"Ruth Ozeki’s amazing books lit up my mind and soul for a couple of weeks. She was such a surprise! I love the Japanese/American-ness of her!"

"Paul Schrader’s uniquely structured film about the interplay between life and art in the works of Japanese writer Yokio Mishima. This masterpiece has for some reason never been canonized."

"A Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. I discovered it at the Busan Film Festival in Korea. It's at the same time faithful to Eastwood's film and entirely personal."

"Akira Kurosawa made films covered in rich tapestries of Japanese history and charged with terrible violence and drama. Yet here, the contemporary and confined world of a rich industrialist (Toshiro Mifune) who is faced with an overwhelming decision is spare, cold, and objective in the extreme. Hideo Oguni, who worked on seven Kurosawa films, including Seven Samurai, wrote the screenplay based on an Ed McBain novel. Mifune, once again, shows why he is the Japanese Marlon Brando, Edward G. Robinson, and Gregory Peck rolled into one."

"Another revelation to come out of left field just when you thought you knew the pantheon of Japanese cinema. Nakahira’s control of his material is apparent from first shot to last, as he charts the frantic duel between two rock and roll–generation youngsters for the sticky, sweaty affections of Mie Kitahara. Here’s a film that not only reflects the rebellious spirit of Japanese youth in the mid-fifties but also sports an intoxicating visual panache. It also features one of Donald Richie’s most engaging commentaries."

"When I first came to Los Angeles I became addicted to Japanese cinema at the Toho La Brea Theater. Criterion has reissued many of Kurosawa greatest films, and my list could easily have consisted solely of his titles."