Oh wow, very cool, thank you so much, and thanks for the kind words & taking the time to leave a comment too!! :) You funnily enough left this comment just after I got back from being in Ehime for my second time during a Golden Week trip, amazing timing! I hope you can come visit some day – Shikoku is really really great. I followed you back on Letterboxd too!

Enjoy!!! And thank you for taking the time to comment, Craig! You’re really in for a treat; his works are all so, so special. Getting to see many of them for the first time would be an incredible experience to be able to have again (although the rewatches are just as wonderful in their own ways!) Really, you’ll have a blast.

I am *desperate* for that too. It’s a little unbelievable that – at least as far as I’ve ever been able to find – not even his most well-loved or impactful quotes, or snippets, much less a single essay, has been translated by… anyone, ever, for so many decades. My Japanese is really not quite good enough to understand the type of smart, unique, non-fiction writing he was doing, or really “get” the context of the world he was writing in, or probably most importantly appreciate his voice in a natural way. I’d be lying if I said that in writing this post, the thought didn’t cross my mind that a publisher or literary translator (or historian, academic…) may someday come across it and become enamored & inspired enough by my attempted depth of exposition that they pitch it to someone who might be able to something about it……… :)

Thank you for comment, Jeroen! Sorry for my very delayed reply, which came as I was traveling and away from my computer with enough energy/time/screen space to give you a proper reply! I think it’s quite doable if you’re visiting western Japan (e.g. Fukuoka, Hiroshima, or really anywhere around there) and would say the trip’s very worth it; I loved Matsuyama, and Shikoku as a whole, and am planning on going back in the spring of next year to explore and see more on the island. I hope you can make it! Always fun to find other fans of Itami too (I followed you on Letterboxd, stay in touch!) And do let me know if you’re in my area or if we might be crossing paths. :)

Unfortunately I don’t know if that’s a thing she does anymore. Surely she shows up for special events like the yearly guided tours for members (or, I’d assume anyways!) but I’d just be guessing outside of that. Maybe for some screenings or something, or randomly, but perhaps not on a fixed schedule or with advance notice… I bet you could email them and ask to see if they have any more info to share! Please do let me know if you find out!

Do you happen to know if Nobuko Miyamoto still welcomes people to the museum?
An article of 2011 I found mentioned there was a schedule for her appearance but that is of course over 10 years ago.

Ales, thank you for your kind comment! Sorry it took me a while to see it & reply. Always so happy to find others who are a fan of him and his work. That was essentially my goal in writing this post, so I couldn’t be more glad that that’s what you were able to get out of it, too. :)

I scrolled through your film-related blog as well, and while I don’t speak German, please do stay in touch! And I do hope you happen to be able to make it to the museum someday, somehow!

I’m a huge Itami fan as well (as you can surely tell, haha) – super happy that you connected with the post so deeply and enjoyed reading it, much appreciated!! :)

I also love little trinkets like that, ha. Thank you!!

Saoirse, thank you for reading, so happy you enjoyed!! I hope you’re able to go someday as well!