By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.

In the dog days of summer, it’s best to escape the heat in a place that’s cozy and cool. For those into both cutting-edge and classic anime, this month offers a diverse trio of theatrical premieres—all in the comfort of indoor air conditioning. 

This month’s highlights include: 

Aug. 4-24

Tokyo Pop

Peter Jay Sharp Building, BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave (Brooklyn)

$8 members, $16 general admission 

From Fran Rubel Kuzui (director of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Kino Lorber is pleased to present a newly restored 4K transfer of this 35th anniversary gem of indie cinema—a bubbly and charming rock & roll love story filmed in 1980s bubble era Japan! Disillusioned with her life in New York, bleach-blonde rocker Wendy (Carrie Hamilton) hops on a plane to Tokyo with dreams of making it as a singer. While hostessing at a karaoke bar, she meets Hiro (Diamond Yukai), whose fledgling band is hungry for their big break. When Hiro enlists Wendy to be the band’s lead singer, the two form a romantic and musical connection that leads to unexpected if unsustainable fame. A director Q&A follows the 7:00 p.m. screenings on August 4 & 5. The August 5 Q&A is moderated by David Wilentz, programmer for the New York Asian Film Festival.

Aug. 5-9 

Princess Mononoke

Various locations

$15-$20

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki comes an epic masterpiece that has dazzled audiences worldwide with its breathtaking imagination, exhilarating battles, and deep humanity. Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there. The English-language version features the voice talents of Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Billy Bob Thornton (August 6, 7 and 9 screenings).

Aug. 10-13

Big Shark – with Tommy Wiseau in Person

Village East by Angelika, 181-189 2nd Avenue

$20

The latest film from the creator of The Room! Three firefighters—Georgie, Patrick and Tim—must save New Orleans from a gigantic shark. Can the Big Easy survive something even bigger? These exclusive screenings allow you to catch Tommy Wiseau in person: Thursday 8/10 at the 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. shows; Friday 8/11 at the 8:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. shows; Saturday 8/12 at the 5:00 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. shows; and Sunday 8/13 at the 5:00 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. shows! Village East also presents five screenings of The Room with Wiseau from Aug. 11-13; all tickets for the films include meet & greet + Q&A prior to the screenings along with exclusive merchandise sales.

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Summer means new movies, and if you’re in New York it means more than just Hollywood fare, it also means the largest Japanese film festival in North America.

For the 16th edition of Japan Society’s annual JAPAN CUTS (running July 26 through August 6), moviegoers will thrill to 29 films, and the first fully in-person JAPAN CUTS since 2019.

“JAPAN CUTS is back in-person!” says Peter Tatara, Director of Film at Japan Society, who organized this year’s festival with Japan Society Film Programmer Alexander Fee. “JAPAN CUTS is one of Japan Society’s most popular events and beloved in New York’s cinema scene. After a pause during the pandemic, we couldn’t be more proud for JAPAN CUTS to return with two weeks of exciting, thought-provoking and tear-jerking films. We’re honored to share a captivating slice of Japan’s cinematic world with New York!”

This year’s festival spans 12 days and features 24 feature-length films and five short films across Feature Slate, Next Generation, and Short Film Spotlight sections, as well as a special tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Kicking off this year’s festival, JAPAN CUTS is excited to present the East Coast Premiere of THE FIRST SLAM DUNK as its opening film. THE FIRST SLAM DUNK is the number one movie at the Japanese box office this year, and it is the first new feature-length film from the SLAM DUNK franchise in over 33 years, as well as manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s directorial debut. JAPAN CUTS will present this very special screening in partnership with GKIDS and Toei Animation ahead of the film’s upcoming nationwide theatrical release. 

Leading this year’s guests, JAPAN CUTS will present acclaimed actor Yuya Yagira with this year’s CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film for his lead role in our centerpiece film, Under the Turquoise Sky from director KENTARO. Yagira was the youngest-ever winner of the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his lead in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Nobody Knows and has since starred in over 50 films and television series ranging from commercial blockbusters to art house gems. He will receive the CUT ABOVE Award from JAPAN CUTS in honor of his diverse career and especially for his work in Under the Turquoise Sky. A remarkable international co-production from director KENTARO, Under the Turquoise Sky sees Yagira embark on a personal journey across the vastness of the Mongolian countryside. Both Yagira and KENTARO will make special appearances at the film’s premiere screening and encore presentation.

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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. 

Before and after the outdoor fireworks, enjoy some summer events in the cool indoors, whether it’s taking in anime’s biggest event on the West Coast, or catching a Studio Ghibli classic.

This month’s highlights include:

July 1-4 

Anime Expo

Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles

$50-$145 

The largest anime convention in North America, Anime Expo serves up exclusive anime screenings and renowned guests courtesy of international animation and manga publishers. Play the latest in Japanese gaming technology; chow down on Japanese delicacies and fusion cuisine; rock out to live musical guests and cosplay masquerades; and more! Centerpiece events this year include a conversation with YOSHIKI (July 2), a composer, classically-trained pianist, rock drummer, and the leader of the rock groups X JAPAN and THE LAST ROCKSTARS, and the North American premiere of THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (July 3), the first new feature-length film from the globally cherished franchise in over 28 years, as well as original manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s Japan Academy Prize-winning directorial debut.

Sunday, July 2, 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. 

JAnime

JACCC Campus, 244 San Pedro Street, Los Angeles 

Free, $40 for Food Wars Cafe and $12 for Tea Ceremony events

The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) invites you to JAnime, a celebration of Japanese and Japanese American culture through the lens of anime. This event immerses all in the history of Japanese and Japanese American anime culture through art, food, history and performances set against the backdrop of the Japanese season of tanabata. Among a variety of anime- and Japanese culture-related lectures and demonstrations, guests can enjoy the Food Wars-inspired higher-end menu highlighted by Japanese Wagyu delicacies, and traditional tea ceremony in which audiences will be able to experience and taste the way of tea in an authentic tea room, as well as live taiko and anime music performances with food matsuri and official Kirin beer garden! The party reaches fever pitch with a set from DJ Tsugu Itagaki, who will be spinning an all vinyl set of City Pop, J-Pop, and everything in between.

July 9, 11 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Various locations 

$15-$20 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, written and directed by Academy Award-winner Hayao Miyazaki, is an epic masterpiece of sweeping scope and grandeur that remains one of the most breathtaking and exhilarating animated films of all time. A thousand years after the Seven Days of Fire destroyed civilization, warring human factions survive in a world devastated by atmospheric poisons and swarming with gigantic insects. The peaceful Valley of the Wind is nestled on the edge of the Toxic Forest and led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, whose love of all living things leads her into terrible danger, as she fights to restore balance between humans and nature. The English-dubbed (July 9 screenings) features the voices of Alison Lohman, Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos and Shia LaBeouf.

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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.

After an unusually warm spring, it’s finally starting to feel like summer. Enjoy some seasonal events this month that celebrate the best of both fine and pop art.

This month’s highlights include: TEXT

Robert Flynt

June 1-11

Shockwave Delay

Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa, 66 East 4th Street

$10-40

This “confidential protocol” is a composition created and designed by Yoshiko Chuma. This performance is based on twenty chapters that cross over within the frame of two and half hours. Musicians, dancers and designers interact, but not directly—a parallel to incidents of sound, text and action, a metaphor for endless continuous circles of life, fluctuating between utopia and war. While observing, the audience perceives the results of war—tipping utopia. A utopia is an imagined community of society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens. One could also say that utopia is a perfect “place” that has been designed so there are no problems.

June 7-July 2

KAGAMI by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum

Griffin Theater at The Shed, 545 West 30th Street

$29-$69

World premiere! In this new mixed reality collaboration with the late, legendary Academy Award-winning composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum, spectators will witness a new kind of mixed reality concert via headsets that immerse the audience in an environment combining the maestro’s Yamaha grand concert piano performance with the physical world alongside virtual art created to accompany each song. Presented in surround sound, the experience allows the intimate 80-person audience, seated in the round, to connect like never before. “This is one of the first fully staged concerts in mixed reality, and it’s no surprise that the uniquely inventive Ryuichi Sakamoto was working on this new interdisciplinary show in recent years,” says The Shed’s Artistic Director Alex Poots. “It’s a great honor to present KAGAMI, one of Sakamoto’s final works, with our innovative partners [director] Todd Eckert and the Tin Drum team, and to share Sakamoto’s enduring legacy in this groundbreaking new artistic format.”

GKIDS

June 11, 12 and 14 

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Various locations 

$15-$20

Celebrate this beloved coming-of-age story from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, about a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt. 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 village, 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. The June 11 screenings feature the English dubbed voices of Kirsten Dunst, Janeane Garofalo, Phil Hartman, and Debbie Reynolds.

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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.

As spring continues and the weather continues to warm, New Yorkers can enjoy activities all over the city both indoors and out.

This month’s highlights include:

Thursday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.

Onlookers

Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue 

$16, $8 members

Kimi Takesue’s Onlookers asks looming existential questions such as: Why do we travel? What do we seek? Onlookers offers a visually striking, immersive meditation on travel and tourism in Laos [which is also the most heavily bombed per capita in history after the U.S. dropped over 2 million tons of bombs from 1964-1973], reflecting on how we all live as observers. Unfolding in painterly tableaux, Onlookers explores the paradox of travel: Why do people fly thousands of miles from home to lounge in a Laotian guest house sipping smoothies while watching reruns of the TV show Friends? Why do we climb to the top of a colossal mountain just to snap selfies, rather than enjoy the extraordinary view? We are present, but absent. Looking, but not seeing.

Opens May 11

Yayoi Kusama: I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers

David Zwirner, 519, 525 & 533 West 19th Street

Free

One of the most celebrated contemporary artists of our time, Yayoi Kusama unveils her latest works in one of her largest gallery exhibitions to date here in New York. The exhibition features new paintings, new sculptures elaborating on her signature motifs of pumpkins and flowers, and a new Infinity Mirrored Room. Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, Kusama’s work has been featured widely in both solo and group presentations. She presented her first solo show in her native Japan in 1952. In the mid-1960s, she established herself in New York as an important avant-garde artist by staging groundbreaking and influential happenings, events, and exhibitions. Her work gained renewed widespread recognition in the late 1980s following a number of international solo exhibitions, including shows at the Center for International Contemporary Arts, New York, and the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, both of which took place in 1989.

Monday, May 15, 8:00 p.m.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street

$35

Pop singer and icon of Harajuku fashion Kyary Pamyu Pamyu returns to New York for the debut date of her first U.S. tour in five years, supported by French-born and Tokyo-based DJ Moe Shop! last month, the two collaborated on their new song CANDY CANDY (Moe Shop Remix). As fans of KPP know, she’s been a J-pop icon since she first amassed a following as a teenage fashion blogger. She later rose to global fame as a viral Jpop music video star, model, and actress, even starring in numerous Japanese TV commercials. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has sold over 970,000 physical albums and singles in Japan according to Oricon as well as over 2.25 million downloads of her singles, drawing favorable comparisons to Katy Perry and Lady Gaga in her home country. Don’t miss one of the most colorful pop performers ever to take the stage!

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Happy spring! It’s hard to believe that May is right around the corner. Earlier this year I spent two weeks in Japan (my first trip in six years, after a few stops and starts during Covid), and timed it extremely well to catch the 桜 (sakura, or cherry blossoms) at their peak in two of the four cities I visited. One was Kyoto, which is always a special place for me to return to as it is where I studied abroad during my first time in Japan. The other was Kumamoto, where I lived for three years during my time as a JET. It was a fantastic homecoming filled with long-overdue reunions, delicious food, 温泉 (onsen, or hot springs) and お花見 (ohanami, or cherry blossom viewing). I don’t know when my next trip will be, but here’s hoping it’s sooner than another six years!

When I returned to the U.S. everything was in full bloom, so I felt lucky to be able to enjoy a double spring. I love this season with its wonderfully warm afternoons, as well as chilly mornings and nights where hot tea hits the spot. I brought back sakura tea and a wide assortment of other cherry blossom goods, so hopefully those will tide me over when I start missing Japan…

Yesterday I had the chance to see the Cannes award-winning film Plan 75, which is showing at IFC Center through Friday. The title refers to a Japanese government program that encourages the elderly to terminate their own lives (and will subsidize this), as a way of relieving this demographic’s social and economic burdens. The film follows the three main characters of a 78-year old woman considering Plan 75, a young civil servant working on behalf of the plan, and a Filipino health care worker who ends up working for the plan. Each goes through their own personal journey over the course of the film’s almost two-hour duration, changing the way they view the plan and their roles in relation to it. The weight of this dystopian film makes it anything but an easy watch, but its heaviness is commensurate to the heft of the premise.

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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.

Spring has sprung in the Big Apple, and that means one thing: a new season of sounds, colors, and spectacular performing arts to match the blossoming sakura trees throughout the city.

This month’s highlights include:

March 25-29

My Neighbor Totoro 35th Anniversary

Various locations

$15-$20

The inaugural selection of Ghibli Fest 2023, this classic tale from Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki serves up magic and adventure for the whole family. When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in early roles. Presented in both English-language and Japanese subtitled versions (March 28 only).

Thursday, April 6, 7:30 p.m.

Masayo Ishigure, Koto, Bass Koto, and Shamisen

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Avenue

$40-$50

Masayo Ishigure Koto and Shamisen Recital commemorates the 30th anniversary of the veteran koto and shamisen performer’s professional career in the U.S.! Program selections include: “Sakura/The Moon over the Deserted Castle” A masterpiece representing Japan composed by Tadao Sawai. “Ginga (Galaxy)” by Tadao Sawai, using Okinawan melody, is performed on koto and shamisen. “(untitled) ” composed by Zac Zinger for koto, piano, and shakuhachi, each instrument partially improvises like often heard in Jazz music. “Gin-yu-ka (Minstrel Song)”, a powerful ensemble of six koto players composed by Hikaru Sawai “Chizuru/ Whereabouts of the Wind” by Hideaki Matsumoto, a relatively new Koto and piano piece. “Flying like a Bird”, composed by Tadao Sawai, will be the last piece of the recital. The piece, using all the techniques the composer could think of at that time, is one of the milestone of 20th century Koto music, and definitely worth listening to. The history of Japanese music can be seen in this program, which can be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences.

April 6-8, 8:00 p.m. 

Joan Laage/Kogut Butoh: Rivers Running Red

Triskelion Arts, 106 Calyer Street (Brooklyn)

$20 

Rivers Running Red is a homage to the female body and menstruation. The piece is inspired by an article exposing the practice in certain traditional societies of sending women off to the mountains to remain in huts and, all too often not surviving the harsh conditions. This practice is fueled by the belief that women are unclean while menstruating. It is also a reflection on this monthly cycle being celebrated as a sacred passage in other cultures. Vangeline Theater will open the show with an excerpt of The Slowest Wave. The Slowest Wave investigates through the use of scalp EEG how brain waves during Butoh dancing compare to those emitted during other conscious or unconscious motor behaviors, such as speaking or meditating. Moreover, the study will elucidate the functional neural networks of the dancers and the neural synchrony within and between them. This project is meant to foster connections and understanding between dancers, artists, scientists, engineers, and audiences from around the world.

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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. e. 

Stay warm this winter with some hot local events, from live showcases that will transport you to another time and place, a clutch of new anime screenings, and a ballet performance you won’t want to miss.

This month’s highlights include:

March 3-19, Various Times

New York International Children’s Film Festival

Various Locations

Get $2.00 off tickets with the code JQ2023 at nyicff.org/tickets

New York International Children’s Film Festival is back—and back in theaters—with an all-new slate of the best films from around the world for kids and families.  Check out the highly anticipated new release Suzume, and many Japanese short films featured in the lineup–like the delightfully animated Konigiri-Kun Parasol in Shorts for Tots (ages 3-6). Japanese selections include:

Suzume (for ages 12+)

•           March 5, 5 PM @ SVA

North American premiere! From the director of the acclaimed Your Name. (NYICFF 2017). On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety…As the skies turn red and the earth trembles, Japan stands on the brink of disaster. But one determined teenager, Suzume, sets out on a mission to save her country. Able to see the supernatural forces that others can’t, it’s up to her to close the mysterious doors spreading chaos across the land. A perilous journey awaits as the fate of the country rests on her shoulders.

March 10-11, 8:00 p.m.

The Music of Toshiko Akiyoshi

Rose Theater – Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway & West 60th Street

$40.50-$170.50

For The Music of Toshiko Akiyoshi with The JLCO with Wynton Marsalis and special guest Lew Tabackin, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis play the monumental compositions of the iconic pianist-composer Toshiko Akiyoshi, as they are joined by her on stage for part of the performance. Akiyoshi has been a force on the international scene since 1952, and has impressed critics and audiences alike for the comprehensive mastery and fierce distillation of the language of bebop master Bud Powell that she was able to assimilate early on, and for her evocative corpus of sui generis works since 1973 for the Akiyoshi-Tabackin Orchestra with Lew Tabackin (who will play tenor saxophone and flute on this evening), combining swing, bebop, classical, and elements drawn from her Japanese heritage. There will be a free pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. for each performance.

Monday, March 13, 7:30 p.m.

I’m Trying to Understand You, But…

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$15, $12 members

The 17th installment of Japan Society’s annual Play Reading Series introduces topical plays from up-and-coming playwrights in Japan to artists and audiences in the U.S.NYC-based director NJ Agwuna, winner of the 2022 Barbara Whitman Award, tackles Yuri Yamada’s timely play I’m Trying to Understand You, But… In this piece, Yamada portrays a dicey conversation between a young couple that starts as an unintended pregnancy reveal and ends in a gender-swapped discussion about how the incident came about. Two maids named Libby and Prudie give running commentary throughout the couple’s heart-to-heart. Two-time Kishida Kunio Drama Award-nominee Yamada joins in a post-show Q&A with the audience and director.

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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:

Now through Jan. 8

NYC Winter Lantern Festival

Various locations

$12.00-$50.00

The annual Winter Lantern Festival is back to transform your neighborhood into an immersive world of light Journey to the East with friends and family at SIUH Community Park in Staten Island to explore the wonders of over 1,000 Chinese lanterns; all handmade by artisans. Queens County Farm welcomes visitors an unforgettable radiant oasis with friends and family as we Illuminate the Farm. Located at Nassau County Museum of Art in Long Island, Winter Lantern Festival’s Drive Thru Adventure in Roslyn will dazzle your friends and family as you roll through acres of luminance! Finally, night the light this holiday season! The Winter Lantern Festival at Smithtown Historical Society in Suffolk County will feature lanterns and displays ranging from mushrooms and flowers to farm animals to dinosaurs; all handmade by artisans with decades of dedication to their craft. Be ready for photo-ops with friends and family as this will be an unforgettable experience!

Dec. 1-3, 7:30 p.m.

Kotei (The Emperor) | Makura Jido (Chrusanthemum Boy)

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$95, $76 members (performance + soirée); $72, $58 members (performance only)

Prominent members from the Kita Noh School, including Akiyo Tomoeda, Living National Treasure designated by the Japanese government, perform two works from noh theater’s classical repertoire: Kotei (The Emperor) on Dec. 1 and 3, and Makura Jido (Chrysanthemum Boy) on Dec. 2—two pieces meant to be a prayer to hasten the end of the pandemic and celebrate health and longevity. Set in the Tang Dynasty in China, Kotei tells the story of the deity Shoki, who rescues the ailing Empress Yang Guifei and pledges his allegiance to Emperor Xuanzong. Also set in China, Makura Jido is about a boy who has joyfully lived for 700 years by drinking an immortal elixir from the dew of a chrysanthemum leaf. The boy reveals that the dew has created a pool in the valley, which has become the headspring for medicinal water. Performed in Japanese with English supertitles. A ticketed soirée follows the Dec. 1 performance. An artist Q&A follows the Dec. 2 performance.

 Dec. 2-11, various times

Yoshimitsu Morita Retrospective

Film at Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza #4

$10-$65

Across a 30-plus-year career, Yoshimitsu Morita (1950–2011) amassed one of the most fascinatingly idiosyncratic and prolific bodies of work in modern Japanese cinema. From his irreverently comic 1981 Something Like It to his 1983 breakout black comedy, The Family Game (presented in an all-new 4K remaster), to forays into melodrama (And Then, 1985), the hard-boiled film (Deaths in Tokimeki, 1984), the pink film/roman porno (Top Stripper, 1982), horror (The Black House, 1999), and romantic drama (Haru, 1996), Morita’s work is marked by an incomparable sensitivity to the peaks and valleys of the inner landscape of Japanese society, a penchant for subtle injections of surreality to highlight the absurdity of certain aspects of Japanese life, an omnipresent sense of irony, and a boldly iconoclastic approach to visual composition. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles. Select screenings feature an introduction by producer Kazuko Misawa and composer Michiru Oshima.

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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.

The Japan-centric events of the month ahead promise to be as rich and full as autumn itself—brisk and colorful, with a dash of unpredictability.

This month’s highlights include:

Oct. 30-31, Nov. 1-2

Spirited Away

Various locations/prices

The final film selected for this year’s Studio Ghibli Fest! Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Hayao Miyazaki’s wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation. Chihiro’s family is moving to a new house, but when they stop on the way to explore an abandoned village, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastical spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. Overflowing with imaginative creatures and thrilling storytelling, Spirited Away became a beloved hit worldwide, and is one the most critically acclaimed films of all time. The October 30 and November 1 screenings are dubbed in English, and the October 31 and November 2 screenings are presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Opens Nov. 3

One Piece Film: Red

Various locations; for Village East by Angelika Screenings, click here

$8-$16

The spotlight shines on the 15th feature film of Eiichiro Oda’s enduring manga and anime smash, which is a massive box office hit (already in the top 10 highest grossing films released in Japan since its debut last August)! Luffy and his crew are about to attend an eagerly awaited music festival. The most popular singer in the world, Uta, will take the stage for the first time. The one who is none other than the daughter of the legendary pirate Shanks Le Roux will reveal the exceptional power of her voice which could well change the world… Presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dubbed options.

Thursday, Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m.

Behind-the-Scenes of My Neighbour Totoro

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$20, $16 members

Puppet artist extraordinaire Basil Twist sits down to talk about his creative role in Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s staging of the beloved Studio Ghibli animated feature film My Neighbour Totoro in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV. Twist is known for surprising audiences with his infinite creativity, from 88 magical Japanese screen doors (Dogugaeshi) and dancing fabrics in an onstage water tank (Symphonie Fantastique) to a gigantic rock creature in his most recent work (Book of Mountains & Seas). In this event, Twist will share backstage images and describe the process of creating real-life versions of the film’s fantastical creatures for the live staging of Totoro at London’s Barbican this fall. A special 35mm presentation of the original film will be screened at Japan Society on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:00 p.m.; click here for tickets.

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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.

As the summer winds fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed all through Halloween.

This month’s highlights include:

Sept. 25-28

Howl’s Moving Castle

Various locations/prices

The penultimate pick for this year’s Studio Ghibli Fest is an Academy Award-nominated fantasy adventure for the whole family from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away). Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. The Sept. 25, 27 and 28th screenings are dubbed in English, and the Sept. 26 screening is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Friday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.

ONE OK ROCK

Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center, 311 West 34th Street

$60-$132.50

Beloved at home in Japan and worldwide, Fueled By Ramen band ONE OK ROCK have released their anxiously awaited new full-length album, Luxury Disease (stream it HERE). Featuring the lead single “Save Yourself” (see the Tanu Muino-directed video on the band’s YouTube channel), additional album highlights include “Let Me Let You Go,” and “Vandalize,” which will serve as the ending theme for SEGA’s upcoming game Sonic Frontiers, releasing on November 8. Produced by Rob Cavallo (Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance), Luxury Diseasefinds ONE OK ROCK embarking on a North American headline tour which will see the group returning to stages in the U.S. and Canada for the first time in over three years.

Saturday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.

MIYAVI

Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street

$30-$100

Celebrating his 20th year in the music industry, MIYAVI embarks on a 20-city tour across the U.S. and Canada. In this intimate venue, the samurai guitarist known for his unconventional style of guitar playing—performing not with a pick, but with his fingers in a method dubbed “slap style”— plans to perform fan-favorite tracks, material from last year’s Imaginary LP, and new music he will be debuting live for the first time!

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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.

In the dog days of summer, it’s best to escape the heat in a place that’s cozy and cool. For those into both cutting-edge and classic anime, this month offers a diverse trio of theatrical premieres—all in the comfort of indoor air conditioning.

This month’s highlights include:

Opens Aug. 12

Inu-oh

For Village East by Angelika screenings, click here

From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa (Mind Game, Ride Your Wave), hailed by IndieWire as “one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation,” comes a revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm. Born to an esteemed family, Inu-oh is afflicted with an ancient curse that has left him on the margins of society. When he meets the blind musician Tomona, a young biwa priest haunted by his past, Inu-oh discovers a captivating ability to dance. The pair quickly become business partners and inseparable friends as crowds flock to their electric, larger-than-life concerts. But when those in power threaten to break up the band, Inu-oh and Tomona must dance and sing to uncover the truth behind their creative gifts. Featuring character creation by Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet, “Ping Pong the Animation”) and awe-inspiring vocals by Avu-chan (Queen Bee) and Mirai Moriyama, Inu-oh is a glam-rock ode to the power of music and a forceful statement on artistic freedom from one of animation’s singular talents. All screenings are presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

The New York Asian Film Festival taking place at Lincoln Center is one of my favorite annual events, and it’s coming to a close this weekend. This year the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary, and it was back in person for the first time in two years. Over the first week, I was lucky enough to interpret for several actors, producers and directors. Particularly thrilling was being able to work with the actor Hiroshi Abe, of whom I’ve been a longtime fan. He attended the festival to receive the 2022 Screen International Star Asia Award and participate in the Q&A for his film Offbeat Cops, which had its world premiere at the festival.

My sharp-eyed friend in Japan was up early watching Fuji’s Mezamashi TV, and she was able to capture this photo of me on stage with Abe and Offbeat Cops director Eiji Uchida (to my left/right respectively in the picture). Abe plays a hard-boiled detective named Naruse who gets shunted off to the police band, and ends up going on a journey of self-discovery as a result (and learns how to play the drums, as the actor had to in real life!). During the Q&A, Uchida expressed his desire to make a sequel where Naruse has a showdown with the NYPD Police band, and to the delight of the crowd Abe said that he’s be up for it.

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

The Oscars this past weekend were memorable in more ways than one, but I’d like to focus on Drive My Car winning Best International Feature Film! As I mentioned in my previous post, DMC is the second Japanese film to receive this honor since Departures (おくりびと or Okuribito) in 2008. I was proud of director Ryusuke Hamaguchi for giving his acceptance speech in English, though I wish they hadn’t tried to play him off the stage twice (his finger raised to ask for more time was golden).

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Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

I enjoyed watching the SAG Awards last night and it got me excited for the Oscars, which will take place in exactly one month. Drive My Car is the first Japanese film ever to be nominated for Best Picture in the ceremony’s 94-year history! In addition, Ryusuke Hamaguchi picked up a Directing nomination, as well as one for Adapted Screenplay with his co-writer Takamasa Oe. The film’s fourth nomination in the category of International Feature Film is the one it has the best odds of winning. If the many awards Drive My Car has already picked up at Cannes and other major film festivals are any indication, Hamaguchi and his team will be going home with at least one gold statue.

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