Unpacking Japan

Meet Chris Hart, an American-born Japanese singer who rose to fame suddenly in 2013, getting the opportunity to sing on Kohaku the same year he debuted. He sits down to talk to us about learning Japanese and being thrust into the spotlight so soon after moving to Japan, how he carved out a new path to success as a foreigner and how he sets himself apart from other j-pop singers, as well as steppin...

Meet Billy Blanks, a fitness coach known for his Billy's Bootcamp Tae Bo workout program, which skyrocketed him to celebrity status when it came to Japan. He sits down to talk about developing Tae Bo and Billy's Bootcamp, what it was like coming to Japan for the first time, and his own fitness goals here. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Finding out he's famous in Japan 4:15 Developing Tae Bo workou...

Meet Carla, a German designer known for her videos sharing her eccentric and sometimes silly office and coworkers in Japan. She sits down to talk to us about her journey to and misadventures in Japan, how she got hired at her company and what she does, and projects like the manga she wrote for Comiket. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Interest in Japan and anime 5:36 Coming to Japan 11:07 Internship in Osaka 15...

Meet Adrian, an illustrator in Japan best known for his work on magazines like Popeye, Tarzan, and Hanako. He sits down to talk to us about building his career in Japan, what's great about Japanese magazines, and the secret to being a productive artist. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Adrian 5:13 First year in Aomori 12:19 Coming back to Japan 18:25 Getting work by drawing in public 22:04 Selling poin...

Meet Gearoid Reidy, a journalist at Bloomberg Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his career as a journalist, his perspective covering finance and some of the biggest scandals in recent history, and his perspective as an opinion writer and why people should pay more attention to Japanese politics. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Gearoid 5:03 JET in rural Hiroshima 10:17 Working at Capcom in Osaka 13:0...

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...

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 11:0...

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...

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 Hist...

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 tradition...

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 p...

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 Movin...

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...

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 37:4...

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 apprenticesh...

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 sch...

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 intervi...

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 Wh...

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...

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...

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:...

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...

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 o...

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...

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...