author

 
Menu
Search
 
September 01, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Tomoko Otake

Meta

Twitter

@Tomoko_Otake

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
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2016
Japanese dream of long year-end holiday but will settle for five days, and some sleep
A long, leisurely sojourn at a tropical beach resort, listening to the waves and counting seagulls ... is only a pipe dream for most workers in Japan as the New Year's holiday period draws near.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2016
Romance dance routine featuring Santa-clad Ambassador Kennedy an instant online hit
U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and other embassy staff across Japan made a splash on social media Tuesday by releasing a Christmassy, U.S. Embassy version of a koi (falling in love) dance routine aired in a popular Japanese TV drama series.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2016
Citizens petition Tokyo to save trees amid Ueno Park face-lift
As a planned face-lift for Tokyo's Ueno Park goes forward in preparation for the 2020 Olympics, residents are asking that the government refrain from cutting down decades-old trees.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2016
New running facility opens in Tokyo for athletes of all stripes
As the metropolis gears up to host the Olympics and Paralympics in four years’ time, a new running stadium opened in Tokyo on Friday. The private-sector facility will provide an inclusive training venue for athletes of all stripes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2016
Aerial photos capture dark side of solar power plants
Koichiro Otaki started taking aerial pictures of photovoltaic power stations in April 2015. At first, it was an innocent desire to capture their sheer scale and aesthetic value that motivated him, he says.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2016
Soseki android unveiled to rekindle interest in late author
"Hello. Excuse me for remaining seated. It's been nearly 100 years, hasn't it?"
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 5, 2016
Both pressure and perks used to coax seniors into giving up driving licenses
These days have seen frequent news reports of elderly drivers losing control of their vehicles, slamming into stores, running over pedestrians and traveling in the wrong direction on expressways.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2016
Shady work practices earn nominations for Black Company Award
Ad giant Dentsu Inc. and courier company Sagawa Express Co., where employees committed suicide, were among this year's nominees.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2016
Japan government panel halves price of cancer drug Opdivo
In an unprecedented move, the official price of the drug is slashed amid fears that widespread use could drain state coffers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2016
President Trump: Japanese-Americans, Japanese in U.S. weigh in
People of Japanese ancestry speak up about their impressions of President-elect Donald Trump.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2016
Record 5,803 foreign trainees went missing in Japan last year
Observers say this is another sign that the technical intern program — long criticized by rights groups at home and abroad as akin to slavery — is seriously flawed.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2016
Tokyu Corp. attracts backlash with 'makeup etiquette' video
The Japanese-language video starts with a provocative line: “Women in the city are all beautiful. But they are ugly to see, at times.”
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2016
Is the party over? Spending by overseas visitors drops for first time in 19 quarters
Figures show foreign tourists spent u00a5971.7 billion from July to September period, down 2.9 percent from the same time last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2016
Tokyo residents' petition prompts reconsideration of plan to fell trees
Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward will reconsider plans to cut down 37 trees lining a street ahead of the 2020 Olympics, officials said Wednesday, after local residents blasted the plan in a petition.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2016
Plan to cut down historic trees in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward faces local opposition
Plans to cut down 300 ginkgo and platanus trees in central Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympics sparks an online opposition campaign seeking to prevent them from being felled.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 12, 2016
Todai biomedical research fraud probe seen pointing to wider misconduct
The so-called STAP scandal of 2014 unleashed the power of anonymous online whistleblowers, who exposed falsified data in what had been hailed as groundbreaking stem cell research by the Riken institute and brought down its star scientist, Haruko Obokata.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 12, 2016
In setback for female empowerment, Tokyo court rejects teacher's bid to use maiden name at work
The Tokyo District Court dismisses a case by a recently married woman on the grounds that the practice is not customary.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2016
Shiseido app adds makeup to faces on video conferences
In a potential boost for the government's drive to get more people telecommuting, cosmetics company Shiseido Co. has developed an app that makes users look as if they are wearing makeup. It amounts to an instant makeover for the unfortunate worker called to appear on screen from home at an awkward hour....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2016
1 in 4 firms in Japan say workers log over 80 overtime hours a month
The nation's first white paper on “karoshi” finds nearly a quarter of companies have employees that are seriously overworked.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 27, 2016
Amid charges of sexism, city in Kyushu pulls video promoting local eels
A promotional YouTube video made by the city of Shibushi, Kagoshima Prefecture, featuring a young woman in a swimsuit who morphs into an eel has been pulled following a public outcry that it was sexist.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
A polar bear at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Thursday. The Arctic animals are among the most vulnerable species to Japan's scorching summer heat and zookeepers have to take a number of precautions in order to keep them safe.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000
At Kuro Mame, baristas customize the coffee according to the guest's preferences.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER