Masayuki Suo

A middle-aged workaholic's incredibly dull life takes a funny turn when he signs up for a ballroom dance class -- just to meet the sexy dance teacher. But when he finally muscles up the nerve for lessons he winds up with a different instructor and her colorfully eccentric class of beginners! And now he'll have to step lightly -- and do some fancy footwork -- if he expects to keep his new secret passion from his family and friends! (Miramax)

Yet another tradition in the tradition of "ragtag misfits" in Japanese comedy...Sumo Do, Sumo Don't tells the story of a university sumo club in Japan. In today's Japan, the younger generation is more interested in "Western" sports like baseball and basketball. Professor Anayama, a former university sumo champion, blackmails graduating (and slim) student Shuhei into joining the decimated university team, or he doesn't graduate. (imdb)

Teppei Kaneko (Ryo Kase), a young part timer, on a train on his way to an IT company for an interview, is mistaken for a molester. He refuses to admit that he is guilty and is detained at a police station, where he is told that if he admits his wrongdoing ,he will be released on a so called 'jidan' (for a settlement out of court) basis; but since Teppei insists that he is innocent, his case is referred to the criminal court for a hearing... (www.pymmik.com)

The film tells a story about a woman and her relationship with the family of her husband's, in particular her husband's younger brother and father-in-law. Her husband, on the other hand, has an affair with a dominatrix and is obsessed in S&M games. (imdb)

For as long as she can remember, Haruko has wanted to be a geisha. Eager to start her career, she approaches a teahouse in one of Kyoto’s famous geisha districts to become an apprentice geisha, or maiko—only to be rejected due to her lack of references, country bumpkin dialect and uncultivated demeanor. (themoviedb.org)

Yohei, a punk rocker, has to become a Buddhist monk in order to inherit a mountain temple. Yohei though initially rebelling against the tough monastic discipline learns to adjust. Then his girlfriend shows up, enticing him to return to his rock 'n' roll roots. (imdb)

Set in early 20th Century Japan, the movie follows the adventures of a young man who wants to get into the movie business -- but in a job unique to his country: a dramatic narrator for silent movies known as "Katsubenshi" or just "benshi". Comedy and action ensue as he becomes entangled with competing movie theaters where the crowds are drawn mostly by the skills of the dramatic interpreters rather than the movies themselves.—Scott G.G. Haller