Dito. I'm glad you reviewed this masterpiece, one of the most erotic and sensual films I know. I hope you will write more often in the future. :D 

By the way, if you loved this film by Teshigahara, you should also check out some of his other work. The subsequent "The Face of Another" (Tanin no kao / 1966) is also a moody existential piece in the frame of a Horror film, and his last film "Basara - The Princess Goh" (Goh-hime / 1992) is as accomplished as his earlier work, and worthy of the same praise, although there is a change in style, which I would actually call a further development considering the fact that the Teshigahara's main concerns are still the same. But I would say that his last film is even more radical than "Woman in the Dunes". His other films like "Pitfall" (Otoshiana /1962) and Rikyu (1989) have also garnered a lot of praise(There is a wonderful UK DVD of "Pitfall" in The MoC series, while Rikyu desperately needs a subtitled upgrade).
The three 60s films I mentioned are all collaborations with screenwriter Kb Abe, cinematographer Hiroshi Segawa, editor Fusako Shuzui and composer Tru Takemitsu. That's probably why they are so similar in style and tone. 
Tru Takemitsu also composed the music for Teshigahara's last two films, and has worked on many films by Masaki Kobayashi e.g. the masterful sound design in Kwaidan (1964 - you should check out the wonderful new MoC release).

Too bad Teshigahara only made about a dozen films during his lifetime, and only few of them are known, as he is a masterful filmmaker that belongs in the Pantheon with a lot of other Japanese directors who have made works of lasting beauty. It is sad that he is nowadays remembered only for one film outside of Japan.

Btw, does anyone know about the rumored director's cut of "Woman in the Dunes. Imdb lists a running time of 147 min. I have only seen the shorter version.