Eric tries to summarize his incredible year in Japan. Topics include the Holocaust, Jesus the Hymie, Japanese wedding culture, sex with soup and religious listening habits.

Eric guest lectures about the Grateful Dead and 1960s American history at Osaka University for a group of Japanese linguistics students. Stay tuned to the end for an acoustic performance of 3 Grateful Dead songs in Japanese from Takakazu Sasaki and Chee Sukegawa of the Warlocks of Tokyo.

In this extra-special, blockbuster, live-from-Osaka episode, Eric talks to his friend Corey Mintz, co-founder of the New York Pizza Project, along with return guest Adam Rubin (without his own microphone, hence the low audio levels) about the perfect slice of pizza, Andy Richter, Japanese eggs, the amount of weird white people in Japan, Eric's Japanese language skills, "getting spiked," and what it's like to go out with Eric in Osaka.

Eric plays selections from a recent stand-up comedy performance by Osaka's gaijin comedy geniuses ROR Comedy. That's R. O. R. Comedy. Not LOL, but ROR. Clips from Rodney Smith, Tom Law, Edd Daggers and previous guest Tony Romani.

Eric talks to his friend Phil Crouse, the Diddy of artisanal beverages, about the making of the podcast, Zima and Eric's (mostly silent) protest against Japanese food website tabelog, and Eric recounts his epic hippie-fied Japanese business card presentation.

Eric talks to his friend and confidant Brian Turner, a freelance producer whose work can be viewed at btonset.com, about Thanksgiving in Japan, Pittsburgh pizzerias, making commercials in Japan, snake shochu, and the Japanese jam band Big Frog.

Eric finally brings on an oft-requested special guest, addresses some new issues that have come to light, discusses his experience watching the Japanese art of rakugo storytelling, and shares some haikus from Kobayashi Issa.

Eric talks to his friend Danyk Jason Amyot of Osakan rock band Union Trouble about Gypsies, IJing, the 5 linguistic reactions and what it's like being married to a Japanese woman. http://www.uniontrouble.com https://soundcloud.com/uniontrouble

Eric talks to his friend Rafi Kohan of the New York Observer about sports talk radio, #SeanandRach, Love Hotels, raw chicken, cod ejaculate, and smeared feces.

Eric talks to his friend Colin Pigott about cats, vacuuming, Nashville, EDM, the Fuji Rock Festival, and the iPhone 6.