Yuko was born in Tokyo and grew up moving around the world from her native Japan to the US and UK. As a teenager in Tokyo she became a part of Mugensha Theater Company doing experimental theater. She is an actress, filmmaker, photographer. Her hybrid short documentary Chinatown Beat about two Chinatown legends, writer Henry Chang and photographer Corky Lee was published in The New Yorker in 2021. As an actress she is rooted in her sensitivity and versatility. She trained with Carl Ford (Susan Batson Studio) and Anthony Abeson.