Tokyo Wave

Is Kyoto ready for the inevitable deluge of foreign tourists who will come back in massive numbers once Japan's borders reopen? Will the resurge in inbound tourism be good or bad? Aaron and Parker discuss the budget for PM Abe's state funeral, Japan's economic outlook for August amid rising prices, and 4 Indonesian interns who received letters of appreciation for capturing a monkey.

Akiya Hunter and black metal warlock Matt Ketchum discusses the ongoing war on deviant monkeys, super-powerful laser beams, bungee jumping and downhill mountain biking in Gunma, the return to live underground Japanese metal shows, joining the Kanagawa DEI Rotary Club, and the slow restart of inbound tourism in Japan. Aaron and Parker discuss Japan's ongoing heat wave, Nintendo's rising profit outlook, and people injured on a water slide because they went too fast.

Join us for a sneak preview of some of the original music that will be featured in our upcoming audio drama, The Mean Streets of Tokyo Wave. Aaron and Parker discuss KDDI's massive cell network outage and the ongoing monkey rampage in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

What security lapses led to the tragic assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe? Aaron and Parker discuss PM Kishida's impending Cabinet reshuffle and the campaign around the lead-up to the 2025 Osaka Expo.

Japan-Middle East legal beagle, udon shop owner, and hardcore bicyclist Christopher Gunson tells us how he became the go-to lawyer for Japanese firms doing business in EMEA, and his cycling adventures that average 4,000 km per year. Also udon. Aaron and Parker discuss the sudden shooting of former Prime Minister Abe as the situation develops in real time.

Why are Koenji residents protesting a redevelopment around the Tokyo-area station's north side? Will Japanese property prices finally start to rise after decades of stagnation? Aaron and Parker discuss Japanese teachers struggling to get kids to take off their masks even during an unprecedented heatwave, and a slew of street grate thefts near Tokyo as scrap metal prices reach new highs.

What is going on with the 2022 elections and what does it mean for Japan? How did a Japan city subcontractor lose a memory drive containing the personal info of all its 460,000 residents? Aaron and Parker discuss a Kyodo poll predicting the Japan ruling coalition will secure a majority in the July 10 upper house race and two people left ill after a suspicious liquid was sprayed inside a greater Tokyo area train car.

Why are 80% of Japan's COVID subsidy applications going unverified? What will the ever-weakening yen mean for Japanese consumers? Aaron and Parker discuss the Bank of Japan maintaining its ultra-low rate policy and a Japanese man arrested over nailing a Putin straw doll to a tree at a shrine.