No31 [Book] Welcome to my place
Photographer Kawamoto Shiori invites you to immerse yourself in the world of otaku in this must-read book. In the past, the iconic group known to […]
CULTURE
No30 [Movie] a very well crafted work
With The Little House, Yamada Yoji has at last received international recognition. Several veterans of Japan’s old studio system, […]
No25 [Train] 50 years at high speed
The shinkansen celebrates its fiftieth birthday this year. It is a technological success that has found its place in society. October 1964 will remain a […]
No24 [Anime] Are you ready to be controlled Sybil?
Psycho-Pass is an animation series produced by Production I. g. and distributed across Japan between 2012 and 2013. It is dystopian science fiction that also […]
No22 [Literature] Discovering Natsume Soseki
Published a century ago, Kokoro is still very popular in Japan in 2014. The Asahi Shinbun newspaper, that first published it in serial form, has started […]
No21 [Manga] Taniguchi at his best
The author of A Distant Neighbourhood gives adventure a try with his new masterpiece. In 1924 two mountaineers, Mallory and Irvine, attempt the first ascension […]
No21 [Cinema] When Miike Takashi goes wild
Japan’s most out-there film maker makes a come back with a feature that recalls his earlier works. If one hopes for controversial cinema, is Miike […]
No21 [DVD] Big-hearted Exorcist
First published in Japan in 2009, Blue Exorcist, the manga series written and illustrated by Kato Kazue, was adapted into a 25-episode animation just two […]
No20 [Movie] Tsukamoto’s hard-hitting film
Third Window Films, true to its habit of delivering some of the best Japanese films to grace the silver screen, presents Tokyo Fist. Tsuda meets […]
No20 [Anime] Vampires & co
Blood C The last Dark is a sequel, or rather an epilogue, to the animated series Blood C, although it does not follow the plot […]
No18 [Event] Literary expressions
Novellist Furukawa Hideo, together with poets Suga Keijiro and Ishida Mizuho, recount the story of post March 11th Japan. Writer Furukawa Hideo has previously told […]
No18 [Music] The Miyavi touch
Miyavi is an unclassifiable musician who started his career in Visual Kei, a style which he then progressively moved away from. He is back in […]
No17 [DVD] Criterion gives us a thrill with Zatoichi
One of Japan’s most popular characters, the blind masseur who handles a sword like no other, is the theme of a wonderful new boxed set. […]
No17 [Manga] A plunge into 1970s Japan
Yoshihiro Tatsui played a major part in manga history when, at the end of the 1950s, he coined the word gekiga (realist manga). Back then, […]
No16 [Anime] A gem worthy of the greatest
© 2012 “WOLF CHILDREN” FILM PARTNER With Wolf Children, Hosoda Mamoru marks an important milestone in the history of animation. Hosoda Mamoru is a virtuoso. […]
No16 [Book] From Tokyo to Pearl Harbour
In her latest book, Eri Hotta examines what led Japan to join a war it knew in advance was lost. Historian John Dower recalls: “Pearl […]
No16 [Photography] The days after
Hatakeyama Naoya is a photographer. He is also a son, who on the 11th of March 2011 had received no news about his family living […]
No15 [Literature] From Murakami with love
The author of Coin Locker Babies is back with a novel that has a lot to say about Japan’s years of crisis. Murakami Ryu is […]
No15 [Event] The British museum unveils “Spring Pictures”
Japanese eroticism is the source of many fantasies. From the 17th to the 19th century, shunga enthralled Western audiences. This beautiful exhibition tells their story. […]
No15 [Cinema] A good film to see in Coventry
From the 31st of October to the 3rd of November, Coventry welcomes the East Winds Festival, one of the most important events dedicated to Asian […]
No14 [Event] Brighton, in tune with Tokyo again
The Brighton Japan festival intends to leave its mark for the sixth year running and this time is introducing a more international dimension. Brighton he […]
No14 [Mascot] The Kumamon bear – happiness, made in Japan
One of the hundreds of friendly mascot characters in Japan, this adorable bear from Kumamoto prefecture who has captured the hearts of a nation came […]
No14 [Event] Kyoto lands in Tent London
Since its advent in 2003, the London Design Festival has become one of the most important international events of its kind. It takes place between […]
No12 [Cinema] Really the Land of Hope?
In a remarkable movie, Sono Sion illustrates the absurdity of the system’s response after a disaster in a magnificently poetic way. Sono Sion is one […]
No11 [Book] Ogawa unveils herself
“Revenge” is a book containing eleven novellas that form a composite portrait of a group of people who live in the same area. Ogawa’s style […]
No10 [Book] Higashino at his best
Wakayama Hiromi, assistant to famous artist Mashiba Ayane and her husband’s mistress, unfortunately discovers the husband lifeless in the marital home. It is later proved […]
No9 [Zine] Revolution Will Be Photocopied
Before being published in widely distributed magazines, many work their magic in alternative publications. In the age of blogs and electronic communication, Japan seems to […]
No9 [Exhibition] Two years on, let’s remember
The Asahi Shimbun, the second most widely sold newspaper in Japan, publishes deeply moving photos relating to the earthquake on the 11th of March 2011. […]
No9 [Book] Entertainment made in Japan
Taking the name of the hotspring resort town in which it was founded in 1914, the Takarazuka Revue is a kaleidoscopic experience, both in terms […]
No8 [Cinema] Farewell Nagisa!
After his death on the 15th January at the age of 80, the director of In The Realm Of Senses left a huge legacy to […]
No8 [DVD] The woodsman and the Rain
Japanese cinema is full of surprises and is lucky to have a distributor in Great Britain that is open-minded and discerning in the choice of […]
No7 [Book] The best place to drink in the world
According to author Chris Bunting, Tokyo has a lot to offer the curious drinker. Is Tokyo the best city for booze in the world? English […]
No7 [DVD] A treasure of a film
A village is ravaged by plague. The ninja Kagero escorts a troup of soldiers that have been sent to investigate but very soon, Tessai, one […]
No6 [Cinema] “I like to highlight the strange, unpredictable side of life”
Gakuryu Ishii talks about life, death, Japanese cinema and his latest movie “Isn’t Anyone Alive?”. Film director Sogo Ishii is back with a vengeance. He […]
No6 [DVD] Twilight in the country of the rising sun?
© Fuyumi Ono, Ryu Fujisaki/SHUEISHA, SHI KI Committee Adapted from Fuyumi Ono’s novel, Shi Ki is a high quality anime that you can now watch […]
No6 [Literature] Discovering or rediscovering Black Rain
Five years after the atomic bomb explodes, young Yasuko is living with her uncle and aunt in a village near Hiroshima where they took refuge […]
No5 [Literature] The memory of our mothers
By continuing the work she started with her first novel, Julie Otsuka forcefully evokes the conditions of Japanese immigrants in America. On the boat, we […]
No5 [Exhibition] Kioku: fracture and memories
Until the 8th of December, Christian Ferreira will present the first collaborative installation by British artists Tom Milnes & Sabine Okami in the Accumulator Tower […]
No4 [Literature] 1300 candles for the Kojiki
Compiled in the year 712, it is about time you were introduced to the ‘Record of Ancient Matters’, a monument of Japanese culture. In turn […]
No4 [Photography] A red carpet for Moriyama
You can enjoy Daido Moriyama’s work at the Michael Hoppen Gallery until 20th October. It is a must see. Daido Moriyama is a traveller, a […]
No4 [Book] Mastering the art of narration
Mitsu is the narrator. He is twenty-seven years old and the father of an abnormal child, like his sister who committed suicide before she reached […]
No3 [Event] Noh in Britain? we say yes!
On the 7th and 9th of September, two high quality shows will be presented in London and Orford in Suffolk, which combine classical Japanese theatre […]
No3 [Cinema] A well deserved tribute to Shindo and Yoshimura
© BFI Southbank Two great figures of Japan’s post-war cinema will be celebrated in an exhibition at the BFI Southbank, running until the 30th of […]
No3 [Literature] I am a cat
The narrator of this tale is a cat who belongs to an English teacher ill at ease with himself and who suffers from depression and […]
No2 [DVD] Laughter for the benefit of all
People often say that the Japanese do not enjoy laughter and that they are always serious. However, just like in any society, laughter often arises […]
No1 [Exhibition] The wonderful land of Hello Kitty
Copyright Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts Until June 24th, at the SCVA, you can meet the characters who have been populating Japanese everyday life […]
No1 [Literature] dial c for crime
This is a rendez-vous with one of Japan’s best authors. The Devotion Of Suspect X shows the maturity that crime novels have reached in the […]
No1 [DVD] on living happily ever after
In Roujin Z, the author of Akira tackles a burning subject. Unfortunately, Kitakubo’s adaptation doesn’t draw to its level. One of the companies that has […]
No1 [Manga] Fantasy on all floors
Ryugamine Mikado is a young teenager who dreams of the exciting life of big cities. when his childhood friend Kida Masaomi invites him, he gets […]
No1 [Exhibition] Kusama takes the Tate modern
© Yayoi Kusama and © Yayoi Kusama Studios Inc. A retrospective exhibition dedicated to the 83-year-old artist allows us to grasp both the diversity and […]