Best movies & TV Shows like Dear Father

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Dear Father Starring Kazunari Ninomiya, Meisa Kuroki, Tatsuo Umemiya, Reiko Takashima, and more. If you liked Dear Father then you may also like: Drowning Love, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The Escape, Household X, Tokyo Chorus and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

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Set in an old prestigious ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) in a small town in the center of Tokyo, a young itamae (cook for Japanese dishes) struggles his life, love and work while the long-lasted ryotei and the beloved old town face the change to survive the time. This heartwarming drama shows the intimate relationship of the community that has been lost nowadays, asks what the most important things in your life is, and tells how difficult it is to make a decision. The story is told in the form of a letter from him to his unknown father with lots of humor and love.

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Drowning Love

Natsume Mochizuki works as a teen model in Tokyo, but she learns that she has to move to her father's hometown of Ukigumo. She is in a desperate situation because she can't do the things she wants to do in Ukigumo. One day, she meets Koichiro Hasegawa. He is the successor of the Hasegawa family. His family is wealthy and is respected in the area. Natsume Mochizuki and Koichiro Hasegawa become attracted to each other, but something changes their fate.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.

The Escape

An ordinary woman makes an extraordinary decision which will change her life forever.

Household X

The story takes place in a new residential area in the outskirts of Tokyo. A family photograph adorns the living room of the Hashimoto family. It is a heartwarming shot of the three family members from when they first moved here, finally having bought their own home that they had wanted for so long. Wife Michiko hangs the laundry everyday. Husband Ken-ichi leaves for work without a word. Son Hiroaki has a part-time job, returns home early and disappears into his room. The Hashimoto Family no longer eats meal together at the dining table or spends time together in the living room. Michiko yearns for a different relationship with her family and is gradually overcome by loneliness. While feeling pressured from the trifling matters that occur within the residential community, Michiko tries to fill the emptiness that she hides in her heart.

Tokyo Chorus

Mr. Omura, a teacher, leads a group of male students in an outdoor drill. One slight, comic young man, Shinji Okajima, has no shirt under his jacket; he scratches at fleas and makes faces behind Omura's back. Jump ahead several years, Shinji is married with three children. He sells insurance, and on the company's annual bonus day, he protests when an older worker is fired. Shinji loses his own job as a result, and he and his wife must find ways to cope. Lassitude, pride, the demands and needs of young children, and relationships from bygone school days all play a part in the outcome of their struggle.

Greatest Gift of Life

Ryosuke lives in a small house in Toshima, Tokyo. Since his wife died, he has adjusted to living alone. He used to teach at a university and he now works as a translator. Meanwhile, Ryosuke has one child, Yuriko. She is married to Shigeyuki, who works as a teacher. Yuriko and Shigeyuki live in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture. One day, Yuriko visits her father Ryosuke without advance notice. Ryosuke is surprised by her sudden visit. Yuriko doesn't give any reason for the visit. Ryosuke only learns that Yuriko isn't sure how long she will stay. They haven't talked as father and daughter in a long time. They begin to live together in a nervous, but warm atmosphere.

Hasegawa Machiko's Story

In the year 1926, Machiko Hasegawa is a 6-year-old child and lives in Fukuoka. She is a bright girl, who enjoys playing outdoors. At home, she loves to draw. Her father is a handsome mining engineer and he loves his family more than anything else. When Machiko is 14-years-old her father passes away. The rest of her family decides to move to Tokyo. Her mother than makes a quick decision and sends 15-year-old Machiko to manga artist Tagawa as his student. Machiko's life is peaceful, but the oncoming war makes things tense. Machiko's family moves back to Fukuoka. When the war is about to end, the local newspaper asks Machiko to publish a serial manga. Machiko has difficulties in coming up with an idea for the manga series and decides to go to the nearby Momochi Seaside Park. She watches the ocean and comes up with the idea for manga series "Sazae-san".

Bakuman

Moritaka Mashiro doesn't want to follow in the path of his uncle who worked as a manga artist, but ultimately died because of exhaustion. Moritaka Mashiro figures he will graduate from school and work at an office. Things change though when falls in love with a girl at school. The girl, who hopes to become a voice actress, tells Moritaka they can marry, but only after they both achieve their dreams. Moritaka then teams up with fellow classmate Akito Takagi to publish their first manga.

Perfect Days

Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.

Midnight Diner 2

The Master’s late-night diner welcomes a woman troubled by funeral fans, an elderly scam victim, and a noodle delivery man struggling with love.

Aristocrats

Hanako Haibara was born and raised in the city of Tokyo. After she gets dumped by her boyfriend, while in her late 20's, she goes on blind dates to find a man to marry. Miki Tokioka was born in a province. She studied very hard and entered a prestigious university in Tokyo. She experienced difficult financial times, but she now works at an IT company. Due to a man, Hanako Haibara and Miki Tokioka meet each other.

Mio on the Shore

Mio is 20 years old. Having lost her parents early, she and her grandmother run a traditional inn in Nagano. However, her grandmother gets sick. Mio moves to Tokyo and lives with her father’s best friend, Kyosuke. He runs a public bath. She begins to work at the public bath, but it is scheduled to be demolished to make way for redevelopment.

Passing Fancy

Two Tokyo co-workers come across a destitute young lady in search of a place to live.

Radiation House

Iori Igarashi works as a radiographer at a general hospital. He has been depressed, because An Amakasu, whom he loves, has decided to travel abroad to Washington Medical University to learn more as radiologist. The members of Radiation House encourages Iori. One day, An learns that her father is in serious condition. Her father was the only practicing doctor at a small clinic on a remote island. When An arrives, her father tells her to be a doctor who sees patients as a person and not a disease before he passed away. An decides to stay on the island because of a patient that her father cared about. A massive typhoon soon hits the island and a landslide then occurs. An unknown infectious disease spreads afterwards on the island. Iori knows that An is struggling on the remote island and he makes a decision for An and the residents of the island.

Gajimaru Restaurant's Love

Mizuho takes over a restaurant in Nago, Okinawa, which was left to her by her grandmother. She single-handedly runs “Gajimaru Diner”, named after the large, deeply-rooted Gajimaru (banyan) tree in the area. Eventually, circumstances lead to her being brought together with an unknown traveler named Hayato, her ex-boyfriend Shota who returns after living in Tokyo for the past seven years, and a woman named Riko who shares something with both of them. As they work at the diner together, their relationships reveal themselves differently than what they had in mind.

My Little Chef

Seri, an unknown yet talented female chef from the country, arrives in Tokyo to work at French restaurant, Etoire, but discovers that they have gone out of business due to the departure of their main chef. Together with the restaurant's former manager, she opens a French restaurant of her own and begins to recreate the flavors her late father mastered as a famous gourmet chef. Unfortunately, Etoire returns with an unscrupulous manager, and to make matters worse, Seri learns that it happens to be owned by her birth mother living in Paris who she hasn't seen since she was a child. Seri wonders if her passion and skill will be enough to succeed. --TBS

Dragon Sakura

A struggling lawyer, Kenji Sakuragi, takes a position at private school Tatsuyama Gakuen to pay off his debts. Kenji decides to try to turn this hopeless school into one of the elite institutions in Japan to help rejuvenate his career. His barometer of success will be to get five of his students admitted to the prestigious Tokyo University the following year. But rather than cramming them with lots of general information, his down-to-earth class concentrates on unknown techniques for passing the entrance examination and how to live a good life in these turbulent times. His refreshing outlook and strategy may just be what is needed to turn around the future prospects of himself and his students and teach the rest of us a thing or two as well!

Chi's Sweet Home

An American Shorthair kitten wanders away from her mother and siblings one day while enjoying a walk outside. Lost in her surroundings, she struggles to find her way back home. She is soon found by the Yamada family. Finding a home for her proves to be difficult, so the family eventually decides to keep the kitten, naming her "Chi".

TOKYO Airport -Air Traffic Service Department-

Fukada Kyoko plays the role of the main character, Shinoda Kaori, who works in the airport control tower as an air traffic controller. As a single small error of judgment can lead to a catastrophe, air traffic controllers must be on alert at all times. And this is why it is considered to be one of the most difficult occupations in the world. This drama will portray the teamwork and struggles between Shinoda and the other staff, dramas that arise at the airport and the secrets of airports... As well, along with real life stories that have occurred in the airport, it will portray how the aiport staff ensures the safety of people and the importance of protecting lives.

Midnight Diner

Set in a small restaurant in the corner of a shopping district. The unusual eatery is only open after midnight, and its standard menu consists of just a single choice. However, the customers still come for the amusing chatter and the proprietor's willingness to cook any dish that they request. This drama depicts the lives of the restaurant's patrons, including a yakuza, an unsuccessful actor, a group of office ladies, a newspaper delivery boy, and a stripper.

Tokyo Marble Chocolate

Chizuru loves Yuudai; Yuudai loves Chizuru. Yet neither of them can say it clearly because each is uncertain about the other’s feelings and is afraid of being hurt. Trapped by their insecurities in a relationship that’s going nowhere, they drift further and further apart. While Chizuru thinks this is the end of the road, Yuudai struggles desperately to overcome his cowardly nature before he loses what is most important to him. There are two stories to every relationship, but can love survive if they don’t meet halfway?

Amnesia

This story takes place in a fictional town, in a fictional country, in a fictional world. One morning, a young lady awakens to find that she has lost all her memories prior to that morning. Her life, her relationships, her very name—all gone. All that's left is a cell phone with numbers and names she doesn't recognize and Orion, a young boy that only she appears to be able to see. With Orion's guidance, she struggles to make sense of herself, a boyfriend she doesn't know and the thousand and one little things that make up a daily life. But with no memories left, the only alternative is to forge new ones, even if that means leaving old loves behind.

Osen

Handa Sen is the "okami" (proprietress) of a long-standing restaurant in one of the lower parts of Tokyo. Though she is normally airheaded and loves to drink, she has an impressive mastery of a wide range skills, from cooking to ceramics to calligraphy. While the drama follows various events surrounding the restaurant, one of the series' highlights is its illustration of Japanese food and culture.

Save My Life: Boston Trauma

In "Save My Life: Boston Trauma", viewers will get unparalleled access to top tier trauma teams inside the emergency rooms and operating rooms of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals including the Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General, and Brigham and Women’s. Lives that could be lost in lesser hands at less renowned medical centers are saved through feats of miraculous skill. The only certainty is that those who need care will receive the very best that medicine has to offer. This remarkable series tells many stories of heroism, poignancy, and unexpected humor. One minute a mother struggles with the news that her son has been critically wounded in a shooting, while in the next scene doctors become a captive audience as their patient launches into an impromptu rap.

Sushi Police

Japanese food, especially sushi, has become an internationally beloved cuisine, especially with the announcement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But there are always restaurants that look to capitalize off the reputation of traditional Japanese food. They serve dishes like rolls covered in cream cheese and teriyaki sauce, monstrosities that belong nowhere in a real sushi restaurant! Enter the Sushi Police. The defenders of Japanese culture and tradition, the World Food-culture Conservation Organization was created, and its 9th Unit was ordered to smite down any restaurant in the world that besmirch the name of sushi. They travel the globe in a giant ship-shaped blimp, literally landing on the offenders, leaving a destroyed restaurant in their wake.

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories

In an otherwise mundane diner open from midnight to 7 a.m., there is no menu – but the chef cooks anything his customers want. Each episode is about different a different customer, as they find simple yet profound connections with one another based on their shared love of a particular dish.

Tokyo Girl

The story follows Aya from the time she moves to Tokyo at age 23 up until she turns 40. Aya has to adjust to the different values and perceptions of the big city as she struggles with challenging situations. We get to follow Aya’s move from one neighborhood to another as she maneuvers her career and love life.

Strawberry Night Saga

Reiko Himekawa is just 27-years-old, but she has already received a promotion to become an assistant police inspector. She leads the 10th murder investigation team at the First Investigation Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Reiko Himekawa is an excellent detective and deals with many difficult cases. She works with Tamotsu Ishikura, Kohei Yuda and Shinji Otsuka on her team. The team then gets Kazuo Kikuta as a new member. Kazuo Kikuta is a detective who does not talk much, but looks to do the right thing.

Tokyo Love Story

Nagao Kanji works for an advertising agency in his hometown of Ehime Prefecture. He is assigned to the Tokyo sales department where his colleague Akana Rika takes care of his work. One day, Kanji is invited to drinks by Mikami Kenichi, a former classmate from his hometown who is now in Tokyo, and he is also reunited with Sekiguchi Satomi who has feelings for him. However, Rika ends up joining them when she delivers Kanji’s wallet which he had left in office. On the way back, Rika tells him, “Kanchi, shall we kiss?” and he is rattled. There have been rumours in office that Rika is in a relationship with their boss Waga Natsuki - JDrama Weblog

All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate

The ultimate guide to America's most amazing meals, eats and treats as told by the pros who spend their lives obsessing over food. The food world's biggest stars discuss nothing but the best dishes -- from sizzling steaks in Manhattan to giant sundaes under the bright lights of Las Vegas. And for those who want to make the best thing they ever ate, every episode is packed with great recipes you can cook at home.

Tokyo Design Story

Mutsumi (Serena Motola) is a rookie designer and she is employed at small design company Lemon Design. She is busy with prep work for magazine shoots, like scouting locations and working with photographers. She has doubts about her work not being that of a designer. Tetsuko (Megumi) senses Mutsumi’s feelings. She tells Mutsumi that she is a salaryman. Mutsumi doesn’t understand why Tetsuko told her that.

Those Snow White Notes

Sawamura Matsugorou is a shamisen player of legendary talent. Upon his death, his grandson, Sawamura Yuki, lost his ability to play. Having lost his beloved sound, Yuki finds himself in Tokyo in search of a new sound to love. Tachimura Yuna, who works at a club, hooks him up with a gig to play there as a warm up act. Yuki imbues the sound of his shamisen with his many thoughts and feelings he has of others, still searching for his own sound and his own feelings.

Ten urara

This drama is the tale of one high spirited, strong-willed young woman and her struggle to fulfill her lifelong ambition of becoming a carpenter and building homes. The story takes place from the later part of the Showa era to present day Heisei rule. The heroine of the story, Kawashima Urara, lost her father at the tender age of seven and this drama depicts her life as she grows from a young school girl, through puberty and adolescence and on into her adult years as an independent woman who owns her own carpentry business. As Urara grows into a beautiful and strong woman and a talented carpenter, her family around her goes through many difficult and trying times. This story of becoming an independent businesswoman in the male-dominated world of carpentry accurately reflects the lives and struggles of the young women in present day Japan who are trying to make a career for themselves in addition to balancing the demands of family obligations, friends, and lovers.

Lost in the Rain

It tells about the women's view on love and marriage through the love affair of three women. Ayako, a rampant college student; OL Takako who works for a magazine company and Kimie, who attends the dressmaking school training to be a homemaker. The trio who graduated from the same high school moved to Tokyo from Akita, and they start living together in a rented house at Denenchofu, however.....

Watashi no Aozora

This is the story of a young mother, Kitayama Nazuna, and her son Taiyo from Ohma, a small town at the tip of a peninsula in Aomori. Taiyo's father, Murai Kento had aspirations to be a professional boxer but due to a detached retina he was forced to abandon his dream. Leaving Nazuna behind, he left for America, with another woman, to get treatment for his eye-problem, unaware that Nazuna was pregnant. As his life is boxing he quickly returns to the ring after the operation turns out to be successful and once again he dreams of becoming a professional boxer. However, success eludes him and he returns home to Japan. Nazuna meanwhile has given birth to her son and moved to Tokyo to search for Kento. By chance she finds Kento. When discovers he has become a father, he tries to make up for lost time. The show picks up their story as Nazuna, Taiyo and Kento begin family life together. Of course things are not as simple as they appear.

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