This program is now full and registration has closed.
It’s a double feature! Join us for a movie and book club as we journey to contemporary Japan. Curl up for two hours and step into Shoji Morimoto’s life “as a rental person who does nothing.” His short memoir (by the same name) chronicles his adventures providing a service to “the lonely and social anxious.” After pondering Shoji’s unique line of work, curl up again (with popcorn) and watch Rental Family. Directed by Hikari, this poignant comedy-drama stars Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, whose character has lived in Japan for seven years, speaks Japanese, and lands a job with a Tokyo rental company. Through his surrogate roles, he becomes deeply immersed and then entangled in the complex lives of young and old Tokyo residents.
NCTA seminar instructor Tese Wintz Neighbor will lead you through guided discussion of the film and book.
You can view the trailer of the movie below:
Dates and Times
Participants will be assigned (with flexibility) to one of the following two sessions:
Group 1: Wednesday, May 27, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Group 2: Thursday, May 28, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Program Requirements: This Book and Movie Study will be held over Zoom. Teachers will be expected to view the movie ahead of time (2 hours) and read the short book (2 hours), complete a short assignment, and participate in the two-hour Zoom session with video camera on. This movie is available on Hulu, Disney, YouTube, Google, Amazon Prime, Apple and Fandangle.
Program benefits
- A physical copy of the book
- Online Resource packet
- Six free Washington State OSPI clock hours
Registration
This program is now full and registration has closed.
This program is sponsored by the East Asia Resource Center at the University of Washington, and funded by a Freeman Foundation grant in support of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA).