Via Okinawa

Jun 9, 1989

1h 51m

★ 6.5

Overview

During the Vietnam War era, the influx of American soldiers to Okinawa boosted the local economy and introduced many bars and nightclubs. With exhausting displays of energy, Sai presents a whirlwind romance between a local rocker and the daughter of a mixed American-Okinawan marriage.

Genres

Drama

Production Companies

Daiei Film

Via Okinawa Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Eri

Anna Nakagawa

Sachio

Ryo Ishibashi

(as Reona Hirota)

Léona Hirota

Yasuo Daichi

Mie Nakao

Man on the street

Scott William Arnold

Akihiro Shimizu

Kimiko Yo

Set in the sun-drenched landscapes of Okinawa, this heartfelt coming-of-age story follows Teruya Yō, a teenager living with his cheerful single mother, Akane, and younger sister, Mai. Despite their modest life, the family is close-knit and full of warmth. When Yō falls for Lisa, a student at a local dance school, he joins her class—discovering not only his passion for dance but a talent that quickly blossoms. Encouraged by his mother, a former dancer, Yō begins to dream big. The arrival of Hiroki, a music producer and Yō’s estranged uncle, brings news that shatters Yō's hopes of reconnecting with his absent father. As emotions erupt, long-buried truths between mother and son come to light.

6.3

The Karate Kid Part II

Jun 18, 1986

Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.

7.9

The Stranger by the Shore

Sep 11, 2020

Abandoned after coming out, Shun befriends Mio just before he has to move. Years later, Mio returns with a confession. How will Shun feel?

7.4

All About Lily Chou-Chou

Oct 6, 2001

Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yūichi Hasumi and Shūsuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yūichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of pop star Lily Chou-Chou.

6.9

Boiling Point

Sep 15, 1990

Masaki, a baseball player and gas-station attendant, gets into trouble with the local Yakuza and goes to Okinawa to get a gun to defend himself. There he meets Uehara, a tough gangster, who is in serious debt to the yakuza and planning revenge.

5.2

Check It Out, Yo!

Apr 22, 2006

Tomboy Yui (Mao Inoue) brings her 3 male friends along with her to see a live performance of local Okinawan rap group, “Workaholic”. Upon witnessing the crowd reaction, the boys decide to start a rap group of their own to impress chicks—while Toru (Hayato Ichihara) has the added motivation of impressing his older, more sophisticated love interest Nagisa (Ayumi Ito). With only 2 weeks to learn how to play instruments and prepare for their first show, the performance is predictably humiliating. In order to save pride they decide to give it another shot, but this time they ditch the instruments for a sampler and stay truer to themselves. Will Toru be able to capture Nagisa’s heart? Will Yui ever confess her love to Toru or will she just keep practicing her advanced pro wrestling techniques on him instead?

7.0

Star Sand

Aug 4, 2017

In the closing days of World War II, Japanese-American Hiromi, a girl age 16, encounters an American deserter, Bob, and a Japanese soldier, Iwabuchi, living together in a cave on a small island in Okinawa. The two men are deserters from their armies; yet both vow never to harm another human being again. Hiromi looks after the deserters until another soldier appears and the peace of the cave is shattered. It leads to the death of three of them and a fascinating mystery that isn't solved until the present day.

6.0

Okinawa Rendez-vous

Jul 27, 2000

Jimmy Tong is an expert blackmailer and thief who specialises in white-collar crimes. With his side-kick, Jimmy steals a personal diary belonging to a Yakuza leader Ken Sato intending to use its details as a platform for blackmailing and to extort money. Sato agreed to the uneasy deal and made preparations to pay Jimmy his exorbitant demands only for Sato's girlfriend Jenny to betray him and make off with the money to Okinawa.

0.0

The Mosquito Bowl

Invalid Date

Set after the attack on Pearl Harbor, four of America’s top college football stars set their fame aside to enlist in the Marines. As they prepare for the brutal invasion of Okinawa, they play in a legendary game featuring some of the greatest players in history – a game that, for many, will be the last they ever play

5.8

Flying Leathernecks

Aug 28, 1951

Major Daniel Kirby takes command of a squadron of Marine fliers just before they are about to go into combat. While the men are well meaning, he finds them undisciplined and prone to always finding excuses to do what is easy rather than what is necessary. The root of the problem is the second in command, Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin. Griff is the best flier in the group but Kirby finds him a poor commander who is not prepared to make the difficult decision that all commanders have to make - to put men in harm's way knowing that they may be killed.

7.7

Non Non Biyori: Vacation

Aug 25, 2018

Even when you're fortunate enough to live in a place as beautiful as the country village of Asahigaoka, you should never turn down the chance to explore someplace else. So, when Suguru wins a free trip to Okinawa just as the summer vacation is coming to an end, the town's entire school… all 5 students and 1 teacher, plus the local candy shop owner… can hardly wait for their 3-day trip to begin! Between kayaking, swimming and meeting new people, there's always something fun happening, but the best part of all is that big city girl Hotaru and her new small-town friends all get to explore the wonders of Japan's famous vacation destination together. Prepare for the perfect trip as the whole gang boards the plane!

7.2

Breathe In, Breathe Out

May 29, 2004

Breathe In, Breathe Out centers on six, later seven, individuals who have gotten jobs harvesting sugarcane on a small Okinawa island. Each worker has their own unique personality as well as their own issues as they learn to work together...

8.2

Hacksaw Ridge

Oct 7, 2016

WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

7.0

South to the Horizon

Aug 30, 1986

Tetsu gets into an argument with some Okinawa yakuza and is murdered by them. His brother Ryo comes to Okinawa shortly thereafter and teams up with Tetsu's girlfriend and Max an ex US soldier to extract revenge.

8.0

Tora-san's Tropical Fever

Aug 2, 1980

When cabaret singer Lily writes Toraya about her illness, Tora-san rushes to Okinawa to be by her side.

0.0

Revival Blues

Oct 8, 2004

No overview available.

7.1

Sympathy for the Underdog

Jan 12, 1971

A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.

6.0

The Catcher On The Shore

Jan 1, 2010

This drama depicts a boy's coming of age against the backdrop of Okinawa's food culture. Director Nakamura Ryugo was born in 1996. He made this film, his feature debut, when he was just fourteen years old. Okinawa has an old tradition of eating a goat for celebratory occasions. But that culture is starting to fade in urban areas. Yuto (Uehara Soji), a sixth grader living in Naha, spends his winter vacation in the countryside town where his grandparents reside. He receives a shock when he sees the goat raised by his grandfather killed by locals.

9.8

Hero's Island

Sep 19, 2025

Set in post-war Okinawa, Japan, Gusuku had 3 close childhood friends: On, Yamako and On's younger brother Rei. On was the oldest of the group and he was like a leader to everybody else. He was also a heroic figure to them. On led his friends into the U.S. military base and they stole supplies to give away to the local residents. Everybody in the neighborhood praised On. One night, they entered the U.S. military based to steal supplies. During their raid, On was chased by U.S. soldiers and went missing. Years later, Gusuku now works as a police officer. Yamako is an elementary school teacher. Rei is a member of the yakuza. These three people are still unable to get over the disappearance of On. They chase after the truth behind On's disappearance and uncover a shocking answer.