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CULTURE / Books / 2022 in Review
Dec 31, 2022

Japanese stories captivated overseas audiences in 2022

This year marked increased recognition for female Japanese authors, while Japan-based stories provided the inspiration for Hollywood adaptations such as 'Bullet Train' and 'Tokyo Vice.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2022 in Review
Dec 22, 2022

Anime continued its dominance in 2022

Anime proved to be bankable content in chaotic times, with 'One Piece' and 'Dragon Ball' scoring big at the box office, while major streaming services expanded their anime offerings.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 20, 2022

'It all fell on me': Russian mothers alone as draft exiles dads

The chaotic and hurried exodus of tens of thousands of military-age men has torn apart families and piled pressure on mothers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2022 in Review
Dec 16, 2022

Marginalized voices in film spoke louder in 2022

While Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Drive My Car' and Chie Hayakawa's 'Plan 75' received wide acclaim at home and abroad, the Japanese film industry took stock of a sobering reality.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 16, 2022

Is it too late to save the Japanese giant salamander?

Environmental journalist Mara Budgen comes on the show to talk about the Japanese giant salamander, which is well-protected within Japan through various laws but is still at risk of becoming an endangered species.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 25, 2022

Russian lawmakers approve bill banning LGBTQ 'propaganda'

Activists say the legislation ramps up the crackdown on 'non-traditional' relationships in Russia, affecting everything from books and films to social media posts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 25, 2022

Kah Wai Lim's ode to Japanese mini-theaters gets meta

The director's new film, 'Your Lovely Smile,' is a love letter to indie cinema that doubles as a plea for help to keep struggling theaters open.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Nov 18, 2022

Anime translation project to stream videos in Ukrainian

The Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy is a school in Tokyo that offers courses on becoming a translator of visual media, mainly between Japanese and English. But for its upcoming streaming event, the academy’s adding a third language to its repertoire: Ukrainian.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 17, 2022

‘Remember to Breathe’: Tensions simmer in mother-daughter drama

Mao Inoue gives a subtle but poignant performance as the long-suffering adult child of an aging single mother in Masakazu Sugita's muted sophomore feature.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Nov 7, 2022

Japan Times 1997: 15 Japanese wives arrive on visit from North Korea

Twenty-five years ago, the Japanese media became fascinated by the women who left Japan for North Korea with their husbands 40 years prior.
BUSINESS / Longform
Oct 31, 2022

Can Japan’s pandemic-hit amusement parks return with a bang?

Does the opening of Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture reflect a turnaround in fortunes for theme park operators in Japan?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2022

‘Journey Beyond the Night’: A bad trip worth savoring

Takayuki Kayano's genre-switching drama starts slow but delivers a one-way ticket to weirdness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2022

‘The Ring’ at 20: Millennial horror that’s still infecting movies today

The film that kicked off the West's J-horror fascination was made in the shadow of 9/11. Its influence can be seen in “Smile,” “It Follows” and more.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 2, 2022

For Constance Wu, there’s more to the story

The actor reveals her isolation, racism in her career and how she's moving on in her memoir, “Making a Scene.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 19, 2022

Frugal is the new cool for young Chinese as economy falters

Penny pinching by China's youth is a problem for China's economic policymakers, who have long relied on increased consumption to bolster growth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2022

‘Love Life’ tells a meandering story about grief

Koji Fukada's drama about a married couple hit by tragedy is a little too oblique for its own good.
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 18, 2022

Hanae Mori, trailblazer of Japanese fashion design, dies at 96

The fashion pioneer, known as 'Madame Butterfly' for her signature motif, became the first Japanese person to be listed as an official haute couture designer in Paris in 1977.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 2, 2022

Ayman al-Zawahri: From Cairo physician to al-Qaida leader

The first time the world heard of him was when he stood in a courtroom cage after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 29, 2022

A cinematic plea for peace in Ukraine

Slovakian filmmaker Juraj Mravec Jr. presents firsthand accounts from a war zone in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in his 2016 documentary “Peace to You All.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 28, 2022

‘Yokaipedia’: Fantasy flick takes a page out of ‘Harry Potter’

Takashi Yamazaki's supernatural adventure film will cast a spell on younger viewers, but parents should find it entertaining, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 22, 2022

They loved volcanoes and each other

A new documentary examines the work and lives of the French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, helped mightily by their own magnificent footage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 21, 2022

‘Dawning on Us’: Kenji Yamauchi’s pandemic drama contains some home truths

Kenji Yamauchi's drama about a family on the verge of a nervous breakdown in the wake of the pandemic hits a few snags but also offers wry observations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 10, 2022

The oddities and pleasures of a bygone Japan come to life in 'Kyoto Stories'

Author Steve Alpert mines his personal experiences in his novel about the escapades of a young American student in the old capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 2, 2022

'Softly': Tatsuro Yamashita looks to the future with timeless optimism

Two Tatsuro Yamashitas exist in 2022. There's the patron saint of city pop and a musical symbol for all things bubble-era Japan, and then there's the 69-year-old pop tinkerer still exploring his craft on “Softly.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 30, 2022

‘Kami wa Mikaeri o Motomeru’: YouTuber drama leaves a nasty aftertaste

Director Keisuke Yoshida wades into morally gray territory in his film about a middle-aged man with a vendetta against an aspiring influencer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 20, 2022

Ukraine’s highly mobile tech workforce hits the road

Until late February, Inha Kushnir worked in Odesa. Then Russia invaded and she and her husband decided that it would be safer for her and the couple's young daughter to leave.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2022

Shoppers are facing shortages of beer to popcorn this summer

A wide array of factors — from adverse weather and the pandemic to geopolitical tensions and rebounding demand — are stretching supply chains to the limit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 16, 2022

‘Soup and Ideology’: A touching family portrait that feeds the soul

Director Yang Yonghi comes to terms with her mother's past trauma and animosity toward South Korea in the moving final chapter of her documentary trilogy on familial ties.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan