Asia Society Japan will be hosting our very first Asia Society at the Movies, an initiative started globally in 2021. Our first screening is the documentary film Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki and produced by Eric Nyari. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the director and producer.

About the film

Baseball is life for the die-hard competitors of the 100th annual high school baseball championships, otherwise known as Koshien. Alumni include MLB stars Shohei Otani and former Yankee Hideki Matsui. But for coach Mizutani and his players, the tasks of cleaning the grounds and greeting their guests are just as important as their baseball skills, demonstrating discipline, sacrifice, and dedication. This film follows two teams on their quest to go to the national championship. It is dramatic and it is an intimate journey seen through Yamazaki’s unique perspective as an insider and outsider of both Japan and the U.S.

First broadcast on NHK and released in theaters across Japan, Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams caused a stir in North America when broadcast in primetime on ESPN. It is currently recommended by the New York Times for international streaming.

This film is in Japanese with English subtitles.

This event will be conducted in-person and is open to the public. Registration is required.
There is a guest fee of 3,000 yen.

Speaker Bios

Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Yamazaki is a documentary filmmaker based between Tokyo and New York. With a unique perspective as an insider and outsider in both Japan and the U.S., Ema strives to push the envelope of documentary filmmaking and tell stories that empathetically show human struggle and triumph.

In 2017, Yamazaki's first feature-length documentary, Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators, was released worldwide to critical acclaim.

In 2018, Yamazaki embarked on her second feature documentary Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams, exploring the phenomenon of Japanese high school baseball as a microcosm of Japanese society. In co-production with NHK, the film is an intimate and dramatic journey following coaches and players during the historic 100th summer Koshien tournament. After airing in primetime on ESPN in June 2020 and being released in theaters across Japan, it is currently available on the Criterion Channel and was recommended by The New York Times for international streaming.

Eric Nyari
Nyari is President of Cineric Creative and International Representative for renowned restoration house Cineric, Inc.

He has managed numerous 4K restorations of Japanese classic films, including Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu and Sansho The Bailiff with Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation, as well as Yasujiro Ozu’s Late Spring.

His feature film productions include Amir Naderi’s Cut and Monte, and Yoshifumi Tsubota’s Shell Collector. In the documentary film space, he produced the critically acclaimed portrait Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda and companion concert film Ryuichi Sakamoto: Live at the Park.

Asia Society at the Movies

Asia Society at the Movies is a series of film screenings and conversations showcasing a broad range of films and filmmakers from across Asia and the Asian diaspora. Asia Society at the Movies celebrates established and emerging voices, contemporary films, classics, and documentaries. The series builds on Asia Society’s long and rich history of film programming. This initiative also serves to deepen understanding of Asian cultures—a core part of Asia Society’s mission since its creation. Learn more about the Asia Society at the Movies initiative.