When a deaf Japanese store owner clashes with a Kurdish immigrant opening a restaurant in the same neighborhood, the whole community has to rethink the way they communicate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/03/film/chatterboxes-film-review/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #kenkawai #disability #hearing #kurdishimmigrant

Decades in, hundreds of credits deep, veteran actor Mariko Tsutsui’s secret to inhabiting her characters hasn’t changed: unwavering, meticulous preparation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/28/film/mariko-tsutsui-dawn-chorus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #marikotsutsui #japanesefilm #yoshinorisato #kojifukada

An escalating spat between Japan and China over remarks about Taiwan by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is threatening to derail what was set to be a breakout year for anime in the world’s second-largest cinema market. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/27/japan/china-anime-damage/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #taiwan #anime #japanesefilm #demonslayer #studioghibli #sony

A scapegrace brother receives a tender farewell in Ryota Nakano’s surprisingly touching dramedy “Bring Him Down to a Portable Size.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/27/film/bring-him-down-to-a-portable-size/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #ryotanakano #joeodagiri #koshibasaki

A modern marriage is put to the test when the supportive partner suddenly becomes the successful one in Chihiro Amano’s “Sato and Sato.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/27/film/sato-and-sato/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yukinokishii #hiomiyazawa #chihiroamano

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s final chapter has been honored on the world stage in the form of an International Emmy Award for NHK. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/26/film/ryuichi-sakamoto-international-emmy-award/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #ryuichisakamoto #awards #emmys #japanesefilm

Surprise hit “Kokuho” grossed more than $111 million, becoming the first movie in 22 years to break Japan’s box office record for a domestic live-action film. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/25/film/kokuho-film-break-record/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #kokuho #kabuki

Forty years ago, director Juzo Itami unveiled his masterpiece, "Tampopo," showing us that ramen can be elevated to a gourmet dish and egg yolks can be used in, erm, very tantalizing ways. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/22/film/tampopo-40th-anniversary-ramen/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #tampopo #ramen #chefs #japanesecuisine #japanesefilm #juzoitami

Forty years ago, director Juzo Itami unveiled his masterpiece, "Tampopo," showing us that ramen can be elevated to a gourmet dish and egg yolks can be used in, erm, very tantalizing ways. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/22/film/tampopo-40th-anniversary-ramen/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #tampopo #ramen #chefs #japanesecuisine #japanesefilm #juzoitami

Mamoru Hosoda’s “Scarlet” shows what hybrid animation can do: fluid battles, detailed facial expressions and a Shakespearean narrative painted on vast digital landscapes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/20/film/scarlet/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #mamoruhosoda #manaashida #masachikaichimura #kojiyakusho #masakiokada

Yuichiro Sakashita’s “Blonde” turns Japan’s rigid school politics and obsession with uniformity into a sharp, crowd-pleasing comedy that won the Audience Award at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/19/film/blonde/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yuichirosakashita #takanoriiwata #mugikadowaki

The latest film adaptation of the “Demon Slayer” manga series has become the first Japanese movie to gross more than ¥100 billion worldwide, its distributors have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/18/entertainment-news/demon-slayer-first-hundred-billion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #demonslayer #anime #manga #japanesefilm #sony

“A Light in the Harbor” channels the spirit of old yakuza dramas, but ends up stuck in the past it romanticizes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/13/film/a-light-in-the-harbor/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #michihitofujii #hiroshitachi #gordonmaeda

As two strangers share a cab and a lifetime’s worth of stories, Yoji Yamada’s “Tokyo Taxi” is a reminder that even brief encounters can be meaningful. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/13/film/tokyo-taxi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #chiekobaisho #takuyakimura #yojiyamada

Over a seven-decade career, Tatsuya Nakadai brought nuance and intensity to every role, earning his place among Japan’s cinematic greats. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/13/film/tatsuya-nakadai-tribute/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #tatsuyanakadai #mumeijuku #obituary #akirakurosawa #japanesefilm #masakikobayashi

Renowned actor Tatsuya Nakadai, best known for his role in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran,” has died at the age of 92. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/11/entertainment-news/tatsuya-nakadai-obituary/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #tatsuyanakadai #mumeijuku #obituary #akirakurosawa #japanesefilm

Sony raised its profit outlook after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings, buoyed by its entertainment portfolio and resurgent demand for its premium smartphone camera sensors. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/11/11/companies/sony-profit-outlook-rise/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #sony #japanesefilm #anime #videogames #demonslayer

After a decades-long wait for a Japan premiere of the multilayered “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,” tickets for Tokyo International Film Festival’s buzziest feature sold out in under 15 minutes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/06/film/tokyo-international-film-festival-yukio-mishima-biopic/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #yukiomishima #paulschrader #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo

Wataru Takahashi’s “The Obsessed” is messy, musical and as weird as it is warmhearted. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/06/film/the-obsessed/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #watarutakahashi #masayasano #mokakamishiraishi

Like Yoshiharu Tsuge’s manga, Sho Miyake’s “Two Seasons, Two Strangers” lingers like a dream. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/06/film/two-seasons-two-strangers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #shomiyake #yoshiharutsuge #manga