Latest News
Making A Japanese Harry Potter Film/TV Series
There is a secret hidden at the summit of a Japanese volcano... and it isn't a myth. It’s canon. Did you know that within the official Harry Potter canon, there is a premier Wizarding [...]
Let’s Talk About Japanese Entertainment: Q&A
Welcome to 2026! On this episode of Showtime @ Japan Expert Insights, Maya Matsuoka and Michael Foster are kicking off the year by sharing our favorite Japanese movies and TV shows. We’re diving into [...]
The Life of Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director
In this episode, we revisited a special event hosted by the Chicago Japan Film Collective featuring authors Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle. We explored the storied life of Ishiro Honda, focusing on his wartime experiences, [...]
From Toronto to Tokyo: The Path to Vertical Filmmaking
This week's guest is Ron Reid Jr., a Toronto native who originally traveled to Japan with just $400 in his pocket and has since established himself as a prominent filmmaker and actor in Tokyo. His [...]
How to Bring Japanese Cinema to Life
Our next guest is Aki Takabatake, the founder and CEO of Momo Films Inc., a Toronto-based boutique film distribution company specializing in Japanese cinema. A University of British Columbia graduate, she began her career as [...]
Film-making: Bridging Japan and the World
In our next episode, we meet Megumi Nishikura, a US-based documentary film-maker whose work explores identity, belonging, and the cultural intersections between Japan and the world. Her feature documentary film "Hafu - the mixed race [...]
Getting A Head Start In Japanese Film Production
Tokyo-based Japanese film producer Kanako Fujita is the founder of Felis Pictures Ltd. and a graduate of King’s College London, where she earned her degree in Film Studies. A participant of Rotterdam Lab 2025 and [...]
Tales of an Independent Filmmaker from Sendai
This week’s guest is Takashi Horie, a New York-based independent filmmaker. Born in Sendai, Miyagi, he graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996. Since then, Horie has built a versatile career [...]
Deep Dives: Getting Into The World Of J-Dramas
Born in Chicago, Kanako spent most of her life in Tokyo before returning to the U.S. decades later to make it her home once more. Her passion for launching creative projects with a social purpose [...]
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 [...]
news and articles
Getting A Head Start In Japanese Film Production
Tokyo-based Japanese film producer Kanako Fujita is the founder of Felis Pictures Ltd. and a graduate of King’s College London, where she earned her degree in Film Studies. A participant of Rotterdam Lab 2025 and the Busan Producer Hub 2024, she specializes in Asian–European co-productions that bridge cultures and explore the moral [...]
Tales of an Independent Filmmaker from Sendai
This week’s guest is Takashi Horie, a New York-based independent filmmaker. Born in Sendai, Miyagi, he graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996. Since then, Horie has built a versatile career as a director, cinematographer, and editor, creating numerous award-winning music and promotional videos in the U.S. His [...]
Deep Dives: Getting Into The World Of J-Dramas
Born in Chicago, Kanako spent most of her life in Tokyo before returning to the U.S. decades later to make it her home once more. Her passion for launching creative projects with a social purpose led her to develop the card game "SHAKE HANDS" as part of an enablement project with Enable [...]
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 dozen screenplays and recently wrote and directed his debut feature, the romantic comedy "Rules of Living". [...]
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 at the Malaysia International Film Festival for her role in the critically acclaimed film “Plan 75". The [...]
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 projects into society led her to create the card game "SHAKE HANDS" as part of a social [...]
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 NHK Taiga dramas Ryomaden and Seiten wo Tsuke, Prime Video's The Silent Service, and numerous Japanese documentaries [...]
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 is also a leading producer of original content from Japan and Asia. In [...]
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 also taking a deeper dive into something you've all been asking about: Michael's original screenplay, "From Chicago [...]
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 [...]
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.
