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

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What annoys you about living in Japan? Topics Discussed Some annoying things you might encounter while living in Japan The annoying practice of book stores in Japan sorting books by publisher rather than author Justifications for why bookstores in Japan arrange books by publishers instead of by the last name of the author like in the West The McDonald's ice...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Who got it more wrong: MatPat or Tony? (This episode is a follow up to episode 11 of Ichimon Japan which focused on the so-called Curse of the Colonel. The episode was recorded in order to address inaccuracies found in that episode.) Topics Discussed A brief summary of the Curse of the Colonel The fact that Hanshin Tigers fans threw the statue of Colonel Sa...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is yakitori? Topics Discussed What yakitori is The difference between yakitori when it is written using kanji and when it is written using only hiragana What qualifies as yakitori An overview of the history of yakitori The supposed origin story of the skewered sparrows that the area around Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is known for How eating meat was...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Do you have any funny or embarrassing Japanese language mistake stories? Topics Discussed What Ikigai Connections is How you say "fart" in Japanese The tricky nature of the Japanese passive form Getting similar sounding Japanese words confused The confusion that can occur when you speak more than two languages The various ways gochisōsama can be used The di...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is a kirakira name? Topics Discussed What a so-called kirakira nēmu is What kirakira means Five of the most difficult to read "kirakira names" The fact that many Japanese people seem to be unaware that Winnie the Pooh's name is Winnie and not Pooh The famous 1993 case of a baby who almost got named Akuma and the controversy that surrounded it The story...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: How do Japanese names work? Topics Discussed How people in Japan normally state their family name before their given name The complicated history of naming practices in Japan Commoners being prohibited from using family names during the Edo Period The Meiji era laws that mandated every Japanese person take a family name The reluctance of some people to take...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why do students in Hamamatsu City have to wear white underwear? Topics Discussed School rules concerning the color of a student's underwear The story of one student who ended up having to go bra-less after it was found that she was not wearing white underwear during a school trip Some of the reasons given for why most junior high students in Hamamatsu City,...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is a tsuchinoko? Topics Discussed What a tsuchinoko is How you say "cryptid" in Japanese Tsuchinoko's status as a U.M.A. (Unidentified Mysterious Animal) What a tsuchinoko looks like Some of the abilities tsuchinoko are said to have The areas in Japan where tsuchinoko tend to live The sounds tsuchinoko are said to make The prevalence of tsuchinoko in t...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why does to "nyan nyan" mean to "have sex" in Japanese? Topics Discussed Japanese expressions/idioms related to cats What the Japanese expression neko no te mo karitai means and how it is used What pets are most popular in Japan The Japanese festival game of kingyosukui What the Japanese expression nekojita means What the Japanese expression nekobaba means...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Does "hai" mean "bye" in Japanese? Topics Discussed How most people that don't speak Japanese would say "goodbye" in Japanese How sayonara / sayōnara is used fairly infrequently in Japanese Reasons why people in Japan tend not to use sayonara/sayōnara frequently The etymology of sayonara/sayōnara When the first written record of the term that would become s...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why are school rules in Japan so strict? Topics Discussed Experiences working at and attending Japanese schools A selection of "weird" school rules ( k ōsoku ) from across Japan The history behind why school rules became strict in Japan The case of a female high school student who filed a lawsuit after her school did not allow her to attend classes due to h...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: How do you create fake kanji? Topics Discussed Kanji radicals The composition of kanji Kanji reading strategies The "Original Kanji Contest" (Sōsaku Kanji Kontesuto) What yūrei-moji (ghost kanji/characters) are Why the kanji character for rice (米) is used to mean "meter" in Japanese The kanji based system used for measurements (metric and Imperial) What ko...

Japanese Plus Alpha is the latest podcast in the JapanKyo Podcast Network. Produced by Tony Vega, Japanese Plus Alpha focuses on the Japanese language and its many fascinating quirks. The show is designed as a fun way to learn about the Japanese language while at the same time gaining insight into Japanese history, culture, linguistics, and more. In other words, Japanese Plus Alpha is great for bo...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What's so scary about the hour of the ox? Topics Discussed All about Japan's old way of telling time that was based on the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac ( eto ) Which "animals" in the old Chinese Zodiac based way of telling time correspond to which hours in the modern way of telling time Why the "hour of the ox" (ushi no koku) was thought to have associa...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What are your favorite places to visit in Osaka? Topics Discussed A basic overview of the main areas of Osaka Osaka's best burrito place: El Zocalo Osaka Castle and Osaka Castle Park The Umeda Area Yodobashi Camera The Minami area Universal Studios Japan and its Cool Japan special events/rides Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan Shinsaibashi and...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we finish off the discussion on seppuku that we started in episode 18 with two very interesting examples of people cutting themselves open. Topics Discussed General Maresuke Nogi The death by (kind of sanctioned?) seppuku of General Nogi Maresuke The cork-sized plugs found in General Nogi's rectum Nogi Shrine in Tokyo The story of Matsudaira Tadaaki, a samurai who...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is seppuku? Topics Discussed A breakdown of the word seppuku A breakdown of the word hara-kiri Whether "hara-kiri " is a term used only by foreigners The glorification and beautification of seppuku The history and origin of seppuku/belly cutting The differences between the terms seppuku and hara-kiri, and which is more commonly used in Japan The earlie...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why do Japanese people love Hawaii so much? Topics Discussed Why Hawaii is such a popular travel destination among Japanese travelers How many Japanese people came to Hawaii in 2019 How the amount of Japanese travelers to Hawaii compares to the amount of travelers from other places How many Japanese people went to Guam and Okinawa in 2019 The surge in popul...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Can sexy things give you anime style nosebleeds? Topics Discussed Whether getting sexually aroused causes nosebleeds What it would be like if people in the real world had explosive nosebleeds like in anime The idea that eating large amounts of chocolate causes nosebleeds The idea that eating large amounts of peanuts causes nosebleeds Theories on how it was...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Have you ever had any weird experiences in Japan? Topics Discussed Weird/crazy/surprising experiences had in Japan Peculiar Japanese coworkers/teachers A teacher who wanted to go to France to become a witch Whether English is the lingua franca of witches trained in France Eating cat... not really, but kind of Being accosted by an individual that appeared to...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why are vegetables so unsulting in Japanese? On this episode we are honored to once again be joined by Kyle Broyles of the Tokyo Splosion podcast and Hard Officers YouTube channel. Topics Discussed Some funny Japanese vegetable-based insults and their (supposed) etymologies What the term daikon ashi means Why  daikon ashi is so insulting and reserved only f...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What's life like in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic? We also investigate the cute sneeze conspiracy that is going on in Japan. This episodes features special guest Kyle Broyles of the Tokyo Splosion podcast and Hard Officers YouTube channel. Topics Discussed What it's like living in central Tokyo during the coronavirus pandemic What it's like living i...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What's better: rural life or city life in Japan? Topics Discussed The pros and cons of living in rural Japan The pros and cons of living in a big city in Japan Life in Ishikawa Prefecture Life in Kobe Life in Osaka Where Ishikawa Prefecture is located Whether rural people are friendlier than city people in Japan Eating  udon meshi  at Sururi in Shinjuku, To...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is the Curse of the Colonel? Topics Discussed What the famous Curse of the Colonel is How tall and how heavy the statues of Colonel Sanders that are seen at Japanese KFC locations are How the tradition of the Dotombori Dive began The Hanshin Tigers How the Hanshin Tigers were named after the Detroit Tigers Why a statue of Colonel Sanders was thrown int...

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is Panty Town? Topics Discussed The town of Shimogigaoka (下木ヶ丘) and its plan to use panty vending machines for publicity The history of the town of Shimogigaoka What fundoshi are How rural towns across Japan are trying to both boost tourism and attract new residents through various headline-grabbing PR stunts Whether "Panty Town" is real And more!...