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James Hadfield

@jameshadfield.bsky.social
457 followers 191 following 490 posts

Tokyo-based word mangler. Immigrant. awfuldross@gmail.com I post gig listings and the other drivel at tokyodross.blogspot.com

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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Music for (yet another) rainy day in Tokyo. This is hitting the spot right now. stroomtv.bandcamp.com/album/loving...
stroomtv.bandcamp.com
Loving You To Death, by Richard
12 track album
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Reposted by James Hadfield
Nick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Japanese used bookstores are reporting a massive uptick in bulk purchases of used Japanese books by overseas buyers, seemingly without any regard to their contents. The only logical conclusion is that these books are being stripped, scanned, and discarded to train AI models.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Moor Mother is playing a (one-off?) show in Kyoto next month. If you're in that neck of the woods, this looks pretty goddamn essential. urbanguild.net/event/mmnp/
Flyer for Moor Mother "Noise Poems" show at Urbanguild, Kyoto on October 6
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Reposted by James Hadfield
Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The UK government is making upwards of £4.9bn in profit from visa fees, citizenship fees & the immigration health surcharge. Meanwhile, people are getting into thousands of pounds of debt or going without food just to afford to these immigration fees. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
thebureauinvestigates.com
Government makes £5bn a year from immigration fees while applicants…
Home Office’s fees are up to 10 times the processing cost – and rising every year
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This was late going up on the JT site, but here's my take on Hirokazu Koreeda's Look Back. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
Hirokazu Koreeda’s ‘Look Back’ is gorgeous but unnecessary
The director’s authorial signature gets somewhat muddled in this adaptation of a manga by “Chainsaw Man” creator Tatsuki Fujimoto.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
7FO always seems to bring the special sauce for his EM Records releases, and this one sounds like chopped and screwed gamelan played through a Sega Saturn. emrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hirott...
emrecords.bandcamp.com
ひろった石が割れた (Hirotta ishiga wareta), by 7FO
8 track album
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Shinya Tsukamoto's "Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?" seems to have had a rough ride with the critics at Venice, but I found it genuinely powerful. I spoke to him about it for the JT. Cheers to @mattschley.com for the photos. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
A Japanese filmmaker’s harrowing exploration of the Vietnam War
Shinya Tsukamoto’s “Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?” examines the lifelong impact of war on the human psyche.
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Reposted by James Hadfield
Lindsay Nelson-Santos @newsfromnihon.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
There are still two weeks left to donate to the National Film Archive of Japan, which had its budget cut by 40% this year by a bunch of bureaucrats who don't understand that great cinema isn't always profitable. readyfor.jp/projects/NFA...
readyfor.jp
使命は人類の記憶を繋ぐこと。国立映画アーカイブの活動にご支援を - クラウドファンディング READYFOR
国立映画アーカイブの運営費全般(資料の収集・保存・修復・復元、上映・展示等の公開事業等)を募るクラウドファンディングです。目標金額1億円。 - クラウドファンディング READYFOR
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Best new/new for me in August Germany Year 90 Nine Zero (1990) The Mission (1986) Eephus (2024) Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (2024) Children Untold (2026)
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I was given a CD-R of this album years ago and never imagined I’d buy it on LP but, seriously, how could you say no to a cover like that? Akira Sakata, truly one of the greatest.
LP of Akira Sakata’s 20人格 (20 Personalities)
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Reposted by James Hadfield
Matt Schley @mattschley.com · 28/08/2026
Shingo Ota’s documentary “Numakage Public Pool” traces the final seven weeks of the pool’s operations, using the five stages of grief as a framing device.
japantimes.co.jp
‘Numakage Public Pool’ documents the demise of a third space
Shinga Ota’s “hybrid documentary” is a bittersweet lament for a community hub facing its final weeks.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Oh, before I forget... Happy Tora-san Day, to those who celebrate.
Sign outside a shop in Koenji announcing that August 27 is Tora-san Day. The first film in the series was released on this day in 1969.
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Reposted by James Hadfield
Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 23/08/2026
New, from me. Losing a prestigious stage or affiliation is not the same thing as being censored or deplatformed, and we should stop letting terrible people pretend otherwise. dmitryopines.substack.com/p/youre-not-...
dmitryopines.substack.com
You’re Not Censored, But Get Off My Stage
It’s not "deplatforming" when security won’t let me rap with Kendrick.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Tetsuya Nakashima's The Brightest Sun (時には懺悔を) finally arrives in Japanese cinemas later this month, over a year after it was originally supposed to be released. During that time, it's gone from having a really good poster to a really bad one.
2025 teaser poster for Tetsuya Nakashima's The Brightest Sun (時には懺悔を)2026 poster for Tetsuya Nakashima's The Brightest Sun (時には懺悔を)
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I picked this up on Bandcamp Friday and it’s one of the most maddening and bewitching things I’ve heard in a long while. Like the locked-groove bits of The Necks stretched to Charlemagne Palestine lengths of epic endurance. elsewheremusic.bandcamp.com/album/monoch...
elsewheremusic.bandcamp.com
Monochromes II, by Quentin Tolimieri
12 track album
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Harvey Keitel Nicolas Cage Shun Oguri One of these is not like the others.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Best new/new for me in July (before I forget) Drowning by Numbers (1988) Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? (2026) Masayume (2026)
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Just saw the Super Kabuki version of Princess Mononoke and it’s pretty wild. Incredible stagecraft, even if it occasionally felt like watching panto.
Poster for the Super Kabuki production of “Princess Mononoke” at the Shinbashi Enbujo theatre.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I wrote something about Yuya Ishii’s The Secret Battlefield (開戦前夜), which is out now. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
‘The Secret Battlefield’: An inside view of the machinery of war
Yuya Ishii’s historical drama about the Japanese think tank that failed to avert the Pacific War can’t shake its made-for-TV origins, but it’s a valuable cautionary tale.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I used to love going on long, rambling train journeys with the Seishun 18 Kippu ticket, until JR gave it a disastrous revamp in 2024. Not surprised that sales have fallen by nearly two thirds. finance.yahoo.co.jp/news/detail/...
finance.yahoo.co.jp
「青春18きっぷ離れ」が止まらない…2年で販売数「62万→24万枚」に激減させたJRが選んだ
「青春18きっぷ」の販売枚数が、2024年度の約42万枚から2025年度は約24万枚へと大きく落ち込んだことが、今年度の...
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
This is awful news.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I would’ve preferred to see Erykah Badu with her regular drummer yesterday, but last-minute replacement Yukino Matsuura did an amazing job considering he was called in on the day of the show.
Screenshot of drummer Yukino Matsuura’s Instagram post about playing with Erykah Badu. He was called in on the day of the show.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I've been listening to Tujiko Noriko since the early 2000s, so it was such a treat to get to interview her. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
Tujiko Noriko’s new album is a feline tour de force
On tour in Japan this month, the France-based artist talks about channeling her “crazy cat woman” energy into musical creation and finding harmony in dissonance.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Netflix's Human Vapor reboot had me at the exploding Morley Robertson. Massively entertaining stuff. Here's my review: www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
‘Human Vapor’ brings blockbuster energy to the small screen
Striking visuals and solid performances make the Netflix limited-series adaptation of a classic 1960 sci-fi movie well worth a watch.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Best new/new for me in June (where did all the time go?): Sirāt (2025) Ballad of Orin (1977) Ghost Tropic (2019)
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Banana Yoshimoto adaptation Sinsin and the Mouse is a glorified tourist promo video trying to be Before Sunrise, which even the excellent Yukino Kishii can't save. Really needed a co-star who could actually speak Japanese (or a better director, or both). www.culture-pub.jp/sinsinmovie/
culture-pub.jp
映画『シンシン アンド ザ マウス/SINSIN AND THE MOUSE』オフィシャルサイト
6.26Fri 新宿バルト9、シネスイッチ銀座ほか全国公開|台北で出逢ったのは、明日へと続く、さようなら。吉本ばなな、珠玉の短編小説を映画化 自分を慈しむことの大切さを静かに語りかける、再生と希望の物語
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Magical Secret Tour (マジカル・シークレット・ツアー), Chihiro Amano’s not-quite-true crime drama about a trio of disenchanted women turned gold smugglers, requires some pretty generous suspension of disbelief. Still, it's a fun ride and the leads are clearly having a hoot. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
An implausible but engaging crime drama unfolds in ‘Magical Secret Tour’
In Chihiro Amano’s “Magical Secret Tour,” a trio of Japanese women becomes embroiled in a scheme to smuggle gold from Singapore.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I missed this last week, but this is a great interview. Such a radiant film, and the writer captures it beautifully. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
Ryusuke Hamaguchi wants to make the impossible possible
An ethos of idealism is pervasive in the director’s first French-language film, which came with the challenge and exhilaration of shooting in Paris.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Trying to write about Tujiko Noriko's new album (dedicated to her late cat) and it's sent me down a wormhole of songs about pets. This is one of my favourites so far. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGE...
youtube.com
Thundercat - 'Tron Song'
YouTube video by Brainfeeder
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The Suginami local elections have entered a weird endgame. I’m sure this is just a way for the leading candidates to get around restrictions on campaign posters, but it’s left them looking like they all hired the same PR firm.
Campaign poster for Shin Owada (not pictured or named), encouraging people to “Vote for a new ward mayor!”Campaign poster for Satoko Kishimoto (not pictured or named), encouraging people to “Reelect the female ward mayor!”Campaign poster for Ryo Tanaka (not pictured or named), encouraging people to “Put people over party”
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
I don’t think The Samurai and the Prisoner is vintage Kurosawa, but if you can handle a 2 1/2 hour jidaigeki that’s nearly all talking, it’s got a lot going for it. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’: A cerebral whodunnit in feudal Japan
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s historical drama is a murder mystery in the Agatha Christie mold and driven by conversation rather than combat.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Kiki’s Delivery Service in IMAX: the improvements are more discernible in the sound mix than the visuals, but just watching it on a humongous screen is glorious in itself.
Awful photo of the poster for the IMAX release of Kiki’s Delivery Service
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Reposted by James Hadfield
Sean Gilman @theendofcinema.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
I haven't seen The Furious, but I have seen a lot of other movies by the artists that made The Furious. Here's a quick guide that may also double as a history of 21st century East Asian action cinema. www.thechinesecinema.com/what-to-watc...
thechinesecinema.com
What to Watch After You've Watched The Furious (Or Before, That's Perfectly Fine Too)
A user's guide to the artists behind the year's hottest action movie
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Watched a seminal work of 1970s Japanese cinema today (no spoilers!) and it's left me thinking that more films should end with a shot of the main character reduced to a pile of bones.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I’m thinking of making a “101 Things to Hate About Shibuya” guide but I’m worried I may not be able to narrow it down.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
This is a nice interview with "Fujiko" director Taichi Kimura. The film opens in Japan today and deserves to do very well. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
‘Fujiko’ transforms a mother’s resilience into festival gold
Fresh off a major festival win and new international distribution deals, Taichi Kimura reflects on the deeply personal project that honors his mother's perseverance.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Glad I ventured into town today. I don’t think I’ve seen Shibuya this empty since the pandemic.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Best new/new for me in May: Wuthering Heights (1988) Misericordia (2024) It Was Just an Accident (2025) Cow (2021) All of a Sudden (2026) Nostalghia (1983)
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
The new Kore-eda, I'm sorry to say, is a major disappointment. Unlike the reviewers at Cannes, I had the luxury of watching this twice, and it didn't get any more interesting with a repeat viewing. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
Kore-eda’s sci-fi film ‘Sheep in the Box’ fuzzy at edges
Despite familiar themes, the acclaimed director's latest film is ambivalent in its exploration of a futuristic premise.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Here’s a brief snippet from apöpa and Otomo Yoshihide’s set at Bush Bash last night. Absolutely barmy.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Terrie Ex & Paal Nilssen-Love with Incapacitants at Earthdom tonight was pure silliness.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Tokyo people: I've updated the gig listings. Lots of stuff happening, some of it this very moment. Hope you find something that tickles your fancy. tokyodross.blogspot.com
tokyodross.blogspot.com
Tokyo Dross
Tokyo live music and club events – a curated list of the best underground gigs in Tokyo. Indie, electronic, jazz, experimental, etc.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Best new/new for me in April: Sound of Falling (2025) The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty (1972) Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) His Girl Friday (1940)
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
This quote from the NYT piece on Fujiyoshida’s overtourism problem made me feel very old.
"I saw this gorgeous photo on social media, and I was like, 'How can I get myself here as fast as possible?'" said Julia Morrow, 26, a retail worker from Ohio. "If you don't get that photo, it's like, what's the point of the trip?"
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling has really got under my skin. Watched it for the first time last weekend and just went back for a repeat viewing. Such a strange, bewitching film.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Akio Fujimoto's luminous refugee drama, Lost Land (Harà Watan), opens in Japanese cinemas tomorrow. I spoke to him for the JT about working with a Rohingya cast, fiction vs documentary filmmaking, and how play is a universal language. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
‘Lost Land’ director captures play and peril on a migrant's journey
Director Akio Fujimoto avoids exposition and lets moments of childhood wonder deepen the emotional weight of the dangers surrounding his young Rohingya protagonists.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Please make it stop.
“Every single Shakespeare play ranked” article in The Guardian, because this is what we’ve come to.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
The Necks at Cafe Oto, Saturday afternoon. First time I’ve seen them play here, and it really feels like the ideal venue for them.
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Makoto Nagahisa’s Burn is a difficult film to love, but it’s definitely one of the punchiest things I’ve seen so far this year. I spoke to him about telling the stories of Kabukicho’s street kids, and knowing where to draw the line. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...
japantimes.co.jp
‘Burn’ lights up Kabukicho’s darkness with a bold vision
Makoto Nagahisa takes a hyper-modern approach to some timeless themes of youth and destruction in his stylized drama, 'Burn.'
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James Hadfield @jameshadfield.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Best new/new for me in March: Wuthering Heights (2011) Lost Land (2026) Blue Moon (2025) No Other Choice (2025) Marty Supreme (2025) Caravaggio (1986) Labyrinth of Dreams (1997)
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