Living Japan

It is Episode 81 and the Living Japan crew are fired up to talk about the most recent Sumo controversy, shed some light on the troubles the sport has had in the past decade and then wrap it all up by discussing some ongoing gender issues in our home of Japan! Thank you for listening! Please like us on Facebook and rate and review us on iTunes! Edgar can be found at: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Brent can be found at: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and his website. Motoi currently has a small internet footstep. Which is a shame, because she’s great. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/lj-81-sumo.mp3  

On Episode 80, the Living Japan crew discusses about the call for volunteers to work at the Tokyo Olympics, asking for high skills professionals not only to donate their job, but to also cover all their expenses to work at the event. Is the organizing committee asking too much from these medical and language professionals? We also talk a little bit of the bitcoin and cryptocurrency craze and the recent hack that took place in Japan. Finally, for our main topic, we talk about one of the many faces of poverty in Japan: the net cafe refugees. Join us while we talk about the difficulties that these new type of homeless people face and as we discuss about the popular myth that says that “there is no poverty in Japan”. Don’t forget to join the conversation and let us know your thoughts about this issue in the comments. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/episode80.mp3  

Hello Everyone! We are back for a whole new season of Living Japan Podcast. This year we made the commitment to at least do 25 new episodes! On episode 79 Motoi, Brent and Edgar discuss the Coming of Age ceremony that usually takes place during the first month of the year, the different styles of kimono the new adults wear and some problems that didn’t allow some kids enjoy the ceremony as they wished for. Join the discussion, let us know what you think. Is there a similar ceremony in your country? What types of coming of age ceremonies or rites exist in your culture? Let us know in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/episode-79.mp3

The Living Japan got together one last time before the end of the year to share some of the latest news that have been happening in Japan. Motoi, Brent and Edgar discuss about the accusations against the author of the famous manga Rurouni Kenshin as well as the recent problems that companies like Subaru and Kobe Steel have been facing. Join the discussion, let us know what you think. Is it ok to enjoy the work of an artists/creator after he has been proved to have committed a horrible crime? Let us know in the comments. Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all our listeners from Motoi, Brent and Edgar. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/episode78.mp3

We look in depth at the recent incident where a high school student in Osaka was not allowed to attend class for having different hair. We also talk about single families. Kind of a somber episode all things considered. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/livingjapan-ep-77.mp3

Edgar is off to his homeland living Brent alone to edit and put out this episode. That can’t be good. But there is good news! A new episode!! The three of us got together and had a nice chat that went from the use of bicycles in everyday life, what to do if a bike gets stolen, crime and then how community plays into all of this. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/livingjapan-ep-76-bicycles-crime-and-community.mp3

Ohisahiburi! Long Time no see! We have been very busy in the last month, but we finally have a new Episode! This time, Motoi, Brent and Edgar discuss different topics, from the launch of a North Korean missile that pass over Japan; a scandal involving a female politician with a progressive agenda, and the recent fights between different factions of the Yamaguchi Gumi, one of the most important Yakuza families. Thanks for listening to us and for all the patience! We apologize for being so late, and will do an effort to return to our usual schedule. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/episode75.mp3

Hello everyone!!! We have a new episode for you! Finally, after almost 6 months (more or less) we get back to our original format, commenting on three different news that caught our eyes. First, we talk a little bit about the Onsen Theme Park in the city of Beppu, which this month show a little bit of what it will be built to the people who backed up this idea through crowd funding. Our second topic is socializing parents, specially mothers who are being pressured to be the perfect mom, giving small space for relief or meeting friends. Finally, we discuss the role of Traditional culture in the 2020 Olympics’ inauguration, after the declaration of some members of the organizing committee that emphasize that things like sumo or kabuki should not be part of this event. Join the discussion. Would you like to go to an Onsen theme Park? How do parents get help in taking care of children so that they can socialize in your country? Should Japanese traditional culture be part of the Olympics’ inauguration? Let us know in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/episode74.mp3

Hello everyone! It’s already been two weeks from our last Episode and we are back! On Episode 73 the Living Japan crew talks about two very important topics: vending machines and sexless Japan. How many vending machines are there in Japan? Are all as crazy as it looks on the internet? Are there vending machines with Adult Content? And finally, the most important question of them all: Are Japanese people losing interest in relationships and sex? Or is this another “Crazy Japan” story portrayed by the media? Join the conversation!! Let us know what you think! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/episode-73.mp3  

Greetings Everyone! Apologies for the long wait! Today’s episode is a especial two parts, the first half we have the presence of Brent’s son while the gang talks about the new Live Action series of Cowboy Bebop and some the Konami-Kojima drama which still continues. This starts a debate about the different changes that some companies and the government are promoting in the working environment and time, but… are they really in the best interest of the people? Let us know what you think in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/episode-72.mp3  

Brent opened this week’s conversation by asking Motoi and Edgar about their thought’s on the recent arrival of Carl’s Jr. to Japan, specially because their presentation is very different to the image this fast food chain has in Japan. Next, we talk about our main topic, the engagement of Princess Mako and the debate about the role of women on the Japanese Imperial Family. Finally, the gang discussed about some weird posters with a nationalistic message that appeared in Kyoto. Join the conversation! Let us know what you think in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/episode71.mp3

Greetings from the Living Japan Crew! Apologies for being late to upload this new episode. This week, Motoi, Brent and Edgar discuss about what they did during the Golden Week, the different celebrations for Children’s Day that exist in Mexico and Japan, as well as explain a little bit of the folklore behind this celebration.  Next, Edgar talks about his experience attending the Tokyo Rainbow Pride festival, to celebrate the LGBT community and create awareness of sexual diversity and inclusiveness. Finally, we talk about our main topic which is Tourism. Recently, Japan has made a great effort to bring more visitors from abroad, but the Living Japan crew questions if their marketing approach has been the best. Join the discussion, have you visited Japan? Have you seen any of the tourism campaigns of Japan? How does your country attracts international tourism? Let us know in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/episode70.mp3

It’s time for a new episode of Living Japan. On today’s Episode, Motoi, Brent and Edgar talk about the reactivation of the nuclear plants that were closed after the Fukushima disaster. Join us, as we talk about the implications of using and not using nuclear energy in Japan. Join the discussion, let us know what you think about the usage of nuclear energy. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/episode-69.mp3  

Hello Everyone! We want to apologize for getting behind our schedule, but finally we were able to meet and record a new episode. Today, we have a fun episode talking about a recent trend on Twitter with the hasthag #gaijinconfessions. The Living Japan crew tell us some confessions of their own before moving on to our main topic: Myths about the Japanese schooling system. There are many articles that try to describe how education works in Japan, however, not everything they say is true. Join us while Brent, Edgar and Motoi talk about some of this issues and discuss how truthful are this Internet articles. Join the discussion, tell us your opinion about the Japanese schooling system in the comments. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/episode-68.mp3

As every two weeks, the Living Japan crew is back! Bringing you the latest news on what is happening in Japan. In this week’s episode we talk about MariCar, a company that is being sued by Nintendo for using its characters and the concept of Mario Kart to make business in Tokyo. Later on, Motoi, Brent and Edgar address an issue that has been recently trending on social media: The Death of the Harajuku Style. FRUiTS, the magazine that brought the Harajuku fashion style to the spotlight is closing, which has created a debate around the disappearance of street culture in Japan. Is the Harajuku style really death? Which places can young people use to express themselves in a huge city? Where you live young people face similar problems? Join the debate! Let us know in your comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/episode67.mp3  

Welcome to a new episode of Living Japan! As the month of love ends, Motoi, Brent and Edgar discuss about the protest against Valentine’s Day that a cranky group of Marxist had in Tokyo, opposing the discrimination against unattractive men. Later on, the crew talks about our main topic “Train Etiquette.” There are many written and unwritten rules that everyone that uses a train in Japan should know. Are they different from those in your country? Let us know in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/episode66.mp3

Hello Everyone!! On this week’s new episode Motoi, Brent and Edgar talk about some of the latest news, such as the passing away of Masaya Nakamura, who’s company created Pac-Man and the controversy surrounding the APA Hotels’ CEO. Later on we move to our main topic of the day, which is cheating in Japan. There are many different perceptions about love, relationships and cheating depending of each of the Living Japan’s crew cultural background and we gather up to discuss them around the topic of how Japanese people feel’s towards the idea of cheating to their couples. Join the discussion, what would be considered as cheating in your country? How do you feel about the idea of cheating in Japan? Let us know in the comments! https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/episode65.mp3

Hello Everyone! We are trying to start 2017 with the right foot and working hard to have a new episode for you every two weeks. Since Motoi had to travel abroad for work, we decided to record a new Nerd Talk episodes, because without her, Edgar and Brent are not cool, just a couple of Nerds! Haha! Our favorite nerds talk about the announcement by the Olympic committee of the new Ambassadors for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Brent and Edgar give their thoughts about them. Join the discussion, let us know what you think. Do you think these characters represent the spirit of Japan and the Olympic Games? Who would you have chosen? https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/nerdtalk3.mp3

Hello everyone!! Happy New Year! We start the podcast for 2017 with a very interesting episode. First, we talk a little bit about Brent’s trip with his family to the US for the Holidays, how easy and difficult it was to travel with a child from Japan and coming back, as well as some funny stories about the little differences of everyday life little things between both countries. Later on we move on to our first news story of the year: during 2016 the amount of people in Japan with STDs increased and as a consequence the government is planning to increases awareness about this type of illnesses. This opens the talk to discuss a little bit about sex education in Japan and std awareness. Join the discussion! Let us know what you think in the comments. https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/episode64.mp3

Today Dr. Michael Dziesinski, a visiting scholar from the University of Hawaii, joins us to talk about a social phenomenon of Japan: Hikikomori. Today, they are many different portrayals of Hikikomori on mass media and popular culture, but… are they really as they are showcased?  What is hikikomori? How do hikikomori people behave? Is it only a problem of Japan? Join us as Dr. Dziesinski answer to these and many more questions drawing some light over this issue. If you want to know more, please don’t forget to leave your questions on the comments or you can follow Dr. Dziesinski’s vlog and Twitter: Blog: http://towakudai.blogs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MDziesinski https://livingjapanpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/episode-63.mp3