| 1. | Seven Samurai (1954), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 2. | Rashomon (1951), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 3. | Ran (1985), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 4. | Ikiru (1952), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 5. | Yojimbo (1961), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 6. | Throne of Blood (1957), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 7. | Spirited Away (2001), Japan
directed by Hayao Miyazaki |
| 8. | Tokyo Story (1953), Japan
directed by Yasujiro Ozu |
| 9. | Ugetsu Monogatari (1953), Japan
directed by Kenji Mizoguchi |
| 10. | Sansho the Bailiff (1954), Japan
directed by Kenji Mizoguchi |
| 11. | The Hidden Fortress (1958), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 12. | Princess Mononoke (1997), Japan
directed by Hayao Miyazaki |
| 13. | Sanjuro (1962), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 14. | High and Low (1963), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 15. | Kagemusha (1980), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 16. | Floating Weeds (1959), Japan
directed by Yasujiro Ozu |
| 17. | Red Beard (1965), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa |
| 18. | The Twilight Samurai (2002), Japan
directed by Yoji Yamada |
| 19. | Taboo (1999), Japan
directed by Nagisa Oshima |
| 20. | Zatoichi (2003), Japan
directed by Takeshi Kitano |
| 21. | Woman of the Dunes (1964), Japan
directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara |
| 22. | Tampopo (1986), Japan
directed by Juzo Itami |
| 23. | After Life (1998), Japan
directed by Hirokazu Koreeda |
| 24. | Fireworks (1997), Japan
directed by Takeshi Kitano |
| 25. | Shall We Dance (1996), Japan
directed by Masayuki Suo |
| 26. | Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954), Japan
directed by Hiroshi Inagaki |
| 27. | The Eel (1997), Japan
directed by Shohei Imamura |
| 28. | In the Realm of the Senses (1976), Japan
directed by Nagisa Oshima |
| 29. | Kwaidan (1964), Japan
directed by Masaki Kobayashi |
| 30. | The Funeral (1987), Japan
directed by Juzo Itami |
