Unpacking Japan
de Produced by ZenStudio
Episódio mais recente
How Billy Blanks accidentally became a mega celebrity in Japan
How Billy Blanks accidentally became a mega celebrity in Japan
Sobre este podcast
Unpacking Japan explores Japanese arts, culture, and business through the lives of foreigners who have made this amazing country their home. While we’ve all seen vlogs and movies showing Japan from a pop culture perspective, Unpacking Japan tells the stories that get left by the wayside—the immigrants, the entrepreneurs, and the artists.
Tune in every week for an authentic, inspiring conversation with someone who’s carved out their own, unique place in this beautiful country.
Host: Tobias Bieker
Production: A. Magdych
Editing: L. Nicholas, J. Sketchley
Social: J. Sketchley
Design: M. Koga
Episódios
Os 20 episódios mais recentes de 263
- How Billy Blanks accidentally became a mega celebrity in Japan · 1 h 4 minMeet Billy Blanks, a fitness coach known for his Billy's Bootcamp Tae Bo workout program, which skyrocketed him to celebrity status when it came to Japan. He sits down to talk…
- The life of a totally, completely normal office lady in Japan · 1 h 12 minMeet Carla, a German designer known for her videos sharing her eccentric and sometimes silly office and coworkers in Japan. She sits down to talk to us about her journey to and…
- He built a career in Japan drawing people on the street · 1 h 47 minMeet Adrian, an illustrator in Japan best known for his work on magazines like Popeye, Tarzan, and Hanako. He sits down to talk to us about building his career in Japan, what's…
- Why people don't understand Japan's real problems · 1 h 48 minMeet Gearoid Reidy, a journalist at Bloomberg Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his career as a journalist, his perspective covering finance and some of the biggest…
- American ice skater who became a Japanese Olympic medalist · 1 h 27 minMeet Tim Koleto, an American-born ice dancer who naturalized and took the silver medal for team Japan in Beijing in 2022 with his partner Misato Komatsubara. He sits down to talk…
- This Japanese ukulele prodigy is changing how people view ukulele · 1 h 6 minMeet Rena, also known by her stage name ukurena, a Japanese ukulele player from Kobe, who became the junior world champion in 2016. She sits down to talk to us about her…
- Cute studies professor explains the science of kawaii · 60 minMeet Joshua, a professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, who has been pioneering the field of cute studies. He sits down to talk to us about the difference between cute and kawaii…
- How Christianity shaped modern Japan · 1 h 21 minMeet Hector, a pastor and the head of Tokyo Union Church, who sits down to talk to us about Christianity in Japan. He tells us about the history of his Church and Christianity in…
- What exactly is "authentic" Japanese culture? · 1 h 17 minMeet Alex, a tourism consultant based in Kagoshima. He sits down to talk to us about his study of martial arts, his experiences at a traditional Japanese company, and his work…
- Idol music producer explains the difference between k-pop and j-pop ft. Alex Karlsson · 1 h 21 minMeet Alex Karlsson, a Swedish idol music producer based in Seoul, Korea, known for his work with Korean groups like Ateez and Enhyphen, as well as Japanese groups like SixTones…
- The anime man actually talks about anime · 2 h 3 minMeet Joey, a Japanese-Australian content creator known by his alias The Anime Man. He sits down to talk to us about his passion for manga and anime, moving to Japan to make anime…
- The difference between Japanese and Western NPOs · 1 h 27 minMeet Lowell, the retired director of Hope International in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. He sits down to talk to us about running an NPO in Japan and the challenges of…
- The challenge of running an art gallery in Kyoto · 1 h 56 minMeet Amanda, an photography gallery manager and consultant living in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her work exhibiting Asian/Japanese photography, her work in book…
- Shibari explained: The Japanese art of tying people up · 1 h 22 minMeet Pablo Aida, a shibari artist who's been practicing in Japan for the last 10 years. He sits down to talk to us about discovering shibari, the philosophy and history behind…
- Undertale translator explains EN to JP localization · 1 h 20 minMeet Keiko Fukuichi, a Japanese freelance translator, who sits down to talk to us about her experience translating games, particularly indie darlings Undertale and Hades. She…
- Is it actually possible to start a business in Japan as a foreigner now? · 1 h 12 minMeet Ray, an entrepreneur running a ryokan in Toyama. He sits down to talk to us about his experience in the hospitality industry, his interest and move to Japan, and his…
- Should non-residents be allowed to buy Japanese homes? · 1 h 0 minMeet Derek, co-founder of YukiHomes, a service that helps people overseas buy cheap homes in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his own journey buying an akiya in Japan and…
- The problem with Japanese mainstream media · 2 h 26 minMeet Martin Fackler, a journalist and author based in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his career in China and Japan, what went into reporting his biggest stories, and the…
- Why Japan's jazz cafes are more important than ever · 1 h 16 minMeet Philip, an author and photographer who's spent years documenting Japan's jazz kissa, who sits down to talk to us about his work and the cafes he's explored in his book. He…
- What it's like to live with invisible illnesses in Japan · 47 minMeet Hanna, an activist who has been living with chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as PTSD. She sits down to talk to us about her…
