Happy New Year 2011! / Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

A very happy New Year to family and friends in Japan and beyond.
皆様、明けましておめでとうございます。本年も宜しくお願いします！

My first oshôgatsu in Japan was New Year's 1999, meaning I've made one cycle of the Chinese zodiac (jûnishi), returning once again to Year of the Rabbit (usagidoshi, 卯年).

2010 was a decent 12 months for my film life in Japan.

Some translation highlights last year: did subtitles for Lee Toshio's BOX! (and treatment for Lee's PPP project Miracle); Sabu's 12-episode TV series Troubleman (you'll be able to see the latter half of it as part of the Run, Salaryman, Run! series screening Jan 26-Feb 5 at Japan Society in NYC); subtitles for Sori Fumihiko's upcoming Tomorrow's Joe (Ashita no Joe, 『あしたのジョー』). Some potential jobs lined up for this year but nothing set in stone.

As a journalist I continue to write for Screen International though less than in previous years. In 2011 I wrote 38 articles for screendaily.com vs. 64 last year, but my print pieces (the monthly magazine and special festival issues) remained on par. Wrote a couple interesting things for sites such as CNNGo and Japan Subculture. Also did my first radio interview as Screen correspondent, speaking about The Cove (though never got paid by the bumbling berks at the BBC). Making my first contribution to a film book in 2011 -- should be an interesting volume.

Got into a little production work with some co-ordination for a Canal+ documentary on Tokyo (see my Nov. 28 entry) and a popular Canadian kids television show filming its first segment in Japan. Best set visit was to Imaoka Shinji and Christopher Doyle's pinku eiga extravaganza. I saw various scenes from the film at the end of October and it's a doozy. Other set visits included Furyô Banchô director Naitô Makoto's return to feature films Cry Tomorrow (Asu Naku, 『明日泣く』) and an NHK drama directed by Ochiai Masayuki for which I took off my shirt and pants... Aiming to be part of shoots both small and big in 2011.

Being so busy, I saw less films than I usually do meaning I'll have to bow out of my annual Midnight Eye best of list participation but a few of the homegrown titles that impressed me were:

- Wakamatsu Kôji's Caterpillar (see my April 14 entry)
- Nakashima Tetsuya's Confessions (Kokuhaku, 『告白』)
- Miike Takashi's 13 Assassins (Jûsannin no Shikaku, 『十三人の刺客』)
- Nakamura Yoshihiro's Golden Slumber
- Sono Shion's Cold Fish (Tsumetai Nettaigyô, 『冷たい熱帯魚』)
- Miura Daisuke's Boys on the Run
- Ôgata Atsushi's Cast Me if you Can (Wakiyaku Monogatari, 『脇役物語』) was a cute indie film.
- Ôtake Makoto's Dark on Dark (see my July 21 entry) was my favourite short of the year (biased as I am being that I translated it).
- Not a movie, but seeing Kaji Meiko's first ever concert at a hotel ballroom in Shinjuku was a memorably surreal experience.


As I stated in my Christmas post the year ahead will be more about my own screenwriting and creative pursuits, which began in earnest in the fall. I prayed for my success on that front at the local shrine last night but ultimately you have to create your own luck...