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April 11, 2025
 

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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 / WEEK 3
Sep 19, 2010
Thinking aloud
Few philosophers are compared to rock stars or TV celebrities, but that's the kind of popularity Michael Sandel enjoys in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 15, 2010
Petition project lets Web surfers make their mark
As of Tuesday, 84,512 people were united in their call for laws banning restrictions on manga / anime content, at least 8,984 people had endorsed same-sex marriage, and 1,609 individuals wanted Panasonic to keep a speech aid for the physically impaired on the market.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Sep 5, 2010
Masumi Kuwata: Pitching for change
Masumi Kuwata has spent most of his life in the spotlight of stardom and publicity.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 3, 2010
Get a taste of a monk's life at Buddhist cafe
Koya-san Cafe is an event that gives you a taste of what life is like at the Buddhist stronghold of Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 20, 2010
Workshop brings out your inner Buddha
A Tokyo-based artist is re-creating a modern-day version of the famed 1,000 Kannon Bodhisattva statues in the Sanjusangendo Hall of Kyoto's Rengehoin Temple — and you can be part of the process.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 19, 2010
Problems getting off the ground
In this age of perpetual "War on Terror," we have gotten somewhat accustomed to "disrobing" ourselves at airports. Taking off our watches, necklaces, belts or sometimes even shoes, has become routine when we go through security gates.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Aug 15, 2010
Landscapes as never before
Being original is crucial to any artist's survival. In the field of realistic painting, though, there seems little left for artists to explore in an age when anyone with a camera has long been able to capture virtually any image of their choice.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 18, 2010
Will Edo Castle's tower rise again?
What does Tokyo have as a genuine landmark?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jul 4, 2010
Manga's Cinderella story
"I want to tell you a real love story," whispers a pen-wielding Misako, a graphic-novel version of comic artist Misako Takashima, on the first page of the 2007 book, "Rock and Roll Love."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Jun 29, 2010
French patissier's dream becomes reality in Japan
When Antoine Santos was growing up in the port of Marseille in southern France, he dreamed of becoming a pastry teacher by the age of 30. Little did he imagine his dream would come true — in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jun 20, 2010
Towering ambition
One sunny Saturday last month, Hitachi Ltd., Japan's largest electronics maker, made headlines when it hosted a rare tour of its spanking new elevator-testing tower — the world's tallest — at its sprawling facility in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 18, 2010
Exhibit lets kids live like Doraemon
Doraemon, a blue, catlike character with a "magic pocket" in the eponymously titled manga/animation series, could have been an inspiration for many of Japan's scientists. For proof, just visit Tokyo's Miraikan (the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation).
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 17, 2010
Don't be afraid to ask questions about giving birth in Japan
With women in Japan making inroads into various career fields and having more options to choose from, it's only natural that more of them are starting families in their late 30s or even in their 40s.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Jun 1, 2010
N.Y. expat delivers parenting options
When New York native Brett Iimura visited Japan for the first time in 1976, the teenage girl spent an "absolutely amazing" time here. Visiting a Japanese friend she had met at her school in New York, Iimura stood out everywhere she went because back then there were very few foreigners in Japan, even...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 21, 2010
Animation fest sparkles
A collection of surreal, witty and thought-provoking short animation films currently showing at the Laputa Animation Festival 2010 in Asagaya, western Tokyo, stands splendidly apart from the plethora of mainstream anime works that vie for airtime on Japanese TV.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
May 16, 2010
'Pig Meat' journeys from cute to cutlets
A series of food-safety scandals in the early and mid 2000s — involving, among other scares, bacteria-infected milk and poisonous Chinese dumplings — have made many more people in Japan aware of the need to know — and the danger of not knowing — the origins of their daily fare.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 14, 2010
Event aims to drum up cross-cultural 'magic'
Four Tokyo-based drummers from quite different backgrounds will get together on May 14 for a cross- cultural improvisational jam titled "Dagakkibashi" ("Percussion Bridge").
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 2, 2010
Renho: Japan's fiscal firebrand
Renho, a first-term Upper House member from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, shot to stardom in Japan last November when, as a member of a government committee tasked with screening ministries' budget requests, she had several fierce, face-to-face battles with bureaucrats.
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 25, 2010
Native Works puts city on fashion radar
Kenichi Kishimoto, 33, and Noriko Yasuda, 34, are a fashion-design duo who run an atelier-cum-shop named Native Works that's right beside the world-renowned Todaiji Temple.
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 25, 2010
Pilgrimage was the spur for low-priced guesthouse plan
Two years ago, Ippei Seto opened the Nara Ugaya Guesthouse in the center of Nara City, aiming to offer dormitory-style, affordable lodging for visitors. His guesthouse occupies a rented, two-story wooden building that is around 40 years old and formerly housed a pharmacy but is now his 20-bed inn —...
Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history
Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
Trump's tariff gambit leaves Asia stunned and scrambling
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington on Tuesday. Trump allowed new tariffs — including a 24% levy on Japan — to go into effect as scheduled on Wednesday.
Tokyo cheers Trump’s tariff U-turn with second-biggest market gain ever
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington.
Banks freeze withdrawals for foreign nationals upon expiration of visas
Foreign residents who fail to renew their residential statuses before their expiry may find that they won’t be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts.
Japanese badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans
Chiharu Shida of Japan in action during the bronze medal match with Nami Matsuyama against Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah of Malaysia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on Aug. 03, 2024
Who is Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariffs negotiator?
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has appointed Japan's tariff negotiator, is one of his closest allies and busiest ministers.
After a tumultuous buildup, a first look at the Osaka Expo
A large statue of Osaka Expo mascot Myaku Myaku sits near the east entrance of the event's venue in Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Wednesday.
Japan gets a new U.S. ambassador — and he has his work cut out for him
George Glass, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador to Japan, attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on March 13.
Online art scene eager to go offline, at least for the moment
Digital artist Polygon1993 revels in the physicality of nostalgic technology, making art out of materials such as miniature CDs, holographic prints layered with plexiglass shards and a giant custom-made floppy disk.
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin

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