Unpacking Japan

Meet Ameya, an Indian director born and raised in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about growing up in Japan, her entry into the Tokyo art scene, and her work as a film director.

--

0:45 Meet Ameya

1:20 Growing up Indian in Tokyo

11:37 Realizing how society views you

14:50 Joining the creative industry

19:18 Stepping behind the camera

23:04 Making connections

28:03 Becoming a filmmaker

37:14 Shooting for big brands

45:25 Differences shooting in Japan

50:58 Ameya's first movie

56:10 The creator economy

1:02:35 Gaining confidence as a creator

--

Follow Ameya:

https://ameya.click/

https://www.instagram.com/ameya.click/

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 Richard, a professor of Noh and Asian performing arts at Musashino University in Tokyo, as well as the founder and director of Theatre Nohgaku. He sits down to talk to us about the art and history of Noh, common misconceptions that foreigners and Japanese people have, and his own journey to the Noh world in Japan.

--

0:00 Intro

0:46 Meet Richard

6:56 What is Noh?

11:42 The yooooooooo

17:24 Noh vs. Kabuki

20:14 Origins of Noh

22:50 Where plays come from

30:31 Richard's start in Noh

35:30 Noh actor families

41:05 Noh instruments

47:57 Writing the book on Noh

51:39 Popularity of Noh

59:49 The Noh stage

1:04:43 Modern Noh plays

1:07:08 English Noh plays

1:10:30 Noh masks

1:23:17 Appreciating Noh

--

Follow Richard:

https://www.theatrenohgaku.org/

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 Matcha Samurai, a Japanese creator known for his infectious laugh. He sits down to talk to us about his identity as someone from Kochi, his life abroad in London, and being a creator with the role of assumed Japanese culture expert.

A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here:

https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan

--

0:00 Intro

1:07 Meet Matcha Samurai

3:14 Interest in studying abroad

6:02 Arriving in London

10:32 Start as creator

13:08 Role as defacto culture expert

17:40 Thoughts on "JaPaN" as a Japanese

21:42 Why he doesn't monetize his videos

23:26 Career in London

25:40 Trying not to get cancelled

31:25 Topics he avoids

33:14 On his unique laugh

39:52 Looking back on 10 years in London

47:11 Kochi people are different

51:46 Where to go in Kochi

56:47 Why everywhere in Japan is so different

59:12 Looking back

1:03:01 What to know coming to Japan

--

Follow Matcha Samurai:

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

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

https://www.instagram.com/matcha_samurai

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 Harald Naess, a trumpeter for the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. He sits down to talk to us about moving to Japan, learning Japanese while finding a common language in German, and the differences in work ethic and performance in Japan.

--

0:00 Intro

0:45 Meet Harald

4:14 First music study

6:35 Arriving in Japan

10:00 Differences playing in Japan

14:05 Japanese approach to music

18:39 First performance in Japan

24:00 Why Harald was selected

28:12 Music is like noodles

33:04 Impactful performances

39:59 Orchestra group dynamics

44:10 Bringing a younger audience

45:17 Teaching Japanese students

57:47 Looking back

59:29 Sailing in Japan

1:04:05 Getting a license

1:08:56 Sailing experiences

1:11:30 Why moving here was easy

--

Follow Harald:

https://www.facebook.com/kyototrumpet/

https://www.instagram.com/kyotoviking/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2xLfjz5BJ3y6LzJZP0YFIO?si=QMojHzocS52j8axopG12vg

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 Sylvia Manchester, a self-titled Natural Born Diva working as an entertainer and drag bar host in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her studies abroad, interest in queer literature, coming out, and the birth of the Sylvia Manchester character.A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here:https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan

--

0:00 Intro

1:07 Meet Sylvia Manchester

6:35 First interest in drag

7:54 Being gay in Tokyo vs. Britain

12:10 Starting drag in Japan

14:02 Queer literature and gay identity

22:08 Start in drag bar

24:54 Being closeted in a Japanese office

27:37 Becoming a professional drag queen

32:16 Golden Gai

35:45 Interest in Chanson

41:30 Birth of Sylvia Manchester

43:29 Busking in Tokyo

47:15 Finding a place in the Tokyo drag community

50:00 Translating Chanson to Japanese

51:43 What Golden Gai is like

58:32 Balancing drag and normal personas

1:00:36 The Sylvia Manchester queendom

1:03:40 Sylvia's literature reviews

--

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 Will, a host and content creator for Japan Gay Guide in Tokyo. He tells us about how his love for the band Perfume brought him to Japan, what being gay in Japan is like, and his work in LGBT tourism with Japan Gay Guide.

--

0:00 Intro

0:46 Meet Will

5:30 Arriving in Kagoshima

10:35 Coming back to Japan

17:49 Being gay in Japan vs. Sydney

25:45 What is Japan Gay Guide?

28:40 Japan as a safe haven

32:58 Planning what to publish

38:01 How views on LGBT have changed

41:52 Where to go in Japan

46:55 What's next

--

Follow Will:

@willbennett2000

https://www.instagram.com/willbennett2000/

https://www.tiktok.com/@willbennett2000

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 Lawson, a British creator who first came to Japan living in Kobe and Nishinomiya, where he quickly picked up the Kansai dialect. Now living in Tokyo, he's become known for his fluent dialect as a foreigner.

A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here:

https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan

--

0:00 Intro

1:07 Meet Lawson

4:36 Learning Japanese

7:41 Studying Japanese in university

10:19 Coming to Japan

16:11 Becoming a salaryman

25:18 Origin of name Honmani Lawson

29:51 Move to comedy videos

36:39 How Japanese comedy works

41:42 Reacting to videos as a foreigner

43:22 Learning Japanese comedy

48:08 Does this interfere with your job?

52:14 How comedy changed his life in Japan

54:30 Looking back

58:31 Impact of his platform

--

Follow Lawson:

@honmanilawson

https://www.instagram.com/honmanilawson/

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

https://honmanilawson.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 Genoa, a content creator with a very unique life that brought him to Japan. He sits down to talk to us about growing up in a cult, before leaving and eventually coming to Okinawa as an exchange student in high school, and his current life preparing for studying at language school and going viral sharing his experiences in Japan.

A big thank you to our colleagues from ZenMarket for sponsoring this episode. Interesting in buying anything from Japan? Find out more here: https://go.zenmarket.jp/unpackingjapan

--

0:00 Intro

1:07 Growing up in a cult

5:07 Reactions to cult story

9:55 Interest in Japan study abroad

13:02 Arriving in Okinawa

17:26 Life in Okinawa

21:14 Japanese high school

25:43 Comparisons to American school

33:42 Going viral

41:28 Thoughts on social media career

48:02 Genoa's view on "Japan" content

51:21 Consulting Japanese on his comedy

53:09 Working with brands

56:04 Language school in Japan

--

Follow Genoa:

https://www.instagram.com/genoaorion/

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

@genoaorion

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 Gia, a Korean born creator who grew up in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her very multicultural and multilingual life in Japan, from international school to Waseda University.--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Gia5:17 Internation school in Tokyo9:25 Applying to Waseda12:39 Growing up in a foreign bubble16:28 Student life at Waseda20:07 Studying at Waseda22:43 International school vs. university in Japan26:17 University life29:46 Content interviewing other students33:40 Transitioning to full-time creator36:02 Japanese vs. foreign viewers39:44 Waseda vs. other universities43:32 Looking forward46:02 Being Christian in Japan51:56 Seoul Sista podcastFollow Gia: @gialores  https://www.instagram.com/gialores/https://www.tiktok.com/@gialores 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 Bernd Kestler, a German knitter living in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about moving to Japan in the 80s, his love for knitting, and exactly how he's established this unconventional career in Japan.

--

0:00 Intro

0:45 Meet Bernd

7:08 First interest in knitting

12:32 Knitting in Japan

14:55 Knitting full-time

16:54 Knitting in Japan vs. Germany

22:27 Understanding knitting designs

24:03 Japanese knitting designs

28:33 Guiness record blanket for Tohoku

37:07 First knitting book

42:29 Japanese yarn

44:28 How the book affected his career

46:51 Translating knitting concepts to Japanese

49:36 Collaboration with Komeda Coffee

54:10 Knitting creative projects

58:55 Japanese color palettes

1:01:30 Those spiky things on the table

1:08:51 Looking back

1:16:29 Knitting innovation

--

Follow Bernd:

http://berndkestler.com/

⁨@BerndKestler⁩

https://www.instagram.com/berndkestler/

https://www.facebook.com/bernd.kestler/

https://linktr.ee/berndkestler

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/