Tag - kaiju

 
 

KAIJU

Godzilla is presented with a certificate after being selected for Hollywood's Walk of Fame during a news conference in Tokyo in October 2004.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 6, 2023
New 'Godzilla' flick deftly tackles postwar Japan in cinematic triumph
Godzilla strikes again: New 'Minus One' movie is a visual spectacle that challenges Hollywood's big budget norms.
“Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again” fully articulates the intentions behind the creation of Japan’s most infamous "kaijū" (monster) before Toho Studios releases the newest chapter in the “Godzilla” saga.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 29, 2023
‘Godzilla’ novellas expand on infamous monster’s origins
Shigeru Kayama’s entertaining and informative stories delve deep into the underlying pacifist beliefs of the entire “Godzilla” franchise.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2022
‘What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?’: Satoshi Miki’s inverted monster movie bites off more than it can chew
Satoshi Miki's disaster film about what happens after a monster attack sounds good on paper, but it's an almighty mess.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 26, 2021
A look behind the scenes with Godzilla, the ‘king of monsters’
Norman England's new book, 'Behind the Kaiju Curtain,' gives an insider's take on Japan's kaiju016b craftsmanship and monster movie-making.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 18, 2017
Ishiro Honda: The master behind Godzilla
Everyone knows "Godzilla," the 1954 film that introduced Japan's most famous monster to the world. But the name of its director, Ishiro Honda, was for a long time only mentioned by foreign critics and fans in passing, if at all.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 22, 2017
Fun with zombies, kaiju and Mario in your living room
Hungry for a new PSVR experience?
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Mar 18, 2017
Breaking the comic book glass ceiling
Four years ago, Chinese-American writer Marjorie Liu had a simple but persistent idea: create an epic fantasy comic book series about a classic Japanese kaijū (strange beast) movie monster that has a connection to a girl.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 28, 2016
Our favorite monster returns to terrorize Japan in 'Shin Godzilla'
After 12 years in storage (or on Monster Island) a Japanese Godzilla is roaring again. Toho film studios has revived the world's favorite atomic-breathed monster in "Shin Godzilla," which is set for nationwide release today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 16, 2016
Ultraman: Ultracool at 50
Ultraman has been defending humanity against monsters and aliens for half a century. We examine the superhero's enduring legacy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2015
Online campaign begins to pick most popular local Japanese monster
An ad agency is running an online campaign to select the most popular local monster from the nation's 47 prefectures to raise money for reforestation and environmental conservation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2015
The gorgeous world of Japanese gore
Zerai Naoi makes his living by keeping gore hounds fed on a shoestring budget. If you want to sample his work, it helps to have a strong stomach.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2014
Godzilla: the monster with multiple personalities
"Godzilla" was the first Japanese movie I saw. It was also the first for many other American baby boomers, though we did not view Ishiro Honda's 1954 original, but a version that had been heavily edited and dubbed for the U.S. market, with additional footage featuring Raymond Burr as an intrepid American reporter in Tokyo. This version was released in the U.S. in 1956 as "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" and it became a big hit, opening the floodgates for other Japanese films starring various kaijū (giant monsters).
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Apr 6, 2014
Tokyo jumps on theme bar bandwagon
Tokyo and its surrounding areas provide an array of entertainment spots to serve the varied interests of its inhabitants, day or night. The latest fads are theme bars and restaurants for those seeking an unusual drinking or dining experience. Guys who were fascinated by Ultraman in the heady high-growth 1960s can lose themselves in nostalgia at Kaiju Sakaba, a Kawasaki restaurant-bar themed on the space monsters the hero battled in the sci-fi TV series, whose popularity with kids pushed its viewer rating as high as 45 percent.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?