JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York: ‘Scarlet,’ ‘Mishima’s Muse,’ Murakami Mixtape
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
With Thanksgiving (and the hopes of sensible eating) now just a memory, we turn to colder weather, falling snow, and the new year to come. Fortunately for Japanese culture fans, December is just as busy as the holiday season itself. Whether you’re hosting guests from out of town or looking to squeeze in an event or two in between parties, we’ve got you covered.
This month’s highlights include:
Wednesday, Dec. 3 (IMAX early access), opens everywhere Dec. 5
Various theaters
Various prices
For the first time on the big screen, the Shibuya Incident—the greatest battle in Jujutsu Kaisen to date—will be presented in a special compilation format. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution presents the debut of the first two episodes of Season 3’s upcoming arc, “Culling Game Part 1” ahead of its January 2026 streaming debut. By connecting the directly linked episodes of the “Shibuya Incident” and “Culling Game,” arcs, fans can relive all the mayhem and heartbreak of the Shibuya Incident and witness the reveal of the Culling Game as the story transforms into a new experience crafted specially for the big screen. The desperate confrontation between Satoru Gojo’s two beloved students comes to the big screen with an early preview. Be the first to experience Yuji and Yuta’s fateful battle with the hotly anticipated kickoff to Season 3 in theatres nationwide!
December 4-6, 7:30 p.m.
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
Sold out; limited access seats for $40 may be available for performances on December 5 & 6 only
Hosho Noh School’s U.S. Debut! A pre-performance lecture on noh theater begins one hour prior to the start of each show.
Yukio Mishima immersed himself in Japan’s traditional arts and, notably, traditional noh theater, enchanted by its noble elegance and refined beauty. His love for noh resulted in a series of esteemed dramatic works, Modern Noh Plays, growing to encompass eight contemporary adaptations of noh stories. Now, the distinguished Hosho Noh School, originating in the early 15th century and led by 20th Grand Master Kazufusa Hosho, brings this elegant art form to the U.S. in the company’s historic North American debut. In accordance with centuries-old tradition, each evening features a rotating offering of the authentic classic repertoire of noh alongside comedic kyogen theater (performed by the prominent Yamamoto Tojiro Family). Each play selected for this program served as a source of inspiration for Mishima to adapt as modern stories centuries later.
PROGRAM:
December 4: Noh Music: Shishi (Lion Dance) / Kyogen: Busu (Poison) / Noh: Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)
December 5: Noh Shimai (unmasked excerpt): Kantan / Kyogen: Busu (Poison) / Noh: Aya no Tsuzumi (The Silk Drum)
December 6: Noh Shimai (unmasked excerpt): Yoroboshi / Kyogen: Busu (Poison) / Noh: Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)
Performed in Japanese with English supertitles.
Dec. 10-14
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard, 155 West 65th Street
$20 members, $40
Four exceptional choreographers are working with Juilliard dancers creating new works here on campus. Be the first to see New Dances: Edition 2025. Gianna Reisen has created works for New York City Ballet and the Los Angeles Dance Project and sets her new piece for first-year dancers to sections of Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach, with third-year dancers as the narrators. Juilliard alum, former Paul Taylor dancer, and founder of TAKE Dance Takehiro Ueyama is creating a work for second-year dancers to communicate something “human, honest, and hopeful.” Juilliard alum My’Kal Stromile, currently choreographing with the Boston Ballet, has third-year dancers sharing the stage with Dolphin Quartet, playing Paganini live. Jessica Wright from Studio Wayne McGregor introduces the first phase of a large-scale work with fourth-year dancers, before it expands to a multi-part performance McGregor will direct this spring in New York, culminating in the world premiere at Sadler’s Wells East in May, featuring the Juilliard dancers and dancers from London’s Rambert School.
Thursday, Dec. 11, 7:00 p.m.
The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street
Sold out; we will update regarding any possible additional tickets that may be made available. For VIP packages and sponsorships, please contact murakamimixtape@thetownhall.org.
Presented by Japan Society and The Town Hall, Murakami Mixtape is a special evening celebrating the integral connection between music and the life and works of Haruki Murakami. A globally recognized literary icon, his works including Norwegian Wood, 1Q84 and The City and Its Uncertain Walls have been translated into more than 50 languages and are beloved around the world. He is heralded for his thought-provoking prose seamlessly blending real and surreal elements as well as a deep passion for music woven into his books. Further, from 1974 to 1981, Haruki Murakami owned and operated the now legendary jazz club Peter Cat. Widely recognized as one of the world’s most prolific album collectors, Murakami is believed to own over 10,000 records, and he has written extensive pieces of music criticism that have never been translated from Japanese. The evening begins with Japan Society President & CEO Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D. presenting the Japan Society Award to Haruki Murakami on stage. This award honors luminous individuals who have brought the U.S. and Japan closer together through their artistic, business or governmental work. Featuring opening remarks by Haruki Murakami live and in-person. With Jason Moran, one of the world’s greatest living jazz musicians, and two of Murakami’s closest confidants, Motoyuki Shibata and Roland Kelts, The Town Hall and Japan Society honor Murakami’s career and creations, both as an artist and one of music’s greatest enthusiasts.
Dec. 11-18
Scarlet (advance IMAX screening)
AMC 34th Street 14, 312 West 34th Street
$22.89, $26.99
Special IMAX qualifying run ahead of a February 2026 wide release! From visionary Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai) comes a powerful, time-bending animated adventure about Scarlet, a medieval-era, sword fighting princess on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. After failing at her mission and finding herself gravely injured in the Otherworld that exists somewhere between life and death, she encounters an idealistic young man from our present day who not only helps her to heal but shows her the possibility of a future free of bitterness and rage. When confronted again by her father’s killer, Scarlet faces her most daunting battle: can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge?“As we witness heartbreaking conflicts around the world, I believe that finding love and choosing to live together in unity is what will lead us towards something better. That’s why I want to share this new film with the world — now more than ever,” said director Hosoda.
Saturday, Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Sony Hall, 235 West 46th Street
From $45
The 8-Bit Big Band is a Grammy Award-winning contemporary symphonic Jazz orchestra created to celebrate and reimagine video game music’s most beloved hits rearranged in exciting and creative new ways in order push the envelope of how we experience the music from these legendary soundtracks as a standalone body of musical work! Since the inception of the band in 2017, they have garnered an online following aggregating millions of views on YouTube, and hundreds of thousands of subscribers, followers, and listeners across the globe, selling out concert venues across the U.S. With their latest album Emulator Orchestrator, the band’s vocabulary ranges from the classic big band writing styles of the past, running through the timeline of music’s evolution, and lands in this contemporary and eclectic no holds barred musical listening experience containing influences across genre and time.
Available Tuesday, Dec. 30
Eight Million Ways to Happiness
$29 MSRP
A Japanese cultural historian shares a path to joyful living drawn from her nation’s unique approach to spirituality and nature, offering a “fascinating” (Wintering author Katherine May) blend of memoir, cultural reporting, and practical guidance for anyone struggling to find balance in our turbulent modern world. Everyone’s in the pursuit of happiness, but few know how to attain it. Millions around the world have turned to Japan for advice on finding their ikigai, or summoning The Courage to Be Disliked. Japan’s spiritual traditions hide in plain sight, forming the basis of so much of what we love about the country’s culture. Without Japan’s spiritual sustenance, Jiro wouldn’t dream of sushi; Hayao Miyazaki’s films wouldn’t spirit us away; and Marie Kondo wouldn’t spark joy. In her book Eight Million Ways to Happiness, Hiroko Yoda offers the culmination of her decade-long odyssey into the spiritual heart of her homeland. Readers follow Hiroko as she trains as a Shinto shrine-dancer, partakes in Buddhist funeral rituals, ascends holy mountains with Shugendo ascetics, and meets one of Japan’s last living itako, a traditional mystic. Her stories—personal, cultural, and historical—offer life lessons for readers of any background.
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