Hokkaido Today

Eric Johnston, Senior National Correspondent at The Japan Times, left Kansai for Sapporo after decades of reporting on Japan. He talks about what changed, what he misses, why bears keep coming into town, and whether Hokkaido is one place or several.

In this episode: how a Pittsburgh business major ended up at an arcade game magazine in Osaka, why puns work better than sarcasm in Sapporo, the Ainu, whether Sapporo is an international city, and a 70-year-old Hokkaido story he needs readers’ help to finish.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
[your timestamps]

Guest: Eric Johnston
Host: Josh Smith

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A Toronto private investigator with zero interest in Japan picked Hokkaido for two reasons: winter and beer. 27 years later, Martin Langford is a teacher, a father of two, and the voice of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast (150+ episodes), turning long rides into deep dives on Jomon carvings, Ainu place names, and family history along the Sea of Japan coast.

In this conversation: how a bad commute led to Nova and Hokkaido, what's changed since 1999, why he stopped just riding and started recording, and the sacred tree you'd pass without ever knowing.

0:00 The accidental move
0:00 From PI to Hokkaido
0:00 Hokkaido in 1999 vs. now
0:00 Why a podcast about bike rides
0:00 The tree you'd never notice
0:00 Does he feel like a local?

🎧 Martin's podcast: Cycling Hokkaido

📸 Visiting Sapporo or Hokkaido? We do vacation and portrait photography. Book us at www.ShizenPhoto.com

🔗 Website and newsletter: hokkaidotoday.com
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Guest: Martin Langford

Host: Joshua Smith