The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011)

Director:
Lucy Walker

IMDB

Synopsis:
Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan's recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins.

The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief (2006)

Director:
Jake Clennell

IMDB

Synopsis:
With his nonfiction film The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief, neophyte documentarist Jake Clennell probes the contemporary phenomenon of Japanese "host bars" - or upper-crust clubs where wealthy female clients buy the affections of handsome, twentysomething male escorts. As an illustration of this concept, Clennell devotes the entire running time of the film to an exploration of Café Rakkyo, the most lucrative such club in Osaka Japan. The visit yields dispiriting glimpses of self-perpetuated delusions - such as the female client who insists that she can keep spending increasingly exorbitant amounts of money until she "buys" the lifelong love of her favorite host, and the male entertainers who succeed at their job by forcing themselves to take full advantage of a woman's innocence, gullibility and naïveté. Clennell also underscores, with great poignancy, the extreme emotional turmoil taken by this profession on both employees and patrons. Clennell's greatest observed irony is simply the fact that most of the women are, themselves, prostitutes. In the grand tradition of cinema direct Clennell relegates himself to pure observation, carefully refraining from intrusive value judgements or intervention of any kind, and allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions about the participants' onscreen lifestyles.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

Director:
David Gelb

IMDB

Synopsis:
Jiro Ono is one of the most-respected and acclaimed sushi chefs in Japan. At the age of 85, he operates an exclusive sushi restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, with a long waiting list for reservations (the restaurant has a mere ten tables and a typical meal costs $300) and a prized three-star rating from the Michelin restaurant guide. Perfecting the art of sushi has been one of Ono's obsessions since he was a young man, and filmmaker David Gelb offers a delicious look into his life and work in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. In the film, Ono discusses his unhappy childhood, his early days in the restaurant game, and his techniques and philosophies about his chosen dish; he also interacts with fish dealers and his two sons, both gifted chefs who live and work in their father's shadow. Jiro Dreams of Sushi was an official selection at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.

Girl Model (2011)

Directors:
David Redmon, Ashley Sabin

IMDB

Synopsis:
Documentary filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin offer this illuminating - and often disturbing - look at the challenges faced by young, aspiring Russian models determined to break into the fashion industry. Ashley (not Sabin) is a former American model who has parleyed her experience in front of the camera into a lucrative job scouting young girls in Siberia. The lucky few who Ashley selects to move on are then offered the opportunity to model in Japan. Ashley's latest discovery is Nadya, a 13 year old, self-described "grey mouse" who possesses a striking natural beauty, and who endeavors to pull her family out of poverty through her modeling career. Upon arriving in Japan and attempting to navigate the strange new world without the benefit of speaking the language, however, Nadya and homesick fellow model Madlen soon realize that nothing is what they thought it would be, and that the work they were "guaranteed" back home seems frustratingly hard to come by. Meanwhile, surreptitious contract clauses stipulate that the girls could quickly be sent home at a moment's notice, and wind up deeply in debt to the same company who promised them the opportunity of a lifetime.

Arakimentari (2004)

Director:
Travis Klose

IMDB

Synopsis:
Nobuyoshi Araki is Japan's most famous and notorious photographer. In a culture where complete female nudity is frowned upon even in men's magazines, Araki has been acclaimed and condemned for his photo books and exhibitions which usually focus upon women, usually nude and often in bold (and sometimes disturbing) poses. While he has been decried as a pornographer and a misogynist in his homeland, many others regard him as singular voice in the photographic arena, and many of the women who work with him have spoke of his sincere love and respect for them. Arakimentari is a film by American documentarian Travis Klose which offers a look at the professional and personal sides of Araki, including his background, his relationships with his models, his less well known portraiture and landscape work, and how he spends his spare time. Also included are interviews with several friends and contemporaries, including musician Björk, photographer Richard Kern, and actor/filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.

Campaign (2007)

Director:
Kazuhiro Soda

IMDB

Synopsis:
Documentary filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda offers a revealing examination of modern democracy with this cinéma vérité-style look at how political connections have a curious way of trumping actual experience. Kazuhiko Yamauchi was a stamp and coin dealer with little charisma and even less political experience. Backed by the political powerhouse of Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party, however, the man who would have little hope of taking office on his own merit suddenly becomes the dark horse candidate to watch. As election day draws near, the events that unfold offer fascinating insight into the inner workings of the Japanese political machine.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009)

Director:
Jessica Oreck

IMDB

Synopsis:
Japan is one of the most crowded nations on Earth, with 128 million people stuffed into a space roughly the size of Montana (a state whose population in less than a million), so it makes sense that the Japanese people are fascinated by insects, small but hardy creatures that thrive in cramped and challenging environments. In Japan, insects are often kept as pets, breeding and selling the right breeds of beetles can be a very profitable business, enthusiasts watch insects and chart their sightings like bird watchers in America and Europe, and bugs frequently appear in artwork, toys, video games and movies. Filmmaker and animal expert Jessica Oreck presents a fun, fascinating and visually striking look at Japan's cheerful obsession with our six-legged friends in Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, a documentary that explores the historical basis behind the nation's love affair with insects and how it manifests itself in the present day. The film was an official selection at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival.

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story (2006)

Director:
 Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan

IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495060/

Review:
Produced by Jane Campion and directed by Christ Sheridan and Patty Kim, this documentary examines the life of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old girl living in 1977 Japan who is abducted by North Korean spies on her way home from school. Told from the perspective of Yokota's heartbroken mother and father, who have spent 30 years holding out hope for their daughter's return, ABDUCTION is filled with surprises, mystery, and emotion.