Yoko Kanno on Travel, Loss, and the Music She Still Wants to Make
Kanno's interview shows that her method of location-based research remains central to her work, and that she still carries the loss of key collaborators.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime News Network.
Yoko Kanno discussed her career and creative process at Anime Expo 2026, describing how she immerses herself in locations to inform her soundtracks. She expressed a desire to work again with late collaborators Origa and Keiko Nobumoto, and shared interest in composing for stage plays and ballet.
Kanno's career began with Macross Plus, which sent her to Death Valley. She described the experience as "unbearably hot, no, painful!!" That trip set a pattern: for Cowboy Bebop she traveled from coast to coast in the US and into Mexico; for Escaflowne she went to Europe and Italy; for Wolf's Rain she observed wild wolves. Her process is one of total sensory immersion. Now she is interested in stage plays and ballet, and wants to compose something incorporating dance. She also expressed a wish to work again with late collaborators Origa and Keiko Nobumoto, saying "I wish I could have made music with Origa just once more."
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.