AdaQuonsett

Can you recommend some contemporary movies that take place in Tokyo? We already have "Lost in Translation" but would like some others that'll give us a feel for the city/country before we go over there.

LapLap

Nobody Knows (Dare Mo Shiranai)- by director Kore-Eda Hirokazu, 2004
is a visually beautiful depiction of everyday life in Tokyo. It's a bit of a tearjerker, sure, but it never gets overly cloying - more poignant than sentimental.

Some wonderful and naturalistic acting - gorgeous and very contemporary looking cinematography (if you look at the photographs in Japanese photo-blogs you'd see there's definitely a Japanese 'visual style' people are using and the film captures this 'look' perfectly)

The main actress (You) has an interesting true life background (which doesn't detract from the fact that the casting is spot on - as the mother, I can't imagine someone better) she had a singing career - much further back than you'd expect, she looks amazing - and was reasonably famous. Then her career became a little 'notorious' when she announced her sexuality. It's great to see You still has a career, she certainly deserves one.

This film caught MrLapLap and myself by surprise a couple of months ago when it was shown, subtitled, on BBC4 (the... ahem... 'serious' digital BBC channel). We both loved it, and it's a much more honest slice of Tokyo life than Lost in Translation could ever be - even though the subject matter is so unusual and extreme.


On a lighter note, there's the BBC Japanorama series (plural) presented by Jonathan Ross. You can catch much of the first series on youtube for free:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUtNEyLaIZY (each episode is made up of 4 parts)
The first episode is rather heavy on comics/cartoons - I kind of like this stuff, but if you don't you might like this episode from season 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jP8ehP_ilU (kakkoi)

They're currently braodcasting the second series (we just had 'Kaidan', the penultimate episode exploring Japan's scary folk lore tradition, last episode next week).

It's fun, it's informative, and it doesn't make us wince the way most depictions of Japan by foreigners on TV usually do. Mr Ross has and pursues his own interests, passions and agendas, it's obvious he loves many aspects of the culture, but it is pretty accurate and he hits the nail on the head. It may be a more narrow view than many people would like, but he does a fine job of introducing a multitude of themes and aspects ranging from, and through, Takarazuka to Bushido to Hard Gay. i.e. a lot of things you may not actually 'want' to know about today's Japan are included.
Great series!


(As an aside: MrLapLap stumbled across Jonathan Ross filming the first series in Japan one day. First he saw some girls dressed as school girls with someone in a Godzilla suit behind them and this gave him a bit of a 'double take' - it was a quintessentially Japanese sight... but that was it... it was somehow 'too' quintessentially Japanese, exactly what an English person would imagine finding in Tokyo... and just as he was puzzling over this, he then saw Mr Ross and it all fell into place. He resisted the temptation to yell "Oy, Ross!!!" and peddled on on his bike. We saw the first series, which included the scene as a minor intro piece, some months later - I'm glad he's done a second one.)

LapLap

This has just reminded me why being labelled 'Ultraman' after a night in the sack isn't necessarily a good thing...

jib71

Here's my selection to give some interesting perspectives before your visit:

'80s -
Kazoku Game
Ososhiki

'90s -
Sonatine
Shall We Dance

'00s -
Dare mo shiranai (nice choice LapLap)
Always Sanchome No Yuhi

This could be an interesting thread... I expect that we will find a wide variety of opinions on this topic.

Pickles

A bit of an oldie but certainly a masterpiece, is "Tampopo." "A Taxing Woman" is another good one, as is "The Funeral (Ososhiki)."

As seen from the Western end, LIT is my favorite. I'm probably going to get shot down here, but I think both "Blade Runner" and "Black Rain" (the Michael Douglas one) are stylistically spot-on and should be watched for the sense of place they give.

LapLap

Tampopo gets a huge thumbs up by me. Alas my old VHS video died its death years ago and the film still hasn't been released on DVD.

Wonderful film! Bloody difficult to get hold of though... (EDIT - I'm delighted to be contradicted here - please see post #13)

MrLapLap prefers the Japanese film Black Rain (unfortunately he recorded it on VHS on Long Play - it's under the bed right now) nothing to do with Tokyo though...

Scifience

I'll second jib71 with his recommendation for Shall We Dance (the original version, not the terrible US remake). Parts of it do a very nice job of showing elements of daily life in Tokyo.

For a lighthearted comedy that doesn't take place specifically in Tokyo but rather in a smaller town outside it, I'd recommend Drugstore Girl starring Tanaka Rena. Very enjoyable (definitely not a cinematic masterpiece or anything, just fun) and shows a somewhat smaller town than Tokyo.

Shinobi doesn't have anything to do with Tokyo (or reality) but is a fairly recent (2005) Japanese movie that was extremely popular and received excellent reviews. If you are just looking for a feel for modern Japanese cinema, Shinobi is as good a place as any to start.

An older movie, again not related to the OP's request, is Seppuku. It is a *very* well-done film, all in black-and-white, and definitely worth seeing. One of my favorite movies that I have seen recently.

If you are interested in anime at all, Akira, is set in the world of Neo-Tokyo and is an anime classic. It's often compared with Blade Runner, and I personally like it better.

I do realize that I'm going somewhat off-topic here with two of these, but they're both outstanding films, and I think the OP and others might enjoy them.

railroadtycoon

If you can get your hands on it, a short independent film I saw on PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/dokidoki/index.html

Railroadtycoon watches a lot of PBS lol, there's another online program here from "FRONTLINE/WORLD"
This story features an Austrailian adopting to live as a farmer in Shikoku.
Japan: The Slow Life

You can watch the entire video there.

Q Shoe Guy

Do watch the 3 above as they are classics! I would also nominate "Unagi". I am also now interested in seeing this "You" flick "Dare mo shiranai" too!

ksandness

For an anime that gives a sentimental, but fairly realistic view of Tokyo, try Tokyo Godfathers, a story about three homeless outcasts (an alcoholic, a transvestite, and a runaway teenager) who find an abandoned baby.
The artwork is wonderful, and there were several scenes where I thought, "Yes, that's Tokyo all right."

I agree that the original Shall We Dance is a fine depiction of upper middle class life in Tokyo.

LapLap

Has anybody seen Uchoten Hoteru? Any comments?

It's a 2006 film based in Tokyo over two days in the run up to the New Year and takes place in a 5 star hotel - hence mine and a potential interest to FTers.

jib71

Which films would Japanese recommend to foreigners?http://whatjapanthinks.com/2007/04/1...to-foreigners/


When asked the question: "Which Japanese film would you most recommend to a foreigner to watch?" 76 respondents answered "Letters from Iwojima."

I expect Kurinto Higashibayashi and Wa-na- Kyoudai K.K. will be pleased.

AlexS

Yet another vote for Tampopo--the business dinner scene is great, and it is available on DVD!

Alex

LapLap

Yeay!!! Finally!!! There was a waiting list on Amazon for this title for years (and it's been out for a while too... ) Gomen!

kcvt750

Personally, I'd recommend Death Note and the sequel Death Note II - The Last Name.

Especially if you're a fan of the original manga.