Explore Japan via the big screen at this year’s Japanese Film Festival in Australia. Here’s a round-up of 5 films to watch along with some Japan travel inspiration.
1. We’re Broke My Lord!
Genre: Comedy
Naive and pure-hearted Koshiro has only ever wanted to become like his father, the maker of the best salted salmon in the Nibuyama Domain. The last thing he expected to thwart his dream was the discovery of his true identity as the illegitimate child of the Feudal Lord Ikkosai, and heir to the Nibuyama Domain. Ikkosai’s sudden decision to retire from his political duties to the peace of his traditional teahouse is not only bizarre, but mildly suspicious...until Koshiro discovers he has inherited not only an entire Domain, but a staggering debt with bloodcurdling consequences!
Based on the novel by Jiro Asada and featuring a vibrant star-studded cast, this wildly entertaining film presents a laughably innovative answer to melodramatic feudal traditions – in exquisite production quality. Set in a historical period during which seppuku is a higher honorific epitome than considering more practical solutions, We’re Broke, My Lord! is director Maeda’s latest comical adventure into the fate of one humble man’s egalitarian ideals.
Location spotlight
Murakami City, which served as the model for the Nibuyama Domain in this film, is a former castle town located in the northernmost part of Niigata Prefecture and is known for its traditional shiobiki (salt-cured) salmon.
Wander through the historical town dotted with machiya (traditional townhouses) that still remain today and are currently used as both residences and shops. Every March brings the ‘Tour of the Dolls in Machiya Houses’ event to the district, where about 4000 hina dolls are exhibited across some 70 townhouses, open to the general public for free. Marvel at the heirloom dolls that are passed down by families through generations as you tour around inside their living space.
2. Yudo: The Way of the Bath
Genre: Comedy
In a room where everyone is famously stark naked, heat is bound to rise! Written by Kundo Koyama of Oscar-winning film Departures, Yudo: The Way of the Bath subtly humours the notable Japanese reverence to ritual. Centred around a provincial Showa-era bathhouse named ‘Marukin Hot Springs’, the film weaves between narratives of its eccentric customer base while its fate is determined by conflicting brothers in charge, Shiro (Toma Ikuta) and Goro (Gaku Hamada). From the prim and pretentious onsen critic to the retiring postman obsessed with perfecting his Zen bathing ritual, an amusing commentary on meaning is orchestrated amidst cultural upheaval and change.
Boasting an impressive line of veteran actors including Akira Emoto (Shoplifters, Zatoichi), Susumu Terajima (Sonatine, Hana-bi, Violent Cop) and Masataka Kubota (13 Assassins, Rurouni Kenshin), Yudo: The Way of the Bath is a beautifully captured nostalgia trip to a past (or not-so-past) era. With charm emanating from every shot and available detail, this heart-warming film is a perfect entry into the quirks of discipline in Japanese culture.
Location spotlight
Yudo: The Way of the Bath is predominantly filmed in the city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture. It is home to one of Japan’s most famous and ancient hot spring resorts, Arima Onsen. Easily accessible from the heart of Kobe and Osaka, it’s a great choice for those looking to soak up some peace and serenity.
Are you interested in Japanese bathing culture? Find out how to take a bath Japanese-style in our guide to bathing manners and tips. For our inked travellers who want to experience onsen but are worried about their tattoos, here is a guide to 7 tattoo-friendly onsen in Japan.
3. The Lines That Define Me
Genre: Drama
After witnessing Sosuke’s first intimate encounter with a sumi-e painting, ink-painting master Kozan Shinoda spontaneously invites him to become his pupil and introduces him to the delicate, emotional power of bleeding ink. Overcome by the recent loss of his family, the chance gradually offers Sosuke a new path by which to ruminate on the dichotomising beauty of nature and ritualise his grief and self-expression.
Stunningly captured, the tempo of the strokes and their delivery invigorate the sumi-e performances, offering a window into the traditional intergenerational sensibilities of Japanese artistic disciplines. More than just a form of art, the paintings are breathed to life as they draw from the artist’s spirit and from the plants and seasons they portray. A true test of relationships and self-integrity, The Lines That Define Me is a moving call towards art’s ability to transcend physical form.
Location spotlight
With the filming taking place in Shiga Prefecture, consider a trip to this beautiful region and explore some of its highlights, including the beautifully preserved merchant town of Omihachiman located on the shore of Lake Biwa, and Hikone Castle, one of the few fully intact, original Japanese castles overlooking the picturesque lake on the eastern shore.
4. Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom
Genre: Anime
Glistening with gold and water beneath the same sun, Alhamit and Baikari are two warring kingdoms that have come to a diplomatic agreement: Alhamit will gift their most beautiful woman and Baikari their cleverest man, to wed the nations into peace. But apparently, they are too stubborn to even honour such a simple deal, and trouble sparks when a dog and a cat arrive in place of the promised bride and groom! In a strange twist of fate however, Princess Sarah of Alhamit and Naranbayar of Baikari meet in the forest by chance, without realising who the other is...
A sublime fantasy with stunningly animated landscapes, this film is a lively adventure into two vastly disparate worlds. As the soon-to-be star-crossed lovers seek alternative answers to their kingdoms’ dispositions, this diplomatic film instils hope in the midst of spiteful conflict, and cross-cultural connection as a means to overcome it. Breathtakingly magical with paper art and watercolour sequences, what begins as a classic fairytale proves to be wonderfully and unconventionally current.
Travel spotlight
Whether you’re a long-time anime and manga enthusiast or a recent fan, we invite you to take a deeper look at the inspiration behind some of the most iconic works of Japan in our guide to Japanese anime and manga.
If you’re planning to visit Japan, you may want to check out Kyoto’s International Manga Museum, a comprehensive manga museum dedicated entirely to the beloved art form. It is a paradise for manga fans big and small. For our avid fans of Studio Ghibli, relive your favourite moments of its iconic films such as ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ and ‘Spirited Away’ at Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture. It is a fantastical theme park where the worlds of its famous creations come to life within the expansive grounds of the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park (Moricoro Park).
5. Natchan’s Little Secret
Genre: Comedy
A drag queen and owner of a gay bar in Tokyo’s vibrant Shinjuku, Natchan carried her gender identity to the grave and hid it from everyone outside her community – including her own mother.
Left to mourn are her family of queens, now faced with an unforeseen reality: they have no clue of her address, origin, or legal family. Virgin, Morilyn and Zubuko find themselves bickering their way on the road to Natchan’s funeral in a remote town in the mountains, determined to keep their identities from posthumously exposing her.
Japan harbours both a beautiful cultural history of gender-bending performance (such as in traditional Noh and kabuki theatre and the women’s theatrical troupe Takarazuka), and like many countries, a contemporary social stigma around it. Grappling with an all-too-common reality of the LGBT+ closet, this comedy has an underlying sense of cultural complexity, and is a heartfelt road trip into self-expression, family and reckoning with loss and acceptance.
Travel spotlight
The city of Gujo in Gifu Prefecture was used as one of the filming locations in the making of Natchan’s Little Secret. Here, you’ll find Gujo Hachiman, an old castle town renowned for its Gujo Odori Festival. It is also a leading manufacturing centre of the popular and quirky replicas of menu items adorning the window displays of almost every restaurant in Japan. Be sure to check out the food replica shops that offer hands-on workshops, where you can try your hands at creating your own food samples.
