Rieko Nakagawa

She wrote the lyrics for the opening theme song for the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro as well as to another song used in the film. She has written the lyrics for over 20 other songs, including "Yūki" sung by Mana Ashida for the 81st NHK All Japan School Singing Competition.

Nakagawa has written a number of essays. She also wrote lyrics for multiple songs for the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, including Sanpo and Maigo. She wrote the lyrics for the song "Yūki" (ゆうき, lit. "Courage") sung by Mana Ashida, which was released as a single with "Fight!!" (ふぁいと!!, Faito!!) in 2014. "Yūki" was the theme song for the 81st NHK All Japan School Singing Competition in the elementary school group.

This series has been published since 1967 by Fukuinkan Shoten. All of the books are illustrated by Yuriko Yamawaki, though the first book is credited to Yuriko Ōmura (her maiden name). Several of these titles have been released in English, Korean, and other languages.

While working as a nursery school worker, she wrote No-No Academy (いやいやえん, Iyaiyaen). In 1962, this book won the Minister of Health and Welfare Award (厚生大臣賞, Kōsei Daijin Shō), the Sankei Juvenile Publications Culture Award (産経児童出版文化賞, Sankei Jidō Shuppan Bunkashō), the Noma Juvenile Cultural Arts Recommended Work Prize (野間児童文芸推奨作品賞, Noma Jidō Bungei Suishō Sakuhin Shō) and the NHK Juvenile Literature Honorable Mention (NHK児童文学奨励賞, NHK Jidō Bungaku Shōreishō). Her 1980 book, Rock the Puppy Is Here (子犬のロクがやってきた, Koinu no Roku ga Yattekita) was awarded the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (毎日出版文化賞, Mainichi Shuppan Bunkashō).

Rieko Nakagawa (中川李枝子, Nakagawa Rieko, born September 29, 1935, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) is a Japanese children's literature writer and lyricist. Her first work, Iyayaen, was published in 1962, and she has published over 30 books since then. She has won multiple awards for her works, including the Kikuchi Kan Prize.

Rieko Ōmura (大村李枝子, Ōmura Rieko) was born September 29, 1935, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. When she was four years old, her family moved in with her grandfather in Tokyo, where she lived until she was in the third year of grade school. Her family then moved back to Sapporo for a short time before being evacuated at the end of World War II. Her father was transferred to Fukushima, where she lived until moving back to Tokyo during her second year of high school. She graduated from the Tokyo Metropolitan High School Nursery School Academy (東京都立高等保母学院, Tōkyō Toritsu Kōtō Hobo Gakuin)