Everyday Japanese Podcast

"Do you ever burn out?"「燃え尽きたことある？」 Shun from Japanese with Shun posts three videos a week and has over a thousand videos on his channel, so I had to ask. His answer surprised me a little, and then we spent the rest of the conversation trying to work out why. How his pace has changed over the years, whether the numbers get to you, the gym, and the kind of person we've bot...

I just got back from a three-day trip to a quiet mountain town in Japan, and this time I'm sharing my post-trip routine. Do you unpack the moment you walk through the door, or tell yourself "tomorrow is fine"? And why does home feel so good after a few days away? This is a relaxed, slice-of-life episode full of Japanese you'll actually use in daily life, like 荷解き (unpacking),...

When someone says "考えます" (I'll think about it), how much thinking is actually happening? In this episode I put Tatsuya, an online Japanese teacher, through a quiz on 本音 (true feelings) and 建前 (the polite front) — everyday phrases where the literal meaning and the real meaning don't quite line up. Turning down an invitation, replying to a business proposal, reacting to a p...

My mom just got a passport, and I'm the reason why. In this episode, I talk about Oyakoko (親孝行 — caring for and giving back to your parents) and its opposite, Oyafuko (親不孝）. We look at the kanji together, visit a street in Fukuoka with an unexpected name, and pick up everyday expressions like 門限を破る (to break curfew). I also share three small ways I think we can show our parents we...

Yusuke( もしもしゆうすけ ）once saw a young employee walk in late — Starbucks cup in hand, smiling — and we ended up talking about what's really shifting in Japan's workplaces. Is the younger generation just more relaxed, or is something bigger changing? We get into generational gaps, punctuality, paid leave, and power harassment — and what it all means for the future of Japanese work cult...

If you're learning Japanese, you've probably watched a lot of channels made for learners. But you might also wonder what Japanese people actually watch — I get asked this a lot! So this time I'm just talking about four channels I watch myself. A bookshow, a literary critic, a cook, and one small channel about Tokyo that honestly I half wanted to keep to myself. It's a pretty relaxe...

It's not something people here talk about — so I asked. Tatsuya is back, this time to compare how married couples in Japan handle their finances: the old 小遣い制 kozukai-sei (the wife manages the salary and hands her husband monthly spending money), what 按分 anbun means (splitting shared costs proportionally, not 50/50), and why some couples end up with three wallets. We also get into travel...

"Human dock." That's what 人間(にんげん）ドック literally says. So what do you think it actually means? Maybe some of you are thinking "human and dog." I went for one recently, and in this episode I talk through the whole morning, from the changing room to sitting down with the doctor at the end. I also get into how it's different from the kenko shindan (健康診断), the...

It started with a mountain of negi — green onions — piled onto a bowl of udon at a self-serve topping station. In this episode, Yusuke( もしもしゆうすけ ） and I talk about where the line is, why shops now have to post rules that used to go without saying, and what that shift says about Japanese society today. If you've ever felt like something quietly changed in how people treat shared spaces, th...

We all have those little happy moments — too small to tell anyone about, but that quietly make your day. Lately I've been wanting to hold onto them, so I built a quiet website to collect them: Hokkori Biyori. (Hokkori is that warm feeling when your heart softens; biyori means a lovely day for something.) It's a collection of short true stories, about 100–150 characters each, drawn from my...

If you could never drink alcohol or coffee again, which would you give up? For me the answer was easy — I don't drink — but the question led somewhere I didn't expect. Both drinks bring people together, but in completely different ways. I talk about 無礼講 bureiko (setting aside rank and formality over drinks), シラフ shirafu (being sober), and 飲みニュケーションnominication (bonding through drink...

After spending two months in India, I landed in Japan craving one thing: a warm bowl of udon. I'm originally from Kagawa, known as Udon-ken (Udon Prefecture — where udon is practically a way of life), but these days I live in Fukuoka, the city famous around the world for tonkotsu ramen. Here's the surprising part: when I asked people here "udon or ramen?" — the answers weren't what you'd expect fr...

In part 2 of this series, YUYU throws out a question that really got me thinking: is AI becoming our new god? We talk about how easy it is to lean on ChatGPT when we don't know what to do, why that habit can quietly turn into something risky, and where the line is between using AI as a tool and letting it think for us. We also get into journaling as an alternative way to work through uncertain...

After a trip to India, I started wondering why Japanese people rarely talk about faith the way people in more religious countries do. In part 1 of this two-part series, YUYU and I dig into what shrine visits and New Year prayers actually mean to us, why Japan seems to have rules but not always morals, and how Nitobe Inazo's Bushido once tried to answer that. We also get into "oshikatsu&qu...

It's 海の日 -Umi no Hi (Marine Day) here in Japan, and I'm marking it with a taste of what a Japanese summer at the sea really feels like 🌊 I talk about 海開き- umi biraki (the official beach-opening ceremony), the nostalgic snacks and drinks you'll find at 海の家- umi no ie (beach huts), and why the swimming season here is surprisingly short. Along the way, I get into 自己責任 - jiko...

I recently came back from India, and I kept getting the same question from European travelers — "So what do you think of the new Takaichi administration?" And honestly? I froze. It wasn't a language problem. I just never expected that question, and I realized I'd never really thought about it. So I brought it to Yusuke ( もしもしゆうすけ ）. Do Japanese people actually talk about...

Have you ever wondered why 梅雨（つゆ）☔️Japan's rainy season — has the kanji for "plum" in it? I didn't either, until this year. In this episode: that mystery, plus how I'm spending these gray days — brewing two kinds of homemade 梅シロップ（plum syrup）, a slow walk past blooming hydrangea, deep-cleaning my 水回り（the water-use spots — sink, drain, etc.）, and an evening...

I'm joined by Tatsuya, a Sapporo local, to talk about what summer in the city is actually like. We get into biergarten (ビアガーデン — large-scale outdoor beer events that run through July and August), Hokkaido specialties like jingisukan (ジンギスカン — a Hokkaido-style grilled lamb dish) and zangi, regional beer brands, and the best day trips if you want to see Hokkaido beyond the city. If y...

I moved to Fukuoka and this is my honest review of life here so far. There's a lot to love, but there are also a few things that don't quite work for me yet. In this episode I share both — not as a travel guide, but as someone actually living here day to day. If you've ever wondered what it feels like to settle into a new city in Japan, I hope this gives you a real sense of it. 🎧 Full...

I moved from Osaka — but why Fukuoka? In this episode, I walk you through the 8 reasons I chose my new home. I didn't just pick a city. I thought carefully about the lifestyle I wanted, what makes me feel happy day to day, and what I wasn't willing to give up. Fresh local food, nature within walking distance, no bears on the hiking trails, and a city that's lively without being overwhe...

I came back from a yoga teacher training in India with a new friend and a simple theory: adults bond through sweat or sake. YUYU and I talk about why that is, what makes some people just click, and how the Japanese concept of goen (ご縁 — a fated connection) quietly takes the pressure off relationships. We also get into why Japanese people sometimes go cold out of nowhere and a way of thinking abo...

I'm recording this from a small town in Kerala, South India, somewhere I didn't expect to learn something so meaningful about language. Watching people communicate here without worrying about perfect grammar made me reflect on a story involving a friend of mine and a Japanese sake bar. It's a bit of a surprising one. If you've ever felt like you need to get your Japanese perfect before you speak,...

Back with another culture shock from India. This time, stray dogs. I got chased twice during my trip and the two experiences could not have been more different! The first time was not my finest moment. The second time, I surprised even myself. This episode is a bit embarrassing, a bit scary, and maybe useful if you ever travel to India😉 🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.co...

ただいま〜！I'm back! I spent two months in India planning to take a complete break — no work, no podcast, nothing. But interesting things just kept happening, and I couldn't not share them. In this episode, I talk about two unexpected experiences: a spontaneous trip to a local dentist, and a little surprise moment with a food delivery app. Nothing huge, but the kind of thing that makes yo...

I’ll be taking a short break from the podcast and website until mid-May. In this episode, I explain why I decided to go to India—to focus on yoga in Rishikesh and experience South Indian food and Ayurveda. I also reflect on my previous sabbatical and why intentionally stepping away from work can lead to unexpected growth and meaningful connections. 🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayu...