If you want to see a little of the real Japan then watch this movie rather than "Lost in Translation" (which would have been better if it was filmed in New York so the director knew what she was talking about). Yes, it is a bit slow in some parts but anyone who has been on a self-finding journey will relate, and laugh even more at the funny situations they get into. Germans and Japanese have a lot in common so that makes the misunderstandings real rather than the usual "foreigners in Japan trying to make the Japanese seem like savage aliens". <br /><br />In this time of reality TV and home-movies being used on various TV shows, the hand-held camera shots are very real. Also interesting is that the characters names are the actors real names so it adds to the effect.