Japan movie

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

To end our unit on Japan I would like a good family movie...any out there set in Japan or have a Japanese theme? Nothing dark or dramatic, light and family friendly.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Bumping in hopes someone out there has an idea.

[Jen500]

My Neighbor Totorro

[mommytobees]

::delurking::

 

What kind of movie are you looking for? Something age appropriate for BOTH kids or something just for the 15 yo?

 

For both kids:

My Neighbor Totoro is a good one, but is very rural.

Another great one to watch is Ponyo. Another Miyazaki (me-yuh-zah-key) cartoon.

Both Totoro and Ponyo are very much fantasy but give you some very interesting aspects of the culture.

 

You could watch any of the Studio Ghibli movies by Miyazaki and hit on Japanese customs and themes, but be careful MANY of the movies are NOT great for a 7 yo. I would NOT have him watch Princess Mononoko or Whisper of the Heart (I have a hard time with Whisper myself).

 

Cardcaptor Sakura.... this is manga and is family friendly. I'm not sure if Netflix has it still or where else you can get it. The American dvd version was in 2005(?).

 

HTH, personally.... I would stick with the Miyazaki films. Several are based in European culture (Kiki, Howl, Nausica, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso) but all of them carry a lot of Japanese culture.

 

If you only want to pick one, I'd go with Totoro OR Ponyo. But, if you decide on a few more: Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, or Castle in the Sky.

 

Have fun!

 

Kris

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

::delurking::

 

What kind of movie are you looking for? Something age appropriate for BOTH kids or something just for the 15 yo?

 

For both kids:

My Neighbor Totoro is a good one, but is very rural.

Another great one to watch is Ponyo. Another Miyazaki (me-yuh-zah-key) cartoon.

Both Totoro and Ponyo are very much fantasy but give you some very interesting aspects of the culture.

 

You could watch any of the Studio Ghibli movies by Miyazaki and hit on Japanese customs and themes, but be careful MANY of the movies are NOT great for a 7 yo. I would NOT have him watch Princess Mononoko or Whisper of the Heart (I have a hard time with Whisper myself).

 

Cardcaptor Sakura.... this is manga and is family friendly. I'm not sure if Netflix has it still or where else you can get it. The American dvd version was in 2005(?).

 

HTH, personally.... I would stick with the Miyazaki films. Several are based in European culture (Kiki, Howl, Nausica, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso) but all of them carry a lot of Japanese culture.

 

If you only want to pick one, I'd go with Totoro OR Ponyo. But, if you decide on a few more: Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, or Castle in the Sky.

 

Have fun!

 

Kris

It is more for the 7yr old.

 

Thanks for the ideas, I will look into them.

[PeacefulChaos]

Well, I saw this yesterday and was going to suggest Miyazaki films, but I wasn't sure if it's what you were looking for so...

Now I'll just second the Miyazaki recommendation. :D

Our favorites are Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

[Mona]

My Neighbor Totoro is a very sweet film and probably the best choice out of the Miyazaki films for a 7yo. that will show a "slice of life" for Japan.

 

Youtube has the "Japan Revealed" by discovery atlas documentary available.

[Mona]

I have another suggestion. My dd and I subscribe to a Japanese cooking show on Youtube called "Cooking with Dog (It's Not What You Think)".

If you are interested in making some Japanese food, you can get the recipe from the movie description and watch her make it.

She even makes a nice bento box lunch in one of her shows.

The dog is her sidekick, Francis, who is supposedly translating in English.