Conbini Cult

You know those awkward moments that keep you up at night and haunt you in the shower? Yeah…we’ve got a lot of those. Let’s chat about our most embarrassing and awkward moments and language mistakes in Japan and hear some cringe-worthy listener stories as well. Buckle up! Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @...

With the internet being such an integral part of our lives these days, scammers have evolved too. Let’s learn about some of the more common types of scams in Japan today, from tourist traps, work scams, and romance swindlers to those who prey on the kindness of the elderly. Let’s see what kind of 詐欺 (sagi) we need to look out for.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at c...

Working as a movie extra, cleaning hotels, dealing with xenophobic callers, rejected on dating sites for being an English teacher?? Buckle up because we’ve got some fun work stories for today. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 不健全 (fukenzen) な 友達 (tomodachi)...

Job listing that sounds too good to be true? Well, it probably is. In recent years there’s been a surge of yami baito, shady jobs that promise a high pay for little work, no experience, etc, but it’s actually bait to get people into illegal activities. What do they want? Who’s at risk? What’s being done to prevent this? Let’s chat more about it.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us...

Our very first episode was about culture shocks when visiting or living here, and since we were still getting used to podcasting, it was a little awkward and the audio quality wasn’t ideal. Soooo we’re revisiting the topic of culture shock with some fresh takes. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithl...

One of us has been keeping a secret. Perhaps you already guessed? Let’s chat about being pregnant and having a baby in Japan. If it’s a tricky topic for you, feel free to skip and we’ll see you next time with a different theme! Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words な...

Checking the reviews for restaurants is especially helpful, but in Japan some of us live in fear of getting sued for defamation over a bad review. Has it ever actually happened though? Let’s chat about some of the most famous defamation cases in Japan in recent years.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lo...

Love is in the air! In light of a recent wedding and engagement, let’s chat about differences in wedding culture in Japan vs western countries (mainly the US where we’re from).  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 国際結婚 kokusai kekkon - international marriage -ら...

Most people visiting or living in another country want to do their best to learn about and respect the culture, and to get along with the locals, right? When does the quest towards being an ideal foreigner go too far....like hating on fellow foreigners? At the end of the day, we’ve all got a little pick me in us, don’t we?  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicult...

TW: SA Why so controversial? Black Box Diaries follows the journey of journalist Shiori Ito in seeking justice for her assault by another prominent journalist with powerful political ties, and shedding light on outdated assault and consent laws in Japan.  *No victim blaming will be tolerated* Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @frankli...

Living here (and visiting) is amazing! Some things can be frustrating, but it also makes sense in a way? Let’s chat about work culture, unspoken rules, and all that good stuff. Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.comFrankie - @franklinthewomanCheyenne - @lostwithlowWords mentioned/useful words春分 shunbun - spring equinox - March 20th ____様 sama - h...

Most tourists and foreign residents here are doing their best to respect Japanese culture, but the ones causing trouble sure are pretty loud. What’s going on with the overtourism issue these days? We’ll chat about some recent incidents and initiatives are taking place to combat these problems.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @frank...

How different is the healthcare system in Japan from your country?! Let’s chat about the medical system and hear some listener stories about visiting the doctor here.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 健康診断 kenkou shindan - health check/physical exam 健康 kenko...

Japan’s most affordable gym that offers CT scans and teeth whitening?? They did WHAT with the hair dryer?? Let’s chat about gym culture in Japan!  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words チョコチョコ chokochoko - quickly and easily, small quick steps ちょこっと chokotto...

It’s been one year of the podcast! Though “conbini” is in our name, we haven’t actually done an episode dedicated to Japan’s amazing convenience stores yet. We asked you all which conbini is your fave, and we’ll be battling it out to see what everyone’s fave food and drinks are too!  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman...

Hidden cameras? Humanoid front desk clerks? Demure robot dinosaurs in bow ties? Fifty shades of Grey IRL? Some of these hotels sound like a fever dream come to life. Let’s explore some of Japan’s most interesting hotels.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheyenne - @lostwithlow Words mentioned/useful words 変 hen -...

A lot of people think Japan has little to no crime, and while it is definitely safer than many other places in the world, it’s not as if nothing bad EVER happens. Today we are looking into the 11 people on the NPA’s (National Police Agency) Most Wanted list. What have they done to end up on this list? Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Podcast a...

When you think about Japanese homes and architecture maybe you think of minimalist spaces, sliding doors with paper screens, something aesthetic. But Japanese people are human, and some struggle with getting rid of their possessions and letting trash pile up in the house. Let’s talk about ゴミ屋敷 gomi yashiki (hoarder houses) and the glorification of this and the hikikomori (shut-in) lifestyle wi...

We previously talked about some of the wonderful nursing homes and day care facilities available for seniors in Japan, but everything has a dark side. 1 in 5 prisoners are over 65? Housing discrimination? Let’s talk about that, the pension system, healthcare, housing and more.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Frankie - @franklinthewoman Cheye...

Japan doesn’t seem to have a huge wealth gap, at least not an obvious one, but it’s a capitalist country after all. Who are the richest people in Japan?? How many people are below the poverty line? Let’s find out.  Words mentioned/useful words 舟屋 funaya - boat houses (famous in Ine, Kyoto)  億万長者 okumanchouja - billionaire, multi millionaire, very rich person  Got questions or want to share y...

From wholesome shows about kids running their first errand to questionable late night television, seems like some tv programs only would work in Japan, and that's what makes them so awesome. Words mentioned/useful words 外国 gaikoku - foreign country 雰囲気 fun’iki - atmosphere, vibes 仲間 nakama - group, company, circle of friends 高校 koukou - high school _年生 nensei - whatever year in scho...

Japan’s nature is so abundant and beautiful! Nothing could go wrong, right? In the spring and summer you’ll be in for a treat as all the deadly beasts and creepy crawlies come back out to play. What are the most dangerous creatures in Japan? Let’s find out!! Words mentioned/useful words スズメバチ suzumebachi - hornet/wasp (same word) 熊 kuma - bear いのしし inoshishi - boar 蛇 hebi - snake ハブ h...

Doesn’t it seem like Japan’s elderly population is super healthy and active?! What kind of facilities does Japan have for retired folks? We also found the coolest senior center in the country.  Words mentioned お正月 Oshogatsu - new years  自由席 jiyuuseki - non-reserved seats 元気 genki - lively, energetic, full of spirit  老人ホーム roujinhōmu - elderly home, retirement home 介護施設 kaigoshiset...

Japan gives away free abandoned homes?! Japan will pay you to move there?! Sounds too good to be true, right?  Why does Japan have so many abandoned houses anyway? Let’s take a deep dive into Japan’s unique housing crisis.  Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com Words mentioned 散骨 sankotsu - scattering of ashes 代理散骨 dairi sankotsu - proxy scat...

Spoiler alert: it’s not looking good! Buckle up for the deep dive on the birthrate crisis and rapidly increasing aging population in Japan.  Words mentioned 田舎 inaka - countryside 少子高齢化 shoushikoureika - declining birthrate and aging population  退職 taishoku - retire, resign  合コン goukon 住民税 juuminzei - municpial/residence tax  マタハラ matahara - pregnancy/maternity discrimination an...