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July 17, 2024
 

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Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 1, 2013
Sample Okinawan flavors on Yokohama walk
In order to escape the current harsh winter weather, some of us might be planning a getaway to somewhere nice and warm, such as Okinawa. But for the rest of us who can't actually make the trip to Japan's delightful subtropical region and lie on a beach, there's "Little Okinawa" in Yokohama.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 19, 2013
Sewing words for thought
Some words can evoke powerful images, values and stereotypes that have crept into our subconsciousness to sometimes dictate the way we think or behave. For Ruri Clarkson, this is something that needs to be challenged in Japan, and which she does herself with art.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Feb 17, 2013
Tracing time's passing through faces of Tokyo
Petri Artturi Asikainen would regularly accost strangers in Tokyo, on the streets, in parks or bars and on trains. With a high-end Nikon D3 digital SLR in his hands, the lanky and bespectacled Finn would ask — somewhat timidly summoning one of the few Japanese phrases he had memorized: "Can I take...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 15, 2013
Skiers, head toward the lights
...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 3, 2013
Hidetoshi Masunaga: making revolution through the Constitution
On Dec. 14, 2012, two days before the Lower House election in which the Democratic Party of Japan headed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was eclipsed as the conservative Liberal Democratic Party swept back to power in a landslide, a one-page advert with a huge banner headline appeared in a vernacular...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Feb 1, 2013
Carp expo hopes to make waves with enthusiasts
The love of nishikigoi, an ornamental carp with characteristically red and black patterns, has recently spread worldwide, spawning a variety of koi (carp) clubs, associations and periodicals in various regions and languages. Anyone interested in taking a peek into this vibrant hobbyist culture of keeping,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jan 30, 2013
Local 3-D printing pioneers make it easy for all to join in
Whether it's hobbyists making toys, designers prototyping products or a doctor creating artificial organs, the 3-D printing boom has clearly hit Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jan 30, 2013
'Printed' copies of human organs can help surgeons and patients alike
Maki Sugimoto believes that 3-D printers can take medicine — and mankind — to the next level.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / WEEK 3
Jan 19, 2013
Turnip-tossing turns up trumps for trader
Yoshio Otsuka's years of striving to revive a near-extinct strain of turnip known to have been grown some 400 years ago in the Shinagawa district of today's central Tokyo recently struck pay dirt in a most unexpected fashion.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 13, 2013
What Japan needs to do
With its economy spluttering, large parts of its northeastern region still devastated by the effects of the mammoth Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 — and releases of radioactive materials that followed — its population shrinking and aging at unprecedented rates and its citizens despairing of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 30, 2012
Testing out tourism in Tohoku
Some, though not all, of our travels change our lives; they cultivate sensibilities, shape values and alter our outlook on things. One such trip I experienced was a sixth-grade school excursion to Hiroshima when, at the Peace Memorial Museum, I saw photographs of people who had suffered massive burns...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 28, 2012
Instead of visiting one shrine, visit seven
A fun thing I like to do at New Year's is to go on a walking tour of seven shrines and temples in Tokyo. The hike is called the shichifukujin meguri (pilgrimage to Seven Lucky Gods), and there are a number of such pilgrimage options available across the nation. Each of the participating premises is assigned...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Dec 21, 2012
Kodo to spend Christmas Eve with drums and a crowd
Having performed all around the world, the taiko (drum) ensemble Kodo is back in Japan, ready to conclude its "One Earth Tour 2012: Legend" with a Christmas Eve show in Tokyo on Dec. 24.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Dec 16, 2012
Survivor pens 'too painful' 3/11 tale
'March 11, 2011 — We will never forget the day. The disaster ...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 14, 2012
Products fair touts new ways to go green
A dizzying variety of ideas and solutions for a greener society are to converge this weekend at the Eco-Products 2012 exhibition in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 5, 2012
Pocket Geiger counter is a breath of fresh air
It's so small that it could easily be mistaken for a small pack of mints. In fact, if you actually have a packet of Frisk on you hang on to it, it'll come in handy.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WEEK 3
Nov 18, 2012
The muddy issue of cesium in a lake
Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture is facing an environmental threat that has essentially turned it into a time bomb ticking away 60 km northeast of Tokyo.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 16, 2012
Community art project pops up
A soon-to-be-demolished school building might sound too spooky to be a venue for an art show, but that's precisely where Trans Arts Tokyo is being held.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 9, 2012
Grandson of famed noh actor to debut
Many young artists experience a make-or-break moment in their careers. For 24-year-old noh actor Motoi Imai, his debut as the shite (lead) character in the production of "Tsunemasa" could be that moment.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Nov 4, 2012
Yoshiko Tatsumi: Cookery guru serves wisdom with her soups
"Never fight a war with Chinese people, because we would lose," Yoshiko Tatsumi sternly warned, "with absolute certainty," a 40-strong group of mostly middle-aged women gathered recently in her spacious three-story residence set in gardens in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
China’s economic growth comes in worse than expected
Pedestrians in the Wangfujing shopping area in Beijing on July 11, 2024. China's economic growth in the second quarter was lower than forecast, adding pressure on Chinese leaders to lift confidence at the Chinese Communist Party's third plenum this week.
Kansai airports to increase takeoff and landing slots ahead of Osaka Expo
Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. The upper limit on the number of takeoff and landing slots at the airport as well as Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture will be raised in spring next year ahead of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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