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May 17, 2024
 

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Mark Schilling
For Mark Schilling's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 22, 2021
‘Inubu: The Dog Club’: Puppy love with a heavy dose of advocacy
Drawing from a novel based on true events, “Inubu” shows the barriers activists fighting for the humane treatment of animals face, their own physical and financial limits among them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 15, 2021
‘Restart’: There’s no place like home for second chances
Director Hiroshi Shinagawa, who endured his own struggles as a young comic, shows the darker side of showbiz, as well as the welcoming beauty of Shimokawa, Hokkaido Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 8, 2021
Over 100 years of the Olympic spirit captured on screen
Film coverage of the modern Olympics, starting from 1912, shows that national pride and stunning athleticism have always been an integral part of the games.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 8, 2021
‘A Dobugawa Dream’: An escape from isolation to a personal fantasyland
Asato Watanabe's debut feature about a man grappling with depression treads the line between reality and fantasy, with comic antics thrown in.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 1, 2021
‘The Goldfish: Dreaming of the Sea’: A coming-of-age tale told with talent and lyricism
Miyu Ogawa displays gravity and vulnerability in Sara Ogawa's first theatrical feature, which centers on a teenager who lives in a group home and coaxes a new arrival out of her shell.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 24, 2021
‘Ito’: Ren Komai strums the right notes
Satoko Yokohama's drama, set in the director's native Aomori Prefecture, features a troubled teen whose talent for playing the shamisen is hindered by grief.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 17, 2021
‘Around the Table’: A feast for the eyes that doesn’t quite satisfy
In this coming-of-age film, the story itself is nearly overshadowed by the beautifully decorated sets with items from North European-style everyday goods site, Hokuoh Kurashi no Doguten.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2021
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia delivers more than A-list talent
Since its start in 1999, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & Asia) has become the largest festival of its kind in Asia. This year, it is presenting a hybrid edition, with online venues showing films beginning on April 27 and the festival proper held June 11-21 at venues across Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2021
Detained but not silent: Stories from inside Japan’s immigration centers
Thomas Ash's documentary “Ushiku” brings to the light the experiences of detainees at Japan's immigration facilities and the harsh conditions they face.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 10, 2021
‘Colorless’: A layered love affair with an enigmatic woman
Despite its theme of duplicity in love, the film is not an exercise in black-comic cynicism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 3, 2021
‘Hokusai’: A force of nature brought to life
In Hajime Hashimoto's sprawling biopic of Japan's most famous painter, Yuya Yagira plays a young Hokusai while Min Tanaka delivers a vibrant performance as the artist in his later years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 26, 2021
‘The Women’: A harrowing journey with a tidy end
Yukiko Shinohara's vulnerable character is put through the wringer, dealing with one disaster after another. But all is not lost in Nobuteru Uchida's latest drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 20, 2021
Actress Mei Nagano gets ready to rumble in 'Office Royale'
The star of NHK's 'Half Blue Sky' learns how to hit and has some laughs along the way in Kazuaki Seki's 'Office Royale.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 20, 2021
'Office Royale': Office politics get rough-and-tumble in OL-centered comedy
Familiar fodder for goofy comedies 'Office Royale' goes heavy on gags and action but stops short of a progressive message.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 14, 2021
Director Akio Fujimoto pushes for more diversity in Japanese film
When Akio Fujimoto cast three Vietnamese actresses in a movie about the Vietnamese experience, he was actually doing something rather rare in the Japanese film industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 13, 2021
'Along the Sea': Akio Fujimoto presents a gripping story of young Vietnamese women trying to survive Japan
The Vietnamese technical trainees in 'Along the Sea' are seldom seen or heard in Japanese society, but the actors' performances make it hard to look away.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 28, 2021
‘Remain in Twilight’: The boys that just can't escape adolescence
Daigo Matsui gets nostalgic over the goofs in the back of math class but ultimately gets stuck in the potty humor of the past.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 21, 2021
‘Rurouni Kenshin: The Final': Impressive battles bring samurai series to a satisfying conclusion
“Rurouni Kenshin: The Final” marks the adrenaline-pumping conclusion to the saga of a former ruthless assassin who seeks to atone for his past sins.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 21, 2021
‘Over the Town’: Offbeat locals give slacker’s life color
Rikiya Imaizumi's film about modern love may center on a scruffy man-child and his series of failures, but it's the four women who become involved with him that give the story heart.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2021
‘Ride or Die’: A wild road trip worth taking
Kiko Mizuhara and Honami Sato deliver committed performances in Netflix's new emotional and sexually explicit drama about two women on the run after killing a man.
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.
Man suspected of using smart glasses to cheat on Waseda University exams
The Waseda University campus in Tokyo. An 18-year-old male test-taker is suspected of using smart glasses to cheat during the university's entrance exam.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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