The festivities continue! We are now on Day 3 of Nippon Connection 2017. Today we expect the festival to be quite full, as it is a national holiday in Germany, so if you are planning to visit us, we highly recommend planning out where you go in advance!
Special events:
If you’ve ever been intrigued by the Japanese form of chess and want to give it a go, today’s your day!
Come and learn how to make your very own felt animal dolls!
Tea is, of course, a major part of Japanese culture, and this presentation (which includes tea tasting!) will delve into its cultivation.
This nature walk through Bethmannpark will focus on learning how to appreciate creating the short, but surprisingly nuanced, form of poetry known as the haiku.
Rajio Taiso- Japanese Radio Gymnastics
This unique form of gymnastic exercise just might be the perfect way to get your body up and moving in between film screenings.
The Translator’s Everyday Work
Translating works from one language to another is a tricky and difficult task that, prior to popular conception, goes far beyond simply translating each word directly. Ursula explains why in her presentation on this topic.
This workshop will show guests how to approach this entirely black-and-white form of Japanese painting.
Theater Die Käs will play host to a special dinner event that will include a screening of Tampopo, one of the classic works in the filmography of this year’s Nippon Honor Award winner, Koji YAKUSHO.
Sachimaine HANAYAGI will put on an amazing show tonight in the Mousonturm demonstrating why this particular form of traditional Japanese dance continues to draw in fans.
The Nippon Connection & J-FLICKS Showcase introduces the 14 films chosen for this year by the festival and the program. Nippon Connection Program Director Martin Bregenzer and J-FLICKS Producer Sho HIRASAWA will discuss the films.
Special premieres:
A Silent Voice by Naoko YAMADA
Based on the manga, this animated work explores themes of bullying and disability in ways that already won over audiences who read the source work, and is sure to do the same for those who see this film.
A remarkable and unique independent film featured in our NipponVisions section, this screening is the German premiere of Hirokazu KAI’s first-ever feature-length film.
Satoshi: A Movie for Tomorrow by Yoshitaka MORI
The true story of a man fighting against an incurable disease and his desire to master the art of shogi, this premiere is sure to be one of the highlights of the festival.
Japanese Documentaries from NHK World TV
Starting today and continuing through Saturday, NHK World TV will be presenting three separate documentary works. Each has free admission and can be viewed at the requisite time in Studio 1 in Mousonturm. Today’s first work is about a strange, isolated phone booth and what it means to those who lost loved ones in the 2011 tsunami. The next two days will also feature documentary works on animation legend Hayao MIYAZAKI and a Japanese man with sever autism who has written several books on living with his condition.
Tokyo University of the Arts: Animation
Every year, Nippon Connection features a large sampling of new, animated short films from Tokyo University of the Arts, the oldest arts university in Japan and one of the top places in the world to find young film talent. Over a dozen works will be presented this year by one of the university’s professors, Taruto FUYAMA.
Let’s Go, Jets! From Small-Town Girls to US Champions?! By Hayato KAWAI
An inspiring and uplifting comedy about a cheerleading team seeking to win a championship in the U.S. Produced by the same team that gave us last year’s Flying Colors, this film is sure to be a good time.
This impressionistic film, the feature-length debut of Yosuke TAKEUCHI, delves into the many hard emotions surrounding our battles in life for redemption and a second chance.
In this unique spin on the romantic comedy, a newly-single woman seeks to finish a demo tape for her from her ex by exploring the sounds of a nearby park.
Death Note- Light Up The New World by Shinsuke SATO
This movie returns to the world of the hit manga and anime with a new take on the now-legendary story of a book that kills and the efforts of law enforcement to find it.
Meet The Guests:
Over the Fence by Nobuhiro YAMASHITA
Nobuhiro YAMASHITA will be on-hand to share the experience of this film’s German premiere tonight in Mousonturm.
Yamato (California) by Daisuke MIYAZAKI
Daisuke MIYAZAKI, previously featured in our Guest in Focus series, will be attending the premiere of his film tonight in the Naxoshalle theater.
Wet Woman in the Wind by Akihiko SHIOTA
The director, Akihiko SHIOTA, will be attending tonight’s premiere screening of his latest film.
If You Haven’t Been:
Throughout the festival, a special video installation in the second floor of the Mousonturm will be regularly showing a compilation of animated Japanese classics, to celebrate this year being the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Japanese animation industry.
-Noah Franc
NIPPON CONNECTION BLOG 