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November 21, 2024
 

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Mark Schilling
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2023
A few small tips for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Our film critic provides his recommendations for Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which is currently unspooling at cinemas across Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2023
‘Dreaming in Between’: Thoughtful character study stimulates self-reflection
Acting veteran Ken Mitsuishi portrays a flawed middle-aged man facing the end of his life with depth and pathos in Ryutaro Ninomiya’s drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 2, 2023
'The Night Before Upheaval' navigates the murky waters of overseas film festivals
Japanese indie director Mutsuki Kameyama explores the ins and outs of the overseas festival circuit in their new documentary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 1, 2023
‘The Dry Spell’: Realistic drama tackles child poverty
Masaya Takahashi’s film centers on the struggle of Japanese children living below the poverty line.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 25, 2023
‘Spring in Between’: Offbeat love story offers a breath of fresh air
Hio Miyazawa brings depth and unforced commitment to his performance as an artist with Asperger’s syndrome in Rika Katsu’s debut feature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 20, 2023
‘Ripples’: A refreshing and hilarious skewering of Japanese society
Mariko Tsutsui masterfully juggles humor and drama in Naoko Ogigami’s dark comedy about the silent pressures women face in modern Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2023
‘Alone Together’ docudrama revisits loneliness and anxieties of the pandemic's early days
Yukiko Mishima’s film depicts the profound impact that living in isolation in fear of an invisible enemy had on everyday life in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 3, 2023
‘Father of the Milky Way Railroad’: Writer biopic plays to domestic audience's love of a good cry
Koji Yakusho and Masaki Suda give strong performances as father and son in a film about Kenji Miyazawa, one of Japan’s beloved authors of children’s literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2023
‘Okiku and the World’: Rare romance plot refreshing for period drama
Junji Sakamoto’s tender drama aptly balances lowbrow comedy with sumptuous visuals to portray a romance between urban commoners that defies conventions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2023
‘J005311’: Silent collisions spark human truths
The production for director Hiroki Kono’s drama may be barebones, but its enigmatic and suspenseful storytelling keeps the audience engaged until the end.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2023
‘The Village’: Backwater hometown hero plot smells off
Michihito Fujii’s drama about a young man struggling in a village that is overshadowed by a large recycling plant is simplistic and contrived.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 8, 2023
‘People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind’: Finding comfort in friendly faces
Yurina Kaneko delves into the plushie subculture to explore a prevalent sense of isolation among Japan’s youth in her first directorial feature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2023
‘Brats, Be Ambitious!’: Childhood friendships get dark
Set in the late 1980s, Shin Adachi's melodramatic coming-of-age film about a quartet of scrappy boys draws inspiration from Rob Reiner's 1986 classic “Stand By Me.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2023
‘Baby Assassins 2 Babies’: Flying fists with a side of social commentary
Yugo Sakamoto channels Quentin Tarantino in comedy style and verbosity in his action film about a pair of bickering hitwomen who find themselves on the outs with their assassins guild.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2023
‘Do Unto Others’ makes an unconvincing case for euthanasia
Part whodunit, part tearjerker, Tetsu Maeda’s film frames its protagonist as a noble caregiver in favor of dispatching the elderly.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2023
‘December’: Powerful courtroom drama serves up shades of gray
Anshul Chauhan shifts toward the mainstream with his third feature and delivers skilled storytelling while tackling universal themes centered on a domestic dilemma.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2023
‘In Her Room’: An unsettling journey of self-discovery
Director Chihiro Ito's captivating dreamscapes are eerie and mysterious in her slow-burning relationship drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2023
‘Red Shoes’: Boxing tearjerker makes for a lightweight entry
Toshiro Saiga’s drama geared toward a mainstream audience tugs at the heartstrings but doesn’t deliver an emotional punch in the way of Sho Miyake’s “Small, Slow but Steady.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 16, 2023
'Yudo': A heartwarming ode to a good, old-fashioned soak
Masayuki Suzuki’s film pays tribute to the neighborhood public bath with a rush of nostalgia and feel-good laughs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 9, 2023
‘Egoist’: Layered LGBTQ drama offers bittersweet romance
Through Daishi Matsunaga's intimate direction, Ryohei Suzuki delivers a committed performance as a gay magazine editor who falls in love with his financially struggling personal trainer.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

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

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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