Impossible to Imagine

The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.

In the post-war Gion district of Kyoto, the geisha Miyoharu agrees to apprentice the 16 year-old Eiko, whose mother was a former geisha who had just died. After a year of training they have to find a large sum of money before Eiko can debut. Miyoharu borrows the money from the tea-house owner, Okimi, who in turn obtains the money from the businessman Kusuda. Kusuda fancies Eiko himself and wants to give Miyoharu to Kanzaki in order to close a large business deal. However both geishas have minds of their own and, going against tradition, want to be able to say no to clients.

This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.

The story follows Benio "Haikara-san" Hanamura, who lost her mother when she was very young and has been raised by her father, a high-ranking official in the Japanese army. As a result, she has grown into a tomboy - contrary to traditional Japanese notions of femininity, she studies kendo, drinks sake, dresses in often outlandish-looking Western fashions instead of the traditional kimono, and is not as interested in housework as she is in literature. She also rejects the idea of arranged marriages and believes in a woman's right to a career and to marry for love.

Genji, the son of the emperor, is the talk of the Kyoto nobility for his charm and good looks, yet he cannot stop himself from pursuing an unobtainable object of desire: his father's young and beautiful bride. Following the tragic consequences of his obsession, Genji wanders from one affair to another, always seeking some sort of completion to his life.

Yukiko's fiance learns her mother runs a geisha house and ends their engagement. She despises what her mother does until one of her clients shows interest and starts to woo her.

Story of Kyoto: its history, culture, as well as the role it has played in the director's life and the life of his mother.

Documentary following 15-year-old Yukina as she leaves home and moves to Kyoto to embark on the arduous training needed to become a geisha. The profession has always been shrouded in controversy, with some believing geisha are little more than high-class prostitutes. At such a young age, does Yukina really understand what this ancient profession has in store for her?

Bookstore owner Emma believes in fairy tales. Although she has yet to be swept away by prince charming, she sees real knight in shining armor potential with a new suitor, Landon. As Emma balances time with Landon and saving her bookstore with once irritating business consultant, Eric, however, she weighs storybook romance against genuine commitment. While she sorts out her feelings toward Landon and Eric, as well as toward love and romance, Emma begins to realize that fairytale endings aren't always by the book.

Umekichi, a geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto, feels obliged to help her lover Furusawa when he asks to stay with her after becoming bankrupt and leaving his wife. However her younger sister Omocha tells her she is wasting her time and money on a loser. She thinks that they should both find wealthy patrons to support them. Omocha therefore tries various schemes to get rid of Furusawa, and set themselves up with better patrons.

When Mio was young, she lost her parents in a great flood and also became separated from her best friend Noe. Afterwards, Mio found her talent in cooking and eventually became a cook. Meanwhile, Noe has become an oiran (high-ranking courtesan).

27-year-old Eto Kana lives in Tokyo and has never been out of the city before. She used to work as a designer and stay in a company dormitory but moved back to her family home after resigning due to the stress from interpersonal relationships. Meanwhile, Kana’s family gets a call about an elderly granduncle who got injured. She goes to Kyoto where he lives at the request of her worried mother and stays there for several days to take care of him.

Set in the traditional city of Kyoto, Japan, this deeply poetic TV movie revolves around Chieko who becomes bewildered and troubled as she discovers the true facets of her past. With the harmony and time-honored customs of a Japanese backdrop, the story becomes poignant as Chieko’s longing and confusion develops.

Based on a traditional Japanese ghost story, the movie follows a man who falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman, only to find she belongs to the world of the dead.

A love story directed by Otsuru Gitan, an actor, novelist, and film director, who directed all screens in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. A business man who has everything, including money, a woman, and fame, falls into the abyss and carries a large amount of debt. A man who felt in danger died and eventually moved to Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, which was affected by the earthquake. A man who decided to live quietly as a reconstruction volunteer, staying at his aunt's house, but seeing the people around him who live without suffering the difficult reality, his desire begins to tingle again. Inspired by my aunt's daughter who gave me a mysterious atmosphere, he was a man who vowed to come back. Starring Sasaki Kokone of “Hello, My Dolly Girlfriend”.

Mariko is a forensic scientist working at the Kyoto PD Crime Lab. Her credo is “science never lies” and she delves into the truth of the case with her colleagues with their specialized skills and knowledge in forensic medicine, physics, chemistry etc. Mariko’s steadfast belief in science makes her stand against conventional institutional ethics of the police department, diehard detectives averse to scientific investigation and sometimes even with her own colleagues, but she stays faithful to her belief in science and continues to pursue the truth.

The timeless heart of Japan's ancient capital. Against its rich backdrop of culture and tradition, today's Kyoto continues to innovate and inspire.

Towards the end of the Edo era, in the town of Kyoto, there lived a wealthy merchant by the name of Imai Tadamasa. He was blessed with 3 children, Hatsu, Asa and Kyutaro. His eldest, Hatsu, was a traditional girl who loved to play the koto and sew. Whilst his second daughter, Asa, was an impish hoyden who loved sumo wrestling. Asa was engaged to be married to the second son of a distinguished family who ran a money changer business in Osaka, Shirooka Shinjiro. Although Asa was furious when she had first heard about the betrothal, when she met up with Shinjiro for the first time, his charisma greatly attracted her and she fell in love with him in no time.

Fukuyadou Honpo is a traditional Kyoto sweet shop with 450 years of history. This romantic drama depicts the careers, love lives and dreams of three sisters.

Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a gifted author, university professor and former CIA operative is lured back to his old life by tenacious top NYPD Detective Lizzie Needham. Though Dylan and Lizzie initially clash, when it comes to catching killers, they make an ideal team.

Holmes, a young man whose family runs an antique shop in Kyoto, has the unique ability to read people and instantly distinguish genuine and high value antiques. When a local high school student, Aoi Maki, starts working alongside Holmes, together they begin to unravel the many mysteries surrounding the antiques brought to the shop.

Kyoto, Japan. The heroine meets a man who gives her a pocket watch somehow leading to a Torii in a shrine, and suddenly it warps her into the Bakumatsu period. In the world of where there is such a difference in importance of value, she tries to find a way to go back. When she meets a man who has crossed time and says, "I will live for you," a love story between the two blossoms.

Onoda Shizuru is a university student in Kyoto. As soon as she starts living out her long cherished desire, the strange horror newspapers begin to arrive. At first, she believes them to be a prank but the stories in the newspapers begin happening one after the other. Murders, accidents, abuse, natural disasters, injustice... these newspapers predict all sorts of tragedies. What is the truth behind them?

Kiyo and Sumire came to Kyoto from Aomori Prefecture, dreaming of becoming maiko. But after an unexpected turn of events, Kiyo starts working as the live-in cook at the Maiko House. Their story unfolds in Kagai, the Geiko and maiko district in Kyoto, alongside their housemate maikos. Kiyo nourishes them daily with her homecooked meals, and Sumire strives toward her promising future as the once-in-a-century maiko.

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.

Togoku Kyosui runs a traditional Japanese style cafe called Rokuhodo. He has a tender voice and hardly ever raises it. He is an honest person with a bright personality. At the cafe Togoku Kyosui works with three other young men. They each wear a kimono and serve drinks, meals and deserts to their customers. These 4 men interact with their customers, who all have their own problems, and provide them with comfort. While performing their jobs, they also face their own problems and grow as a person.

After a new job and a month-long business trip to Osaka, Kana is back in Kyoto for a short stay! "What is the feeling of 'loneliness' when living in the crowded crowd in Tokyo?" Kana visited her uncle again with more questions. The owner of the bicycle shop, Oyama, the personal graphic designer Yoshida, the friend who is about to get married..., full of laughter conversations, leisurely roaming, in the process of meeting all kinds of people, get new inspiration from Kyoto's philosophy of life...

Aramaki Yurika is an excellent consultant, well known within the industry, who has rebuilt many establishments. She receives a request to help restructure the management of Saitama’s host club “Eichi” which is in danger of being taken over by a top host club in Kabukicho.

The 61st NHK Asadora Drama is Asuka. Set in Kyoto in the home of a traditional Japanese candy-maker, Asuka is the story of one young girl's dream to one day walk in her father's shoes and become a top candy-maker in the male-dominated world of wagashi (Japanese confectionery). Asuka grows to be a healthy, adventurous young girl with a deep curiosity and, a desire to become a candy-maker like her father. This NHK drama is one of the best in years with an excellent cast, a well-developed story based on extensive research into the traditional worlds of candy making and the tea ceremony in Kyoto, and beautiful scenery and settings in Kyoto and the surrounding areas.

A young woman Chiaki whose family runs an old miso company in Nagano Prefecture, the only daughter of old traditional family. For generations, they were making soybean paste for living. Now she needs to take over this business and rebuild it. She lives through the hardships of postwar Japan.