Kevin, I always dig it when you share your discoveries in Japanese film. I remember when you mentioned Dr. Akagi here. It quickly became one of my all-time favorite films, and Imamura became one of my favorite directors as I explored the rest of his work.

Speaking of Japanese doctors, while I was living and working in Germany recently I started reading some contemporary Japanese authors in German translation - don't ask why! I enjoyed Murakami but my most cherished discovery was Hideo Okuda and his stories about Dr. Irabu. Apparently a couple of these have been made into movies - In The Pool, and Kuchu Buranko, but I haven't been lucky enough to see them. Perhaps you know of them. In any case, I don't know if Okuda's work has been translated into English yet, but he's a gem.