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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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 25, 2011
Facing death with the spice of life
Motoi Yamamoto was a third-year student at the Kanazawa College of Art in 1996 when his younger sister died at the age of 24 — two years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. To ease his grief, and to make sense of various personal issues he faced on the periphery of his sister's death —...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WEEK 3
Aug 21, 2011
Social recluse transforms himself into 'English Monster'
In Japan, studying English is, and has long been, a perpetual mission for many people, and there is no shortage of books, DVDs and schools touting newer, better, quicker and easier ways to master the global language.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 4, 2011
Rising noh star on mission to broaden audience
Noh, the 600-year-old performing art featuring drummers, chorus singers and masked actors, has survived in the modern world to this day thanks to its loyal, though aging, fan base. But as with many other traditional art forms, it is in dire need of new talent.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 17, 2011
The world according to AuthaGraph
In today's wired world, it's easy to learn about issues anywhere that might affect us or be of interest. So news of a disaster, for example, can be instantly transmitted, shared and discussed by people wherever they might be.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 10, 2011
Company team helps fill Tohoku gap
At 10:50 p.m. last Monday night, a bus carrying 42 people, mostly employees of the Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo, left the underground car park of the luxury hotel adjacent to JR Tokyo Station.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 1, 2011
Nigerian folk tale to transport theater-goers to the end of the world
Deaf Puppet Theater Hitomi is a company aimed at appealing to all audiences, regardless of nationality, age, language and disability.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 26, 2011
Irradiated food poses moral dilemmas
Mail-order food-delivery companies and cooperatives have long been among the leading campaigners for — and custodians of — food safety in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 26, 2011
Experts urge great caution over radiation risks
In order to address public concerns over post 3/11 food safety, the government should be more forthcoming in the monitoring and disclosure of data regarding radiation contamination of soil, Akira Sugenoya, mayor of Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, told this reporter recently.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 24, 2011
Noh theaters to present English performance
'Pagoda," a unique English-language noh play that premiered to packed houses in Europe in 2009 is touring Tokyo and Kyoto on June 28 and 30, respectively.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 21, 2011
Coping with diseases can go beyond medication
If you are diagnosed with a chronic disease, the shocking news can often lead to confusion and depression. Just the thought of the illness indefinitely affecting various aspects of your life can be overwhelming. And yet at the same time, you'll find there is so much you need to do: learn about the illness,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 15, 2011
Reopened Miraikan back to the future
Miraikan is back — and in the context of post-March 11 Japan, public expectations for the museum, whose mission is to bring cutting-edge science and technology closer to the public, are greater than ever.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 10, 2011
Osaka park celebrates firefly season
The Expo Park in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, is hosting a firefly-viewing festival through June 12.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 9, 2011
World's third-largest art fair ups profile of Asian works
For Japanese artists in need of international exposure, Hong Kong, it seems, is their closest window to the world. Last month, the city's international art fair, ART HK 2011, now in its fourth year, attracted art-lovers from all over the world, including many from mainland China, where the booming economy...
JAPAN / WEEK 3
May 15, 2011
Author's fiction turns horribly real
The Pacific Ocean a few kilometers off the coast of a city in the Tokai region of central Honshu turns white. Hundreds of curious holidaymakers caught in a traffic jam on the seaside road get out of their cars and jump up onto the sea wall for a better view of the strange sight — only to realize that...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 1, 2011
Atsuko Muraki: Fighter for justice
Atsuko Muraki was thrown into the public spotlight in 2009, when she was head of the Equal Employment, Children and Families Bureau at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 24, 2011
Mikura: Tokyo's island of natural wonders
Last week, while much of the metropolis continued to reel from aftershocks following the March 11 megaquake, and worries about radiation leaks from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear reactors lurked in most people's minds, there was a part of Tokyo blissfully removed from all that madness.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 24, 2011
A place of refuge for exiles and foreign wayfarers
The 21-sq.-km island of Mikura has a distinctive history remembered and shared well by villagers.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Apr 22, 2011
NHK hopes for a home run with new anime
It's a quintessential scene of Japanese youth: Young boys out in baseball uniforms jog across their school grounds, the white and maroon of their gear contrasting with a clear blue sky. In the bleachers, an earnest-looking high school girl named Minami, in a jersey that matches the team's uniforms, eyes...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / WEEK 3
Apr 17, 2011
All fired up by Japanese wheels
Cycling has enjoyed a renewed boom in popularity in recent years as an eco-friendly means of transportation and for its health benefits. Reflecting this trend, more and more helmet-donning businesspeople are seen cycling to work on their glimmering sports bikes these days, often gliding past cars on...
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 10, 2011
Awaji Island quake museum offers shocks and survivors
At age 79, Yoshiko Negita's mind is alert and her memory is laser-sharp. There is, too, a sense of urgency in her voice as this resident of Awaji Island in the Seto Inland Sea speaks to visitors at its Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park. There, preserved at an experiential museum, is an exposed section...
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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