The Japanofiles Podcast

Today Dave talks with Jayelon Lasseign, an American who lives in Shinanomachi, a small town in the far northern part of Nagano Prefecture. Jayelon shares her experiences of working in rural Japan, and she talks about some of the challenges of living in a foreign country, as well as the importance of having a safety net with access to timely information -- especially during a pandemic.

Key Words: Shinano Town; Shinanomachi; Shinano-machi; Japan-related conversation; interview; discussion about Japan; life in Japan; podcast about Japan; Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture; Dave Carlson; Shinshu.

For today's Japanofiles Podcast, Dave talks with Kelton Boyer, fellow long-time resident of Nagano Prefecture.  Kelton discusses some of the many interesting experiences he's had, including his most recent business venture -- Mount Desert Island Ice Cream Matsumoto.

Key Words: interview; discussion about Japan; life in Japan; podcast about Japan; Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture; Shiojiri; Japan-related conversation; Kelton Boyer; Dave Carlson; Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream; MDIIC.com; Shinshu; building a house in Japan; best podcasts about Japan

This month Dave talks with Felice Forby, a web engineer with a diverse background in Japan that spans many fields. After sharing various Japan-related study and work experiences, Felice discusses some of the challenges of living and working in Japan.

Key Words: life in Japan; interview; podcast about Japan; challenges of living and working in Japan; career choices; Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture; Japan-related conversation; Shinshu; Cookpad; Ohio; Germany; German cooking; Japan-related podcast; Ruby and Rails; The Japanofiles Podcast Episode 79; Dave Carlson

In Episode 78 of The Japanofiles Podcast, Dave talks with Alistair Ramsbottom, "a Brit who's been living in Asia for many years and experienced many cultures, (and who now) works in Tokyo, but still enjoys coming home to Nagano." Alistair explains about how he switched from living and working in China to being in Japan, about his connections to the Matsumoto area, and about the challenges of settling into a new Japanese living and working situation.

Key Words: interview; discussion about moving to Japan; life in Japan; podcast about Japan; career choices; Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture; Japan-related conversation; Alistair Ramsbottom; Dave Carlson; Shinshu; China; best; podcasts about Japan

After a brief visit to the Shinmai Media Garden, Dave talks with fellow Matsumoto resident Kevin Chang. Kevin is the founder and CEO of Kai Analytics, a Canadian-based market research firm. Kevin discusses some of the challenges of maintaining a base in both Canada and Japan, and he also talks about his podcast, Python Out Loud.

For Episode 76 of The Japanofiles Podcast, Dave talks with Betty Rioux about moving to Japan, and about the difficulty of deciding where to live and work.

Key Words: podcast about Japan; interview; discussion about moving to Japan; life in Japan; career choices; Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture; Japan-related conversation; Betty Rioux; Dave Carlson; Shinshu; French & Spanish teaching; Florida; best; podcasts about Japan

Takenori Kato, an international medical aid worker with the Japan Chernobyl Foundation (JCF), is usually stationed in Iraq. However, because of international travel restrictions due to COVID-19, he's currently working remotely from the JCF headquarters in Matsumoto. In today's Japanofiles Podcast, Kato-san talks about his experiences as a Japanese expat in the Middle East.

Key Words: expat experiences; cultural identity; reverse culture shock; Japan Chernobyl Foundation; JCF; podcast about Japan; interview; Iraq; Japan; Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture; Shinshu; Japan-related conversation; podcasts about Japan; Dave Carlson, host

For this month's Japanofiles Podcast, Tyler Lynch drops by to talk about life in Togura Kamiyamada, a hot-spring resort area about 40 miles NE of Matsumoto. Besides running a traditional Japanese inn, Tyler has also been involved in many interesting projects to help promote tourism and local businesses.

Key Words: Running a business in Japan, hot springs, onsen, ryokan, Japanese-style inn, Nagano Prefecture, discussion about living and working in Japan, Japan-related podcasts, audio tours

For today's Japanofiles Podcast, Dave is joined by James Van Lieu to talk about the mountains of the Matsumoto area. James has set himself the very ambitious goal of getting to the top of all the mountains in Matsumoto, and he has been documenting his activities online on YAMAP.

Key Words: The Japan Alps; Matsumoto; Nagano Prefecture; mountain climbing; hiking; hill climbing: trekking: Hachibuse; Utsukushigahara; Mt. Jonen; podcast about Japan; interview; Japan-related conversation.

The Japanofiles Podcast is back! Today's show features Charles Ward, a prize-winning board game designer who lives in Matsumoto. Charlie explains how he got into board game design, as well as what it takes to get a game produced. He also details the development of one of his recent creations, ROKUMON -- a two-person strategy game based on the true story of Sanada Yukimura, a famous samurai warrior from nearby Ueda Castle.

Key Words: Sanada Yukimura; ROKUMON; Rokumonsen; Matsumoto; Nagano Prefecture; Nagano-ken; Shinshu; Japan; podcast interview; Japan-related conversation; podcasts about Japan; board game development; board game design; Ex1st Games; Ex1st.com; samurai; Crimson Demon of War; Sanada Clan; Ueda Castle.