28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 4, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FILM Japanese anime is doing well at box offices and on streaming services. Series are being picked up sometimes years after the original release for the pleasure of Western audiences. And traditional cinema is receiving acclaim. In 2021, the drama Drive My Car by Ryusuke Hamaguchi won Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. “It’s a pleasure to see it happen,” says Chihiro Tabata, curator for the Japanese Film Festival, a series of screenings at the Japanese American Citizens League Hall. The festival is part of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese American Citizen League of the Monterey Peninsula and its building, which can welcome up to 100 audience members. The Hidden Fortress (1958) by Akira Kurosawa was already screened, but five more movies will be shown on selected Saturdays until June. The next one in line is a 1985 comedy titled Tampopo, about a search for the perfect ramen recipe. The tradition of showing Japanese films at the JACL Hall is impressive. According to Tabata, movies had been screened in Monterey even before WWII. Tabata’s father witnessed local Japanese film screenings in the ’50s and ’60s, and the trend, despite slowing down, lasted until the 1990s. “The audiences were diverse,” she adds. “They served hot dogs and Japanese rice crackers.” Another movie on the program is Like Father, Like Son, a family drama by Hirokazu Kore-eda, who is known to Western audiences as the director of Shoplifters from 2018, a movie nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Kore-eda’s 2013 production is another commentary on class and income inequality in Japan. In Like Father, Like Son, we meet two families—one wealthy, one poor—who learn their sons had been accidentally switched in the hospital, years ago. “One thing I like about Japanese cinema is multigenerational dramas and the fact we have so many actors representing older ages,” Tabata says, recommending Touch, the final movie in the series which takes on the subject of love later in life. “That’s because Japan is an aging society with a big aging audience.” Tampopo screens 5pm Saturday, Jan. 31. Japanese American Citizens League Hall, 424 Adams St., Monterey. Free; donations accepted. (831) 648-8830, jaclmonterey. org. Japanese Film Festival takes place on selected Saturdays through June 6. © 1985 “TAMPOPO” タンポポ ITAMI PRODUCTIONS Made In Japan A film festival brings Japanese classics to Monterey, reviving an old tradition. By Agata Popęda A scene from the 1985 film Tampopo, part of the Japanese Film Festival. “It’s one of the best films about food,” says festival curator Chihiro Tabata. INDOOR AND OUTDOOR DINING AND TAKEOUT Eat + Drink OPEN EVERYDAY for DINNER at 4:30pm Offering all your favorites plus wine, cocktails, bottle and draft beers. Now Serving Snake River Farms’ American Wagyu Prime Rib. 763 Wave St., Monterey | 831.373.3778 | thewhalingstation.com ’25 Best Steak Wood Fired Pizzas, Burgers, Pasta, salads, sandWiches and more 11:30am mon-Fri, 10am Sat & Sun melvilletav.com 484 Washington St., Downtown Monterey 831.643.9525 haPPY hour Food & drinK sPecials Sun-Thurs 4-6pm WEEKEND BRUNCH WITH BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS Indoor and Outdoor Dining on the Dog Friendly Patio Tapas (Happy) Hour 4:30–6pm Nightly Saturday & Sunday Brunch 9am–1:30pm 700 Munras Ave., Monterey | 831-375-0176 | estebanrestaurant.com ’25 Best Appetizers/ Small Plates 57 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey 831-373-1851 www.abalonetti.com ’25 LUNCH & DINNER SERVED DAILY from 11:30am-8:30pm Monterey County’s Best Calamari Fisherman’s Wharf’s Newest Restaurant Serving Fresh Seafood, Pasta, Steaks, Sandwiches Open Daily at 11:30am Great views at the end of the Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375 ’25 BEST RESTAURANT IN MONTEREY COUNTY! JOIN US NIGHTLY FOR DINNER AT 4:30PM TWO HAPPY HOURS DAILY 4:30-6PM & 8-9PM 3-Course Early Menu, $49, 4:30-6pm Daily Call or go to sardinefactory.com for details, reservations. 701 Wave Street, Monterey, 831-373-3775 BEACH HOUSE RESTAURANT + BAR @ LOVERS POINT ★ CASUAL CALIFORNIA DINING INDOOR & PATIO DAILY AT 4:30PM 620 OCEAN VIEW BLVD. PACIFIC GROVE 831-375-2345 • BEACHHOUSEPG.COM LOVERS POINT BEACH CAFE OPEN DAILY, 9AM–4PM ’24 Best Restaurant in Pacific Grove Monterey’s MOST Recommended Pizzeria Open at 4pm Mon-Thurs • Open at 3pm Fri Open at 12pm Sat.& Sun. 725 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey giannispizzamonterey.com 831-649-1500 BEST PIZZA ’98-’24 BEST PIZZA PLACE ’25
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