Unpacking Japan

Meet Akasan, an American streamer and reaction YouTuber who's lived and worked in Japan for more than 12 years. He sits down with us to talk about his life, his content, and how Japanese view western media. Follow Akasan: https://youtube.com/akasan https://twitter.com/akasan https://www.twitch.tv/akasan_plays/ https://www.patreon.com/akasan Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpac...

Meet Oleg, a Ukrainian violinist who sits down to share his experiences as a performer at Universal Studios Japan, and his transition to freelance musician here. Follow Oleg: https://www.instagram.com/oleg_calleo_violin/ https://www.youtube.com/ @oleg_calleo_violin Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacki...

Meet Alex, the man behind luxury real estate brand Tokyo Portfolio, who sits down to talk to us about renting apartments, buying abandoned properties, and everything you need to know about the housing market in Japan. Follow Alex: https://tokyoportfolio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/TokyoPortfolio https://www.instagram.com/tokyoportfolio/ For more on Japanese akiya, check out our interview with A...

Meet Greg, co-founder and writer for Tokyo Cheapo, a site sharing the best-value deals in Japan, sits down to teach us about how to live and travel frugally. Greg shares the history of Tokyo Cheapo, as well as his new passion, cheap, abandoned houses that people buy and renovate, called Akiya. Follow Greg: https://tokyocheapo.com/ https://japancheapo.com/ Follow us on our social media: https://you...

Tim is a Yamabushi, or a mountain ascetic as he describes it in English. He was born in New Zealand and shortly after moving to Japan he was introduced to Yamabushi practices, after some time he became a Yamabushi himself. Join in our conversation with Tim and listen to his amazing story from teaching English to becoming a mountain ascetic in Yamagata. Follow Tim: https://timbunting.com/ https://w...

Meet Jon, a sustainability consultant living in Tokyo, who teaches us about using urban farming techniques to support greener, healthier and more efficient food production techniques. Follow Jon: https://japanurbanfarming.wordpress.com/ Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.c...

Meet Melanie, an international consultant for some of the biggest brands in Japan, who sits down to share her unique life and career with us. Follow Melanie: https://twitter.com/melaniebrockjpn https://www.melaniebrockjapan.com/ https://www.celebratingwomenjapan.com/ Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpac...

Meet Jayne, a podcaster and long-term Fukushima resident from New Zealand, who sits down to talk about her podcast for foreign women in Japan, as well as share her first-hand experiences with the earthquake and nuclear disaster that happened 10 years ago. Follow Jayne: https://www.jaynenakata.com/ https://transformationswithjayne.captivate.fm/ https://www.jandalsinjapan.com/ Follow us on our socia...

Meet Kimberly, an American voice actress living and working in Japan, who sits down to tell us about how she broke in to the industry and how it's changed since she started. Follow Kimberly: https://www.lilyprojapan.com/ https://twitter.com/lilyproJP Follow us on our social media: Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan http...

Meet Toshi, a Japanese-American medical and fitness researcher, who sits down to talk with us about exercise, genetics, and beauty standards in Japan vs the US. Follow Toshi: https://www.instagram.com/f_a_project Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https...

Meet Schyler, an American investment professional living in Tokyo, who teaches us about the investing climate and challenges of raising capital in Japan. Follow Schyler: https://linkedin.com/in/schylercole Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://yout...

Meet Martin, an American visual artist living a quiet rural life in Shizuoka prefecture, who sits down to talk to us about why he thinks that Japan is the most peaceful place on earth, even going so far as to call it a utopia. Follow Martin: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMartinShowJapan https://twitter.com/Gaijinotousan Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.i...

Meet JJ Walsh, a sustainability consultant based in Hiroshima, who helps Japanese businesses develop sustainability-focused tourism and business marketing strategies. Check out JJ Walsh's links: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JJWalsh https://www.x.com/jjwalsh https://www.instagram.com/inboundambassador https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjwalsh-inbound-ambassador/ https://patreon.com/jjwalsh https://...

Meet Liam, a British game developer, who shares his journey from working in the world's biggest game companies to starting his own studio in Kyoto, Japan. Follow Liam: https://twitter.com/LiamBME https://twitter.com/denkiworks https://www.denkiworks.games/ Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_j...

Meet Ben, a magician and escape room designer from London, who shares his experiences performing as a magician, and the differences in magic in Japan, China, and the West. Follow Ben: https://www.instagram.com/ben_daggers/ https://theimpossibleco.com/ Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https...

Meet Demsky, a DJ and producer from Canada, who shares his background in teaching math and chess strategy, and how that led to his life as an artist in Japan. Check out Demsky's links: https://www.instagram.com/demskymusic/ https://www.facebook.com/demskymusic https://demskymusic.com/ https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/demsky/1089505117 https://open.spotify.com/artist/72BCw9MyWpLW1PnFnA16AX Fo...

Meet Stinton, a rice farmer and hunter living in rural Japan, who sits down to teach us about traditional farming techniques and Japan's extremely strict gun laws. Follow Stinton: https://twitter.com/JohnsonStinton Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapa...

Meet Rochelle, a cross-cultural consultant and activist in Japan, who sits down to talk to us about her work as a consultant and how she gained her passion for bridging cross-cultural divides. Follow Rochelle on her social media: https://www.change.org/Save_jingugaien_en https://youtu.be/DB2vaG_apKU?si=Mmmb8MHHI0bMeVzz https://japanintercultural.com/ https://japanintercultural.com/free-resources/e...

Meet Jon, an American-born Japanese politician, who sits down to talk about his daily challenges, how Japanese people see him, and his own journey of gaining citizenship and running for office as a foreigner in Japan. Check out Jon's articles: https://www.turning-japanese.info/2017/11/hashiru.html https://shingetsunewsagency.com/2023/03/20/life-lessons-from-a-naturalized-japanese-politician/...

Meet Daniel, artist and mind behind TokyoDex, who teaches us about how art helps build connected spaces, and how he blends Japanese tradition with contemporary aesthetics. Follow Daniel on his social media: https://www.youtube.com/user/TokyoDex https://www.tokyodex.com/ https://www.instagram.com/danielhrosen/ https://www.facebook.com/TokyoDex/ Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@un...

Meet Sally, a farmer and artist working with the Japanese art of indigo, who teaches us about traditional farming and dying practices, as well as her life as a small business owner in the Japanese countryside. Follow Sally on her social media: https://www.instagram.com/aiaii.blue/ https://aiaii.blue/pages/en Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.c...

Meet Daniel, an ikebana master and teacher, who shares with us the philosophy behind this traditional art, as well his personal view on the evolving role of Ikebana in modern Japan.  Follow Daniel on his social media: https://www.instagram.com/Star. River.ikebana https://x.com/Omni_hug Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan http...

Everything you need to know about podcasting in Japan ft. SmallTalkJapan ​ Follow Mitch on his social media: https://youtube.com/@SmallTalkJapan    https://www.instagram.com/mitch4pres/ Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://youtube.com/@unpackingja...

Meet Loretta, aka kemushichan, a YouTuber and mother in Japan, who shares her experiences with childbirth and child support in a foreign country. Follow Loretta on her social media: https://www.instagram.com/kemushijp/ https://www.youtube.com/@kemushichan Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan h...

Meet Riki, a TV and movie director in Tokyo, who sits down with us to share her experiences in the Japanese film industry, and the difficulty of navigating a traditionally male-dominated field.  Follow Riki on her social media: https://twitter.com/PaprikaGirl_JP Follow us on our social media: https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.x.com/unpacking_...