Showtime at Japan Expert Insights

There is a secret hidden at the summit of a Japanese volcano... and it isn't a myth. It’s canon.Did you know that within the official Harry Potter canon, there is a premier Wizarding School located in Japan? Situated at the summit of the volcanic island of Minami Iwo Jima, the school of Mahoutokoro stands as a fascinating bridge between ancient tradition and magical education.In this episode of the podcast, we go beyond the books to imagine a full-scale Harry Potter spin-off series set in Japan. We’re joined by a powerhouse duo from the Japanese film industry to discuss the creative and logistical "what-ifs": Would the series be a period piece or a modern-day thriller? Who would lead the cast? And how would Japanese folklore reshape the Wizarding World as we know it?Kanako Fujita | ProducerTokyo-based film producer Kanako Fujita is the founder of Felis Pictures Ltd. A graduate of King’s College London with a degree in Film Studies, Kanako has built a reputation for specializing in Asian–European co-productions that explore the moral and emotional complexities of modern society.Her first feature as a producer, Dead Fishes (2022), earned critical acclaim, screening at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and winning Best Cinematography at the Japan Film Festival Los Angeles. A frequent participant in prestigious global forums like the Rotterdam Lab and the Busan Producer Hub, Kanako is currently developing several high-profile projects, including Push Button Syndrome (winner of the Asian Discovery Award at BIFAN) and The Funeral March, which recently received the One Cool Award at the Busan International Film Festival.Taro Kawasaki | DirectorBorn in Yamagata and a graduate of the Tohoku University of Art & Design, Taro Kawasaki represents the next generation of Japanese directorial talent. He sharpened his skills working as an assistant director under celebrated filmmakers such as Yuji Nakae, Shinobu Yaguchi, and Natsuki Seta.Taro’s thesis film, DOUGHNUT HOLE (2021), was featured at the Kyoto International Student Film & Video Festival, signaling his arrival as a storyteller to watch. His debut feature, FARAWAY FAMILY (2023), which he co-directed, screened at the 19th Osaka Asian Film Festival before seeing its nationwide theatrical release in Japan in 2025.

On this episode of Showtime @ Japan Expert Insights, Maya Matsuoka and Michael Foster are kicking off the year by sharing their favorite Japanese movies and TV shows. They'll be diving into the latest hits and trends shaping the entertainment landscape.

Organized by the Chicago Japan Film Collective, this special in-person conversation with Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle, writers of Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director, talks about the life and career of Japanese director Ishiro Honda, focusing on his films, war experiences, and friendship with Akira Kurosawa. Over a span of 46 feature films, Honda became a pioneer of the modern disaster genre and Japan's most internationally successful director before Hayao Miyazaki.Ed Godziszewski is editor and publisher of Japanese Giants magazine. He is the author of a Godzilla film encyclopedia and has written for Fangoria and other publications. Steve Ryfle has contributed film journalism and criticism to the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Cineaste, Virginia Quarterly Review, POV, and other publications. He is the author of a book on the history of the Godzilla film series.

This week's guest is Ron Reid Jr., a Toronto native who originally traveled to Japan with just $400 in his pocket and has since established himself as a prominent filmmaker and actor in Tokyo. His award-winning documentary work includes 614, which chronicles a pastor's vision to aid communities by living amongst them, as well as Love Letter to Kumamoto, a project born from his earthquake relief efforts. On screen, Ron has appeared as Detective Allen and can be seen in the upcoming NHK drama The Queen of Mars this December. Beyond his own productions, he is deeply committed to training the next generation of filmmakers and supporting fellow artists through his workshops.

Our next guest is Aki Takabatake, the founder and CEO of Momo Films Inc., a Toronto-based boutique film distribution company specializing in Japanese cinema. A University of British Columbia graduate, she began her career as a film buyer in Tokyo and has since held diverse roles in Toronto, including with the Toronto International Film Festival and on productions like Netflix's Age of Samurai and Apple TV +'s Pachinko Season 2. For the last 12 years, Aki has been the driving force behind the Toronto Japanese Film Festival (TJFF), overseeing all programming and logistics, even for its Tokyo event. Leveraging her industry depth, Momo Films has expanded to include a talent agency and content sales division, focusing on selling international content into the Japanese market.

In this episode, we meet Megumi Nishikura, a US-based documentary filmmaker whose work explores identity, belonging, and the cultural intersections between Japan and the world. Her feature documentary film “Hafu – the mixed race experience” screened theatrically throughout Japan and aired on PBS and NipponTV. She produced “Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides,” which aired globally on BBC World News. In 2019, Megumi directed and produced “Minidoka,” a short film about the Japanese American internment experience during WWII, which was published by TIME magazine. She is currently making a film about Japan’s Nationality Law and the dual citizenship issue in Japan. When she’s not making her own films, Megumi works as a producer on docuseries for major streaming platforms.

Tokyo-based Japanese film producer Kanako Fujita is the founder of Felis Pictures Ltd. and a graduate of King’s College London, where she earned her degree in Film Studies. A participant of Rotterdam Lab 2025 and the Busan Producer Hub 2024, she specializes in Asian–European co-productions that bridge cultures and explore the moral and emotional complexities of modern society.Her first feature as a producer, Dead Fishes (2022, dir. Tomoaki Kaneko), was released theatrically across Japan, screened at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, and won Best Cinematography at the Japan Film Festival Los Angeles. She is currently developing and producing several short and feature projects, including Push Button Syndrome (dir. Riko Murakami), which won the Asian Discovery Award at BIFAN It Project Market 2024, and The Funeral March (dir. Naoya Fujita), which received the One Cool Award at the Busan International Film Festival APM 2025.

This week’s guest is Takashi Horie, a New York-based independent filmmaker. Born in Sendai, Miyagi, he graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996.Since then, Horie has built a versatile career as a director, cinematographer, and editor, creating numerous award-winning music and promotional videos in the U.S. His short film, Ordinary Days, was nominated and screened at various film festivals. His most recent feature, The Last Passenger, received multiple awards and was theatrically released in Japan in October 2024. Horie is currently directing a road movie about four Japanese bandmates traveling Route 66 and is also filming a documentary on the vibrant, multicultural lifestyle of the Rockaway surfers in New York.

This week, we once again welcome Kanako Horii. Born in Chicago, Kanako spent most of her life in Tokyo before returning to the U.S. decades later to make it her home once more. Her passion for launching creative projects with a social purpose led her to develop the card game "SHAKE HANDS" as part of an enablement project with Enable Partners LLC. In this special episode, we'll take a deep dive and an introductory course into the world and economics of J-Dramas.

This week’s guest is Greg Dale, a Princeton graduate with a decade of experience in New York theater, has been directing and acting in Broadway-level productions and films in Japan. He has written half a dozen screenplays and recently wrote and directed his debut feature, the romantic comedy “Rules of Living”. The film won Best Feature Comedy at the 2024 Sedona International Film Festival and has been selected for 12 other festivals worldwide. Starring Minami Kaho, Shiina Kippei, Sumire, and Kawakita Mayuko, “Rules of Living” premieres Friday, September 20th, with a roadshow at Shinjuku Piccadilly and 60 other cinemas across Japan.

This week's guest is Stefanie Arianne, an accomplished actress with roots in both the Philippines and Japan. After moving to Japan to pursue acting, she quickly rose to prominence, earning a Best Supporting Actress Award at the Malaysia International Film Festival for her role in the critically acclaimed film “Plan 75". The film was also a standout at the 75th Cannes International Film Festival and represented Japan at the 2023 Oscars. Arianne remains a vibrant presence in Japan's entertainment world, with recent work including her musical stage play debut in "Mahal Ko Medley”.

This week, we have Kanako Horii. Born in Chicago, she spent most of her life in Tokyo before returning to the U.S. decades later to make it her home again. Her passion for bringing creative projects into society led her to create the card game "SHAKE HANDS" as part of a social enablement project with Enable Partners LLC.

This week, we have Jason Gray, a veteran of the Japanese film industry with over two decades of experience. Beginning his career as a translator and film business journalist, he is now an accomplished feature film producer. His impressive resume includes producing five theatrical releases, such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s "To the Ends of the Earth" and Chie Hayakawa’s "Plan 75", which was Japan’s official entry to the 2023 Oscars. Gray's latest production, Hayakawa's RENOIR, was featured in competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival before its theatrical release across Japan.

This week, we feature Jeffrey Rowe, a Canadian actor, voice actor, and producer. He splits his time between Okinawa, Tokyo, and Vancouver. Rowe has appeared in nearly 50 films and TV projects, including the NHK Taiga dramas Ryomaden and Seiten wo Tsuke, Prime Video's The Silent Service, and numerous Japanese documentaries where he served as narrator. As the founder of Mirus Pictures, he produced Rules of Living, All the Songs We Never Sang, and BLT Sandwich Cafe, which was the first American-style sitcom in Japanese TV history.

This week have Daniel L. Smith, an award-winning director, producer, and journalist, and co-founder of Aurora Borealis Entertainment. He has produced numerous TV series and documentaries for major U.S. and Japanese media companies, including FOX, NBC-Universal, and Amazon. Smith is a leading producer of original content from Japan and Asia, highly sought after for Hollywood and international film and TV production support in Japan. His acclaimed work includes documentaries on Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, the award-winning Defending Japan series, and PR campaign films for Warner Bros. Japan and Universal.

In the spirit of award-winning indie romantic comedies/dramas from the early 2000s, From Chicago to Osaka is a screenplay written for the modern era. With fast-paced, ping-pong comedic dialogue in both English and Japanese, From Chicago to Osaka is the quintessential date movie for adults looking for something smart, sophisticated, and highly entertaining.The screenplay, written by Michael William Foster, is a two-hour small-to-low-budget independent film that highlights the locations and people of Osaka in the same way Ferris Bueller’s Day Off did for Chicago.Chicago and Osaka are real-life sister cities with many cultural similarities. As Chicago and Osaka also share a “second city” status, it seemed like a wonderful idea to give Osaka a chance to shine in the spotlight, especially since the residents of Chicago and Osaka have deep compassion for where they live.

Get ready for a special recap episode of "Showtime at Japan Expert Insights"! This week, we're taking a nostalgic and celebratory look back at the past twelve episodes of our show. It's been an incredible journey, and we're excited to revisit some of the most memorable moments and profound insights shared by our incredible guests. Join us as we highlight our most renowned guests, from industry leaders to cultural connoisseurs, and dive back into the wonderful and diverse expertise they've brought to the show. We'll revisit their fascinating stories and the unique perspectives they’ve shared on everything from Japanese business etiquette to the country's vibrant pop culture scene.But that's not all! In this exclusive episode, we're also taking a deeper dive into something you've all been asking about: Michael's original screenplay, "From Chicago to Osaka." Michael will pull back the curtain and share more about the inspiration behind this ambitious project, its key themes, and what it’s been like to bring this cross-cultural story to life.Whether you're a longtime listener or a new fan, this episode is a perfect opportunity to catch up on the best of "Showtime at Japan Expert Insights" and get an exclusive look at the creative process behind "From Chicago to Osaka." Tune in for a powerful episode filled with reflection, revelation, and a few surprises!

This week, we have Mayu Nakamura, a lifelong traveler and storyteller from Japan, who left home at 16 to study in the U.K. and eventually moved to New York City to pursue a career in filmmaking. She earned her MFA from NYU’s Graduate Film Program and now creates both fiction and documentary films while splitting her time between Tokyo and NYC. Her fiction feature Intimate Stranger premiered at the 2021 Tokyo International Film Festival, and her documentary Alone Again in Fukushima debuted at the 2020 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Most recently, she received a BAFTA award for her work as a producer on the BBC documentary Atomic People.

This week’s guest is Fujiko, a vibrant and rising Japanese comedian based in Chicago who brings laughter, insight, and a unique cross-cultural perspective to the stage. Originally from Osaka, Japan, Fujiko discovered her passion for comedy through her gift for connecting with audiences, delivering joy with her positive energy, sharp wit, and empowering humor.From her roots in Osaka to the vibrant U.S. comedy scene, Fujiko has harnessed the power of humor to connect and empower, navigating the unique challenges and joys of building a cross-cultural career. As a Japanese woman in American stand-up, she masterfully weaves her identity and cultural experiences into her performances, offering a fresh perspective that bridges different worlds. Her ultimate mission is to uplift and inspire audiences through laughter, making her journey a compelling story for anyone interested in comedy, Japanese culture, or the universal power of humor to transcend boundaries.

This week, we welcome Donie Ordiales and Sho Ikushima—two dynamic voices in contemporary Japanese cinema. Donie Ordiales is an independent director and screenwriter from the Philippines, a graduate of the prestigious Tokyo Film Center School of Arts, where he majored in film directing. Joining him is Sho Ikushima, a multifaceted Japanese actor, producer, and choreographer known for his compelling performances and creative versatility.The duo will delve into their latest collaboration, Crosspoint—a gripping 2024 Philippine-Japanese action thriller written and directed by Ordiales, with Ikushima starring in a lead role. They’ll take us behind the scenes of filming in Japan, exploring the creative challenges and cultural intersections that shaped the project. Donie and Sho will also reflect on their unique artistic journeys and the unexpected crossroads that brought them together on this cinematic venture.