Konnichiwa! Welcome to Motoko’s homepage!

Great News!

Motoko’s workshop “Bodystories: Mime and Movement for Storytellers” was chosen for the 2008 National Storytelling Conference on August 8-10! Sponsored by the National Storytelling Network (NSN), the Conference will take place at the Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Check www.storynet.org for more info.

Motoko’s debut CD “The Promise of Chrysanthemums” is a 2007 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Honors Winner! The NAPPA is one of the most prestigious awards in children’s learning and entertainment. (www.parenthood.com)

Motoko’s lovely voice and enchanting music lead listeners through a wonderful selection of Asian folktales. ---NAPPA

Motoko’s appearance as a New Voices Featured Teller at the 2007 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, was a smashing success! She thanks the International Storytelling Center (www.storytellingcenter.net) for creating (yet again) this amazing paradise on earth for story lovers. Her proudest moment was when they told her that her CDs were completely sold out at their Marketplace. Many thanks to everyone who came to listen! (Read more.)

The combination of skill, talent and ability to translate emotion to motion created entertaining and exciting imagery. Motoko puts the audience on an emotional roller coaster. She takes you up, down, upside down and lets you off feeling exhilarated and charged up…Her show was a winner.
Massachusetts Daily COLLEGIAN

Parents’ Choice Award-winning storyteller Motoko enchants audiences of every age with her weaving of ancient lore, original tales, lyrical movement and traditional music. Her repertoire includes Asian folktales, Zen tales, comical tales from rakugo (a Japanese traditional style of storytelling), funny mime vignettes, as well as personal stories from her childhood in Japan and her life as an immigrant in the U.S. Motoko also offers K-12 classroom workshops and residencies on Japanese culture, creative writing, and storytelling. Her one woman mime program, “The Girl in the Mirror: Mime for Teens” addresses issues relevant to the lives of middle and high school students. She can also be booked together with her partner Eshu Bumpus, a nationally-known storyteller of African folktales.