Deep Dive from The Japan Times

You probably don’t think of guns when you think of Japan, but Hokkaido’s hunters do. Hokkaido-based writer Justin Randall says newly proposed gun laws may make their lives more dangerous. Later, Shaun McKenna and Alyssa I. Smith discuss something less dangerous: Taylor Swift’s sold-out Tokyo shows.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:
Justin Randall: Articles | Linktree
Alyssa I. Smith: Articles 

Read more/Listen more: 

Hokkaido hunters say more firepower means more humane kills (Justin Randall, The Japan Times)

How are firearms regulated in Japan? (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)

Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move. (Alex K.T. Martin, Deep Dive from The Japan Times)

Most Japanese outside major urban areas say they do not engage with foreign nationals (Kyodo)

Taylor Swift slays her Tokyo era (Allan Richarz, The Japan Times)

Fans share love for Taylor Swift at sold-out Tokyo shows (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times)

Welcome to Japan, Taylor Swift fans. Please remain seated as you cheer. (Motoko Rich and Kiuko Notoya, The New York Times)

Seiji Ozawa’s boundless experiment (Chiho Iuchi, The Japan Times)

The story behind my favorite photo of Seiji Ozawa (Dan Szpara, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo: Naoko Motooka began hunting 10 years ago. Her hobby is one way Hokkaido hopes to curb a current boom in the deer population. | JUSTIN RANDALL

Who wants to live forever? As scientists and tech billionaires attempt to tackle the problem of aging and death, we discuss Japanese ideas about immortality. Later, our games writers discuss the recent Palworld-Pokemon flare up.  

On this episode:
Elizabeth Beattie: Articles | X
Owen Ziegler: Articles 
Ann-Loy Morgan: Articles

Read more/Watch more/Play more: 

Eternal pursuits: A history of Japanese quests for immortality (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)

Living until 100, if not forever, in good health (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times)

The digital beyond: Is an eternal existence within grasp? (Elizabeth Beattie, The Japan Times)

Reverse aging mogul discusses regimen as he strives for the biological age of an 18-year-old (ABC News)

Overnight smash Palworld is much more than ‘Pokemon with guns’ (Ann-Loy Morgan, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Japan made history last month when it became the fifth nation to soft land on the moon. What’s more, they landed it close to their target, a feat that could be a gamechanger for space travel. This week we discuss the science and the politics behind Japan’s lunar landing. 

On this episode:
Joel Tansey: Articles | X
Tomoko Otake: Articles | X
Gabriel Dominguez: Articles | X

Read more/Watch more/Play more: 

Japan makes history as spacecraft lands on the moon (Tomoko Otake and Joel Tansey, The Japan Times)

One small step for a JAXA spacecraft, one giant leap for exploration  (Elizabeth Tasker, The Japan Times)

Japan’s moonshot may mark breakthrough for future lunar missions (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times)

Geopolitics in space: Why great powers are scrambling for the moon (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times)

SLIM Moon Landing Live & Press Conference (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, YouTube)

SORA-Q Flagship Model (Takara Tomy)

SLIM: The pinpoint moon landing game (JAXA Space Education Center)

Artemis Accords (U.S. Dept. of State)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo:  The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is seen on the surface of the moon in an image released Jan. 25. | JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY (JAXA), TAKARA TOMY, SONY GROUP, DOSHINSHA UNIVERSITY/ VIA REUTERS 

It was a rough start to 2024 for Japan, with a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and an airplane collision at Haneda airport in the first week of January. On our first episode of the year, we report on the impact of the Noto Peninsula earthquake and what can be learned from rural disasters.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:
 Jordan Allen: Articles
Karin Kaneko: Articles | X
Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X

Read more: 

“Noto is kind, right down to its soil”: A community’s long road to recovery (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)

How Japan’s violent New Year’s quake felt in Toyama (Jordan Allen, The Japan Times)

In Ishikawa, shelter for people but not four-legged friends (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times)

Nationwide donation effort for earthquake-hit Ishikawa gains steam (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times)

Noto quake: “In times of crisis, all we have is each other” (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)

Photo essay; Inside the Ishikawa earthquake disaster zone (Daniel Traylor, The Japan Times)

Noto community’s long road to recovery from the New Year’s quake (Dave Cortez, YouTube)

“Our minds are blank”: How ‘earthquake resilient’ Japan fails its ageing rural communities (Justin McCurry, The Guardian)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo:  Cars drive past a damaged road, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. | KIM KYUNG-HOON, REUTERS 

For our last episode of the year, we’re summing up the year in culture with Matt Schley, Alyssa I. Smith, Thu-Huong Ha and Owen Ziegler, who tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 
Matt Schley: Articles | X 
Alyssa I. Smith: Articles
Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X 
Owen Ziegler: Articles 

Read more: 

The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era (Matt Schley, The Japan Times)

J-pop's global ambitions came closer to reality in 2023 (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times)

‘The Great Reclamation’ details the horrors of the foreign occupation in Singapore (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times)

Saou Ichikawa’s 'Hunchback': A darkly funny portrait of disability (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times)

Understanding the LDP political funding scandal and its implications (Kanako Takahara, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo: A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | NINTENDO

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

Excerpt for Audioboom: 

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 
Mara Budgen: Articles | X 

Read more: 

How simple steps can help alleviate climate anxiety (Joel Tansey, The Japan Times)

Fall is the new summer: Warming threatens Japan’s cultural calendar (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times)

In Japan, extreme heat and an aging population are a deadly mix (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times)

The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head to the cities (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)

New solutions tackle Japan’s waste problem at its core (Mariko McTier, The Japan Times)

Japan is about to release 1.3 million tons of Fukushima wastewater. Should we be concerned? (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times)

Japan sticks with climate solution that critics say is far from clean (Annelise Giseburt, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo: The Climate Action Network holds an event at the venue of the U.N. climate change conferences in Dubai on Sunday to give its "fossil" award to countries including Japan. | KYODO

An “Otaku Dictionary” has Japan’s subcultures upset at an attempt to define them. Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue join us to explain the linguistic scandal before discussing whether or not Japan has mastered “sitting.” 

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 
Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X 
Yukana Inoue: Articles

Read more: 

How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times)

Test your otaku vocabulary, from 'oshi' to bacon lettuce’ (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times)

Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo’s video game landmarks (W. Tanner Kirk, The Japan Times)

Has Japan mastered sitting? (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times)

Bedbugs are spreading in South Korea and China. Is Japan next? (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times)

Japan to start trial of over-the-counter sales of morning after pill (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Photo: Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures. | TAIDGH BARRON

Chinese President Xi Jinping made the rounds at APEC last week, Gabriel Dominguez tells us what it means for Japan. At home, NHK has announced its “Kohaku” lineup — with nary a Johnny’s act to be found. Patrick St. Michel discusses the year’s most notable snub. 

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 
Gabriel  Dominquez: Articles | X 
Patrick St. Michel: Articles | X

Read more: 

Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions (Gabriel Dominguez and Gabrielle Ninivaggi, The Japan Times)

'Offensive' and 'defensive' diplomacy: Managing ties with China (Hotaka Machida, The Japan Times)

NHK ditches Johnny's acts for year-end musical bonanza (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times)

Takeshi Kitano, comedian, film director, actor, painter, writer, singer (FCCJ, YouTube)

Scandal-hit Takarazuka to set up experts panel to improve culture (The Japan Times)

With ‘Idol,’ Yoasobi pens a new chapter in J-pop’s story (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X! 

Photo: An official shot for this year’s lineup for NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen.” | KYODO

As nature reclaims depopulated villages and climate change wreaks havoc on food sources, Japan’s animal population has been inching closer to the country’s urban areas. This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode: 
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 
Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X 
Dave Cortez: Articles | X

Read more: 

The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head for the cities (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)

In the shadow of the Fukushima disaster, an unusual experiment in rewilding (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)

Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho (Laura Pollacco, The Japan Times)

Japan set to scrap rule requiring testing of new drugs on Japanese (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)

Japan women prisoners suffer serious abuse: Human Rights Watch (Tomohiro Osaki, AFP-JIJI)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

Photo: Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not? | GETTY IMAGES

Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode: 
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 
Gabriele Ninivaggi: Articles | X 
Dave Cortez: Articles | X
Jason Coskrey: Articles | X
Joel Tansey:  Articles | X

Read/View more: 

Hotly debated tax cuts risk backfiring on Kishida administration (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times)

G7 top diplomats call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Israel-Hamas war (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times)

Tigers beat Buffaloes in Game 7 to end 38-year Japan Series drought (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times)

Sheldon Neuse and the catch that ended the Tigers’ 38-year drought (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times)

Osaka erupts in celebrations as Tigers win Japan Series (Joel Tansey, The Japan Times)

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

Photo: A man dressed as Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders jumps into the Dotonbori River in Osaka after the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series. | KYODO