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September 01, 2025
 

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Mark Schilling
Artistically talented 14-year-old Sosuke (Konosuke Harada) finds himself pulled into deeper currents in his coastal town in “Seaside Serendipity.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 22, 2025
‘Seaside Serendipity’: A pastel-soaked reverie on youthful creativity
Satoko Yokohama’s film blends watercolor whimsy, bohemian houseguests and a school newspaper scoop gone too far into a youth-skewed summer tale.
A Japanese soldier (Eiji Funakoshi) with tuberculosis struggles to survive in the Filipino countryside during World War II in “Fires on the Plain.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2025
‘Fires on the Plain’: Haunting imagery in restored 1959 war film stands the test of time
Now restored in 4K, Kon Ichikawa’s film is a far from simple survival story that stares into humanity’s darkest corners.
Three teenage student nurses (from left: Karin Ono, Asuka Kawatoko and Hinako Kikuchi) face the aftermath of the atomic bombing of their hometown in “Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 7, 2025
‘Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash’ honors young nurses thrust into hellish nightmare
Searing and based on true accounts, Jumpei Matsumoto’s drama follows teenage girls turned wartime caregivers as they navigate the unthinkable.
In “Stigmatized Properties: Possession,” Yahiro Kuwata (Shota Watanabe, left) is a steel worker from Fukuoka who moves to Tokyo to become a TV personality and ends up renting a haunted apartment.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2025
'Stigmatized Properties: Possession': Layered lead faces ghosts and show business
In the sequel to his 2020 haunted apartments horror, Hideo Nakata creates goose-pimply moments of terror with common paranormal phenomena.
Before multiplexes entered the Japanese theatrical market in the early 1990s, moviegoers frequented “roadside theaters” — cinemas located in central urban areas near train lines. The Marunouchi Toei, which will close July 27, is the last of such theaters in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 24, 2025
Marunouchi Toei closes as Japan’s cinema landscape evolves
As audiences gravitate toward the luxury, tech and varied lineups of multiplexes, Tokyo’s last "roadside theater" closes after 65 years, marking the end of an era in moviegoing.
Two university students (Sara Minami, left, and Fumika Baba) with grim family lives find camaraderie and warmth in each other in “Love Doesn't Matter to Me.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 17, 2025
‘Love Doesn't Matter to Me’: Romance takes a backseat to female friendship
In Aya Igashi’s unconventional coming-of-age drama, not all people deserve forgiveness and not all women need love to thrive.
Hyun Bin (center) plays real-life Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun in “Harbin.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 11, 2025
‘Harbin’: Somber historical drama sees act of mercy lead to bloodshed
Hyun Bin portrays real-life Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun as a complex figure shrouded in a sense of doom in Woo Min-ho’s film.
Satoshi Kirishima (Katsuya Maiguma) goes into hiding after becoming a wanted man for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in “I Am Kirishima.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2025
‘I Am Kirishima’ peels back the mystery of a fugitive radical
Banmei Takahashi's drama gives shape to a man whose face appeared on wanted posters in police stations across Japan — and who stayed hidden for decades.
An 11-year-old girl (Yui Suzuki) finds glimpses of hope while coping with her father’s terminal illness in “Renoir.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2025
‘Renoir’: An impressionistic portrait of grief and girlhood
Chie Hayakawa’s latest feature about a young girl facing losing a parent to cancer is a shining, soulful study of quiet mourning.
A Disaster Medical Assistance Team commander (Shun Oguri, right) and a health ministry official (Tori Matsuzaka) work together to respond to Japan’s first brush with COVID-19 in “Frontline — Yokohama Bay.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2025
‘Frontline — Yokohama Bay’ revisits nation’s first pandemic struggles
Part docudrama, part recognition of unsung crisis responders, “Frontline — Yokohama Bay” looks back at the ship that warned a nation: COVID-19 is here.
In “Dollhouse,” a grieving mother (Masami Nagasawa) finds comfort in an old doll that resembles her deceased child, until the toy starts wreaking havoc on her family.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2025
Parental grief and spiritual terror collide in ‘Dollhouse’
Previously known for feel-good comedies, Shinobu Yaguchi turns to delivering creeping unease in his mysterious film.
Lee Sang-il’s "Kokuho" stars Ryo Yoshizawa as an orphan from a yakuza clan who rises through the world of kabuki to become a star performer.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2025
‘Kokuho’ finds riveting drama on and off the kabuki stage
Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama deliver stage performances that are both convincing as kabuki and arresting as drama in Lee Sang-il’s ambitious film.
Five high school classmates bond and grow over the course of their sophomore to senior years in “I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t.”
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2025
‘I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t’ gives teen angst a whimsical twist
Shun Nakagawa’s emotionally resonant ensemble drama reveals deep truths about the inner lives of adolescents.
“Marion” provides a glimpse into the lives of bull dodgers, who perform a nonlethal version of bullfighting.
CULTURE / Film
May 23, 2025
Six short films that capture our world in mere minutes
The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia proves that less time doesn't have to mean a lack of substance.
A once-famous Filipino actor (Carlo Aquino, left) joins forces with a struggling Japanese businessman (Takehiro Hira) to track down a serial killer in “Crosspoint."
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2025
‘Crosspoint’ can’t quite find its target
Donie Ordiales’ dark comedy about a washed-up Filipino actor and a broke Japanese businessman teaming up has thrills and social commentary but loses momentum along the way.
Along with running a commissary located outside a prison, Shinji Kaneko (Ryuhei Maruyama) carries out requests on behalf of detainees and their families in “Kaneko’s Commissary.”
CULTURE / Film
May 15, 2025
‘Kaneko's Commissary’ explores prison culture from the outside in
First-time director Go Furukawa’s heartfelt film stands out from the genre crowd for its informed examination of how the prison complex operates.
After not seeing each other for eight years, Kana (Yuuka Nakao, left) reluctantly agrees to look after her ailing grandmother (Naoko Ken) and eventually finds ways to have fun and bond with her in “Wash Away.”
CULTURE / Film
May 9, 2025
‘Wash Away’ brightens dementia drama with sudsy spin
Ikunosuke Okazaki’s comic yet tender film about a young woman looking after her ailing grandmother offers a positive look at caregiving for the ailing elderly.
An aspiring manga artist (Mei Nagano, center) is mentored by a gruff art teacher (Yo Oizumi, left) in “Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey.”
CULTURE
May 1, 2025
‘Blank Canvas’: 'Tough love' of the past isn't so funny anymore
Based on an autobiographical comic about the road to becoming a manga artist, the film missteps by excusing violence with sentimental nostalgia.
An immature college student (Riku Hagiwara, left) is caught in the middle of a love triangle in “She Taught Me Serendipity.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2025
‘She Taught Me Serendipity’: A quiet reminder not to take people for granted
While Akiko Ohku’s latest seems like a rom-com on its surface, the ensemble piece delves deeper into the importance of appreciating loved ones while you can.
A reincarnated Chinese strategist (Osamu Mukai) finds himself in modern-day Japan and helps an up-and-coming pop singer win a music competition in “Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2025
‘Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie’: J-pop spectacle goes heavy on performances
Shuhei Shibue's film about the improbable musical career of a Chinese strategist reincarnated in modern-day Japan delivers J-pop high notes and history deep cuts.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
A polar bear at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Thursday. The Arctic animals are among the most vulnerable species to Japan's scorching summer heat and zookeepers have to take a number of precautions in order to keep them safe.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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