Kakuhan and Adam Golabiewski at Unsound Osaka. Videos are a bit crap, but this was one of the highlights of the festival for me.

I’m staying in Osaka this weekend and had time to kill, so I went to watch 28 Years Later at a rundown cinema near my hotel. Thought there was something amiss when they played the first 10 minutes of the film with the sound and visuals way out of sync and nobody got up to complain.

Since I seem to spend most of my time on here talking shit about Japanese films, let me just say that Mipo Oh's HOW DARE YOU? (ふつうの子ども) is delightful, and gets surprising mileage out of a 6-year-old Greta meme. Here's Mark's review: www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

Good to see Netflix Japan acknowledging one of its proudest legacies: keeping Pierre Taki in regular work when the big TV networks wouldn’t touch him.

Kei Ishikawa's A PALE VIEW OF HILLS comes out in Japan this week, and it's a good example of the "new literalism" Namwali Serpell wrote about in that notorious New Yorker article from earlier in the year (probably better than most of the examples Serpell actually cited). gaga.ne.jp/yamanami/

Weird bit of synchronicity today, when the book I was reading on the way to the cinema contained a reference to the source novel of the film I was about to watch.

Kokesaku at Koenji Awa-Odori yesterday.

I liked Yoshihiko Taniguchi’s HAPPY LIFE (嬉々な生活) when I saw it during SKIP City last year, but wondered if it would stand up to a repeat viewing. Turns out I needn't have worried. Here's my review: www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

What’s a classic novel that you consider a banger? Asking because I just finished “Middlemarch” and it absolutely qualifies.

This year's Soul Beat Asia (aka 橋の下大盆踊り) was a glorious experience. Not sure photos can do it justice, but here are a few.

We've got an absolutely stacked lineup for the next edition of Fashion Crisis on Friday 29th, with live music by David Thomas Broughton and Rob Noyes (presumably not together, but who knows?), and guest DJs Sawari On and Kyo.

I sat through YUKIKAZE twice just to make sure it deserved a one-star review. It did! www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

Damn, Shinjuku's Cinema Qualite is set to close next January. It's insanely cramped and has one of the most peculiarly shaped auditoriums in the whole of Tokyo, but I'm going to miss this place. qualite.musashino-k.jp/news/26804/

I binge watched Netflix's Glass Heart so you don't have to. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

Faceb**k just reminded me of the most epic moment I've ever witnessed at Fuji Rock. 15 years ago!

Just watched MAHANAGAR and ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT back to back at Bunkamura Le Cinéma and I’ve got to say, that was an absurdly good double bill.

This is your periodic reminder that I have an unpaid side job doing data input for Tokyo's most lopsided live music guide. Still updating the August listings, but you might find something you like: tokyodross.blogspot.com

This is the only Fuji Rock review I need. Amazing work.

I really wanted to like Keishi Kondo's NEW RELIGION, but it left me a bit cold. (I actually gave this a 2.5-star rating in print, though the Japan Times website doesn't display half stars for some reason.) www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

I had a chat with Craig Mod about overtourism, finding beauty in decline, and his wonderful walking memoir, THINGS BECOME OTHER THINGS. In today's print edition of the JT. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

Here's a slightly belated review for Toshiya Kominami's YOUNG & FINE. I don't want to oversell this one, but Yuka Kouri's performance in it is pretty special. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

This is a dream pairing if ever I saw one. valentinamagaletti.bandcamp.com/album/kansai...

Great, clear-eyed, must-read piece from @davidehrlich.bsky.social:

I had a chat with Rafael Toral ahead of his Japan tour. Not usually a fan of doing interviews over email, but this one was a real pleasure. (English on the second page.) www.ele-king.net/interviews/0...

The Conservative Party of Japan getting a proper Koenji welcome. Wonderful to see.

Kenji Yamauchi's A UNIQUE COUNTRY IN ASIA (アジアのユニークな国) is a feisty one. Here's my review. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

I had the enormous pleasure of interviewing Haruomi Hosono for the latest issue of The Wire. www.thewire.co.uk/issues/497

I only seem to read the New Yorker when I can get my hands on a print copy, so here’s a very belated shout-out for Hua Hsu’s piece on Pavement and “Pavements” – this bit in particular. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Walked past a young woman in Koenji today wearing a T-shirt with a variation on this design. I'm guessing she didn't have a clue what it was talking about, but still... yikes.

OK, now you’re talking.

This photo of RING star Nanako Matsushima at the ryokan where I’m staying tonight probably creeped me out more than it should have.

In today's @japantimes.co.jp, I talk to director Ryuya Suzuki about his DIY debut feature Jinsei:

Ryuya Suzuki's solo-animated feature JINSEI (無名の人生) is out tomorrow, and it's a real trip. I tried to steer clear of spoilers in my review, but I'd recommend going in blind for this one. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

Heavy duty double bill at Waseda Shochiku today. ALPS was even better than I remembered, KINETTA kind of pissed me off.

Stopped by at Shibuya's Zarigani Cafe for one last coffee before it closes for good next week. There were tons of places like this when I first moved to Tokyo (roomy, concrete interiors made for dawdling; cinnamon toast and mediocre coffee), but they're a dying breed now. Second pic is circa 2007.

Happy May Day folks! We also have a giant spring sale on all our merch that runs until 9th May. Many bargains to be had! hivemindrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Rest of the world: Yeah, let's not talk about COVID-19 anymore. Japan: Hey, are you guys ready for Diamond Princess: The Movie?!? wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/frontline/

Can't believe I almost let the month go by without listening to this seasonal favourite. kevindrumm.bandcamp.com/album/april

Shinji Higuchi’s Netflix reboot of THE BULLET TRAIN has its moments, but it's essentially a 134-minute advert for JR East. Here's my review: www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

It's back! Here's my first (and possibly last) Japanese music round-up for 2025, including Eiko Ishibashi, Rai Tateishi, Torso, Tsuki No Wa, Ken Ikeda, Akaihirume and more. tokyodross.blogspot.com/2025/04/new-...

On the plus side, I think it’s safe to say that Season 3 of The White Lotus would have been even more annoying if they’d actually done it in Japan.

I was going through a box of clobber and found this classic 2000s-era fancy dress set. Not sure they make these any more.

EMILIA PERÉZ opened in Japan yesterday, but there were only about 20 people at the screening I just went to in Shibuya. I guess everyone got the memo.

Today was the final episode of NHK's morning drama, Omusubi. Congratulations to everyone involved. Truly cursed from start to finish.

I wrote something about Yuji Dan's BOY (少年), an angry, three-hour indie drama from the late 90s that's finally getting a theatrical release this week. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

Rachel Zegler is being set up to take the fall for a multimillion-dollar loss, and the people setting her up for it are banking on racist, misogynistic hatred on the internet to do the dirty work for them. So I wrote about it. www.slashfilm.com/1819440/rach...

Back in January, I had the pleasure of interviewing Eiko Ishibashi about her new album, Antigone. It's out this week on Drag City, and you can read the interview here: eikoishibashi.net/featured-en/...

On a side note, the mere existence of Zepp Haneda is an abomination.

PJ Harvey performing songs from “I Inside the Old Year Dying” brought out a Kate Bush vibe that I hadn’t really picked up from the album. Loved it.

Getting warmed up for next week’s PJ Harvey gig, and it struck me that To Bring You My Love is one of the only albums I listened to intensively as a 15-year-old that I still enjoy now.