Writer Profile

Wakaba Oto

Writer and editor based between Tokyo and New York City, reporting on culture, subculture and the outdoors. She’s flown to Morocco for a first date with a stranger, worked undercover as a hostess in Tokyo’s red-light district and trekked Salkantay to Machu Picchu entirely untrained — all in the name of a good story. Find her on Instagram @wakabss or reach her at [email protected]

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Articles by Wakaba Oto

Graffiti at Yasukuni Shrine Reignites Tensions Over Japan’s Unresolved Wartime Legacy

Japan’s Conservative Party Leader Apologizes for ‘Satirical’ Proposal Toward Women Over 30 

A Conversation With Tokyo Tattoo Artist Keisuke Hirata on Taboo, Acceptance and the In-Between 

donald trump japan rally

Giant Donald Trump Mikoshi Paraded Through Osaka By Japanese Supporters

The Real Stories Behind Takashi Shimizu’s Terrifying Horror Movies

Japanese Lawmaker Flushed Out of Seat After Infamous ‘Toiletgate’ Escape from LGBTQ Vote

Japan’s Decades-Long Vaccine Hesitancy

Nihon Hidankyo’s Nobel Peace Prize Raises Questions About the Future of Nuclear Warfare

tokyo halloween

The Evolution of Halloween in Tokyo

Exhibitionist Exploits Transparent Toilet in Shibuya

tokyo cemeteries

Ghosts of the Past: Exploring Tokyo’s Cemeteries Through Time and Folklore

family mart eat-in spaces

Family Mart To Shut Down Eat-In Spaces