8 inspiring women who are changing Japan for the better this year

Yuka Maedokoro splits her time between farms, laboratories and the bar counters of notable establishments like Aoyama’s PR Bar. To the uninitiated, these locales might appear poles apart from one another, but these facilities each play a crucial part in Maedokoro’s long-term plans – because she is on a one-woman-mission to make the world’s best absinthe.

Absinthe is still relatively uncommon in Japan, and with so many established absinthe labels to compete with, Maedokoro’s ambitions are almost evocative of the mythical Greek protagonist who tried to fly too close to the sun. But then again, Icarus wasn’t a woman.

So far, Maedokoro is right on track with the plan she’s set for herself. After years of research – which also consisted of several trips to the biggest absinthe distilleries in France and Switzerland – Maedokoro is now growing her own wormwood on a farm in Ibaraki. She is expected to release her own absinthe sometime next year, but before that, Maedokoro will be setting up her own absinthe speciality bar, which is expected to open in Tokyo this May.

The world of filmmaking, particularly in Japan, is one that’s unfortunately still dominated by male directors and producers. However, the industry has seen some change towards inclusion in recent years. Lighting the way for aspiring filmmakers alongside contemporary greats like Hirokazu Kore-eda and Mamoru Hosoda is award-winning director Naomi Kawase, whose filmography credits range from the 2020 hit drama ‘True Mothers’ (2020) to ‘Sweet Bean’, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015.

Kawase will be releasing yet another big name feature, but the upcoming film will be unlike anything the filmmaker has done before. Tentatively titled ‘Tokyo 2020 Olympics’, this summer release is the long-awaited official documentary of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which will cover everything from Japan’s very first Games held in 1964 to the recent controversy behind hosting the grand scale event during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kimono Mom – also known as Moe to her fans – is a former geiko (term for geisha in Kyoto) turned YouTube sensation who creates Japanese cooking videos alongside her daughter Sutan. Though Moe’s YouTube channel is even younger than two-year-old Sutan, Kimono Mom has already amassed 1.17 million subscribers (and counting).

Watching the young mother’s cooking how-tos, it’s easy to see why Moe’s YouTube series struck a chord with so many netizens during the pandemic. Parents trying to manage childcare whilst confined to a home quarantine found inspiration in Moe’s multitasking abilities. At the same time, Nipponophile wanting to feel closer to Japan amid travel bans could learn more about Japanese culture through her vlogs of family outings. 

Above all else, however, Moe believes her core mission is to make Japanese home cooking easier and more accessible to people across the world. Complete with captions in multiple languages including English, Vietnamese and Arabic, Moe’s videos demonstrate how fun and simple making dishes like shougayaki (ginger pork) and omurice can be – even if you’re new to cooking.

For all its innovation and love for exciting new developments, Tokyo is still a city that’s heavily rooted in tradition, staunchly determined to do everything by the book (i.e using old school methods). It’s this context that makes Ayaka Terai – the 25-year-old executive chef of The Bellwood – all the more impressive. With her boundary-breaking modern sushi creations that are designed to pair with the Shibuya cocktail bar’s fashionable tipples, Terai is making a name for herself in an industry that is still largely dominated by men in Japan.

Terai had an early start in the industry thanks to a specialised culinary programme offered at her local high school (Mie Prefectural Oka High School). This enabled her to graduate with a professional culinary certificate and begin working in professional kitchens at the age of 18.

Though Terai’s has a solid foundation in traditional Japanese cooking – bolstered by her years working in professional kitchens across Kyoto and Osaka – she’s not afraid to push the envelope by using long-established techniques to surprise the modern palette. Her current menu is a three-cocktail, 12-piece sushi course (¥10,000) that breaks all the rules with items like banh mi-inspired maguro nigiri or anago (conger eel) with coffee-infused sansho and cassis sauce.

You can find out more about Terai’s gastronomic offerings and how to book a table at The Bellwood here. 

Having just completed her graduate degree at the prestigious Keio University, Sari Kaede had a job lined up at the Nikken Sekkei architectural firm when she decided to fully commit herself to being an openly trans woman in Japan.

Now working as a model, architectural consultant and LGBTQ+ activist, Kaede devotes her time to disproving harmful preconceptions about trans individuals while also fighting for equality in the workplace. Her documentary ‘You Decide’ (available now on Netflix) is a remarkably bold and insightful chronicle of a trans woman who is still transitioning and has only just begun to embrace her true identity. 

Hokkaido native Kokomo Murase is no stranger to breaking records. In 2018, she made history after becoming the world’s youngest snowboarder to win a gold medal at the Winter X Games – at the time, she was just 13 years old. 

A few years later in 2022, Murase set out to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and won a bronze medal in the Women’s Snowboard Big Air Final. Her third-place victory may fall short of the gold medal she’d been eyeing, but Murase’s fierce performance broke new ground for Japan’s female winter sport athletes, who are rarely recognised outside of figure skating. Together with fellow Team Japan snowboarders (including 22-year-old Half Pipe medalist Sena Tomita), Murase has made the world turn their eyes to Japan’s female snowboarders and proven that they are not to be underestimated. 

Skateboarding sensation Kokona Hiraki dropped jaws over summer last year when she became Japan’s youngest ever Olympic medalist at the age of 12 after winning silver in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Hiraki’s street skate victory was an especially significant moment for skateboarding, as it was the first time the sport was included in the Olympics. 

But in many ways, Hiraki’s appearance at the Summer Games was a mere warm-up for the long career she has ahead of her. Though it hasn’t even been a year since the Summer Games, Hiraki is set to reappear on the global stage in April at the first X Games to be held in Japan.

Last month, the World’s Best Restaurants Awards declared Japanese chef Natsuko Shoji as Asia’s Best Female Chef 2022. It was the second time that the 27-year-old chef had been singled out by the prestigious organisation, who had also crowned her as Asia’s Best Pastry Chef in 2020. Shoji, who worked at the Michelin-starred Florilege for three years before starting her own restaurant is famous for her signature fruit cakes presented in elegant black coffrets resembling jewellery boxes.

While there was a time when Shoji’s coveted cake’s could only be ordered by those who had dined at her restaurant, now it is a booking at her restaurant that is even harder to come by. She may have an unconventional approach to running a restaurant, but Shoji’s commitment to her craft and resolve to do things her way has everyone from David Beckham to Takashi Murakami heaping praise on her dishes. Shoji’s achievements are an example of how creativity, when coupled with commitment, can bring boundless opportunities; this will no doubt inspire the next generation of aspiring chefs. Given all the years she has ahead of her, it looks like Été is just a taste of things to come.