Deep in Japan

⚠️ Trigger Warning : This episode will almost certainly offend you. If you possess even a shred of conventional morality or a functioning conscience, for the sake of your own health and sanity, you may want to skip it. This week, Jeff and Trevor plunge headfirst into the neon abyss of the Goon Cave, armed with nothing but questionable translations, half-finished cocktails, and a deep suspicion of...

Originally aired in January 2025, this episode of Deep in Japan features my conversation with investigative journalist Jake Adelstein about his book The Last Yakuza . The book follows Makoto Saigo, a half-American, half-Japanese man whose failed rock star dreams led him into the world of the yakuza. Through Saigo’s story, Jake explores the history, codes, and brutal realities of Japan’s underworld...

Originally released in May 2022, this episode features my conversation with author and investigative journalist Jake Adelstein about his book Tokyo Vice and the hit TV series it inspired. As the first American reporter assigned to the crime beat at Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun , Jake pulls back the curtain on the yakuza, systemic corruption, and the hidden side of Japanese societ...

Summary: The episode is an unscripted, free-flowing conversation that moves between light personal stories and heavier social commentary. It opens with anecdotes about a family trip to Sado Island and musings on the challenges of learning Japanese, then widens into discussion of rising anti-foreigner sentiment in Japan, often linked to economic strain and overtourism. The hosts explore recent poli...

This is Part 2 of a two-part series with historian and Sōtō Zen priest Brian Daizen Victoria, discussing his groundbreaking book Zen Terror in Prewar Japan . In this episode, we dive deeper into the unsettling reality that Zen—often romanticized as a path of peace and detachment—was, in 1930s Japan, deeply entangled with ultranationalist ideology and acts of domestic terrorism. Through the story o...

In this episode, I speak with Brian Daizen Victoria—Sōtō Zen priest, historian, and author of Zen Terror in Prewar Japan —to uncover a disturbing and often deliberately forgotten chapter in Buddhist history. We explore how Zen, far from being the purely peaceful tradition many imagine, became entangled with ultranationalism and domestic terrorism in 1930s Japan. Along the way, we dive headfirst in...

Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us —every little bit helps keep the podcast going. Be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook . For inquiries, reach us anytime at deep.in.japan.podcast@gmail.com . Finally, don't forget to follow us on SUNO to keep up with all the latest fire, including tracks like:   🔥 Come Get Your Bucket 🔥 Certified Senp...

*This episode was originally published in March 2021 Remember our friend Ted Bonnah, PhD? I’m republishing our podcasts together and putting out a call for support. Ted, a single father navigating a challenging transition to life in Vancouver, could use a hand. You can contribute by donating to his GoFundMe or picking up a copy of his latest book, Heisei Ghosts . Enjoying the show? Please consider...

*This episode was originally published in August 2021 Remember our friend Ted Bonnah, PhD? I’m republishing our podcasts together and putting out a call for support. Ted, a single father navigating a challenging transition to life in Vancouver, could use a hand. You can contribute by donating to his GoFundMe or picking up a copy of his latest book, Heisei Ghosts . Enjoying the show? Please conside...

*This episode was originally published in October 2020 Remember our friend Ted Bonnah, PhD? I’m republishing our podcasts together and putting out a call for support. Ted, a single father navigating a challenging transition to life in Vancouver, could use a hand. You can contribute by donating to his GoFundMe or picking up a copy of his latest book, Heisei Ghosts . Enjoying the Show? Please consid...

Welcome to Happy Hour, where the weird gets weirder, the deep gets deeper, and the news smells faintly of Strong Zero and grilled takoyaki. In this delightfully unhinged episode, we’re throwing it all into the blender—from the absurd chaos of クレクレタコラ and psychedelic escapism of H.R. Pufnstuf , to Osaka’s unstoppable granny idol group Obachaaan dropping heat in “Overpower.” We dive into the...

This episode originally aired in September 2023. In this episode, I sit down with Jon Heese, a former bar owner who naturalized and became a four-time elected political representative in Japan. Born in Saskatchewan and raised in a Mennonite family, Jon’s path took him from rural Canada to the political halls of the Tsukuba Assembly. Whether you’re interested in life abroad, Japanese politics, or e...

John Rucynski returns for his third appearance on the Deep in Japan Podcast, and this time we hit the trail—literally. In this lighthearted yet insightful episode, we follow John through his many adventures hiking across Japan, including the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, an unexpected encounter with a wild boar (spoiler: he got gored by the boar), and a cross-country bike ride for charity....

*This episode originally aired in February 2023 In this episode, we welcome back Professor Steve McCarty for a deep dive into Kūkai the Universal , a historical novel by Ryōtarō Shiba, translated by Akiko Takemoto. Together, we explore the life, vision, and spiritual legacy of Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi), one of Japan’s most influential Buddhist figures. Steve McCarty, originally from Boston, holds a mast...

*This episode originally aired in January 2021 Professor Steve McCarty shares his journey of living in Japan, reflecting on encounters with cultural icons like Alan Watts and Donald Keene. He explores how to balance assimilation with authenticity, consult and negotiate cross-culturally, and maintain both public and private selves in an international family. With local stories, insights on Buddhism...

*This episode originally aired in June 2020 Where did Japan come from—and how did its people see the world around them? In this episode of the Deep in Japan Podcast , professor and storyteller Steve McCarty takes us on a journey through 30,000 years of Japanese history and mythology. From the earliest humans and the rise of the Imperial line to the cultural heights of the Heian Period, he weaves t...

* This episode was originally aired in November 2022. What happens when a pun falls flat across cultures? Why does sarcasm get lost in translation? And can you actually teach someone to understand satire in a second language? In this episode, we once again sit down with educator, researcher, author, and world-re noun ed pun-slinger John Rucynski Jr. , co-editor of Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor...

* This episode was originally aired in July 2022. They came for a year and stayed for a lifetime. In this episode, we once again sit down with educator, researcher, author, and world-re noun ed pun-slinger, John Rucynski Jr. , to discuss his latest anthology, A Passion for Japan: A Collection of Personal Narratives, a deeply human mosaic of stories from 31 contributors who didn’t just survive the...

Originally aired in September of 2016, this episode is the third installment of a three-part series featuring Dr. Arudou Debito, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of Embedded Racism: Japan’s Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination . Due to its enduring relevance and popularity, this series has become a cult classic among listeners of the Deep in Japan podcast.   Episode Overview: Dr....

Originally aired in September of 2016, this episode is the second installment of a three-part series featuring Dr. Arudou Debito, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of Embedded Racism: Japan’s Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination . Due to its enduring relevance and popularity, this series has become a cult classic among listeners of the Deep in Japan podcast.   Episode Overview: Dr....

Originally aired in August of 2016, this episode is the first installment of a three-part series featuring Dr. Arudou Debito, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of Embedded Racism: Japan’s Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination . Due to its enduring relevance and popularity, this series has become a cult classic among listeners of the Deep in Japan podcast.   Episode Overview: Dr. Deb...