Movies to get you ready for Japan

by **andypj1** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:21 pm

In the time waiting to hear the results of the interview my wife and I have been abusing the Netflix Japanese movie selection.

Anyone want to chime in on some of there fav's? Mainstream is fine, please keep the anime to a minimum.

-Andy

Website · by **stephanieh** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:33 pm

I definitely reccomned "Tampopo."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/

While seemingly a movie about a girl who wants to learn how to make the perfect ramen, it also explores how Japanese society views food. It's a bit saterical in nature, but it's still a great film. It also features a Japanese rendition of John Wayne. Good stuff!

I have no idea of it's on netflix, though.

Best of luck waiting for your interview results!

by **word** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:02 pm

Well, first off... don't expect that anything you see in film is going to remotely prepare you for life in Japan. It won't.

If you want to know what Japanese media is REALLY like (aside from all that anime garbage), just imagine the most boring variety shows from the 1960s, add color and lots of kanji, make it about ten times as boring, and you've got about 40% of all Japanese TV right there. Another 20% is taken by news, which is pretty much exactly like Western news, but with less sensationalism and more Japanese. The remaining 40% is mostly about food--food cultivation, preparation, pictures of food, video of food, people eating food, famous people eating food, people talking about food, people talking about eating food, people talking about famous people eating food, people talking about famous people talking about food... You get the idea.

Movies that will show a Westerner something of what modern Japanese culture is like... Hmmm. Waterboys and Swing Girls offer a sort of accurate (though rather whitewashed) look at Japanese school culture (student culture; anyway).

You should probably watch Tonari no Totoro and Ponyo. They're both anime movies, but they're Miyazaki movies, so they can't be classified in the same vein as Naruto and other sh*t like that. Tonari no Totoro will give you an interesting--though quite dated--look at inaka life. My village looks almost exactly the area featured in that movie. Ponyo offers a much more modern perspective, and the lifestyles and behaviours of the people featured in that movie are very accurate, but, of course, the entire movie is seen from the perspective of a five-year-old. It's a fascinating movie, though; I now think it's Miyazaki's best, although I didn't really care for it the first time I saw it (okay, I thought it kinda sucked). Took me a while to understand the point; and it hit me like a ton of bricks when I did. Watched it again and decided I loved it.

Things that you shouldn't watch: The Last Samurai. You will gain nothing but an inflated ego and a complete misconception of all things Japanese. Any anime featuring ninjas, pirates, scantily-clad schoolgirls, or anything supernatural. You should receive a vigorous, roundhouse crotch-kick for even thinking about watching one of these in an attempt to understand anything about Japan.

by **andypj1** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:15 pm

We've watched these in the last month. (American titles)

Kagemusha (in grand Kurosawa fashion)
Kabei: Our Mother (we both cried)
Still Walking (nice and simple)
Revenge (purty good)
Secret of the Urn (super silly, but fun)
13 Assassins (great for the guys. Amazing 45 minute fight scene)
Nobody Knows (meh.)
Twilight Samurai. (solid)

Of course we saw The Last Samurai and enjoyed it. Say what you will about the Dangerous Minds premise, the themes of the movie are relatable.

We've seen quite a few Miyazaki flicks and a few other large anime staples.

by **Vietnamazing** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:23 pm

1 Litre of Tears
Not a movie, but a drama about a high school girl who gets an unfortunate disease. Based on a true story. Now that I am teaching here, I realize this is very similar to what I see every day in the classroom (society wise, friends wise, family interaction) You can watch it on Youtube.

by **histgirl** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:54 pm

THE LAST SAMURAI

MEMOIRS OF A GESHIA

and my all-time favorite...

RAMEN GIRL!!!!

by **AVN** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:05 pm

word wrote:The remaining 40% is mostly about food--food cultivation, preparation, pictures of food, video of food, people eating food, famous people eating food, people talking about food, people talking about eating food, people talking about famous people eating food, people talking about famous people talking about food... You get the idea.

Things that you shouldn't watch: The Last Samurai. You will gain nothing but an inflated ego and a complete misconception of all things Japanese. Any anime featuring ninjas, pirates, scantily-clad schoolgirls, or anything supernatural. You should receive a vigorous, roundhouse crotch-kick for even thinking about watching one of these in an attempt to understand anything about Japan.

Love both of these statements!!
FOOD it's always FOOD or crazy variety shows these days.

Yeah don't watch movies like the Last Samurai...

by **word** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:06 pm

histgirl wrote:THE LAST SAMURAI

MEMOIRS OF A GESHIA

and my all-time favorite...

RAMEN GIRL!!!!

I hope you're joking, because if not

by **histgirl** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:14 pm

word wrote:I hope you're joking, because if not

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GYSwiaNz2o

You have your heros. I'll have mine.

by **Mark_KyotoPA** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:20 pm

Whether the OP actually wants to watch Japanese movies in an attempt to "prepare himself culturally" for life in Japan is another debate entirely (for the record, if that's the case: lol wtf give up already)

However, I would echo what word said, and would even go so far as to say just watch all Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films if you get the chance, because they're really worth it. Also, the Japanese is very easy to understand, so if OP is learning (which...well, okay whatever) then it should be good practice.

Also Japanese tv is awful. Until it gets to the stage where you have no choice but to like it.

by **pnksweater** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:20 pm

I second the recommendation of My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. Miyazaki really nailed small town rural Japan, right down to the old ladies. I’m living in more of a Ponyo placement (more fishing, less rice paddies) and I have the wind turbines next door to prove it.

While it’s a little outdated, I really enjoyed watching “Shall We Dance” in my Japanese film class. Don’t bother with the American version, just the Japanese original. It delves into Japanese nuclear family structure and the salaryman lifestyle of the late 80’s early 90’s.

And if you like zombie flicks I recommend you try to dig up a copy of Wild Zero.

by **vava** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:07 pm

I'm going to recommend two Ghibli movies as well, though neither of them are Miyazaki (I think) and hardly anyone has heard of them outside of Japan somehow: Omohide Poroporo and Tonari no Yamada-kun (My Neighbors the Yamadas). Both are excellent movies!

Omohide Poroporo is great if you're in the mood for something inaka and kind of...pensive? and then Tonari no Yamada-kun is a funny, cute look into the life of a typical Japanese family. I've had a total of four host families now and somehow this movie's characters fit all of them to a T.

by **Siyris** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:24 pm

Mr. Baseball.

It's actually a really good (if over the top) view of how many foreigners feel when first getting to Japan... and how they are received. It's full of fun blunders and cultural taboos and, if you already know why it's taboo, you will find it funny, if not, you'll still find it funny, as well as informative. And it has a bit of everything plot wise -- romance, sports, overcoming obstacles. Give it a try.

I will actually speak against Totoro.... then again, I hate that movie. I find it idiotic. I will agree with Word that it gives (at least in the very beginning) a sort of decent look at inaka life... but there are better (read as 'more engaging') films to watch to get that same view.

by **OdysseyOfNoises** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:24 pm

word wrote:
histgirl wrote:THE LAST SAMURAI

MEMOIRS OF A GESHIA

and my all-time favorite...

RAMEN GIRL!!!!

by **hatefulsandwich** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:50 pm

Seriously, watching works of fiction in which people neither act nor talk in such ways in real life aren't exactly my idea of preparing for entering a different society and culture. Look at films from your own countries and imagine a foreigner trying to prepare themselves for your culture based on that. I don't mean to attack, but that's really not the purpose of films - they are storytelling devices. So if you just want some nice film suggestions, that's cool. Learning language and whatnot. I just don't think it's prudent to take expectations of society from films

Books are probably more insightful and more tailored to cultural preparation. Films are works of fiction created to entertain and often emotionally manipulate you. You can probably get more out of a film if you watch for cultural cues, but you quite honestly need to learn about those before watching the films because there's a heck of a lot of stuff to take with a pinch of salt.

I personally don't enjoy Japanese films all that much because the pacing is often so awkward to my Western sensibilities. I find that a lot of time is spent with very little happening, then a very dramatic event happens and suddenly it's all over. I just doesn't appeal to my sense of storytelling. I actually prefer a lot of this "anime garbage", but it truly does vary in quality and I'm certainly not looking to take any real-life cues from it.