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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.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 25, 2013
The neglected stars of Norwegian design
What do you think of as a typical example of Scandinavian design? The massively copied 1950s bentwood chair series "Seven Chairs" by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen? The vividly colored Unikko poppy patterns by the Finnish textile company Marimekko? Or the ready-to-assemble furniture available at the...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 21, 2013
June blooms decorate Japan
While the ongoing rainy season means staying indoors to some people, for others, it is a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful tapestry of ajisai (hydrangeas), whose colors vary from white to blue to pink to purple — and all shades in between.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jun 16, 2013
Family-crest master fears he's one of a dying breed
Dressed in a black kimono and wearing a pair of eye-catching black, triple-framed spectacles, Shoryu Hatoba straightens his back as he sits on the tatami floor of his quaint studio in Ueno, central Tokyo, holding a pair of bamboo compasses fitted with a brush dipped in ink in place of a pencil.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 7, 2013
Yokohama to celebrate French culture
Interested in France? Head to Yokohama.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jun 2, 2013
Language no barrier to multimedia Jon Kabira
With a long rousing cry of “Goooooooood Mooooorning Tooookyoooooooooooo!” Jon Kabira launches into his weekly radio show “JK Radio — Tokyo United” every Friday at 6 a.m. on J-Wave.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
May 24, 2013
Electric fireflies to light up river
The Tokyo Hotaru Festival is back for a second round. This participatory art installation involves 100,000 blue LED light bulbs that will be floated down Tokyo's Sumida River.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
May 19, 2013
Learning to live with your death
It can be a big challenge, even a burden, to strategize your life and prioritize your goals — and then stick to them.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 17, 2013
Walkathon will feature more than fitness
Here's your chance to make a difference while staying fit and having fun.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 10, 2013
Outlook is rosy at 15th annual garden show
It's that time of the year when things get rosy for flower lovers in Japan.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 10, 2013
Rice planters put on a show for famed event
An annual rice-planting festival known as the Mibu no Hana Taue Matsuri will be held Saturday in Hiroshima, giving visitors a peek into the centuries-old popular ritual that was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 5, 2013
Dai Tamesue: Japan's 'samurai hurdler' keeps rising to new challenges
Though word-class track athlete Dai Tamesue may have hung up his spikes, he has plenty of insights to share on how sports can play a bigger role in society.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 3, 2013
It's not too late for hanami
This year's sakura (cherry blossoms) took many people by surprise — especially in the Kanto region. Unusually warm weather in March hastened the peak of the blossoms by a couple of weeks, and by early April, when all the parties by and under the sakura trees were to take place, the beautiful pink petals...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 26, 2013
Sample a sweet Golden Week experience at the National Confectionary Expo
Sweets mean different things to different people. Some say such treats are their perfect stress release, while others say they bring back childhood memories.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 23, 2013
Hiroshima: What sweets tickled your taste buds at the National Confectionery Exposition?
'A bag of cheap sweets and snacks from Osaka, as well as candies using tangerines from Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture. I buy sweets mostly to give away to my kids and their friends.'
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Apr 19, 2013
Buddhist bash offers up some spiritual relief
Most Japanese people come in contact with Buddhist priests on formal occasions, such as when a family member passes away. But a cross-denominational group of young Buddhist monks is trying to change that — by putting together a unique cultural event involving three Buddhist temples, a Shinto shrine,...
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2013
Pulvers wins Noma translation prize
Roger Pulvers, a noted writer and veteran contributor to The Japan Times, has won the 19th Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature, major publishing house Kodansha Ltd. said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 29, 2013
Revamped Kabukiza theater aims to charm a new audience
The Kabukiza is back — with big ambitions and aspirations to make the nation's classical theatrical entertainment more attractive to a 21st-century audience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 14, 2013
Miyabi Matsuoka takes an enlightened approach to teaching the harp
To Miyabi Matsuoka, the harp is a mirror that reveals who you really are. She says she can tell the personality of a harp player by the way he or she manipulates the instrument, which affects the sound they create.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2013
Filmmaker captures the 3/11 stress of Tohoku's deaf
Nobuko Kikuchi, a 72-year-old resident of Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture, couldn't hear the emergency sirens that followed the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 3, 2013
Japanese women strive to empower themselves
When it comes to gender equality, Japan has never failed to disappoint.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?