Tag - documentaries

 
 

DOCUMENTARIES

Veteran peace activist Setsuko Yamazato warns of the gathering “clouds of war” in Chie Mikami’s eight-year chronicle of the militarization of Okinawa.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2024
‘Clouds of War’: The real story of Okinawa is its people
“Clouds of War” is an unwieldy but heartfelt portrait of citizens fighting back against militarization in Okinawa.
"Tsushima: Fukushima Speaks Part 2" is directed by freelance journalist Toshikuni Doi, featuring the testimonies of people seeking the return of their hometown, which has been deemed uninhabitable for a century after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2024
Film poses moral questions about 2011 Fukushima disaster displacement
The 187-minute documentary focuses on the impact the accident had on the daily lives of people who are unable to return to their hometown.
Women in a cotton field at a welfare facility in Yamanashi Prefecture in the film "Fujiyama Cottonton." The film aims to show audiences the everyday lives of people with disabilities.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 20, 2024
New documentary offers a look at life with disabilities in Japan
"Fujiyama Cottonton" shows how people at a welfare facility live full lives by communicating and pursuing simple passions.
Diagnosed at a young age with a rare variant of glycogen storage disease type IV, Mark Bookman went on to distinguish himself in academia in both the United States and Japan.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Feb 19, 2024
New film honors life and legacy of disability pioneer Mark Bookman
Free screenings of THE new documentary on Japan-based disability rights advocate Mark Bookman will be held around Tokyo on Feb. 24, 25 and 27.
Takuro Adachi’s documentary “Sono Kodo ni Mimi wo Ateyo” follows doctors working in Aichi Prefecture’s busiest ER over nine months.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2024
‘Sono Kodo ni Mimi o Ateyo’: An absorbing dive into pressures of the ER
Filmed at the height of the pandemic, Takuro Adachi’s documentary spotlights emergency room doctors who attend to patients from every strata of society.
Tetsu Nakamura was a Japanese doctor who spent decades addressing some of the root causes of Afghanistan’s health crisis. He was killed, along with five others by still-unidentified armed men in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Dec. 4, 2019.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 5, 2024
New film ensures slain Japanese doctor's Afghan legacy lives on
An English-language documentary is set to introduce the humanitarian feats of Tetsu Nakamura, who spent decades tackling Afghanistan’s health crisis, to a new audience.
"The Ones Left Behind" documents the successes and struggles of single mothers in Japan.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 2, 2023
Why single mothers in Japan have been left behind
Filmmaker Rionne McAvoy joins us to discuss the hidden poverty present in one of the world’s richest nations.
Vagaries in Japanese law mean single mothers are sometimes left without financial support from their former partners.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 23, 2023
Documentary shines a spotlight on Japan’s single mothers
"The Ones Left Behind" explores the successes and struggles of single mothers in modern Japan.
Veteran broadcaster and DJ Peter Barakan has been a fixture in Japanese music media for decades. He is now in his third year as curator and namesake of Peter Barakan’s Music Film Festival, which kicks off in Tokyo today.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 1, 2023
Peter Barakan's Music Film Festival celebrates cinema and song
The three-week event kicks off its third edition with 31 films including documentaries, concert films and narrative films centered on music.
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
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2023
A few small tips for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Our film critic provides his recommendations for Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which is currently unspooling at cinemas across Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 2, 2023
'The Night Before Upheaval' navigates the murky waters of overseas film festivals
Japanese indie director Mutsuki Kameyama explores the ins and outs of the overseas festival circuit in their new documentary.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
May 12, 2023
World Baseball Classic documentary headed to theaters in Japan
A documentary film about Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic victory will be shown at theaters around the country for three weeks from June 2, NPB Enterprise Inc. said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 21, 2023
A documentary on the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 has unearthed Japan's first 'disaster footage'
Criticized for filming the destruction at the time, the filmmakers involved have provided a look into how people responded to a 7.9-magnitude quake 100 years ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2023
Elderly survivors fight to preserve memory of Tokyo firebombing in 'Paper City'
In his documentary, Australian filmmaker Adrian Francis explores the collective amnesia surrounding the wartime firebombings of Japan's capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 1, 2023
'On the Way Home': Documentary shines spotlight on death of disabled man during interaction with police
A documentary titled 'On the Way Home' tells the story of Kenta Yasunaga and tries to start a conversation about how the Japanese legal system handles disability.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 26, 2023
French documentary and Spanish girl clinch top prizes at Berlinale
The top prize went to a documentary and the best acting award to an 8-year-old actress at a Berlinale awards ceremony full of surprises.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 7, 2021
Let them eat pancakes: A new film looks at Yoshihide Suga's brand of politicking
Producer Mitsunobu Kawamura hopes that a new political documentary, 'Tasting the Pancake for Poison,' will entice younger voters to take part in the upcoming election.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 13, 2021
Sari Kaede: 'It's possible to be an ordinary person who just happens to be a trans woman'
Sari Kaede brings her journey as a transgender woman to the screen in a documentary titled 'You Decide.' She hopes to provide some support for young people in the process.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 28, 2021
Daido Moriyama documentary brings the photographer’s legacy into focus
A new film by Gen Iwama centered around reproducing photographer Daido Moriyama's out-of-print book from 1968 captures a master unconcerned with reliving past glories.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores