performance-based system. He wants everyone to take part in the making of new management plans and for all employees to lodge together and engage in heated discussions about their management dreams all night. Yes, his management ideal is to "have the happiest employees in Japan" working in their hotel. He throws birthday parties for employees and has company cafeteria remodeled. All these changes bring about yet another change in the mind of everyone.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
19. Die Monsterinsel (Die Monsterinsel)
(Die Monsterinsel)
20. Amazônia, A Nova Minamata? (Amazônia, A Nova Minamata?)
(Amazônia, A Nova Minamata?)
