An Introduction To 'Beat' Takeshi

Takeshi Kitano, popularly known as ‘Beat’ Takeshi, is the grumpy old man of Japanese cinema. With a face carved out of stone and an expression that veers between ‘indifference’ and ‘say-goodbye-to-your-kneecaps’, he is Japan’s most successful cultural export alongside Super Mario and Hello Kitty.
Kitano is best known to Western audiences as the director – and often star – of violent dramas set in Japan’s criminal underworld. At home, however, he is a multimedia superstar and renaissance man, putting his name to everything from a hugely successful career in comedy to his very own video game.
Switch on a TV in Japan at teatime and Kitano (usually in some sort of inexplicable headgear) will be a regular sight, offering up his two pence with arms folded while wearing his unmistakable perma-scowl (the result of a motorcycle accident leaving him unable to completely move one side of his face). In addition to this he is a painter, poet, writer and producer. He can, apparently, sleep when he’s dead.

Beat Takeshi as Daisuke Aramaki in Ghost In The Shell

Born in Tokyo in 1947, Kitano tried his hand at an engineering degree at Meiji University but dropped out at 19, making his way into comedy and becoming a household name in 1970s as part of The Two Beats, a comedy duo with Kaneko Kiyoshi specialising in the Manzai style of comedy, in which a funny man and a straight man trade jokes at dizzying speed. Even if you have no command of Japanese the sheer spectacle of their rapid-fire wordplay is a sight to behold.

Kitano was a provocateur of Japanese entertainment even then. His material was far more risqué than his contemporaries and he even managed to earn a five-year ban from NHK (the Japanese BBC) for exposing his body parts at a time when it was strictly forbidden.
Having given new meaning to the phrase ‘body of work’, Kitano went solo and would discover his niche while doing comedy skits playing yakuza, apparently inspired by real-life Japanese gangsters who would drink with him after he performed at late-night comedy clubs.
His first-ever appearance on the silver screen came in 1983 with Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, starring alongside Tom Conti and David Bowie. The role was a complete departure for Kitano, playing a tough sergeant at a POW camp in Japan, so much so that Japanese audiences laughed out loud at the sight of a comedic institution in serious fare. But Kitano was undeterred and ploughed ahead.

As Sergeant Hara in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.