Meet Chloe Viatté, a French professor and bunya ningyo joruri puppeteer, who sits down to talk to us about this rare Japanese theatre. She tells us about her journey to Japan and interest in puppeteering, how these puppets are operated, and why they might disappear forever.

--

0:00 Intro

0:44 Meet Chloe

5:35 Planning to move to Japan

7:35 First time in Japan

10:03 Life in Niigata

12:06 Interest in Kunio Yanagita

12:52 Interest in bunya joruri

18:56 What is Japanese puppet theatre?

21:06 When did it start?

22:36 Who was Chikamatsu Monzaemon?

24:14 Studying puppet theatre as a foreigner

26:40 Puppet troupes

28:14 Japanese vs. French plays

33:26 How puppeteers perform

36:20 Understanding the characters

38:45 How the puppets are operated

43:52 How the stories are performed

47:49 Why bunya joruri might disappear

50:26 How bunya joruri changed Chloe's life

54:10 Chloe's NHK French program

57:35 Is it important to keep traditional arts alive?

59:29 Where to watch bunya joruri

1:00:29 Tobi tries puppeteering

--

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https://x.com/Yasathem

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Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Osama Ibrahim, an Egyptian opthamologist practicing in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about getting his medical license here, his work as a researcher, and the challenges he's had as a foreign doctor in Japan.

--

0:00 Intro

0:46 Meet Ibrahim

4:21 Coming to Japan

8:07 PhD in Japan

14:49 Overcoming the language barrier

19:35 Getting a Japanese medical license

26:03 Passing the exam

30:07 Treating Japanese vs. foreign patients

36:18 Navigating the Japanese medical system

40:01 Research on eye surgery

48:09 Medical tourism to Japan

51:56 Common eye problems in Japan

54:28 Navigating medical regulations

58:53 Looking back

1:02:38 Goals for the future

1:07:20 Advice for anyone considering studying in Japan

--

Follow Ibrahim:

https://www.facebook.com/Osamaiburahimu/

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--

Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan!

Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Chani, a teacher and content creator that sits down to talk with us about moving to Japan at almost 50. She tells us about her first homestay experience in Japan, life as a teacher bringing her students here, buying an akiya here and her big move to her next stage in life.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Chani2:52 Homestay in Japan6:03 Move back to Japan9:55 Moving back at 5019:34 Japanese teacher to English teacher26:18 Buying an akiya32:51 Settling in to the house35:55 Starting a YouTube channel40:14 How moving here changed Chani's perspective on life42:06 Adopting a cat in Japan45:31 Finding a community in Japan49:31 Looking back51:48 Advice for people moving to Japan--Follow Chani: @ChaniJapan  https://www.chanijapan.com/https://www.instagram.com/chanijapan/Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Luna, a model living in Tokyo who performs as a drag queen under the name Andromeda. She sits down to talk with us about being queer and transgender in Japan, and why older people keep asking her why being trans is considered an issue

--

0:00 Intro

0:45 Meet Andromeda

6:18 Moving to Japan & working at fashion company

11:17 Life in the Japanese fashion industry

12:54 Interest in kimono

17:33 Podcast and LGBTQ activism

22:38 Issues with LGBTQ labels

27:50 Finding community in Japan

35:19 Performing drag in Tokyo

40:46 Start with queer magazine & activism

52:08 Response by Japanese audience

56:09 Why it's important to talk about love

1:00:39 How much work does a magazine take?

1:03:39 How perspective on LGBTQ has changed in Japan

1:06:56 What's next for Luna?

1:08:46 Coming out in public

1:11:01 Why being trans was never an issue in Japan

1:15:18 Where do we stand today?

--Follow Luna:

https://www.instagram.com/luna.andromeda.jp

https://www.instagram.com/moto.iwakan

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Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Kodo Nishimura, a Pure Land Buddhist monk. He sits down to talk with us about growing up in a buddhist temple as a gay man, learning to understand himself studying abroad, and rediscovering his own calling as a monk. --Follow Kodo:https://www.kodonishimura.com/https://www.instagram.com/kodomakeup/https://www.tiktok.com/@kodomakeuphttps://x.com/kodonishimura ⁨@KodoNishimuraMakeup⁩ Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Peppe, an Italian mangaka who gained international attention after his appearance on the reality show Terrace House. He sits down to talk with us about his journey to Japan and struggle to get published while studying Japanese and working as a fashion model, to his time on Terrace House just as he was making his debut as a serialized mangaka.--0:00 Intro0:46 Meet Peppe6:20 Deciding to move to Japan10:55 First time in Japan13:40 Studying other manga artists17:33 Missing his big chance with a publisher26:55 Second chance meeting32:24 One-way ticket back to Japan35:45 Working as a model39:21 Getting a work visa41:41 Entering his first manga contest45:15 Big break48:18 Writing Mingo and getting serialized55:01 Working with a Japanese editor57:19 How Terrace House affected his career1:01:05 Terrace House audition1:05:17 What was Terrace House like?1:12:55 Writing Endo (and who was Maraini?)1:21:47 Challenges of writing a biographical manga1:26:48 Reception from Japanese people1:33:44 What's next for Peppe?--Follow Peppe: https://www.instagram.com/peppedesuhttps://x.com/peppedesuFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Jaya, a content creator documenting renovating his dream house in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about finding the ideal akiya, the auction process, and everything they've put into renovations so far.--Follow Jaya:www.youtube.com/@TokyoLlamahttps://www.instagram.com/tokyo_llama/Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Randy Soei, a tea master from Canada, who sits down to talk with us about why the tea ceremony is unlike any other Japanese art. He talks to us about his history with martial arts, the role of tea in Japanese culture, and the beauty of the tea ceremony.

--Follow Randy:

https://15-1a.com/

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Meet Ian, founder of e-commerce tea platform Yunomi Life, who sits down to talk with us about the state of Japan's matcha industry. He tells us about the sudden growth of the tea industry, how sustainable it is, competition from countries like China, and the whether or not the matcha industry is really a bubble.--

Follow Ian:

https://yunomi.life/https://www.instagram.com/yunomiteahttps://www.instagram.com/ictokyo

Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Trevor, a baseball journalist reporting on the Hanshin Tigers to foreign and overseas fans. Trevor sits down to talk to us about the importance of Japanese baseball, his own journey to Japan, and why Tigers fans are so passionate about their team.

--

Follow Trevor: https://x.com/thehanshintiger

https://trevorraichura.substack.com/

Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/