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July 06, 2025
 

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Nobuko Tanaka

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Nobuko Tanaka
Nobuko Tanaka is a stage writer who has regularly contributed contemporary theater and dance articles to The Japan Times since 2001. She also writes for several Japanese and overseas magazines and web sites. As a promoter, she takes Japanese artists to foreign theater festivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 24, 2022
'Blood Brothers' tells a tangled tale of nature versus nurture
Actors Hayato Kakizawa and Eiji Wentz play twins whose vastly different social circumstances result in tragedy in the all-Japanese version of Willy Russell's West End hit musical.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 16, 2021
Saitama Gold Theater players take their final bow after 15 years
The theater troupe, founded in 2006 by Yukio Ninagawa with a cast of actors aged 55 and over, will bid farewell with Shogo Ota's nonverbal 1981 masterpiece, “Mizu no Eki.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 11, 2021
‘The Doctor’ diagnoses society’s afflictions
Veteran actress Shinobu Otake takes on the role of Dr. Ruth Wolff, a Jewish physician, and tackles modern ills in a Japanese production of Robert Icke's latest work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 30, 2021
New opera ‘Yuzuru’ cautions against the dangers of capitalism
For his first foray into opera, dramatist Toshiki Okada is modernizing a Japanese classic, centering it on 'the damaging influence of capitalism' instead of a tragic love story.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 16, 2021
Rena Matsui tackles Shakespeare in an all-female 'Julius Caesar'
The former idol-pop star takes on the role of Mark Antony in a version of Shakespeare's tragedy that focuses on the tense disputes that arose around Julius Caesar's assassination.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 8, 2021
Cameron Mackintosh's all-Japanese 'Oliver!' will have you asking for more
'You'll leave the theater with a smile on your face and joy in your heart,' says theater titan Cameron Mackintosh of his latest production.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 26, 2021
Family drama hits close to home for Keito Okamoto
The former Hey! Say! Jump member makes his stage debut opposite his father in “The Son,” a play about a complex father-son relationship.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 20, 2021
Obscured truths come to light in Hideki Noda’s ‘Fakespeare’
William Shakespeare is one of the world’s most influential playwrights, but his life continues to be shrouded in mystery. Since his death in 1616 at the age of 52, no handwritten manuscripts have ever surfaced, and even his six supposed signatures all spell his name differently.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 18, 2021
Israel Galvan renews the passion of a long love affair
Flamenco — the exuberant dance form originating from Andalusia in southern Spain — has long thrived in Japan, with many of the greats traveling here to perform. There is even a popular claim that Japan has more flamenco academies than Spain.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 3, 2021
A take on ‘The Tempest’ that aims to broaden your horizons
“The Tempest: Swimming for Beginners” incorporates the real-life experiences of its cast members with disabilities, as well as the challenges of living through a pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 18, 2021
'Yabuhara Kengyo' shows audiences that justice isn't always blind
Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke IV takes on the role of Suginoichi, the cunning antihero of Hisashi Inoue's play about social oppression.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 10, 2021
Secrets of the Oslo Accords come to light on stage
Playwright J.T. Rogers' drama about the clandestine negotiations that led to the historic agreements reveals what went on behind the scenes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 27, 2021
Expect revivals and VR from the stage as theater continues to deal with the coronavirus
In his 1964 anthem, “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” Bob Dylan sings: “As the present now / Will later be past / The order is rapidly fadin’...”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 18, 2020
‘Knife’ critiques human nature through mime and dance
Choreographer Shuji Onodera was given total artistic freedom to create his adaption of Guy de Maupassant's “Boule de Suif” with a multicultural cast.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2020
Contemporary performing arts festival stays open to new possibilities despite COVID-19
Festival/Tokyo, known for its focus on young artists and edgy productions, has shifted the annual festival's emphasis from live performances to online ones.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 14, 2020
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ conjures dark fantasies
Director Silviu Purcarete reveals the murky and bizarre aspects of humanity in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy about love and magic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 11, 2020
'Twelve Angry Men': 1950s courtroom drama about confronting prejudice still rings true
Director Lindsay Posner hopes his staging of “Twelve Angry Men” in Tokyo will make audiences assess how their attitudes affect their perceptions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 3, 2020
Toyooka Theater Festival brings French flair to Japan’s theater scene
Dramatist Oriza Hirata's dream of holding Japan's version of the Avignon Festival is becoming a reality with a two-week arts fete starting on Sept. 9.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 17, 2020
To be (online) or not to be (online), that is the question for Japan's theaters
Two dramatists have opposing views on the theater world's approach to dealing with the pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 10, 2020
Live stage performances are taking roads less traveled with trucks and virtual reality
Theater companies are finding new ways to continue live shows for audiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic by performing out of trucks or turning to virtual reality.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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