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July 16, 2024
 

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James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 13, 2022
‘The Journalist’: A wake-up call that feels more like a lecture
Netflix's six-episode political drama series expands on Michihito Fujii's 2019 film of the same title, giving a detailed fictionalized account of a real-life scandal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 6, 2022
‘Haruhara-san’s Recorder’: A story of grief told with the lightest of brushstrokes
Kyoshi Sugita's resonant drama captures the process of mourning with restrained cinematography and subtle performances.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 23, 2021
‘Underdogs’: It’s a colorful life in Manila’s underbelly
Tsuyoshi Kumeta's documentary captures the bustle and squalor of the capital of the Philippines as it follows four Japanese men living in the city's slums over the course of seven years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2021
‘Shrieking in the Rain’: Frothy fun, good for a night in
Eiji Uchida's lighthearted ode to 1980s moviemaking treads similar territory as “The Naked Director,” but instead focuses on the film industry from a female perspective.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2021
‘What She Likes …’: LGBTQ drama gets stuck on stereotypes
Shogo Kusano's film about the relationship between a closeted gay teenager and a girl obsessed with homoerotic manga has its heart in the right place, but gets everything else wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2021
‘Minamata Mandala’: An unfinished battle for accountability
Documentary film director Kazuo Hara chronicles the ongoing struggles of Minamata disease victims to hold the state responsible in one of Japan's worst cases of industrial pollution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 25, 2021
‘Cowboy Bebop’: Live-action riff on beloved anime hits flat notes
John Cho turns out to be one of the best things in Netflix's good-looking but painfully square adaptation of the 1990s anime series about intergalactic bounty hunters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Nov 13, 2021
TIFF and Tokyo Filmex shakeup gets conversations going
The 34th edition of Tokyo's annual film event marked the debut of a newly appointed programming director, an emphasis on female perspectives and the resurrection of the TIFF Times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2021
TIFF's Director in Focus Keisuke Yoshida makes a case for compassion
The underrated director of films such as “Himeanole,” “Blue” and “Intolerance” gets his due at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2021
‘Parasite in Love’: Pulpy drama has young love on the brain
Kensaku Kakimoto's moody romance has an interesting premise about the relationship between love and mental illness, but it doesn't quite settle on the right tone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 4, 2021
‘And So the Baton Is Passed’: No, these are not happy tears
Tetsu Maeda's melodrama about abandoned children and questionable parenting may bring on the waterworks, but the film's underlying message doesn't inspire much hope.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2021
Hirokazu Kore-eda brings his golden touch to TIFF
The Conversation Series at Asia Lounge, a program of discussions that the director helps curate, gives Tokyo's annual film festival a philosophical boost.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2021
‘Unlock Your Heart’: Queen bee brings the sting of teen drama
Anna Yamada is captivating as a high school senior who seems to have it all — except the boy she likes — and comes up with a plan to win his affections in a teen drama from Rin Shuto.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2021
‘Pretenders’: Much ado about altruism in the social media age
Izuru Kumasaka's film about the slippery slopes of tricking people into being good Samaritans and chasing internet fame combines a scrappy energy with guerilla-style shots of Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 14, 2021
‘Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai’: A historical swashbuckler full of gusto
Director Masato Harada's period film focuses on the rise and fall of the infamous Shinsengumi samurai corps during the years of political tumult leading up to the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 7, 2021
‘In the Wake’: The trauma of 3/11 lingers, 10 years on
Takahisa Zeze's murder drama focuses on the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the survivors who have been neglected by the social welfare system.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 30, 2021
‘Eternally Younger Than Those Idiots’: Giving adulthood the old college try
Yui Sakuma makes a quirky character relatable in Ryohei Yoshino's earnest coming-of-age drama about a college student who's out of touch with her peers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 23, 2021
‘First Gentleman’: Political romcom is an also-ran
Hayato Kawai's lightweight comedy imagines Japan getting its first female prime minister, but reality may have already caught up.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2021
‘Moonlight Shadow’: Dream-like mood piece depicts grief with aching clarity
Nana Komatsu's performance as a woman mourning a lost love anchors Edmund Yeo's seductive adaptation of a Banana Yoshimoto short story.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 26, 2021
‘A Girl on the Shore’: A risque teen drama comes up empty
Atsushi Ueda's film adaptation of Inio Asano's manga stays true to its source material, but doesn't quite capture the messy emotions of adolescence.
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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