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November 21, 2024
 

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James Hadfield
A married couple (Arata Iura, left, and Rena Tanaka) returning to their home village from a posting in occupied Korea become witnesses to a bloodbath in Tatsuya Mori’s historical drama, “September 1923.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 31, 2023
‘September 1923’ stylizes an oft-overlooked brutality
Tatsuya Mori’s drama is an important act of historical reclamation, but it’s practically indigestible.
A transfer student (Yuta Kishi, bottom center) hoping to find romance at his new school gets more than he bargained for in Toichiro Ruto’s manga adaptation, “G-Men.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 24, 2023
‘G-Men’: Pop heartthrobs surprise in silly smackdown
Toichiro Ruto’s film about a class of delinquent high-school brawlers scrapes by with a passing grade.
A deceased schoolgirl lures members of pop group Generations into her world with a killer earworm in “Sana.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 10, 2023
‘Sana’: Boy band horror flick is largely fan service
Takashi Shimizu’s film about a deadly ditty infecting members of J-pop group Generations offers generic scares with real-life concert footage.
As zombies take over the world, a salaryman (Eiji Akaso) decides to live his best life before his inevitable demise in “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 3, 2023
‘Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’: Zombie comedy has no bite
Netflix’s adaptation of the manga series about a salaryman making the most out of a zombie apocalypse is like scrolling through a mediocre Instagram feed.
Investigators involved in the case shed light on one of Japan’s biggest crime stories of the 2000s in “Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2023
‘Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case’: Notorious crime story gets slick Netflix treatment
The detectives are the stars in the Japan-only version of Netflix’s true-crime documentary about a missing-person investigation that captured the nation’s attention.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 13, 2023
‘Graveyard of Youth’ dispenses tough love for human flaws
Despite its discomforting scenes, Yosuke Okuda’s latest offering is his warmest and most rewarding film to date.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 6, 2023
'With Each Passing Breath': A compassionate and richly textured documentary
As summer festivals return to Japan in full force, a film dives into the lives of the people who keep the cultural elements behind them alive.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jun 29, 2023
'Hoarder on the Border': A film that gets better as the layers pile up
Hoarding is a serious social issue, but it’s given a disarmingly breezy treatment in Takayuki Kayano’s “Hoarder on the Border.”
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jun 23, 2023
‘River’: A creatively contained time-loop flick
Flooded with ingenuity, the team behind “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” renews a winning trope for a captivating, addictive watch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2023
‘Firing the Lighter Gun’: A gripping addition to the post-Fukushima canon
Kohei Sanada’s sophomore feature doesn’t always hit the mark, but it’s a grimly compelling portrait of the aftermath of a nuclear accident.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2023
With ‘Monster,’ Hirokazu Kore-eda makes a welcome return to form
The Palme d’Or-winning director’s homecoming to Japanese-language cinema is powerful and poignant as it unspools an intimate story about bullying, misunderstandings and family dynamics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 18, 2023
‘Nagisa’: A beautiful fever dream of guilt and grief
Takeshi Kogahara’s drama is a ravishing and disquieting tale of hauntings and forbidden lust that rewards close attention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2023
‘Hard Days’: Cop thriller remake proves bigger isn't always better
Michihito Fujii’s take on the South Korean movie “A Hard Day” is more convoluted, more implausible and not nearly as much fun as it should be.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 5, 2023
Meiko Kaji conjures the underworld of 1970s Japan
The 'Urami Bushi' singer harks back to a film era of vengeful women, smoke-wreathed bars and gambling dens on the reissue of “Hajiki Uta,” one of her solo albums from the 1970s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Reviews
May 3, 2023
‘Sanctuary’: Bad boy of sumo’s journey doesn’t pack a punch
Centered on a brutish underdog, the Netflix series about professional sumo offers satisfying heft in its action sequences, but its uneven storyline is anticlimactic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2023
‘Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room’: Ryohei Suzuki stands out in formulaic adaptation
The actor gives a blockbuster performance in an entertaining but predictable feature film spin-off of the hit TBS medical drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2023
‘Side by Side’: A dreamy vision wrapped in an enigma
Chihiro Ito’s sophomore film in which mortal and spirit realms coexist marks her as a director with a distinctive style.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 6, 2023
‘From the End of the World’: An unlikely teen dream savior
Lead actor Aoi Ito lends believable vulnerability to Kazuaki Kiriya’s patchwork swansong about a young girl with the ability to avert an impending apocalypse in her sleep.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 5, 2023
The unyielding spirit of Ryuichi Sakamoto
The award-winning composer and member of Yellow Magic Orchestra showed a rebellious streak throughout his life, which not only influenced musicians worldwide but also effected social change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2023
‘Self-Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle’ is an experimental slog
Gakuryu Ishii's rambling treatise on art and self-actualization spends much more time talking about the magic of movies than actually invoking it.
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.
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