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The Creative Woman

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From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion.

Yoko Narahashi

Jan. 29, Thu. 23:30
Jan. 30, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Casting director Yoko Narahashi has worked on many movies, including "The Last Samurai", "Babel" and "Emperor". She's helped many Japanese actors, including Ken Watanabe, Hiroyuki Sanada and Rinko Kikuchi, to gain international attention. These days, Narahashi is also passionate about teaching young actors. She runs acting and English-language schools to nurture Japanese actors seeking international careers.

Yuko Yamaguchi

Dec. 30, Tue. 1:30/ 7:30/ 13:30/ 19:30 (UTC)
Designer Yuko Yamaguchi changed the Hello Kitty character into its present form, making it a global icon of "kawaii" culture. She draws on daily market research to maintain its ever-changing fascination. She is now working on a strategy to make Hello Kitty as attractive to boys around the world as it is to girls.

Akiyo Noguchi

Nov. 13, Thu. 23:30
Nov. 14, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Akiyo Noguchi can climb a 5-meter sheer rock wall without a safety line. It's a skill that helped her become the first Japanese woman to win the Bouldering World Cup six years ago. As free climbing gains popularity in Japan, Noguchi is aiming to reach the very top of the sport worldwide.

Mieko Ishii

Oct. 30, Thu. 23:30
Oct. 31, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Mieko Ishii is a nurse who specializes in disaster relief. She developed her skills when she took part in overseas relief work. When northeastern Japan was hit by earthquakes and tsunami in 2011, Ishii played a key role in sending 4,000 nurses to help survivors. She's trying to share her knowledge to help people around the world better-prepared to cope with disasters.

Junko Tabei

Oct. 16, Thu. 23:30 (UTC)
Oct. 17, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Junko Tabei is the first female climber to climb Mount Everest in 1975, and has conquered all the highest peaks of seven continents by 1992, which was another world record for women.

Now at the age of 74, she keeps on climbing the mountains vigorously, bringing high school students and the people who survived the 2011 tsunami and earthquake. Two years ago cancer was found in her body. She says that was a turning point in her life.

Michiyo Nagano

Sep. 30, Tue. 0:30/ 6:30/ 12:30/ 18:30 (UTC)
Michiyo Nagano is 84 now. But she is still hard at work in her fields, even with the summer sun beating down. She is an expert in country-style cooking. She researches traditional recipes and runs a small workshop where she prepares preserves and other foods. Nagano's food is simple but original. It is a taste of the old days, the kind of wholesome fare that brings a smile of contentment to people's faces.

Yoko Morishita

Aug. 15, Fri. 14:30/ 20:30/
Aug. 16, Sat. 2:10/ 8:10 (UTC)
The physical toll that ballet takes on dancers forces most to retire in their 30s. But Japanese star Yoko Morishita has defied these pressures. The Hiroshima native, who was born 3 years after the atomic bomb fell on her city, says a desire to spread peace has kept her going into her 60s.

Kiyoko Ojima

Aug. 9, Sat. 14:10/ 20:10/
Aug. 10, Sun. 2:10/ 8:30 (UTC)
On today's Creative Woman, we take a look at the life of a farmer Kiyoko Ojima, who teaches techniques for growing vegetables to the people who used to be unemployed, and some were even homeless. She hopes that harvesting vegetables will give these people a sense of achievement, and thus the motivation to become more independent.

Alice Sara Ott

Aug. 8, Fri. 14:30/ 20:30/
Aug. 9, Sat. 2:10 (UTC)
Pianist Alice Sara Ott imparts her emotion into every single note she plays. Besides her solo recitals, Ott plays with orchestras under leading maestros, such as David Zinman and the late Lorin Maazel. Aged 26, her mother is Japanese, her father German. Before, Ott felt like she belonged in neither country. Now, though, she spans that gap through her music.

Emmanuelle Moureaux

Jul. 10, Thu. 23:30/
Jul. 11, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Emmanuelle Moureaux, a French architect based in Tokyo since 1996, draws inspiration from kimonos, traditional furnitures and Tokyo urban landscapes to develop her own approach to shape and color. Her innovative revamping of a regional bank in the Japanese capital has been rewarded with several international prizes. Moureaux is now working on a project for the subway system in Taipei.

Yoko Yamamoto

Jun. 12, Thu. 23:30/
Jun. 13, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Paintings by copperplate engraving artist Yoko Yamamoto have adorned the covers of over 1,000 books. Her works glow with rich color. She has created many works inspired by literature and music. She has also undertaken public art projects intended to make art more widely accessible. Now she has embarked on a whole new field... hospital art.

Setsuko Klossowska de Rola

May 29, Thu. 23:30/
May 30, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Married to celebrated modern artist Balthus, Setsuko Klossowska de Rola has devoted her life to the world of fine art. Besides being a recognized painter herself, she has published many books on Japanese culture, including kimono.
She talked with NHK WORLD during her recent visit to Japan, where a retrospective exhibition tracing the career of "the last giant of 20th century art" is being held.

Sayaka Shoji

May 9, Fri. 15:30/ 21:30/
May 10, Sat. 3:10/ 9:10 (UTC)
Since winning the 1999 Paganini Competition at the age of 16, Sayaka Shoji has performed with internationally renowned conductors and the world's leading orchestras for more than a decade. And she recently played with legendary master of chamber music Menahem Pressler.
In this program, she shares the source of her imagination and the secrets of her artistic expression.

Kikuko Iwai

May 8, Thu. 15:30/ 21:30/
May 9, Fri. 3:30/ 9:30 (UTC) *This program was first broadcast on Feb. 20, 2014
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Today, we introduce Kikuko Iwai, a restorer of works by artists such as Picasso and Monet.

Kurara Chibana

Apr. 24, Thu. 23:30
Apr. 25, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) appointed Kurara Chibana, a 2006 Miss Universe first runner up and model, as their first national ambassador against hunger for Japan.

Noriko Hayashi

Apr. 10, Thu. 23:30
Apr. 11, Fri. 5:30/ 11:30/ 17:30 (UTC)
Photojournalist, Noriko Hayashi became the first Japanese to win the Visa d'or award for feature reporting at the 2013 Visa pour l'image festival in France for a series of photos depicting forced marriages in Kyrgyzstan. Now she visits Fukushima Prefecture to shoot people recovering from the disaster, 3 years on.

Akiko Suwanai

Mar. 28, Fri. 14:30/ 18:30/ 22:30/
Mar. 29, Sat. 2:10/ 6:10/ 10:10 (UTC)
Akiko Suwanai is one of Japan's greatest violinists. She lives in Paris. At the age of 18, Suwanai won the International Tchaikovsky Competition, making her the youngest ever winner of the prize. On March 9, she organized a charity concert with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra. We followed Suwanai and her efforts to use the power of music to support those affected by the Tsunami.

Yuko Hasegawa

Feb. 21, Fri. 15:30/ 19:30/ 23:10/
Feb. 22, Sat. 3:10/ 7:10/ 11:10 (UTC)
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Today, we introduce Yuko Hasegawa, an internationally acclaimed curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

Kikuko Iwai

Feb. 20, Thu. 15:30/ 19:30/ 23:30/
Feb. 21, Fri. 3:30/ 7:30/ 11:30 (UTC)
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Today, we introduce Kikuko Iwai, a restorer of works by artists such as Picasso and Monet.

Hiroko Horibe & Fumiko Kono

Jan. 26, Sun. 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
  • Hiroko Horibe(Ryokan owner)
  • Fumiko Kono(Culinary Consultant)
Today, we introduce 2 women who share the spirit of omotenashi -- the art of entertaining guests: the owner of a ryokan, or traditional inn, in Kyoto; and a chef who evolved in several prestigious restaurants in Paris.

Shoko Fukuya & Kumiko Inui

Dec. 7, Sat. 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
  • Shoko Fukuya
  • Kumiko Inui
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Today, we introduce 2 architects who are helping to reconstruct disaster-hit areas in northeastern Japan.

Sara Arai & Eriko Yamaguchi

Nov. 9, Sat. 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
  • Sara Arai (Fashion designer)
  • Eriko Yamaguchi (Bag designer)
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Fashion designer Sara Arai lights up catwalks with designs that incorporate traditional Japanese dyeing techniques. Bag designer Eriko Yamaguchi runs a factory in Bangladesh producing high-quality items with traditional fabrics and local designs.

Yoko Morishita & Maki Mori

Sep. 28, Sat. 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
The physical toll that ballet takes on dancers forces most to retire in their 30s. But Japanese star Yoko Morishita has defied these pressures. The Hiroshima native, who was born three years after the atomic bomb fell on her city, says a desire to spread peace has kept her going into her 60s. And one of Japan's leading opera singers has been using her voice to spread a message of peace and hope. Every year Maki Mori gives a September 11 concert to honor the victims of two tragic events.

Mika Ninagawa & Sisyu

Aug. 3, Sat. 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Today: Photographer Mika Ninagawa and Calligrapher Sisyu.

Fukumi Shimura & Toko Shinoda

Jul. 6, Sat. 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
From Architecture to Zen, meet the female artists whose creativity inspires Japan. Share their vision and their passion. Today: Fine artist Toko Shinoda, and textile dyeing artist Fukumi Shimura.