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May 17, 2024
 

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Kaori Shoji
Kaori Shoji writes about movies and movie-makers for the Film Page, plus takes a turn at the Bilingual Column. Biggest mistake of her career: taking the very dignified Nagisa Oshima to McDonald's for an iced coffee.
For Kaori Shoji's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 23, 2017
Yokosuka native Haruna Kamezaki attains the American dream
Kamezaki was born in the mid-1980s and grew up in a household 'full of American records and movies, because my parents — and especially my dad — loved American culture.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Dec 7, 2017
Japan gets its own 'Orphan Black' ... with a few twists
Japanese TV tends to draw its inspiration from the bountiful well of manga, but Fuji Television and Tokai Television looked overseas to come up with their version of the hit Canadian series "Orphan Black," which began airing Dec. 2.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 6, 2017
'52Hz, I Love You' upends the stereotype that Asian cinema can't do romantic musicals
Once upon a time (a decade ago), the unspoken consensus in the movie world seemed to be that Asians couldn't do love stories, much less musical love stories. Happy, soaring, blockbuster types that would send audiences home with goofy smiles and humming a tune from the soundtrack? Not happening.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 2, 2017
Women in Japan too tired to care about dating or searching for a partner
While Japanese society and the media continue to exhort — nay plead — with women to find marriage partners, 60 percent of eligible women say they cannot feel relaxed enough to get interested in renai (love relationships), according to a Yomeishu survey picked up by cocolini jp.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 22, 2017
The Yoshida Brothers get in on Kubo's big adventure
Speaking as a Japanese person, I can't help but feel a short burst of national pride when Hollywood gives my country any kind of attention, like with the animated film "Kubo and the Two Strings."
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 20, 2017
The Japanese love to play number games
How would you read the name of a person whose kanji is written u4e00 u4e09u516bu5b50?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 9, 2017
'Goodbye, Grandpa!' shows us how funerals are quintessentially Japanese
Want a glimpse into the dynamics of a Japanese family? Head to a funeral. That other big family function, the wedding, is a time for putting on a brave face and meeting the in-laws in a spirit of celebration. But, funerals? Those are like emotional detonating switches: Festering resentments erupt, buried...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 8, 2017
'Wondrous cinematography' and 'relevant issues': How Semih Kaplanoglu's 'Grain' won over the Tokyo International Film Festival
Actor Tommy Lee Jones reveals what goes on in the mind of a film festival juror.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 1, 2017
'Kokoro': Belgian director Vanja d'Alcantara offers an insightful interpretation of the Japanese mindset
Alice is a woman who has it all: a beautiful house in a Paris suburb, a loving husband and two teenage children who can be difficult at times but would surely panic if their maman were to suddenly make herself unavailable. Still, Alice (Isabelle Carre) suspects something is missing, and her days are...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 26, 2017
Getting close to Ryuichi Sakamoto
Stephen Nomura Schible refrains from saying whether he and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto are friends, or even close, despite having filmed a documentary about him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 25, 2017
'Birds Without Names': Strong acting gets us through a couple's bad romance
If you're in the mood for a pleasant love story, avoid "Birds Without Names" like the plague. On the other hand, if you're cursing the idea of another Christmas alone, revel in the hope that all relationships may be as bad as the ones in this film.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 16, 2017
Japanese women graduating from motherhood
The Japanese u6bcd (haha, mother) of lore gave her children unconditional love while protecting them from the wrath and u7406u4e0du5c3d (rifujin, unreasonableness).
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2017
This woman's work is never dull
Hidetomo Masuno says he thinks too much. The 41-year-old comedian who goes by the name Bakarhythm says he spends most of his waking hours deep in thought — "but first," he stresses, "I observe."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 4, 2017
Junji Sakamoto's 'Ernesto' tells the story of a Japanese man's role in Che's revolution
The Latin American revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara remains an enduring leftist icon throughout the world, including in Japan. Here, however, his visage pops up in somewhat apolitical moments — like at soccer games in support of the Urawa Reds.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 27, 2017
The crafted sensuality of director Tran Anh Hung
When Tran Anh Hung enters the room for an interview with The Japan Times, a hush falls among the people gathered there. The staff speak in low, gentle tones and their gestures seem restrained.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 27, 2017
'Pelican: 74 Years of Japanese Tradition': A bread documentary that isn't half-baked
The first thing a customer will say when they walk into Pelican past lunchtime is: "Any left?" That's how fast loaves sell at this popular Asakusa bakery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 20, 2017
'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store': Nostalgia-fueled tears are on sale at this shop
Japanese critics are calling "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" the "most tear-inducing" story ever adapted from a Keigo Higashino novel. The best-selling author has penned such sensations as the thrillers "The Devotion of Suspect X" and "Journey Under the Midnight Sun," but "Namiya" went a different...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 16, 2017
Documentary filmmaker Megumi Sasaki learns to live in the moment in New York
For a long time Megumi Sasaki felt that something did not quite fit.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 11, 2017
The enduring mystique of the Showa Era
For many Japanese, life is divided into two distinctly historical time lines: before and after the Showa Era.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 6, 2017
'The Fall of Icarus: Narita Stories': Victory and loss surround the world's entry point to Japan
Almost everyone who comes to Tokyo via Narita International Airport notices the lush green fields surrounding the runways and terminal buildings. It's a nice sight after sitting on an airplane for so long.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Human bone-like objects found at Nippon Steel plant’s molten iron pot, with one worker missing
Police believe it’s highly possible that human bones found in a molten iron pot at Nippon Steel's Oita factory belong to a missing male employee.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Japan to review romanization system for first time in 70 years
An advisory panel to the education ministry will consider how the Japanese language should be transcribed into the Latin alphabet, including unifying different romanization styles currently in use.
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

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