Hiroko Yoda

Hiroko Yoda
Born
Tokyo, Japan
Alma materUniversity of Maryland
Occupation(s)Writer, Translator

Hiroko Yoda is a Japanese entrepreneur, translator, writer, folklorist, and president of the localization company AltJapan Co., Ltd.[1] She was also a Tokyo city editor for the CNN travel website CNNGo.[2] She is a translator of video games[3] and the author of numerous books about Japanese history and culture. She is particularly known for her pioneering work contextualizing yokai culture for English-speaking audiences.[4][5]

Education

Born in Tokyo, she studied at the University of Maryland, then earned a Master's degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, D.C.[6][7]

Personal life

In 2005, she played the role of a yokai frog in the Takashi Miike film The Great Yokai War.[8][9] She also had a cameo in the 2010 Tomoo Haraguchi film Death Kappa.[10]

In 2008, she was denied a Facebook account. She was told that "Facebook blocks the registration of a number of names that are frequently abused on the site. The name Yoda, also being the name of a popular Star Wars character, is on this list of blocked names."[11] The company only relented after her plight gained international mass media attention alongside other cases of banned names.[12][13]

She is married to the writer and television personality Matt Alt.[14]

Works

Games

As scriptwriter

As translator

As localization producer

Books

  • Hello Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters From Japan. Chronicle. 2006. ISBN 978-0811856744.
  • Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. Kodansha International. 2008. ISBN 978-4770030702.
  • Ninja Attack! True Tales of Samurai, Assassins, and Outlaws. Kodansha International. 2010. ISBN 9784770031198.
  • Yurei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide. Tuttle Publishing. 2011. ISBN 9784805312148.

Translations

Books

Manga

References

  1. ^ "Ghostwire Tokyo Brings Japanese Folklore to the Masses". Wired. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "CNNGo". Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "Hiroko Yoda Video Game Credits". Mobygames. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "The Yokai Art of the Master". October 6, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Godzilla's Older, Creepier Cousins". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Anime Sway: How Japan Came to Dominate the Global Pop Culture Landscape Speakers". Japan-America Society of Dallas Fort Worth. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "On Halloween, Japan fears home-grown spooks". NBC News. October 31, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  8. ^ Yoda, Hiroko; Alt, Matt (2012). Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. Tuttle. p. 200. ISBN 9784805312193.
  9. ^ >"Yokai a Go Go". AltJapan. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  10. ^ >"Death Kappa (2010)". Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  11. ^ "Japanese with common last name Yoda denied Facebook account". Boing Boing. August 26, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "Woman called Yoda blocked from Facebook". The Telegraph. August 27, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "Sorry Mr. And Mrs. Batman, Facebook Isn't Gotham". The Herald-Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  14. ^ "Interview: Matt Alt". Japan House LA. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "PlatinumGames Talks World of Demons and Bringing White Knuckle Action to Mobile". Crunchyroll. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "CRN Interview: Matt Alt Ain't Afraid of No Japanese Ghosts". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "Doraemon, the robot cat, gets your tongue". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 18, 2022.