Japanese Film Screening Tour 2026
2026/8/4
Film Information
All films will be screened in Japanese with English subtitles.
（1） Under the Open Sky
(Length: 126min. / Release in Japan: 11 February, 2021)
（2） Tsugaru Lacquer Girl
(Length: 118min. Release in Japan: 1 September, 2023)
(Length: 126min. Release in Japan: 23 February, 2023)
（1） Under the Open Sky
(Japanese title: Subarashiki Sekai)
(Length: 126min. / Release in Japan: 11 February, 2021)
SYNOPSIS
Mikami, an ex yakuza of middle age with most of his life in prison, gets released after serving 13 years of sentence for murder. Hoping to find his long lost mother, from whom he was separated as a child, he applies for a TV show and meets a young TV director Ts unoda. Meanwhile, he struggles to get a proper job and fit into society. His impulsive, adamant nature and ingrained beliefs cause friction in his relationship with Tsunoda and those who want to help him.
Mikami, an ex yakuza of middle age with most of his life in prison, gets released after serving 13 years of sentence for murder. Hoping to find his long lost mother, from whom he was separated as a child, he applies for a TV show and meets a young TV director Ts unoda. Meanwhile, he struggles to get a proper job and fit into society. His impulsive, adamant nature and ingrained beliefs cause friction in his relationship with Tsunoda and those who want to help him.
| Director: | NISHIKAWA Miwa |
| Writer: | NISHIKAWA Miwa |
| Based on the novel "Mibuncho" written by SAKI Ryuzo | |
| Stars: | YAKUSHO Koji NAKANO Taiga ROKKAKU Seiji |
（2） Tsugaru Lacquer Girl
(Japanese title: Baka nuri no Musume)
(Length: 118min. Release in Japan: 1 September, 2023)
Synopsis
Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. Miyako Aoki, who lives with her father, has not found anything she wants to do after graduating from a local high school. She is working at a supermarket to help her family make ends meet. Helping her father, a Tsugaru lacquerware craftsman, is the only thing she can devote herself to. However, her father, who succeeded her grandfather, a highly respected Tsugaru-nuri craftsman, loses the will to continue the business as the industry goes into decline, and the family finds itself scattered. The mother left the family because of the poor life and the selfishness of the father, and the elder brother, a hairdresser, chose to live freely instead of taking over the family business. Miyako is unable to openly declare her desire to pursue a career in Tsugaru-nuri, but as she confronts her family and the art of lacquering, she takes on a great challenge.
Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. Miyako Aoki, who lives with her father, has not found anything she wants to do after graduating from a local high school. She is working at a supermarket to help her family make ends meet. Helping her father, a Tsugaru lacquerware craftsman, is the only thing she can devote herself to. However, her father, who succeeded her grandfather, a highly respected Tsugaru-nuri craftsman, loses the will to continue the business as the industry goes into decline, and the family finds itself scattered. The mother left the family because of the poor life and the selfishness of the father, and the elder brother, a hairdresser, chose to live freely instead of taking over the family business. Miyako is unable to openly declare her desire to pursue a career in Tsugaru-nuri, but as she confronts her family and the art of lacquering, she takes on a great challenge.
| Director: | TSURUOKA Keiko |
| Writer: | TSURUOKA Keiko KOJIMA Kensaku |
| Original Story by TAKAMORI Miyuki | |
| Stars: | HOTTA Mayu BANDO Ryota MIYATA Toshiya |
（3） YUDO
(Length: 126min. Release in Japan: 23 February, 2023)
Synopsis
Architect Shiro Miura (Toma Ikuta) suddenly returns to his country hometown and the family business he left behind years ago- a public bathhouse called “Marukin Hot Springs.” Since the recent death of his father, Shiro’s plan as eldest son is to close down the antiquated bathhouse and replace it with state-of-the-art condominiums. But he meets with a cold reception from his younger brother, Goro (Gaku Hamada), who has kept the bathhouse open since their father’s passing. One day when a boiler room fire breaks out putting Goro in the hospital, Shiro has no choice but to spend the next few days as bathhouse manager with the aid of trusty part-time worker and bathhouse devotee, Izumi (Kanna Hashimoto ) . There, he encounters a host of bathhouse-loving customers, from elderly couples to families and gets a glimpse of the sheer happiness and democratizing power the place offers. As he gradually learns the ins and outs of the trade and encounters a host of lovable people, Shiro finds the constriction inside him begin to melt.
Architect Shiro Miura (Toma Ikuta) suddenly returns to his country hometown and the family business he left behind years ago- a public bathhouse called “Marukin Hot Springs.” Since the recent death of his father, Shiro’s plan as eldest son is to close down the antiquated bathhouse and replace it with state-of-the-art condominiums. But he meets with a cold reception from his younger brother, Goro (Gaku Hamada), who has kept the bathhouse open since their father’s passing. One day when a boiler room fire breaks out putting Goro in the hospital, Shiro has no choice but to spend the next few days as bathhouse manager with the aid of trusty part-time worker and bathhouse devotee, Izumi (Kanna Hashimoto ) . There, he encounters a host of bathhouse-loving customers, from elderly couples to families and gets a glimpse of the sheer happiness and democratizing power the place offers. As he gradually learns the ins and outs of the trade and encounters a host of lovable people, Shiro finds the constriction inside him begin to melt.
| Director: | SUZUKI Masayuki |
| Writer: | KOYAMA Kundo |
| Stars: | IKUTA Toma HAMADA Gaku HASHIMOTO Kanna |
Location & Date/Time
Bern
September Screening
February 2027 Screening
| Date / Time: | Under the Open Sky [1] Saturday, September 12, 14:00~ [2] Sunday, September 13, 14:00~ Tsugaru Lacquer Girl Saturday, September 12, 11:00~ Yudo Sunday, September 13, 11:00~ |
| Location: | Bern History Museum (screening during NIHON MATSURI – The Grand Japan Festival) |
| Admission: | Entry fee for the NIHON MATSURI – The Grand Japan Festival is required. |
| Registration: | For screening, no advance registration is required. |
February 2027 Screening
| Date / Time: | Under the Open Sky Wednesday, 10 February 2027 18:00~ Tsugaru Lacquer Girl Thursday, 11 February 2027 18:00~ Yudo Friday, 12 February 2027 18:00~ |
| Location: | Japan Information and Cultural Center (Engestrasse 43, 3012 Bern) |
| Admission: | free |
| Registration: | An advance registration is required. Please register by email [jicc@br.mofa.go.jp] with the names of all participants. |
Zürich
| Date / Time: | Under the Open Sky Wednesday, 14 October 18:30~ Tsugaru Lacquer Girl Friday, 6 November 18:30~ Yudo Wednesday, 25 November 18:30~ |
| Location: | KO2-F-152 University of Zurich (Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich ) |
| Admission: | free |
| Registration: | No advance registration required. |
Carouge (GE)
| Date / Time: | Under the Open Sky Friday, 25 September 20:00~ Tsugaru Lacquer Girl Saturday, 26 September 10:30~ Yudo Sunday, 27 September 20:00~ |
| Location: | Cinéma Bio (Rue Saint-Joseph 47, 1227 Carouge, Genève) |
| Admission: | CHF10.- |
| Registration: | No advance registration required. |
Schaan (Liechtenstein)
| Date: | Saturday, 14 November |
| Time: | Tsugaru Lacquer Girl 10:30~ Yudo 14:30~ Under the Open Sky 17:30~ |
| Location: | Skino (Poststrasse 27, 9494 Schaan, Liechtenstein) |
| Admission: | free |
| Registration: | No advance registration is required. |
Contact
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Japan Information and Cultural Center (JICC)
Embassy of Japan in Switzerland
Tel: +41-31-305 15 70
E-Mail: jicc@br.mofa.go.jp
Japan Information and Cultural Center (JICC)
Embassy of Japan in Switzerland
Tel: +41-31-305 15 70
E-Mail: jicc@br.mofa.go.jp