When I heard the title "Japanese Story", I though there might be something really aesthetic or unique about this movie and was expecting something with artistic value. But in my opinion, this turned out to be nothing more than a mediocre movie.<br /><br />Almost everything in it from title to climax falls short of expectation. All it has shown successfully is the vastness and beauty of Australia and the difference in behaviour of Japanese and Australians. Collette has delivered a decent performance. I wouldn't call it excellent as there wasn't much in movie for someone to take it further and I don't expect anyone else to do better. I can't find any tellable story in the movie and if at all there is one, it is more Australian than Japanese.<br /><br />The only novel thing in the movie is the sudden shock it generates in the viewers when the Japanese guy dies unexpectedly. His death is unique because the movie never fully explained the use of the character before killing it. It wasn't like someone getting killed in some shootout or by a vehicle accident. That character just dies awkwardly after diving into a shallow pond head first while the story was a positive note. It certainly looked like the death was meant to give a sudden jerk to the viewers. After the death, everyone does their part of mourning and the movie ends right there. Frankly, I failed to understand the message it tried to deliver, except for the fact that life is short.<br /><br />This is rated 7/10 by IMDb users and I think that is a gross overrating. A rating of 7 is pretty decent by IMDb standards and this movie doesn't deserve that.