Atsumi Mari

Born in Tokyo to parents who were also actors, Atsumi went on to appear in 28 films after quitting high school in 1968 to pursue the profession. She flaunted her attractive body, which soon made her into a sex idol in Japan. Daei, the company under which she was on contract, went bankrupt however in…

Okada Yoshiko

Yoshiko Okada was a Japanese film and stage actress who was most famous for her defection to the Soviet Union. She made her film debut in 1923 at Nikkatsu in Eizo Tanaka's Dokuro no mai. On 3 January 1938, Okada defected to the Soviet Union with her lover Ryokichi Sugimoto, seeking freedom from Japanese…

Sugimura Haruko

Sugimura Haruko was a Japanese actress born in Nishijido, Hiroshima, Japan, then a military town. Her mother was a geisha, and her father, reportedly a military man, died when she was young. She was adopted by a building materials merchant and a teahouse owner in the entertainment district. Her adoptive…

Nakata Hideo

Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring (1998), Ring 2 (1999), and Dark Water (2002). Several of these were remade in America as The Ring (2002), Dark Water (2005), and The Ring Two. Nakata was scheduled to make his…

Hashiguchi Ryosuke

A subtle dramatist and chronicler of gay subculture in Japan, Hashiguchi won the PIA Film Festival scholarship for his short film, A Secret Evening (Yūbe no Himitsu, 1989), and thus was able to fund his first low-budget feature, A Touch of Fever (Hatachi no binetsu, 1993). This bleak yet compassionate…

Nakamura Shido II

Born in Tokyo, the son of Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido I, young Nakamura made his Kabuki debut at the age of eight. He took the name Shido the following year, following his father's retirement. Twenty-one years later, despite being a relative latecomer to the silver screen, the 30-year-old Kabuki actor…

Tokiwa Takako

Tokiwa Takako is a Japanese film and stage actress. She was born in Yokohama city, Kanagawa prefecture. Tokiwa is one of the most highly praised actresses by both critics and viewers in Japan. She made her sensational debut in Fuji Television drama "Akuma no Kiss" in 1993. Since her debut, she continually…

Kamiki Ryunosuke

Kamiki Ryunosuke is a Japanese actor. He entered the industry in 1995 when he was only 2 years old. He made his drama debut in “Good News”, which gained him immense popularity through his first full-time role as Naoya, playing the son of SMAP’s Masahiro Nakai. In 2001, he was discovered by Hayao…

Satoh Takeru

Satoh made his acting debut on TV asahi's school comedy drama "Princess Princess D" in 2006, at the age of 17. The following year, he landed his first leading role in a TV drama as Nogami Ryotarou in "Kamen Rider Den-O". He would soon become a popular young actor and would land roles in TV dramas such…

Ri Reisen

Ri Reisen is a Japanese actress, born in Tokyo and graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo High School. Her parents are the second-generation of Koreans living in Japan. Her birth name is Lee Cho Ja, and her Japanese birth name is Hoshiyama Hatsuko. She made her debut under the name of Hoshiyama Hatsuko…

The Women of Fast Food

5.8

"Tachiguishi", that is to say, grifters who make it their profession to "eat-and-run", was created by the world-famous filmmaker, Mamoru Oshii. In 2006, he directed "Tachigui -- the Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters",…

Meikyu Sousa

6.8

Detective Yoichiro goes to a murder scene involving the brutal murder of 3 family members at their home. He finds the family's 5-year-old son hiding in the closet. Detective Yoichiro worries about the boy because when…

Prison Officer

Taira Bonta, a senior prison officer, is a serious, timid regular guy. He is steady in his work, but is bullied by the prisoners at every turn. He is terror-stricken. However, he only thinks of leading a peaceful life.…

Tokyo Westside Story

6.0

22-year-old Takayama Mineko (Hayami Akari) is a fourth-year university student who is looking for a job. She has completely smothered her childhood dream of becoming a news announcer and taken a pragmatic line. However,…

Assatsu no Umi: Dai Ni-sho — Henoko

This documentary is all about the protestors who try to disrupt the building of the new American base on Okinawa and the police response against it. In December 2013, Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima approved a landfill…

High Heels Revolution!

Documentary covering the experiences of transsexual Majikina Natsuki from teenage years to the present. Vivid depiction of how Majikina made her choice to live as a woman, interspersed with drama sequences. Majikina…

Fuji Family 2017

7.6

There is a small old-fashioned shop called ‘Fuji Family’ at the foot of Mt Fuji that is a convenience store in name only. It is run by three sisters who are known for their beauty. Dependable Oguni Takako is the…

Pussycat Daisakusen

Three curvaceous go-go dancers (Kei Mizutani, Nao Eguchi and Yukari Nunokawa) on a rampage, looking for a big bag of cash that might be hidden in the kitchen of wheelchair-bound gangster. Director Ryuichi Honda keeps…

Seventeen, Hokuto Summer

5.5

Kawaguchi Ayami is a 17-year-old high school student. Her family runs a tofu shop where the tofu is made with local spring water. She is a member of her high school's kyudo club, but she doesn't do well there. One…