A Geisha's Diary

Utamaro, a great artist, lives to create portraits of beautiful women, and the brothels of Tokyo provide his models. A world of passion swirls around him, as the women in his life vie for lovers. And, occasionally, his art gets him into trouble.

When older man Tsukakoshi asks Unokichi to paint it is of his mistress, the geisha Fumiko. Tsukakoshi loves the feet and legs part of Fumiko's anatomy. The fetishism gives the art student a commission to put his talent to use.

Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it was home to over 200 geisha, however behind the fabulous facade, there were many battles - between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza. Momokawa was sold to Yokiro at age 12, and despite being the top geisha, her many complicated relationships provide unending challenges throughout her glamorous but turbulent life.

Yura and Makoto married after meeting each through a blind date. They were both inexperienced prior with intimacy prior to their marriage. On their first night together as husband and wife they have problems with their inexperience. They decide to step up to become a real married couple...

Yura and Makoto married without ever being intimate. The couple have a happy life together and they move to Makoto's hometown. There, Makoto meets Shiori, who graduated from the same school as Makoto. It turns out, Shiori, who is about to get married, has been thinking of Makoto for the last 10 years. Shiori acts upon her feelings by calling Makoto and then kissing Makoto, which Yura sees ...

Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha’ is a documentary about one of the last surviving true geisha in Japan. The story begins with Matsuchiyo’s wartime childhood. She and her mother were the only two surviving members of the family. Matsuchiyo joins an “Okiya” (a traditional geisha agency), to pay the family debts and support her ageing mother. In her adulthood, Matsuchiyo becomes one of the top geisha in the city of Atami and experiences romance, tearful farewells, being a mistress of married men, motherhood and tragic deaths. Today, in her 80’s, Matsuchiyo the geisha, is as motivated and inspiring as ever. She still delivers a mesmerising performance on stage. ‘Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha’ is narrated by her own son and film director, Ken Nishikawa, and it is adorned by hundreds of beautiful pictures from Japan’s bygone era. This film illustrates the trials and tribulations of the ultimate Japanese cultural enigma that is - The Life of a Geisha.

The Fantastic Francis Hardy travels the most remote corners of Wales, Scotland and Ireland attempting to heal those who wish to be healed. His wife Grace and manager Teddy complete this nomadic triptych, each with their own telling of the loss, love and struggle of life on the road with a seemingly predestined Faith Healer.

Arlette is a malicious schoolgirl who uses her feminine charms to attract, and then destroy, every man gullible enough to respond to her flirtations. She sets her cap for the art professor and very nearly does him in... but his loving wife and daughter help the deluded man escape the seductive mantrap.

Sex Drugs and Aids... This controversial musical follows the lives of recovering addicts and people dying of aids in 80s new York in-between two Christmases after Collins is Involved in a race attack and left on the street to die he is saved by angel a trans woman and drag queen as their relationship builds the scary reality creeps in. In the lot Mark and Roger struggling artists can't afford to make RENT as relentless landlord and former friend Benny makes life hell for them all the while Marks ex girlfriend Maureen is protesting the eviction of the homeless on that same lot and her new girlfriend Joanne handles the law side of things. Finally Mimi is a 19 year old in love with Roger but she is addicted to cocaine and the former heroine addict wants nothing to do with her after his last girlfriend committed suicide.

A photographer based in Tokyo, who's in love with local beauty Tamiko, begins to court an embassy official so she can help him gain entry into the United States.

Mugiko, an 18-year-old attempts to escape her unhappiness with village life by going to Tokyo to live and work in the geisha house run by her aunt. The daughter of a once great geisha, Mugiko is entitled by blood to train in the geishas ancient art of classical Japanese song and dance.

Ryuji is a fisherman that has brought up his daughter Ryoko single-handedly. Ryoko and her childhood friend Kazuya have fallen in love. But when Kazuya dies in a tragic accident while diving for coral wood, Ryoko is overcome with grief and, emotionally destroyed, retreats into silent mourning.

Set in the late 1950s, when geisha culture was threatened by moral crusades, it tells the story of Omocha (Miyamoto Maki), a young girl who sees the geisha life as a way to lift her poverty-stricken family from their hand-to-mouth existence. Through her eyes, we see the protocols and complex financial relationships which dictate the running of the geisha house. Fukasaku's film is a work of great delicacy with moments of hypnotic beauty, and his tender direction, often touched with a sense of wonder, fills the screen with lovingly constructed scenes. At its heart is the poignant situation of the women who must sacrifice their normal relationships to live an ambiguous life in which they are a key part of society while being kept, for the most part, on its periphery, like perpetual mistresses.

After losing his family in a car accident and seeing his latest work bomb, famous novelist, Kennedy Sait, becomes a recluse and turns to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain he feels. Struggling to make it through day to day, Kennedy's life is turned around after meeting his neighbor's new wife, Patricia. Infatuated with her, she becomes his "muse" and she not only inspires him to create again, but she also inspires him to live again. But his infatuation with her, becomes a dangerous obsession. And so he doesn't lose Patricia, he kidnaps her and keeps her prisoner in his attic. Police comb the neighborhood, hoping to find a trace of the missing woman, never knowing that she is right under their noses the whole time. Patricia tries keeping a level head and is always looking for a way to escape, though she fears she may never break free of her capture as Kennedy's grasp on reality continues on a frightening downward spiral.

Masao is falsely accused and jailed for the murder of a loanshark to whom he owed a lot of money. His sister Kiriko makes the long trip to Tokyo, specifically to accost Otsuka, Japan's top criminal defence lawyer, and plead with him to take her brother's case. They live in Kitakyushu which, though a city, she contends that the local lawyers are not up to the job. Otsuka contemptuously brushes her off. A year passes. Masao has suicided in jail, his appeal having failed due to the lack of interest and competence of the local defence lawyer. Kiriko returns to Tokyo, planning revenge on Otsuka for refusing the case and causing her brother's death.

Beautiful and naïve Maggy Lunel arrives in Paris completely broke. She becomes an artist's model and the toast of Paris, attracting the attention of Picasso-like painter Julien Mistral, an arrogant and selfish man who places his work above everything. Their paths diverge as Mistral's art catches the eye of a rich American woman who becomes his patroness and eventually his wife. During the war years in France, Mistral collaborates with the Nazis in order to continue with his work, a decision that will come back to haunt him years later. In the meantime, Maggy has a daughter named Teddy who grows up and falls in love with Mistral with whom she has a child named Fauve. As Mistral ages, he comes to terms with his selfish past and wartime betrayal through his art, leaving a beautiful legacy for his daughter, Fauve.

Son of God is an award-winning British documentary series that chronicles the life of Jesus Christ using scientific and contemporary historical evidence. It was presented by Jeremy Bowen, and its first episode premiered in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2001. The executive producer was Ruth Pitt and it was directed by Jean-Claude Bragard—it took a total of 16 months to produce and cost GB£1.5 million. A full symphonic score was composed by James Whitbourn. Son of God featured interviews with 21 historians and other Biblical experts, live action reenactments of the life of Jesus with Leron Livo in the lead role, and computer-generated images of what locations from Jesus's time might have looked like. These images, created by design team Red Vision, were praised by critics and received an Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2001 Royal Television Society North Awards.

Adele Gereth has taken young Fleda Vetch under her wing. Adele is intensely houseproud, and sees a potential future mistress of the house in Fleda, and an inheritor of her life's work.

Comedy series about three young women living in Leeds who've graduated, had a year out, and are now struggling to find a job they're passionate about, a place to live that is half decent and a boyfriend they actually like. A sitcom about making terrible decisions, but having a brilliant time doing it. The show focuses on Meg, her eccentric cousin Bunny and their friend Laura as they discover that life might just be a bit tougher than they had imagined. From demeaning Promotions jobs complete with mad outfits to pursuing the men of their dreams - yet dating the men of their nightmares - the girls face '#FML-worthy' disasters in both their work and personal lives.

In a school in northeastern Japan, five friends in the animation club, Aoi, Ema, Shizuka, Misa, and Midori swear to complete a new anime called "Shinbutsu Konkou SHICHIFUKUJIN" with some donuts. Since then, day after day, the five spend all of their time on anime production. The awe of going from rough sketches to animation, and the awkward acting in the after-recording session... The final product was finished at the cultural fair six months later. After they graduated they still pursued animation and swore on some donuts that they would make another anime together.

The publication of a new dictionary titled The Great Passage progresses. Mitsuya Majime, originally from publisher Genbu Shobo's sales department, has been recruited by Kouhei Araki, a veteran editor of the dictionary department who is looking to retire soon. The dictionary department is known internally as the "money-eating insect," but Mitsuya uses his perseverance and attachment to the words in order to become a great editor. Mitsuya, who has poor social skills, finds himself working with another man named Masashi Nishioka, who is able to express himself better.

WOWOW brings another Keigo Higashino novel to the TV screen with “ Whose Is the Cuckoo's Egg?”. A medical suspense drama about genetics in sport, family bonds, talents and skills, and what it means to be truly happy. Higashino delves into the lives of those struggling with the conflict between business aspirations and individual conscience in a powerful tale set against the accessible backdrop of competitive winter sports – a tale that is sure to captivate audiences everywhere.

In a world inhabited by people only a few inches tall, young women Hakumei and Mikochi live together in a house built into a tree. Hakumei is an energetic and tomboyish carpenter, while Mikochi is a feminine and calm tailor. Despite their differences, they get along well and spend their days having fun living their lives in the woods. The two of them spend their time working, going on sightseeing adventures, and taking shopping trips into Tsumiki Marketplace by the ocean. They make many friends along the way, be they sentient woodland creatures like Iwashi the Weasel or fellow miniature people such as the songstress Konju and the inventor Sen. This is a relaxing look into the day-to-day lives of its titular characters as they explore and interact with their tiny world which seems to be straight out of a fairy tale.

Kakeru, a former elite runner at high school, is chased for stealing food. He is saved by Kansei University student Haiji, who is also a runner. Haiji persuades Kakeru to live in the old apartment "Chikuseisou" where he plans to team up with fellow residents to enter Hakone Ekiden Marathon, one of the most prominent university races in Japan. Kakeru soon finds out that all of the residents except for Haiji and himself are complete novices.

Set during the early Showa period, Yakumo enters the world of rakugo. He forms a friendship with talented storyteller Yurakutei. Yakumo admires Yurakutei’s talent and struggles to achieve his level of performance. With the help of geisha Miyokichi, Yakumo grows up as a rakugo storyteller. Yurakutei and Miyokichi get married, but they die in a mysterious accident. Yakumo takes Konatsu, who is the child of Yurakutei and Miyokichi, and raises her. Konatsu grows up blaming Yakumo as her parents’ enemy. Konatsu and Yakumo’s disciple Yotaro chases after the truth of her parents’ death, which Yakumo hides.

After a list of names is found in the shoe of a dead woman, one of the named people begins investigating and is drawn to the The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumored witches living in a small village. Word has it that the witches can do away with wealthy relatives using dark arts.

Josh and Melissa are a struggling couple whose lives are transformed when they get trapped in a magical musical town—with a mission they must complete.

Kiwa is Iwago’s devoted wife. A former wrestling champion, he has become a ‘zegen’: He buys young girls from poor families and sells them to geisha houses. He is quite successful but Kiwa, although she accepts his money, loathes his work. One day Iwago comes back with a young girl he’s bought from a man who wanted to sell her in China. They adopt her and Kiwa raises her, as a respectable girl, with her two sons. But Iwago wants to manage the career of a singer who becomes his mistress and the situation becomes very tense for the couple.

Two inseparable friends move to Kyoto to chase their dreams of becoming maiko, but decide to pursue different passions while living under the same roof.

A man killed himself. Due to his death, three of his former classmates from art school, reunite for the first time in a long while. These three people have connections to the man in different ways, including his ex-girlfriend, the manager of a rugby club where the man played, and his ex-boyfriend. While struggling with their own lives, these three people begin to meet and have meals together.