ENTERTAINMENT
“Monster”: Is New Film Director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Rashomon?”
Kore-eda Hirokazu is back with his first Japanese-language film in five years - a rumination on our limited perception of the lives…
Video
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ENTERTAINMENT
HISTORY
Did Japan Nearly Have its Own Prohibition Era?
Japan has a noted drinking culture. Yet, as Japan modernized, a surprising number embraced the foreign concept of alcohol prohibition.
NEWS
Suzume no Tojimari: A New Shinkai Masterpiece?
Shinkai Makoto, famed director of Your Name and more, is back with yet another breathtakingly beautiful anime film. How does Suzume stack…
HISTORY
When Tokyo was Socialist: The Story of Governor Minobe
Japan is often described as a one-party, conservative state - and yet, for over a decade, a highly popular socialist led the…
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Mama, Papa: How the Japanese Words for Parents Lost Out to English
"Mama" and "papa" are such ubiquitous parental terms in Japan that it's easy to forget they're foreign words - words the government…
HISTORY
Meiji Mura: A Journey to Japan’s Modern Past
In Japan, the recent past is often obscured beneath endless concrete. Meiji Mura is one of the few places to discover the…
ENTERTAINMENT
Bankara: Meiji Japan’s Anti-Fashion Movement
As the era of the samurai ended and Japan rushed towards modernization, a rough-scrabble fashion movement called the Bankara rose in opposition.
ENTERTAINMENT
“Belle”: Hosoda Mamoru’s Fairy Tale for the VTuber Age
Internationally beloved director Hosoda Mamoru's new film, Belle, portrays the modern clash between online fame and anonymity - with some narrative hiccups.