Some very say news just in, but Shozin Fukui, director of Pinocchio 964 and Rubbers Lover, passed away on 2 April. As some might know, in the midst of a resurgence of interest in his work that culminated with a 2025 retrospective at K's Cinema in Shinjuku, he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.

Japanese Manga Artist Yoshiharu Tsuge Dies at 88 Prominent Japanese manga artist Yoshiharu Tsuge, best known for "Nejishiki," which was published in 1968, died of aspiration pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on March 3. He was 88. Born in Tokyo's Ka...

It was announced that one of the greatest manga artists of all time, Tsuge Yoshiharu, died on March 3, at the age of 88. His unique world inspired many, including many filmmakers. RIP. sp.m.jiji.com/english/show...

"Oakland-based Yanasa is proud to announce the launch of 3 Dragons Ltd. in partnership with Tokyo-based Cogitoworks Ltd. This new venture is dedicated to preserving, presenting, and expanding the work of pioneering Japanese filmmaker Gakuryu Ishii."
www.einnews.com/pr_news/8987...

One of the most fascinating Japanese films of the 1970s.

There's another chance to catch the film on Saturday 7th March: bookings.thegardencinema.co.uk/TheGardenCin...

Many thanks to those who came to yesterday's packed screening of TETSUO at The Garden Cinema in London.

Thank you to The Garden for letting me say a few words about this head-banger of a film.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man / The Garden Cinema Our screening on Thursday 26 February will be introduced by Mark Player, author of Japanese Cinema and Punk, and will be followed by a post film discussion group in the Atrium Bar.    A strange man kn...

Less than three weeks to The Garden Cinema screening of Tetsuo: The Iron Man, with an introduction by me.
www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/tetsuo-...

Poster for "More Cultural Politics of the Computational Image," Friday Jan 23, 2026. Schedule SESSION 1. 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST Amitabh Vikram (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University), “Holy Pixels: Temple CCTV, Darshan Livestreams, and Crowd Vision” Ann Wang (University of Pennsylvania), “Amphibious Tropics: Automation, Extraction, and the Imaging (Making) of Malaysia’s Geospatial Landscape” Hansun Hsiung (Durham University), “NHK Engineers Meet Media Theory: The Televisual Image in Japan’s ‘Informationalizing Society’” SESSION 2. 8:00 – 9:30 PM EST Ding-Liang Chen (National Tsing Hua University), “Prospecting Resource: Early Satellite Vision and War Ecologies in Southeast Asia” Joia Duskic (UCLA), “The Procession Does Not Proceed, It Gets Prompted from the Sidelines” Yedong Sh-Chen (Harvard University), “Under the Chinese Skin: A Digital Dermatology of Video Games” Register at https://globalmediations.mit.edu/cpci-workshop/

Join us for a follow-up conference to Cultural Politics of the Computational Image, this time online. Friday, January 23, day/night. Register for the zooms at: globalmediations.mit.edu/cpci-workshop/

Thank you. I hope you like the rest.

The full line-up for the V-Cinema focus program I curated for the International Film Festival Rotterdam is up now:
iffr.com/en/iffr/2026...
Miike, Kurosawa, Aoyama, Takashi Ishii and lots of films that have never been shown in a theater before. Plus the full Crime Hunter trilogy!

1980s: The Lost Decade of Japanese Cinema / The Garden Cinema The 1980s were the zenith of Japan’s bubble economy, an era which saw the accumulation of vast wealth, alongside rapid technological and commercial growth. City centres sprouted neon-emblazoned…

The Garden Cinema in London will be hosting a season of Japanese 80s films, with a few Third Window titles included: Typhoon Club, Crazy Family, Tetsuo and His Motorbike Her Island.
Put it in your calendars!

1980s: The Lost Decade of Japanese Cinema YouTube video by The Garden Cinema

There's a great season of 1980s Japanese cinema coming up at The Garden Cinema in the new year, including a couple of films that I wrote about in Japanese Cinema and Punk.

I'll be introducing Tetsuo: The Iron Man on Thurs 26th Feb.

Season and booking info: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/1980s...

映画『ストリート・キングダム 自分の音を鳴らせ。』特報映像 YouTube video by リアルサウンド映画部（サブチャンネル）

First teaser for Street Kingdom: Make Your Own Sound (2026), based on Yuichi Jibiki's book about the punk-inspired Tokyo Rockers scene of the late 1970s.

Reunites the Iden & Tity (2003) writer/director partnership of Kankuro Kudo and Tomorowo Taguchi.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJa...

原田真人さん死去　76歳　映画監督　「クライマーズ・ハイ」「燃えよ剣」「ヘルドッグス」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能 「クライマーズ・ハイ」など社会派の作品で知られる映画監督の原田真人（はらだ・まさと）さんが8日死去した。76歳。静岡県出身。葬儀は近親者で行う。後日、お別れ…

The Japanese film director Harada Masato (原田真人) died on December 8 at the age of 76. He made hit films like Climber's High as well as art films like Kamikaze Taxi. He appears as an actor in The Last Samurai.
www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainmen...

ICA | UK PREMIERE Escape + online Q&A The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is London’s leading space for contemporary culture. We commission, produce and present new work in film, music, performance and the visual arts by today’s most...

Masao Adachi’s Escape is screening at the ICA from 16th January

"The Documentary Cinema of Haneda Sumiko
Japan in Transition through Gender, Arts, Nature and Society"
is finally out next March.

I've contributed with a chapter on Ode to Mt. Hayachine (a.k.a. The Poem of Hayachine Valley, 1982)
www.routledge.com/The-Document...

Exterior view of Cinema Skhole on Nagoya, Japan.

Cinema Skhole

Opened by Koji Wakamatsu in 1983, just a couple of minutes walk from Nagoya train station.

So many of Japan's longtime mini theatres have disappeared in recent years. It's great to see this one still open.

A massive thank you to those who came to Japanese Cinema and Punk - Live in Nagoya yesterday.

Thanks again to Nagoya University for hosting me. Sorry for overrunning.

Sorry, I only just saw this. Thanks for coming along and it was nice to finally meet in person.

I'm not sure, actually. The university hasn't mentioned it. I plan to record the audio and might turn it into a transcript if everything goes well.

Japan mutuals:

I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)

Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)

info below👇

Thank you for the kind words. I talk (very briefly) about Fish Story towards the end of the book. Brass Knuckle Boys (Merikensack, 2008) is also another great film from that era about punk.

'Trailer' for Crazy Dolls (1984).

A rarely seen and almost lost 8mm short featuring the Nagoya punk scene of the early 80s.

Full address:

Room 211, the Liberal Arts and Sciences North Building, Higashiyama Campus, Nagoya University
名古屋大学東山キャンパス 全学教育棟北棟211

About 5 mins walk from Nagoyadaigaku station

Japan mutuals:

I'm doing a talk based on my book Japanese Cinema and Punk at Nagoya University next week (9 December)

Attendance is free
Talk is in English with Japanese visual materials
Includes screening of rare Nagoya punk short film: Crazy Dolls (1984)

info below👇

Finally visited Video Market in Shinjuku, which stocks cult Blu-ray/DVD imports.

It's pleasantly strange seeing releases I've worked on in a Japanese shop, like 88 Films' recent blu of Zebraman (I wrote the essay).

Also decided to treat myself to the new New Wave Video release of Rubber's Lover.

Tokyo Tower at night🗼

An important dispatch from 'the other site'

Many thanks again to Hiroshi Harada for helping with my research.

I'm off to Japan next week to give out more copies of Japanese Cinema and Punk to other filmmakers whose input made this project possible.

Mark Player著「Japanese Cinema and Punk: Intermedial Exchanges」(日本映画とパンク/2025年刊) に、1992年「地下幻燈劇画 少女椿」赤猫座興行と、1986年 京都ライブハウス CBGBで「二度と目覚めぬ子守唄」と 氷室京介主演「裸の24時間」が同時上映された事が掲載されました。