Unpacking Japan

Meet Tim Koleto, an American-born ice dancer who naturalized and took the silver medal for team Japan in Beijing in 2022 with his partner Misato Komatsubara. He sits down to talk to us about the sport of ice dancing, going to the Olympics, and what it's like to compete for Japan as a naturalized citizen. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 First experience on ice 4:43 Difference ice sports 7:09 Interest in ice dancing 7:53 Beginning competition 13:43 Switching to pairs 16:10 The mechanics of skating 25:30 Finding a partner 28:44 You can compete for other countries? 33:38 Competing for Japan? 37:12 Working with Misato 42:02 Competing with team Japan 47:53 Marriage to partner 50:47 Going to the Olympics 58:07 Strategy for competing to judges 1:03:53 Silver medal performance 1:15:12 Delayed medal ceremony 1:18:54 Retiring from competition 1:26:01 Final words -- Follow Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timkoleto https://www.tiktok.com/@timkoleto https://x.com/timkoleto https://www.twitch.tv/timkoleto Follow us:…

Meet Rena, also known by her stage name ukurena, a Japanese ukulele player from Kobe, who became the junior world champion in 2016. She sits down to talk to us about her discovery of the ukulele and subsequent career, how the ukulele is so often misunderstood, and how she's reinventing what people think of as ukulele music. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Rena 1:56 Learning from a former champion 11:00 The piece that drew Rena to ukulele 13:32 Early wins in ukulele competitions 16:03 What is a ukulele competition? 19:45 Ukulele in Hawaii vs. Japan 23:38 Winning international competition 27:52 Ukulele in Japanese music 33:44 Becoming a professional musician 35:58 Different genres with ukulele 39:28 Studying jazz and performing with emotion 47:58 Signing with a record label 52:32 Composing her own music 57:59 Goals for the future 1:01:21 Ukulele performance -- Follow Rena: @rena_ukulele_japan https://www.instagram.com/rena_ukulele https://www.facebook.com/rena.ukulele https://x.com/rena_ukulele Follow us:…

Meet Joshua, a professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, who has been pioneering the field of cute studies. He sits down to talk to us about the difference between cute and kawaii, the development of kawaii culture, and the psychology of cuteness. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Joshua 5:15 Interest in kawaii culture 6:37 Cute vs. kawaii 12:54 Kawaii culture 14:36 Forming a new field of study 19:40 Cuteness in Japan 22:47 Origins of the word kawaii 25:56 Cuteness in everyday life 29:45 The "feeling" of cuteness 32:10 Managing cuteness studies research 37:47 Academics vs. culture 41:18 Artists and cute aesthetics 44:22 Japanese academics on cuteness 46:49 Applications of cuteness research 51:56 Spread of kawaii culture 55:45 The future of cute studies -- Follow Joshua: https://www.cutestudies.org/ https://www.instagram.com/dalejoshuapaul/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Hector, a pastor and the head of Tokyo Union Church, who sits down to talk to us about Christianity in Japan. He tells us about the history of his Church and Christianity in Japan, how present Christianity really is in everyday life here, and the commodification of Christianity in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Interest in Japan 4:58 Becoming a pastor 11:05 Serving in Korea, Switzerland 16:40 History of Tokyo Union Church 19:05 Coming to Japan 24:51 Leading an interdenominational church 27:36 Japanese members of the church 32:02 Guiding different denominations 39:48 History of Christianity in Japan 44:03 How Christianity shaped modern Japan 48:58 Christianity in everyday Japan 51:27 The value of commodifying religion 58:12 Interfaith community 1:03:04 Does Christianity belong in Japan? 1:09:29 Experience as a pastor in Japan -- Follow Hector: https://www.tokyounion.org/ https://www.instagram.com/tokyounion/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Alex, a tourism consultant based in Kagoshima. He sits down to talk to us about his study of martial arts, his experiences at a traditional Japanese company, and his work preserving traditional arts through tourism. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Alex 4:55 Studying Iaido 9:15 Arriving in Kagoshima 12:28 Studying local martial art jigen-ryu 17:59 Why jigen-ryu is kept secret 20:10 Joining a traditional company 32:00 Explaining Japanese culture to foreigners 35:21 Sending Japanese culture to Buckingham Palace 39:06 Founding a company to promote traditional culture 47:08 Commercializing traditional arts 52:40 What is "authentic" culture? 55:59 Making culture sustainable 1:01:12 Working with local governments 1:07:16 Are traditional arts being preserved? 1:09:37 Where to visit in Kyushu -- Follow Alex: https://gotoku.travel/ https://gotoku.consulting/ https://www.instagram.com/gotokutravel/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan…

Meet Alex Karlsson, a Swedish idol music producer based in Seoul, Korea, known for his work with Korean groups like Ateez and Enhyphen, as well as Japanese groups like SixTones and &Team. He sits down to talk to us about the foundations of idol music, the differences between k-pop and j-pop, and the authenticity of manufactured pop music. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Start as artist 7:55 Transition to producer 11:39 Royalty split in k-pop vs. j-pop 14:16 Producing hits for foreign bands 19:25 K-pop vs. j-pop 23:21 The sound of manufactured pop 30:49 Modern idols are more involved in production 33:33 When the slave contract ends 35:30 The breadth of Asian pop music 41:00 Why k-pop is huge overseas but j-pop isn't 44:55 How Gangnam Style changed k-pop 47:25 Breaking in to the Japan market 50:51 Why Japan is so different 53:36 How moving to Korea changed his career 58:37 Adding emotion to manufactured pop 1:00:55 What's most important when producing 1:02:12 Boy bands vs. girl groups 1:05:28 The problem with AI music…

Meet Joey, a Japanese-Australian content creator known by his alias The Anime Man. He sits down to talk to us about his passion for manga and anime, moving to Japan to make anime videos and what that's taught him about the anime and manga industry, as well as his work on the Trash Taste Podcast and his fashion brand NØИSENSE. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Joey 6:19 Early obsession with manga 13:07 Moving to Japan for anime reasons 16:18 Early anime YouTube 18:31 Interviewing manga authors 23:36 What makes manga so popular? 27:56 Joey's favorite manga 36:29 Trash Taste started in a karaoke bar 45:54 Being "the" anime man 49:18 Anime has gone mainstream 54:48 Going beyond Shonen Jump 1:00:14 What's important in good anime 1:08:36 The secret doujin engine running the industry 1:17:54 Branching out beyond anime 1:23:53 Tackling Japan misinformation 1:33:38 Starting a fashion brand 1:40:38 Licensing IP for fashion 1:45:11 What makes NØИSENSE cool 1:50:57 Work as a musician 1:57:18 What's next? -- Follow Joey:…

Meet Lowell, the retired director of Hope International in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. He sits down to talk to us about running an NPO in Japan and the challenges of operating here, as well as his retired life as a YouTuber sailing around Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Lowell 4:54 Leaving missionary work 7:02 Founding an NGO in Japan 11:06 NGOs in Japan 15:01 The Fukushima disaster at home 17:56 How to spend $2.5 million 29:42 Lessons biking across Japan 38:29 Sailing around Japan 45:11 Japanese boating license 48:04 Buying a boat 51:03 First trip in Japan 56:15 Lessons sailing across Japan 59:11 Settling in Okinawa 1:04:15 What you should know about sailing in Japan 1:17:10 Book and research on longetivity -- Follow Lowell: @JapanSoloNotes @nevertoolateacademy https://www.instagram.com/lowellinjapan/ https://www.nevertoolateacademy.com/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Amanda, an photography gallery manager and consultant living in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her work exhibiting Asian/Japanese photography, her work in book design, and why physical books still matter. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Amanda 5:18 Post-colonial grandfather 8:23 Studying at Waseda 20:26 Start in gallery work 28:54 Galleries in Japan 32:55 Exhibiting Chinese photography 37:46 Japanese audience interest 40:16 Photo galleries as a business 42:12 Amanda's favorite projects 49:38 Focus on designing photography books 1:05:52 Why books still matter 1:19:59 How to get into Japanese photography 1:29:27 Current projects 1:42:03 Working as an exhibition producer 1:48:05 How to fit into a community -- Follow Amanda: https://www.intermediart.co/ https://www.nitesha.com/ https://lolingning.tumblr.com/illustration Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Pablo Aida, a shibari artist who's been practicing in Japan for the last 10 years. He sits down to talk to us about discovering shibari, the philosophy and history behind it, the differences between shibari and kinbaku, and the common misconceptions of this still developing art form. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Coming to Japan 10:44 Deciding to stay 12:42 Discovering shibari 19:14 Shibari apprenticeship 31:57 Why tie people up? 41:05 Kinbaku vs. shibari vs. BDSM 47:36 Does shibari have rules? 51:40 Common shibari misconceptions 54:16 Shibari and the power of surrender 1:07:05 Shibari overseas vs. Japan -- Follow Pablo: https://www.pabloaida.com https://aidamethod.studio https://www.instagram.com/pablo.shibari Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more…

Meet Keiko Fukuichi, a Japanese freelance translator, who sits down to talk to us about her experience translating games, particularly indie darlings Undertale and Hades. She talks to us about nuances of Japanese translation, the biggest challenges she's had, and her experiences studying abroad and learning English. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 How Keiko learned English 5:10 Studying at Florida high school 11:20 Deciding on translation as a career 13:40 Translation school 18:28 Interest in book translation 23:44 Experience as a gamer 25:35 First game translation project 27:21 Limitations translating games to Japanese 28:40 Taking on Undertale project 30:12 Translating Papyrus 33:40 Limitations of not using kanji 38:41 Keiko's translation philosophy 40:35 Translating puns, jokes, and memes 43:54 Working with Toby "Radiation" Fox 45:11 Translation workflow 48:37 Do you play your own work? 49:48 Translating Hades 52:33 Translating old English 55:41 Can you use difficult kanji? 1:00:14 Translating with voice acting…

Meet Ray, an entrepreneur running a ryokan in Toyama. He sits down to talk to us about his experience in the hospitality industry, his interest and move to Japan, and his challenges establishing a business under the government's new regulations. After recording our interview, Ray thought it would be important to share his visa status. That segment has been added to the beginning of the interview for context. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Ray's visa situation 3:48 30 days to leave 8:46 What now? 11:27 Main interview—Why Japan? 18:04 Finding a property to buy 23:36 Business manager visa 25:34 Bringing family to Japan 28:46 Coming to Japan for Ray's children 35:39 The real work begins 37:01 Hotel licenses in Japan 40:57 Building a team in Japan 44:28 Setting up a restaurant/bakery 47:57 Navigating the language barrier 53:00 Joining the community in Toyama 56:37 How Ray financed his hotel 59:14 What he's learned since arriving 1:01:32 Why you should visit Toyama -- Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/…

Meet Derek, co-founder of YukiHomes, a service that helps people overseas buy cheap homes in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his own journey buying an akiya in Japan and running a business from overseas, as well as how YukiHomes fits into Japan's problems with depopulation and gentrification. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Buying their first home in Japan 7:14 Skiing in Japan vs. the U.S. 12:28 Why Japan? 14:18 Discovering akiya 18:49 Regulations on rental properties 26:36 Why buy property in Japan? 29:21 Should foreigners be allowed to buy property? 32:19 Building community businesses 34:15 Operating a business from overseas 41:20 Getting stopped at the airport 44:42 The "right" way to buy akiya? 49:14 Aging ski infrastructure 52:14 Dealing with an old Japanese house 55:22 Next steps -- Follow Derek: https://www.yukihomes.com https://www.instagram.com/yukihomesjapan @YukiHomes Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan…

Meet Martin Fackler, a journalist and author based in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his career in China and Japan, what went into reporting his biggest stories, and the problems with Japan's kisha club system. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Martin 8:50 Advantages of a foreign journalist 15:48 Journalistic autonomy 29:20 Japanese bank extortion story 37:42 Managing information as a journalist 44:23 The Hainan incident 49:15 Running from the Chinese police 55:08 Responsibility to international conflict 59:54 The Japanese banking crisis 1:09:45 Responsibility as Tokyo Bureau Chief 1:15:34 The Fukushima disaster 1:31:45 Journalism vs. safety 1:40:53 Why don't we know what happened? 1:46:33 Failure of the Japanese media 1:56:07 The Japanese press oligarchies 2:06:28 Social media's influence on journalism 2:19:28 Why AI can't do journalism 2:22:53 Looking ahead -- Follow Martin: https://x.com/martfack Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Philip, an author and photographer who's spent years documenting Japan's jazz kissa, who sits down to talk to us about his work and the cafes he's explored in his book. He tells us about the history and culture of jazz kissa, and the growing interest in analogue culture. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Coming to Japan on JET 10:40 What he learned as a JET teacher 19:54 Starting photography in Yokohama 22:39 The importance of Bebop Square 32:02 Next photography projects 36:05 Documenting jazz kissa 45:25 Origin of jazz kissa 51:02 Why jazz kissa are so special 59:34 Are jazz kissa dying? 1:02:30 Looking back 1:10:06 Future projects -- Follow Philip: https://www.philiparneill.com/ https://www.tokyojazzjoints.com/ https://www.instagram.com/philiparneill/ https://www.instagram.com/tokyojazzjoints Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts…

Meet Hanna, an activist who has been living with chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as PTSD. She sits down to talk to us about her experiences living with invisible illness in Japan, and her views on Japan's medial and social welfare systems. -- 0:00 Intro 0:26 Some context from Tobi 2:32 Meet Hanna 3:14 When her pain started 5:13 Response from doctors 7:40 Realizing her situation is not normal 9:39 Breaking free from her family 12:27 What are Hanna's illnesses? 13:50 Understanding her own life 15:08 Starting social media 17:37 Japanese health care/social support 20:04 Daily life for Hanna 23:13 Hanna's medication 24:37 Social media response 26:26 Has Hanna's messaged reached researchers? 28:58 What should change in Japan? 32:12 Starting a GoFundMe 38:31 Hanna's goals 39:59 Hanna's dreams 42:14 How Hanna experiences pain 44:41 Dealing with prejudice 45:44 Message from Hanna -- Follow Hanna: @hanna_with_pain https://www.instagram.com/hanna_with_pain…

Meet Roland Kelts, an author known for his book Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. He sits down to talk to us about the anime industry and the spread of Japanese pop culture overseas, as well as his work on the upcoming documentary Tezuka: God of Manga. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Roland 4:29 Building a stronger connection to Japan 8:55 Joining the JET Programme to write about Japan 15:20 Living alone in Japan 24:04 Leaving Japan to build a career 29:43 Writing Japanamerica 36:40 Studying Tezuka and anime 40:22 How otaku brought anime overseas 45:34 The 4Kids incident 47:49 Has the anime industry changed over 20 years? 55:58 The Tezuka documentary 1:00:14 Why Tezuka was so influential 1:03:27 How Tezuka came to be 1:06:44 Challenges of producing a documentary 1:11:08 Looking back 1:21:39 The power of pop culture 1:26:03 The world viewed from Japan -- Follow Roland: https://www.instagram.com/rolandkelts/ https://x.com/rolandkelts https://www.japanamericabook.com/ Follow us:…

Meet Sayaka, a Japanese teacher known for her work on her channel Nihongo Dekita. She sits down to talk to us about her own journey to English fluency, discovering a passion for teaching language, and how she built her brand and Japanese school online. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 How Sayaka learned English 10:26 Studying teaching abroad 22:52 Work for company hiring immigrants in Japan 27:54 Starting her own teaching company 30:53 Growth on social media 38:41 Hiring her own teachers 40:37 How to make online lessons succeed 49:05 Should you learn by watching TV? 52:29 How to get fluent in a language 57:02 Learning vocabulary 1:04:54 Looking back -- Follow Sayaka: https://nihongodekita.com/ @NihongoDekita https://www.instagram.com/nihongodekita/ https://www.facebook.com/nihongodekita/ https://www.tiktok.com/@nihongodekita Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts…

Meet Kofi Bazell-Smith, the United States' first manga professor. He sits down to talk to us about the rules, form, and history of manga, his work in teaching and cultural relations, as well as his own projects as an artist. --0:00 Intro0:50 Start in martial arts5:16 Deciding to take manga seriously10:30 Studying with a manga professor13:38 The rules of manga19:13 How this experienced changed him22:50 Manga as an academic art form26:48 Manga can be anything29:28 How Tezuka brought filmmaking to manga34:20 Becoming the manga professor37:52 Manga as a cross-cultural art form43:34 Is there a market for foreign manga?49:36 Kofi's manga53:39 Publishing manga57:28 Working with Japanese manga schools1:01:54 Exhibiting manga in an art gallery1:06:13 Kofi's work in US-Japan cultural relations--Follow Kofi:https://www.kofimanga.com Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Sandul, a real estate agent in Tokyo. He sits down to talk to us about the reality of renting, the difficulties of renting as a foreigner or student, and how to settle in as a new resident in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Sandul 1:27 Scholarship in Japan 10:00 Sri Lankan student association 14:27 First job in Japan 21:47 Start in content creation 25:27 Japanese house tour videos 31:29 Why do people let you film their house? 34:30 Start in real estate industry 38:20 Foreigner friendly apartments? 42:54 Biggest surprises in real estate 47:07 What makes a good property? 49:24 How long it takes to rent 54:06 Where Sandul lives 57:05 Sandul's favorite stories 1:04:50 What people should know about his interviewees -- Follow Sandul: https://www.instagram.com/sandulvinsuka/ https://www.instagram.com/vinsuka.fromtokyo/ https://www.instagram.com/japanhometours/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Christiane, an actress based in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her work in theatre in improv, performing for Japanese vs. English audiences, and her roles in projects like Death Stranding and Godzilla. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Christiane 5:42 Coming to Japan 12:52 Start in acting 16:09 Start in improv 25:29 Performing improv in Tokyo 37:19 Role in Shin Godzilla 46:10 Being scouted for Death Stranding 49:45 Performing motion capture 56:40 Looking back 1:01:04 Support group for female actors in Tokyo 1:09:28 The magic of theatre -- Follow Christiane: https://www.christianebrew.com/ https://www.instagram.com/christianebrew/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a…

Today we sit down again with Anton Wormann, an akiya renovation specialist and content creator based in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his renovation projects, the legal regulations about renovations in Japan, the failure and abandonment of his Chiba farm project, and the lessons he's learned along the way. -- 0:00 Intro 0:49 Meet Anton 1:38 First commercial project 7:41 Documenting the work 9:43 The Chiba farmhouse 13:26 The dream waterfall house 16:05 Chiba farmhouse failure 21:38 Lessons learned 25:22 What you should know about akiya 30:45 How to buy akiya responsibly 33:52 How the tax system creates akiya 36:38 Tokyo's anti-renovation legislation 40:18 Anton's Japandi company 43:16 Getting a real estate license 48:56 Renovating the waterfall house 1:01:34 How much did it cost? 1:06:00 Next steps 1:09:39 The power of social media 1:13:04 Looking back -- Follow Anton: @ANTONINJAPAN https://www.instagram.com/anton.injapan https://www.tiktok.com/@antoninjapan…

Meet Dan Wilson, a Tokyo-based comedian performing manzai and stand up between America and Japan. He sits down to talk to us about going to comedy school and finding a manzai partner, signing to and leaving an agency, and the ins and outs of the Japanese comedy world. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Dan 2:09 Growing up half Japanese in America 8:05 Discovering Japanese comedy 16:02 Going to comedy school 25:09 Getting signed 27:48 Manzai is a marriage 33:48 Being funny as a non-native 40:55 The reality of comedy agencies 45:56 Social media & Japanese comedy 53:54 Going independent 1:01:48 Performing in English vs. Japanese 1:12:01 Looking back 1:15:35 How to do dirty comedy well -- Follow Dan: https://www.instagram.com/danielywilson https://www.tiktok.com/@danielywilson @Badonkadonk_official @SUPERGREATTIMETOKYO Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts…

Meet Hori Benny, a tattoo artist and owner of Invasion Club tattoo studio in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about the history and changing culture of Japanese tattoos, his own grueling apprenticeship, the challenges of running a tattoo business in Japan, and his own anime-inspired "otattoo" style. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Hori Benny 7:14 JET Programme in Kagoshima 14:21 Introduction to tattoo culture 20:31 Tattoo apprenticeship in Osaka 32:12 First time tattooing someone 35:26 What makes a good tattoo 44:22 Opening Invasion Club studio 46:24 History of Japanese tattoos 50:27 Japanese police vs. tattooers 56:25 Otattoo style 1:03:33 Benny's tattoo philosophy 1:10:55 Taking on an apprentice 1:14:32 Expanding to Tokyo 1:22:23 Looking back 1:26:40 What's next -- Follow Hori Benny: https://horibenny.com/ https://invasion.club/ https://www.instagram.com/horibenny/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan…

Meet Akira Tokuhiro, a Japanese Canadian nuclear engineering professor based in Ontario, Canada. He sits down to talk to us about the current and future role of nuclear as a clean energy source, Japan's response to incidents like Fukushima, and how we can move towards carbon net zero. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Akira 9:06 Interest in nuclear 19:25 Types of reactors 24:04 Working in Japan 28:36 Japan Atomic Energy Agency 30:58 Japan's reactors 33:51 Nuclear safety and earthquakes 37:12 What happened at Fukushima 39:38 Government response 44:05 How reactors are shut down 54:06 Restarting reactors 56:08 Life cycle of a nuclear plant 58:28 Problems with prolonged shutdown 1:00:50 Current public opinion 1:05:54 Nuclear's role in carbon net zero 1:14:22 Regaining confidence in nuclear 1:19:42 Developing nuclear technology 1:21:49 Expanding global nuclear energy 1:28:00 How to educate about nuclear -- Follow Akira: https://x.com/TokuhiroAkira Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Aki Yamaguchi, a Thai-Japanese content creator and MC living and working between both countries. She sits down to talk to us about growing up in an international school abroad, finding her own identity and starting a visual kei band, and how her unique background led her to where she is today. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Aki 1:16 International school in Thailand 7:19 Embracing Japanese side 11:27 Finding her own style 13:20 Starting a band 20:38 Bringing the band to Japan 25:50 Start of MC career 31:33 Covid and growing on TikTok 44:32 Addressing stereotypes online 47:40 Aki's unique opportunities 50:40 Branching out to English content 59:22 Content between languages 1:03:01 Aki's message to the dreamers Follow Aki: @akinoyuutsu https://www.instagram.com/akinoyuutsu https://www.tiktok.com/@aki_yamaguchi https://www.facebook.com/akinoyuutsupage/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Kenny, a rickshaw driver in Asakusa, Tokyo, who sits down to talk to us about what its like to work as one of these traditional tour guides. He tells us about his professional rugby career, his plans to open a mochi shop, and what it takes to be a rickshaw driver. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Kenny 2:08 Starting as a rugby player 6:25 Going pro 10:37 Playing in Australia 18:52 Looking back on rugby career 21:53 Mochi shop 26:30 Becoming a rickshaw driver 33:04 Work as rickshaw driver 36:52 Tour guide in & out of Tokyo 43:37 Working with rickshaw company 45:10 Secret to good service 49:37 Plans for mochi shop 51:43 Most difficult skill for rickshaw drivers -- Follow Kenny: https://www.instagram.com/asakusa_rickshaw https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_rickshaw Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Manami Ozakaki, an author who writes books on Japanese arts and culture. She sits down to talk to us about the history of Japanese tattoos, the artists who made them, and how Japan's tattoo culture is changing in the modern era. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Manami 7:31 Moving to Japan 16:23 Writing for magazines 18:25 Manami's books 24:53 History of Japanese tattoos 29:05 Tattoo conventions 34:45 Is perception of tattoos changing? 37:35 The beauty of tattoos 42:26 Japanese tattoo artists 59:28 How to find artists 1:05:06 Japanese book culture -- Follow Manami: https://www.maki23.com https://www.instagram.com/manami.tokyo Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global…

Meet Jake, an international school principal living in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about the reality of teaching in Japan, including what people should expect, what companies do, and how to actually build a career teaching here.. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Jake 5:11 First time in Japan 12:15 First experience as a teacher 20:44 A career in teaching English 27:38 The reality of being an ALT 36:51 The role of teaching companies 43:12 Teaching licenses 48:00 Becoming principal 1:02:11 What people should know 1:06:15 What should change -- Follow Jake: @jakejapanjapan Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is…

Meet Priyanka, an Indian-Japanese entrepreneur who sits down to talk to us about her life growing up as a hafu in Japan. She tells us about being the only hafu in Japanese school, winning Miss World Japan in 2016, her time on reality TV show Love is Blind Japan, and her work as a model and entrepreneur. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Priyanka 4:46 Moving to California 12:22 Moving back to Japan 14:14 Bullying in Japanese schools 25:53 Becoming a model 30:51 Entering Miss World Japan 34:57 The elephant trainer thing 40:27 Winning as a hafu 50:56 Start as an entrepreneur 1:03:03 Love is Blind 1:16:35 Moving to London 1:20:22 Learning ikebana 1:25:02 Looking back -- Follow Priyanka: https://www.instagram.com/priyankayoshikawa/ https://open.spotify.com/show/4iVGYMYvEtksY766NhicEq?si=b20f3f83bbcf4ba0 https://x.com/priyayoshikawa @AuthenticallyMe-podcast Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…

Meet Nancy Singleton Hachisu, a cookbook author living on a rural farm in Saitama. She sits down to talk to us about coming to Japan, discovering the beautiful simplicty of Japanese farm food, and writing her cookbooks on Japanese home cooking. -- 0:00 Intro 0:45 Meet Nancy 5:32 Coming to Japan 11:09 Impressions of the food 17:12 Moving to a farm 23:05 Homeschooling and edible schoolyard 32:24 Writing a cookbook 38:54 What you should know about Japanese food 43:11 How to incorporate Japanese ingredients 51:03 Publishing a book in Japan 1:07:04 Current projects 1:16:27 Where to start with Japanese cooking -- Follow Nancy: https://www.nancysingletonhachisu.com/ https://www.instagram.com/nancyhachisu/ https://www.facebook.com/nancy.hachisu Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Lauren Rose Kocher, an entrepreneur and CEO of multiple businesses in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her journey to Japan, working in the Japanese music industry before leaving to start her own business, and inheriting businesses from her late husband. -- 0:00 Intro 0:45 Meet Lauren 4:30 Teaching English in Japan 8:58 Entering the music industry 15:09 What the music industry is like 19:05 Cyndi Lauper earthquake story 31:50 Working at Sony 44:50 Moving on 47:32 Establishing her own company 51:15 The COVID jackpot 58:00 Expansion and burnout 1:03:52 Having to leave her own company 1:09:13 Lauren's late husband 1:12:44 Starting a new company 1:15:10 Converting defunct family business 1:21:26 Looking back 1:25:32 Husband's businesses -- Follow Lauren: https://www.laurenrosekocher.com/ https://www.instagram.com/laurenrosekocher/ https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenrosekocher https://laurenrosekocher.substack.com/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Ameya, an Indian director born and raised in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about growing up in Japan, her entry into the Tokyo art scene, and her work as a film director. -- 0:45 Meet Ameya 1:20 Growing up Indian in Tokyo 11:37 Realizing how society views you 14:50 Joining the creative industry 19:18 Stepping behind the camera 23:04 Making connections 28:03 Becoming a filmmaker 37:14 Shooting for big brands 45:25 Differences shooting in Japan 50:58 Ameya's first movie 56:10 The creator economy 1:02:35 Gaining confidence as a creator -- Follow Ameya: https://ameya.click/ https://www.instagram.com/ameya.click/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce…

Meet Richard, a professor of Noh and Asian performing arts at Musashino University in Tokyo, as well as the founder and director of Theatre Nohgaku. He sits down to talk to us about the art and history of Noh, common misconceptions that foreigners and Japanese people have, and his own journey to the Noh world in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:46 Meet Richard 6:56 What is Noh? 11:42 The yooooooooo 17:24 Noh vs. Kabuki 20:14 Origins of Noh 22:50 Where plays come from 30:31 Richard's start in Noh 35:30 Noh actor families 41:05 Noh instruments 47:57 Writing the book on Noh 51:39 Popularity of Noh 59:49 The Noh stage 1:04:43 Modern Noh plays 1:07:08 English Noh plays 1:10:30 Noh masks 1:23:17 Appreciating Noh -- Follow Richard: https://www.theatrenohgaku.org/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan…

Meet Matcha Samurai, a Japanese creator known for his infectious laugh. He sits down to talk to us about his identity as someone from Kochi, his life abroad in London, and being a creator with the role of assumed Japanese culture expert. A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here: https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan -- 0:00 Intro 1:07 Meet Matcha Samurai 3:14 Interest in studying abroad 6:02 Arriving in London 10:32 Start as creator 13:08 Role as defacto culture expert 17:40 Thoughts on "JaPaN" as a Japanese 21:42 Why he doesn't monetize his videos 23:26 Career in London 25:40 Trying not to get cancelled 31:25 Topics he avoids 33:14 On his unique laugh 39:52 Looking back on 10 years in London 47:11 Kochi people are different 51:46 Where to go in Kochi 56:47 Why everywhere in Japan is so different 59:12 Looking back 1:03:01 What to know coming to Japan -- Follow Matcha Samurai:…

Meet Harald Naess, a trumpeter for the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. He sits down to talk to us about moving to Japan, learning Japanese while finding a common language in German, and the differences in work ethic and performance in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:45 Meet Harald 4:14 First music study 6:35 Arriving in Japan 10:00 Differences playing in Japan 14:05 Japanese approach to music 18:39 First performance in Japan 24:00 Why Harald was selected 28:12 Music is like noodles 33:04 Impactful performances 39:59 Orchestra group dynamics 44:10 Bringing a younger audience 45:17 Teaching Japanese students 57:47 Looking back 59:29 Sailing in Japan 1:04:05 Getting a license 1:08:56 Sailing experiences 1:11:30 Why moving here was easy -- Follow Harald: https://www.facebook.com/kyototrumpet/ https://www.instagram.com/kyotoviking/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/2xLfjz5BJ3y6LzJZP0YFIO?si=QMojHzocS52j8axopG12vg Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan…

Meet Sylvia Manchester, a self-titled Natural Born Diva working as an entertainer and drag bar host in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her studies abroad, interest in queer literature, coming out, and the birth of the Sylvia Manchester character.A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here:https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan -- 0:00 Intro 1:07 Meet Sylvia Manchester 6:35 First interest in drag 7:54 Being gay in Tokyo vs. Britain 12:10 Starting drag in Japan 14:02 Queer literature and gay identity 22:08 Start in drag bar 24:54 Being closeted in a Japanese office 27:37 Becoming a professional drag queen 32:16 Golden Gai 35:45 Interest in Chanson 41:30 Birth of Sylvia Manchester 43:29 Busking in Tokyo 47:15 Finding a place in the Tokyo drag community 50:00 Translating Chanson to Japanese 51:43 What Golden Gai is like 58:32 Balancing drag and normal personas 1:00:36 The Sylvia Manchester queendom 1:03:40…

Meet Will, a host and content creator for Japan Gay Guide in Tokyo. He tells us about how his love for the band Perfume brought him to Japan, what being gay in Japan is like, and his work in LGBT tourism with Japan Gay Guide. -- 0:00 Intro 0:46 Meet Will 5:30 Arriving in Kagoshima 10:35 Coming back to Japan 17:49 Being gay in Japan vs. Sydney 25:45 What is Japan Gay Guide? 28:40 Japan as a safe haven 32:58 Planning what to publish 38:01 How views on LGBT have changed 41:52 Where to go in Japan 46:55 What's next -- Follow Will: @willbennett2000 https://www.instagram.com/willbennett2000/ https://www.tiktok.com/@willbennett2000 Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global…

Meet Lawson, a British creator who first came to Japan living in Kobe and Nishinomiya, where he quickly picked up the Kansai dialect. Now living in Tokyo, he's become known for his fluent dialect as a foreigner. A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here: https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan -- 0:00 Intro 1:07 Meet Lawson 4:36 Learning Japanese 7:41 Studying Japanese in university 10:19 Coming to Japan 16:11 Becoming a salaryman 25:18 Origin of name Honmani Lawson 29:51 Move to comedy videos 36:39 How Japanese comedy works 41:42 Reacting to videos as a foreigner 43:22 Learning Japanese comedy 48:08 Does this interfere with your job? 52:14 How comedy changed his life in Japan 54:30 Looking back 58:31 Impact of his platform -- Follow Lawson: @honmanilawson https://www.instagram.com/honmanilawson/ https://www.tiktok.com/@honmanilawson https://honmanilawson.com/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/…

Meet Genoa, a content creator with a very unique life that brought him to Japan. He sits down to talk to us about growing up in a cult, before leaving and eventually coming to Okinawa as an exchange student in high school, and his current life preparing for studying at language school and going viral sharing his experiences in Japan. A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here: https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan -- 0:00 Intro 1:07 Growing up in a cult 5:07 Reactions to cult story 9:55 Interest in Japan study abroad 13:02 Arriving in Okinawa 17:26 Life in Okinawa 21:14 Japanese high school 25:43 Comparisons to American school 33:42 Going viral 41:28 Thoughts on social media career 48:02 Genoa's view on "Japan" content 51:21 Consulting Japanese on his comedy 53:09 Working with brands 56:04 Language school in Japan -- Follow Genoa: https://www.instagram.com/genoaorion/ https://www.tiktok.com/@genoaorion…

Meet Gia, a Korean born creator who grew up in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her very multicultural and multilingual life in Japan, from international school to Waseda University.--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Gia5:17 Internation school in Tokyo9:25 Applying to Waseda12:39 Growing up in a foreign bubble16:28 Student life at Waseda20:07 Studying at Waseda22:43 International school vs. university in Japan26:17 University life29:46 Content interviewing other students33:40 Transitioning to full-time creator36:02 Japanese vs. foreign viewers39:44 Waseda vs. other universities43:32 Looking forward46:02 Being Christian in Japan51:56 Seoul Sista podcastFollow Gia: @gialores https://www.instagram.com/gialores/https://www.tiktok.com/@gialores Follow…

Meet Bernd Kestler, a German knitter living in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about moving to Japan in the 80s, his love for knitting, and exactly how he's established this unconventional career in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:45 Meet Bernd 7:08 First interest in knitting 12:32 Knitting in Japan 14:55 Knitting full-time 16:54 Knitting in Japan vs. Germany 22:27 Understanding knitting designs 24:03 Japanese knitting designs 28:33 Guiness record blanket for Tohoku 37:07 First knitting book 42:29 Japanese yarn 44:28 How the book affected his career 46:51 Translating knitting concepts to Japanese 49:36 Collaboration with Komeda Coffee 54:10 Knitting creative projects 58:55 Japanese color palettes 1:01:30 Those spiky things on the table 1:08:51 Looking back 1:16:29 Knitting innovation -- Follow Bernd: http://berndkestler.com/ ⁨@BerndKestler⁩ https://www.instagram.com/berndkestler/ https://www.facebook.com/bernd.kestler/ https://linktr.ee/berndkestler Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/…

Meet James Farrer, Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at Sophia University. He sits down to talk to us his sociology study in China and Shanghai, before moving to Tokyo and finding his own community by studying the third spaces that exist in the restaurants around train stations. -- 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meet James 3:32 Shanghai in the 90s 8:27 Studies at Fudan University 12:18 Coming to Japan 15:34 Finding community in Tokyo 18:14 The reality of Midnight Diner 21:20 Experiences as an outsider 28:42 Differences in Tokyo neighborhoods 33:53 Street food in Japan? 37:02 James's NHK program 41:42 Differences between Tokyo and Shanghai 46:23 Foreigner-run restaurants 50:50 Challenges telling stories on TV 55:10 Kabukicho nightlife 59:30 How comparable are Tokyo and Shanghai really? 1:02:36 Have you found your place in Tokyo? 1:09:24 The paradoxical freedom of big cities -- Follow James: https://www.nishiogiology.org/ https://www.instagram.com/japanfoodresearch/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesfarrer/ Follow us:…

Meet Kristine aka Kfel, a Filipino Canadian content creator based in Tokyo completing what she calls "magical girl sidequests." She sits down to talk to us about her interest and subsequent internship in Japan, her journey to fluency, going viral on TikTok, and becoming a magical girl -- 0:00 Intro 0:45 Meet Kristine 7:07 Internship in Japan 18:47 Start in content creation 20:58 Getting her first sponsor 26:52 The struggle of bringing cats to Japan 33:09 How Kfel got so fluent 41:47 Moving to Japan 43:55 Finding a community here 48:17 How Japan changed her videos 50:34 How girl walk in Tokyo 56:28 Working with GeeXPlus 1:01:12 Advice for aspiring creators 1:04:05 Getting into cosplay 1:07:40 What's next 1:09:57 Kfel's favorite anime 1:13:07 What makes a good anime? 1:15:28 Kfel's struggle with identity -- Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts…

Meet River, a correspondent for the New York Times based in Japan. She sits down to talk to us about Japan's current political and economic climate, the life of a journalist in Japan, and the role of a journalist in the age of social media.--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet River4:40 Deciding to stay in Japan9:05 Being a journalist in the Trump presidency12:18 Start at WSJ and Bloomberg16:11 Being unbiased a a journalist19:40 Moving to Japan as a journalist26:32 Journalistic ethics vs business31:03 Personal interest in stories35:40 Finding experts to interview40:31 Investigative journalism42:30 Where are you when big events happen?47:01 The Alaska LNG story55:00 Treatment as a female journalist59:19 Role of written journalism1:06:47 Balancing business and integrity1:10:41 What's next for River1:12:52 Portrayal of Takaichi 1:16:13 How much context readers need--Follow River:https://www.nytimes.com/by/river-akira-davishttps://x.com/riverakiradavisFollow…

Meet Paula, English localization lead at Square Enix in Japan. She sits down to talk to us about how she broke into the localization industry, misconceptions about game translation, what it was like to work on titles like Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana, and how she got the chance to sing for Final Fantasy XIV.--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Paula2:11 Teaching on the JET Programme9:45 Start in localization industry14:25 Misconceptions about game localization22:37 Challenges in localization25:53 How long does localization take?27:30 Naming consistency31:42 Gaming as work vs. hobby33:15 Context when translating34:22 Translating Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters42:31 How big is the localization team?43:41 Fan reaction45:53 Other big projects at Square Enix48:31 Localization process between games49:52 Changing industry51:29 Singing/voice acting for Final Fantasy59:56 Voice director for Visions of Mana1:02:00 How to be a good translator1:04:44 Upcoming projects1:06:32 More localization misconceptions--Square…

Meet Avril Haye-Matsui, a professor at Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya. She sits down to talk to us about the reality of being black in Japan, raising mixed black children here, how people treat black people can vary depending on what country you're from, and --0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Avril3:36 Arriving on the JET Program9:16 Staying and moving to academia14:57 Research on identity in Japan18:54 PhD studies24:33 Study into being black in Japan28:33 Students' perception of identity37:47 Changing perception of blackness today39:55 Personal experience of blackness in Japan44:01 Avril's children's experiences51:03 Being black as children vs. teenagers53:53 Interactions with Japanese schools57:35 Women's empowerment circle1:06:56 Advice for black people coming to Japan--Follow Avril:https://womenempowermentcirclegroup.net/https://www.instagram.com/bwijgroup/Follow…

Meet David Kornhauser, Director of Global Communications at Kyoto University. He sits down to talk with us about how Japanese universities are becoming more international, his work in science communication, and the proliferation of nobel prizes from Kyoto University.--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet David3:15 Rediscovering Japanese roots9:46 International bubble universities12:41 PR for Tokyo Electric Power17:30 Working in foreign services in China22:48 Connection to Japan while abroad25:53 Returning to Japan30:03 Working for Kyoto University32:54 Language barrier at international universities37:48 How Japanese universities operate39:44 Perception of international students47:36 Nobel prizes from Kyoto University52:31 Science communication1:02:07 Kyoto's Yoshida dorm1:12:31 The importance of Japanese universities--Kyoto University:https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/enFollow…

Meet Dr. Harriet Ocharo, an applied AI researcher from Kenya working in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about coming to Japan on the MEXT scholarship, moving to Tokyo to work in the tech industry, and her experiences as a single mother here in Japan. --0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Harriet4:55 Why Japan?8:13 MEXT scholarship10:25 Arriving at a Japanese university20:17 Cultural surprises27:02 Move to Tokyo30:55 Japanese questions about Kenya35:17 Joining a large Japanese company38:11 Challenges joining a Japanese company41:49 What AI is actually useful for47:11 Japanese AI situation52:47 Do Japanese companies want foreigners?54:19 Being a single mother in Japan1:00:40 What support does Japan provide?1:03:49 Raising black children in Japan1:07:05 What made you stay?1:08:55 Next steps--Follow Harriet:https://savvykenya.com/https://x.com/savvykenyahttps://www.instagram.com/savvykenya/https://savvykenya.wordpress.com/Follow…

Meet David, a writer based in Japan, who sits down to talk with us about the origins of Western fashion and culture in Japan. He tells us about how Western fashions are brought over, common misconceptions people have, and how Japanese culture actually develops over time.--0:00 Intro0:46 Meet David5:04 Moving to Japan12:35 Unpacking the myth of Japanese culture23:02 Interest in fashion25:56 Evolution of fashion in Japan vs. the US29:18 Fashion genres in Japan33:30 David's book about social status40:02 Research for cultural analysis43:32 Societal value changes over the last 25 years49:38 Work on The New Japan magazine53:34 Rediscovering rural Japan1:02:29 Japan's disappearing places1:09:15 Japanese fashion magazine authority1:15:19 Do you understand Japanese culture yet?1:18:07 Japan is not an other--Follow David:https://www.neomarxisme.com/https://culture.ghost.io/https://www.instagram.com/wdavidmarx/https://x.com/wdavidmarxhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidmarx.bsky.socialFollow…