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 film was also [...]
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 enablement project with [...]
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 where he served [...]
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 this entertainment industry-focused [...]
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 to Osaka." [...]
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 weight of the [...]
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 films while splitting [...]
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 empowering humor. [...]
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. [...]
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 Expert Insights, Michael [...]
