As a young child, Hana loses her family to a devastating tsunami that wipes out her town. At a shelter, distant relative Jungo sees her wandering and adopts her as his daughter.
This documentary started as part of a photography project about the indigenous Ainu population in northern Japan, portraying people from tightly knit communities. They feel deeply connected by their culture and tradition. With gorgeous pictures, the directors explore how different generations of Ainu reflect on their identity after centuries of oppression.
It's considered the discovery of the century in Japan -- the unearthing of a complete fossilized skeleton of an 8-meter long dinosaur. It was dubbed Mukawaryu based on the name of the town in Hokkaido where it was uncovered. The find opened up a new world of dinosaur research in Japan. But it also created another mystery because this land dinosaur was discovered in a location that, eons ago, would have been in the ocean. How did the fossil get there? The amazing answer is revealed in this documentary, using CGI to re-create how dinosaurs lived 72 million years ago.
Based on the Best Selling Anime Series "SAIKANO" Shy coed Chise (played by Aki Maeda from Battle Royale) is madly in love with high school athlete Shuji. The two share a bond which only intensifies when war breaks out in futuristic Japan. But Chise has a secret that - if revealed - would not only destroy her relationship but would also put her life at risk. Chise is not an ordinary teenage girl, she is actually the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, a genetically engineered cyborg built specifically for extreme military use. When she goes into battle, Chise strikes fear in everyone around her, including her own troops. Her boyfriend must never know.
A documentary commemorating the 100th anniversary of the assimilation of Hokkaido
Seven activists from Hong Kong joint the global fight against the G8 Summit in Hokkaido Japan 2008. Given the fact that global warming, labor and energy issues were discussed and covered by mainstream media, they tried to get their voice heard to the leaders at the Windsor Hotel in Toyako (The Toya Lake), but they experienced hospitality of Japanese police brutality from the city rallies to the protest in the mountains.
Blind Date for 72 Hours in Hokkaido, and After
A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
Abashiri Prison is located in the coldest place in Japan. Two men, handcuffed together have escaped from the prison, one a yakuza, the other a petty criminal, and although they hate each other they must work together if they are to evade capture in this harshest of climates.
Kasumi is in the midst of an affair with Ishiyama, one of her husband's clients. When Kasumi and her family visit Ishiyama's villa in Hokkaido, she plans to abandon them to be with Ishiyama. The next morning, her daughter Yuka disappears, which throws Kasumi's life into turmoil. Years later, Yuka remains missing, and Kasumi journeys back to Hokkaido with Utsumi, a terminally-ill former detective, and tries to follow any leads she can.
On the Hokkaido frontier, a war veteran and Ainu girl race against misfits and military renegades to find treasure mapped out on tattooed outlaws.
Keizo Tsujiguchi believes his wife Natsue was having an extramarital affair when their child was kidnapped and killed. He believes of her extramarital affair she was unable to watch over their child properly and blames her for their daughter's death. To exact revenge on his wife, he then adopts the killer's child without telling the truth to his wife or their newly adopted child.
Hokkaido, Japan: An old woman -- formerly a man -- lives by a lake in the northern reaches of Japan, gazing at Nakajima Island in its center where her daughter's body was found long ago. She hasn't been able to visit for almost 50 years. Tokyo: A middle-aged man lives on an island where criminals were once exiled in the past, earning a sparse living as a cattle herder. He is descended from such exiled criminals. He raised his only daughter by himself after losing his wife in an accident. One day, the daughter comes home from the mainland, seemingly pregnant but unwilling to explain.
First business trip away from Tokyo in a while
The film follows the relationship between a mother and her son. In 1945, the mother played by Sayuri Yoshinaga fled with her two sons from the Russians to Hokkaido. In 1972, her son played by Masato Sakai returns to Japan after finding success in the U.S.
After detective Natsumi Yukihira brings an end to the police hospital terrorist case, Natsumi is transferred to the Nishimonbetsu Police Station in Hokkaido. Meanwhile, a series of grotesque murders occurs in downtown Tokyo involving nails placed in the body of the victims. The fingerprint of Natsumi's ex-husband, freelancer journalist Kazuo Sato, is found on the the body of a victim and Kazuo is placed on the most wanted list. Soon after, Kazuo finds Natsumi and hands her a USB memory stick. The device contains information on a secret organization within the police department. Kazuo tells Natsumi that the series of murders are warnings and suspects become the next victims. Natsumi is then arrested as a suspect. Tokyo prosecutor Katsuaki Murakami appears at the Nishimonbetsu Police Station to investigate.
A message has arrived from Kid the Phantom Thief, that he will steal a Japanese sword belonging to wealthy Onoe Family in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Conan and Heiji Hattori, who happened to be in Hakodate, are on the case to capture Kid. Coincidentally the family lawyer of Onoe is found murdered in the warehouse district, apparently slaughtered by a Japanese sword. The suspect is an investor/arms dealer who is said to be after Onoe family’s hidden treasure. In the North among cherry blossoms, the exciting hunt for treasure begins!
As each group pursues their mission, a fierce battle unfolds over the tattooed prisoners. Who is friend, and who is foe? The fight leads them all to Abashiri Prison, where Noppera-bo, the man who holds all the answers, is locked away...
Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, is the northernmost zoo in Japan. The unpopular zoo welcomes a new zoo keeper, young Yoshida (Yasuhi Nakamura), who has more affection for insects than people after years of being bullied at school when he was young. Yoshida soon realizes that Asahiyama Zoo is facing a financial crisis and the zoo director Takizawa (Toshiyuki Nishida) has been doing everything in his power to save the zoo from closing down. Moved by Takizawa's passion, Yoshida and other zoo keepers came to share the zoo director's belief that one's dreams can come true, and together they tackle this seemingly impossible task of revitalizing Asahiyama. A breakthrough arrives in the form of “Behavioral Exhibition,†a method that is pioneered by Ashiyama's zoo keepers and which eventually makes the zoo renowned throughout the world.
In order to find a missing university student, a detective and his buddy get involved with the owner of a modeling agency.