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July 24, 2026
 

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James Hadfield
The members of Maya Ongaku ¡ª (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano ¡ª grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 18, 2026
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
Ahead of its second album release and a show at Fuji Rock, the psychedelic rock trio from the Shonan Coast is looking back and paying it forward.
So-hee (played by the single-named Hanna), a 14-year-old ethnic Korean living in Tokyo, learns some valuable life lessons in Son Myong A¡¯s ¡°Trophy.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jul 17, 2026
Zainichi drama ¡®Trophy¡¯ is a sweet, if slight, coming-of-age tale
Son Myong A¡¯s debut feature centers on a Tokyo teen grappling with her Korean heritage, both at home and in the classroom.
After an office temp worker is found dead in suspicious circumstances, Eiko Watarai (the single-named Nao, right) sets out in search of answers in Junichi Kanai¡¯s ¡°Why Wait, Just Die.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2026
¡®Why Wait, Just Die¡¯: A dead-eyed investigator takes on an unsolved murder
The single-named Nao offers a steamroller of a performance in Junichi Kanai¡¯s film, which unfolds as an unconventional murder mystery with stylized flourishes.
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex. ?
CULTURE / Music
Jul 4, 2026
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex¡¯s culture cred
JR East has been positioning the sprawling new Takanawa Gateway City as a cultural hub since before it even opened. The music, art and tech NU Festival put that claim to the test.
Tujiko Noriko¡¯s album ¡°PON¡± is dedicated to Ponpon, her late cat, and includes field recordings of her family life in France.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 3, 2026
Tujiko Noriko¡¯s new album is a feline tour de force
On tour in Japan this month, the France-based artist talks about channeling her ¡°crazy cat woman¡± energy into musical creation and finding harmony in dissonance.
The actor known as Uta stars as the eponymous antagonist in Netflix¡¯s ¡°Human Vapor¡± limited series, adapted from a classic 1960 sci-fi film.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 3, 2026
¡®Human Vapor¡¯ brings blockbuster energy to the small screen
Striking visuals and solid performances make the Netflix limited-series adaptation of a classic 1960 sci-fi movie well worth a watch.
A trio of women in need of cash (from left: Sara Minami, Kasumi Arimura and Haru Kuroki) starts smuggling gold from Singapore in Chihiro Amano¡¯s ¡°Magical Secret Tour.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2026
An implausible but engaging crime drama unfolds in ¡®Magical Secret Tour¡¯
In Chihiro Amano¡¯s ¡°Magical Secret Tour,¡± a trio of Japanese women becomes embroiled in a scheme to smuggle gold from Singapore.
Provincial lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki, right) finds himself under siege and with a series of mysteries to solve in Kiyoshi Kurosawa¡¯s ¡°The Samurai and the Prisoner.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2026
¡®The Samurai and the Prisoner¡¯: A cerebral whodunnit in feudal Japan
Kiyoshi Kurosawa¡¯s historical drama is a murder mystery in the Agatha Christie mold and driven by conversation rather than combat.
High-school students Ai (Anna Yamada, left) and Yu (Yuzu Aoki, right) fight back against a hive mind in Yuta Shimotsu¡¯s ¡°New Group.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2026
¡®New Group¡¯ has big ideas but wobbly foundations
Human pyramids and other gymnastic formations become an ominous metaphor in Yuta Shimotsu¡¯s sophomore feature, but the film¡¯s reach exceeds its grasp.
In Dave Boyle¡¯s ¡°Never After Dark,¡± a medium (Moeka Hoshi, left) hired to exorcise a spirit from a former hotel discovers that this is no regular haunting.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2026
¡®Never After Dark¡¯ finds fresh chills in familiar J-horror territory
Written and directed by Dave Boyle, the film begins as a paranormal investigation and transforms into another type of horror story altogether.
Bereaved parents Kensuke (the mononymous Daigo, right) and Otone (Haruka Ayase, left) have their late son resurrected as a humanoid robot in Hirokazu Kore-eda¡¯s ¡°Sheep in the Box.¡±
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2026
Kore-eda¡¯s sci-fi film ¡®Sheep in the Box¡¯ fuzzy at edges
Despite familiar themes, the acclaimed director¡¯s latest film is ambivalent in its exploration of a futuristic premise.
Afro-wigged host Momotaro Kabayama (Toshiaki Karasawa) presides over the eponymous game show in Yukihiko Tsutsumi¡¯s ¡°Mystery Arena.¡±
CULTURE / Film
May 15, 2026
For all its nonsense, ¡®Mystery Arena¡¯ is weirdly entertaining
Not every twist lands in Yukihiko Tsutsumi¡¯s vaguely dystopian film, but its deadly TV spectacle is undeniably diverting.
In Takahisa Zeze¡¯s ¡°Cry Out,¡± a young girl (Nanami Yamazaki, left) endures multiple hardships following her father¡¯s death, while her former elementary school teacher (Yuina Kuroshima) tries to help.
CULTURE / Film
May 8, 2026
¡®Cry Out¡¯: Misery without meaning
Takahisa Zeze¡¯s adaptation of a Kanae Minato novel revels a little too eagerly in the suffering it depicts.
¡°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.
Erika Toda brings force but limited nuance to her portrayal of Kazuko Hosoki in "Straight to Hell."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 28, 2026
¡®Straight to Hell¡¯ gets stuck in purgatory
Lies and lurid twists stack up in Netflix¡¯s take on fortune teller Kazuko Hosoki, but when it reaches her empire and influence, the story feels rushed and insight runs thin.
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.
Akio Fujimoto¡¯s ¡°Lost Land¡± centers on two displaced Rohingya siblings (Muhammad Shofik Rias Uddin, left, and Shomira Rias Uddin) who undergo a harrowing journey from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 19, 2026
¡®Lost Land¡¯ director captures play and peril on a migrant¡¯s journey
Director Akio Fujimoto avoids exposition and lets moments of childhood wonder deepen the emotional weight of the dangers surrounding his young Rohingya protagonists.
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.
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.¡±
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.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Intervention is the word after yen moves beyond ?163 and sits there
The government could prop up the yen at any moment, though its signaling is hard to read.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.

Podcast

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

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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