How Yasujiro Ozu's influence sneaks into Wim Wenders' latest film

In 'Perfect Days,' director and Koji Yakusho find beauty in Tokyo's public toilets

Wim Wenders, left, and Koji Yakusho during an interview in New York in December. (Photo by Daniel Eagan)

DANIEL EAGAN, Contributing writer

January 3, 2024 16:45 JST

NEW YORK -- When film director Wim Wenders received an open invitation to shoot documentaries about a project to beautify public toilets in Tokyo, it marked the latest step in his decades-long fascination with Japan.

"I traveled to Japan for the first time in the summer of 1977," Wenders recalled in a recent interview with Nikkei Asia in New York. The trip was to watch films of Yasujiro Ozu, the celebrated Japanese director.