In the Jan. 4 article "Once again, here comes the West to the Orient," writer Kaori Shoji labels the film "Silk" Orientalist, but fails to provide any convincing evidence for this pejorative. Her one relevant criticism is that a village lord speaking English in pre-Meiji Japan would have been "an impossible feat." She has obviously never heard of John Manjiro and the demand placed upon him by nobility to teach English.
Some time ago, Shoji berated the director of "Memoirs of a Geisha" for his ignorance of Japanese culture, conveniently ignoring the long list of Japanese names in the wardrobe, art department and script consultant credits of the movie.
In that review one of her main criticisms was that the two main characters would never have kissed outdoors. How can she state conclusively that in a time before she was born two people in a secluded outdoor spot would never have kissed?
Could future reviews of films set in Japan, helmed by Western male directors, be carried out by someone who does not appear to have an ax to grind?