QUARANTINE ACTIVITIES | 5 JAPANESE MOVIES TO WATCH BEFORE COMING TO JAPAN
Ready for a movie night? To help your next trip to Japan, why not fuel your knowledge of the country by watching some movies? You can take an extensive look at our Film Guide - but we’ll list some of our favourite ones here. In no particular order here are 5 must-watch movies!
Spirited Away
This film is by far one of the most popular and famous films from Japan. While Spirited Away is one of the dozens of Ghibli Studios masterpieces, we went with this fantasy. Be careful, watching this might lead you down an endless rabbit hole of Ghibli Studio films. The story follows a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro who stumbles into a world of kami (deities). She soon finds herself unable to escape after her parents are turned into pigs by the ruling witch named Yubaba. With the help of Haku - a mysterious young boy - she embarks on a journey to save her parents and escape this world.
Lost in Translation
Okay, while this film is not necessarily from Japan, it’s definitely a film worth mentioning. The film was shot in Tokyo with famous backdrops such as Shibuya and Shinjuku. It will definitely make your next trip to Japan quite interesting! This comedic-drama presents a story of love and friendship between two strangers - a middle aged actor named Bill Harris and a neglected college grad named Charlotte. They both share a few common bonds: a dissatisfying love life and a culture shock in Tokyo. Follow them around as they go explore themselves and Tokyo - it’s almost as if you explore with them.
SHOPLIFTERS
This Japanese drama became a critically acclaimed film thanks to it’s superb directing, writing and acting. The story follows a non-biological family that shoplifts to cope with their poverty. After a routine shoplift, Osamu - “the father” - and the son come across a little girl who’s been abandoned and take her in. As the film progresses, this “happy family” soon reveal their dark secrets.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
This documentary centers around Jiro Ono, an 85 year old sushi master who owns a 10 seated, sushi only, 3 starred Michelin restaurant in a Tokyo subway station. His restaurant only takes reservations - which must be reserved months in advanced - and costs a minimum of 30,000 Yen (about 300 dollars). Learn and discover the secrets of Jiro who maintains such a high quality level of sushi over the years.
*In 2019, Jiro’s restaurant was removed from the Michelin guide, not because of a decline in quality but because of its poor access to the general public. It’s notorious difficulty for a regular person to get a reservation has increased as head of states and celebrities demands have risen.
SEVEN SAMURAI
For anyone who likes classics, Seven Samurai - or any of Director Kurosawa’s films are a must watch. Kurosawa is considered one of the greatest directors of the 20th century. Seven Samurai made a huge cultural impact in the world as it inspired a Western remake called Magnificent Seven and even inspired Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. The film is set during 1586, when war ravaged Japan. A village of farmers hire a team of seven ronin - or masterless samurai to defend their village from bandits who raid their farm to steal their crops. This film is known to have started the innovative idea of assembling a team for a heroic mission.
We hope this recommendation of movies can help you get a taste of Japan while travel is currently restricted. We also offer pandemic friendly experiences such as our Holiday by Post Program. Every month we will send you a postcard and a thoughtfully chosen local gift with a video blog telling you more about your gift and the place that we bought it. For more info check here or subscribe down below!