Frequently Asked Questions
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme is an annual initiative that brings Japanese films to various locations. The 2026 programme will feature a total of 26 films. This tour is scheduled to run from February 6 to March 31, 2026. The screenings will take place across various venues in the UK. Specific locations mentioned in the source material include London (ICA), Chester (Storyhouse), Newcastle (Tyneside Cinema), Warwick (Warwick Arts Centre), Manchester (HOME cinema), Chichester (Chichester Cinema), Lancaster (The Dukes), Exeter (Exeter Phoenix), Dundee (Dundee Contemporary Arts), Kendal (Brewery Arts Cinema), Derby (QUAD), Nottingham (Broadway), Bristol (Watershed), and Belfast (Queen's Film Theatre).
The Last Blossom is an animated film directed by Baku Kinoshita. The story, described by the Annecy Film Festival, follows Akutsu, an elderly life inmate nearing death in 2023. A talking Housenka flower prompts him to reflect on his past. The main narrative dives into the summer of 1986, telling "the tale of a one-night victorious comeback by a dying yakuza, and his family's story told by a flower that blooms in prison." The animation production for the film was handled by Studio CLAP, known for Pompo: The Cinéphile and The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes. The script and original concept were credited to Konomoto.
The cast of The Last Blossom includes actors portraying the main characters at different stages of their lives. Kaoru Kobayashi voices the protagonist Minoru Akutsu in his present (elderly) timeline, while Junki Tozuka plays the younger Akutsu in the past segments. Similarly, Hikari Mitsushima and Yoshiko Miyazaki voice Akutsu's partner, Nana Nagata, at different points in her life. The distinctive role of the talking Housenka flower, which narrates parts of the story, is voiced by Pierre Taki.
Director Baku Kinoshita and scriptwriter Konomoto previously collaborated on the well-regarded 2021 anime series ODDTAXI. They reunite for The Last Blossom, with Konomoto providing the script and original concept. Several other creatives contributed to the film's production: CLAP was in charge of animation production, Michinoku-Toge is credited for concept art, and the band cero composed the film's music and performs the theme song "Moving Still Life."
The live-action film Nemurubaka is a 2025 adaptation of Masakazu Ishiguro's manga of the same name. The film was directed by Yūgo Sakamoto. The story centers on the daily life of two college dorm roommates, Yumi Irusu and Ruka Kujirai. Shiori Kubo of Nogizaka46 stars as Yumi Irusu, while Yūna Taira stars as Ruka Kujirai.
The Nemurubaka manga focuses on the slice-of-life interactions between college roommates Yumi Irusu and Ruka Kujirai. Ruka is constantly broke despite being in a band, while Irusu works part-time at a second-hand bookstore. Ishiguro serialized the manga from September 2006 to January 2008, resulting in one compiled volume. Masakazu Ishiguro is a notable manga artist with other successful anime adaptations. His works And Yet the Town Moves inspired an anime that premiered in 2010, and his manga Heavenly Delusion was adapted into an anime series in April 2023.
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality is a new film adaptation of the epic 19th-century Japanese novel by Kyokutei Bakin. This new version is directed by Fumihiko Sori, known for films like the CGI animation Vexille - 2077 Isolation of Japan and the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist. The novel has been the basis for several previous adaptations. The 1990s saw the OAV series The Legend of the Dog Warriors: The Hakkenden, and a later manga adaptation by Miyuki Abe was turned into the 2013 TV anime Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East.
The Last Blossom will be screened at multiple locations across the UK during February and March 2026 as part of the tour. Specific dates and venues confirmed so far include: ICA in London (February 15 at 4:10 p.m.), Storyhouse in Chester (February 21 at 3:30 p.m.), Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle (March 1 at 3 p.m.), Warwick Arts Centre (March 5 at 8 p.m.), HOME cinema in Manchester (March 7 at 3:15 p.m.), Chichester Cinema (March 9 at 6 p.m.), The Dukes in Lancaster (March 15 at 2:15 p.m.), Exeter Phoenix (March 21 at 4 p.m.), Dundee Contemporary Arts (March 22 at 5 p.m.), Brewery Arts Cinema in Kendal (March 28 at 5 p.m.), and QUAD in Derby (March 29 at 7:45 p.m.). Dates for Broadway in Nottingham, Watershed in Bristol, and Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast are still TBC (To Be Confirmed).
The live-action film Nemurubaka has several confirmed screenings in the UK as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026. The current schedule includes: Phoenix Leicester (February 9 at 8:15 p.m.), Storyhouse in Chester (February 11 at 6 p.m.), ICA in London (February 11 at 8:40 p.m.), Brewery Arts Cinema in Kendal (March 19 at 5 p.m.), and QUAD in Derby (March 29 at 5:30 p.m.).
The provided text specifically highlights three films in detail: the animated feature The Last Blossom, the live-action Nemurubaka, and Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality. It notes that the full programme includes a total of 26 Japanese films touring from February 6 to March 31, 2026. The text does not list the other 23 films, nor does it provide a link or specific instructions on how to find the full programme details. To discover the complete lineup and schedule, interested individuals would need to check the official website of the Japan Foundation or the websites of the participating host cinemas (such as the ICA in London, Storyhouse in Chester, etc.).
The provided text lists specific dates, times, and cinema venues for the screenings (e.g., ICA in London, Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle, QUAD in Derby). It indicates that these are scheduled public screenings, which implies a standard cinema experience. While the text does not explicitly detail the ticketing process or price, attendees would typically need to purchase tickets directly from the box office or the official website of the specific cinema hosting the screening they wish to attend. The "TBC" status for some venues suggests that scheduling and ticketing information will become available closer to the dates via those specific cinemas' platforms.
The provided text primarily serves as a news announcement detailing the specific films, dates, and locations for the 2026 programme. It implicitly highlights the programme's significance by showcasing the diversity of the selected films, which range from contemporary animation (The Last Blossom) to live-action adaptations of popular manga (Nemurubaka) and cinematic interpretations of classic Japanese literature (Hakkenden). The programme is important for Japanese cinema in the UK because it offers widespread access to content that might not otherwise receive general theatrical distribution. By touring across numerous regional cities, it exposes diverse UK audiences to the breadth of Japanese filmmaking beyond mainstream anime blockbusters, fostering cultural exchange and appreciation for specific directors and manga artists like Masakazu Ishiguro and Baku Kinoshita.