News
A Tokyo Exhibition Invited Visitors to Steal the Art
The unconventional show at Same Gallery, which encouraged attendees to run off with the art, was emptied in a matter of minutes.
Japan
Film
Me and the Cult Leader, an Unlikely Story of Forgiveness
Atsushi Sakahara, the survivor of a terrorist incident, films his journey with the spokesman for the group that committed the attack.
Film
Werner Herzog Follows a Company That Rents Actors to Play Your Family and Friends
Family Romance, LLC uses a Japanese rental family service to blur the line between reality and fiction.
Art
Queer Art Workers Reflect: Hanako Wada Is Hosting LGBTQ Study Groups for Theater Folks
LGBTQ Pride month is now. Every day in June, we are celebrating the community by featuring one queer art worker and asking them to reflect on what this moment means to them.
Art
Hauntingly Beautiful Photos for an Anxious Moment
On Instagram, Kana Hashimoto’s images of nocturnal Tokyo unwittingly capture the odd feeling of time itself as the coronavirus pandemic drags on.
News
Historic Prints Made by Japanese Fishermen Help Track Endangered Species
Gyotaku prints, made by pressing a fish covered in ink on paper, have been a credible research tool to examine marine biodiversity.
Film
A Modern-Day Anime Fairy Tale, With Surfing
Ride Your Wave, the latest from prolific anime director Masaaki Yuasa, offers a comforting and serene approach to loss.
Film
The Political Provocations of a Maverick Japanese Documentarian
Kazuo Hara's epic Reiwa Uprising, screening at Doc Fortnight, follows members of a new progressive political party trying to shake up the system.
Film
An Anime Fantasy Combines Myth With Climate Change
Makoto Shinkai’s new feature Weathering with You entreats the world to pay attention to the climate emergency, as constant rainfall is interpreted as punishment from the gods.
News
Chris Ofili and Naoki Urasawa Among Artists to Create Posters for 2020 Olympics
Twenty posters to commemorate the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
Film
The Labor Rights Film That Got Both of Its Directors Murdered by the Yakuza
A special screening tour of Yama — Attack to Attack offers a chance to see this extremely rare Japanese film, which was intended to be used in perpetuity to agitate on behalf of the working class.
Art
The “Small-Time Crook” Whose Visions Defied Apartheid
An amateur photographer’s images of louche Cape Town nightlife in the 1960s capture a daring, booze-fueled, melting-pot spirit in the face of apartheid.