Unpacking Japan

Produced by ZenStudio

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

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34 episodes
a few times a week
Avg 1 hr 21 min
English

Episodes 34

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Friday · 1 hr 21 min
How Christianity shaped modern Japan
Meet 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 Japan, how present Christianity really is in everyday life here, and the commodification of Christianity in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Interest in Japan 4:58 Becoming a pastor 11:05 Serving in Korea, Switzerland 16:40 History of Tokyo Union Church 19:05 Coming to Japan 24:51 Leading an interdenominational church 27:36 Japanese members of the church 32:02 Guiding different denominations 39:48 History of Christianity in Japan 44:03 How Christianity shaped modern Japan 48:58 Christianity in everyday Japan 51:27 The value of commodifying religion 58:12 Interfaith community 1:03:04 Does Christianity belong in Japan? 1:09:29 Experience as a pastor in Japan -- Follow Hector: https://www.tokyounion.org/ https://www.instagram.com/tokyounion/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
October 6 · 1 hr 17 min
What exactly is "authentic" Japanese culture?
Meet 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 preserving traditional arts through tourism. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Alex 4:55 Studying Iaido 9:15 Arriving in Kagoshima 12:28 Studying local martial art jigen-ryu 17:59 Why jigen-ryu is kept secret 20:10 Joining a traditional company 32:00 Explaining Japanese culture to foreigners 35:21 Sending Japanese culture to Buckingham Palace 39:06 Founding a company to promote traditional culture 47:08 Commercializing traditional arts 52:40 What is "authentic" culture? 55:59 Making culture sustainable 1:01:12 Working with local governments 1:07:16 Are traditional arts being preserved? 1:09:37 Where to visit in Kyushu -- Follow Alex: https://gotoku.travel/ https://gotoku.consulting/ https://www.instagram.com/gotokutravel/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
October 2 · 1 hr 21 min
Idol music producer explains the difference between k-pop and j-pop ft. Alex Karlsson
Meet 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 and &Team. He sits down to talk to us about the foundations of idol music, the differences between k-pop and j-pop, and the authenticity of manufactured pop music. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Start as artist 7:55 Transition to producer 11:39 Royalty split in k-pop vs. j-pop 14:16 Producing hits for foreign bands 19:25 K-pop vs. j-pop 23:21 The sound of manufactured pop 30:49 Modern idols are more involved in production 33:33 When the slave contract ends 35:30 The breadth of Asian pop music 41:00 Why k-pop is huge overseas but j-pop isn't 44:55 How Gangnam Style changed k-pop 47:25 Breaking in to the Japan market 50:51 Why Japan is so different 53:36 How moving to Korea changed his career 58:37 Adding emotion to manufactured pop 1:00:55 What's most important when producing 1:02:12 Boy bands vs. girl groups 1:05:28 The problem with AI music 1:10:43 The future of the industry 1:12:43 Next steps -- Follow Alex: @AlexKarlssonofficial https://www.instagram.com/lefauxreal https://www.tiktok.com/@lefauxreal https://x.com/AKarlssonMusic Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
October 1 · 2 hr 3 min
The anime man actually talks about anime
Meet 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 videos and what that's taught him about the anime and manga industry, as well as his work on the Trash Taste Podcast and his fashion brand NØИSENSE. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Joey 6:19 Early obsession with manga 13:07 Moving to Japan for anime reasons 16:18 Early anime YouTube 18:31 Interviewing manga authors 23:36 What makes manga so popular? 27:56 Joey's favorite manga 36:29 Trash Taste started in a karaoke bar 45:54 Being "the" anime man 49:18 Anime has gone mainstream 54:48 Going beyond Shonen Jump 1:00:14 What's important in good anime 1:08:36 The secret doujin engine running the industry 1:17:54 Branching out beyond anime 1:23:53 Tackling Japan misinformation 1:33:38 Starting a fashion brand 1:40:38 Licensing IP for fashion 1:45:11 What makes NØИSENSE cool 1:50:57 Work as a musician 1:57:18 What's next? -- Follow Joey: @TheAnimeMan @JoeyTheAnimeMan https://www.twitch.tv/thean1meman https://www.instagram.com/joey.the.anime.man/ https://www.facebook.com/TheAn1meMan/ https://nonsense.jp/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 25 · 1 hr 27 min
The difference between Japanese and Western NPOs
Meet 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 operating here, as well as his retired life as a YouTuber sailing around Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Lowell 4:54 Leaving missionary work 7:02 Founding an NGO in Japan 11:06 NGOs in Japan 15:01 The Fukushima disaster at home 17:56 How to spend $2.5 million 29:42 Lessons biking across Japan 38:29 Sailing around Japan 45:11 Japanese boating license 48:04 Buying a boat 51:03 First trip in Japan 56:15 Lessons sailing across Japan 59:11 Settling in Okinawa 1:04:15 What you should know about sailing in Japan 1:17:10 Book and research on longetivity -- Follow Lowell: @JapanSoloNotes @nevertoolateacademy https://www.instagram.com/lowellinjapan/ https://www.nevertoolateacademy.com/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 22 · 1 hr 56 min
The challenge of running an art gallery in Kyoto
Meet 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 design, and why physical books still matter. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Amanda 5:18 Post-colonial grandfather 8:23 Studying at Waseda 20:26 Start in gallery work 28:54 Galleries in Japan 32:55 Exhibiting Chinese photography 37:46 Japanese audience interest 40:16 Photo galleries as a business 42:12 Amanda's favorite projects 49:38 Focus on designing photography books 1:05:52 Why books still matter 1:19:59 How to get into Japanese photography 1:29:27 Current projects 1:42:03 Working as an exhibition producer 1:48:05 How to fit into a community -- Follow Amanda: https://www.intermediart.co/ https://www.nitesha.com/ https://lolingning.tumblr.com/illustration Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 18 · 1 hr 22 min
Shibari explained: The Japanese art of tying people up
Meet 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 it, the differences between shibari and kinbaku, and the common misconceptions of this still developing art form. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Coming to Japan 10:44 Deciding to stay 12:42 Discovering shibari 19:14 Shibari apprenticeship 31:57 Why tie people up? 41:05 Kinbaku vs. shibari vs. BDSM 47:36 Does shibari have rules? 51:40 Common shibari misconceptions 54:16 Shibari and the power of surrender 1:07:05 Shibari overseas vs. Japan -- Follow Pablo: https://www.pabloaida.com https://aidamethod.studio https://www.instagram.com/pablo.shibari Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 15 · 1 hr 20 min
Undertale translator explains EN to JP localization
Meet 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 talks to us about nuances of Japanese translation, the biggest challenges she's had, and her experiences studying abroad and learning English. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 How Keiko learned English 5:10 Studying at Florida high school 11:20 Deciding on translation as a career 13:40 Translation school 18:28 Interest in book translation 23:44 Experience as a gamer 25:35 First game translation project 27:21 Limitations translating games to Japanese 28:40 Taking on Undertale project 30:12 Translating Papyrus 33:40 Limitations of not using kanji 38:41 Keiko's translation philosophy 40:35 Translating puns, jokes, and memes 43:54 Working with Toby "Radiation" Fox 45:11 Translation workflow 48:37 Do you play your own work? 49:48 Translating Hades 52:33 Translating old English 55:41 Can you use difficult kanji? 1:00:14 Translating with voice acting 1:02:38 Changes in translation industry over 20 years 1:06:07 Dealing with slang 1:08:38 Looking back 1:09:42 Are you worried about AI? 1:12:55 Do you have time to play games? 1:16:01 Studying vocabulary for Return of the Obra Dinn 1:17:42 Is interest in foreign indie games growing? -- Follow Keiko: https://www.instagram.com/keiko.fukuichi/ https://www.facebook.com/keiko.fukuichi https://x.com/keiko_fukuichi https://note.com/kfukuichi Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 11 · 1 hr 12 min
Is it actually possible to start a business in Japan as a foreigner now?
Meet 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 challenges establishing a business under the government's new regulations. After recording our interview, Ray thought it would be important to share his visa status. That segment has been added to the beginning of the interview for context. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Ray's visa situation 3:48 30 days to leave 8:46 What now? 11:27 Main interview—Why Japan? 18:04 Finding a property to buy 23:36 Business manager visa 25:34 Bringing family to Japan 28:46 Coming to Japan for Ray's children 35:39 The real work begins 37:01 Hotel licenses in Japan 40:57 Building a team in Japan 44:28 Setting up a restaurant/bakery 47:57 Navigating the language barrier 53:00 Joining the community in Toyama 56:37 How Ray financed his hotel 59:14 What he's learned since arriving 1:01:32 Why you should visit Toyama -- Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 8 · 1 hr
Should non-residents be allowed to buy Japanese homes?
Meet 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 running a business from overseas, as well as how YukiHomes fits into Japan's problems with depopulation and gentrification. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Buying their first home in Japan 7:14 Skiing in Japan vs. the U.S. 12:28 Why Japan? 14:18 Discovering akiya 18:49 Regulations on rental properties 26:36 Why buy property in Japan? 29:21 Should foreigners be allowed to buy property? 32:19 Building community businesses 34:15 Operating a business from overseas 41:20 Getting stopped at the airport 44:42 The "right" way to buy akiya? 49:14 Aging ski infrastructure 52:14 Dealing with an old Japanese house 55:22 Next steps -- Follow Derek: https://www.yukihomes.com https://www.instagram.com/yukihomesjapan @YukiHomes Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 4 · 2 hr 26 min
The problem with Japanese mainstream media
Meet 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 problems with Japan's kisha club system. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Martin 8:50 Advantages of a foreign journalist 15:48 Journalistic autonomy 29:20 Japanese bank extortion story 37:42 Managing information as a journalist 44:23 The Hainan incident 49:15 Running from the Chinese police 55:08 Responsibility to international conflict 59:54 The Japanese banking crisis 1:09:45 Responsibility as Tokyo Bureau Chief 1:15:34 The Fukushima disaster 1:31:45 Journalism vs. safety 1:40:53 Why don't we know what happened? 1:46:33 Failure of the Japanese media 1:56:07 The Japanese press oligarchies 2:06:28 Social media's influence on journalism 2:19:28 Why AI can't do journalism 2:22:53 Looking ahead -- Follow Martin: https://x.com/martfack Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
September 1 · 1 hr 16 min
Why Japan's jazz cafes are more important than ever
Meet 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 tells us about the history and culture of jazz kissa, and the growing interest in analogue culture. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Coming to Japan on JET 10:40 What he learned as a JET teacher 19:54 Starting photography in Yokohama 22:39 The importance of Bebop Square 32:02 Next photography projects 36:05 Documenting jazz kissa 45:25 Origin of jazz kissa 51:02 Why jazz kissa are so special 59:34 Are jazz kissa dying? 1:02:30 Looking back 1:10:06 Future projects -- Follow Philip: https://www.philiparneill.com/ https://www.tokyojazzjoints.com/ https://www.instagram.com/philiparneill/ https://www.instagram.com/tokyojazzjoints Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
August 28 · 46 min
What it's like to live with invisible illnesses in Japan
Meet 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 experiences living with invisible illness in Japan, and her views on Japan's medial and social welfare systems. -- 0:00 Intro 0:26 Some context from Tobi 2:32 Meet Hanna 3:14 When her pain started 5:13 Response from doctors 7:40 Realizing her situation is not normal 9:39 Breaking free from her family 12:27 What are Hanna's illnesses? 13:50 Understanding her own life 15:08 Starting social media 17:37 Japanese health care/social support 20:04 Daily life for Hanna 23:13 Hanna's medication 24:37 Social media response 26:26 Has Hanna's messaged reached researchers? 28:58 What should change in Japan? 32:12 Starting a GoFundMe 38:31 Hanna's goals 39:59 Hanna's dreams 42:14 How Hanna experiences pain 44:41 Dealing with prejudice 45:44 Message from Hanna -- Follow Hanna: @hanna_with_pain https://www.instagram.com/hanna_with_pain https://www.tiktok.com/@hanna_with_pain Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
August 25 · 1 hr 33 min
How did anime get so popular overseas, when Japanese companies did not care?
Meet Roland Kelts, an author known for his book Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. He sits down to talk to us about the anime industry and the spread of Japanese pop culture overseas, as well as his work on the upcoming documentary Tezuka: God of Manga. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Roland 4:29 Building a stronger connection to Japan 8:55 Joining the JET Programme to write about Japan 15:20 Living alone in Japan 24:04 Leaving Japan to build a career 29:43 Writing Japanamerica 36:40 Studying Tezuka and anime 40:22 How otaku brought anime overseas 45:34 The 4Kids incident 47:49 Has the anime industry changed over 20 years? 55:58 The Tezuka documentary 1:00:14 Why Tezuka was so influential 1:03:27 How Tezuka came to be 1:06:44 Challenges of producing a documentary 1:11:08 Looking back 1:21:39 The power of pop culture 1:26:03 The world viewed from Japan -- Follow Roland: https://www.instagram.com/rolandkelts/ https://x.com/rolandkelts https://www.japanamericabook.com/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
August 21 · 1 hr 7 min
Japanese teacher's secret to communication, with ⁨@NihongoDekita⁩
Meet Sayaka, a Japanese teacher known for her work on her channel Nihongo Dekita. She sits down to talk to us about her own journey to English fluency, discovering a passion for teaching language, and how she built her brand and Japanese school online. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 How Sayaka learned English 10:26 Studying teaching abroad 22:52 Work for company hiring immigrants in Japan 27:54 Starting her own teaching company 30:53 Growth on social media 38:41 Hiring her own teachers 40:37 How to make online lessons succeed 49:05 Should you learn by watching TV? 52:29 How to get fluent in a language 57:02 Learning vocabulary 1:04:54 Looking back -- Follow Sayaka: https://nihongodekita.com/ @NihongoDekita https://www.instagram.com/nihongodekita/ https://www.facebook.com/nihongodekita/ https://www.tiktok.com/@nihongodekita Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
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August 19 · 1 hr 11 min
Sitting down with the U.S.'s first manga professor
Meet Kofi Bazell-Smith, the United States' first manga professor. He sits down to talk to us about the rules, form, and history of manga, his work in teaching and cultural relations, as well as his own projects as an artist. --0:00 Intro0:50 Start in martial arts5:16 Deciding to take manga seriously10:30 Studying with a manga professor13:38 The rules of manga19:13 How this experienced changed him22:50 Manga as an academic art form26:48 Manga can be anything29:28 How Tezuka brought filmmaking to manga34:20 Becoming the manga professor37:52 Manga as a cross-cultural art form43:34 Is there a market for foreign manga?49:36 Kofi's manga53:39 Publishing manga57:28 Working with Japanese manga schools1:01:54 Exhibiting manga in an art gallery1:06:13 Kofi's work in US-Japan cultural relations--Follow Kofi:https://www.kofimanga.com Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
August 14 · 1 hr 9 min
Why are so many Tokyo apartments not foreigner friendly?
Meet Sandul, a real estate agent in Tokyo. He sits down to talk to us about the reality of renting, the difficulties of renting as a foreigner or student, and how to settle in as a new resident in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Sandul 1:27 Scholarship in Japan 10:00 Sri Lankan student association 14:27 First job in Japan 21:47 Start in content creation 25:27 Japanese house tour videos 31:29 Why do people let you film their house? 34:30 Start in real estate industry 38:20 Foreigner friendly apartments? 42:54 Biggest surprises in real estate 47:07 What makes a good property? 49:24 How long it takes to rent 54:06 Where Sandul lives 57:05 Sandul's favorite stories 1:04:50 What people should know about his interviewees -- Follow Sandul: https://www.instagram.com/sandulvinsuka/ https://www.instagram.com/vinsuka.fromtokyo/ https://www.instagram.com/japanhometours/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
August 11 · 1 hr 13 min
The reality of being an actor in Japan
Meet Christiane, an actress based in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her work in theatre in improv, performing for Japanese vs. English audiences, and her roles in projects like Death Stranding and Godzilla. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Christiane 5:42 Coming to Japan 12:52 Start in acting 16:09 Start in improv 25:29 Performing improv in Tokyo 37:19 Role in Shin Godzilla 46:10 Being scouted for Death Stranding 49:45 Performing motion capture 56:40 Looking back 1:01:04 Support group for female actors in Tokyo 1:09:28 The magic of theatre -- Follow Christiane: https://www.christianebrew.com/ https://www.instagram.com/christianebrew/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
August 7 · 1 hr 19 min
The ACTUAL challenges of renovating akiya in Japan
Today we sit down again with Anton Wormann, an akiya renovation specialist and content creator based in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his renovation projects, the legal regulations about renovations in Japan, the failure and abandonment of his Chiba farm project, and the lessons he's learned along the way. -- 0:00 Intro 0:49 Meet Anton 1:38 First commercial project 7:41 Documenting the work 9:43 The Chiba farmhouse 13:26 The dream waterfall house 16:05 Chiba farmhouse failure 21:38 Lessons learned 25:22 What you should know about akiya 30:45 How to buy akiya responsibly 33:52 How the tax system creates akiya 36:38 Tokyo's anti-renovation legislation 40:18 Anton's Japandi company 43:16 Getting a real estate license 48:56 Renovating the waterfall house 1:01:34 How much did it cost? 1:06:00 Next steps 1:09:39 The power of social media 1:13:04 Looking back -- Follow Anton: @ANTONINJAPAN https://www.instagram.com/anton.injapan https://www.tiktok.com/@antoninjapan https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091063962376 - https://www.antoninjapan.com https://www.japandihouses.com https://www.japandirealestate.com - Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
July 31 · 1 hr 21 min
What Japanese comedy school is REALLY like
Meet Dan Wilson, a Tokyo-based comedian performing manzai and stand up between America and Japan. He sits down to talk to us about going to comedy school and finding a manzai partner, signing to and leaving an agency, and the ins and outs of the Japanese comedy world. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Dan 2:09 Growing up half Japanese in America 8:05 Discovering Japanese comedy 16:02 Going to comedy school 25:09 Getting signed 27:48 Manzai is a marriage 33:48 Being funny as a non-native 40:55 The reality of comedy agencies 45:56 Social media & Japanese comedy 53:54 Going independent 1:01:48 Performing in English vs. Japanese 1:12:01 Looking back 1:15:35 How to do dirty comedy well -- Follow Dan: https://www.instagram.com/danielywilson https://www.tiktok.com/@danielywilson @Badonkadonk_official @SUPERGREATTIMETOKYO Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

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