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July 05, 2025
 

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DOCUMENTARY

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 28, 2018
Kazuo Hara returns to form as a documentary filmmaker with 'Sennan Asbestos Disaster'
Kazuo Hara became famous — some would say notorious — for the documentaries he made about individuals who defied Japanese social norms and laws.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Feb 24, 2018
Filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda doesn't underestimate the power of observation
In late 1992, Kazuhiro Soda was attending a "company information session" in Tokyo, where young students about to graduate from university were introduced to various companies as prospective recruits.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 26, 2017
Getting close to Ryuichi Sakamoto
Stephen Nomura Schible refrains from saying whether he and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto are friends, or even close, despite having filmed a documentary about him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 5, 2017
Food, folks and film: Yamagata festival dives deep into documentaries
Once an obscure corner of a film world dominated by the fantasies of Hollywood, documentaries are now drawing more attention from both paying audiences and wider society. And the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, whose 15th edition unspools from Oct. 5 to 12 in Yamagata, has long been...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 27, 2017
'Pelican: 74 Years of Japanese Tradition': A bread documentary that isn't half-baked
The first thing a customer will say when they walk into Pelican past lunchtime is: "Any left?" That's how fast loaves sell at this popular Asakusa bakery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Sep 7, 2017
Mizuko Yamaoka takes a different approach in documentary about people with disabilities
Disability presents different challenges for everyone but wheelchair users share a common dilemma: Their mode of locomotion stands out, while they often struggle with social isolation. That was my takeaway from "The Lost Coin," a 2016 short by Mizuko Yamaoka, a filmmaker who has been using a wheelchair...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 6, 2017
'The Fall of Icarus: Narita Stories': Victory and loss surround the world's entry point to Japan
Almost everyone who comes to Tokyo via Narita International Airport notices the lush green fields surrounding the runways and terminal buildings. It's a nice sight after sitting on an airplane for so long.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 9, 2017
'Le Moulin' gives a voice to Taiwanese poets who wrote under Japan's colonial rule
The word "nisshiki" (Japanese style) can often be seen on storefront signs in Taiwan to indicate chic, high-end products. It's a little similar to what we in Japan associate with luxury items from France, though "nisshiki" is a holdover from the days when Taiwan was under Japanese rule (1895-1945).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 28, 2017
'Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents': Alternative music's anti-stars make for fascinating documentary subjects
Some 45 years after their first appearance on a San Francisco stage, The Residents remain a band that practically defines the term "cult," and their freak-show, cartoon-surrealist approach continues to attract a healthy fan base (as evidenced by some sold-out shows at Tokyo's Blue Note back in March)....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 5, 2017
Yoshiki: 'We had to make our own world'
Yoshiki Hayashi hardly sleeps. The drummer, pianist, songwriter and leader of rock band X Japan has been in and out of the country constantly these past few months, promoting his band's new documentary film, "We Are X." At the same time he has been performing solo concerts, recording and squeezing in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 26, 2017
Bon Ishikawa discovers the strength of community in documentary on Nepal earthquake
During one scene in Bon Ishikawa's upcoming documentary "Sekai de Ichiban Utsukushii Mura" ("The Most Beautiful Village in the World"), the photographer-turned-filmmaker uses a drone to capture one of Asia's oldest traditions: the collecting of honey from caves in the steep cliffs of the Himalayas.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 16, 2016
'The Decline of Western Civilization' is a punk masterpiece
The Sex Pistols played their final gig at San Francisco's Winterland in January 1978. About a year later, Sid Vicious died from an overdose, and so did punk rock — according to the music magazines. The Pistols' chaotic tour of America, however, had dropped like a stone in a still pond, and the ripples...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 29, 2015
Documentary captures anti-nuclear protest movement's evolution
In the summer of 2012, tens of thousands of people gathered around the prime minister's office with one message — no more nuclear power. People flooded the streets of Tokyo's Nagatacho district, chanting and holding up signs saying "No Nukes!" in the hope their voices could be heard.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2015
Japanese winemaker reflects on life and disaster in this succinct New Zealand documentary
Today's documentarians may dream of making epic Frederick Wiseman-style films, but online audiences aren't usually so patient. Three hours? You'll be lucky to hold someone's attention for three minutes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 1, 2015
Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer gazes long into the abysses of Asia
In a world bent on looking only at the future, filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer weaves his documentaries from memories and lives that are long gone. He astonished the film world in 2012 with his Oscar-nominated documentary "The Act of Killing," whose central character, Anwar Congo, was a death-squad leader...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 19, 2015
Accused murderer Durst deemed suicidal
Robert Durst, the real estate scion charged with first-degree murder, is suicidal, according statements by Louisiana authorities released on Wednesday after they moved him to a facility for acutely mentally ill inmates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 5, 2015
Film festival gives a lesson on the world of night school
The world of night school in Japan is so detached from mainstream society that many people are clueless as to the role it plays.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015
Documentary festival delivers an encore to Tokyo audiences
Last November, Japan Times film critic Kaori Shoji predicted that the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival's (YIDFF) program of screenings would slant toward sociopolitical analysis, focusing on substance over style. Audiences must have welcomed this weighty exposition of the documentary...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2015
'Small fry' who went rogue: How Paris attack suspect turned killer
When French anti-terror prosecutor Jean-Louis Bruguiere first clapped eyes on Cherif Kouachi 10 years ago, his first impression was that he was a "small fry."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014
Documentaries at the margins of modern life
There is no film festival in Japan quite like the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF).
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. 
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.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
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."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
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

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