Lisa Katayama

In its heyday, my personal blog was one of the most popular Japan blogs on the Internet. TokyoMango was where people found me for more serious magazine and radio work, which later became my full-time career. 50% of all first year posts had a poop reference or joke in it. I still update it sometimes. Here, come have a peek!

A boutique non-profit I started in 2011 that offers design toolkits, workshops, and events for Japanese entrepreneurs and creators so that they can translate their ideas across cultures. Once a year we do a flagship event that connects my native home (Tokyo) to my adopted home (SF) and it's really, really fun.

This is my real job. I launched a program for MIT Media Lab Director Joi Ito that connects 21 diverse extraordinary individuals with researchers at the Lab through collaborative projects that might just change the world.

I’ve written and produced stories for Wired, Fast Company, Popular Science, Boing Boing, PRI’s Studio360, The New York Times Magazine, etc. Read them here.

I wrote this book in 2008. It offers readers lots of silly tips and tricks that help you hack life with everyday household objects. Based on a Wired Magazine front-of-the-book article, Urawaza was published by Chronicle Books and won a STEP Design award.

An online, crowdfunded, episodic documentary about a group of surfers rallying to rebuild Japan after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami co-produced/co-directed with Jason Wishnow. The characters from this film are now friends and collaborators of The Tofu Project.

What's in here? Something whimsical, random, or inspirational, I bet!