Latest News
The Rules Of Living And Making Movies In Japan
This week's guest is Greg Dale, a Princeton graduate with a decade of experience in New York theater, has been directing and acting in Broadway-level productions and films in Japan. He has written half [...]
A Rising Star In Japanese Movies and Television
This week's guest is Stefanie Arianne, an accomplished actress with roots in both the Philippines and Japan. After moving to Japan to pursue acting, she quickly rose to prominence, earning a Best Supporting Actress Award [...]
Creating a Card Game for Japanese Business
This week we have Kanako Horii. Born in Chicago, she spent most of her life in Tokyo before returning to the U.S. decades later to make it her home again. Her passion for bringing creative [...]
Need to Know: Crafting Japanese Entertainment
This week, we feature Jeffrey Rowe, a Canadian actor, voice actor, and producer. He splits his time between Okinawa, Tokyo, and Vancouver. Rowe has appeared in nearly 50 films and TV projects, including the [...]
Covering Hollywood in Japan While Making Movies
This week have Daniel L. Smith, an award-winning director, producer, and journalist, and co-founder of Aurora Borealis Entertainment. He has produced numerous TV series and documentaries for major U.S. and Japanese media companies. Smith [...]
Mid-Year Wrap-Up & From Chicago to Osaka
Get ready for a special recap episode of "Showtime at Japan Expert Insights" as we highlight our most renowned guests and dive back into the wonderful and diverse expertise they've brought to the show. We're [...]
Hello… I Must Be Going Podcast
Synopsis: In this episode of We Talk at the BFAC, we sit down with artist Michael Foster, whose powerful retrospective "Hello… I Must Be Going" is now on display at the Batavia Fine Arts [...]
Challenges Independant Filmmakers Face in Japan
This week, we have Mayu Nakamura, a lifelong traveler and storyteller from Japan, who left home at 16 to study in the U.K. and eventually moved to New York City to pursue a career in [...]
Stand Up Comedy: From Osaka to Chicago
This week’s guest is Fujiko, a vibrant and rising Japanese comedian based in Chicago who brings laughter, insight, and a unique cross-cultural perspective to the stage. Originally from Osaka, Japan, Fujiko discovered her passion for [...]
Making the film Crosspoint
This week, we welcome Donie Ordiales and Sho Ikushima—two dynamic voices in contemporary Japanese cinema. The duo will delve into their latest collaboration, Crosspoint—a gripping 2024 Philippine-Japanese action thriller. They’ll take us behind the [...]
The Life of a Japanese/Filipino Actor in Tokyo
This week, we have Kei Kurosawa, a Filipino-Japanese actress, singer-songwriter, dancer, and content creator. She is known for the Japanese indie horror film, The Red Dress (2023), the Filipino youth-oriented series, Zoomers (2024), and the [...]
In Person: An Interview with Jun’ichi Yasuda & Yuno Sakura
We are thrilled to share that Michael recently sat down with director Jun'ichi Yasuda and actress & assistant director Yuno Sakura to discuss their breakout film A Samurai in Time (侍タイムスリッパー)—a fantasy comedy that has [...]
Boys’ Love & Girls’ Love: Thai Boom & Japanese Revival
This week, we have Moeka Iida, a reporter and researcher at The Economist’s Tokyo bureau, covering Japanese politics, society, business, and culture. With a keen interest in subcultures and social trends, she has written about [...]
How to Direct, Produce and Distribute Japanese Movies
This week, we have Chiaki Yanagimoto, a Japanese-born, Los Angeles-based producer. After producing a series of genre films, Chiaki switched gears to documentaries, including “KAMPAI! For the Love of Sake,” which premiered at the San [...]
A Lifelong Journey Through Japanese Cinema
Mark Schilling is a reporter, critic, and author who specializes in Japanese films and popular culture. Since 1989, Mark has been a regular film critic for The Japan Times and has covered the Japanese film [...]
Finding Japanese Culture in New York City
In the fourth episode, we’re excited to welcome Susan Miyagi McCormac, the founder, and Editor-in-Chief of JapanCulture•NYC, a website that introduces New Yorkers to Japanese culture and promotes Japanese-related events. In addition to her work [...]
Conversation about Japanese Film & Television
In the third episode of Showtime at Japan Expert Insights, we’ll chat with Tetsuki Ijichi about his extensive experience in the entertainment industry and the valuable advice he has for those just starting. With [...]
The Intersection of Data, Media and Technology
In the second episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Douglas Montgomery, founder and CEO of Global Connects. Douglas will share his insights on the urgent need for Japan to leverage more data in the entertainment industry, [...]
news and articles
Hello… I Must Be Going Podcast
Synopsis: In this episode of We Talk at the BFAC, we sit down with artist Michael Foster, whose powerful retrospective "Hello… I Must Be Going" is now on display at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre Gallery. Spanning nearly 25 years of work, the exhibit explores memory, anxiety, technology, and the emotional [...]
Challenges Independant Filmmakers Face in Japan
This week, we have Mayu Nakamura, a lifelong traveler and storyteller from Japan, who left home at 16 to study in the U.K. and eventually moved to New York City to pursue a career in filmmaking. She earned her MFA from NYU’s Graduate Film Program and now creates both fiction and documentary [...]
Stand Up Comedy: From Osaka to Chicago
This week’s guest is Fujiko, a vibrant and rising Japanese comedian based in Chicago who brings laughter, insight, and a unique cross-cultural perspective to the stage. Originally from Osaka, Japan, Fujiko discovered her passion for comedy through her gift for connecting with audiences, delivering joy with her positive energy, sharp wit, and [...]
Making the film Crosspoint
This week, we welcome Donie Ordiales and Sho Ikushima—two dynamic voices in contemporary Japanese cinema. The duo will delve into their latest collaboration, Crosspoint—a gripping 2024 Philippine-Japanese action thriller. They’ll take us behind the scenes of filming in Japan, exploring the creative challenges and cultural intersections that shaped the project. [...]
The Life of a Japanese/Filipino Actor in Tokyo
This week, we have Kei Kurosawa, a Filipino-Japanese actress, singer-songwriter, dancer, and content creator. She is known for the Japanese indie horror film, The Red Dress (2023), the Filipino youth-oriented series, Zoomers (2024), and the international Japanese action-drama film, Crosspoint (2024). In this entertainment industry-focused version of Japan [...]
In Person: An Interview with Jun’ichi Yasuda & Yuno Sakura
We are thrilled to share that Michael recently sat down with director Jun'ichi Yasuda and actress & assistant director Yuno Sakura to discuss their breakout film A Samurai in Time (侍タイムスリッパー)—a fantasy comedy that has captured the hearts of Japanese moviegoers. Made on a modest budget of 26 million yen and initially [...]
Boys’ Love & Girls’ Love: Thai Boom & Japanese Revival
This week, we have Moeka Iida, a reporter and researcher at The Economist’s Tokyo bureau, covering Japanese politics, society, business, and culture. With a keen interest in subcultures and social trends, she has written about host clubs in Tokyo’s red-light district, the rise of female writers in Japan’s literary scene, and the [...]
How to Direct, Produce and Distribute Japanese Movies
This week, we have Chiaki Yanagimoto, a Japanese-born, Los Angeles-based producer. After producing a series of genre films, Chiaki switched gears to documentaries, including “KAMPAI! For the Love of Sake,” which premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and was released by IFC Films/Sundance Selects. She is also a founder of [...]
A Lifelong Journey Through Japanese Cinema
Mark Schilling is a reporter, critic, and author who specializes in Japanese films and popular culture. Since 1989, Mark has been a regular film critic for The Japan Times and has covered the Japanese film industry for Screen International (1990–2005) and Variety (2005–present). Mark has written or contributed to several books, including [...]
Finding Japanese Culture in New York City
In the fourth episode, we’re excited to welcome Susan Miyagi McCormac, the founder, and Editor-in-Chief of JapanCulture•NYC, a website that introduces New Yorkers to Japanese culture and promotes Japanese-related events. In addition to her work with JapanCulture•NYC, Susan is a Vice President of the Japanese American Association of New York, serves on [...]
Conversation about Japanese Film & Television
In the third episode of Showtime at Japan Expert Insights, we’ll chat with Tetsuki Ijichi about his extensive experience in the entertainment industry and the valuable advice he has for those just starting. With over 45 years in the field, especially independent film world. Tetsuki is an acclaimed film distributor and [...]
The Intersection of Data, Media and Technology
In the second episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Douglas Montgomery, founder and CEO of Global Connects. Douglas will share his insights on the urgent need for Japan to leverage more data in the entertainment industry, while also exploring the dynamic intersection of media and technology. Actively engaged with the Asian community in [...]
videos
Chicago Comic Con : Reinventing Pop Culture as a Visual Language
Some say the American Empire is folding, others say it is just beginning. Regardless of your position, one cannot deny the cultural impact America currently has upon the world. With the advent of mass media in the 20th century, the stage has been set for a new cultural revolution led by the United States. Presented here is the first 20 minutes of the lecture.
PechaKucha 20×20: Reinventing Perceived Value, Space, and Time Through Modern Art
From prehistoric cave paintings to Jackson Pollack, art emotionally defines a society. Sadly, we tend to devalue art because it does not directly fulfill basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. Artist and designer Michael Foster discusses how viewing modern art will confront someone with socially acquired patterns of feelings, thoughts, and actions—in a fairly safe environment. And he will demonstrate the secrets and motivations behind his own work.
The Reinvention Project: Articles and Essays on Technology
For several years, Michael Foster and Russell C. Smith wrote for The Huffington Post and Psychology Today about the rapid pace of technology and society. Living in the Age of Reinvention is a project aimed at the minds and hearts of everyone who is determined as never before to change their lives and become a participant in the new world of reinvention, The Reinvention Project incorporates stories, speculations and theories on current world events, twentieth and twenty-first century mass media, current social media and business trends, ancient cultures and myths, the Singularity, art and culture, discoveries in particle physics, and studies in human psychology and how we interact with new technology and the web. You can view the entire body of work on this website.
