100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience

This Traveltalk series short looks at pre-World War II Tokyo, highlighting the influences of Western culture.

Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1 features an in-depth documentary-style video feature that details the Metal Gear series' epic narrative, from beginning to end. Spanning five games and just as many decades of fictional history, Metal Gear Saga ties together the game's complex narrative in chronological order, from the 1960's-with the heroic origins of Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater-to the cliffhanger conclusion of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, set in the early 21st century. Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima also appears in a series of candid interviews, recounting the origins of the series and sharing its secrets, such as the original setting of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, his thoughts on the infamous NES game Snake's Revenge, and what gamers can look forward to in the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid 4.

Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 narrates the fictional events of the Metal Gear storyline beginning with Metal Gear Solid 3 and up to the events leading to Metal Gear Solid 4. The documentary centers around an undisclosed narrator (voiced by Masane Tsukuyama in Japanese and Guy Perryman in English) attempting to track Solid Snake down and narrates the history surrounding him, his father Big Boss (Naked Snake) and his brothers Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake.

Artist Chris Berens finds his inspiration in his own magical inner world. The animals and creatures that play a major role in his imagination also populate the landscapes he creates with his special painting technique. It results in scenes that are both enchanting and ominous.

In 1985, Chris Marker traveled to Japan to attend the filming of Ran, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Marker analyzes the progress of filming; the infinite patience of a team under the orders of a meticulous director down to the smallest detail; the antithetical mixture of the modern with the traditional; of the real with the fictitious; of life with cinema… and literature.

Using never-before-seen footage, Japan's War In Colour tells a previously untold story. It recounts the history of the Second World War from a Japanese perspective, combining original colour film with letters and diaries written by Japanese people. It tells the story of a nation at war from the diverse perspectives of those who lived through it: the leaders and the ordinary people, the oppressors and the victims, the guilty and the innocent. Until recently, it was believed that no colour film of Japan existed prior to 1945. But specialist research has now unearthed a remarkable colour record from as early as the 1930s. For eight years the Japanese fought what they believed was a Holy War that became a fight to the death. Japan's War In Colour shows how militarism took hold of the Japanese people; describes why Japan felt compelled to attack the West; explains what drove the Japanese to resist the Allies for so long; and, finally, reveals how they dealt with the shame of defeat.

Fukushima used to be a wonderful place. Unfortunately, since March 11, 2011, "Fukushima" has been superseded by another name: Nuclear Disaster Zone. Six years have passed, but over 80,000 Fukushima residents still cannot return home, still cannot return to their former lives. How did they get through it? Reconstruction work is slow. Several years on, surrounding the site of the Fukushima nuclear incident, there remain many refuge-seeking residents whose homes are still in lockdown. In the streets, people are taking it to their own hands to save their communities. Psychologically and practically, how does one rebuild? Does the civil society's self-rescue mission conclude in recovering what was lost, or in reviving an even better community? In their eyes, what is "revival"? What is the meaning of "rebirth"? Our crew went all over the coastal areas of Fukushima, recording stories of residents each finding their own ways to save themselves.

Through the lives of professionals working at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, the film portrays how Tsukiji has been the center of fish culinary culture and helped Japanese food culture to flourish as we know it today.

Take a step into the exciting new world of video game entertainment, and hear from the people responsible for the biggest smash hits on your computer!

Feature documentary debut of 29 year old director Kei Tanaka. In the Japanese town of Kawasaki, elderly residents who have lived hard lives are now facing their own death at a public housing complex called “Danchi“. The young director explores and depicts the ageing population in Japan by focusing on the personal lives of few individuals who live quietly on the outskirts of society. While some of the protagonists chose to interact and establish friendships with their fellow elderly residents, others prefer to spend the rest of their years in solitary.