The idea of ‘A Season of Contemporary Japanese Films‘ was conceived in the autumn of 1999 during a chat over coffee between Prof HIROSE Masahiro, Osaka University, who was then a visiting scholar at Glasgow University, and Yushin of Japan Desk Scotland, who was then Administrator, Europe-Japan Social Science Research Centre, University of Glasgow. The first Season was held in March 2000 in the Andrew Stewart Cinema, which was then managed by GilmorehillG12, University of Glasgow. Prof HIROSE contributed an essay on the post-war Japanese cinema to the Season’s brochure. He continued to write essays for the Season’s brochures even after he went home until his untimely death on 4 April 2004. The 2005 Season was dedicated to his memory. To read his essays for the Season’s brochures, please click here.
This admission-free annual Season of Contemporary Japanese Films was held from 2000 till 2013, with the films borrowed from the Japan Foundation Film Library (the films were listed below). It was organised by the Europe-Japan Social Science Research Centre from 2000 till 2006, by the university’s Research and Enterprise office in 2007, and from 2008 till 2013 by Japan Desk Scotland. The Seasons were kindly supported by various organisations, as shown below.
(1) Film Season 2000
“A Scene at the Sea” (KITANO Takeshi) (1991)
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t” (SUO Masayuki) (1992)
“Tsugumi” (ICHIKAWA Jun) (1990)
“The Hours of Wedlock” (NEGISHI Kichitaro) (1986)
“Tora-san’s Forbidden Love” (YAMADA Yoji) (1984)
Support: Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh
(2) Film Season 2001
“Kids Return” (KITANO Takeshi) (1996)
“Knock Out” (SAKAMOTO Junji) (1989)
“Kishiwada Bad Boys” (IZUTSU Kazuyuki) (1996)
“All Under the Moon” (SAI Yoichi) (1993)
“Tora-san, My Uncle” (YAMADA Yoji) (1989)
Support: Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh
“Hana-bi” (KITANO Takeshi) (1997)
“Amateur Singing Contest” (IZUTSU Kazuyuki) (1998)
“Begging for Love” (HIRAYAMA Hideyuki) (1998)
“Ah, Spring” (SOMAI Shinji) (1998)
“Tora-san Takes a Vacation” (YAMADA Yoji) (1990)
Support: Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh
(4) Film Season 2003
“Summer Holiday Everyday” (KANEKO Shusuke) (1994)
“Moving” (SOMAI Shinji) (1993)
“Don’t Look Back” (SHIOTA Akihiko) (1999)
“Kikujiro” (KITANO Takeshi) (1999)
Support: Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh
(5) Film Season 2004: ‘Off-beat comedies’
“Twinkle” (MATSUOKA George) (1992)
“Beijing Watermelon” (OBAYASHI Nobuhiko) (1989)
“Nowhere Man” (TAKENAKA Naoto) (1991)
“Many Happy Returns” (TENMA Toshihiro) (1993)
Support: Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh
(6) Film Season 2005: ‘Japanese Kiss’
“Swimming Upstream” (MATSUOKA George) (1990)
“Nabiie’s Love” (NAKAE Yuji) (1992)
“Tokyo Lullaby” (ICHIKAWA Jun) (1997)
“Kaza-hana” (SOMAI Shinji) (2000)
Support: Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh
(7) Film Season 2006: ‘Japanese OUCH’
“Gomen” (TOGASHI Shin) (1992)
“The Family Secret” (MIZUTANI Toshiyuki) (1992)
“We Are Not Alone” (TAKITA Yojiro) (1993)
“Acacia Walk” (MATSUOKA George) (2000)
Support: the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and The Japan Foundation
(8) Film Season 2007: ‘Japanese High School’
“Swing Girls” (YAGUCHI Shinobu) (2004)
“Robocon” (FURUMAYA Shogo) (2003)
“The Game Teachers Play” (HIRAYAMA Hideyuki) (1992)
“Kohei’s Race” (KUBOTA Shigeru) (1992)
Support: the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and The Japan Foundation
(9) Film Season 2008: ‘Japanese Hit Comedies’
“Amateur Singing Contest” (IZUTSU Kazuyuki) (1998)
“Nabiie’s Love” (NAKAE Yuji) (1992)
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t” (SUO Masayuki) (1992)
“Swing Girls” (YAGUCHI Shinobu) (2004)
Support: The Japan Foundation, the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Kikkoman and Mizkan.
(10) Film Season 2009: ‘Japanese body’
“WATERBOYS” (YAGUCHI Shinobu) (2001)
“HINOKIO” (AKIYAMA Takahiko) (2005)
“AIKI” (TENGAN Daisuke) (2002)
“The Village Album” (MIHARA Mitsuhiro)（2004)
A double bill with the following cultural documentary films:
“The Yuzen Silk: The Dyeing Art of Kakoh Moriguchi” (1990)
“Wagashi: The Beauty of Spirit of Japanese Confections” (1991)
“On a Wind from the South: The first European impact on Japan)” (1982)
“The Art of Bashofu Weaving” (1981)
Support: The Japan Foundation, Ichiban Noodle cafe, Mizkan and Japan Airlines
(11) Film Season 2010: ‘Japanese Ideal Husband’
“Always – Sunset on Third Street” (YAMAZAKI Takashi) ( 2005)
“What the Snow Brings” (NEGISHI Kichitaro) ( 2005)
“Sad Vacation” (AOYAMA Shinji) ( 2007)
“South Bound” (MORITA Yoshimitsu) ( 2007)
A double bill with the following cultural documentary films:
“Common Cormorants in Tokyo – A Visit to their Colony at Shinobazu Pond”
“Ice Drifts – in search of clues to mystery”
“Tideland Fishing – The Ariake Sea”
“Animals in the virgin forest of Amami Island”
Support: The Japan Foundation, Ichiban Noodle Cafe, Mizkan and University of Glasgow‘s ‘One Glasgow’ project
(12) Film Season 2011: ‘Fear and Trembling – Japanese Psyche’
“First Love” (SHINOHARA Tetsuo) (1999)
“Uneasy Encounters” (WADA Makoto) (1994)
“Dying at a Hospital” (ICHIKAWA Jun) (1993)
“The Pale Hand” (KAMIYAMA Seijro) (1990)
A double bill with the following cultural documentary films:
“The Forests and the Fish”
“The Gray-faced Buzzard Eagle – Wing across the Sea”
“Population Size of Hare”
“Toki – Japanese Crested Ibis”
Support: Ichiban Noodle Cafe and and University of Glasgow‘s ‘One Glasgow’ project
(13) Season 2012: ‘Hopeful Japan’
“Hotel Hibiscus” (NAKAE Yuji) (2002)
“Penguins in the Sky – Arashiyama Zoo” (MAKINO Masahiko) (2009)
“The Face of Jizo” (KUROKI Kazuo) (2004)
“Zen” (TAKAHASHI Banmei) (2008)
A double with the following cultural documentary films:
“The Art of Weaving Bashofu” (1981)
“The Art of Bamboo”
“The Edo Stage: Kabuki and Bunraku”
“The Taiko” (1985)
Co-organised with the Japan Foundation
Support: Ichiban Noodle Cafe
(14) Season 2013: ‘Far Away from Cities’
“A Summer Page” (OIKAWA Yoshihiro) (1990)
“Night Trains to the Star” (OMORI Kazuki) (1996)
“Forests of Little Bear” (GOTO Toshio) (1988)
“The Chef of South Polar” (OKITA Shuichi) (2009)
A double bill with the following cultural documentary films:
“The Far-reaching Glass Road – Satsuma Kiriko”
“Continuity in Craftsmanship – Lacquer ware in Tohoku, Japan”
“In Search of Beauty”
“Dancing Gold”
Co-organised with the Japan Foundation
Support: Ichiban Noodle & Sushi Cafe