# Everyday Japanese Podcast Natural Japanese, one step beyond textbooks. 🐧 Weekly episodes for intermediate learners who want to train their ear with real Japanese. I talk about everyday life in Japan: small things I notice, places I explore, whatever catches my curiosity. All at a relaxed pace. Sometimes it's just me; sometimes friends join and we chat naturally. Great for getting ready for real conversations. Transcripts & video at sayurisaying.com. Let's keep exploring together! 💖 Page: Feed: --- ## [327. The Little Happy Moments We Never Talk About | ほっこり日和の紹介](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/327--The-Little-Happy-Moments-We-Never-Talk-About-e3n4kqe) _2026-08-24 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 own life… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/123932942/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-8%2F39c318d4-8a9b-58ea-c218-576548d5b635.mp3) ## [326. Bureiko, Shirafu, and Nominication: How Japan Bonds Over Drinks | お酒とコーヒー、飲めなくなるならどっち！？日本語ポッドキャストリレー](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/326--Bureiko--Shirafu--and-Nominication-How-Japan-Bonds-Over-Drinks-e3muiqg) _2026-08-17 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 drinking), plus two… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/123734288/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-4%2F50aee4d3-5920-68dc-9db4-00c725ccb729.mp3) ## [325. Udon or Ramen? What Fukuoka Locals Actually Eat | うどん派？ラーメン派？](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/325--Udon-or-Ramen--What-Fukuoka-Locals-Actually-Eat-e3msr6s) _2026-08-10 · Sayuri Saying_ 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… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/123677340/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-3%2F6fb373a0-8353-371d-e5b4-e557d6eaab7d.mp3) ## [324.【会話】Is AI Becoming Our New God? (Modern Faith, Part 2) | AIが神様になる？](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/324-Is-AI-Becoming-Our-New-God--Modern-Faith--Part-2--AI-e3m0hh2) _2026-08-03 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 uncertainty… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/122749922/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-13%2F1d05e073-d43b-c1b9-1c85-04fa873efc41.mp3) ## [323.【会話】Is 'Oshikatsu' Japan's New Religion? (Modern Faith, Part 1) | 信仰と推しの神格化](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/323-Is-Oshikatsu-Japans-New-Religion--Modern-Faith--Part-1-e3m0hcc) _2026-07-27 · Sayuri Saying_ 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"… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/122749772/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-13%2F46711f98-e097-7e4d-5fd6-ef08badb9fe1.mp3) ## [322. Umi no Hi: A Taste of Japanese Summer | 海の日](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/322--Umi-no-Hi-A-Taste-of-Japanese-Summer-e3llss6) _2026-07-20 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 sekinin… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/122401094/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-5%2F77d75da2-8289-304d-d44b-7d849dbbc2ac.mp3) ## [321.【会話】Do Japanese People Talk About Politics? (An Honest Conversation) | もしもしゆうすけさんと政治についての本音トーク](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/321-Do-Japanese-People-Talk-About-Politics--An-Honest-Conversation-e3kdf7r) _2026-07-13 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 politics? With friends,… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/121076411/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-6%2F6ae604f0-d5a3-664a-7408-3fed91f60b62.mp3) ## [320.How Rainy Season Taught Me to Slow Down | 梅雨と雨の日の過ごし方](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/320-How-Rainy-Season-Taught-Me-to-Slow-Down-e3lf63s) _2026-07-06 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 at the sento learning to だらだらする, do… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/122181180/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-30%2Ff81306ce-8b52-b744-09be-b7fa27d2b860.mp3) ## [319.【会話】Sapporo Summer, According to Tatsuya (a Local) | 地元民のたつやさんに夏のおすすめを聞いてみました！](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/319-Sapporo-Summer--According-to-Tatsuya-a-Local-e3l3vpm) _2026-06-29 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 you've ever… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/121814262/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-22%2F426588450-44100-2-e4067eeba97c1.mp3) ## [318. Life in Fukuoka: Honest Review | 福岡に住んでみた感想](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/318--Life-in-Fukuoka-Honest-Review-e3k7jrj) _2026-06-22 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 transcript,… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/120884531/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-2%2F86f58809-233e-1b32-eacd-19a4dc6b4ea4.mp3) ## [Independent podcasts, all self-hosted (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/giG40dQ7l2ia) _2026-06-22 · **Sponsored**_ Browse 21,607 shows from 13,404 domains — listen in the browser and follow favourites. ## [317. Eight Reasons Fukuoka Won Me Over | 福岡に引っ越した理由](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sayurisaying/episodes/317--Eight-Reasons-Fukuoka-Won-Me-Over-e3k78kq) _2026-06-15 · Sayuri Saying_ 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 overwhelming .… [Listen](https://anchor.fm/s/25d02b0c/podcast/play/120873050/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-2%2Fd7278677-263a-92ad-c9ac-3014f17faf79.mp3)