The Essence of Japanese Cinema Woven by Director Haruhiko Arai and Actor Go Ayano: 'Hoshi to Tsuki wa Ten no Ana' to be Released on Wednesday, July 8, 2026!

You are in love with a body—

Directed by Haruhiko Arai, a leading Japanese screenwriter and five-time Kinema Junpo Script Award winner

With a career spanning half a century, Haruhiko Arai is one of Japan's most prominent screenwriters, having won the Kinema Junpo Script Award five times for works such as 'Vibrator' (2003) and 'Backwater' (2013). In films he has directed himself, including 'It Feels So Good' (2019), he has consistently explored the human instincts of "love and sex," stirring the emotions of his audience. His latest work, 'Hoshi to Tsuki wa Ten no Ana' (The Stars and the Moon are Holes in the Sky), is the long-awaited film adaptation of Junnosuke Yoshiyuki’s work, which won the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts. The film weaves together eroticism and pathos to depict the daily life of a novelist in his 40s who, scarred by past divorce, fears loving women while simultaneously harboring a twisted desire to be loved.

Starring Go Ayano, who reunites with Director Arai following 'Karekusshi'

The protagonist, Katsuji Yazoe, is played by actor Go Ayano, who previously teamed up with Arai for 'Karekusshi' (2023). Having steadily built his career to establish a solid reputation, Ayano reveals a withered, masculine allure never seen before. He brings to life a comical yet poignant character who, despite fearing love due to past trauma, finds himself unable to stop seeking it, caught in the contradiction between heart and body.

Featuring a unique cast of actresses who toy with the protagonist, Yazoe

The women surrounding Yazoe include newcomer Sakuya, who plays the university student Noriko, innocently stepping into the heart of a man who rejects women. Rena Tanaka, appearing in her third Arai film, plays Chieko, a long-time prostitute acquaintance of Yazoe. Her interplay with Ayano’s character marks a new frontier in her acting career. The supporting cast, including Tasuku Emoto, Akari Misaki, MINAMO, and Junko Miyashita, helps create the film's unique worldview. Set against the backdrop of Japan’s turbulent year of 1969, this profound Japanese film reflects a man's private story, offering a sense of "learning from the past to create the new." This R-18 film, a unique work that challenges the industry, represents the true essence of actor Go Ayano guided by the script of master filmmaker Haruhiko Arai.

▼ 'Hoshi to Tsuki wa Ten no Ana' Production Information

[Cast]

Go Ayano

Sakuya, Akari Misaki, Mutsuo Yoshioka, MINAMO

Kazuo Hara / Tasuku Emoto / Junko Miyashita / Rena Tanaka

[Staff]

Screenplay & Director: Haruhiko Arai

Original Work: Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, "Hoshi to Tsuki wa Ten no Ana" (Kodansha Bungei Bunko)

Executive Producer: Keisuke Konishi

Producers: Mayumi Shimizu, Takashi Tanabe

Line Producer: Tamotsu Kanamori

Assistant Director: Masaaki Takeda, Cinematography: Koichi Kawakami, Miho Niinomi

Lighting: Minoru Kawai, Sound: Akira Fukada, Art Direction: Yasuaki Harada

Decoration: Jun Terao, Editing: Chieko Suzaki

Costume Design: Yoshie Ogasawara, Hair & Makeup: Michiko Nagae

Intimacy Coordinator: Momoko Nishiyama

Production Manager: Makoto Kariya, Casting Producer: Tsuyoshi Sugino

Music: Itsuo Shimoda, Theme Song: Fumi Matsui "Ichido Dake" and others

Photography: Sakiko Nomura, Hitoshi Matsuyama

Associate Producer: So Morota

Production & Distribution: Happinet Phantom Studios

Production Company: Kirishima 1945

Production Cooperation: Mede...