author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 04, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 3, 2022
‘The Last 10 Years’: Keep a hanky handy for this weepy romance
Michihito Fujii's splashy terminal illness drama can't help succumbing to the usual genre tropes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 24, 2022
‘Chronicle in the Ruins’: An intimate look at a family’s rise from the ashes
Masato and Maori Hara's documentary poignantly captures the weight of memory and loss by incorporating footage recovered in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed their family home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 17, 2022
‘The Takatsu River’: A homey hometown drama
Yoshinari Nishikori offers a relatively upbeat take on a well-worn story of a rural Japanese community in decline.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2022
Oscars nod launches director Ryusuke Hamaguchi into the global spotlight
Ryusuke Hamaguchi landed four major Oscar nominations this week, a phenomenal achievement for a filmmaker who is still really just hitting his stride.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2022
‘What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?’: Satoshi Miki’s inverted monster movie bites off more than it can chew
Satoshi Miki's disaster film about what happens after a monster attack sounds good on paper, but it's an almighty mess.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2022
‘Pure Japanese’: Dean Fujioka’s passion project is a fascinating muddle
A typical genre-movie premise gets complicated in director Daishi Matsunaga's film about a stuntman living out his fantasies of old-school heroism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2022
‘Missing’: Shinzo Katayama delivers a twisty thriller
Aoi Ito and Jiro Sato give standout performances in Shinzo Katayama's drama about a teenager trying to unravel the mystery of her father's sudden disappearance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 13, 2022
‘The Journalist’: A wake-up call that feels more like a lecture
Netflix's six-episode political drama series expands on Michihito Fujii's 2019 film of the same title, giving a detailed fictionalized account of a real-life scandal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 6, 2022
‘Haruhara-san’s Recorder’: A story of grief told with the lightest of brushstrokes
Kyoshi Sugita's resonant drama captures the process of mourning with restrained cinematography and subtle performances.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 23, 2021
‘Underdogs’: It’s a colorful life in Manila’s underbelly
Tsuyoshi Kumeta's documentary captures the bustle and squalor of the capital of the Philippines as it follows four Japanese men living in the city's slums over the course of seven years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2021
‘Shrieking in the Rain’: Frothy fun, good for a night in
Eiji Uchida's lighthearted ode to 1980s moviemaking treads similar territory as “The Naked Director,” but instead focuses on the film industry from a female perspective.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2021
‘What She Likes …’: LGBTQ drama gets stuck on stereotypes
Shogo Kusano's film about the relationship between a closeted gay teenager and a girl obsessed with homoerotic manga has its heart in the right place, but gets everything else wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2021
‘Minamata Mandala’: An unfinished battle for accountability
Documentary film director Kazuo Hara chronicles the ongoing struggles of Minamata disease victims to hold the state responsible in one of Japan's worst cases of industrial pollution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 25, 2021
‘Cowboy Bebop’: Live-action riff on beloved anime hits flat notes
John Cho turns out to be one of the best things in Netflix's good-looking but painfully square adaptation of the 1990s anime series about intergalactic bounty hunters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Nov 13, 2021
TIFF and Tokyo Filmex shakeup gets conversations going
The 34th edition of Tokyo's annual film event marked the debut of a newly appointed programming director, an emphasis on female perspectives and the resurrection of the TIFF Times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2021
TIFF's Director in Focus Keisuke Yoshida makes a case for compassion
The underrated director of films such as “Himeanole,” “Blue” and “Intolerance” gets his due at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2021
‘Parasite in Love’: Pulpy drama has young love on the brain
Kensaku Kakimoto's moody romance has an interesting premise about the relationship between love and mental illness, but it doesn't quite settle on the right tone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 4, 2021
‘And So the Baton Is Passed’: No, these are not happy tears
Tetsu Maeda's melodrama about abandoned children and questionable parenting may bring on the waterworks, but the film's underlying message doesn't inspire much hope.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2021
Hirokazu Kore-eda brings his golden touch to TIFF
The Conversation Series at Asia Lounge, a program of discussions that the director helps curate, gives Tokyo's annual film festival a philosophical boost.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2021
‘Unlock Your Heart’: Queen bee brings the sting of teen drama
Anna Yamada is captivating as a high school senior who seems to have it all — except the boy she likes — and comes up with a plan to win his affections in a teen drama from Rin Shuto.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER