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December 22, 2024
 

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CULTURE SMASH

“Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” incorporates six Murakami short stories from three books into a single intertwined narrative that centers on a trio of lonely Tokyoites.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jul 20, 2024
'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' is an immersive journey into Murakami's world
Pierre Foldes' beautiful adaptation of six Haruki Murakami stories features one of the author's most memorable characters, who injects the film with self-aware humor.
From behind his desk in a Tokyo office, Hideki (Arata Iura) yearns for something more in life, but he is not prepared for the culture shock of life on a Montana ranch in “Tokyo Cowboy.”
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 13, 2024
‘Tokyo Cowboy’ strikes balance between cross-cultural comedy and fish-out-of-water tale
From behind his desk in a Tokyo office, Hideki yearns for something more in life, but he is not prepared for the culture shock of life on a Montana ranch.
Joel Vaudreuil's "When Adam Changes" won the grand prix at this year's Niigata International Animation Film Festival, the largest festival devoted to feature-length animation in Asia.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Mar 28, 2024
Niigata film festival showcases cutting-edge overseas talent
The six-day event dedicated to feature-length animation presented a lineup of stories that were psychologically rich and emotionally dark.
“Blue Giant,” a feature-length anime movie that centers on young men in Tokyo who aspire to become jazz stars, was so successful in Japan and overseas that director Yuzuru Tachikawa was given an even bigger budget to re-edit the film for a second screening in theaters across Japan.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 23, 2023
Sleeper hit anime 'Blue Giant' gets an encore
The surprise success of the big-budget feature about jazz warranted a re-edited version and a second life in theaters.
Korean writer-director Kim Sung Hwan's "Iron Mask" took one of the two top awards at this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) in South Korea.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Aug 30, 2023
Does South Korea now have the edge over Japan when it comes to film?
While Korean cinema tackles universal topics, Japanese studios are content to navel-gaze.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 20, 2023
New Niigata film festival brings out the big names in anime
Mamoru Oshii, Katsuhiro Otomo and Shinichiro Watanabe all attended last month’s Niigata International Animation Film Festival, which showcased 50 films from 16 countries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CULTURE SMASH
Oct 28, 2022
Indie studio Tonko House's coming-of-age story portrays a multiethnic Japan
Limited series 'Oni: Thunder God's Tale' combines stunning visuals and folklore with a rare depiction of a diverse society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 5, 2021
‘Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ reinvents neo-noir nods to Japan
The new anime series expands upon the dystopian world of Ridley Scott's 1982 live-action film, 'Black Runner.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 10, 2020
Sibling duo Lastlings finds its musical muse in Japan
The half-Japanese, half-Australian siblings, who experienced relentless teasing while growing up in Australia, took refuge in music and created their own blend of electro-pop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Sep 17, 2020
From the battlefield to manga to Zoom: A Kyushu samurai clan and its legendary warrior get an online outing
Sengan-en, the estate of a samurai clan, is going virtual in honor of the family's legendary warrior, Shimazu Toyohisa, and the manga modeled on him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jul 31, 2020
Soundtrack to Ghost of Tsushima stands out for its seamless blend of musical influences
The process of creating the perfect alchemy for Ghost of Tsushima's score took over two years and spanned three cities: Tokyo, Los Angeles and London.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 4, 2020
Anime cons ‘will never be the same’ after the coronavirus
The spread of COVID-19 has caused many large-scale events to be cancelled, including a lot of anime fan conventions. The question now is, will these events survive to cosplay another day?
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Mar 2, 2020
Anime's evolution in lands down under
For the past quarter century, fans of Japanese pop culture in Australia and New Zealand have been served almost exclusively by a single distributor: Madman.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Feb 3, 2020
GeeXPlus brings anime YouTubers to Japan
One Japanese major publisher and producer is seeking to capitalize on YouTube influencers with a highly unusual approach: inviting non-Japanese anime YouTubers to live and produce content within Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jan 6, 2020
When American country meets Japanese anime
The lineup of artists onstage at the Tokyo premiere of 'Sturgill Simpson Presents: Sound & Fury' was as eclectic as the film they'd all made: a 41-minute anime music video set to an entire album by the Grammy-winning Simpson.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 2, 2019
Gkids brings anime's best to big screens in the U.S.
Though relatively unheralded, Gkids scored the rights to U.S. re-releases of the work of anime giants — including Isao Takahata and Makoto Shinkai — by only showing them in cinemas.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 3, 2019
U.S. anime market matures in 2019
With collaboration between nations increasing, the U.S. is seeing new opportunities in its anime market
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Aug 11, 2019
'Cannon Busters': Bending anime rules in all the right ways
When LeSean Thomas saw director Katsuhiro Otomo working through the night in a behind-the-scenes documentary of the anime 'Akira,' he thought: 'That's what I want to do.' Now, 20 years later, Thomas' 'Cannon Busters' is debuting on Netflix.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 30, 2019
Why Hollywood doesn't yet get anime
When it comes to Hollywood's versions of Japanese content, most fans return to the originals and wonder: Why can't they get it right? Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner sheds some light on the West's cultural misreading of anime and manga.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 2, 2019
When Japan strikes the right chord
From missionary work in Kagoshima Prefecture to creating arrangements for Joe Hisaishi's 'Ni no Kuni' film score, composer Chad Cannon talks about his affinity with Japan.
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling environmental activist Paul Watson, who was released from prison in Greenland's capital Nuuk after five months in detention, arrives with Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, near Paris, on Friday.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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