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July 16, 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
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 27, 2012
Junko Tabei : The first woman atop the world
Almost exactly 37 years ago, on the morning of May 16, 1975, then 35-year-old Junko Tabei and her Sherpa guide Ang Tshering reached the 8,763-meter South Summit of Mount Everest — their final halt before pushing on to the 8,848-meter peak itself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 22, 2012
Canteens put employees' health on the menu
Until just a few years ago, shashoku — short for shain shokudō (company canteens) — were sources of convenience food, where meals was gulped down, not chewed and savored, and where the offerings were cheap but bland.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 18, 2012
Dancer to honor late artist who balked at death
Shusaku Arakawa (1936-2010) was an enigmatic man. The late Japan-born, New York-based artist and his partner, Madeline Gins, once jointly declared they had decided "not to die," and even added that it was "immoral" for people to have to die. Based on their philosophy, the two created a series of houses...
Japan Times
Features
Apr 29, 2012
Konami staffer's victory not a game-changer
There is no shortage of laws in Japan stating that working women should be given the same employment protection and rights as their male counterparts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2012
Actress Mizukawa tackles 'violent, turbulent' character
Despite being holed up in a Tokyo hotel room for a press junket, 28-year-old actress Asami Mizukawa is surprisingly upbeat. However, she gives an unusual response when asked about the new TV mini-series she is starring in.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 17, 2012
Medicinal direction from both the East and West
Once shunned as outdated and unproven, kanpō (Chinese herbal therapy) is currently making a vibrant comeback in Japan.
Japan Times
Features / WEEK 3
Apr 15, 2012
U.S. forces keep the world in their sights
Complex issues often become much easier to understand when they are approached with the benefit of a broader perspective.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2012
Big in Taiwan: Island singer Atari makes his own Taipei exchange
Ever since his major debut in 2006, singer Kousuke Atari — known for his masterful fusion of shima-uta (folk songs native to Amami Oshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture) with J-pop — has done remarkably well outside Japan, particularly in mainland China and Taiwan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Apr 1, 2012
Naohiko Jinno: Master of public finance brings life to numbers
Born the grandson of a once-prosperous textile manufacturer in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture, Naohiko Jinno says that when he was growing up he was told by his mother, over and over again, that money was not important.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 30, 2012
Helping Tokyo menus to get found in translation
One of the longtime complaints of English-speaking foreigners visiting restaurants in Japan is that few of them offer menus in English. Well, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is doing what it can to help eateries translate their menus into English and other languages, to help them become more hospitable...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 22, 2012
Join TPP but also expand in Asia: economist
Japan should adopt a two-pronged trade strategy — participate in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement and further deepen economic ties with the rest of Asia — to achieve economic growth, according to the top economist at the Asian Development Bank Institute.
Japan Times
LIFE
Mar 11, 2012
Young hopes bloom eternal
The first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake is a time to commemorate the victims of that terrible tragedy. But it is also an opportunity to look to the future.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2012
After 3/11, short-film director has one message: Don't forget
Isamu Hirabayashi is an incredibly versatile man. The 39-year-old Shizuoka native's day job is to direct TV commercials, and he normally works on five or six projects at the same time. Since 2002, he has also been active as a filmmaker, with his short films being shown at numerous festivals overseas,...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 24, 2012
Film focuses on Brazil's favelas
Brazil, halfway across the globe from here, is known for its colorful Carnival, devotion to soccer, and increasing economic power. Its image, however, is sometimes marred by street violence, drug-trafficking and police corruption.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Feb 19, 2012
Surfing the silent waves
As a young documentary filmmaker, Ayako Imamura had been wrestling with feelings of emptiness. Deaf since birth, the 32-year-old Nagoya native has shot about 30 short films documenting the lives of deaf people in Japan since 2000. But at one point in her career, she realized that her creative energy...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 17, 2012
Film festival to show Oscar's shortest picks
As this year's edition of the Academy Awards draws closer (Feb. 26), the Brillia Short Shorts Theater will showcase a new program consisting of four short films that have been either crowned or nominated with an Oscar.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 12, 2012
Are supercomputers worth their super price tags?
"Why do we have to aim for the world's No. 1 — what's wrong with being the world's No. 2?"
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Feb 12, 2012
Drugs of the future will be computer-designed
The moment Hideaki Fujitani unlocks the heavy door and enters the room, the buzzing noise — which sounded like a simple hum from the outside — gets much louder.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Feb 12, 2012
10,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second
In today's ever-more digitalized world, we all have a tale or two to share about how personal computers have let us down: like how they refused to let us run different programs at the same time or how the data was so heavy that the damned device kept us on hold forever before conducting even the most...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 10, 2012
Popular Chekhov play gets fresh treatment for audiences in Tokyo
Despite being 112 years old, Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters" is still one of the most popular translated plays to be staged in Japan.
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.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
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.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
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.
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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