Your last question might require a further study of Japanese manners and customs. And then you might not ask it.

I think Kurosawa was feeling stale with J-horror, even though he's done some of the masterpieces of the genre. I wouldn't condemn him to competently repeating himself. But you're doubtless right that this isn't as good as Cantet's TIME OUT. It doesn't develop its theme as consistently. I wrote
Though there's some uncertainty of tone and some cutting might have helped, Kurosawa tells an interesting, sometimes even moving story and has completely escaped from his alleged recent "J-horror" genre doldrums.
Another NYFF 2008 film, a much finer one, is now having US distribution (just beginning in the Bay Area): Assayas' SUMMER HOURS/L'HEURE D'ETE.