Japan Foundation Touring Programme 2023

18th century Japan. Naito Masakatsu is head of a small clan in the Tohoku region. Out of the blue, Naito is ordered to perform a ritual visit to the Shogun in Edo within five days – failure to comply will result in confiscation of the clan’s land.

Determined to have a fairy-tale romance, sporty Tokyo university fresher Tamaki joins the student tennis club. One day she accidentally damages the aviation club’s prized glider by hitting it with a ball; unable to pay for the repair, she is forced to join the club as a helper.

Middle-aged Fumi lives a quiet life in a small seaside town, spending time with friends and colleagues. When Fumi meets a man and experiences a premonition of love, she begins to wonder whether happiness can be hers once again. A delicate and charming story starring Satomi Kobayashi.

This suspenseful psychodrama follows university student Masaya, whose monotonous life is given a terrifying jolt by an unexpected letter from convicted serial killer Haimura, who admits guilt for eight murders but insists he didn’t commit the ninth.

Saburo (Eiji Okada), a student in Tokyo, meets Keiko (Yoshiko Kuga), an illustrator of propaganda posters, in a bomb shelter during a WWII air raid on the city and becomes infatuated with her. After several chance encounters romance blossoms, but when Saburo is called up to the front to fight in Japan’s imperial army, the lovers’ fate becomes uncertain – will they ever meet again?

Sawako and husband Toshio are both manga writers, but Toshio has writer’s block. Suspecting him of having an affair, Sawako decides to write a new manga about adultery. When Toshio sees her work, he realises that his wife must know about his infidelity…

Five strangers join forces to steal a large sum of money from a group of gangsters who operate a laundering racket. The thieves all go back to their own lives, but before long they find themselves being hunted by the gangsters, police and politicians, not knowing who is friend or foe.

17-year-old Urara has no friends – her only pleasure is reading Boys Love (BL) manga. Working part-time at a book shop, she meets Yuki, an elderly woman who has lived alone since the death of her husband. A heart-warming story about the intergenerational bond between two lonely women.

After two years in prison ex-con Takeshi returns to Tokyo. Though he’s resolved to leave his criminal past behind and start a legitimate business, he takes one final dive into shady dealings to earn some money.

Now digitally remastered, this comedy drama is one of director Sadao Yamanaka’s masterpieces, and breaks from the generally sombre Samurai genre.

Blessed with a baby girl, Chisa, Hideki and Kana’s life seems to be perfect. One day a visitor to his company leaves a message with his colleague that mentions Chisa and, when his colleague then meets a mysterious death, the nightmare begins.

Director Yuki Tanada's sensitive drama follows an office worker who, upon hearing of her best friend Mariko's suicide, steals her ashes and sets out on a final journey to free Mariko at last.