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May 01, 2026
 

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JAPANESE FILM

¡°Into the Belly of the Beast¡± follows the exploits of a young loner (Shun Tobari) with a casual interest in cannibalism who gets embroiled in the criminal underworld.
CULTURE / Film
May 1, 2026
¡®Into the Belly of the Beast¡¯: A stomach-churning thriller offers grisly surprises
Jun Yamada's low-budget suspense drama is lean and stylistically assured, with a protagonist with deeply disturbing tastes.
Toru Yamada¡¯s documentary ¡°At the Triangle Intersection,¡± which delves into the lingering impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, follows Tetsu (center), the matriarch of the Watanabe family, her son, Takemasa (right) and her daughter-in-law, Shigeko.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2026
Documentary captures the long echo of Fukushima's nuclear disaster
Without narration or music, Toru Yamada's intimate documentary "At the Triangle Intersection" follows the silences, routines and unresolved tensions of post-disaster life.
In Daisuke Shigaya¡¯s ¡°Leave the Cat Alone,¡± a depressed musician (Soma Fujii, right) going through a rough patch with his photographer wife (Ran Taniguchi) has a chance reunion that puts his life in perspective.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2026
¡®Leave the Cat Alone¡¯: Even when life and love get messy, creativity survives
In Daisuke Shigaya's film about a chance reunion of former flames, the drama is in the details, where memory slips and feelings quietly shift.
A mild-mannered trading company employee (Issei Takahashi) finds out that he is married to a complete stranger in ¡°Rhapsody, Rhapsody.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2026
'Rhapsody, Rhapsody¡¯ falters between rom-com whimsy and psychodrama
Director Go Riju sets up a mismatched pair, but the film's tonal swings make their uneasy connection hard to fully invest in.
In ¡°Sakamoto Days,¡± former hitman Taro Sakamoto (Ren Meguro, center) has packed on the pounds and traded the underworld for a quiet life running a family convenience store, but his past catches up when a string of eccentric assassins come looking for him.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 16, 2026
¡®Sakamoto Days¡¯ is a faithful adaptation, rather than a good one
Yuichi Fukuda's adaptation of a popular manga sticks closely to the source material, but after a strong start it runs out of steam long before the final showdown.
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's ¡°Sheep in the Box" is up for a Palme d¡¯Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Films by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada are also in the running for the festival's top prize.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 14, 2026
Three Japanese directors vie for top prize at Cannes, a first since 2001
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada bring a strong Japanese presence to the Cannes Film Festival's competition section this year.
Decades after the death of her teenage crush, a woman (Haruka Ayase) decides to pour her unresolved feelings into a written message in ¡°One Last Love Letter.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2026
¡®One Last Love Letter¡¯: A wistful throwback to romance in the age of texts
Yuya Ishii's drama leans into familiar tropes but delivers a tender reminder of the power of words left unsaid for too long.
"WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3" is set in the "Patlabor" universe, but familiar characters of Special Vehicles Division 2 hardly appear.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2026
¡®WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3¡¯: The franchise¡¯s melancholy, noir outlier
The black sheep of the "Patlabor" mecha franchise sidelines its robots for a 1970s-style paranoid thriller.
Nana Mori plays a young woman who joins a group of street kids after running away from home in ¡°Burn¡±
CULTURE / Film
Apr 9, 2026
¡®Burn¡¯ lights up Kabukicho¡¯s darkness with a bold vision
Makoto Nagahisa takes a hyper-modern approach to some timeless themes of youth and destruction in his stylized drama, "Burn."
The ¡°Detective Conan¡± franchise is based on Gosho Aoyama¡¯s manga, which was first serialized in 1994 in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday. Over the course of three decades, the film adaptations have become an annual box-office phenomenon.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2026
The curious case of a pint-sized sleuth¡¯s box-office phenomenon
A Golden Week tradition for many, the "Detective Conan" blockbuster franchise has built a cycle of anticipation that keeps fans engaged year after year.
A housewife (Rena Tanaka) turns to a life of crime and adrenaline in ¡°How to Steal the Gold.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Apr 3, 2026
¡®How to Steal the Gold¡¯ spins real crime into playful heist fun
A seemingly ordinary life unravels in surprising ways in Takayuki Kayano's character-driven crime comedy.
A high school senior (Soma Santoki, left) who was once an avid basketball player is forced to give up his passion to look after his ailing mother (Miho Kanno) in ¡°90 Meters.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2026
¡®90 Meters¡¯ tempers the strain of caregiving with reassuring glow
Shun Nakagawa's semi-autobiographical drama depicts the toll of caregiving on a teenage boy, offering a compassionate portrait that smooths some of life's rougher edges.
A young chimney sweep named Lubicchi (voiced by Yuzuna Nagase) is transported to a world that is stuck in time in ¡°Chimney Town: Frozen in Time.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2026
¡®Chimney Town: Frozen in Time¡¯: A visually rich sequel with a thematic wobble
The "Poupelle of Chimney Town" team is back with a more expansive sequel that trades industrial gloom for Ghibli-esque beauty.
Kazunobu Mineta (right, with Riho Yoshioka and Ryuya Wakaba) plays photographer turned label owner Yuichi Jibiki in ¡°Street Kingdom,¡± Tomorowo Taguchi¡¯s film about the early days of Japanese punk and indie music.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 23, 2026
¡®Street Kingdom¡¯ makes a cinematic return to the raw days of Tokyo punk
Tomorowo Taguchi lived the early Tokyo Rockers scene ¡ª now he channels it into his music biopic capturing the spirit of a movement that burned bright and fast.
Kabukicho is a dangerous world for the kids who drift there looking for a place to belong in Ren Akiba¡¯s ¡°Tokyo Strayers.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 19, 2026
Kabukicho¡¯s streets turn perilous in ¡®Tokyo Strayers¡¯
Kabukicho may be packed with tourists today, but Ren Akiba's film shows how the streets can still be unforgiving for runaway teens.
Enamored with Western-style painting, Fujiko¡¯s (voiced by Ami Toma) dream of becoming an artist leads her to Paris in ¡°Samurai Ballerina: L¡¯etoile de Paris en fleur.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 19, 2026
¡®Samurai Ballerina¡¯ pirouettes through Belle Epoque Paris with uneven grace
Known for franchise hits and sci-fi anime, Goro Taniguchi takes a very different turn, sending two young artists from Japan to chase their dreams in early 20th-century Paris.
Hairstylist and makeup artist Kyoko Toyokawa (center) and other creative staff members of the film ¡°Kokuho¡± face reporters in Los Angeles on Saturday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 16, 2026
¡®Kokuho¡¯ misses out on Oscar for makeup and hairstyling
The kabuki-focused film¡¯s hair and makeup artists were the first Japanese nationals from a Japanese movie to be nominated in the category.
Ryo Yoshizawa accepts the award for best actor at the Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 14, 2026
¡®Kokuho¡¯ dominates Japan Academy Film Prize with 10 wins
Japan¡¯s answer to the Oscars crowns Lee Sang-il¡¯s kabuki drama after its historic box-office run.
Lee Sang-il's "Kokuho" won big at this year's Japan Academy Film Prize awards.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 14, 2026
The 49th Japan Academy Film Prize winners: Full list
Lee Sang-il¡¯s kabuki epic ¡°Kokuho¡± led this year¡¯s ceremony. See every award recipient from Japan¡¯s biggest movie night.
Directed by Michael Arias at Studio 4¡ãC, ¡°Tekkonkinkreet¡± will be screened in Japanese cinemas for two weeks to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 13, 2026
Anime revival screenings are having a moment
With anime fans flocking to theaters to revisit classics like ¡°Tekkonkinkreet,¡± ¡°Jin-roh¡± and ¡°Macross Plus,¡± nostalgia is proving good business.
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings
The government is considering creating a Japanese language program for foreign people that would be a factor in residency screenings.
'RikuRyu' signs off in emotional farewell
Figure skating pair Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara pose for photos at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The pair have announced their retirement from competitive skating.
Police search for Tokyo man on the run after hammer attack on students
Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers stand guard outside the home where suspect Teruyuki Takabayashi temporarily took refuge in Fussa, Tokyo, on Wednesday.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
SoNoMa chef partner Kyle Connaughton (right) and chef de cuisine Keita Tominaga both have ties to Sonoma County in Northern California, the restaurant¡¯s namesake. Connaughton rose to prominence there with SingleThread, while Tominaga¡¯s father ran a Japanese restaurant in the region.
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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