Conbini Cult

I want to go to Japan but I have tattoos, can I go?! Tattoos in Japan are still seen as taboo today because of the yakuza, sure, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Let’s chat about the history of tattoos in Japan when they were seen as a fashionable symbol of wealth, when they were used to mark criminals, how they became associated with the yakuza, and of course our own experiences with moder...

Today we have a chat about studying abroad with special guest Rosa. Cheyenne did her study abroad in Tokyo, while Rosa did hers in Osaka. Let’s chat about the differences in city, the application process, visas, making friends, and all that good stuff. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.comFrankie - @franklinthewomanCheyenne - @lostwithlowWords ment...

English teaching. A lot of us have been there. A lot of us are still there. A lot of us want to be there. Let’s hear some chaotic and unhinged stories about teaching here from us, and you.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 宴会 enkai - banquet ノンコンプライアンス...

Japan’s school lunch system is often regarded as one of the best in the world. How do they do it!? What are the nutrition standards? Is it free? We’ll answer all these questions and more on a little deep dive into the national school lunch program, and compare it a bit to our home country of the US. From the looks of it, the American school lunch program is a lawless land, but what kind of standar...

The year is ending soooo it’s time for the Ryuukogo Taisho (流行語大賞) - Japan’s buzzword of the year! Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just the most popular slang, though some of the words might be slang. It’s pretty much just the most used words throughout the year, often in reference to pop culture and other news events. Looking at this list is a great recap of the year.  Got questions or...

After going down a rabbit hole about the dangers of strong zero (Japan’s choice drink for broke students and English teachers??), we’re wondering how it’s still on the market. With that in mind, it got us thinking about what other things might be legal or illegal in Japan, at least compared to the US where we’re from.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@g...

*Please be respectful in the comments and listen to these stories with empathy. Today we will chat about the main reasons why people get deported from Japan, treatment at immigration detention facilities, and Japan’s policies on asylum and refugee status applications.  TW: medical neglect, su*cide. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @f...

Today with special guest SATSUKI we talk all about being an up and coming musician in Japan! How does the music industry differ from the west? Doing paperwork just to busk? Are Japanese audiences completely silent? Let’s find out. Satsuki’s Music: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/37FWvcJApple Music: https://apple.co/34mr3hfYouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCvyYiK7wkmt_zJpTTKWpFlA?si=29zap...

Japan is known around the world for their cleanliness and safety. They also pride themselves on their 99% conviction rate. What’s the full story of that conviction rate though? Has anyone ever been falsely accused of a crime or imprisoned in the name of this high conviction rate? Why is Japan’s capital punishment criticized for its cruelty? Let’s chat about all this and more, and learn the story o...

Living abroad can be complicated! After some years, things can become less exciting and new, but thrilling in other ways. Let's go through some reddit stories and chat about things we wish we could redo, getting back that spark, and more. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/u...

Thinking about going to Japan to study the Japanese language? We brought on Ariana today who has been to language school in Tokyo for half a year (on a student visa). Frankie has attended part-time at a language school in Osaka, and Cheyenne has some insight about the student visa from doing an exchange in university. Is it worth the costs? How much do you need up front? Will going to school impro...

In the wake of recent elections and even Japan making history with their first female prime minister, let’s chat very simply about politics. We’ll talk about some silliness with last year’s Tokyo governor election, and some other odd politicians that’ve made their mark on meme history and caused a stir on social media. THE EPISODE IS MEANT TO BE LIGHTHEARTED, and just a general overview of how pol...

By request, we have a part 2 to this year’s Halloween/spooky stories episode! Hopefully you’re able to sleep after hearing some of these chilling stories. Check out last year’s 4-part spooky series as well if you want more! Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 外国人...

Overtourism is always a heated topic, but what about Mt Fuji and its World Heritage status that is at stake? Let’s chat about Mt Fuji’s climbing season and stricter measures in place, the danger of the off season, the last time Fuji erupted in the 1700s, the fear of the mega earthquake which could trigger the next eruption, and more! Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at c...

A recent case of stalking and femicide has reignited the conversation about Japan’s stalking laws. What was the case that led to the creation of the Anti-Stalking Act in the year 2000? How have things changed, if at all, in the past 25 years? What type of self defense is permitted in Japan? TW (whole ep) stalking, DV, homicide Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinic...

From decades long hauntings to sleep paralysis demons, these terrifying listener stories will have you clutching your blanket and unable to sleep! Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 助けてください tasukete kudasai - please help me 満席 manseki - full (as in there ar...

So we’re canceling baths now? Let’s chat about some of these ~~ cancel kaiwai (team/community) in Japan, like bath and eating “cancel” and see if it’s just rebellion or maybe some deeper mental health issues going on. We also have an update about Saikyo chan, one of Japans’ hikikomori idols. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklin...

From nose pickers, folks openly reading p*rn on the train, and barf on the bus, we thought we had seen it all until we heard these stories… Get ready for a wild ride. Thanks to those who submitted stories! Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 痴漢 chikan - groper, per...

TW - CA, child abandonment, infanticide, stillbirth, and other troubling topics. Viewer discretion is advised. After reading Ryu Murakami’s novel Coin Locker Babies, we wanted to learn more about this phenomenon and speak about recent cases of children left in lockers, other well-known cases of child abandonment, and find out a bit more about what options people have, like foster care and adoption...

What makes a good neighbor? How thin are the walls in Japanese apartment buildings? Imagine living near someone who held a grudge against you and tried to make your life hell for 10 years, or a neighbor who reported you to building management for making noise, even though they are the noisy ones. Let’s get into some of these wild stories about navigating neighbors here in Japan. It’s not all bad t...

Feels like everyone’s getting canceled these days right? From idols breaking “no dating” rules, extramarital affairs, and tweets about people stinking in the summer, let’s chat about some sad and bizarre incidents that sparked backlash in Japan. Did it go too far??? Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostw...

There’s been a lot of news lately about increased traffic accidents involving foreign drivers in Japan, and that’s prompted some new rules and regulations regarding driving and getting your license. With the aging population, there is also an increase of accidents involving elderly drivers. Let’s break down some of these confusing new rules and chat about our own experiences driving here and getti...

How does maternity care and giving birth differ between the US and Japan? Spoiler alert: the bar is so low for Americans that everything here seems pretty awesome. Cheyenne shares her birth story in this episode and we chat about maternity clinics, postpartum care, epidurals, government subsidies, paternity care, and more in this special episode.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us...

Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction. We asked you guys what are the most strange and unhinged things that’ve happened to you while in Japan, or that you’ve witnessed. The stories did not disappoint.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 田舎 inaka - countrysi...

On the morning of March 20th, 1995, a chemical nerve agent was released on 3 of Tokyo’s major subway lines during rush hour. At this year, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous subway attack, let’s learn about what happened that day, the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo responsible for it, and what else the cult had done that led up to this horrific incident. Got questions or want to share y...