TEDxTokyo is set to kick off its fifth annual event on May 11 at Hikarie Hall in Shibuya Ward, featuring a bevy of talented speakers, among whom are many you've likely never heard of.
According to Joseph Tame, coleader for the media team putting together this symposium of ideas (and inventor of the iRun suit), that's part of what makes the TED experience so magical.
"Provided they have an idea worth sharing, anyone can be a TED speaker," says Tame, using the conference's quintessential "Ideas worth spreading" tagline. TEDx events are licensed and independently created by volunteers such as Patrick Newell, a cofounder of TEDxTokyo. The Tokyo incarnation was the first independent event to be held outside the United States when it launched in 2009. Speaking to The Japan Times, Tame admits the naming convention may be a little confusing: "We've got a lot of calls from all over Japan mistaking us for TED, asking for help setting up events."