James Hadfield - The Japan Times

November 02, 2025

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James Hadfield

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Dec 5, 2019

'My Girlfriend is a Serial Killer': A rom-com slasher for killing time

In this adapation of the lurid manga series 'Peephole,' Yosuke Sugino plays a suicidal shut-in who falls for his murderous neighbor.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 22, 2019

Shintaro Sakamoto: The art of disappearing in plain sight

The former Yura Yura Teikoku frontman discusses his absence from the live music scene and how he feels singing in Japanese is no longer a barrier to international acclaim

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 21, 2019

'Earthquake Bird': A solid adaptation, but no high flyer

An adaption of a 2001 novel by Susanna Jones, 'Earthquake Bird' looks at Tokyo in 1989 and tells the story of an explosive love triangle

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 14, 2019

Japan's decade of 'closed country' cinema

As Japanese box office figures hit record highs in the 2010s, the country's film industry became increasingly insular

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 14, 2019

'i: Documentary of the Journalist': Japanese press freedom laid bare

Tatsuya Mori follows Tokyo Shimbun journalist Isoko Mochizuki as she attempts to get answers from government officials in this bleak look at press freedom and integrity in Japan

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 7, 2019

'One Night': A family drama both deep and dark

Kazuya Shiraishi's latest tells the story of three siblings whose mother kills their abusive father and then abandons them for 15 years, before returning to check on their progress in life

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 30, 2019

Shin Adachi's mission to bust the myth of marital bliss in 'A Beloved Wife'

Shin Adachi discusses his latest feature, 'A Beloved Wife,' which will be screened in the main competition at the 2019 Tokyo International Film Festival

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 30, 2019

'Family of Strangers': An admirable ode to the institutionalized

Hideyuki Hirayama's latest feature, filmed in a real psychiatric hospital in Nagano Prefecture, tells the story of three residents of an institution who form an unlikely bond

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 24, 2019

Ang Lee: The filmmaker decades ahead of his time

Filmmaker Ang Lee has dedicated himself to filming in high-resolution and 3D, techniques that most cinemas are not yet equipped to handle

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 23, 2019

'No Smoking': Poking the embers of Haruomi Hosono's career

Marking the 50th anniversary of Haruomi Hosono's musical career, 'No Smoking' takes a look at his life and some of his famed concerts

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 16, 2019

'Special Actors': Ueda fumbles sophomore feature

Shinichiro Ueda, best known for 2017's 'One Cut of the Dead,' releases his second solo feature, again using a largely unknown cast

CULTURE / Music

Oct 10, 2019

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra pulls out all the stops for 30th anniversary

After three decades in the business, Japan's best known ska band is in the midst of a full year of celebrations, including nationwide tours, gigs overseas and an upcoming album

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 2, 2019

'The Forest of Love': Netflix feature lets Sono be Sono

Sion Sono's return to filmmaking sees him blend all of his hallmarks into one gore-drenched epic

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Sep 25, 2019

'Ninkyo Gakuen': Yakuza comedy fails to make the grade

Hisashi Kimura's latest film sees a band of yakuza get involved with a local high school, serving justice and forming bonds along the way

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Sep 11, 2019

'They Say Nothing Stays The Same': Stunning visuals and a stellar cast

Actor Joe Odagiri makes his directorial debut with a beautifully shot tale of the life of a boatman in a Japan of the past.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Aug 21, 2019

'It Feels So Good': An explicit escapade, artfully told

The average bride-to-be spends the final days before her wedding fretting about seating plans and whether she'll be able to squeeze into her dress, but Naoko (Kumi Takiuchi) decides it's a good time to hook up with an old flame instead.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Aug 14, 2019

'Cherry Blossoms and Demons': Swan song remains an ugly duckling

The late Kirin Kiki maintained such an industrious work schedule that moviegoers have had multiple chances to pay their last respects since she passed away last September. "Cherry Blossoms and Demons" is her actual swan song, albeit one that all but the most ardent fan can probably skip.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 7, 2019

Chanmina's 'Never Grow Up' delivers pop hooks and hip-hop heartache

The J-pop world could use a few more artists like Chanmina. In the leap from high-school MC battles to the commercial mainstream, she has managed to hone her pop appeal without sacrificing her swagger. Anyone who calls their debut single "Fxxker" isn't trying to make fans the old-fashioned way.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jul 24, 2019

'Weathering With You': Breezy with scattered showers

Arriving in the middle of a seemingly endless rainy season in Tokyo, "Weathering With You" feels like it's benefitted from an ingenious stealth marketing campaign. Little has been left to chance with Makoto Shinkai's follow-up to "Your Name." The film raked in nearly $360 million globally, turning its...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jul 17, 2019

'Under Your Bed': Sleeping with the enemy

Rare is the child who hasn't lain awake at night, terrified by the monster they imagine is lurking beneath their bed. But in a country where many people grow up sleeping on futons, such fears are perhaps less deeply rooted. That would explain why, in "Under Your Bed," nobody ever thinks to look in the...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.

Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell

By Alex K.T. Martin

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