Most recent stories
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“A Samurai in Time” – 2025 Japan Cuts Film Review
16 July 2025 12:42 PM | No CommentsTime travel is a well-worn trope, but there is a reason that the low-budget “A Samurai in Time” managed to win Best Film honors at the Japan Academy Film Prize.
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Takashi Murakami was everywhere at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025
29 June 2025 11:58 AM | No CommentsThe Japanese artist, both in physical presence and in spirit, seamlessly crossed over to the worlds of art, fashion, sports and even food.
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Paris 2024: Gymnastics – U.S. women victorious in “Redemption Tour”
29 June 2025 2:46 AM | No CommentsThere should have been no doubt: the U.S. women were the favorites to win the Olympic gold. And yet there was, stemming from what happened in Tokyo.
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Paris 2024: U.S. women hang on to win eighth straight Olympic basketball gold
23 June 2025 11:54 AM | No CommentsThe U.S. women's team held off France, 67-66, at Bercy Arena.
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Paris 2024: Oh Sang-uk wins South Korea’s first Olympic men’s individual fencing sabre gold
22 June 2025 10:11 AM | No CommentsFor all their accolades in the team sabre event, South Korea individual results were here and there. That changed in Paris.
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Japan Archive
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Eifuku Shokudo (栄福食堂, “Tony Soba”) – Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on June 22, 2019 | No CommentsTony Soba serves some of the cheapest bowls of Yaeyama soba one can find in Okinawa, and doubles as an unabashed shrine to a forgotten actor. -
Hiroshi Okuyama’s “Jesus” – 2019 Hong Kong Film Review
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on March 23, 2019 | No CommentsIn "Jesus," Okuyama - playing the quadruple threat of director, cinematographer, editor and screenplay writer - shines a unique perspective on religion through the eyes of a child. -
“Memories of a Dead End” (막다른 골목의 추억) – 2018 Busan Film Review
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on October 9, 2018 | No CommentsIn the latest cinematic adaptation of Banana Yoshimoto’s work, Korean director Choi Hyun-young captures the spirit of the author’s literary style. -
“Tremble All You Want” – 2018 Hong Kong Film Review
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on May 6, 2018 | No Comments"Tremble All You Want" (勝手にふるえてろ) is one of the more refreshing films on the triumphs and travails of young adulthood to come out of Japan in recent years. -
“Amiko” – 2018 Hong Kong International Film Festival Review
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on March 28, 2018 | No CommentsFollowing Amiko through her angst-driven journey to get over her so-called lost love is equivalent to a Japanese adolescent's realization of a Taylor Swift music video. -
“Memoirs of a Murderer” – 2017 Japan Cuts Film Review
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on July 3, 2017 | No Comments"Memoirs of a Murderer" - Yu Irie's adaptation of a 2012 South Korean film - is a grittier, grimier and grimmer version of its predecessor. -
Sabu’s “Mr. Long” – 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Review
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on June 10, 2017 | No CommentsIn "Mr. Long," a Japanese cult director has matured into the mainstream while retaining the signature storytelling traits of his past repertoire. -
Film Review: “Tatara Samurai” (たたら侍)
Rex BaylonPosted on June 1, 2017 | No CommentsYoshinari Nishikori’s "Tatara Samurai" skirts around the delights of a good gonzo violent chambara movie in favor of a meditative drama. -
“Raise Your Arms and Twist – Documentary of NMB48” – 2016 HKIFF press conference
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on November 27, 2016 | No CommentsDirector Atsushi Funahashi, and NMB48 members Sayaka Yamamoto and Fuuko Yagara promoted "Raise Your Arms and Twist – Documentary of NMB48" in Hong Kong. -
Film Review: “Tamako in Moratorium”
Yuan-Kwan ChanPosted on August 13, 2016 | No CommentsYet another addition to the NEET character genre in Japanese film, Nobuhiro Yamashita's "Tamako in Moratorium" (もらとりあむタマ子) is an artsy work full of unrealized potential.