Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language

On this episode of Japan Station, Sensei Martian talks about what it was like walking 3200 km from Cape Sata, the southernmost point on mainland Japan, to Cape Soya, the northernmost point on mainland Japan.

👉Topics Discussed

• About the Kyushu Challenge
• Why Sensei Martian decided to walk 3200 km/3000 miles+ across Japan
• About walking the old Tokaido Road
...

On this episode of Japan Station, I talk about the Kyushu Challenge, my recent 558 km walk from Iwakuni, Yamaguchi to Sakurajima, Kagoshima.

👉Topics Discussed

• About the Kyushu Challenge
• The route I took to walk from Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture to Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture
• About how a restaurant owner gave me money
• How I appeared on TV in Ya...

On this episode of Japan Station, I talk about how I was able to save money on airfare for my latest trip to Japan. I also share how I almost lost money due to a luggage issue and I talk about why regional JR passes can save you lots of money while traveling in Japan.

👉Topics Discussed

• How I get the cheapest plane ticket to Japan ever
• About smartfares.c...

This is a rebroadcast of episode 76 of Ichimon Japan.

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we talk about the history of pillows in Japan and an absurd belief regarding the sleeping

Topics Discussed

• About the history of pillows in Japan
• About early pillows in Japanese history
• About the evolution of pillows in Japan
• About pillows during the Edo Period
• About hakomakura (box pillows)
• About the olde...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about 4 more words in Japanese. What's a mora? And why are there so many four mora words in Japanese? We talk about all taht and more!

👉Topics Discussed

• What is a mora?
• What's the difference between a mora and a syllable
• The possible origins of nikujaga
• How Japanese love to shorten terms to four mora/four ...

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about some of Tokyo's most popular tourist sites. Are they tourist traps or worth your time? We're also joined by stand up comedian and tour guide Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami.

👉Topics Discussed

• Is Tokyo Skytree a tourist trap? Should you visit it?
• Should you visit Tokyo Tower?
• Should you visit Tokyo Disneyland? Is it...

This episode was originally broadcast as an episode of Ichimon Japan.

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is wasei eigo? (Funny "Japanese" English)

Topics Discussed

• What wasei eigo is
• About English sounding words made in Japan
• tenshon ga takai
• pākā
• How SNS is not English
• arubaito
• nōtopasokon
• buraindotacchi
• misu
• misesu
• rippukurīmu
• hocchikisu
• OL
• sararīman (salaryman)
• shīchikin
• inter...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about Japanese idioms involving the color red (赤, aka, seki). For example, have you ever wondered why lies are red in Japanese? Listen to find out!

👉Topics Discussed

• Japanese idioms involving the color red
• Why 真っ赤なウソ/makka na uso means a "complete lie" and what the color red has to do with lies
• Also discus...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're joined by documentary filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki to talk about her latest documentary The Making of a Japanese and her latest short documentary Instrument of a Beating Heart. During the conversation we focus on the making of these films, what makes Japanese elementary schools unique, the role Japanese elementary schools play in shaping Japanese society, and more.

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about the history of font design in Japan, the history of the Nintendo font and how Daniel Kaihatsu became a type face designer in Japan.

👉Topics Discussed

• Why Daniel Kaihatsu became interested in learning Japanese
• How Daniel Kaihatsu became interested in Japanese font design
• About doing research for video...

This was originally broadcast as episode 21 of Ichimon Japan.

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What's so scary about the hour of the ox?

Topics Discussed

• All about Japan's old way of telling time that was based on the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac (eto)
• Which "animals" in the old Chinese Zodiac based way of telling time correspond to which hours in the modern way of telling time
• ...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about the difference between the Japanese word kaze (cold, 風邪) and kaze (wind, 風). Why do they share the same pronunciation? Are they related? Or is this all just a big coincidence? Listen to find out!

👉Topics Discussed

• About visiting Japan for the first time
• What the difference between kaze (風邪) and kaze ...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about some of the annoying things people have to deal with when moving to Japan. Our guest this time is the CEO of Mobal, Declan Somers.

👉Topics Discussed

• About visiting Japan for the first time
• About moving to Japan and working in a Japanese company in the late '90s
• Japan in the '90s versus Japan today
• Ab...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking to Quinlan from the GoNorth Japan YouTube channel about surviving a bear encounter in Japan, hiking in the Tohoku area of Japan and more.

👉Topics Discussed

• About bear attacks and encounters in Japan
• How to prevent encounters with bears while hiking in Japan
• Whether bear bells and whistles are effective in ...

On this episode of Japan Station we ask: What was it like walking the Tokaido Road?

NOTE: This is a re-broadcast of episode 78 of the Ichimon Japan podcast.

Topics Discussed

• About the Tokaido Challenge
• About what it was like walking the Tokaido Road
• About the challenges of walking the Tokaido Road
• About what it was like walking from Kyoto to Tokyo
• About getting stopped by police in Kyoto
• Ab...

On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about train etiquette in Japan. We're covering a recent Japanese survey that lists the 8 most irritating things people do on trains in Japan.

👉Topics Discussed

• Eight things you shouldn't do on Japanese trains
• A survey indicating eight annoying things people do on Japanese trains
• How people in Japan deal wi...