Best 20 Japanese Drama Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 8, 2026

These Japanese dramas come from esteemed filmmakers and focus on love, resilience and personal change, often through intimate family stories. Seven Samurai hires warriors to defend a village, Tokyo Story follows an elderly couple visiting their grown children, Rashomon explores the subjectivity of truth, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence bridges cultural divides between a British prisoner and his captors. Departures, Harakiri, Ikiru, Dreams, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, Shoplifters and Cure round out the list.

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) (1954)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 100% Metacritic 98

A village hires seven samurai to protect it from marauding bandits, in Akira Kurosawa's epic.

"This is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourself."

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 3h 27m · Rated NR

Nominated for 2 Oscars5 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

Tokyo Story (Tōkyō Monogatari) (1953)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 100% Metacritic 100

Yasujirō Ozu's poignant tale follows an elderly couple's visit to their grown children in the city.

"Isn't life disappointing?"

Directed by Yasujirō Ozu · 2h 17m

3 wins

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video HBO Max YoutubeTV

Rashomon (Rashōmon) (1950)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 98

Akira Kurosawa's groundbreaking film delves into the subjective nature of truth.

"I don't want to die. I just don't want to be hurt anymore."

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 1h 28m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 Oscar9 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

TMDB ★ 7.3

During the Second World War, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divide between a British prisoner and his Japanese captors.

“It's your gods. It's your bloody, awful, stinking gods. They made you what you are. May they rot away in the filthy hell they came from!”

Directed by Nagisa Ōshima · 2h 04m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video

Departures (Okuribito) (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A cellist returns to his hometown and starts work as a mortician, leading to a profound look at life, death and meaning.

"Each and every person is born and dies alone."

Directed by Yojiro Takita · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Harakiri (Seppuku) (1962)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 100% Metacritic 85

A ronin seeks to commit ritual suicide at a feudal lord's house, exposing the hypocrisy and cruelty of the system.

"I have something to say. Before you finish, you should listen."

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi · 2h 15m · Rated NR

9 wins & 3 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video

Ikiru (生きる) (1952)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 98% Metacritic 92

A bureaucrat diagnosed with cancer sets out to find meaning in the time he has left.

"What have I been doing all these years?"

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 2h 23m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award6 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Dreams (Yume) (1990)

TMDB ★ 4.3

A collection of tales based on eight of Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.

"People have forgotten they're a aprt of nature too. They can't live without mature yet they meddle with it Dreams"

Directed by Eizō Sugawa · 1h 45m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) (2011)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 76% Metacritic 76

A remake of the classic that explores honour and justice in feudal Japan.

"I will die with purpose. I have decided."

Directed by Takashi Miike · 2h 08m · Rated NR

6 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, ARROW · Rent: Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (2018)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A family of small-time crooks takes in a child they find on the street, leading to a heartbreaking reckoning.

"Sometimes it's better to choose your own family."

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 2h 00m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max Hulu YoutubeTV

Cure (Kyua) (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A detective investigates a series of murders with a mysterious pattern, leading him into a psychological labyrinth that questions the nature of evil.

"The world is teeming with suffering."

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa · 1h 51m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Nobody Knows (Dare mo shiranai) (2004)

TMDB ★ 8.0

Based on a true story, the film follows four siblings abandoned by their mother and left to fend for themselves in Tokyo.

"Mom will be back soon. I just know it."

Directed by Kumagai Kiichi · 0h 41m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video HBO Max

Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo) (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A family gathers for its traditional summer reunion, bringing unresolved tensions to the surface.

"In a family, someone always takes the wounds. That's the way it is."

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 1h 54m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video

After Life (Wandafuru raifu) (1998)

TMDB ★ 7.2

In the afterlife, the dead are asked to choose one memory to take with them for eternity.

"Why do people choose the everyday things as their dreams?"

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video

Our Little Sister (Umimachi Diary) (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Three sisters discover they have a younger half-sister after their father's death and take her in.

"We may be incomplete, but we're still a family."

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 2h 07m

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video Hulu YoutubeTV

Woman in the Dunes (Suna no onna) (1964)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 100%

An entomologist on holiday is trapped by local villagers into living with a woman in a sand pit.

“Loneliness was an unsatisfied thirst for illusion.”

Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara · 2h 27m · Rated NR

Nominated for 2 Oscars11 wins & 3 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel, Darkroom · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video

Drive My Car (Doraibu mai kâ) (2021)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with a deep personal loss when he is offered a theatre job in Hiroshima.

"Those who survive keep thinking about the dead. In one way or another, that will continue. You and I must keep living like that. We must keep on living. It'll be OK. I'm sure we'll be OK."

Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi · 2h 59m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video

Still the Water (Futatsume no mado) (2014)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Set in Okinawa, the film follows the budding romance between two teenagers amid island traditions.

"We were born to help others."

Directed by Naomi Kawase · 2h 01m

Where to watch

Stream: Film Movement Plus, Film Movement Plus Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

The Third Murder (Sandome no satsujin) (2017)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A defence attorney delves into the complexities of a seemingly straightforward murder case.

"Everyone has secrets. Some are just deeper than others."

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 2h 05m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Film Movement Plus, Film Movement Plus Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

I Wish (Kiseki) (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.3

Two brothers separated by their parents' divorce set out on a magical quest to reunite their family.

"If you make a wish with all your heart, it will come true."

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 2h 07m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Netflix Amazon Prime Video YoutubeTV

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

Best 20 Japanese Drama Movies

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) (1954)

Tokyo Story (Tōkyō Monogatari) (1953)

Rashomon (Rashōmon) (1950)

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

Departures (Okuribito) (2008)

Harakiri (Seppuku) (1962)

Ikiru (生きる) (1952)

Dreams (Yume) (1990)

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) (2011)

Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (2018)

Cure (Kyua) (1997)

Nobody Knows (Dare mo shiranai) (2004)

Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo) (2008)

After Life (Wandafuru raifu) (1998)

Our Little Sister (Umimachi Diary) (2015)

Woman in the Dunes (Suna no onna) (1964)

Drive My Car (Doraibu mai kâ) (2021)

Still the Water (Futatsume no mado) (2014)

The Third Murder (Sandome no satsujin) (2017)

I Wish (Kiseki) (2011)

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