What do the Osaka Expo and a three-hour film about modern kabuki performers have in common? They were named the winners of Japan’s annual sumo-style ranking of consumer interest. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/12/13/lifestyle/hit-products-2025-banzuke-expo-kokuho/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #lifestyle #kokuho #shopping #shoheiohtani #2025inreview
Anime may have dominated the charts in 2025, but the real surprise was a kabuki drama that shot to No. 1 and stayed there for weeks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/04/film/demon-slayer-infinity-castle-kokuho-festivals/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #2025inreview #kokuho #demonslayer #anime #chiehayakawa #kazuoishiguro #keiishikawa #shomiyake #tatsuyanakadai
Wooden paddles featuring Shohei Ohtani, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and 10 other newsmakers from this year were unveiled by Tokyo-based doll-maker Kyugetsu on Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/03/japan/hagoita-takaichi-ohtani/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #shoheiohtani #sanaetakaichi #newyear #shimonsakaguchi #susumukitagawa #nobelprize #kokuho
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
Anime, streaming, even YouTube — kabuki is stepping into the digital age. A smash-hit film is helping lead the way. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/03/stage/kabuki-tokyo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #stage #kabuki #kokuho #japanesecinema
Japan’s largest film festival kicks off Oct. 27 with stories of courage, resilience and love — from the Himalayas to Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/24/film/tokyo-international-film-festival-hamnet-climbing-for-life/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo #chloezhao #leesangil #kokuho
Lee Sang-il's three-hour kabuki drama, once deemed a “high business risk,” overcame doubts over subject matter to find its audience. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/18/film/kokuho-box-office-expectations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #kabuki #kokuho #japanesefilm
The live-action Japanese movie "Kokuho" has made over ¥10.5 billion in box office revenue in a feat not achieved in Japan since "Bayside Shakedown 2" in 2003. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/08/19/entertainment-news/kokuho-revenue/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #kokuho #japanesefilm #film #kabuki