Known For
SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it aired from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday. The show's usual ratings were higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. Each episode begins a variety of skits, comedic performances, and/or games. These are followed by Bistro SMAP, in which the SMAP members compete against each other to impress celebrity judges with their gourmet cooking. Last is a musical performance by SMAP which may include celebrity guests, as well.
Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo. The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a famous talent in Japan. Pop-stars like SMAP, television hosts like Sanma Akashiya and even sports figures like Ichiro Suzuki have been featured on this program. It was one of the most popular television dramas in the history of Japanese television, having spawned several seasons and TV specials.
In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: a human saved from a terrible crash, then cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.
When a heartbroken New Yorker moves to London hoping for a love story, she falls for an indie musician who's anything but the typical romantic hero.
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
A feudal epic presenting the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. The impostor becomes comfortable living his life among nobility, but his responsibilities to his station grow more demanding the longer he occupies it.
The series depicts the employees of a security company from different generations and backgrounds facing many difficult questions. It features a guard who survived a suicide mission during the war and his conflicts, rebellion, empathy and reconciliation with the younger generation born after the war.
As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.
Kōchiyama Sōshun serves as a cha-bōzu (He is kind of tea man) in the administrative headquarters of the Tokugawa shogunate but he works behind the scene to protect powerless people from evil power of Tokugawa shogunate. Kataoka Naojirō and Ushimatsu work for Kōchiyama. Kaneko Ichinojō is a ronin whose interests often align with Kōchiyama
A young school counselor steps into a prestigious girls' academy, only to uncover a hidden world of harassment, manipulation, and forbidden desire that the institution is desperate to keep quiet. Case by case, the girls she's there to help pull her deeper into the darkness behind the school's polished walls, and closer to a truth that will shatter everything she thought she understood about them, and herself.
Photo Gallery



Movie Credits (87)
14 year-old schoolgirl Tsubame is into university student Toru. She sees him in her area and really wants to be his. She struggles with how to inform him of her love. Then her stepmother becomes pregnant and she is distracted with that development. The one reliable part of her life is the calligraphy class she attends, but then she runs into a woman.
Renji Ishibashi, starring in the movie for the first time in 18 years, plays a hero with two faces, a dull novelist and a legendary killer. Susumu Ichikawa, an obsolete writer with no manuscript at all, had another face - a legendary hitman. But the truth of the matter is... he had never shot a person. One day, he receives a murder request from a friend. Seeing this as an opportunity to achieve the ideal hard-boiled novel, he decides to hire a real hitman and demands that he report to him the assassination situation as it was.
Rumi Hayachine is a 2nd-year high school student living in Tono who loves to daydream about and draw supernatural spirits. One day, her beloved grandmother decides to move out saying, “I want to do what I want with my life.” At school, Rumi is pressured to think about her future but cannot decide what path she wants to take. When her best friend Kie says she wants to go to university in Tokyo, Rumi feels even more abandoned by everyone around her. However, Kie secretly submits a drawing made by Rumi into a contest, and it wins an award. This gives Rumi the extra bit of confidence she needs to find her path in life.
Set in Nagoya, Japan in 2019, the story follows Mitsuyo, an elderly woman who receives a fraudulent call from someone posing as her daughter. Having been scammed before, she alerts the police, leading to the arrest of 14-year-old Kazuto, a receiver in the operation. Kazuto works for Daisuke and Toyama, who believe scamming the wealthy is a way to return "dead money" to society. When Toyama is arrested, Daisuke attends his trial to ensure silence. There, Mitsuyo testifies, revealing that years ago, she was deceived by Daisuke himself, leading to her husband's suicide. Confronted with the true consequences of his crimes, Daisuke realizes that phone fraud not only steals money but also destroys families and lives.
The story of middle-aged Japanese woman Keiko, who has been living in a shell for decades due to a family tragedy in Kobe. The modest act of eating and the sensations it gives us provided Keiko a lifeline to survive. Unwillingly, she joins a group of Japanese women traveling to Northern Europe to participate in a kimono show in the fairytale-like art nouveau world of Riga. During her performance, Keiko suddenly comes face to face with her husband, who disappeared twenty years ago and now wants to read-dress their relationship and who Keiko has become.
The space will be witness of dreams, hopes, disappointments and dramatic destinies of its residents, delivering an intimate human history of Mexico through the decades. La Habitación will reunite eight directors that will expose the reality of each historical period resulting in a profound and inspiring portrait of modern Mexico.
In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: a human saved from a terrible crash, then cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.
A young German woman bonds with an elderly Japanese woman while touring the Fukushima region of Japan in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake.
Years after she related to him the story of her parents’ death in a fire, for which – rightly or wrongly – she feels responsible, Japanese psychiatrist Dr. Sanada meets his former patient Azusa once again. Back then, she lambasted him for being wrong for the job. Back then, he let slip that she isn’t actually crazy. Now she’s a prostitute living in precarious circumstances in Los Angeles and is accused of murder, with her memories once again moving inexorably towards a fire. Sanada assesses her in the presence of an investigator who appears not to understand Japanese. Is Azusa now mentally ill for real? Was she back then? And why does the description of her tormentors upset him so?
In this stunningly composed meditation on space and human relationships, an adrift Iranian architect, a disengaged Japanese couple, and a Lithuanian mixed martial arts fighter search for connection in modern Japan. From the stylishly designed shops of Tokyo to a minimalist glass suburban home to a mysterious tree house in the woods, Greater Things reveals the strange places we inhabit, and how they can both unite and divide us.
In EDO, the fabulous wonderland where only men exist, the most beautiful courtesan is Shiratori Dayū. His apprentice's suicide made him desolate, and he finds love when he meets the most popular and sexy candy boy, Furimatsu, at the "Candy Shop." However, the town of EDO bans romantic relationships, and a rare disease starts to spread.
Setsuko, a 55-year-old single 'office lady' in Tokyo, is given a blonde wig and a new identity, 'Lucy,' by her young unconventional English instructor. 'Lucy' awakens desires Setsuko never knew she had. When the instructor suddenly disappears, Setsuko must come to terms with what remains--herself.
Psychological thriller connecting three different people in the mysterious vortex, trying to untangle the dramatic fight of border between the truth and fantasy. Rob, a former real estate broker, unemployed, starts following a strange Japanese woman, Oki, who constantly moves from house to house. He drags his roommate Wylie into the investigation during which they have to face the dark past and curse of Oki, while dealing with the history of their own.
As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.
Top model Lilico, having recently undergone multiple cosmetic surgeries, begins to experience troubling side effects. As she desperately tries to retain her perfect image, Lilico descends into a world of nightmares and makes those around her miserable.
In memory of the Japanese earthquake on 3.11, each director presents a 3 minute and 11 second short film in tribute to those who were lost that day.
Teran Plains' village was attacked by a giant starving Gerold, and the village's youngster, Peck, sought Toriko for help. But lying ahead in wait is something much more ferocious and hideous than just a Gerold.
One week in one of the most exotic and picturesque cities of the world. The day of changes comes when Amaya meets a charming Englishman, Paul and it dramatically changes Amaya's perception of her cultural and personal identity.
TV Credits (25)
When a heartbroken New Yorker moves to London hoping for a love story, she falls for an indie musician who's anything but the typical romantic hero.
YouTube Originals documentary on the making of "Get To The Punchline", the first film written and directed by Non (formerly, Nounen Rena). It covers the pre-production, 13-day shoot, and post-production of the film showing the wildly creative but inexperienced film-maker's struggles to make her first film.
An unprecedented program in which Kenichi Endo, an actor who is active on the front lines as a famous by-player, and Kankuro Miyato, a scriptwriter who has worked on numerous movies, dramas, and stages, study "making the roles of famous actors". Broadcast. A one-situation drama written by Miyato and starring Endo. I thought that the shooting of the drama was completed safely, but due to a trouble, I decided to retake it. Instead of the co-star who has returned, a famous actor who was present at the scene will appear in a hurry. What kind of change will be made by different actors playing the same role in the same story? ??
Legend has it that if a bride wears a dress made by Madam Mari on her wedding day, she will find true happiness. Young advertising executive Reiko is engaged to marry one of her coworkers, and seeks out the legendary dressmaker to commission her dress. But her meeting with Madam Mari doesn't turn out to as she expected, and her world is turned upside down. Before long she finds herself working as Mari's assistant.
Master swordsman Bangaku Ajigawa is a Ronin with an honest heart, and hates deception. With no family or money, he lives by his own rules. Bangaku’s one treasure and reason to live is his master sword, Hekimitsuhira. But because of it, people around him regularly lie and deceive him. This light-hearted samurai drama follows the comedic life of Bengaku. Produced by Eizou Kyoto, this drama is to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Director Kon Ichikawa.
In its heyday 10 years ago, a once bright, promising, and full of spirit beauty salon now finds itself in decline. The floor manager, son of the founder of the shop, is tending to a shop losing customers and money hand over fist, and very listless employees. With collapse imminent, the primary investor in the shop sends in a “specialist” to help turn things around, which she promises to do so within 3 months. So how does a beauty salon rebound? What is the secret to connecting with women to get them to visit the salon again? That’s simple to do when you know that a woman with an emotional complex is a woman that wants to be beautiful.
A young school counselor steps into a prestigious girls' academy, only to uncover a hidden world of harassment, manipulation, and forbidden desire that the institution is desperate to keep quiet. Case by case, the girls she's there to help pull her deeper into the darkness behind the school's polished walls, and closer to a truth that will shatter everything she thought she understood about them, and herself.
An unconscious young man is found inside the closet of a missing billionaire. Amnesiac, he is given the name Yukio and kept close to Naomi—the woman who was supposed to disappear alongside the billionaire, Shibata—in case he ever recovers his memories of the night he was rescued and the whereabouts of Shibata and his fortune.
SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it aired from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday. The show's usual ratings were higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. Each episode begins a variety of skits, comedic performances, and/or games. These are followed by Bistro SMAP, in which the SMAP members compete against each other to impress celebrity judges with their gourmet cooking. Last is a musical performance by SMAP which may include celebrity guests, as well.
Winner of the 10th Art Works Award. The film depicts the "ultimate love" in which a man who is a murderer and a woman who doesn't believe in love meet by chance and eventually fall in love with each other. "A drama adaptation of Ayako Sono's original work of the same name, which is based on the "Okubo Kiyoshi Incident," which actually happened. The script was written by Yumiko Inoue. Koichi Sato plays the role of a ruthless murderer who murders women one after another, and Kaori Momoi plays the role of a woman who falls in love with such a murderer. It was broadcast on terrestrial TV in the "Saturday Drama" slot.
Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo. The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a famous talent in Japan. Pop-stars like SMAP, television hosts like Sanma Akashiya and even sports figures like Ichiro Suzuki have been featured on this program. It was one of the most popular television dramas in the history of Japanese television, having spawned several seasons and TV specials.
The story follows Yonemura Hiroko, a bank clerk reeling from the betrayal of her lover, who is engaged to another woman. After a public outburst, Hiroko’s senior Tsuchiya Taeko steps in at the request of the branch manager, first by taking her to dinner and offering her to transfer to the better branch, and later by involving her in a new acquaintance whom they accidentally met in a peculiar way. That acquaintance turns out to be Sekimoto Shinsaku, a former professional baseball player struggling with his past and lack of confidence. Together, Hiroko, Tsuchiya, and Sekimoto invest in revamping a failing coffee shop called “River”, transforming it into "Terrace". As they struggle through setbacks and rebuild the shop, each of them slowly overcomes their emotional scars while pursuing their dream.
A popular suspense series in which a female prosecutor, Yuko Kasumi, solves difficult murder and arson cases in Yokohama and Shonan, by putting herself in the victims' shoes and judging their "hearts".
It is a hot and humid summer in Tokyo. Eiji (Yusaku Matsuda), armed with a modified gun, breaks into a salaryman's finance company in Shinjuku and makes off with nearly 40 million yen and Sachiko (Kaori Momoi), the receptionist. The two, a young man from the countryside with a perverse personality and an unattractive office worker, plan a fugitive journey without a guilty conscience with a large sum of money in their hands.
Set at the end of the Edo period, the series depicts Kumo's family with his wife, Kame, their 11-year-old son, Shinnosuke. Kumo is always ignoring work and playing and he is also notorious for womanising.
