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April 26, 2025
 

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Mark Schilling
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 23, 2022
'Tokyo 2020 Side B': Behind the scenes of the 'pandemic Olympics'
While the overall tone is positive and inspirational, the second volume of Naomi Kawase's documentary on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games feels overloaded with aural and visual details.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 16, 2022
'Broker': The all-star cast shines in Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest film
Actor Song Kang-ho stands out in the director's incisive and at times heartwarming feature about a band of misfits involved in the black market for babies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2022
‘Yes, I Can't Swim': Tearful comedy avoids the shallows
Though Kensaku Watanabe's film follows a predictable story arc, it maintains a humorous vibe while exploring serious subjects such as facing fears and overcoming tragedy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 3, 2022
Seven to see at this year’s Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
The short film festival celebrates the briefest of screen gems. Festival winners not only get the respect of their peers but a shot at an Oscar as well.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 2, 2022
'Gensan Punch': It's the fights outside the ring that matter
Veteran character actor Shogen's soft-spoken and self-abnegating portrayal of the hero manages to exude a quiet grit that comes off as authentic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 26, 2022
'Anime Supremacy!': An informative look at the business of anime stops short of getting real
Though charming, the film adaptation of a novel by Mizuki Tsujimura misses an opportunity to tackle the actual problems facing young animators.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 19, 2022
‘Wandering’: Questionable subject matter, handled with care
Zainichi Korean filmmaker Sang-il Lee's drama about the lasting effects of an unconventional attachment between a child and a grown adult reveals the brutal realities of Japanese society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 12, 2022
‘My Small Land’: An intimate look at an uncertain future
Emma Kawawada's compelling drama about a family of Kurdish refugees in Japan lays bare the emotional toll of Japan's treatment of asylum seekers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 5, 2022
‘Lesson in Murder’: A masterclass in portraying evil
Sadawo Abe delivers a chilling performance as a murderous mastermind in Kazuya Shiraishi's psychological thriller.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2022
'Bldg. N’: Paranormal scares turn plain silly
Minori Hagiwara's commitment to portraying a college student terrorized by ghosts and cult members isn't enough to rescue Yosuke Goto's increasingly wacky horror film.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 21, 2022
‘xxxHolic’: Over-the-top camp casts a lackluster spell
Mika Ninagawa's film about a superpowered high schooler who is forced to repeat his birthday in a time loop is a visual spectacle that gets bogged down with pat philosophizing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2022
‘Phoenix Goes On’: Buddy road trip offers fun hijinks
Arata Iura and Ryo Narita play off each other well as two friends on a bizarre quest in the follow-up to Kanata Wolf's 2018 film “Smokin' on the Moon.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2022
‘Kingdom of the Apes’: Corporate power games leave a bloody mess
Shugo Fujii tackles a familiar story line in his new film “Kingdom of the Apes”: An intrepid journalist investigates a coverup, incurring the wrath of the powers-that-be. It is a narrative that was injected with topical relevance in the 2019 hit “The Journalist,” directed by Michihito Fujii (no...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 31, 2022
‘Two Outs Bases Loaded’: Bonehead comedy strikes out
Hirokazu Fujisawa's film about the misadventures of two former high school athletes turned burnouts is silly and predictable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 26, 2022
‘Mlabri in the Woods’ offers a rare look at former hunter-gatherers
Director Yu Kaneko's documentary about an ethnic group living in the hills of Laos and northern Thailand began with an encounter with a Japanese linguist fluent in the Mlabri language.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 24, 2022
‘To Be Killed by a High School Girl’: Hideo Jojo gives a lesson in ‘ick 101’
Hideo Jojo challenges taboos with black comedy in a twisted film about a teacher plotting his own death at the hands of a student.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2022
‘Straying’: The realities of a love quadrangle
Rikiya Imaizumi's comedy earns its R15 classification with sex scenes that reveal the honest and even humorous moments in intimate relationships.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 12, 2022
Glimpses of postwar Hayama through a father's eyes
'Hayama 1952-1953 Charles Junkerman,” a book of rare photographs, preserves the everyday lives of the seaside town's citizens in vivid color.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2022
‘Intimate Stranger’ is a psychological thriller for the pandemic age
Director Mayu Nakamura's background in documentary filmmaking played a part in making the feature, which explores the depths of desperation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2022
'Wedding High’: Nuptial chaos delivers big laughs
The ensemble comedy about a wedding gone wrong has some hilarious moments and digs into the ups and downs of Japanese weddings.
Naked man’s rampage in Saitama linked to one fatality and 10 injured
Police believe Daisuke Nishimura may have been involved in roughly 20 incidents in the 90 minutes leading up to his arrest, including a fatal hit-and-run and multiple assaults.
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
Japan is planning to implement by March 2029 a new online screening system in which foreign visitors who don’t need a visa apply for a certification before entering the country.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

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