before the trip watch two videos....kurasawa's "rashomon" and "shall we dance"[director unknown]...that should get your brain in proper alignment....[try to get undubbed versions with english subtitles..]..oh yeah...after a kurasawa hit,you might get lucky and be able to stand in the center courtyard of the meiji shrine in a warm late spring rain.....magic.

 

Thanks for the tip...I have a film degree, so I'm somewhat familiar with Akira's work...fascinating stuff...and I'm sure that I saw Roshamom and Seven Samurai in college, but it's been a while. Seven Samurai was Kurasawa, wasn't it?

I'll try and rent both of them before we leave...thanks!

 

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Kurosawa,+Akira

 

funny how they have the same name

 

I liked Dersu Uzala