Dispatches from Japan

What happened in the summer of 1946 in Shibuya, Tokyo? And why did it happen? Listen and find out.

Check out the twitter for the podcast @JustAnotherCast

Having never experienced what I consider true "culture shock," I take a look at some listicles of common Japanese culture shock and offer my thoughts. #Content. But also, I hope this might be useful to someone coming to Japan for the first time.

Tokyo 2020 is done and dusted. (Still have the Paralympics coming, so don't forget those!). Just some thoughts on the Olympics and why they were/are a problem. #content

Listen and learn about Hitomi Kinue, the first Japanese woman to medal in the Olympics, an all around powerhouse in track and field.

To celebrate(?) landing in Japan 17 years ago and forgetting to leave, let's take a look at some of the things that have changed.

In February of 1972, 5 members of a radical leftist group took a woman hostage and began a 10 day standoff with the police. In this episode, the conclusion to this podcast mini-series, find out about how the standoff ended. YouTube video with news footage of the event: https://youtu.be/cVLo1zAe5oU Yoshikuni Igarashi's article "Dead Bodies and Living Guns: The United Red Army and Its Deadly Pursuit...

(Just a quick note: This episode has some descriptions violent acts and death. Nothing too graphic. But if you're sensitive to that sort of thing, well, just be warned. If you want to skip to episode 3, I'll make sure you understand the gist of the story in that one.) In February of 1972, 5 members of a radical leftist group took a woman hostage and began a 10 day standoff with the police. In the...

In February of 1972, 5 members of a radical leftist group took a woman hostage and began a 10 day standoff with the police. Learn about what led up to those events in episode 1 of this 3 part mini-series. Find out about some of the many factions within Japan's New Left movement. Yoshikuni Igarashi's article "Dead Bodies and Living Guns: The United Red Army and Its Deadly Pursuit of Revolution, 197...

80% of the Japanese public doesn't want the Olympic Games to go ahead as scheduled in less than 2 months. Why not? And why can't Tokyo unilaterally cancel the games? Listen to this slightly rambling episode as I discuss those questions. The Yahoo Article I mentioned: Who has the power to cancel the Tokyo Olympics? The video about the St. Louis Olympic Marathon: Rat Poison and Brandy: The 1904 St....

Learn about another badass woman in Japanese history as we talk about a female samurai of the 19th century.

On March 30, 1949, a drum like object washed up in a rural fishing village on the Sea of Japan coast. Listen to hear the tragic tale. History playlist (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iyBD0NzkV0gXUqpN11FhW?si=8ec91f80e8d040c9 New podcast homepage: tinyurl.com/jerkpod

2011 March 11: The fourth strongest earthquake recorded hit. Shortly there after, a tsunami and then the nuclear meltdown. Some thoughts on the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, Japan. Links to the videos mentioned in the podcast: Sendai airport video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk68bZ701s0 Ofunato tsunami video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbvBsgoEAe0&t=756s Near Okawa Elementar...

In December of 1968, the biggest heist in Japan was pulled off. The case of who pulled it off was never solved. Listen and find out about who the prime suspects were and the (often tragic) impact it had on their lives. (Listen to part 1 here )

In December of 1968, the biggest heist in Japan was pulled off. The case of who pulled it off was never solved. Listen and find out how it happened and what clues were left behind.

Let's talk about sex...ism. In anime and manga. Sure, it's not exclusive to Japanese animation, but it is very common. So let's talk about that.

Some thoughts on the odd, and sometimes humorous English used on T-shirts and signs in Japan (and other places).

On the surface, Japanese Christmas looks a lot like Christmas in the US. But it's not. Learn a little about how KFC and sponge cake are connected. Atlas Obscura article on KFC and Japanese Christmas chicken: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-japanese-christmas Atlas Obscura article on Japanese Christmas Cake: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japanese-christmas-cake

Between the 8th and 14th of December, 1915, the small farming village of Sankebetsu, Hokkaido, was terrorized by an extremely aggressive bear. In the end, 7 villagers and 1 bear would be dead. Find out the details in this episode.

Let's talk insurance! Talking about the Japanese health care system and insurance. Not the most exciting sounding topic, maybe, but I'd say the Japanese system beats the US system, hands down.

The one where I talk about my take on racism in Japan, including personal experiences and those of friends.

A fairly quick one. Rina Sawayama is ineligible to win the Mercury Prize in the UK, despite having what a lot of people, including Elton John, call one of the best albums of 2020 so far. And the commentariat are quick to pull some what-about-ism. Because she was born in Japan and retains her Japanese nationality.

Talking warring states. How the Ashikaga Shogunate fell, and the rise of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Let's talk about Shoguns. Kamakura and Muromachi. Plus a few odds and ends I missed 1st period.

Welcome to the first period class on the basics of Japanese history. I realized that a lot of people don't really know what I'm talking about sometimes. So here's a crash course in Japanese history. Heavy emphasis on the crash.