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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
Aug 27, 2014
Lucy
"Lucy" is a big movie with a narrow mind; it speaks of all that used to work in a Luc Besson film and doesn't anymore because we're no longer in 1989. Besson ignores that, but he's kept up with current times in other ways. Witness how "Lucy" borrows liberally from recent movies such as "The Dark Knight...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2014
Riddick (Riddick: Galaxy Battle)
Director: David TwohyLanguage: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2014
The Great Beauty
'The Great Beauty" recalls two other films set in Rome: "La Dolce Vita" and "Roman Holiday." The former takes huge bites out of the city's decadence and debauchery in much the same way as "The Great Beauty." The latter takes a mere lick at the pleasures proffered by Rome and declares satisfaction. The...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2014
Sacro GRA
"Sacro GRA" takes the all-roads-lead-to-Rome adage one step further by telling us that one of those roads is actually sacred — the 65-odd-km GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare). It's Italy's most expensive highway, circling Rome in one big loop. Documentarian Gianfranco Rosi took his camera to the GRA...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2014
Lee Daniels' The Butler (originally released as "The Butler)
Director: Lee DanielsLanguage: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 13, 2014
Tavarataivas (365 Nichi no Simple Life)
Perhaps you are aware of the tiny house movement, where people move into a teensy-tiny house with the barest of amenities, or Project 333, where people choose to dress with only 33 items for three months or longer. Both have gained significant interest over the last few years as more people in the so...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 13, 2014
Bajari (Gypsy Flamenco)
As the world becomes more digitized, human beings begin to seem much less physical. Sometimes it feels as though people have no clue what to do with their bodies anymore. But in Barcelona's Gypsy community, the flame of Flamenco burns as brightly as it did in the 18th century, when dancers and singers...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 13, 2014
Almost Human
Language: English
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 13, 2014
Robin Williams fondly remembered by Japan's film industry
It was an open secret among Japanese film distribution companies that Robin Williams, who died at his California home on Monday in an apparent suicide, was a "yobitai sutaa" ("a want-to-invite star").
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 11, 2014
Somewhere, a grandfather is rolling in his grave
Summertime in Japan is tinged with sadness, not just because we have to drag ourselves through this kirokutekina mōsho (記録的な猛暑, record-breaking heat), but because we must deal with the annual arrival of the "shūsenkinenbi (終戦記念日, the anniversary of the end of the Pacific War),"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 6, 2014
Danchi No Yume (Dreams of the Projects)
There is such a thing as a Japanese dream, and in many ways it's a lot like the American dream. Japanese hip-hop artist Anarchy's dream has to do with escape, money and, ultimately, getting to a place where he can perform in a music video with bikini-clad babes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 6, 2014
Dabba
The Japanese may feel like they have perfected bentō (lunchbox) culture, but India has a formidable lunchbox culture of its own, in the form of the dabba. Some 6 million of these meals are delivered each day to offices in Mumbai by dabbawallahs, and "Dabba" (released internationally as "The Lunchbox")...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 6, 2014
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Director: Marc WebbLanguage: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 30, 2014
Hope (So-won/Negai)
It was every parent's worst nightmare: In South Korea in 2008, an 8-year-old girl was abducted and violently raped on her way to school. The perpetrator was caught and the girl identified her attacker, but she still had to appear at a public trial because the police couldn't build a solid case against...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 30, 2014
Ida
Pawel Pawlikowski has a solid reputation in Europe — especially Britain, for award-winners such as "Summer of Love" (2004) and "Last Resort" (2000). But after spending his entire film career away from home, Pawlikowski returned to his native Poland to try something different. "Ida" is the result: The...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 30, 2014
Rush (Rush: Pride to Yujo)
Director: Ron HowardLanguage: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 23, 2014
The Scottish song heard around the world
"Sunshine on Leith" was a much-loved stage musical, featuring the songs of Scottish band The Proclaimers, that ran from 2007 to 2013. But when Dexter Fletcher signed on to direct the film adaptation of the musical, he had never seen it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 23, 2014
Sunshine on Leith
Who wouldn't want a man that walks 500 miles (and 500 more) just to be with you? In 1988 the Scottish band The Proclaimers released their album "Sunshine on Leith" featuring the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," which had all the buoyant freshness of a young June bride clutching a rose bouquet. The Proclaimers...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 23, 2014
Attila Marcel
French animation director Sylvain Chomet debuted in 2003 with "The Triplets of Belleville," a five-course meal of a film, rich with a surreal visual style and Gallic wit, and followed it up with "The Illusionist," a gorgeous adaptation of a Jacques Tati film. Now Chomet brings us the whimsical "Attila...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 23, 2014
Frozen (Ana to Yuki no Jo)
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer LeeLanguage: English, Icelandic
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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