Makioka Sisters (book)

• Sasameyuki "Fine Snow"
• Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
• 1943, 1944 and immediately after the war

Makioka Sisters (film)

• Kon Ichikawa
• 1983

Norwegian Wood (book)

• Noruwei no mori "Norwegian Wood"
• Haruki Murakami
• 1987

Norwegian Wood (film)

• Ahn Hung Tran
• 2010

Ghost in the Shell (book)

• Kōkaku kidōtai "Mobile Armored Riot Police"
• Masamune Shirow
• 1989/1991

Ghost in the Shell (film)

• Mamoru Oshii
• 1995 (however, we watch the digitally remastered, remixed version Ghost in the Shell 2.0, which was released in 2008)

LITERATURE AND CULTURE OF ASIA: Identity in three modern Japanese novels and their films

Makioka Sisters

Pronunciations of main characters:

  • Tsuruko: tsu-roo-koh
    • husband Tatsuo: tah-tsu-oh
  • Sachiko: sah-chee-koh
    • husband Teinosuke: tay-no-s'kay
    • daughter Etsuko: eh-tsu-koh
  • Yukiko: yoo-key-koh
  • Taeko: ta-eh-ko (Koi-san: koh-ee-sawn)
    • boyfriend Okubata: oh-koo-bah-tah
    • boyfriend Itakura: ee-tah-koo-rah

Other films by Kon Ichikawa available in this country with subtitles

  • Kokoro (1955) — novel by Natsume Soseki by same title (I highly recommend this book)
  • The Burmese Harp (1956, but color remake 1985) — Best Foreign Language Film, 1957. About the horrors of WWII from the point of view of the Japanese army.
  • Enjo (1958, VHS) — novel by Yukio Mishima titled Temple of the Golden Pavilion (I recommend this book)
  • Odd Obsession (1959, VHS) — novel by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki titled The Key (I recommend this book)
  • Fires on the Plain (1959) — novel by Shohei Ooka by same title (I highly recommend this book) about the extreme difficulties of Japanese army personnel towards the end of WWII
  • Being Two Isn't Easy (1962)
  • Revenge of a Kabuki Actor (1963)
  • Tokyo Olympiad (1965, documentary) — About the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Controversial.
  • Visions of Eight (1973, multiple directors) — About the 1972 Summer Olympics
  • The Makioka Sisters (1983)
  • Princess from the Moon (1987) — based on a premodern tale usually known in English as Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, about a girl a bamboo cutter finds in the forest who grows up to be a beautiful woman only that she is actually from the moon and must return
  • Kon Ichikawa's 47 Ronin (1994) — based on the premodern tale usually known in English as Chushingura or The 47 Loyal Ronin about 47 samurai who lose their lord and eventually find revenge, as an act of loyalty to him
  • Dora-Heita (2000)
  • Ten Nights' of Dreams (2006) A collection of film shorts based on Natsume Soseki's work by the same title. He directs the Second Dream. This is an odd collection of short films.