Yasuko Okumura was born in Yokohama, Japan. She earned a B.A. in Visual Communication Design from the Musashino Art University, Tokyo, in 1973. She moved to San Francisco in 1976 and, two years later, relocated to New York City, where she has lived since. She attended the classes of Esther K. Smith and Susan Mills, both of whom are artists specializing in book art, at the Cooper Union Continuing Education in 2007.
She creates unique art pieces in fiber arts, book arts, and paper arts, using various techniques such as weaving, printing, felting, cutting, sewing and collage. She has participated in art competitions, group shows and solo shows across the USA, Japan, and South Korea. Furthermore, she worked as an innovative textile designer for thirty-five years.