The Tofugu Podcast: Japan and Japanese Language
120 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 470 ratingsFor people who want to visit Japan, live in Japan, and learn Japanese. Please excuse the tangents.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
4 Tokyo Walking Tours That Showcase Japanese Design feat. Spoon & Tamago
April 14, 2017 16:32 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBVisit our guest at: http://www.spoon-tamago.com/ This week, Michael has a conversation with the creator and curator of Spoon & Tamago, Johnny Strategy. As an architecture expert, Johnny gives Michael (and you) four excellent Tokyo walking tours that show off some of Japan's most stellar buildings. Johnny also touches on the Japanese design scene and what his experience was like growing up in Japan. Plus, there are a some neat anecdotes like the time Johnny ruined Studio Ghibli for everybod...
Why You Should Go To Japan Instead of Taking a Japanese Class
April 07, 2017 16:07 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MBFind us at: www.tofugu.com/ This week Koichi and Michael discuss the advantages of going to Japan to learn Japanese rather than spend time and money in a classroom. They offer practical advice for making your trip to Japan an impactful learning experience and a fun, long-lasting memory. Topics include: - One (basically) free trick to get a ton of random Japanese people to talk to you, in Japanese, so you can have non-stop conversation practice while in Japan. - When to get the really cheap ...
What's a Yokai and Should I Be Scared? feat. Zack Davisson
March 31, 2017 17:06 - 1 hour - 77.7 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty This week Koichi and Michael talk to Zack Davisson, an award winning translator, writer, and Japanese folklore expert to discuss yokai. From the well known kappa to the obscure nebutori, Zack covers it all in this week's podcast! What you can take away from today's episode: - What is a yokai? - Different types of yokai - History of Japanese folklore - Different types of folklore - Japan's views on ghosts - Koichi's views on ghosts If you'd like t...
How to Taste Sake feat. SakéOne
March 24, 2017 17:44 - 2 hours - 125 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Strap in, folks. This is a long one. We invited Jack and David from SakéOne, a local sake brewery in Oregon, to come to the Tofugu office so we could learn how to taste sake. And boy, did we taste some sake. They brought six bottles, three domestic and three imported, and drank our way to knowledge about the sake brewing process, different types of sake, and how Michael is actually a grain of rice. Here's some things you'll learn in today's episod...
The 5 "Hidden Gem" Prefectures You Should Visit in Japan feat. Kay from JNTO
March 17, 2017 18:23 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Koichi and Michael talk with Kay from the Japan National Tourism Organization (that's the Japanese government's official travel promotion arm, btw) about 5 prefectures worth visiting. Of course, this doesn't include Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka. No, these are hidden gems, prefectures that you may not have known about. If you're looking for a unique and memorable Japan travel experience, you're gonna wanna listen to this one all the way through. The pref...
The Evolution of Anime Research feat. Helen McCarthy
March 10, 2017 18:55 - 1 hour - 62 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty In this episode, Michael talks with Helen McCarthy, one of the top anime researchers ever. She wrote the Anime Encyclopedia and the first book on Miyazaki in English. She founded the UK’s first anime magazine, and was instrumental in growing anime fandom throughout the 90s and 2000s. Helen talks about: - Her meeting with Miyazaki. - What anime fandom was like before there was anime fandom. - How she founded and ran the first anime magazine in the ...
Getting your Gambling on in Japan
March 03, 2017 17:24 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty In this episode, Michael and Koichi talk to Kanae the intern about the incredible gambling expertise she amassed from the one game of Hanafuda she played against her grandpa. They discuss the history of gambling in Japan, all the various Japanese chance games, and the future of gambling under PM Abe's new gambling law. Take a chance on us. You won't regret it. Unless you lose. Which you won't. Because you're listening to us. iTunes:https://tfg.li...
The Underground Japanese Music Scene feat. Ian F. Martin
February 24, 2017 19:37 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Michael and Jamal sit down to talk with music journalist and label owner, Ian F. Martin, about the Japanese underground rock scene as detailed in his new book “Quit Your Band!”. As a journalist, Ian has written for presitgious publications such as The Guardian and The Japan Times, is an avid blogger and has been in the Japanese underground music scene for 10+ years. As a label owner, he is able to offer a unique insight into both sides of the musi...
What Makes a Good Japanese Translator? feat. Alexander O. Smith
February 17, 2017 20:40 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBMichael and Kristen talk with veteran video game translator Alexander O. Smith about the essential elements of good translation, especially when it comes to video games. Alex has worked on such hit games as Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. From these experiences, he's gained a lot of insight into what makes a good translation (and what makes a bad translation). If you're thinking of pursuing a career in video game localization, pay attention to what Alex...
How to Get the Most Out of Your ALT Life in Japan feat. James from ALT Insider
February 10, 2017 20:06 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Koichi and Michael talk with James, founder of http://www.altinsider.com/ to find out what it takes to get the most out of your life in Japan. James was an ALT in Japan for 8 years. During his time teaching English, he hit a wall and started to feel burned out. Classes were repetitive and he needed a change. So he MADE a change. On this episode, James shares the strategies he developed to turn his team-teaching life around. After he started using...
Joining STU48, Japan's New Seafaring Idol Group
February 03, 2017 21:35 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Japan's most popular idol group, AKB48, has just launched a new sister-group called STU48. What makes this new sister-group different from the many, many, many, many, many others? This one is performs only on the sea. That's right, we finally get a maritime idol group. Michael and Koichi are joined by Kanae the intern to discuss the impact this has on the nation. Shiver ye timbers and batten down the glowsticks. It's time to kind of rock out to a...
Traveling as a Vegetarian in Japan
February 02, 2017 19:29 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Tofugu's own Kristen traveled to Japan recently, but there was one problem: she's a vegetarian. You'd think Japan would be a veggie-friendly country, but no. Learn all about the trials and triumphs of travel in Japan as a vegetarian. It can be done, just take Kristen's advice and prep for yourself for the vegetarian wasteland. Happy Cow: https://www.happycow.net/ Printable Cards: http://www.justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards Notes: The movie K...
How To Get a Job in Japan feat. Peter Lackner
January 27, 2017 17:53 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty We talk to Peter Lackner--who runs jobsinjapan.com--about how to find a job in Japan. Turns out, Peter knows how to make it happen, no matter who you are (and how much education you have). Get a job in Japan: https://jobsinjapan.com DISCLAIMER: About a year after this podcast posted, Peter wrote back to us to let us know JESP, J-Wave, and WaveUSA aren't great programs and actually have been up to some shady business he didn't know about at the ti...
Special Ep: I Like OJ Fancast
January 26, 2017 03:12 - 5 minutes - 4.76 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty If you don't know what Pikotaro's I Like OJ is all about, hold onto your butts (and watch this): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCIfjcc8J2M You back? Good. Because so are Pikotaro superfans Koichi and Michael, and they're here to help you understand why the new song by the PPAP singer/songwriter is his best yet. It may even change the way you live your life (not to mention your vocabulary). iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast Google Play: https...
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Japanese feat. Kristen
January 20, 2017 19:14 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBWe talk to Tofugu translator Kristen about the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. This concept trips up a lot of Japanese learners. Even people who think they know how transitivity pairs work in Japanese, they don't really. Kristen helps you understand transitive/intransitive verbs once and for all. iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay
Special Ep: PPAP Fancast
December 22, 2016 22:54 - 5 minutes - 4.98 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty The Tofugu Podcast becomes the PPAP Fancast. Sorry guys, we had a good run as Tofugu, but we're switching to strictly PPAP-related content from here on out. Get up-to-date news, information, and analysis on the forever-classic internet song, Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen. iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay
The Legend of Japanese Jesus
December 22, 2016 22:45 - 9 minutes - 8.82 MBFind us at: https://www.tofugu.com/ There's a secret history of Jesus that even Dan Brown doesn't know about. It's the legend of Japanese Jesus. You see, he didn't die on the cross. Oh no, sir. He went on an amazing journey and wound up in Japan. Find out all about Jesus' amazing adventure and secret Japanese life on the Tofugu podcast. And when you're done, read the article here: https://tfg.li/japanesejesus iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay
Robot Restaurant, the Second Greatest Show on Earth
December 22, 2016 22:34 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Beep boop. We are transmitting from the future, where all restaurants have become Robot Restaurant. Sure, Japan's Robot Restaurant is a fantastic show filled with music, lights, dancing, and robots, but the food is terrible. And since it's become every restaurant on earth, we are living a food nightmare (albeit an incredibly entertaining food nightmare). Come with us on a journey, as young Koichi and Michael recount their first experiences with th...
Christmas in Japan and How to Celebrate It Right
December 22, 2016 22:09 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBGet more from us at: https://tfg.li/2fEcRty Merry Christmas! Tofugu brings you a special holiday-themed podcast episode, where you can learn everything there is to know about Japanese Christmas. If you want to celebrate the holiday in Japan, you best learn a thing or two about KFC, cake, boots, and more. Plus we learn some surprising revelations about Santa's political views. Read all about Japanese Christmas in our article: https://tfg.li/christmasinjapan iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-pod...
Tsujigiri, the Japanese Word for "Cutting Someone Down to Test a New Sword"
December 20, 2016 01:46 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBLearn more about Tsujigiri: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/tsujigiri/ Tsujigiri is a Japanese word that describes some grisly samurai tomfoolery. Find out what this word means, where it came from, and what happened to people who did tsujigiri as a pastime (sick monsters!). We also made a video about Tsujigiri: https://tfg.li/tsujigirivid iTunes:https://tfg.li/tofugu-podcast Google Play: https://tfg.li/tofugu-gplay