Japan Station: Deep Dives into Japanese Culture, Language & Society

On this episode of Japan Station , I talk about what it was like staying at a new Kyoto hotel before it opened. 👉Topics Discussed About Fushigina Yado Where Fushigina Yado is located About the theme and concept of Fushigina Yado About what it was like staying in Fushigina Yado Why I got to stay at Fushigina Yado before it opened About the shops and restaurants near Fushigina Yado And more 👉Subsc...

  On this episode of Japan Station , we talk about three obscure Japanese dishes you need to try next time you're in Japan. 👉Topics Discussed What is teppan spa (teppan supa, 鉄板スパ)? What is teppanyaki naporitan About the history of teppanyaki spaghetti About the origin of Nagoya's famous teppanyaki naporitan About Osaka teppanyaki spaghetti About the origin of Japan's infamous napolitan pasta...

On this episode of Japan Station , we're talking about hotels in Japan! This episode will give you all the information you need to know before you come visit Japan. Plenty of tips, tricks and basic information! 👉Topics Discussed About the various kinds of hotels in Japan Tips for booking hotels in Japan at cheap prices How much Japanese hotel rooms tend to cost About the size of Japanese hotel ro...

On this episode of Japan Station , we talk about the Senkaku Islands with Dr. Robert D. Eldridge. 👉Topics Discussed What and where are the Senkaku Islands? (尖閣諸島, senkaku shotō) About the history of the Senkaku Islands About Koga Tatsushirō Why people stopped living on the Senkaku Islands How and why it was that the Senkaku Islands came to be disputed The role of President Nixon and Henry Kis...

On this episode of Japan Station , we talk about life in Sanya--Tokyo's infamous day laborer district--with Klaus K.Y. Hammering. ðŸ'‰Topics Discussed What it is like being a day laborer in Tokyo's Sanya district The dangers of working as a day laborer What kind of people work as day laborers in Sanya About Klaus K.Y. Hammering's experiences working as a day laborer in Japanese construction sites...

On this episode of Japan Station , we talk about the need for Japan to make the word "anime" a regional designation. The guest is Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World . 👉Topics Discussed The popularity of anime What the word anime means in Japan The origins of anime The usage of the term  terebimanga andJapanimation The increasing number of companies and...

On this episod eof  Japan Station , we talk to filmmaker and dark sky photographer Gavin Heffernan about his recent Japan-focused project Dreamlapse Japan. 👉Topics Discussed About Dreamlapse Japan About shooting photos and video in Tokyo and other parts of Japan Thoughts on visiting Japan And more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-pod...

On this episod eof  Japan Station , we talk about some of the interesting things I experienced during my latest 400 km walk from Kyoto to Miyajima (Miyajima Challenge). 👉Topics Discussed About the Miyajima Challenge About my recent walk from Kyoto to Miyajima, Hiroshima About how I got stopped by police in Hiroshima About the time I had to hitchhike in Okayama About my plans to walk to the bottom...

On this episod eof  Japan Station , Dr. Robert D. Eldridge returns to talk about natural disasters in Japan, his work on Operation Tomodachi during the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Japan's ability to respond to natural disasters and more. 👉Topics Discussed Disasters and earthquakes in Japan About the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in 1995 About crisis management in Japan About disaste...

On this episode of Japan Station , we talk about Japanese abbreviations/contractions, give 12 examples and discuss their origins. 👉Topics Discussed About abbreviations and contractions in Japanese About  waseieigo  (made in English) About the origins of the Sharp company About the Japanese word  wanchan  About the possible origin of the word potation in Japanese:  jagaimo And more! 👉Subscribe to...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the Shimabara Rebellion, yÅkai and more with the author of the Simon Grey books, Charles Kowalski. ðŸ'‰Topics Discussed What is the Shimabara Rebellion ( 島原ã®ä¹± ,  Shimabara no ran ) About the hidden Christians of Nagasaki/Shimabara About the building of Shimabara Castle About researching the Shimabara Rebellion About Amakusa Shiro (益ç"° å››éƒ...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the etymology of the Japanese word for egg (tamago) and other interesting quirks of this word! Note: This is actually an episode of Japanese Plus Alpha. 👉Topics Discussed The phrase ~ no tamago The etymology of the word tamago  kaigo  vs  tamago   The difference between  tamago  written with one kanji (卵) and  tamago written with two kanji (玉子) A...

about, it's its significance and its fascinating manga adaptations. 👉Topics Discussed What  The Tale of Genji  ( Genji Monogatari ) is about The historical significance of  The Tale of Genji The influence of  The Tale of Genji  About the ending of  The Tale of Genji About the English translations of  The Tale of Genji  and their differences About the many manga adaptations of  The Tale of Genji A...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about 10 words that only exist in Japanese and how Japanese may not be as unique as you think it is. 👉Topics Discussed x x What komorebi means and what its parts mean What unkai means About kanji compounds in Japanese About the many meanings that can be found in a single kanji The different readings of kanji in Japanese What shinrinyoku means Whats  tsund...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the importance of revitalizing rural Japan, the negative impact of the weak yen on Japan, and more with Dr. Robert D. Eldridge. 👉Topics Discussed What is chihō sōsei  (地方創生)? About the importance of chihō sōsei Why it is important to preserve and revitalize rural areas of Japan About the weak yen ( enyasu, 円安) How the weak Japanese yen negativ...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about how dogs in Japan used to go on religious pilgrimages (maybe?). 👉Topics Discussed About religious pilgrimages in Japan About the 88 temple pilgrimage in Shikoku About Konpira/Kotohira About Konpira inu About the supposed history of dogs going on pilgrimages to Konpira Shrine in Kagawa Prefecture About the story of Shiro the dog from Fukushima who su...

On this episode of Japan Station, I talk about the Miyajima Challenge: my upcoming walk from Kyoto to Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture. 👉Topics Discussed About the Miyajima Challenge Why I am walking from Kyoto to Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture About the course of the Miyajima Challenge (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima) About raising awareness of the blind and visually impaired About the...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about Osaka ComicCon. Is worth attending? What should you expect? Listen to find out! 👉Topics Discussed About Osaka ComicCon What you should expect at Osaka ComicCon Where Osaka ComicCon was held And more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 Spotify: https://o...

On this episode of Japan Station, writer and Kyoto expert Phillip Jackson tells about some great walking areas in Japan's ancient capital city. WARNING: This episode will make you want to go to Kyoto! 👉Topics Discussed About Phillip Jackson The fascinating history of Kyoto Lesser known places to visit in Kyoto A trail in Uji you should check out And more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcast...

On this episode of Japan Station , we're talking about Japanese words we learned by watching anime. 👉Topics Discussed How you can use anime, manga and video games to learn Japanese And more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB   👉Support o...

On this episode of  Japan Station , we talk about Japanese folklore with Thersa Matsuura of the Uncanny Japan podcast. 👉Topics Discussed About Japanese folklore About yokai About Japanese superstitions About why people should learn Japanese folklore And more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 Spotif...

This time we're taking a deep dive into the history of the Japanese word for fart: onara. Where did it come from? What is its true meaning? What is its link to a secret ancient language spoken hundreds of years ago in Japan? We're answering all those questions and more!   SUPPORT Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/japankyo Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/japankyo   Listen to the Japan Station Podcast! http...

On this episode of  Japan Station , we talk about why I decided to walk the old Tokaido Road in 2023 and the impact it had. This episode features a speech I did for the 2024 state convention of the Hawaii Association of the Blind. Topics Discussed Why I walked the Tokaido in 2023 What my goal was How I raised awareness of the blind & visually impaired community by walking from Kyoto to Tokyo And m...

On this episode of  Japan Station , we talk about why you shouldn't try to learn Japanese. Topics Discussed How AI and translation software are making it unnecessary to learn Japanese How learning Japanese is pointless for most people Why you should learn Japanese Reasons people would want to study Japanese And more! Support on Patreon & Ko-fi If you enjoy Ichimon Japan and want to ensure that we'...

On this episode of  Japan Station , we talk about the manga creator Akira Toriyama and his impact on the world and my life. Topics Discussed About the passing of manga creator Akira Toriyama About the impact and influence of Akira Toriyama on the US and the world About the impact of  Dragon Ball  and  Dragon Ball Z About the popularity of the  Dragon Ball  franchise around the world About discover...