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July 16, 2024
 

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James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2022
Tokyo International Film Festival sees welcome uptick in crowds
The 35th edition of the major movie event struck a noticeably different tone after relocating from Roppongi Hills to its new home in one of the more scenic areas of central Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 3, 2022
‘The Zen Diary’: Simple life lessons to feed the soul
Yuji Nakae's foodie drama, adapted from a 1978 book by the late Tsutomu Mizukami, plays out like a feature-length episode of “Chef's Table.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 27, 2022
‘Goodbye, Bad Magazines’: A sympathetic eulogy to adult entertainment
Shoichi Yokoyama's lighthearted romp offers an inside view of the collapse of Japan's pornography industry, but sidesteps some of the trickier ethical issues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2022
‘Journey Beyond the Night’: A bad trip worth savoring
Takayuki Kayano's genre-switching drama starts slow but delivers a one-way ticket to weirdness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 6, 2022
'Mondays: See You “This” Week!’: Zany office comedy gets stuck on repeat
Ryo Takebayashi's film about coworkers caught in a time loop is packed with knowing winks and references to the highs and lows of corporate culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 22, 2022
‘I Am Makimoto’: Sadawo Abe isn't what this ‘Still Life’ remake needed
Sadawo Abe plays a lonely, eccentric bureaucrat assigned with tracking down the relatives of those who have died alone in Nobuo Mizuta's remake of a British drama by Uberto Pasolini.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 15, 2022
‘Drifting Home’ gets marooned in a sea of allegory
Hiroyasu Ishida's magical realist tale about learning to let go of the past is poignant — until it loses its moorings.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2022
‘Love Life’ tells a meandering story about grief
Koji Fukada's drama about a married couple hit by tragedy is a little too oblique for its own good.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 1, 2022
'A Hundred Flowers': A sumptuous drama of forgiving and forgetting
Genki Kawamura's debut feature about a strained mother-son relationship is a richly cinematic experience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 25, 2022
Eiji Uchida loses the rhythm with ‘Offbeat Cops’
Director Eiji Uchida's musical police procedural, starring Hiroshi Abe as a detective who is relegated to play the drums in the force's band, is corny and predictable pro-cop propaganda.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 25, 2022
‘Bullet Train’ proves that Hollywood hasn’t lost its knack for topsy-turvy visions of Japan
David Leitch's hyper-violent comedy may be the least authentic screen depiction of the country since “Austin Powers,” but it's hardly the first Western movie to take such liberties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 18, 2022
‘Sabakan’: A whimsical throwback to the halcyon days of childhood
Director Tomoki Kanazawa revisits his own boyhood growing up in Nagasaki Prefecture with a light and sentimental drama about two youngsters finding friendship during a summer road trip.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 11, 2022
‘Tang’: The future is bright, bland and low on surprises
Kazunari Ninomiya and his CGI co-star are full of pep, but Takahiro Miki's “Tang” is not.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 4, 2022
‘Torao’: A striking foray into true crime
Fact and fiction blur but justice remains elusive in Kazuya Murayama's debut feature, centering on an unsolved murder and the real-life detective who worked the case.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 28, 2022
‘Yokaipedia’: Fantasy flick takes a page out of ‘Harry Potter’
Takashi Yamazaki's supernatural adventure film will cast a spell on younger viewers, but parents should find it entertaining, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 21, 2022
‘Dawning on Us’: Kenji Yamauchi’s pandemic drama contains some home truths
Kenji Yamauchi's drama about a family on the verge of a nervous breakdown in the wake of the pandemic hits a few snags but also offers wry observations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2022
‘Believers’ is explicit but has nothing to say
Hideo Jojo's cult caper is a kinky, flimsy throwback to the turn of the millennium when the Japanese public was still reeling from attacks by the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 30, 2022
‘Kami wa Mikaeri o Motomeru’: YouTuber drama leaves a nasty aftertaste
Director Keisuke Yoshida wades into morally gray territory in his film about a middle-aged man with a vendetta against an aspiring influencer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 23, 2022
‘Plan 75’: A chilling look at a callous future society
Chie Hayakawa's haunting dystopian drama about a government-sponsored euthanasia program to address Japan's aging society almost hits too close for comfort.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 16, 2022
‘Soup and Ideology’: A touching family portrait that feeds the soul
Director Yang Yonghi comes to terms with her mother's past trauma and animosity toward South Korea in the moving final chapter of her documentary trilogy on familial ties.
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
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