A hodgepodge of guest interviews, personal narratives, recent news, history, and Japan-related memes and cultural phenomena. If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deepinjapan. Deep in Japan is an independent, crowd-funded project - so every yen helps keep it alive and kicking! Got something to say? Catch me deep.in.japan.podcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening!
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This year, we celebrated the Emperor’s Birthday with a Happy Hour. From the Imperial Household to underground heroes, from banned words to ghost-town virality, this episode has a little something for everyone. We get into the “Naru-chan Kenpo” and how Emperor Naruhito was raised, Japan’s ever-evolving list of broadcast “NG” words, and the country’s real-life superheroes patrolling the streets with…
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. James D.J. Brown , Professor of Political Science at Temple University’s Japan Campus and one of the leading experts on Russo-Japanese relations. His research focuses on the history and geopolitics between Japan and Russia, including territorial disputes, diplomacy, and security issues in Northeast Asia. We discuss his new book, Cracking the Crab: Russian…
In this episode, we sit down with Zach Mathis —now commonly known in Japan as Tanaka Zakku —a cybersecurity expert with over two decades of experience working in Japan. Zach recently chose to relinquish his American citizenship and naturalize as a Japanese citizen. When he announced it on Twitter, the post exploded, racking up almost 6 million views. What was surprising wasn't just the reach, but…
In this episode, Jay and Trey are joined by special guest Mythic Weeb James Hatheway for a three-hour tour de force through the green room of modern Japan—covering, among other things: The Japanese naturalization process The myth of Japan's “ancient” tradition of Hatsumode The Sankebetsu brown bear incident The rise of a very small online “Bear Slayer" movement , devotees of lo-fi aesthetics,…
In this episode, we walk the streets of Japan with Tom Gill —anthropologist, longtime Japan resident, and one of the most clear-eyed observers of the country’s marginalized communities. Gill is best known for his decades of fieldwork among day laborers, the homeless, and the urban poor , particularly in places like Tokyo’s San’ya district. Rather than studying Japan from a distance or through…
Jay and Trey are at it again! This week, we investigate why Japanese parks are becoming "no-fun zones" with draconian bans on ball games—is the country waging a war on its own children? We also dive into the "Ultimate Waifu" politician Kimi Onoda, and the latest stats showing Japan’s English proficiency plummeting to new lows. And last but certainly not least—the big reveal—Trevor's got a new…
Please consider supporting us —every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DogePunk2077 and Facebook . For all inquiries, you can reach us at deep.in.japan.podcast@gmail.com . Outro: Now or Never by ISSUGI Thank you.
Pour yourself a Strong Zero and strap in. This week’s Happy Hour is a fever dream that starts with public displays of 2D affection and ends with a map of bears and suspicious people in Gifu. We cover the rising price of rice (and the rise of "Pasta Japan"), the legal ramifications of calling your coworker "-chan," and why Tommy Lee Jones is the greatest alien to ever sell canned coffee. Plus, we…
In this powerful and far-reaching conversation, we sit down with Brian Daizen Victoria , Zen priest, historian, and author of the landmark work Zen War Stories . Internationally recognized for exposing the entanglement of Japanese Buddhism with wartime ideology, Victoria has spent decades examining the darker, more complicated intersections of religion, nationalism, and violence. But his…
When genetically-modified bears start targeting foreigners, Jay and Trey load up the Bear Plow —a weaponized Mustang straight out of a fever dream—and hit the road to save Japan. Between the gunfire and snowdrifts we dig into everything that made this strange future possible: Japanese jazz-funk on dusty vinyl, forgotten mecha, flower-power hard-rock, and the very real rise in bear attacks across…
