By David Yamaguchi
NAP Development Manager
Perhaps, like many, I spend evenings perusing YouTube. Owing to this bad habit, I occasionally come across videos that are well worth watching.
One such film, now available for free viewing (with commercials), is “Minamata” (2020 with actors Johnny Depp and Hiroyuki Sanada, and singer Minami). As it was released in the U.S. in February 2022, its opening was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tale reveals how the mercury poisoning of residents in Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan, in the early 1970s came to be known to the world. Many boomers (born 1946-1964) will recall seeing the arresting photographs in the pages of “Life” magazine. But until recently seeing “Minamata,” I did not know how that photograph essay came to be. The story would be of interest to anyone interested in the history of the environmental movement, in the power of photography to change the world, and in the U.S./Japan relationship, especially where “gai-atsu” (foreign pressure) — is the path forward.
Also of interest are the titular YouTube channels “Lost Salaryman in Japan” (102k subscribers, 13 videos) and “Tokyo Rental: Someone’s Girlfriend” (2.99k subscribers, three videos). I like both for the candid darkness they paint of life in present-day Tokyo for young, single working people and the artistic approaches that both anonymous creators have adopted to find their way.
