Ichimon Japan: A Podcast About Japan and the Japanese Language by JapanKyo.com

This is the last episode of the  Ichimon Japan  podcast! But don't worry, the show isn't really ending! Topics Discussed Why I decided to end  Ichimon Japan And much more! Support on Patreon & Ko-fi If you enjoy Ichimon Japan and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. You can join for just $1 a month. Patrons get first access...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we talk about what the best kind of English teaching in Japan is: Eikaiwa, JET Programme (ALT) or university teacher. Topics Discussed What it is like working in an eikaiwa school in Japan What the salary is for an eikaiwa teacher The good and bad about working at an eikaiwa school (private language school) What it is like being an assistant language teacher (ALT)...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we talk about Suzume no Tojimari , the latest film by the popular Japanese anime filmmaker Makoto Shinai. Topics Discussed How  Suzume no Tojimari  did int he box office in Japan How it ranks up to the revenue of other films What  Suzume no Tojimari  is about An overview of the story of  Suzume no Tojimari  The hidden meaning found in  Suzume no Tojimari  Potential...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What was it like walking the Tokaido Road? Topics Discussed About the Tokaido Challenge About what it was like walking the Tokaido Road About the challenges of walking the Tokaido Road About what it was like walking from Kyoto to Tokyo About getting stopped by police in Kyoto About walking along the Shizuoka coast How long it took to walk the Tokaido And mu...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we cover what the top Japanese mascots ( yurukyara ) of 2023 plus a few other ones! Topics Discussed What the Yuruverse Grand Prix is (ゆるバースグランプリ２０２３年・Yurubāsu Grand Prix 2023) Who won the Yuruverse Grand Prix 20203 competition About the transition from the Yurukyara Grand Prix to the Yuruverse Grand Prix What the top 5 Japanese mascots are Who the...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we talk about the history of pillows in Japan and an absurd belief regarding the sleeping Topics Discussed About the history of pillows in Japan About early pillows in Japanese history About the evolution of pillows in Japan About pillows during the Edo Period About  hakomakura  (box pillows) About the oldest pillow in Japan X About stereotypes regarding Japanese p...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: 10 Reasons You'll Hate Living in Japan. Really? Topics Discussed Reasons why you may hate living in Japan No trash cans Why there are few public trash cans in Japan Where to find trash cans in Japan Whether it's rude to walk while eating or drinking in public in Japan Lack of soap in public restrooms Individually wrapped items About not being able to have t...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Should you go to grad school for Japanese? Topics Discussed About why we went to grad school Whether you should attend a Japanese focused graduate school program About Japanese linguistics programs The good and bad of doing a master's degree focused on Japanese linguistics About different fields within linguistics (sociolinguistics, syntax, phonology, etc)...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is it like moving in Japan? Topics Discussed About what it's like moving in Japan When people in Japan usually move What it costs to move in Japan Why people in Japan usually move in March Expenses associated with moving in Japan About rent prices in Japan Rent subsidies for JET Program participants Setting up internet in Japan About finding an apartme...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is that snot bubble anime characters get when they sleep called? (Nose Expressions in Japanese) Topics Discussed About the snot bubbles seen in anime and video game characters from Japan when they are sleeping (鼻提灯, hanachō`chin) About nose related phrases & idioms in Japanese hana ga takai hana ga hikui Hana ni kakeru Tengu ni naru About tengu Hana...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is wasei eigo? (Funny "Japanese" English) Topics Discussed What wasei eigo is About English sounding words made in Japan tenshon ga takai pākā How SNS is not English arubaito nōtopasokon buraindotacchi misu misesu rippukurīmu hocchikisu OL sararīman (salaryman) shīchikin interi haiso furonto hōmu chakku majikkutēpu majikku majikkumirā Gpan jampāsukāto...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why is Japanese TV so bad? Topics Discussed Why Japanese TV is so "terrible" About Japanese variety TV shows How most TV around the world aren't remarkable How Japanese TV shows can be useful for watching TV How Japanese TV game shows are not crazy How the idea of Japanese game shows being crazy is not true About Takeshi's Castle How many Japanese TV shows...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is the lesson of Urashima Taro? Topics Discussed The story of Urashima Taro Discussing different versions of Urashima Taro About the mysterious box (tamatebako) seen in Urashima Taro How you shouldn't trust strange talking turtles The history of the story of Urashima Taro About the origins of Urashima Taro About the ryugu no tsukai (oarfish) A modern u...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Is Weathering With You bad? (About Tenki No Ko) Topics Discussed The commercial success of Weathering With You/Tenki no Ko The cultural impact of  Weathering With You / Tenki no Ko About the plot of  Weathering With You / Tenki no Ko Overall impression of  Weathering With You / Tenki no Ko The animation of  Weathering With You / Tenki no Ko Product placemen...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is Christmas like in Japan? (About Japanese Christmas) Topics Discussed All about Christmas in Japan Japanese Christmas customs in Japan All about fried chicken and Christmas in Japan Why KFC is the thing to eat during Christmas in Japan How Christmas is seen as a romantic holiday in Japan Christmas light displays About reserving KFC fried chicken for...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Is Japanese women's language an illusion? Topics Discussed About Japanese women's language About gendered language in Japanese How context affects people's speech in Japan Directness vs indirectness About politeness and "women's speech" in Japanese About steretypical speech styles in Japanese About direct and indirect indexicality About Japanese first perso...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What's the difference: Eikaiwa vs JET? (The Good & Bad of Teaching English in Japan) Topics Discussed About teaching English in Japan About working in eikaiwa (English conversation school) in Japan About working on the JET Programme About working as an ALT About the application process for getting an eikaiwa job About the application process for getting int...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What's the difference: East vs West Japan? Topics Discussed Some of the differences observed in East and West Japan (higashi and nishi nihon) Differences in culture and food seen in Kansai and Kanto Where the border between East and West Japan is The difference in how people from East vs West Japan use escalators About where Ishikawa is in relation to East...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why are these things so expensive in Japan? (We're especially focusing on why randoseru, fruit and delivery pizza are so expensive in Japan) Topics Discussed Whether living in Japan is expensive The cost of Japanese movie theaters What a randoseru is The expensive price of randoseru The average price of a randoseru Why randoseru are so expensive People bein...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Are Japanese...? (Stereotypes About Japan) Topics Discussed Japanese stereotypes Whether Japanese people are shy/quiet Whether Japanese people eat sushi everyday Whether all Japanese people love anime Anime as part of one's identity Whether Japanese people are good at math Whether Japanese people work long hours Whether Japanese people can handle alcohol Ab...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is a famiresu? Topics Discussed What famiresu are The characteristics of famiresu (family restaurants) About the history of famiresu in Japan The first famiresu in Japan (Skylark) Some of the most popular famiresu in Japan About Big Boy and how it's an offshoot of Bob's Big Boy About Jonathan's About Bikkuri Donkey About Saizeriya Whether Sizzler is a...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is yōshoku? Topics Discussed What yōshoku is? About Japanese style Western food is What qualifies as yōshoku When yōshoku emerged The history of yōshoku The supposed origin of tempura How Japan began adopting more foreign ingredients and cuisine during the Meiji Period About Japan's first yōshoku restaurant in Nagasaki Examples of yōshoku About the Jap...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: How do you say "trombone" in Japanese? The main topics for this episode include the many uses of katakana in Japanese and how nationalists in Japan appear to have wanted people to use less katakana words during World War II. Topics Discussed About how the Japanese writing system works The many different uses of katakana The fact that words of foreign origin...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Should you watch "In This Corner of the World?" (About Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) Topics Discussed About the movie  Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni (In This Corner of the World) About the popularity and reception of In This Corner of the World  when it was released About the crowdfunding campaign for  In This Corner of the World About the serious yet lighthearted...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why is Argentina "Aruzenchin" in Japanese? (This is a follow up to episode 56 of  Ichimon Japan : What katakana words do you hate?) Topics Discussed The possible reason for my Argentina in Japanese is  aruzenchin  rather than something closer to the original name in Spanish About sounds that formerly did not exist in the Japanese language And much more! Sup...