Unpacking Japan

Meet Carla, a German designer known for her videos sharing her eccentric and sometimes silly office and coworkers in Japan. She sits down to talk to us about her journey to and misadventures in Japan, how she got hired at her company and what she does, and projects like the manga she wrote for Comiket.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Interest in Japan and anime

5:36 Coming to Japan

11:07 Internship in Osaka

15:25 Homestay with president's parents

19:15 Getting hired at current company

25:56 First day at work

33:52 The eccentric company president

36:16 How the social media started

40:14 T̶h̶e̶ o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ c̶a̶s̶t̶ m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s Carla's coworkers

43:22 Surprises about Japanese office life

51:09 She went viral, what now?

55:54 Setting up a booth at Comiket

1:00:12 Making a manga (Comiket Take 2)

1:07:08 Carla's vending machine designs

1:10:22 Is Hayakawa-san single?

Follow Carla:

https://www.youtube.com/@misstranslatio

https://www.instagram.com/misstranslation

https://www.tiktok.com/@misstranslation

https://misstranslation-shop.fourthwall.com/

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Adrian, an illustrator in Japan best known for his work on magazines like Popeye, Tarzan, and Hanako. He sits down to talk to us about building his career in Japan, what's great about Japanese magazines, and the secret to being a productive artist.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Meet Adrian

5:13 First year in Aomori

12:19 Coming back to Japan

18:25 Getting work by drawing in public

22:04 Selling point of his style in Japan

24:22 Viral coffee cup illustrations

26:47 Adrian's sketchbook: Drawing is observation

34:15 Role of social media for artists

37:25 Working with Popeye magazine

51:15 Proof of trust as an artist in Japan

53:37 Making a magazine cover

56:55 Print magazines vs. social media

1:04:58 Selling merch as an artist

1:08:38 Community as an artist

1:13:07 Blind drawing exercise

1:16:48 Adrian's sketchbook

1:20:14 Drawing Tobi/Reverse interview

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Follow Adrian:

https://www.adrianhogan.com

https://www.instagram.com/adehogan

https://x.com/adehogan

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Gearoid Reidy, a journalist at Bloomberg Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his career as a journalist, his perspective covering finance and some of the biggest scandals in recent history, and his perspective as an opinion writer and why people should pay more attention to Japanese politics.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Meet Gearoid

5:03 JET in rural Hiroshima

10:17 Working at Capcom in Osaka

13:00 Joining Bloomberg Japan

22:19 Learning to write about finance

25:27 The Toshiba scandal

29:45 Managing a news team

33:12 Reading between the lines in corporate speak

36:26 Translating Japanese information to English

38:17 Difference in journalism for finance company

39:52 Machine learning to filter information

43:48 Does Japan need AI?

49:35 Becoming Bureau Chief

52:32 Pivoting to opinion columnist

1:06:23 What you need to be an opinion writer

1:12:34 People should care more about Japanese politics

1:19:44 Where to begin with Japanese poiltics

1:24:36 On the Takaichi administration

1:30:57 What is the "real" Japan?

1:36:24 Goals for the future

1:39:29 The Carlos Ghosn scandal

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Follow Gearoid:

https://x.com/GearoidReidy

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Tim Koleto, an American-born ice dancer who naturalized and took the silver medal for team Japan in Beijing in 2022 with his partner Misato Komatsubara. He sits down to talk to us about the sport of ice dancing, going to the Olympics, and what it's like to compete for Japan as a naturalized citizen.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 First experience on ice

4:43 Difference ice sports

7:09 Interest in ice dancing

7:53 Beginning competition

13:43 Switching to pairs

16:10 The mechanics of skating

25:30 Finding a partner

28:44 You can compete for other countries?

33:38 Competing for Japan?

37:12 Working with Misato

42:02 Competing with team Japan

47:53 Marriage to partner

50:47 Going to the Olympics

58:07 Strategy for competing to judges

1:03:53 Silver medal performance

1:15:12 Delayed medal ceremony

1:18:54 Retiring from competition

1:26:01 Final words

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Follow Tim:

https://www.instagram.com/timkoleto

https://www.tiktok.com/@timkoleto

https://x.com/timkoleto

https://www.twitch.tv/timkoleto

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Rena, also known by her stage name ukurena, a Japanese ukulele player from Kobe, who became the junior world champion in 2016. She sits down to talk to us about her discovery of the ukulele and subsequent career, how the ukulele is so often misunderstood, and how she's reinventing what people think of as ukulele music.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Meet Rena

1:56 Learning from a former champion

11:00 The piece that drew Rena to ukulele

13:32 Early wins in ukulele competitions

16:03 What is a ukulele competition?

19:45 Ukulele in Hawaii vs. Japan

23:38 Winning international competition

27:52 Ukulele in Japanese music

33:44 Becoming a professional musician

35:58 Different genres with ukulele

39:28 Studying jazz and performing with emotion

47:58 Signing with a record label

52:32 Composing her own music

57:59 Goals for the future

1:01:21 Ukulele performance

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Follow Rena:

@rena_ukulele_japan

https://www.instagram.com/rena_ukulele

https://www.facebook.com/rena.ukulele

https://x.com/rena_ukulele

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Joshua, a professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, who has been pioneering the field of cute studies. He sits down to talk to us about the difference between cute and kawaii, the development of kawaii culture, and the psychology of cuteness.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Meet Joshua

5:15 Interest in kawaii culture

6:37 Cute vs. kawaii

12:54 Kawaii culture

14:36 Forming a new field of study

19:40 Cuteness in Japan

22:47 Origins of the word kawaii

25:56 Cuteness in everyday life

29:45 The "feeling" of cuteness

32:10 Managing cuteness studies research

37:47 Academics vs. culture

41:18 Artists and cute aesthetics

44:22 Japanese academics on cuteness

46:49 Applications of cuteness research

51:56 Spread of kawaii culture

55:45 The future of cute studies

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Follow Joshua:

https://www.cutestudies.org/

https://www.instagram.com/dalejoshuapaul/

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Hector, a pastor and the head of Tokyo Union Church, who sits down to talk to us about Christianity in Japan. He tells us about the history of his Church and Christianity in Japan, how present Christianity really is in everyday life here, and the commodification of Christianity in Japan.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Interest in Japan

4:58 Becoming a pastor

11:05 Serving in Korea, Switzerland

16:40 History of Tokyo Union Church

19:05 Coming to Japan

24:51 Leading an interdenominational church

27:36 Japanese members of the church

32:02 Guiding different denominations

39:48 History of Christianity in Japan

44:03 How Christianity shaped modern Japan

48:58 Christianity in everyday Japan

51:27 The value of commodifying religion

58:12 Interfaith community

1:03:04 Does Christianity belong in Japan?

1:09:29 Experience as a pastor in Japan

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Follow Hector:

https://www.tokyounion.org/

https://www.instagram.com/tokyounion/

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Alex, a tourism consultant based in Kagoshima. He sits down to talk to us about his study of martial arts, his experiences at a traditional Japanese company, and his work preserving traditional arts through tourism.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Meet Alex

4:55 Studying Iaido

9:15 Arriving in Kagoshima

12:28 Studying local martial art jigen-ryu

17:59 Why jigen-ryu is kept secret

20:10 Joining a traditional company

32:00 Explaining Japanese culture to foreigners

35:21 Sending Japanese culture to Buckingham Palace

39:06 Founding a company to promote traditional culture

47:08 Commercializing traditional arts

52:40 What is "authentic" culture?

55:59 Making culture sustainable

1:01:12 Working with local governments

1:07:16 Are traditional arts being preserved?

1:09:37 Where to visit in Kyushu

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Follow Alex:

https://gotoku.travel/

https://gotoku.consulting/

https://www.instagram.com/gotokutravel/

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Alex Karlsson, a Swedish idol music producer based in Seoul, Korea, known for his work with Korean groups like Ateez and Enhyphen, as well as Japanese groups like SixTones and &Team. He sits down to talk to us about the foundations of idol music, the differences between k-pop and j-pop, and the authenticity of manufactured pop music.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Start as artist

7:55 Transition to producer

11:39 Royalty split in k-pop vs. j-pop

14:16 Producing hits for foreign bands

19:25 K-pop vs. j-pop

23:21 The sound of manufactured pop

30:49 Modern idols are more involved in production

33:33 When the slave contract ends

35:30 The breadth of Asian pop music

41:00 Why k-pop is huge overseas but j-pop isn't

44:55 How Gangnam Style changed k-pop

47:25 Breaking in to the Japan market

50:51 Why Japan is so different

53:36 How moving to Korea changed his career

58:37 Adding emotion to manufactured pop

1:00:55 What's most important when producing

1:02:12 Boy bands vs. girl groups

1:05:28 The problem with AI music

1:10:43 The future of the industry

1:12:43 Next steps

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Follow Alex:

@AlexKarlssonofficial

https://www.instagram.com/lefauxreal

https://www.tiktok.com/@lefauxreal

https://x.com/AKarlssonMusic

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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 Joey, a Japanese-Australian content creator known by his alias The Anime Man. He sits down to talk to us about his passion for manga and anime, moving to Japan to make anime videos and what that's taught him about the anime and manga industry, as well as his work on the Trash Taste Podcast and his fashion brand NØИSENSE.

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0:00 Intro

0:50 Meet Joey

6:19 Early obsession with manga

13:07 Moving to Japan for anime reasons

16:18 Early anime YouTube

18:31 Interviewing manga authors

23:36 What makes manga so popular?

27:56 Joey's favorite manga

36:29 Trash Taste started in a karaoke bar

45:54 Being "the" anime man

49:18 Anime has gone mainstream

54:48 Going beyond Shonen Jump

1:00:14 What's important in good anime

1:08:36 The secret doujin engine running the industry

1:17:54 Branching out beyond anime

1:23:53 Tackling Japan misinformation

1:33:38 Starting a fashion brand

1:40:38 Licensing IP for fashion

1:45:11 What makes NØИSENSE cool

1:50:57 Work as a musician

1:57:18 What's next?

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Follow Joey:

@TheAnimeMan

@JoeyTheAnimeMan

https://www.twitch.tv/thean1meman

https://www.instagram.com/joey.the.anime.man/

https://www.facebook.com/TheAn1meMan/

https://nonsense.jp/

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan

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/