Photo: 首相官邸 / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Public records list Reiko Yukawa as an actor, lyricist and music critic. Reiko Yukawa was born in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan on January 22, 1936. That works out to 90 years old in 2026. Notable works include Dance Gypsy Dance.
My Take
Reiko Yukawa was born in 1936 and is still working. Lyricist, music critic, translator, radio host — she has never fit one job title, and I suspect that is the point. She belongs to the generation that had to explain Western pop and rock to a Japanese audience encountering it for the first time, when nobody yet had the vocabulary for it. Someone had to write that vocabulary. She did, on the radio and in print, for decades. Among her lyrics, "Mahou de Dance" is the one people name first, but I think the songwriting is almost a side effect. Her real work was mediation: standing between the music and the listener and making the case for why it mattered. Critics who do that job well tend to disappear behind the artists they champion, which is probably why her name is less known abroad than it should be. What strikes me most is the sheer duration. Nearly ninety, still talking about music. You do not sustain that on professionalism. You sustain it on love.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Reiko Yukawa
- Name (Japanese)
- 湯川れい子
- Reading
- ゆかわ れいこ
- Born
- January 22, 1936 (age 90)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rat
- Origin
- Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- actor / lyricist / music critic / translator / radio personality
2. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Dance Gypsy Dance | — |
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-08-07
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Reiko Yukawa born?
Born January 22, 1936 (age 90).
Where is Reiko Yukawa from?
Reiko Yukawa is from Meguro, Tokyo, Japan.
What does Reiko Yukawa do?
Reiko Yukawa works as actor, lyricist, music critic, translator, radio personality.
What is Reiko Yukawa known for?
Notable works include Dance Gypsy Dance.
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