Mami Maruko - The Japan Times

November 22, 2024

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Mami Maruko

Staff writer Mami Maruko writes stories about the international community in Japan, including profiles of Tokyo-based ambassadors and international marriages. She received education in Japan, England and the U.S. She graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London, with a masters degree in Theater Arts.

COMMUNITY

Apr 2, 2011

Students whip up multilingual site with disaster information

On the day after the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a group of students from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies gathered a group of volunteers to set up a multilingual website for foreign residents seeking information about the disaster.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO

Mar 15, 2011

Juggler of two professions in Japan

"My No. 1 hobby even now is still 'learning,' " says Peter Frankl, 58, who has been juggling two professions for over 30 years. Speaking with his eyes lit up like a little boy, the mathematician and street juggler says that through learning, he feels his world is expanding.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES

Mar 8, 2011

From love of anime to love of a man

When Mel Ushikubo, 35, saw the name of her future husband, Kohei, on the Internet, she immediately wanted to see him in person, as that was the name of a character in one of her favorite anime.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Feb 22, 2011

Latvian diplomat runs for closer ties

Latvian Ambassador Peteris Vaivars, 48, has been an avid marathon runner since he was posted to Japan five years ago. He has participated in the Tokyo Marathon for four consecutive years since the inaugural event in 2007 and is preparing for the fifth marathon to be held Sunday.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES

Feb 15, 2011

Canadian's health issue unites couple

On their first date, Eiko Tiernan was told by her future husband, Laurier, that he has Marfan syndrome, a congenital hereditary disease that affects about 1 in 5,000 people. At first, she did not know how to react, as she knew nothing about the disease.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO

Feb 8, 2011

Indian works to serve expat enclave

Once you get out of Nishi-Kasai Station on the Tozai subway line, it's likely that you will bump into at least half a dozen Indians in the first five minutes on the street.

Japan Times

Events / WHERE IT'S AT

Feb 1, 2011

Diplomats relate cultures in Japanese

"Goseicho arigato gozaimashita" (thank you for listening), a regular way of ending a speech, echoed in the meeting room after each foreign speaker gave their presentations and received a big round of applause from the audience.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Jan 18, 2011

U.S. NPO seeks 'social entrepreneurs'

A U.S.-based nonprofit organization that has helped "social entrepreneurs" around the world opened a Japanese office this month, its first branch in East Asia, with the goal of creating a similar community in a country where the concept itself is little understood.

COMMUNITY

Dec 28, 2010

Teens give boost to volunteerism

American School in Japan alumnus Jonathan Higa and student Alex Heideman are setting an example for others interested in volunteerism by boosting the youth activities of Hands On Tokyo, a nonprofit organization offering community services.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES

Dec 21, 2010

Javan culture brings couple together

Sumiyanto, 31, born and raised in the Klaten regency of central Java, and Ayako Nezu, 39, from Kawasaki, met in 2002 in the central part of the Indonesian island while they were studying at a national traditional arts college in Solo.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO

Dec 14, 2010

For writer, languages are his 'darling'

Writer Tony Laszlo, 50, has a strong passion for languages. He speaks 10, including English, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Turkish and French. As a writer, he uses both English, his mother tongue, and Japanese.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO

Dec 7, 2010

Italian baker gives new life to old Tochigi warehouse

Paolo Aggio, 48, born and raised in Venice, Italy, bakes traditional Italian country-style bread in a stone warehouse in the middle of the serene and quiet town of Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, a town famous for its pottery.

COMMUNITY / MIXED MATCHES

Nov 23, 2010

For couple, home is where the heart is

Andrew Pickard, 42, from Leeds in northern England, and Kayoko Hirayama, 35, of Tokyo, met seven years ago at an aikido dojo in Tokyo.

Japan Times

Events / WHERE IT'S AT

Nov 16, 2010

Minato foreigners' language needs met

Minato International Association, which arranges activities and programs mainly for foreign residents in Minato Ward, Tokyo, offers a unique program in which Japanese volunteers give foreigners individual Japanese conversation lessons.

Japan Times

JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES

Nov 2, 2010

Recipe found for cross-cultural love

Cristiano Pozzi, 37, born and raised in the Lake Como area in northern Italy, and Akiko Kobayashi, 36, from Tokyo, first met in 2003. Cristiano, a chef at an Italian restaurant, and Akiko, owner of a nail salon in Akasaka, were introduced to each other in Tokyo by a mutual Italian friend.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Oct 30, 2010

Lifeline to hold charity auction

Tokyo English Life Line, a nonprofit organization that offers multilingual counseling, will hold a charity auction Nov. 5 to raise funds for its activities.

Japan Times

Events / WHERE IT'S AT

Oct 19, 2010

Exchange gives students insights into other cultures

A total of 35 junior high school students from nine countries, including India, Malaysia and Hungary visited schools in Kanagawa and Niigata prefectures last month as part of an exchange program to promote cultural understanding.

Japan Times

JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES

Sep 21, 2010

Long-distance relationship comes all the way to Tokyo

Natsuko Shibata, a Tokyo native, and Piyasena Perera, a Sri Lankan-American born in Los Angeles, met two decades ago in New York when they were both studying at Columbia University.

Japan Times

Events / WHERE IT'S AT

Aug 31, 2010

NPO's tours give foreigners a taste of community life

Forty people from 19 countries have been taking part in tours, which included home-stays and exchanges, since June to experience community life in various parts of Japan with local residents.

JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES

Aug 17, 2010

Himalayan love story peaks in Chiba

"People say it's like a love story in a Bollywood movie," says Paul Rajesh, 34, who was born in Manali, a town in northern India's Himachal Pradesh state.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.

A boom for business tourism in Japan?

By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

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