The Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs Oct. 20-28 at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills and other venues around the capital and the Tohoku region, is a great opportunity to see new Japanese films — with a couple caveats.
First, not all of them are screened with subtitles, though if you stick to the Competition, Special Screenings and Japanese Eyes sections you and your Japanese-language-challenged date will be safe. The only exception is the unsubbed Japanese Eyes screening of Keiko Tsuruoka's "Kujira no Machi (The Town of Whales)," the winner of the Grand Prix at this year's Pia Film Festival.
Second, screenings in the Special Screenings section, devoted to commercial films scheduled to open soon in local theaters, are often packed with excited fans of one or more of the film's stars, who appear for the ritual stage introductions. (Directors, unless they are celebrities as well, are invisible to this crowd.) Be prepared to buy your tickets early — and endure the inane questioning of said stars by a presenter.