Ranking of 25 Western Films that take place in Japan
A list of 25 films that take place in Japan, from best to worst. A few other films, Jumper (2008), Ninja Assassin (2009), and Inception (2010) have a couple scenes that feature Japan in a cool way but it is not the primary setting of those movies. Will probably add Earthquake Bird (2019) to the list at some point.
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25 titles
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsBill MurrayScarlett JohanssonGiovanni RibisiA fading movie star falls for a lonely young woman in Tokyo.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter waking from a 4-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
- DirectorRob MarshallStarsZiyi ZhangKen WatanabeMichelle YeohThe heartwarming tale of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who transcended from her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsTom CruiseKen WatanabeBilly ConnollyIn 19th century Japan, Nathan Algren, a US army captain, is hired by the Japanese emperor to train his army in the modern warfare techniques. Captain Algren finds himself trapped in a struggle between two eras and two worlds.
- DirectorFran Rubel KuzuiStarsCarrie HamiltonDiamond YukaiTaiji TonoyamaAspiring singer Wendy hops on a plane to Tokyo with dreams of making it big in the music business. She soon finds romance with Hiro, a rock 'n' roll musician who convinces her to become the lead singer in his band.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsRyan PhillippeBarry PepperJoseph CrossThe life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in World War II.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsPat MoritaRalph MacchioPat E. JohnsonDaniel accompanies his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, to Miyagi's childhood home in Okinawa. Miyagi visits his dying father and confronts his old rival, while Daniel falls in love and inadvertently makes a new rival of his own.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsEmmanuelle RivaEiji OkadaStella DassasA French actress filming an anti-war film in Hiroshima has an affair with a married Japanese architect as they share their differing perspectives on war.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsMike MyersBeyoncéSeth GreenUpon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the aptly named villain Goldmember, who is working with Dr. Evil.
- DirectorCarl RinschStarsKeanu ReevesHiroyuki SanadaKô ShibasakiA band of samurai sets out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.
- DirectorJustin LinStarsLucas BlackZachery Ty BryanShad MossA teenager becomes a major competitor in the world of drift racing after moving in with his father in Tokyo to avoid a jail sentence in America.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsTom SelleckKen TakakuraAya TakanashiJack Elliot, once a great baseball player, is forced to play in Japan where his brash, egotistical ways cause friction with his new teammates and friends.
- DirectorDoris DörrieStarsUwe OchsenknechtGustav-Peter WöhlerPetra ZieserTwo very different brothers get together for a temporary stay in a Japanese Zen monastery. The trip from Germany to Japan brings up some unexpected quests they need to manage. Soon both really must leave their ordinary lives behind to embark on a voyage to themselves.
- DirectorDaniel MannStarsMarlon BrandoGlenn FordMachiko KyôIn post-WWII Japan, an American captain is brought in to help build a school, but the locals want a teahouse instead.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert MitchumKen TakakuraEiji OkadaAmerican private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.
- DirectorJohn JeffcoatStarsDavid DruryJohn JeffcoatAya KawaharaA struggling Seattle Rock band, Tennis Pro, take one last shot at making it big as they embark on a comical musical odyssey in Tokyo with hopes to prevent their day jobs from becoming their careers.
- DirectorJoshua LoganStarsMarlon BrandoRicardo MontalbanPatricia OwensA US Air Force major in Kobe confronts his own opposition to marriages between American servicemen and Japanese women when he falls for a beautiful performer.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsSean ConneryAkiko WakabayashiMie HamaJames Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsJohn WayneEiko AndoSam JaffeIn 1856, the first U.S. Consul General to Japan encounters the hostility of the local authorities and the love of a young geisha.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsHugh JackmanWill Yun LeeTao OkamotoWolverine comes to Japan to meet an old friend whose life he saved years ago, and gets embroiled in a conspiracy involving yakuza and mutants.
- DirectorTsugunobu KotaniStarsRichard BooneToshirô MifuneMike StarrA steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.
- DirectorStuart GillardStarsElias KoteasPaige TurcoStuart WilsonWhen journalist April O'Neil discovers an ancient scepter with magical powers, the Turtles must cow-a-bunga their way back to 17th century Japan to rescue her from the evil clutches of Lord Norinaga.
- DirectorJohn BerryStarsTony CurtisJackie Earle HaleyTomisaburô WakayamaA small-time hustler takes the pint-sized baseball team to Japan for a match against the country's best Little League baseball team, sparking off a series of adventures and mishaps.
- DirectorRobert Allan AckermanStarsBrittany MurphyToshiyuki NishidaTammy BlanchardAn American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a râmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master.