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July 17, 2024
 

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Kaori Shoji
Kaori Shoji writes about movies and movie-makers for the Film Page, plus takes a turn at the Bilingual Column. Biggest mistake of her career: taking the very dignified Nagisa Oshima to McDonald's for an iced coffee.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 1, 2014
Under the Skin: Elegant but queasy piece of cinematic poetry
Jonathan Glazer makes ambitious, scary movies, but he's not prolific — his last outing was "Birth" (2004), a film starring Nicole Kidman that gave new meaning to the word "creepy." Now he has made "Under the Skin," an elegant but queasy piece of cinematic poetry which recalls "2001: A Space Odyssey."...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 1, 2014
Hostages
Language: English
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Sep 29, 2014
'Nihon danshi’ continue to look on as stockings get stronger
Just so you know, it's a bad time to be male in Japan. Even my brothers say the supermacho, sports-obsessed, chauvinist faux-samurai kanchigai (勘違い, have it all wrong). They say that society is so hard on men that if they were given the choice between a man or woman's life, "onna-no hōga ii (女の方がいい,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2014
Red Obsession: Turning pale as French wine moves to China
Australian filmmaker Warwick Ross ("Reckless Kelly," "Young Einstein") is part of a growing trend among directors and producers — he has a day job.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2014
Himself He Cooks
'If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change" is one of Mahatma Ghandi's most famous maxims and in Punjab, India, there's a temple that's a living example of those words. A documentary about that temple, titled "Himself He Cooks," is both empowering and humbling, a paradisal...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2014
Mindscape
Watching Mark Strong is always a pleasure: You can fantasize about him being a brother of Jason Statham, with Stanley Tucci as their benevolent uncle. Think of the three of them at a table in an Italian restaurant, all wearing black suits.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2014
Person of Interest: Season 3
Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 17, 2014
Jersey Boys
Either Clint Eastwood had the flu or he wanted to distance himself from "Jersey Boys" as much as possible while still managing to direct it. Either way, it's impossible not to sense a certain coldness on the part of Eastwood here — you just don't feel love emanating from the frames in the manner of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 17, 2014
Deliver Us From Evil
It used to be that the horrors of the real world marched pretty much in lock step with the horrors being touted by the media — a centuries-old case in point is how the Spanish Inquisition hired professional artists to paint scenes of torture and misery for advertising purposes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 17, 2014
Lost Girl: Season Two
Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2014
Frances Ha
My mom used to say the trouble with being in your 20's is not realizing how ridiculous you're usually behaving. My take on it is that everyone should have periods of ridiculousness as often as possible, or we end up becoming bitter and shriveled in our old age.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2014
Night Train to Lisbon
What does a man do when he wants to make a clean break? Hop on a train to Lisbon. That's what Swiss professor Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons) does during "Night Train to Lisbon." One minute he's walking the chilly streets of Bern, Switzerland, and the next he's boarding the train for Portugal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2014
The Karate Kid (Best Kid)
Director: Harald Zwart Language: English, Chinese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2014
I, Frankenstein
Compared with vampires, who always seem to be sleek and sexy, Frankenstein's monster has had it rough. Those head bolts are one thing, and then there are the leathery scars all over his face and his massive, clunky awkwardness. To make matters worse, while vampires are never deprived of dating and relationships...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2014
Yves Saint Laurent
...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2014
Eat Pray Love (Tabete, Inotte, Koi wo shite)
Director: Ryan Murphy Language: English, Italian, Portuguese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 1, 2014
Farewell to the sun-scorched suffering of another summer
Back in the day, the customary question among Japanese gakusei around this time of year was 'Natsu yasumi du014d datta?' (How was summer vacation?). But that was in the days of no smartphones or Skype, when there was a lot less of this hankering for tsunagari (connectedness).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2014
She came, she stole and she conquered
In my family of many brothers, the "Lupin III" animated TV series was the only program we could agree to watch. Once the electric guitar riffs of the Yuji Ohno-penned theme song began, a blissful peace descended on our living room. The fighting stopped and all eyes were glued to the family's beat-up...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2014
Farewell to Taiwanese cinema, but not to love
If Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang threw a dinner party, it's easy to guess who would be invited. Tsai has staunchly and consistently worked with the same small cluster of actors from his 1992 debut film "Rebels of the Neon God" through to "Stray Dogs," which will open in Tokyo on Sept. 6, under the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2014
The Finishers (Great Days! Yume ni Idonda Chichi to Ko)
Boys can be creatures of sheer wonder. That's the takeaway conviction after watching "Des Toutes Nos Forces (released in English as "The Finishers"). By boys, I mean young (or young at heart) men with pure minds and high ideals, willing to push themselves to the utmost limits to reach a goal that has...
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
A new tooth is seen in a ferret's mouth after it was administered a drug to stimulate the growth of tooth buds.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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