Shinkai Makoto Comes Back Home From One Year Stay in London [Updated]

According to the official website, Shinkai Makoto came back to Japan this month. He had been in London since February 2008 and not been working on anime movie production. Last August, he said he'd like to produce a new anime when he comes back to Tokyo. Presumably, he will set out for a new anime project soon.

He directed the OP movie of "ef - a latter tale" game through the internet during a trip in the middle east Asia before the stay in London.

Source: Shinkai Makoto's diary

Update
According to the official diary on May 31st, Shinkai started working on a new anime. He said he couldn't say anything concrete about the new project.

Picture of his new studio in Shinjuku

What? Didnt know he was in London all this time, maybe I bumped into him without even knowing it.

And here I was thinking he's going to make another movie that takes place in... London.

I hope he learned some new things. Can't wait for his next project.

This guy is cool.

Hope he'll make an anime about London.

HE IS AMAZING! she and her cat and 5 cm per second? Can't get better!
I hope he does make a new anime soon, if he is, I can't wait.
x

Can't wait to see what he cooks up next!

Woah! What was he doing in the Mid-East?
Looks like something Mediterranean cooking up in his mind.

Can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Yup, and now the only thing left to do is waiting for next masterpiece.

That reminds me that I forgot to write him a letter... :/

Same here, oh well that's life. ^^

He should make another anime series based on his visit in London :]

Its a nice change of pace to see another view of the city.

Awesome person, I'd love to see something new from him.

Hopefully his trip gave him a lot of new ideas for a movie.

Sounds cool to me, I've seen all of his work (in the MAL database) and a new production is always nice.

The diary was actually pretty interesting even with the difficulty of having a google translation

First the Middle East, then London? Sounds like we're getting a movie about a traveller/immigrant next.

How about just tackling his usual auteur-ish tendencies (long distance relationships in a post-modern society) and just grounding it in reality with no sci-fi nonsense, just one person in Japan, one person in the UK, and watching them deal with the distance.

Or is that too boring for anime which just has to have heavy genre influences in it somewhere? (and if it doesnt then its hilariously automatically labelled 'slice of life', but that's another debate entirely...)

I was in the same city as him all this time? Marvellous.

What, he directed the OP through the internet? Damn, this is awesome. I know why I like this man.
I'm so looking forward to a new movie. :D

Thought he'd say in London for longer to get inspiration, I was lucky enough to meet him at the BFI when they showed "5 Centimeters Per Second" on the big screen.

He signed my DVD and I shook his hand/took a photo with him, which was awesome. He's very polite and I'm looking forward to his next piece of work.

was hoping for a new movie...........but is w8ing for more newz abt d anime

That actually sounds like a good story idea in a way. I bet he'd somehow make it work into an awesome emotional ride.

Another Shinkai Makoto anime means I get more music from Tenmon which makes me very happy.

Tenmon music is always win. One of the reasons why Shinkai's works are so great.

Maybe an European setting this time with Japanese mentality! That'd be great

its been 3 years but, any update?