Contemporary Japanese food culture
documentary "eatrip" will be screened with English subtitles at 19:15 on Monday 6th, 15th and 22nd, June at the Ebisu Garden cinema.

"eatrip" will be presented in the Documentaries of the World section of the Montreal World Film Festival 2009.

■About "eatrip"
http://jp.truveo.com/trailer-eatrip/id/313405396
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fq20090612a1.html
http://eatrip.jp/

DINNER TIME!!!
"eatrip" is a wonderful consideration of people and food. Try it! You'll like this delectable morsel, this jovial dinner time, this lovely nibble at the link between people and food. To eat is indeed to live. Life is just an "eating trip" (eatrip).

People eat. That is how we survive. For humans, however, eating has become more than just sustenance and replenishment of nutrients. It has become an opportunity for bonding with others, for chatting about what we've been up to, and asking about our loved one's days.
The act of eating is also the act of interacting with nature. Meat, vegetables, fruit and grain are all living organisms that combine to sustain us. And if life is a journey, then surely eating is an excursion in itself. After all, is not life a series of dinner times?? Are our lives not sequences of feeding, nurturing and growing??

■About the film
“eatrip” is the directorial debut of food coordinator, creator and teacher, Yuri Nomura. “eatrip” explores the interpersonal relationships that food nurtures. To eat is a universal experience and this documentary takes the audience on a journey throughout Japan looking at how life can be led optimally through the daily ritual of eating. From the Tsukiji fish market to an Okinawan farm, the film offers poignant interviews with intriguing personalities, a few of whom include: Nichiji Sakai, head monk of the Ikegami Honmonji temple; Kanji Takahashi, a distributor of Japanese soup stock (Bonito broth); Naoko Morioka, an Okinawan leading a self-sustainable lifestyle; So-oku Sen a tea ceremony master and descendant of famed Sen No Rikyu; and Yayako Uchida, a musician and writer who recites poems about food.

“eatrip” culminates with a passionate meal cooked by the director herself, for actor Tadanobu Asano and singer UA and a handful of other eclectic guests.

Special screening for "eatrip" with English subtitles
(19:15 on Monday 22nd, June).

1 Comments

• At June 21, 2009, Tokyofoodcast wrote:

  Looks interesting. I hope I can do go tomorrow. Thanks for this info.

Classic Japanese Cinema with English Subtitles

VENUE: Tsukuba Gakuin University, Room 1311

SATURDAY, October 27

11:00-12:10…… Sisters of the Gion (Mizoguchi, 1936; 66 minutes)
12:15-14:00…… Late Spring (Ozu, 1949; 90 minutes)
14:10-16:40…… Ikiru (Kurosawa, 1952; 143 minutes)
16:50-18:40…… Late Chrysanthemums (Naruse, 1954; 101 minutes)

SPECIAL EVENING SHOW:
18:45-20-45…… The Funeral (Itami, 1987; 120 minutes)

SUNDAY, October 28

10:00-12:10…… Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara, 1964; 123 minutes)
12:15-2:20…… The Burmese Harp (Ichikawa, 1956; 116 minutes)
2:30-4:30…… Sansho the Bailiff (Mizoguchi, 1954; 120 minutes)
4:40-6:40…… When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Naruse, 1960; 110 minutes)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
1. For a program and description of the films in English, contact Robert Juppe at juppe[AT]tsukuba-g.ac.jp
2. There is no charge for this program. Seating limited to 40, provided on a first come, first served basis.
3. All films are shown in Japanese with English subtitles.
4. Light snacks will be available free of charge (as long as supplies last).

1 Comments

• At October 14, 2007, TsukuBlog » KVA Festival: Japanese Education Exhibition wrote:

  [...] Global Communication Movie Party [...]

Godzilla ( Gojira) Destroying Tokyo (1954)

In the history of cinema, there have only been a few works which could be said  to have successfully captured the  particular spirit or mood of an age.

In my opinion, the Japanese film which  did this best was Akira Kurosawa`s 1950 masterpiece Rashomon. Made just after the Second world War, with Japan still in ruins and its people now living under a completely new ( and different)  system of government and thought ( the American occupation), the film perfectly tapped into the moral confusion of that time ( in the form of an investigation into a rape and murder in which each witness, including the spirit of the murder victim( ! ) recollects the event in a completely different way) and ends by suggesting that  the only thing to be done is to go on with life, to rebuild, and try raise a new generation.

Rashomon is truly a great cinematic work which not only perfectly captured the mood of the time, but did so with first rate cinematography, original music and acting ( though Toshiro Mifune`s shows himself to be one of the great HAM`s of movie history). If you havent seen it, please do! 

Godzilla under fire (1954)

You might be surprised when you hear me say that another film which I believe successfully captured the spirit of an age was Ishiro Honda`s Godzilla ( GOJIRA) of 1954. Though this film featured a gigantic dinosaur-like creature which emerged from the sea and proceeded to destroy Tokyo ( by stomping, biting, swinging its powerfull tail and spewing out its intensly hot radioactive breath!), the film-makers created something more than a mere monster movie ( and monster HIT)- they powerfully expressed, on celluloid, the fears of the nuclear age (at that time the US was carrying out atomic tests at the Bikini Atoll which exposed some Japanese fisherman to radiation) and brought back the not too distant memories of the terror the Japanese experienced when their cities were  attacked by other unstoppable and incredibly powerful forces- the US military.

It is understandable in this light that the film struck a deep chord with the Japanese at that time. More interesting though, is the fact that the film became a huge international hit, or even something more than that-  a film icon, and even a SYMBOL OF JAPAN.

At least I could say that this was certainly true for those American boys, who like me, grew up sometime in the last quarter of the 20th century, when the Godzilla films ( yes, a whole slew of sequels was eventually made!) were a staple feature of Saturday morning TV in the US.

As little kids, we were enthralled by the mayhem, planes, trains, exotic actors, and of, course the dinosaur itself. Later, as we grew older, we revelled in the film`s CAMPINESS,  the b-grade dubbing work, and especially how the voices never even came close to matching the movement of the actors mouths.

No matter what its charisma was, Godzilla was so impressed in our psyches that when my friends at college heard that I would be going off to Japan, they nearly all made some references to Godzilla ( this was before the subsequent MANGA and ANIME boom in the US and Europe), and did their best imitations of the film- General! Godzilla is destroying Tokyo!

Godzilla (1954)

Naturally, we want to know everything about the films we love, including the sources which inspired the makers.

In the case of Kurosawa`s Rashomon, it is obvious that two very short stories ( Rashomon and Yabu no naka) by the Japanese writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927) were skillfully and senstively selected and adapted for the screenplay.

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) attacking New York

When it comes to the roots of Godzilla, writers in print and on-line usually point to the 1953 American film The  Beast From 20,000 Fathoms as being the inspiration for the Japanese monster. Apparently, the Japanese film-makers were first envisioning a gigantic octopus-like creature before they saw The Beast, which was a dinosaur brought  to life by nuclear tests in the Arctic. They decided to go with a dinosaur as well. And as is so often the case, the Japanese were able to improve upon what they imitate, and while Godzilla has become a household word in many parts of the world few have heard of , let alone seen, The Beast. This might be due not only to the more interestingly designed creaure and better music, but also to the REALISTIC PANIC evoked by actors and actresses who actually experienced similar massive attacks upon their cities by American bombers. ( For me, one of the most moving seens in Godzilla, and one which is revealing about Japanese religion, is of a mother, squatting on the ground, holding her to little kids closely to her as Godzilla, and death approach. She consoles her children by telling them: Soon we`ll be with daddy. Soon we`ll be where daddy is. Of course, we can assume that her husband had died in the war).

Another advantage the Japanese film had was the unique and catchy name the creature had. Compare: General, its Godzilla! with Oh, no! Its The Beast From 20, 000 Fathoms!

Anyway, I think that the link between The Beast and Godzilla is indesputable. The other day, however, I think I discovered an EVEN EARLIER SOURCE for the Godzilla character- what the Beast movie must surely have been based on- a short animated Superman film made by the Fleishman Brothers in 1942- ten years before the other films were made! 

Over the past two years or so, Japanese bookstore have been selling boxed sets of old American cartoons. Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, etc. When I saw a box containing the Fleishman Brothers Mr Bug Goes to Town, I looked at its back cover and saw that the set also contained a disc featuring 13 old Superman short films. For 900Yen, I knew I couldnt go wrong.

Anyway, to make a long story short. While watching the Superman films ( which were animated with surprising richness of color) I came upon what I believe to be the TRUE ROOTS of Godzilla and the model for the Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. I`m talking about the Arctic Giant of 1942, the fourth film on the disc.

First, the story is nearly the same as that of the Beast in that it features a dinosaur which had been lying frozen up in the Siberian Arctic. Since the superman film was made BEFORE the Atomic Age, however, the creature in that earlier film was not defrosted by nuclear tests, but by a broken freezer! The T-Rex like giant ( looking like a milder, softer, Godzilla) proceeded to terrorize new York, as did the Beast.

Have a look at the stills that Ive posted and see for yourself! The similaries are uncanny and unmistakeable.

And what makes me believe that the makers of Godzilla DID actually watch and study this film before making their own creature is THE VOICE, that half-organic half-inorganic bellow for which the Godzilla is so famous. If you watch the superman short, you will hear nearly the same sound as the creature bursts out of its glass tank!

I dont mean to take anything away from the makers of either The Beast or Godzilla, as even Shakespeare took most of his stories and many of his scenes and characters from earlier sources. The makers of the later movies made their stories more significant by adding the nuclear angle.

The Arctic Giant (1942)

One thing iwould like, however, is that the Fleishman Brothers do get more recognition for hte impact that they had. I would strongly recommend checking out their works, as they are a match for anything that Disney or Miyazaki Hayao put out.

The Arctic Giant squashing a car underfoot (1942)

For more on the Beast:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_from_20,000_Fathoms

The movie Hebi Ichigo (Wild Berries)

Sometimes just going with the flow and letting CONNECTIONS take you from one thing to the next can lead to exciting discoveries. This is exactly what happened the other day as I was preparing for a recent Tsukublog entry on the wild berries which grow so profusely in my garden. Doing the obligatory Google search, using the keyword HEBI ICHIGO ( the Japanese name of the fruit), I was dissapointed to find that most of the HITS that came up on the screen were not about the berries themselves, but about a Japanese MOVIE which has taken their name as its title. In the end I wasnt able to get much information online,but I could finish the research for my article at the library ( and by talking with some knowledgeable locals).Still, I was curious to see this movie, which I had never heard of before, and of course wanted to find out exactly what the HEBI ICHIGO of the title symbolically represented (if anything).
The next time I was at my local video rental store I remembered to ask for it, and- what do you know - they had it in stock. When I got home I popped it into the player and surprisingly found myself riveted to the tv screen for the next 108 minutes by this 2003 film about the undoing of a typical Japanese family (or should I say- a family, that like most Japanese families, wants to appear to be a typical one). I found the screenplay, camera-work, music, and especially the acting, SO GOOD that I watched it again, and then again (I had rented it for a week). In fact the movie HEBI ICHIGO turned out to be just as thought provoking as the berries themselves ( and for you, maybe even much more so!)!

I guess we could say that writer-director Miwa Nishikawa (Hebi Ichigo was her first film) might have been inspired or encouraged by Tolstoy`s proverbial comment in the first chapter of Anna Karenina- All happy families are alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The Akechi`s, the family upon which the film focuses, at first appear to be one of those boring happy families, but little by little the director subtly reveals what lies beneath the picture perfect facade. I am tempted to give you all the details right here, but on second thought, I dont want to ruin the story for you.

I will say, however, that the film does explore one of the important root causes of family trouble (anywhere in the world, but maybe particularly in Japan)- lack of sincere communication. This, combined with a senile grandfather being taken care by a stressed-out daughter in-law, financial hard-times ( to say the least) and RESTRUCTURING, and a fiancee who seems not to be very much attracted to the opposite sex leads to some dramatic problems for the Akechi`s.

Once again I will say that the acting in this film is FIRST RATE (except maybe for the part of the grandpa played by RAKUGO artist Matsunosuke Shofukutei,which seemed more than a little FORCED but are traditional rakugo players EVER good in contemporary drama`s?) and I found each character well developed and fascinating to watch. Most impressive was the intense and skillful work of comedian Hiroyuki Miyasako, who has a powerful screen presence and oozes with energy (his comedy partner Toru Hatahara has a hilarious cameo role).

And where do the Hebi Ichigo fit in? Well, I watched the film three times and I have my ideas, but I dont want to impose them on you- yet ! Give the film a viewing and tell me what to think. Please keep in mind that real Hebi Ichigo (incorrectly translated in the English title as Wild Berries) do NOT grow on trees (can this be important for the plot?)

Im waiting for your opinions (the dvd has English sub-titles if you need them).

Oh, and if you are interested, here is a song I once wrote about people trying to look PICTURE PERFECT when there`s lots of trouble of bubbling dangerously up to the surface-

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/12857

Since the success of the international hit Shall We Dance (1996), Japanese film producers have been regularly investing in the genre which can be called O-keikomono （お稽古物）. Those of you who are active in martial arts will be familiar with the word keiko, which means training, and the above-mentioned term can be used to refer to stories in which one or more characters begin to practice an activity under the guidance of a teacher, resulting in personal growth for both student and teacher and an obligatory grand finale to display the great skill acquired as a result of the hard training.

I guess you could say that it is an age old Asian genre which has also found success in the West in films ranging from the Karate Kid to Rocky. Such recent Japanese movies as Swing Girls and Water Boys were efforts that used the same plot pattern as Shall We Dance but did not achieve the same results in either critical acclaim or box office success.

Last year, however, director and writer Sang-il Lee used the old formula to create what I found to be a film that was not only very entertaining, moving, and very well made, but also a work that should be seen by anyone with an interest in the history of this part of Japan.

The story takes place in Iwaki , which is in Fukushima Prefecture just across the border from Ibaraki (our own Prefecture) and most of the dialogue is in a type of stage Fukushima dialect (if they used real dialect general viewers would not understand) which very closely resembles the dialect spoken by natives of rural Tsukuba.

Iwaki and Northern Ibaraki were important coal mining regions and the labor of the miners was essential for Japans industrialization.The shows how these laborers and their families were proud to have made such efforts for their country and which was confirmed for them by the fact that the Emperor had visited
their town and had actually gone into the mine.

Times change however, and the company could not keep on all the miners. In Japan, however, the company is always concerned about its worker s(well, NOT always!) and tried to branch off into another business which would keep the town going. The idea was to utilize geothermal resources around the mine to develop a huge spa resort with a Hawaiian theme. Sounds crazy now and it sounded even crazier then to the hardened miners and their families.

Hula Girls is the story of the miners daughters who through great efforts with the help of an alcoholic, debt-ridden, big city girl teacher to help save the town and turn the Hawaiian resort into a smashing success, which it still is today.

Director Lee makes every frame count right from the start as a hand drawn flyer of Diamondhead blends into the next shot of the coal mountain. The script is funny and intelligent. The performances, which are sometimes campy or over the top, are sometimes quite good or even excellent. The story is formulaic, but surprising, though I don't want to give anything away. I must add, however that it is one of the greatest feminist films I have ever seen, made in Japan or anywhere else.

Japan is a country of successive fads and the success of this film has created yet another. Have you met anyone who has joined any of the Hawaiian dance classes which have suddenly sprung up around town? And did you notice the new Hawaiian clothing shop located on the ground floor of Q't? How long will these shops and classes be around? My guess would be not very long, though there still are a few Flamenco dance class holdovers from the Spanish dance boom created in the wake of the Barcelona Olympics (when were they?).

As I said, I'm not going to go into the details of the story. Just see it! If you don't cry, you are made of stone!

(Rental DVDs have English subtitles.)

The series of movies entitled "It’s Hard Being a Man" (男はつらいよ) was recommended the most by both men and women. I haven't seen it, but I have heard of it. In fact, I have only seen three of the top ten movies (Seven Samurai, My Neighbour Totoro, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind) and I haven't even heard of four of them before (Love and Honour, Always - Sunset in the Third Street, Dororo, Death Note). And isn't Letters from Iwojima officially an American movie? Anyway, it looks like I have some movie watching to do!

One of the members of the audience mentioned to me afterwards that she had trouble finding the schedule for the movie theatre. The schedule is available here. Whenever English movies are playing, the English title will appear under the Japanese title.

One thing you have to be careful about, though, is to check whether the movie is being offered with subtitles (which is the normal way in Japan) or with a dubbed soundtrack. Most movies aimed at an adult audience are subtitled, but many children's movies are only offered in their dubbed versions (presumably because kids can't read the subtitles that quickly).

For example, "Charlotte's Web" is currently playing at the theatre, but only in its dubbed version. Too bad for all the non-Japanese speaking kids out there...

Movies that are dubbed are indicated by putting the Japanese word for dubbed (日本語吹替版) after the Japanese title. See, the listing for Charlotte's Web for example.

シャーロットのおくりもの(日本語吹替版)
Charlotte no okurimono (ni hon go fuki kae ban)

Movies that are subtitled are usually not given any special qualification, but occasionally the theatre will show the dubbed version and the subtitled version at different times. Or, sometimes they just want patrons to be clear that they are showing the subtitled version (字幕版), as in the case of Eragon, another movie that is currently showing.

エラゴン　遺志を継ぐ者(字幕版)
Eragon: Ishi wo tsugu mono (ji maku ban)

("Ishi wo tsugu mono" means something like "Inheritance", which is the name of the trilogy. The first book in the trilogy is called Eragon, the second is Eldest, and the third has not been published yet, but it might be called "Empire" according to Wikipedia.)

1 Comments

• At July 6, 2007, TsukuBlog » Schedule for Shrek3 at Cineplex Tsukuba wrote:

  [...] articles Movies in Tsukuba (TsukuBlog) Toe Jam’s Top Tips: September 2001 (Alien Times) Tsukuba You World (Alien Times) [...]

There are still a lot of free parking spaces, but it'll be nearly impossible to park in free parking spaces on weekends and sometimes even on weeknights. The parking will be free if you purchase something at Yamada Denki, but Cineplex Tsukuba won't reimburse the parking fee. Summer "blockbuster season" has started, and Tsukuba You World gets even more crowded. If you are new to this area, stay away from Route 354 during the rush hour, especially around the opening day of a popular movie! (Tip: the opening of Harry Potter is July 20, but the advance screenings are held on July 14 to 16. )

If you live too far to get to the movie theater by bicycle, then you can ue their free bus service from Tsukuba Station.

You World Shuttle Bus Schedule
*** more services have been added on July 1, so please call 029-839-5555 (Japanese) to check the latest schedule! ***
Weekdays
Departing from Tsukuba Station*- 11:10AM/12:30PM
Departing from You World - 16:30PM/17:40PM/20:20PM
Weekends
From Tsukuba Station - 11:10AM/12:30PM
From You World - 17:00PM/18:20PM/19:40PM/21:00PM
*I think by Tsukuba Station, they mean "Tsukuba Center Bus Terminal."
Tsukuba You World website (Japanese)

1 Comments

• At July 6, 2007, TsukuBlog » 7th Anniversary events at You World wrote:

  [...] You World’s free bus services, please read this post: Parking at You World & Free bus service Shrek 3 Schedule: Schedule for Shrek3 at Cineplex [...]

Cineplex Tsukuba on Route 354 shows the English (or Japanese subtitled) version only once during the day and once at night, and they will completely stop showing the English version next Friday!! If you have kids who attend the Japanese public schools, then this weekend is the only chance for your kids to watch Shrek3 in English!

Shrek3 schedule at Cineplex Tsukuba
July 6 (today)
14:30 to 16:15 and 21:50 to 23:35*
July 7 (Sat) to 13 (Fri)
12:55 to 14:40 and 21:50 to 23:35*
comeplete schedule in Japanese
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE ***
Due to the ordinance by Ibaraki Prefecture,
children under 18 are not allowed to enter movie theaters
and watch movies that end after 23:00
even if they are accompanied by their guardians.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related articles
Movies in Tsukuba (TsukuBlog)
Toe Jam's Top Tips: September 2001 (Alien Times)
Tsukuba You World (Alien Times)

There will be a special showing of a film called Fudeko Sono Ai, Tenshi no Piano (Fudeko, Her Love, The Angel’s Piano) in Joso City on February 17, Saturday.

This film is about Fudeko Ishii who became one of the pioneers of welfare of people with intellectual disabilities* and education of women. She was also a mother of three girls. Her first child was born with hypophrenia, and second and third girls passed away due to their health problems. She remarried a founder of Takinogawa Gakuen, the oldest welfare insutitution for people with hypophrenia in Japan, after her first husband died at the age of 35.
*I don’t know what the most appropriate word to use is nowadays.

Fudeko was a Christian woman from a noble family born during Keiou Period (1865 - 1868). She spoke 3 languages, and taught French at school for aristocratic women. The Empress Teimei, the wife of Taisho Period emperor, was one of her students. She had everything anyone could ask for, but she dedicated her life to educating people with intellectual disabilities and educating “healthy” people about people with disabilities.

The film’s subtitle, The Angel’s Piano, comes from the piano with the angel emblem Fudeko received as a wedding gift from her father and the other family members when she married to her first husband.

Here’s the official website for this film. The director of this film, Hisako Yamada, is also a mother of 43 year-old daughter who has severe hypophrenia.

Unfortunately, this film is not in any commercial theaters in Ibaraki, and the showing in Joso City is THE only chance for those who are interested to watch it in Ibaraki.

**** 筆子その愛、天使のピアノ(Fudeko Sono Ai) *******************

Casts: Takako Tokiwa(Fudeko), Emiya Ichikawa, Gou Katou
(they are all big names)

Time: February 17, Sat. from 2PM and 6:30PM
Place: Joso Civic Hall, 3222-3 Suwa Machi, Joso City,
Tel: 0297-22-2011

Tickets:
1600yen(1300yen Advance) for adults
1400yen(1100yen Advance) for high-schoolers and younger, people with disabilities, and care personnel.

* Childcare services available for toddlers and children with disabilities.
Advance reservations required. Cost: 200yen for snacks.

**********************************************************************

Sorry, the film and websites are all in Japanese.
Thanks wiki for additional information on Fudeko Ishii.