The Foreign Exchange Program

In this episode, we finally discuss idioms! The both of us chose a few different idioms to share and discuss. Learning idioms can give you some insights into the thought process, imagination, and even cultural history of a country. We had a lot of fun with this episode. Hope you enjoy! List of idioms we discussed: 朝飯前(asameshimae) play it by ear 顔が広い(kaogahiroi) roll with the punches ほっぺ...

In this episode, we discuss how different it can be riding a train or going through a train station in the US versus in Japan. What's the process like in such a car-centric country versus a country that has an incredibly complex train and subway infrastructure? Tune in to find out! Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can message us on our Instagram or leave a voi...

In this episode, we talk through some of the biggest differences we've noticed between US and Japanese airports. If you plan on traveling to either country for the first time, this might be a helpful episode for you to tune into! Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can message us on our Instagram or leave a voice message for us on Anchor. We hope you enjoy! Email...

In this episode, we break down what being a fan means in Japan. We go over some useful terminology, what sorts of activities fans do to support the people and things they love, and how Japanese fan culture can sometimes overlap and differ from American fan culture. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can message us on our Instagram or leave a voice message for us on...

In this episode, we play a little guessing game with names of Pokemon! (Only from the OG 150, though!) Turns out, the English and Japanese version of their names are often totally different from each other. If you have any familiarity with Pokemon, feel free to play along! See if you know any of their names in English and Japanese! :) Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss?...

In the episode, we discussed some commonly used products that we refer to only by their brand name and guessed actual names—for example, bandaids. Most people only ever call this product by its brand name. Do you even know what the product is called? Listen to this episode and find out! Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can message us on our Instagram or leave a vo...

In the episode, Sadie discusses some different places in Japan that were once used as US military bases. There's a lot of interesting history in Japan, sometimes even where you'd least expect it! Here's the website with photos that Sadie shared with Akane: https://www.japan-experience.com/all-about-japan/saitama/attractions-excursions/johnson-town Like what you hear? Want to request a...

In the episode, we share and discuss some key points and features related to our second languages that we find interesting. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can message us on our Instagram or leave a voice message for us on Anchor. We hope you enjoy! Email: ⁠ foreignexchangeprogrampod@gmail.com ⁠ Instagram:  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/foreignexchangeprogrampod⁠

In the episode, we both picked some silly topics to discuss that people tend to have...somewhat strong opinions about in both Japan and the US. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can message us on our Instagram or leave a voice message for us on Anchor. We hope you enjoy! Email:  foreignexchangeprogrampod@gmail.com  Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/foreignexcha...

In this episode, we chat about some food options, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free, KETO, and Kosher foods in the U.S. and Japan. Sometimes people need to make choices depending on their diet restrictions, health conditions, or philosophies. We shared our experiences and insights regarding living in the U.S. and Japan regarding food and diet. For any lactose intolerant / vegan people...

In this episode, we compare several movie titles in English and Japanese and discuss why we think they're different, how they might change the image of a film, and so on. This was a really fun episode to create. We hope you like it too! Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send us an email, message us on our Instagram, or leave a voice message for us on Anchor...

In this episode, we touch on some differences we've noticed between visiting Dentists in Japan and the US. Both of us did not expect there to be some differences in visiting dentists until we actually went by ourselves. Let us know if you have been to dentists in foreign counties and experienced cultural shocks there!  Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send...

In this episode, we take you through what we consider to be 5 items we think would be extremely useful to have if you plan to spend time in the US or Japan. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send us an email, message us on our Instagram, or leave a voice message for us on Anchor. We hope you enjoy! Email: foreignexchangeprogrampod@gmail.com Instagram: https://w...

In this episode, Akane recounts her impressions and memories from her recent trip to Japan.  After living abroad for a while, visiting one's home country can feel kind of peculiar. You become aware of things that you never really used to notice before. You might feel like you can't just seamlessly reintegrate back into a society and culture you once knew. This is what's known as "reverse...

After living abroad for a while, visiting one's home country can feel kind of peculiar. You become aware of things that you never really used to notice before. You might feel like you can't just seamlessly reintegrate back into a society and culture you once knew. This is what's known as "reverse culture shock." In part one of our two-part series on this topic, Sadie recounts her impressions and m...

In this episode, Sadie and Akane discuss how the Japanese language has changed over the years. Modern Japanese has swapped out a lot of formerly Japanese words for loan words. We talk through the when and why, as well as give our overall feelings about this shift.  We were inspired to discuss this topic thanks to this Instagram video Sadie saw a while back: https://www.instagram.com/reel...

In this episode, we touch on some differences we've noticed between visiting Optometrists in Japan and the US. Both of us did not expect there to be some differences in visiting optometrists until we actually went by ourselves. Let us know if you have been to optometrists in foreign counties and experienced cultural shocks there!  Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to dis...

Living abroad is a wonderful and enriching experience, but there will always be certain little things that we miss about our home countries. In this episode, we share some of the ways we seek comfort when those feelings of homesickness sneak up on us. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send us an email, message us on our Instagram, or leave a voice message...

In this episode, we look back and reflect on some of the moments during our time living abroad that made us feel like we've really gotten used to the country and culture that surrounds us. From punctuality - or lack thereof - to parties or bowing at appropriate times with no effort at all, we've got a lot of nice moments to share. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss?...

In this episode, we shared our religion-related experiences and insights in the U.S. and Japan as a foreigner. We compared and contrasted how people in both counties perceive religions or commit religious activities. Culture, customs, and religions have influenced each other and enriched people's lives. Find out what they are with our insights and comments on this episode with what you think....

In this episode, we test each other's abilities to understand puns in another language by sharing some hand-picked jokes off the internet. We also discovered why learning puns in your target language could actually be quite a useful tool in your language learning tool belt!  Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send us an email, message us on our Instagr...

In this episode, we are sharing things that stood out to us regarding parenting in the US and Japan. Neither of us is a parent, so we’re not speaking from personal experience, but rather things we’ve picked up from the media or people around us. Parenting and education demonstrate their cultural values and expectations in society. Find out what they are with our insights and comment on this e...

In this episode, we decided to go back to our Linguistics roots and perform a little research experiment on ourselves. We observed our speech (in Sadie's case, when she speaks English - and in Akane's case, when she speaks Japanese) and tried to notice if our non-native language was having any effect on us. The results were surprising, to say the least. SPOILER: Our speech and language proces...

In this episode, we discuss often misspelled words both in English and Japanese. Some certain misspelling errors are more common for native speakers rather than second or foreign language learners interestingly. What kind of misspelled words are often found in native speakers' writing and why they happened?   Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send us...

In this episode, we touch on some differences we've noticed between drinking cultures in Japan and the US. We covered lots of ground - from getting drunk with your bosses and "nominication" (飲みニケーション), to drinking games and what time to show up at parties. Like what you hear? Want to request a topic for us to discuss? You can send us an email, message us on our Instagram, or leave a voice...