Japan Station: Deep Dives into Japanese Culture, Language & Society

Episode six of the Japan Station podcast is here and this time we're talking about Zen.

Gesshin Claire Greenwood is a Zen priest and the author of the book Bow First, Ask Questions Later: Ordination, Love, and Monastic Zen in Japan. Funny, intense, and thought-provoking, the book chronicles the more than five years Gesshin spent in Japan training in Zen and living in monasteries. During her time in Japan she trained at both a temple monastery in Okayama Prefecture called Toshō-ji and an extremely strict monastery for Zen nuns in Aichi Prefecture called Niso-do. In this episode we talk about whether Zen is a religion, what led Gesshin to go to Japan, whether not knowing Japanese when she began training in Japan was an advantage, the difficulties of monastic life, a hilarious story involving a bullet train ride and faxed instructions on how to put on her kesagōri (a type of monastic pack for carrying one's belongings), a famous Koan about a monk killing a cat, and much much more.

You won't achieve enlightened after listening to this episode, but it certainly won't hurt!

Episode five of the Japan Station podcast is here and this time I'm joined by comedian Showko Showfukutei.

Originally from Kobe, Japan, Showko is a rakugo (Japanese traditional comic storytelling) performer, ventriloquist, and stand up comedian living in Melbourne, Australia. She is the only fully trained rakugo performer living outside of Japan and her unique brand of comedy has taken her all over the world and even the finals of Australia's Got Talent.

In this episode Showko talks about rakugo, the epic tale of how she convinced her rakugo teacher to take her on as his student, the surprising way in which she learned ventriloquism, doing comedy on the streets of London, and much more.

Japan Station episode 4 is here and this time we're talking all about one man's mission to achieve the heights of fame in the land of the rising sun.

In this episode David Elliot-Jones talks about the crazy journey he went on as the star of the ridiculous but thought-provoking documentary Big in Japan. Dave discusses why he and his two friends (Lachlan McLeod & Louis Dai) chose to leave their homes in Australia and spend two years of their lives in Japan chasing fame, what it was like working in Japan's entertainment industry, the dread he felt when having to do crazy stunts like walking around almost naked in Shibuya, the good and bad side of fame, how his soccer teammate's "penis ring" landed him in the news, what it was like asking Japanese people if they've ever had sex with a rice ball, and much more. Dave also offers a bit of advice for people hoping to make it break into the Japanese entertainment industry.

This time we're taking a deep deep dive into the history of Japanese animation with Dr. Jonathan Clements.

An expert on Asia and anime, Jonathan Clements is the author of many books, including Anime: A History, The Anime Encyclopedia (co-authored with Helen McCarthy), and Sacred Sailors: The Life and Work of Seo Mitsuyo. In this episode we discuss the origins of Japanese animation and its fascinating history. We particularly focus on the making of Japan's first feature-length animated film: Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (桃太郎 海の神兵, Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei). Clements talks about how this World War II era Navy funded propaganda film got made, the challenges faced by the film's director Seo Mitsuyo, the influence of Western animation like Popeye and the 1941 Disney film Fantasia,and what people today can gain by watching this sometimes strange and often unsettling work. Clements also reflects on the importance of two of Japan's most respected and famous figures in the Japanese animation industry: Osamu Tezuka and Hayao Miyazaki. Oh yeah, and there's talk of a British POW potentially being responsible for what was very likely the first ever occurrence of native English voice acting in Japanese animation. Yep, it's a lot to take in but totally worth a listen, so go do that now!

Japan Station is back with episode 2 and this time I'm joined by owarai comedian Ann Lethin.

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Ann moved to Japan to pursue a career in comedy after college. Ann discusses why she decided to do that, what comedy schools (yōseijo) are like, the challenges of being a comedian in Japan, a major reason why Japanese comedy can be so nonsensical, moose recipes (kind of), how she got involved with the Big in Japan podcast, and more. Ann provides a fascinating and honest look into the often secretive Japanese comedy industry. Enjoy!

Celebrate the official start of the Japan Station podcast with not one, but two amazing guests!

This episode I'm joined by filmmakers Dominic Pearce and Aaron McCann, the creators of the hilarious mockumentary Top Knot Detective.

In the episode Aaron and Dominic talk about what inspired them to make Top Knot Detective and the challenges they had to overcome to make their vision a reality. We also discuss bad '80s action movies (specifically, the hilariously bad 1987 "masterpiece" Miami Connection), how you film in Japan without a permit, how they got the legendary Guitar Wolf to make an appearance in Top Knot Detective, Japanese talk shows where guests get to pet cats, and miniature ponies. If you're confused, don't worry. It will all make sense after you listen to the episode. So go do that now!

This is a quick preview of Japankyo.com's new podcast: Japan Station. On this episode host Tony Vega talks a little bit about himself and what to expect in this podcast. Features clips of Dominic Pearce (Episode 1), Ann Lethin (Episode 2), and Jonathan Clements (Episode 3).

New episodes will be coming out on the first of every month with occasional bonus episodes dropping on the 15th. The first episode comes out on November 1st, so subscribe now and don't miss it!

Enjoy!