Yojiro Takita

Directing

Yojiro Takita

Born

1955-12-04 (70)

Place of birth

Toyama, Japan

Known for

Directing

Credits

44 titles

Yojiro Takita (滝田 洋二郎 Takita Yōjirō, born December 4, 1955) is a Japanese filmmaker. His 2008 film Departures (おくりびと Okuribito) won the Best Foreign Language Film at the U.S. 81st Academy Awards, in an upset over the Israeli Animated documentary, Waltz with Bashir. He also won the 2009 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year, among other accolades, for the film.

Known for

Departures poster
7.9

Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job at a travel agency he finds he’s being interviewed for work with departures of a more permanent nature – as an undertaker’s assistant.

Departures

2008

Secret poster
6.9

A man is shocked to find out that after a deadly car accident involving his wife and daughter, his wife died, but her mind somehow got transfered into their daughter's body.

Secret

1999

Time Adventure: 5 Seconds Til Climax poster
6.2

A young woman who is prone to romantic dreams involving her supervisor time-travels from 1986 to 2001 and becomes involved with a private investigator who is working on a divorce case and is having his own marital difficulties.

Time Adventure: 5 Seconds Til Climax

1986

When the Last Sword Is Drawn poster
7.4

Kanichiro Yoshimura is a samurai and family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the low pay he receives from his small-town clan. He is forced by his love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them.

When the Last Sword Is Drawn

2003

Onmyoji poster
6.3

During a dark time in the Heian period, when evil forces threaten the kingdom, the emperor relies on the onmyōji to keep the supernatural forces in line. But as political events become highly charged, friction within the order leads to betrayal. Now, Seimei, a talented member of the clan, must face down his master, Dōson, in the hopes of restoring peace to the kingdom.

Onmyoji

2001

The Yen Family poster
6.2

Set in Japan during the bubble era, this unique home comedy cheerfully and humorously depicts the daily life of a strange family that works together to accumulate a small amount of money, while mixing irony and satire.

The Yen Family

1988

Film credits

Behind the camera

Departures poster
7.9

Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job at a travel agency he finds he’s being interviewed for work with departures of a more permanent nature – as an undertaker’s assistant.

Departures

2008

Secret poster
6.9

A man is shocked to find out that after a deadly car accident involving his wife and daughter, his wife died, but her mind somehow got transfered into their daughter's body.

Secret

1999

Time Adventure: 5 Seconds Til Climax poster
6.2

A young woman who is prone to romantic dreams involving her supervisor time-travels from 1986 to 2001 and becomes involved with a private investigator who is working on a divorce case and is having his own marital difficulties.

Time Adventure: 5 Seconds Til Climax

1986

When the Last Sword Is Drawn poster
7.4

Kanichiro Yoshimura is a samurai and family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the low pay he receives from his small-town clan. He is forced by his love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them.

When the Last Sword Is Drawn

2003

Onmyoji poster
6.3

During a dark time in the Heian period, when evil forces threaten the kingdom, the emperor relies on the onmyōji to keep the supernatural forces in line. But as political events become highly charged, friction within the order leads to betrayal. Now, Seimei, a talented member of the clan, must face down his master, Dōson, in the hopes of restoring peace to the kingdom.

Onmyoji

2001

The Yen Family poster
6.2

Set in Japan during the bubble era, this unique home comedy cheerfully and humorously depicts the daily life of a strange family that works together to accumulate a small amount of money, while mixing irony and satire.

The Yen Family

1988

No More Comics! poster
6.4

Stuck doing show-biz schlock, an investigative reporter stumbles on a scheme to swindle pensions through an attractive gold futures scam, a potential news-story.

No More Comics!

1986

The Last Recipe poster
6.9

A famous chef who is tasked with tracking down a 70-year-old missing recipe.

The Last Recipe

2017

Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer poster
7.4

A chronicle of the life of Yasui Santetsu, a 17th century master of go who turned his attention to astronomy and created a new calendar for Japan. Based on the life of Santetsu Yasui (December 27, 1639-November 1, 1715), appointed as the first official astronomer in the Edo Period and would go on to create the Jokyo calendar at the imperial request.

Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer

2012

Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer poster
7.4

A chronicle of the life of Yasui Santetsu, a 17th century master of go who turned his attention to astronomy and created a new calendar for Japan. Based on the life of Santetsu Yasui (December 27, 1639-November 1, 1715), appointed as the first official astronomer in the Edo Period and would go on to create the Jokyo calendar at the imperial request.

Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer

2012

Let's Go to the Hospital poster
7.5

When a hard-driving copywriter (Hiroyuki Sanada) discovers his comely wife (Keiko Saito) is involved in a scintillating game of strip rock-paper-scissors with some guy clad only in a pair of boxer shorts and Mickey Mouse ears, he is less than happy. When the stranger tries to make a run for it, a fight ensues between the two men, and they accidentally tumble down several flights of a concrete stairwell. One hurried ambulance ride later, the copywriter finds himself in a private teaching hospital equipped with the latest gleaming gizmos. Meanwhile, a young internist (Hiroko Yakushimaru) girds herself for her first emergency room case -- the battered copywriter. After giving a curt bow and a nervous "Good Evening," she accidentally jams a syringe into his bloody wound. Soon the absurdity of their situation, along with their medical misery, binds the two men and their blundering nurse together.

Let's Go to the Hospital

1990

Molester's Train: 1 Centimeter From The Wall poster
3.0

Rinko and Shinpei are reporters for a rival weekly magazine. Rinko was investigating the love affair between popular stars Masahiko and Mingdai, but was caught by Shinpei in a scoop. So she concocts a scandal involving the earnest rakugo performer Manchou, but when Representative Karasawa proposes protecting the privacy of celebrities in the Diet, she and Shinpei begin a battle for coverage that will expose Karasawa's private life.

Molester's Train: 1 Centimeter From The Wall

1985

Ashura poster
5.3

Adapted from the successful play, the film takes place in 19th-century Japan, where a war between demons and their slayers is fought. Izumo, a kabuki actor with a demon-slaying past, meets and falls in love with Tsubaki. However, something is not right, as mysterious marks appear on her body as time progresses. At the same time, it is announced that Ashura, the queen of all demons, will be resurrected and bring destruction to the universe.

Ashura

2005

Onmyoji II poster
6.0

A group of demons in the ancient Japanese capital of Heian is dismembering members of a family of Japanese nobles.

Onmyoji II

2003

Onmyoji II poster
6.0

A group of demons in the ancient Japanese capital of Heian is dismembering members of a family of Japanese nobles.

Onmyoji II

2003

Sakura Guardian in the North poster
7.5

The film follows the relationship between a mother and her son. In 1945, the mother played by Sayuri Yoshinaga fled with her two sons from the Russians to Hokkaido. In 1972, her son played by Masato Sakai returns to Japan after finding success in the U.S.

Sakura Guardian in the North

2018

Sexy Timetrip Ninjas poster
4.7

1615. Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke is assigned the task of finding a hidden treasure that will restore his clan to their full power. However, sexy ninja warrior Kagero stands in Sasuke's way. Complications ensue when a sudden time warp occurs and both Sasuke and Kagero find themselves thrust hundreds of years into the future to Tokyo, Japan in 1984.

Sexy Timetrip Ninjas

1984

Pink Physical Examination poster
4.0

In a hospital with a near sighted doctor, horny nurses, cosplaying patients and stiffs in the basement the only healing taking place is sexual.

Pink Physical Examination

1985

Le Secret poster
NR

Making-of movie Himitsu (Secret, 1999).

Le Secret

1999

The Battery poster
5.3

Because of his younger brother’s poor health, Takumi and his family move to a different Japanese town. There, Takumi, an incredibly gifted baseball pitcher, gradually alienates his relatives and friends by putting sports above all else in life.

The Battery

2007

Exposed School Swimsuits poster
4.0

A high school girl has a dream of entering a water ballet competition and having a hot romance. Both get her wet. Set in the synchronized swimming club, this sporty comedy pornography film comically depicts the struggles and sex situation of the students!

Exposed School Swimsuits

1986

Groper Train: Wedding Capriccio poster
3.8

The world’s greatest detective, Ippei Kuroda, is back and this time hired by a politician to find his estranged daughter. When the daughter is found dead, the mystery deepens. Meanwhile, Kuroda’s assistant tries to stop her arranged marriage to a country hick by shacking-up with a composer who writes symphonies on his calculator — when he’s not groping women on the Tokyo trains!

Groper Train: Wedding Capriccio

1984

The City That Never Sleeps: Shinjuku Shark poster
9.0

A lone-wolf detective known as "The Shark" must navigate hostile territory within both the criminal underworld and his own corrupt department to hunt down a ruthless serial cop-killer in the streets of Shinjuku. Adaptation of the Arimasa Ohsawa novel Shinjuku Shark.

The City That Never Sleeps: Shinjuku Shark

1993

The Serial Rape Murderer poster
5.5

12 Years ago, Fuyuko, was 7 years old, watched her sister, a high school student, raped and choked to die. Fuyuko never forgets that the man who killed her sister has a red snake tattoo on his thigh. Suffering from the memory and deeply being traumatized, Fuyuko meets the tattooed man by accident and tries to hunt down...

The Serial Rape Murderer

1983

Groper Train: Search for the Black Pearl poster
4.4

The world's largest black pearl has vanished without a trace, and it's up to Detective Ippei to track it down. His only clue is the mysterious words of a dying man, who managed to mutter "Pussy Print!" before slipping away forever. Teaming with the man's younger widow Matsuko, Detective Ippei boards a local train and begins taking prints of the female passenger's vulvas in hopes of matching one to the print that Matsuka's husband had in his possession at the time of his death.

Groper Train: Search for the Black Pearl

1984

Molester's Tour Bus poster
4.5

A woman who works for a bus company that gives erotic service to their passengers is given a mysterious VHS tape. Silly complications ensue.

Molester's Tour Bus

1985

We Are Not Alone poster
5.3

Businessmen competing for international building contracts in this globe-trotting comedy-adventure.

We Are Not Alone

1993

Za mania: Kaikan seitai jikken poster
4.2

A young woman is invited for a free stay at a seemly deserted seaside hotel during the off season. Too late she finds out that the manager likes to collect women for his “playing card” collection and she is next in the pack.

Za mania: Kaikan seitai jikken

1986

The Exam poster
8.0

Togashi, an enthusiastic marathon runner and his wife are occupied with their daughter Mayumi's grade school entrance examinations, but he becomes jobless when his company folds. To regain his confidence Togashi decides to join the marathon that is taking place on the very day of his daughter's examination and the all important interview.

The Exam

1999

Silence of Smoke poster
6.3

Tells a series of misunderstandings between Liu Tingshen, the seventh-generation heir of the century-old store "Tong Shunxiang", and his son Liu Jiansan, who lost his mother and has depended on him since childhood.

Silence of Smoke

2023

The Bondage poster
2.0

A videotape left by a mysterious woman to a taxi driver. There is a pattern of a secret bondage show recorded there ... A noir-style story about the membership-based SM show and the secrets of the organization behind it. A unique entertainment work with a romantic effect even in a punchy development.

The Bondage

1984

OL 24 Ji: Bishôjo poster
4.3

When a woman applies makeup for bed, she transforms into a cute beast.

OL 24 Ji: Bishôjo

1984

OL 24 Ji: Bishôjo poster
4.3

When a woman applies makeup for bed, she transforms into a cute beast.

OL 24 Ji: Bishôjo

1984

Molester's School Infirmary poster
4.0

A high school girl searches for a treasure found by her lost father in a school full of peepers and perverts.

Molester's School Infirmary

1984

The Half Moon poster
3.0

Sex isn't something one plans. It just happens. Yoko is a 23 year old pink collared worker. After college she is kept close with Yokoyama and Ishida, two male college friends who both harbor feelings for her. Yokoyama is straight as an arrow, yet impulsive when it comes to love. Ishida is more the outspoken type. When Yokoyama proposes to her, Yoko wonders if the old marriage myth is true. Is settling down with an 'ordinary' guy the key to a happy marriage?

The Half Moon

1987

The Tropical People poster
9.0

Straight-laced, honest Japanese travel agent Misuzu gets a job as a tour guide so that she can the world. On her first assignment in Bangkok, Thailand she does her best for her ungrateful charges, but gets fired when the hotel (through no fault of her own) misplaces all their passports. She also finds herself the victim of a scam by two Japanese con-artists (innocent-looking Tondabayashi and half-Thai Thuy) living in Bangkok. When the hotel finds the passports, she decides to buck the system and sell them on the black market. She teams up with the two con-artists to scam, rip off and rob all the Japanese tourists in Bangkok. They keep trying to pull off bigger and bigger jobs, and end up in trouble with two dumb, sightseeing yakuza, among others. Also, a love triangle forms as Tondabayashi falls for Misuzu, and Misuzu falls for the older Thuy.

The Tropical People

1994

High Noon Ripper poster
3.4

A female got viciously raped and killed. Aya, the publisher of a popular journal, and the professional photographer Kajii hurry to the location of the murder to make some photos for the news. The picture is awful as the murderer had cut the genitals out of his woman’s body. Aya get a tip from a photograph published in the journal, that was used by the fifteen years old person. Kajii prospects Shun to be the killer and starts following him with the help of his girlfriend. A couple of days later the maniac hits again. A new victim is Makiko, with whom Aya had lesbian sex and relationship. Their investigation for finding the killer leads them to a playground in which the first slay has had place. But who may be this High Noon Slasher and why is killing innocent girls.

High Noon Ripper

1984

Yamai wa kikara: Byôin e ikô 2 poster
6.0

A comedy about a young woman who has terminal cancer.

Yamai wa kikara: Byôin e ikô 2

1992

Zetsukin gyaru: Yaruki munmun poster
4.0

Four monastic nuns must enter the materialistic and lusty outside world to save their church from a loan shark.

Zetsukin gyaru: Yaruki munmun

1985

Molester's Train: Seiko's Ass poster
3.3

Who is it that sends a threatening letter demanding 100 million yen in exchange for distributing "poisoned rice" to boost sales of a famous brand of rice? As instructed, the bag of rice stuffed with money is thrown from the railway bridge into the riverbank. A street performer gets caught up in an incident through an unexpected incident and contacts a woman who is thought to be an accomplice in an attempt to clear his name, but the incident eventually escalates into murder...

Molester's Train: Seiko's Ass

1985