author

 
Menu
Search
 
November 23, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2020
‘The Brightest Roof in the Universe’: Looks nice, lacks sparkle
Michihito Fujii changes pace but can't quite find the right tempo on this lightweight follow-up to gritty award winner “The Journalist.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2020
‘Soiree’: Melancholy drama casts a beautiful spell
Bunji Sotoyama's intimate late-summer drama about a couple who take flight from their hometown is evocative and emotional.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2020
‘Crazy Samurai Musashi’: One-cut carnage is bloody exhausting
Yuji Shimomura's “Crazy Samurai Musashi” boasts a 77-minute continuous shot in which Tak Sakaguchi slashes his way through nearly 600 adversaries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2020
‘Dos Siki’: Dos Monos cuts the fat and ups the ante
Tokyo-based trio Dos Monos' second album is an EP-length explosion of energy and confidence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 30, 2020
‘My Name Is Yours’: The kids are not alright in this already dated drama
Momoko Fukuda's film about teenage ennui seems out of step during a time in which the coronavirus pandemic has put many rites of passage on hold.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2020
‘Theatre: A Love Story’: No sparks in this tortured romance
Based on a novel by comedian-turned-author Naoki Matayoshi, “Theatre: A Love Story” centers on a narcissistic playwright and his long-suffering girlfriend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2020
‘The Gun 2020’: Locked, loaded and nowhere to go
“The Gun 2020” revisits the story of Masaharu Take's 2018 film, “The Gun,” this time with a woman as the weapon-wielding protagonist. A feminist thriller it is not.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2020
‘I Never Shot Anyone’: This nostalgic neo-noir misses its mark
Junji Sakamoto's neo-noir film about a writer leading a shadowy double life has a cast laden with heavyweight talents, but it doesn't quite hit the spot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2020
‘Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister’: A Sisyphean slog toward the top office
Shinzo Abe has been with us for so long now, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when Japan’s premiership seemed to rotate as frequently as the membership of AKB48.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2020
South Korea-born rapper Moment Joon details immigrant experience in Japan on debut album
On his formidable debut album, “Passport & Garcon,” South Korea-born rapper Moment Joon lays claim to his present home in suburban Osaka with unusual specificity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2020
Live-house culture won't cede the stage to COVID-19
Seiichi Yamamoto, founder of Osaka live music venue Namba Bears, is employing a range of methods to keep his stage open to touring musicians.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2020
As coronavirus restrictions are relaxed, the future of live music in Japan looks rocky
Despite Japan having lifted its state of emergency, gig-goers may have to wait for live music to get back to normal across the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 28, 2020
Tokyo joins world film festivals for 10-day YouTube event
Tokyo International Film Festival's competition programmer says that We Are One is just the start of a more digital-friendly future for festivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 21, 2020
Think you streamed everything? Dig deeper on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime
Cinemas have cautiously started to reopen in parts of Japan, but many of us are still having to sit tight and do all our movie-viewing at home. If, by now, you’re feeling like you’ve reached the bottom of the streaming barrel, fret not: There are still choice morsels of domestic and overseas offerings...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 14, 2020
Kazuhiro Soda shows how streaming could help save cinema with online release of 'Zero'
With COVID-19 having hit Japan's independent film industry hard, filmmakers such as Kazuhiro Soda are looking for new ways to reach their audiences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 1, 2020
Musicians and DJs fight against COVID-19 closures and learn to live it up online
With gigs off and venues closed, Japanese artists are getting more creative in staging shows for fans staying at home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 23, 2020
Recent ambient releases create sonic sanctuaries
In stressful times, it’s natural to seek comfort in the familiar. But even for people still inclined to hunt for new music, some genres can feel more welcoming than others. Thankfully, the current vogue for ambient, drone and music on the new age spectrum means there’s never any shortage of fresh...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2020
Squarepusher speaks up for a little human kindness
In 2016, shortly after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, Tom Jenkinson released a plaintive protest song under his Squarepusher alias, titled “MIDI Sans Frontieres.” Though he’s better known for maximalist explosions of breakbeats, hyperactive acid synths and fusion-jazz frippery,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 26, 2020
'Mishima: The Last Debate': Careful revival of a battle of wits
It was the title match of the decade: the rumble in the academic jungle. On May 13, 1969, literary titan Yukio Mishima strutted onstage in front of a 1,000-strong audience at the University of Tokyo to debate with representatives of the All Campus Joint Struggle Committee, otherwise known as Zenkyoto....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 20, 2020
Fuji Rock keeps calm and carries on despite coronavirus fears
You can’t fault the organizers of Fuji Rock Festival for failing to predict how thoroughly the COVID-19 outbreak would engulf the planet when they released a solemn announcement in late January, titled “Festival Crisis.”
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Saitama court bans demonstrations over anti-Kurd hate speech
Kurdish people in Japan in 2015. A court injunction has banned acts that defame the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and are disrespectful, such as putting up banner flags or handing out fliers with hate speech like “Refugees should go back to their home countries.”
China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals
Beijing Daxing International Airport
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
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.

Podcast

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

Longform

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER