The 7th TEDxTokyo conference – TEDxTokyo 2015 will take place with a theme of “Igniting Curiosity”. What better way to open up our minds to the world of endless possibility and change than by igniting our curiosity through the power of ideas. There is no cure for curiosity.

Event details
Date: 3 July 2015
Time: 17:00 ~ 22:00 (Doors open at 16:00)
Venue: Act*Square (Ebisu, Tokyo) (Access)

Registration for the Ebisu Act Square and Shibuya public public viewing have ended.

Live streaming is available here: http://www.tedxtokyo.com/en/live-streaming2015/

 
 
 
Speakers:TEDxTokyo 2015
Date: 2015/07/01
 

Yuji Ueno

 Exploring a way of “life” through flowers.Yuji began learning the way of flower arrangement after by chance, 
 
he attended an exhibition by Hiroshi Teshigahara and found himself astounded by what he encountered.
His live performances are garnering attention from all corners for his unique style of creating and destroying his flower arrangements, or “Hanaike” repeatedly.
Yuji believes that the Kadouka are people who “through flower arranging, explore their own way of living” and place great importance on each element, such as the flower, the pot, the space, and the lighting. All the while continuing on their quest to find the answer to what it means to “live”.
 
 
 
 

Usman Riaz

 With each note I play, a world is created in my head. 
 
Born in Pakistan, Usman is an artist, a performing musician, a composer, and a film-maker. His career with playing piano started at the age of six, then he taught himself to play a variety of instruments, while using the internet as a tool. Embodying his own extraordinary world of cinematic imagination, Usman is the storyteller of today.
 
 
 
 

Yoko Narahashi

 The moment you discover your “role”, is the moment you begin to shine. 
 
Yoko has been involved as a Japanese casting director in an array of impressive Hollywood movies such as “The Last Samurai”, “Sayuri”, “Babel”, and “47 Ronin”.
She not only founded the MLS English language school and UPS, a planning and production company that trains Japanese to take on active roles in an international arena, but she is also active in other fields outside of casting, taking on the role of a bridge between Japan and abroad.
To this day she acts as an intermediary for people around the globe and continues to create new chemical reactions for those with a dream.
 
 
 
 

Ken Hasebe

 Creating a 21st Century City of Diversity 
 
Shibuya – the city that continuously creates new cultures and sets trends all around the world.

Hasebe, the former congressional deputy for Shibuya, suggested the nations first “same sex partnership ordinance” and has been elected as the new Mayor of Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. This topic is still in the midst of a worldwide debate, and he brought about this movement in the hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of sexual minorities (LGBT) in Japan. What does Hasebe’s vision for the future of a city that places great importance on diversity – look like?
 
 
 
 

Hisayo Togashi

 Bringing hope to people’s hearts through music. 
 
Hisayo Togashi is the Japan Philharmonic Orchestras Chief Manager for the project “Forest of Music” which was launched to open a window to connect society and the orchestra. She broadens opportunities to appreciate classical music by creating a space and hosting educational programs where anyone can feel free to participate in and enjoy classical and chamber music.

In recent years they have also been actively involved in traveling to the affected areas of the Great Tokoku Earthquake and helping to provide people with hope for tomorrow through music.
 
 
 
 

Kenichiro Mogi

 Everything is connected to the “brain”. 
 
Mogi is a brain scientist who focuses on “Qualia (texture with sensation)” as the base for his lectures and writings.
While he is a researcher, in April 2015 he published his first novel titled “The Tale of Tokyo University of the Arts” and is also expanding his range as a writer.
He is the embodiment of the established theory in brain science that “new challenges are the finest nutrition for the brain”.
 
 
 
 

Yoko Shimizu

 The fusion of science and art open doors to possibilities beyond our imaginations. 
 
Yoko spent her childhood growing up in New York. She studied bio-chemistry at university, and the art that she encountered while in New York left a deep and lasting impression on her.
These two elements were the starting point for her activities in science as well as a contemporary artist.She has won many awards both at home and abroad for her artworks created from her own unique perspective, and has held exhibitions in countries around the globe.
While also active as a DJ and simultaneous interpreter, she has created an art that through the use of various forms of media, gives you a sense of familiarity with her pieces.With all the possibilities encompassing the fusion of science and art, who knows what the future might hold.
 
 
 
 

Mitsuyoshi Shunji

 What does an artistic scientist create? An “X-Ray for the human heart”. 
 
Mitsuyoshi has a unique background which includes becoming a doctor in engineering and pursuing research in bio-robotics at Stanford after graduating from arts college.
He is now involved in research that can analyze people’s mental state and emotions just from the sound of their voice.
By collecting the patients voice data and analyzing it, they are looking for possible ways to utilise it for early detection in the treatment of diseases.
 
 
 
 

Hiroko Sasaki

 Working to bring a “revolution” to people and companies in this era where change is so fiercely required. 
 
Sasaki has been an integral part in the realisation of future-oriented organizations within various enterprises.
Transforming over 500 people a year within corporate human resources and by launching a “chemical reaction” in the field and with management, she reforms business structures, and was also involved with the production of the promotion for Diver City.
 
 
 
 

Mitsuyoshi Takasu

 Creating worlds yet unknown from behind the TV screen. 
 
Takasu’s career as a TV broadcasting writer began when he got an invite from his childhood friend Matsumoto, a popular comedian in the comedy duo “Downtown”. He is at the origin of Japan’s popular comedy, or “Owarai” programs, and has also established the variety show style. It is because he continues to change the perspectives of those around him and maintained a firm stance despite the many limitations and stereotypes that exist within the world of television that he was able to accomplish these things.

How does Takasu, the man who changed an entire industry, see the future of Japan?
 
 
 
 

Shiho Fukuhara

 Science, art, and design. Crossing borders and hacking society.  
 
Shiho was involved in production activities at Central Saint Martins, Royal College of Arts, and IAMAS etc., and she chose the path of bio-technology and art.
She challenges our common sense with her works such as injecting the genes of a deceased human in to a tree, thus creating a “monument” that inherits human DNA.
We have yet to see how the convergence of science and art will reflect on and influence the society of the 21st Century.
Glimpse into the world she sees as she continues to reveal her research and creations both nationwide and internationally, her theme being “to provide and leave an impact on society”.
 
 
 
 

Jesper Koll

  
 
An “explorer of all things Japan, from high finance to low-level politics”, Jesper Koll has over two decades of experience at major financial institutions in Japan and has written two books about finance, both in Japanese (Towards a New Japanese Golden Age and The End of Heisei Deflation). Jesper describes himself as “Japan’s Last Japan Optimist.” That optimism has motivated him to mentor the country’s next generation of entrepreneurs and startups, to promote Japan to policymakers and investors around the world, and to help start a Special Economic Zone in Fukuoka.
 
 
 
 

Ken Okuyama

 The quintessence of design is the materialisation of peoples “wants”. 
 
Mr. Okuyama has been involved with industrial designs overseas with products ranging from luxury cars such as the Ferrari, to furniture, as well as traditional crafts.
His designs are founded on a commitment to truly grasp the project from the users perspective at the get go.He is continually designing new experiences and evoking the desire of “I must have that!” in others.
 
 
 
 

Edward Suzuki

  
 
Edward Suzuki worked alongside master architect and futurist Buckminster Fuller while attending Harvard on a Fulbright scholarship. Perhaps that’s one reason he’s a self-proclaimed student of life, regularly contemplating the structure of the atom, the environment, philosophy and the metaphysical. Edward’s bold yet organic architectural designs draw from influences both East and West, and have taken shape as far away as Kenya and China. They’ve also brought him well over a dozen major awards here in Japan and the United States. “Eddi’s House,” a prefabricated system he created with Daiwa House Industry, incorporates his designs into mass-produced housing.