michael lambe

As some of you are aware, I spend way too much of my time watching movies. As some of you are also aware I have a part-time job teaching English conversation at a mental clinic. I say teaching, but what I actually do is play games and chat and generally end up learning more Japanese (and more about Japan) than teaching English… Anyway, last Saturday I put the question: What Japanese movies should I watch in order to understand Japan better? My pals at the clinic gave me the following list:

椿三十郎 - Tsubaki Sanjuro (That’s the original by Kurosawa not the latest starring Oda Yuji).
男はつらいよ - Otoko ha Tsurai Yo (anything from this series but especially those starring Yoshinaga Sayuri).
東京物語　- Tokyo Monogatari directed by Suzu Yasujiro.
華麗なる一族　- Kareinaru Ichizoku (TV drama?)
忠臣蔵　- Chuushingura (a classic samurai/revenge tale that has been remade many times).
おしん　- Oshin (old NHK TV drama)
機動戦士ガンダン - Kidou senshi Gandan (anime)
And then these movies by director Itami Juzo:
マルさの女　ー　Marusa no Onna
スーパーの女　－　Su-pa- no Onna
お葬式 - Ososhiki

That should keep me busy for a while, but I wonder if anyone out there has any more recommendations they feel should be on the list…? As it happens, all of Itami Juzo’s movies come with lovely English subtitles so that’s where I intend to start. Tonight: Ososhiki. I’ll let you know what I think.

Some Other Stuff

Up on Deep Kyoto tonight, a fresh post on Dog Cafe. All good dogs welcome.

Here are some more links.

The Daily Mail has a story about a polar bear that drifted on an ice-flow all the way to Iceland last Tuesday. The first polar bear in Iceland for 15 years, it attracted a crowd of sightseers eager to see one of the world’s largest land-based predators before they all succumb to climate change… And the police shot it dead.

A Burger King advertising campaign reveals the seedy underbelly of life as a vegetable: Veg City. These images have apparently been used as tray liners in Burger King stores!

Coco Wang’s heart-breaking comics from the Chinese Earthquake. LINK. All true stories apparently.

And here is a man with exactly 2008 (very colorful) pins in his head celebrating the Beijing Olympics. LINK.