Japan received 2 Academy Awards.

2 Japanese films won awards at the 81st Academy Award. I never heard of both of them though.

LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES / つみきのいえ(tu mi ki no ie) received The award for Animated short film. This is first time Japanese got this award.

[In a world gradually flooding with water, an old man adapts to changing circumstances and looks back on his life.]

Refer to The Official Academy Awards web site (LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES)

つみきのいえ Means "building block house". Here is the amimation film from Youtube. It takes only 20 mins, no speaking in the movie but I was moved! Why don't you take only some time to watch this?






DEPARTURES / おくりびと(o ku ri bi to) received The award for foreign language film.

[When cellist Daigo Kobayashi finds himself unemployed, he returns with his wife to his hometown and answers an ad he believes has been placed by a travel agency. The available position, however, turns out to be with a company that prepares corpses for cremation--an elaborate ritual for which the stunned Daigo proves to have a surprising aptitude.]

Refer to The Official Academy Awards web site (DEPARTURES)

Japanese funeral is rather unique. You may be find interests in the idea about death based on Buddhism in japan. But sounds like the move has not been trunslated into English yet. I found the Trailer with English subtitle.