On November 13 award-winning author Tomoka Shibasaki joined us at the UW for a screening of ‘Asako I & II’, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s (Drive my Car) 2018 award-winning film following Shibasaki’s mysterious pop romance novel ‘Nete mo Samete mo’. The story begins with Asako, a young woman who meets and falls madly in love with a drifter, Baku, who one day drifts right out of her life. Two years later, working in Tokyo, Asako sees Baku again — or, rather, a young, solid businessman named Ryohei who bears a striking resemblance to her old flame. They begin to build a happy life together until traces of Asako’s past start to resurface. Film introduced by author. Showing in-person only. Japanese with English subtitles (119 minutes). Read more about Hamaguchi’s thoughts on Shibasaki’s novel and the author’s thoughts on working with this director.
On NOV 14: Ms. Shibasaki will be at Town Hall Seattle. Join an intimate conversation with Japanese author Tomoka Shibasaki as she discusses her literary works, including the award-winning Spring Garden (Haru no Niwa), at 7:30 PM (in Japanese and in English). See Japan Foundation webpage for information and tickets.