JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York – Akira Yamaoka, ‘The Ozu Diaries,’ ‘Kiki’ 4K IMAX
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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.
Stay warm this winter with some hot local events, from showcases that will transport you to another time and place, a clutch of debut screenings, and live events you won’t want to miss.
This month’s highlights include:
March 2-3, 7:00 p.m.
Akira Yamaoka with Special Guest Raj Ramayya
Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place
From $41
Acclaimed composer Akira Yamaoka, best known for his haunting and emotional soundtracks to the Silent Hill video game and film series, has announced his first-ever U.S. tour. This pair of highly anticipated NYC dates will bring Yamaoka’s iconic music to life through an immersive live performance experience, blending atmospheric soundscapes, visual storytelling, and the chilling beauty that defined a generation of psychological horror. Opening each night on the tour will be Raj Ramayya, the internationally acclaimed singer, composer, and lyricist known for his work on Cowboy Bebop, Resident Evil, and collaborations with Yoko Kanno. Together, they create a sound that blurs the line between digital isolation and human connection, a haunting and immersive experience that will come to life. Accompanied by a full band, each performance will transport audiences into the world of Yamaoka’s sonic imagination.
Friday, March 6, 6:00 p.m.
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$12 members, $14 students/seniors, $16 nonmemembers
During his lifetime, director Yasujiro Ozu maintained a trove of personal diaries that reveal a remarkably intimate side of the legendary filmmaker. Pulling from essays, home movies, archival photos, and recollections of Ozu-gumi (Ozu staff/collaborators) like Kogo Noda and Kinuyo Tanaka, The Ozu Diaries attempts to unmask the mystique surrounding Ozu’s persona. With fascinating anecdotes—such as Ozu hearing a rumor that Setsuko Hara could not act prior to working with her—and contributions by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Wim Wenders, The Ozu Diaries offers a glimpse of one of cinema’s greatest masters, an auto portrait told through his own words.
9:00 p.m.
$8 members, $14 students/seniors, $16 nonmemembers
35mm presentation! A crowning achievement from Yasujiro Ozu’s late period, Late Autumn—like Good Morning and Floating Weeds before it—reworks the plot of an earlier production: 1949’s Late Spring. Setsuko Hara, no longer the ebullient ingénue, plays the part of serene and composed widow Akiko whose daughter Ayako (Yoko Tsukasa) becomes the unwitting subject of an orchestrated matchmaking. However, the setup does not go according to plan when Ayako outright refuses marriage. Featuring a delightfully feisty Mariko Okada and the soft-spoken, doe-eyed Keiji Sada as secondary players, this Agfacolor comedy is an Ozu melodrama par excellence—observant, witty, and unrelentingly tragic in the face of life’s vicissitudes. Get 25% off when you purchase a ticket for The Ozu Diaries and Late Autumn in the same transaction ($8 off non-members / $5 off for members).
March 12-18
Kiki’s Delivery Service 4K IMAX
Various theaters
Various prices
Catch this all-new 4K restoration of the Hayao Miyazaki-directed Studio Ghibli classic for the first time in IMAX! It is a tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and fly off into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her new journey with her sarcastic black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a seaside town, where her unique skills make her an instant sensation. Don’t miss this delightfully imaginative and timeless story of a young girl finding her way in the world, featuring the voices of Kirsten Dunst, Janeane Garofalo, Phil Hartman, and Debbie Reynolds.
March 13-26
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze 35th Anniversary
Various theaters
Various prices
Go ninja, go to your local theater to check out this Fathom Entertainment release, back for its 35th anniversary by bodacious demand! Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo and Raphael return for their most thrilling adventure yet. This time the evil Shredder has learned the secret of the ooze, the force behind the Turtles’ mutation and amazing fighting abilities. Now more dangerous than ever, Shredder is determined to destroy the Turtles, bringing along new villains Tokka and Rahzar for a battle to the end. Before the movie, step into the mind of TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, joining him on a vision through the past. Sit down alongside the icon at his personal drawing desk while he illustrates through the revolving history, and mythos, of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles legend.
March 20-21, 7:30 p.m.
Hiroaki Umeda: assimilating and Moving State 1
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$28 members, $51 nonmembers
North American premiere! Hiroaki Umeda’s provocative choreography and eye for digital design have been celebrated throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the U.S. Critically acclaimed for his almost impossibly fluid movement style bordering on street dance – subtle, radical, and provocative – his dance pieces frequently synthesize ultramodern video, dramatic lighting and crackling soundscapes as fluid components interacting with moving bodies on stage. Now, this slick avant-garde mastermind returns to Japan Society with a double bill of his latest cutting-edge projects from Tokyo. Moving State 1, performed by four protege female dancers from Umeda’s Somatic Field Project who have fully absorbed his sleek, oiled movements and assimilating, Umeda’s signature solo performance, operate within a dance aesthetic where refined physicality merges with cyberart. The March 20 show is followed by a Private Gathering for Artists and Members. The March 21 show is followed by an Artist Q&A.
Sunday, March 22, 7:00 p.m.
SOB’s NYC, 204 Varick Street
$32.99
The band ‘Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai’ is a three-piece band formed in Japan in 2004. While active within Japan under the kanji name ‘打首獄門同好会’ (Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai), representing Japanese culture, they operate internationally under the more easily pronounceable name ‘GOKUMON.’ Featuring a mixed-gender lineup with a male guitar/vocalist and a female rhythm section, the band is known for its unique style that combines a heavy sound with a 7-string guitar and 5-string bass. This distinctive musical approach, coupled with laid-back lyrics infused with a sense of everyday life, has established a new genre known as ‘Seikatsu Micchaku-gata Loud Rock’ (Life Immersed Loud Rock). In their live performances, the band incorporates VJ (visual jockey) elements, projecting visuals and lyrics on screens synchronized with the music. This not only enhances the auditory experience but also provides a visually captivating aspect.
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