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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:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 18, 2023
‘Nagisa’: A beautiful fever dream of guilt and grief
Takeshi Kogahara’s drama is a ravishing and disquieting tale of hauntings and forbidden lust that rewards close attention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2023
‘Hard Days’: Cop thriller remake proves bigger isn't always better
Michihito Fujii’s take on the South Korean movie “A Hard Day” is more convoluted, more implausible and not nearly as much fun as it should be.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 5, 2023
Meiko Kaji conjures the underworld of 1970s Japan
The 'Urami Bushi' singer harks back to a film era of vengeful women, smoke-wreathed bars and gambling dens on the reissue of “Hajiki Uta,” one of her solo albums from the 1970s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Reviews
May 3, 2023
‘Sanctuary’: Bad boy of sumo’s journey doesn’t pack a punch
Centered on a brutish underdog, the Netflix series about professional sumo offers satisfying heft in its action sequences, but its uneven storyline is anticlimactic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2023
‘Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room’: Ryohei Suzuki stands out in formulaic adaptation
The actor gives a blockbuster performance in an entertaining but predictable feature film spin-off of the hit TBS medical drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2023
‘Side by Side’: A dreamy vision wrapped in an enigma
Chihiro Ito’s sophomore film in which mortal and spirit realms coexist marks her as a director with a distinctive style.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 6, 2023
‘From the End of the World’: An unlikely teen dream savior
Lead actor Aoi Ito lends believable vulnerability to Kazuaki Kiriya’s patchwork swansong about a young girl with the ability to avert an impending apocalypse in her sleep.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 5, 2023
The unyielding spirit of Ryuichi Sakamoto
The award-winning composer and member of Yellow Magic Orchestra showed a rebellious streak throughout his life, which not only influenced musicians worldwide but also effected social change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2023
‘Self-Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle’ is an experimental slog
Gakuryu Ishii's rambling treatise on art and self-actualization spends much more time talking about the magic of movies than actually invoking it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2023
Elderly survivors fight to preserve memory of Tokyo firebombing in 'Paper City'
In his documentary, Australian filmmaker Adrian Francis explores the collective amnesia surrounding the wartime firebombings of Japan's capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2023
‘Downfall’: Tortured soul makes for a total bore
Naoto Takenaka’s faithful adaptation of Inio Asano’s manga strikes a chord with creators, but its nihilistic protagonist may leave audiences wanting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2023
‘Winny’: True-life tale educates more than it entertains
Masahiro Higashide delivers a transformative performance as the embattled creator of a file-sharing program in Yusaku Matsumoto’s biographical drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2023
‘Tocka’: An existential end-of-the-road trip
Yoshitaka Kamada’s drama about a man looking to end his life is bleak, sometimes beautiful and shot through with dark humor.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 9, 2023
‘God Bless You’: A hastily made yet surprising debut
Keisuke Sakurai’s offbeat crime drama, made in a flurry of productivity during the pandemic, has heart and a striking visual aesthetic that shines despite its truncated storytelling.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 2, 2023
‘Tea Friends’: Sex positivity for the older crowd
Bunji Sotoyama’s film about a call girl service for senior citizens is elevated by its frank depictions of elder sex.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 26, 2023
‘Bad City’: A V-Cinema hero comes out swinging
“Bad City” boasts some bone-crunching action, but seems more interested in proving the awesomeness of producer-star Hitoshi Ozawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 21, 2023
Yukihiro Takahashi: Style, substance and the knack for a beat
Yellow Magic Orchestra's principal vocalist and rhythmic linchpin was a leading figure in Japan's music scene, inspiring musicians the world over with his collaborative spirit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 20, 2023
Mao Fujita makes Mozart's sonatas his own
The 24-year-old concert pianist adds flourish to familiar melodies ahead of his debut recital at New York’s hallowed Carnegie Hall.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jan 19, 2023
‘And So I’m at a Loss’: Cautionary tale turns meta
Daisuke Miura’s drama about a habitual shirker isn’t quite as outrageous as it thinks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 12, 2023
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House’ is light and dusted with sugar
The Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker acts as showrunner and co-writer on this Netflix series that peacefully drifts through a year in a shared residence for apprentice geisha in Kyoto.
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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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