TEDxTokyo Talks

Formed by a group of five in 2005, HANDSIGN are known for their buoyant performances that blend dance, song and original sign language. Here in Japan

In 2008, lacquer artist and Living National Treasure Kazumi Murose began to focus on preserving intangibly important Japanese culture and heritage thr

Katsumi Sakakura expresses his art through a combination of elements characteristic of traditional Japanese culture—movement, rhythm and spirit.

Sami Elu – Artist Musicians tend to perform using instruments built by masters of their own craft. Sami Elu is one of rare few who also invent a

We humans are irrational beings, and how our brains work remains a massive mystery. Dr. Naotaka Fujii—who currently heads up the Laboratory for Adapti

A mysterious person who caused a sensation on Twitter with a parody bot account of the nationally recognized character. With philosophical remarks and

Suppleness and steely toughness—two seemingly incompatible attributes—describe a supermaterial many have dreamed of. Now Kazuhide Sekiyama and Spiber

Everyone with a heartbeat can appreciate Drum Café Japan’s elemental appeal. Born in Sendai in 2009 as an offshoot of the original Drum Café in Johann

Shizuka Yabuuchi has fused rhythmic gymnastics, dance and magic to conjure up an entirely new style of performance art. Shizuka began exploring her ow

At the age of 27, Toshio Tanahashi quit the rat race and became an apprentice at the Zen Buddhist Gesshin Temple in Shiga Prefecture. Through three ye

Ryutaro Kaneko knows the booming, heart-pounding rhythms a taiko drum can produce: he toured the world as a central performer of famed drum troupe Kod

Art majors everywhere, take heart: John Maeda is lobbying to ensure your future by fusing art and design with science and infusing technology with sou

What kind of entertainment would Neo see in the Matrix? No need to imagine, kids̶ just watch Shiro-A. The troupe’s ingenious pop-cerebral antics are r

Dr. Hiroshi Tasaka says we are entering the age of “invisible capitalism,” a new paradigm in which “invisible capital”—knowledge, relationships, trust

Dr. Bob Stilger and his daughter, Annie Stilger Virnig, believe in the power of collaborating with people everywhere to create healthy, resilient comm

When Jesper Koll peers at Japan’s inner financial mechanisms, people line up to find out what he sees. Consistently ranked as one of the savviest Japa