History of Japan / Korea

For Japan, recently the TV series that won a lot of Emmys is Shogun, it is on Hulu/Disney+, but also I would recommend Daiga series which usually are high quality and put out by NHK - they tend to be long though.

For Korea, I heard good things about Pachinko, which is on Apple TV. A lot of Korean dramas are also on Netflix.

A different view, of the part of Korea that you will NOT be visiting: Last night, our local PBS station showed a film from 2018, a documentary presented by Michael Palin from Monty Python, called North Korea from the Inside (with Michael Palin). He’s not joking around or being silly, and has government-appointed guides showing him around, but he goes into North and South Korean history a bit, delves into some differences between the two Koreas, visits some places with stunning scenery, and finds that everyday people are very hesitant to say anything about their North Korean supreme leaders other than how magnificent they were/are, yet the looks on their faces belie their actual feelings. I had no idea that North Korea spends 25% of their GDP on military and weapons, ostensibly because of a constant threat from America. And there have been past problems with severe food shortages, but the people that Palin meets go out of their way to show how abundant food can be in North Korea, and that things are better now. He genuinely liked the people he met, although I bet if he had to live in one of the Koreas, it’d be South.

I do hope you find good resources for Japan.

I’m the one being silly now, but there have been a lot of Godzilla movies … I don’t suppose that any of those would make for suitable viewing? :)

I took an adult “kid” to Japan a few years back. We watched a Godzilla movie before departure. Of course, it was for fun, but good preparation for exploring the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku!

Boston, if you listen to podcasts, there are some good ones for Japan. “A History of Japan” and “History of Japan”. I found these during Covid lockdown when I was taking long walks for exercise and stress relief. I found one or two for Korea as well.

I would recommend the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha," which is a film (based on the book) about a young girl who is sold by her poor family to a geisha house in pre-WWII Japan. I loved the book but especially loved the movie, which was a beautiful look at the geisha world, coupled with the plight of an impoverished people. There was some controversy about the movie when it came out, but I think it is worth watching.

Cyn

I watch a lot of content about North Korea and may have seen the PBS programming that you are referring to.

And you are so right. I will not be visiting North Korea but I wish they would open up to outsiders and treat their people better.

Mardee

I my have seen the movie or I saw a similar movie.

And it was very good

Seininya

I only have Prime and Paramount Plus but I believe that Shogun or something similar is on one of the two.

I will check out some of the other content.

Thank you for all your responses.

Will be trying to find some of the suggestions made. Could be wrong but I don't think I am a Godzilla person

ORDtraveler

Thank you for your suggestions.

I like visuals so stick to movies, series and docs

One problem with Korean and Japanese series is that they often have many many episodes like well over 20 episodes. There are many of these series on Prime but I am not about to binge 36 episodes.

But I think that I can go to youtube and search History of Japan and History of Korea.

I have actually never seen a Godzilla movie but the advertising does not attract me..

"Could be wrong but I don't think I am a Godzilla person"

Surprisingly you might be.

I found the original Godzilla movie had done a joint US/Japan remake using the American actor, Raymond Burr. It was so strange to see "Perry Mason" doing Godzilla. It was made in the 50s with footage of Japan at that time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla,KingoftheMonsters!

[snip]
It is a heavily re-edited American localization, or "Americanization", of the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla.[9] The film was a Japanese-American co-production, with the original footage produced by Toho Co., Ltd., and the new footage produced by Jewell Enterprises. The film stars Raymond Burr... In the film, an American reporter covers a giant reptilian monster's attack on Japan.

The Raymond Burr movie is the one we saw. "Kitsch-y" from the distance of 2025, but to our surprise, we watched from beginning to end and enjoyed the experience.

The impetus for me was that I didn't think my travel companion would be familiar with the movies and I knew we could see the Godzilla head in Tokyo - good restaurant area walkable from our hotel. Not as relevant for BostonPhil, perhaps.

Yeah, I tried it because I saw Raymond Burr mentioned and it was surprisingly not bad.

Reminded me of that old classic scifi thing, "THEM", with the giant bugs. The bugs were a joke but the rest of the movie was also surprisingly not bad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Them!

It had a lot of the Hollywood stars at the time (or maybe they were stars later). James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, and James Arness among the well known ones. But a lot of Hollywood had smaller parts (Fess Parker, Leonard Nimoy, others)

Apparently Disney saw Fess Parker in the movie and decided to offer him the "Davy Crockett" role in their new series. And John Wayne recommended James Arness for the Gunsmoke Matt Dillon role after seeing the film.

RobertH nd ORDTraveler

Maybe I should check out Godzilla but for some reason, I see it as. a fantasy or horror movie.. Am I wrong?

ORDtraveler

I do not think that I will make it to Tokyo this time. If i do, it will be one day.

I am sailing from Yokohama and plan to stay there but may go to Tokyo for one day. I will be in Yokohama four nights. I will have plans but they are not written in stone.

"I see it as. a fantasy or horror movie"

100 ft tall monster stomping Tokyo (not Tokyo)?

Yep. It's not much of a fantasy or horror, even at the time. But it's worth watching now (to me) for other reasons. It was made for a Japanese audience then they patched in Raymond Burr in special scenes to show/explain what was going on to an American audience. So you're seeing how Japanese people think in a lot of the choices in the film. Reminded me of the crowd scenes/dynamics of Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai".

edit: And Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" would be a great Japanese film to see ahead of time. They made a shot-for-shot remake of it here called "The Magnificent Seven" with Yul Brynner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Samurai

[snip]
Seven Samurai is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films in cinema history.

Back again Mardee

I watched Tokyo Geisha on Prime but feel that I saw Memoirs of a Geisha somewhere. Is on Prime but for additional cost.

One of the excursions offered at one of my ports is to a Geisha District and house but it costs over $300 for maybe four hours. Can't do it.

RoberH

I am going to have to check out Seven Samurai. I may have see it or some of it

Mardee suggested Memoirs of a Geisha which is only available for purchase on Prime and YouTube but I found this on YouTube:

The True Story Behind Memoirs Of A Geisha|The Life Of Mineko Iwasaki. It was good.

"I am going to have to check out Seven Samurai."

It's worth it. But I'll warn you, it's black and white.

I like it a lot but my favorite of Kurosawa is not very Japanese. Called "Dersu Uzala" it was a dual project between Japan and Russia and filmed entirely in Russia's Far East.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DersuUzala(1975_film)

[snip]
Dersu Uzala (Russian: Дерсу Узала; Japanese: デルス·ウザーラ, romanized: Derusu Uzāra; alternative U.S. title: Dersu Uzala: The Hunter) is a 1975 epic biographical adventure drama film directed and co-written by Akira Kurosawa. Shot in Russian, it is his only non-Japanese-language film and only 70mm film.

[snip]
Shot almost entirely outdoors in the Russian Far East wilderness, the film explores the theme of a native of the forests who is fully integrated into his environment, leading a style of life that will inevitably be destroyed by the advance of civilization.

[snip]
The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,1 the Golden Prize and the Prix FIPRESCI at the 9th Moscow International Film Festival,[2] and other awards. It was also a box office hit,

I watched Tokyo Geisha on Prime but feel that I saw Memoirs of a Geisha somewhere. Is on Prime but for additional cost.

I don't think the cost is high—probably around $3-4. Do you have a library card? Many libraries subscribe to streaming services like Kanopy and Hoopla, which have hundreds and hundreds of movies available to stream. If you're not sure how to access it, just contact your library and they can walk you through it.

Once you're determined whether you can log into Kanopy or Hoopla, just go to each one (or really any streaming service) and do a search for "Japan" or "Korea" and see what pops up. When I just searched, I found a huge amount of movies and shows.

For Japan, recently the TV series that won a lot of Emmys is Shogun...

I tried watching this but was so annoyed by how much they changed the book that I couldn't get past the first episode. It did look beautiful and if you weren't as familiar with the book as I am (I've read it at least 15+ times), the changes would not disturb you. It got very good reviews, and is a fascinating story of Japan back during the 1500's and how they dealt with the European sailors who came to trade.

I just watched a documentary that dealt with conflicts between S. Korea and Japan. It was an older
documentary. It only got two stars but I thought it was informative and interesting. Do not remember if it
was on YouTube or Prime. I did not realize what terrible things were done to one another and how much hate still exists or still existed at the end of the doumentary.

Korean and Japanese: Is that a race or ethnicity.

Mardee

I have not had a library card for many years but I am close to our very beautiful newish library and might go over and get one.

I have a lot of learning to do.

Mardee

Some years back, I loved reading and was a wonderful reader. I am not any longer and have to turn to movies, series and docs for quality information.

I think that I have read Shogun or seen the movie. I do not know which.

But I have seen content about Japan and Korea but definitely not enough.

Added: Earlier I watched The True Story Behind Memoirs Of A Geisha|The Life Of Mineko Iwasaki. It was good. It was on YouTube so I believe. If not YouTube, Prime.

RobertH

I do not mind black and white.

Thank you for the information about the Japanese movie shot in Russia. it sounds beautiful

The more that I learn the more I realize how much more there is to learn.

Kanopy does carry at least some of the Kurosawa films. Don't watch the Americanized remakes. Really, people. Just no.
Amazon Prime has lots of travel videos. So does Youtube. There is a trememdous amount of content about Japan.

Kanopy also carries the Great Courses series. There is one called "Understanding Japan" that might be good.

If you can access it, there is NHK, an entire Japanese network (free!) of Japanese shows in English, made in Japan about Japan. Has travel episodes and all sorts of shows about Japanese culture. I use ROKU to access it but there's also an android app and I'm not sure what else.

There is an expat professor in Japan, Michael Pronko, who has written both Japanese culture guides and also a murder mystery series set in Tokyo. (He has had pieces on NHK as well.) They are available as audiobooks from his own website. The murder mystery series is pretty good. He also has a lot of info about Jazz music in Japan.

One of the very best things about Netflix is all of their international content. There's scads of Korean and Japanese content. A very good, very atmospheric little series set in Tokyo at a small izakaya is "Midnight Diner". There's two series, the aforementioned Midnight Diner, and "Midnight Diner:Tokyo Stories".

HBO owns the rights to the Studio Ghibli animation movies that are extraordinary and are revered by both children and adults. Just search for "studio ghibli" and you can see the catalog.

HBO sometimes has "Drive My Car", a movie based on a Haruki Murakami short story. I'm sure you can also find audiobooks of his works. His books frequently are magical realism.

Here is a link to an article about other contemporary Japanese writers:
https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/10-contemporary-japanese-authors-know/

(It might help to understand that Godzilla is considered to really be a metaphor for the anxiety about changes to Japanese society brought about by WWII and the atomic bomb, and the U.S. occupation)

"Don't watch the Americanized remakes. Really, people. Just no."

We had a party one time where we set up both Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven on players. Then we'd watch a little 7 Samurai then watch how the MS did the same scene. It was fun.

edit: of course that wasn't the first time we'd seen either of them

You’ve gotten several recommendations for things that should provide insight before a Japanese trip. There could be more to come.

When I first mentioned Godzilla, though, I said I was being silly. It is a monster movie (originally starring a guy in a rubber giant lizard suit, but now using computer-generated animation in the many sequels, and with the metaphorical sub-context mentioned above. There there have been several Godzilla vs. King Kong films, and you would probably not use a Kong movie to prepare for a trip to New York City, so Godzilla likely isn’t going to help that much with your upcoming trip. Probably not, but ?????

Wanderbug

What is Kanopy?

NHK had a news program on PBS but I have not noticed it recently.

I will see if NHK offers anything or Prime, YouTube or even Paramount Plus. Or maybe I can just google it.

Prime offers a lot of both Japanese and Korean series but there are like 24, 36 episodes, etc. I don't have time to watch more than 12 episodes of any series. There is a whole Korean section of movies but less so for Japan.

RobertH

I looked up The Magnificent Seven and it did not interest me.

Prime offers a Tom Cruise movie about The Last Samurai or something like that. Did not check it out but maybe I should

Phil, Japanese and Korean are entirely different ethnicities. Please do not equate the two. And please do not take lightly the history between the two. They are different cultures and history. Memories of WII are still very fresh as are the Korean War. You will get a different perspective from a Japanese source than from a Korean source. It is not all Godzilla, K-Pop and Korean cosmetics.

Kanopy and Hoopla are free online services which you can access via your library card. With those services you can get books, audiobooks and movies.

Yes, please do not mix Korean and Japanese. Some families have long memories and the Japan/Korea conflict goes back hundreds of years. Just a few snippets below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule

[snip]
From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (朝鮮), the Japanese reading of "Joseon".[a]

[snip]
Japan eventually succeeded in opening Joseon with the unequal Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876.

Afterwards, Japan embarked on a decades-long process of defeating its local rivals, securing alliances with Western powers, and asserting its influence in Korea. Japan assassinated the defiant Korean queen and intervened in the Donghak Peasant Revolution.[10][11]

^^^ That assasination was of Queen Min in 1895. If you visit Gyeongbokgung Palace where the assasination occurred, the event is written up in the literature given to visitors.

I am probably an outlier, but I like having a broad chronology in my head of the applicable history of an area I am visiting. For instance, the Japanese historical periods or England’s monarchs (just returned from there).

I find my aging brain doesn’t always hold this as well as it used to (sigh) and I don’t always have the time for significant study and review.

AI has been great for the bare bone facts and a quicker than Wiki refresher. For example, I’ll ask for a timeline including major Korean Kingdoms, most important rulers, and important events in that time period. Seeing quick facts and chronology laid out in outline form helps me with retention. And, I can do a follow up question for more detail as needed.

Of course, not as much fun as a good documentary or historically accurate movie, but easier for me to keep the significant events and people in mind.

I encourage you NOT to watch the Last Samurai if you want to learn about Japanese history. It's an American big-budget action film that happens to overlap with some Japanese history. If you don't already know that history, it's hard to tease out the facts and is more likely to lead to a misunderstanding. The new Shogun series also has these problems, but not as strongly and at least it was produced with more Japanese involvement (but they also have motivation to romanticize that period).

Ozu's Tokyo Story (Tokyo monogatari) is a classic of Japanese postwar cinema. It's a very slow movie to modern eyes, but gives good insight into social conditions and shifting family roles in the early 50s.

Mardee, I have not had a library card for many years but I am close to our very beautiful newish library and might go over and get one.

Wanderbug, what is Kanopy?

BostonPhil, Kanopy is one of the streaming services I was talking about when I mentioned libraries above. The other is Hoopla. Both of them have thousands of movies available to stream for free, and are available at your local library.

When you visit your nearby library to inquire about a library card, I would definitely ask them about Kanopy and Hoopla and see if they subscribe to either or both. Most libraries have at least one, and the larger ones subscribe to both. There are also lots of audiobooks available through a library card, so I would encourage you to ask the librarian about that as well. Libraries are extremely helpful and a very valuable asset to communities, so please take advantage of this wonderful service.

Hi Trotter

You may have answered a question that I have.

Is Japanese, Korean and other Asian groups ethnicities or races? It seems that you are saying ethnicities.

I watched a documentary yesterday about Japanese and Korean conflicts and the hate that exists to this day. I had no idea that there had been such brutal conflicts between the two groups and there was still such hate.

One thing that haunts me from the documentary is that during Imperial Japan, 20,000 Koreans were killed and their noses brought back to Japan as bounty.

And then there were the Comfort Girls.

Do they visit each other. I know that there are Koreans living in Japan. Are there Japanese living in Korea? Do they inter marry.

I am surprised that my ship is allowed to sail from Yokohama to Seoul. I have read from reviews that if you port in Korea and then get back on ship to continue to Japan, you have to go through a very and sometimes rigorous immigration. It sometimes takes guests hours and ruins some excursions.

"One thing that haunts me from the documentary is that during Imperial Japan, 20,000 Koreans were killed and their noses brought back to Japan as bounty."

Don't think it was anywhere close to that number but then, they weren't that many Indians left.

https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2025/03/11/the-long-shadow-of-indian-scalp-bounties/

https://www3.mnhs.org/usdakotawar/stories/history/aftermath/bounties

Hi Mardee,

I do have to get over to the library. and get a library card., They are very helpful at my library.

But there is still much on Amazon, Paramount Plus and youtube.

Yesterday I watched History of Japan in 20 minutes on youtube and History of Korea in 6 minutes on youtube. It was just a tease, just a little learning but there are many more educational videos re Japan / Korea. on youtube.

And I did see one of the movies that you recommended. Perhaps it was the book that you really loved. It was about a sailor who ship wrecked and got stranded in Japan. He was sort of held hostage but even when allowed to leave, he chose to remain in Japan until his death.

Saw the movie some time back and loved it. This is the kind of movie that i really love.

HK

Did try to watch the Last Samurai last night but was turned off that it was filmed in New Zealand and not Japan.

And the movie did not grab me.

RobertH

I could be wrong with my numbers. Maybe it was 2,000 but I do believe that there was a 2 in the numbers. 12,000?

Whatever the numbers, it was horrific

Going way back to the beginnings of Korea, did they ever do anything to the beginnings of Japan that caused so much hate and maybe retaliation?

And going back to my youtube videos, Korea was invaded many times over by different groups!

Hello ORDTraveler

I have an old brain. It is past aging and actually I am trying to keep it younger through travel and learning about where I am going.

I slowly absorb through osmosis.. I do not try to memorize.

I did some testing for Bard / Gemini last year. Not crazy about A I. Old and Old fashioned. Prefer Google and Wikipedia.

ORDTraveler

We are going to overnight in Seoul before disembarking the next day. I am not doing. a post cruise due to. a long pre cruise in Yokohama and. long 14 day, 12 port cruise. Just having NCL take me to the airport.

I have booked an excursion for JeJu island and a half day for Seoul. Actually only 6 hours total for Seoul which is not very long given the time it takes from and to the port.

My excursion only includes the smallest of the palaces, the one that begins with D. There was a longer excursion to Seoul which includes one of the more exquisite places that begins with G but I do not know if it is Gyeongbokgung Palace.

I am thinking of canceling the excursion that I have booked and booking the longer one but only in the thinking stage. I am going to be very tired at the end of my journey and have. a very long flight home not to mention going through immigration / security at Seoul.

I also have some mobility issues and never know when I will have a flare up. Sometimes I can walk ok and sometimes not. I can not predict it and I have read that the large palaces require a lot of walking.

Changing the subject. I am now flying from Austin to Chicago and changing planes in Chicago. Flying American to Chicago and then changing to JAL to fly non stop from Chicago to Tokyo.

Have 3 1/2 hours connecting time.

Anything that I should know?

I have visited all 5 Royal Palaces in Seoul, 2024.

Deoksugung is smaller, but still interesting. I don't remember it being difficult to move around or to enter buildings. The palace is surrounded by hotels and high rises - center of Seoul near Myeongdong. Kind of an oasis, pleasant, trees and shade. Visiting would give you a notion of how the city has developed around the palace, but a visitor does miss the magnificent of the larger palaces. If the tour includes changing of the guard, visitors stand right next to the display. You feel part of it.

Gyeongbokgung is very large - there are stairs and some buildings have raised rims that must be stepped over before entry. Could be a problem for mobility issues depending on the nature of the difficulty. Also, little to no shade outside of buildings. One of my visits was in late October. Shade would have been desirable. I got tired walking around with no mobility issues. Changing of guard is from a distance.

Obviously, only you can make the decision, but you might find just getting into the city of Seoul on any tour interesting. Clean, modern; I find it appealing, but caveat - I'm a city lover.

I fly ANA from ORD to Tokyo so no advice. You will fly to Haneda with JAL, I land in Narita. I researched both airlines before beginning a series of Japan trips - both seemed to be much better enjoyed by regular travelers than United. I choose ANA to get my business because it lands a bit earlier than JAL. That was important for my first couple of visits.

I think (and things can change) that JAL leaves from Terminal 3. Typically, American lands Terminal 3. I don't believe you will need to transfer to the international terminal 5. Probably easily walkable. If you return via ORD, you will land at Terminal 5 where Immigration and Customs are located.