Japan

Some people also suffer from the misconception that Isao Takahata-san and I are both some sort of environmentalists, and that we will make a film out of anything as long as it has an ecological theme or message. Nothing could be further from the truth. Such a film would be like a big fat dried-up log, propped upright. What we need is a living

Once the heart area has been liberated, attention continues to move downward into the area of the belly, or the hara. The term hara is mostly used in Japanese martial arts such as aikido and meditative traditions such as Zen. It refers to a vital energy center that resides below the navel in the lower belly. While the hara appears to be distinct

Today, the empire of the red octagon is global. There are minor variations: in Japan it’s a red triangle, in Papua New Guinea it’s a red shield, and in Cuba it’s a red triangle in a red circle. But by my count, at least 91 percent of the world’s population stops at red octagons. Even the North Koreans do.

The scene is filled with a painfully beautiful tension and sense of presence. The instant I saw this scene I knew Ikiru was a film that had to be viewed with utmost respect.