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May 04, 2024
 

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James Hadfield
For James Hadfield's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Ryo Kase (top center) gives an audacious performance as warlord Oda Nobunaga in “Kubi.”
CULTURE
Nov 23, 2023
Takeshi Kitano’s ‘Kubi’ cuts great men of history down to size
The blood-drenched period epic offers a queer retelling of the 1582 Honnoji Incident with a ruthless and sadistic Oda Nobunaga at its center.
An out-of-work porn director (Go Ayano, right) goes on a drunken trip down memory lane with one of his dead lover’s former partners (Tasuku Emoto, left) in “A Spoiling Rain.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2023
‘A Spoiling Rain’: A boozy, rueful requiem for love and porn
Based on a novella, Haruhiko Arai’s drama keeps the melancholy core of its source material but expands it into a personal ode to the erotic film industry.
A young university grad (Kana Kita, right) is introduced to the world of "shunga" erotic art by an older academic (Seiyo Uchino) in “Picture of Spring.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2023
‘Picture of Spring’: Smart, silly and lots of fun
Akihiko Shiota’s film about the world of Japanese erotic art feels like a crash course in “shunga” before veering into playfully risque territory.
A struggling novelist (Rie Miyazawa) wrestles with life’s bigger questions after taking a job at a care facility for people with severe disabilities in “The Moon.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2023
‘The Moon’: Provocative drama bites off more than it can chew
Yuya Ishii’s film courts controversy with a fictionalized retelling of a real-life knife attack at a care facility for people with mental disabilities.
Sosuke Ikematsu plays two pianists — or is it just one? — pursuing dreams of becoming a jazz musician in late-1980s Tokyo in “Between the White and Black Keys.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 5, 2023
'Between the White and Black Keys': Offbeat biopic will have you seeing double
Masanori Tominaga’s free-spirited film about jazz pianist Hiroshi Minami captures the vibe of 1980s Tokyo nightlife but remains mostly on the surface.
A Japanese submarine captain (Takao Osawa, center) goes rogue with a nuclear-armed vessel in “The Silent Service.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 28, 2023
‘The Silent Service’: Submarine thriller runs shallow
While it has the makings of a potent geopolitical thriller, Kohei Yoshino’s film struggles to work as a standalone feature — or generate thrills.
A con artist (Sakura Ando, top) and her half-brother (Ryosuke Yamada) try to make a getaway from the Osaka underworld in Masato Harada’s “Bad Lands.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 21, 2023
‘Bad Lands’: Sakura Ando steals scenes in fast-paced thriller
The actor delivers a hypnotic lead turn as a con artist running from the law and a violent ex in Masato Harada’s high-octane film.
Arata Oshima follows the events of Sept. 27, 2022 — the day of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral — to capture the state of the nation in the documentary, “The Day of the State Funeral.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 14, 2023
‘The Day of the State Funeral’ bears witness to the end of the Abe era
Arata Oshima’s documentary about the official send-off for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a portrait of a nation adrift.
"Lost in Translation" was a sleeper hit about two people meeting in an unfamiliar city and forming an intense and fleeting emotional bond.
CULTURE / Film / Longform
Sep 9, 2023
'Lost in Translation' at 20: A Tokyo perspective
The Japanese cast and crew of Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" reflect on their experiences decades later.
A married couple (Arata Iura, left, and Rena Tanaka) returning to their home village from a posting in occupied Korea become witnesses to a bloodbath in Tatsuya Mori’s historical drama, “September 1923.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 31, 2023
‘September 1923’ stylizes an oft-overlooked brutality
Tatsuya Mori’s drama is an important act of historical reclamation, but it’s practically indigestible.
A transfer student (Yuta Kishi, bottom center) hoping to find romance at his new school gets more than he bargained for in Toichiro Ruto’s manga adaptation, “G-Men.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 24, 2023
‘G-Men’: Pop heartthrobs surprise in silly smackdown
Toichiro Ruto’s film about a class of delinquent high-school brawlers scrapes by with a passing grade.
A deceased schoolgirl lures members of pop group Generations into her world with a killer earworm in “Sana.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 10, 2023
‘Sana’: Boy band horror flick is largely fan service
Takashi Shimizu’s film about a deadly ditty infecting members of J-pop group Generations offers generic scares with real-life concert footage.
As zombies take over the world, a salaryman (Eiji Akaso) decides to live his best life before his inevitable demise in “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 3, 2023
‘Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’: Zombie comedy has no bite
Netflix’s adaptation of the manga series about a salaryman making the most out of a zombie apocalypse is like scrolling through a mediocre Instagram feed.
Investigators involved in the case shed light on one of Japan’s biggest crime stories of the 2000s in “Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2023
‘Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case’: Notorious crime story gets slick Netflix treatment
The detectives are the stars in the Japan-only version of Netflix’s true-crime documentary about a missing-person investigation that captured the nation’s attention.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 13, 2023
‘Graveyard of Youth’ dispenses tough love for human flaws
Despite its discomforting scenes, Yosuke Okuda’s latest offering is his warmest and most rewarding film to date.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 6, 2023
'With Each Passing Breath': A compassionate and richly textured documentary
As summer festivals return to Japan in full force, a film dives into the lives of the people who keep the cultural elements behind them alive.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jun 29, 2023
'Hoarder on the Border': A film that gets better as the layers pile up
Hoarding is a serious social issue, but it’s given a disarmingly breezy treatment in Takayuki Kayano’s “Hoarder on the Border.”
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jun 23, 2023
‘River’: A creatively contained time-loop flick
Flooded with ingenuity, the team behind “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” renews a winning trope for a captivating, addictive watch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2023
‘Firing the Lighter Gun’: A gripping addition to the post-Fukushima canon
Kohei Sanada’s sophomore feature doesn’t always hit the mark, but it’s a grimly compelling portrait of the aftermath of a nuclear accident.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2023
With ‘Monster,’ Hirokazu Kore-eda makes a welcome return to form
The Palme d’Or-winning director’s homecoming to Japanese-language cinema is powerful and poignant as it unspools an intimate story about bullying, misunderstandings and family dynamics.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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