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July 16, 2024
 

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James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2018
'Punk Samurai Slash Down': An audacious adaptation that may look better on paper
...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2018
'The Cat in Their Arms': Forget the idol-pop plot points and stick with the pets
You probably know the type: lonely, maybe even a little antisocial and more comfortable talking to cats than people.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 13, 2018
Juliette Binoche gets to see the 'real' Japan in 'Vision'
"It's so warm in here!" exclaims Juliette Binoche. "You know in (Michael) Haneke's film, I have a scene where I kind of suffocate and I think that I'm going to die? It feels like that! Do you think you can open the window?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 13, 2018
'Batman Ninja': The Caped Crusader's Japan jaunt is a missed opportunity
Following in the noble tradition of "Sharknado," "Snakes on a Plane" and "Sex and the City 2," this elaborately executed nonsense is the kind of project where you just know that the title came first. "Batman Ninja" (or "Ninja Batman" as it's being called here) answers the question nobody had thought...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2018
'50 First Kisses': Swipe left on this rom-com redo
An incorrigible playboy spots a young woman at a diner in Hawaii and is instantly smitten. After he plucks up the courage to talk to her, they hit it off and arrange to meet again at the same place the following day. But when he goes back, she treats him like a complete stranger. It turns out she has...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2018
'Deadpool 2': A tad tame but still a ton of fun
Blame it on the Bat. For a brief period, Deadpool seemed like the most subversive player on the cinematic superhero circuit, deflating the genre's pretensions with a barrage of self-referential humor and fourth wall-breaking asides. But after last year's "The Lego Batman Movie," he's starting to look...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 23, 2018
'Isle of Dogs': Mutt ado about nothing?
If you've ever flipped on a TV in a hotel room in a country whose language you don't understand, you'll know what it's like to try to grasp for meaning when all the usual semantic signposts are gone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2018
'The Shoot Must Go On': Masayoshi Sukita captures some of rock music's most iconic figures
Even if you don't recognize the name, you probably know his shots. Photographer Masayoshi Sukita has captured images of rock gods and movie stars that deserve that most overused of epithets: iconic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 10, 2018
Cero chooses a more complicated kind of pop on 'Poly Life Mutli Soul'
If you wanted to pinpoint the moment Cero broke the glass ceiling of Japan's indie music scene, it would be March 7, 2016. That's when the group — still cresting on the buzz generated by its "Obscure Ride" album the previous year — performed that record's signature singalong, "Summer Soul," alongside...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2018
'Amachan' star rebrands as Non and kicks out the jams on 'Super Heroes' debut
During the summer of 2013, when millions of viewers tuned in every morning to catch the latest installment of NHK's "Amachan," the show's sprightly 19-year-old star, Rena Nonen, seemed destined for big things. But her breakout role quickly became a cautionary tale about the perils of the entertainment...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2018
Hide: The musician whose death rocked Japan
On the evening of May 2, 1998, as most of Japan was basking in the annual Golden Week holidays, a few dozen young women had gathered outside an apartment building in Tokyo's Minamiazabu neighborhood.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2018
'Avengers: Infinity War': Bold, bombastic and a bit of a bummer
This review contains discussion of plot points that may be seen as mild spoilers for "Avengers: Infinity War."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 26, 2018
Back to square one in war on dancing
It has been nearly two years since Japan revised an archaic law banning late-night dancing, but don't expect any celebrations to mark the occasion. Over the past few months, the Metropolitan Police Department has quietly renewed its campaign against unauthorized boogying, because Lord knows there's nothing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 11, 2018
'Liverleaf': Sadistic school bullies get their comeuppance in a bloody, bleak thriller
From "Battle Royale" to "The World of Kanako," the past 20 years of Japanese cinema have yielded countless examples of school kids behaving very, very badly. Director Eisuke Naito is a specialist in the genre: He started his career with the charmingly titled "Let's Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 4, 2018
'Saimon & Tada Takashi': High school drama with anime and sci-fi twists
The pangs of unrequited love are a familiar staple in high-school movies, but it's not often that they involve an altercation with a flying saucer. In his lopsided debut feature, "Saimon & Tada Takashi," writer-director Manabu Oda mixes sensitive teen drama with surreal humor and low-budget sci-fi...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 28, 2018
'Sakana Zukan': Sakanaction excels when it wades through shallow territory
Now that Spotify playlists have supplanted albums as the preferred method of consuming an artist's work, the concept of greatest-hits compilations feels both prescient and redundant, like releasing DJ mix albums in the era of SoundCloud. For the musicians themselves, though, such compilations can offer...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 21, 2018
'Dynamite Graffiti': Sleaze to some and art to others
At the peak of its popularity in the 1980s, the innocuously named "Shashin Jidai" ("Photo Age") sold 350,000 copies a month. Edited by the self-made publishing impresario Akira Suei, the magazine featured cutting-edge photography by the likes of Nobuyoshi Araki and Daido Moriyama and in-depth articles...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Mar 15, 2018
Netflix's new yakuza flick has Jared Leto on the outs with critics
In his 1999 book "Tokyo Underworld," Robert Whiting told the real-life story of Nick Zappetti, a former American GI in postwar Japan who becomes embroiled in a world of yakuza and corrupt politicians. Subtitled "The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan," it had all the hallmarks...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 7, 2018
Clint Eastwood's Japan critics are always there to make his day
"Everybody knocks out a flop every now and then," quipped Clint Eastwood during a recent interview to promote his latest movie, "The 15:17 to Paris."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 28, 2018
Yorgos Lanthimos' latest is absurd, abrasive and, on second watch, rather funny
Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has been responsible for some of the most provocative and peculiar films of the past decade. His Oscar-nominated movie "Dogtooth" (2009) depicted a married couple who had kept their grown-up children confined at home for their entire lives. "The Lobster" (2015) — his...
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
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.
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.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
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.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

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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