‘Ghosts of the Tsunami’ Easily Ranks Among the Best Accomplishments of Journalistic Narrative This Century
Richard Parry investigates what happened at Okawa Elementary following the 2011 earthquake, and what broader lessons the tragedy teaches us.
japan
From All Angles: Megumi Sasaki on ‘A Whale of a Tale’
The Cove enraged many an animal activist in 2009, but Megumi Sasaki offers an unbiased look at the controversy of whaling and dolphin hunting in the Japanese town of Taiji.
Populism as High Art: Getting to the Heart of Ishiro Honda
A new biography of the groundbreaking -- yet unassuming -- film director explores his multifaceted life and work.
The Subversive Creativity in Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’
Wes Anderson has created a powerful (though unassuming) sociopolitical statement about the causes and consequences of segregation.
Mono: Requiem for Hell
Mono's main strength is their ability to make one realize how infinitesimal they are in the universe.
Wagakki Band Transfix New York Crowd with Dynamic Show (Photos)
Wagakki Band fuse traditional Japanese instruments together with guitars and other elements. They visited NYC for a rare show ahead of SXSW.
‘The World of Kanako’ Is a World of Stylized Insanity
Intense violence and a willingness to experiment with genre and style make The World of Kanako a film fit for both the arthouse and exploitation crowds.
An Epochal Tragedy Transforms Into a World Cinema Masterwork in ‘Throne of Blood’
By combining Macbeth with elements of traditional Japanese drama, Akira Kurosawa produced a singular, transcultural film experience.
The Japan Society: ‘Shamisen Sessions 3: A Salute to Tradition’ – 20 November 2014
Japanese music, specifically a shamisen performance, can be a hard sell initially, but a Westerner might find some similarities with Appalachian folk music.
Soul Murder and Dreams in ‘Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage’
Like the cobwebs and spider webs that colonize a neglected basement, Haruki Murakami’s filamentous plot threads trail uncannily across our psyches.
Boris: Noise
This is probably Boris’ most accessible record to date and the overall feeling is that it has, once again, managed to mould its inspiration while remaining quintessentially "Boris".
A Message Carefully Wrapped and Sealed in a Ziploc Bag
Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being is an enormous step forward from her prior novels, taking on nothing less than the meaning of time itself.