Do you love Japanese film classics, anime or contemporary cinema stories? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Would you like to learn and discuss about Japanese culture and society? The Japan Society Film Club is an online space to chat about films and Japan in an informal atmosphere.

Join us on 5 April to discuss the critically acclaimed and award winning anime Your Name directed by Makoto Shinkai.

Produced in 2016 by CoMix Wave Films, Your Name (君の名は, Kimi no Na wa) is an animated romantic fantasy film, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, based on Shinkai’s novel of the same name. High School students Taki in Tokyo and Mitsuha in the Japanese countryside are complete strangers living separate lives. After Mistuha makes a wish, the pair suddenly and inexplicably begin to swap bodies living out moments in each other’s lives. As each sees glimpses into the other's world, a connection begins to form between the two students but will their paths ever cross?

Read our review here.

Makoto Niitsu (1973 - ), known as Makoto Shinkai is an animator, filmmaker, author, and manga artist. He began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the animation She and Her Cat in 1999. Beginning his longstanding association with CoMix Wave Films, Shinkai released the science-fiction animation Voices of a Distant Star in 2002, followed by his debut feature film The Place Promised in Our Early Days in 2004. Shinkai's second feature film and subsequent releases, 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011), and The Garden of Words (2013) all gained critical acclaim. In 2016, Shinkai’s fantasy romance Your Name was a critical and commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing anime film of all time. Later releases include Weathering with You (2019), and Suzume (2022).

Japan Society Film Clubs take place on the first Wednesday of the month. We recommend a film to watch in advance and meet online to discuss. Films are often available online for free, to rent or with subscription, on DVD/Blu Ray or on BFI player. The event is open to all and we encourage participants to freely express their opinions and feelings about the films.

If you have any questions, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Booking Info

Please remember to watch the film in advance. Your Name is available to watch on Apple TV, Amazon UK, Google Play, and Rakuten TV.