Voices in Japan

Ben and Burke discuss five ridiculous misconceptions that foreigners have about Japan. For example, all Japanese live in wooden houses and there are still samurai warriors and geisha everywhere in Japan. Other things that the hosts talk about include going to Round 1 (a popular sports and entertainment centre in Japan) to tackle the ninja course, rich Japanese people that we know, expensive and cheap things in Japan, and much much more.

Previous episodes mentioned in the podcast:
Benefits of the Japanese Diet with Yuki

Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar

12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it’s behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. Check out the website for everything you need to know about this beautiful prefecture.

https://hokkaidoguide.com


Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

Listen to this episode ad free + exclusive episodes and bonus material at https://www.patreon.com/voicesinjapan

Alexander Bennett from Kyoto joins Ben and Burke to share the wisdom he has gained about Japanese culture, and also himself, after having lived in the country for over 30 years. Alex is a professor at Kansai University, holds two PhDs in bushido-related subjects, has appeared in an NHK documentary on Miyamoto Musashi, and has published multiple books related to Japan, including The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works in Hardback or Kindle and Japan The Ultimate Samurai Guide in paperback or Kindle. He is most well known for his accomplishments in martial arts, attaining top ranks in multiple disciplines, and especially for his dedication to kendo, in which he is 7th dan, coaches the New Zealand national kendo team, and is the editor in chief of the magazine Kendo World. Alex is a very humble person with an underlying intensity, and it was a real pleasure to hear his story and his thoughts on Japanese culture and life in this country.

Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar
12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station.  https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

Red House
Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it’s behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000. https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges
Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability. http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide
Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and

Support the show

Special guest Matt returns on the podcast to congratulate Ben and Burke on their 100th episode! For this special show, Matt made a quiz to test the hosts' knowledge of the year 2020 in Japan. Some of the questions asked were; When was the first reported COVID case in Japan? How old was the oldest person in the world in 2020? When were the Tokyo Olympics originally scheduled to start? What was the most dangerous profession in Japan? and much much more. Play along and see if you know more about Japan than the hosts!

Previous episodes with Matt:
Road Rage and Essential Tips for Driving in Japan
Lights, Camera, Action! Breaking into Japanese Entertainment

Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar. 12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House (Rusutsu)

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it’s behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. Check out Hokkaido Guide.com for everything you need to know about this beautiful prefecture.

https://hokkaidoguide.com


Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

David McNeill joins Ben and Burke to introduce Expat Empire - a company he created that is focused on inspiring people to live abroad and showing them how they can do it. Before moving abroad, David developed in his career first to enable more working options once he made it to countries outside of the US, and he has now gained valuable career experience in China, Japan,  Germany, and Portugal. He has also traveled to nearly 60 countries, and his many projects include the Passport to Working in Japan book, which can guide others who are hoping to move to Japan one day. Listen now to hear the journey David started on when he was very young to make it overseas and the ways he has overcome the many challenges he has faced both before and after making it abroad.

Other content David is creating:
Expat Empire Podcast
Blog posts about living abroad
Meetup events

Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar.

12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

Red House

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it’s behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

Dr. Ken Atchity is an American movie and TV producer, writer, author, columnist, and has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Yale University. 

He has had nearly 50 years experience in publishing, and 25 years in entertainment. His passion in life is to find great storytellers and turn them into bestselling authors and screenwriters. One of his companies, The Story Merchant, helps and guides writers to take their career to the next level.

Movies he has produced include The MEG starring Jason Statham, Eraser with Aaron Eckhart, Hysteria with Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Life or Something Like It starring Angelina Jolie, just to name a few.

Recently he has co-written, with his Japanese father-in-law, a Japanese/English phrase book. The easy-to-use Japanese In-Law pocketbook is written for those who’ve fallen in love with Japanese. Its simple goal is to help you communicate from morning until night with household words and phrases. It’s divided into sequential chapters to get you through the day and has a glossary of “Everyday Words & Phrases” that rarely includes words you wouldn’t normally use in a family setting. This rough-and-ready, little book is meant to bring families closer through the wonder of language.

Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar. 12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

Red House

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it’s behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

Back by popular demand, Yumi joins Ben and Burke to discuss things you might only see in Japan. The conversation starts off innocent enough covering overpriced fruit and a hideous crime recently committed  against such fruit. But it quickly devolves into a discussion about monster-sized shochu jugs, "kitchen drunks," the appeal of maid cafes and hostess bars, push-up bras, sexy vs. cute Japanese idols, vending machines selling illegal drugs, expectations on women in Japanese society, and much more. Be sure to listen to the end to find out Yumi's very important question to the guys about women's underwear, and please remember to leave a rating for Voices in Japan on Apple Podcasts.

Other episodes with Yumi:
Episode: Things That Turn Japanese Women On
Episode: The Mindset of Japanese Women

Thanks to our sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar
12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House Rusutsu

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, the restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. Check out Hokkaido Guide.com for everything you need to know about this beautiful prefecture.

https://hokkaidoguide.com

Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

 Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

Tomoko, a manager at BearFoot Bar in downtown Sapporo, where we also recorded this episode, joins us on the podcast to talk about some stereotypes of Japanese women, such as wearing makeup from an early age, knowing how to cook, wearing short skirts in winter, and more. Tomoko is originally from Ibaraki, lived and worked in Australia for a short time, and has been living in Hokkaido since 2015.

Past episodes that we mentioned in the show were about the Go To Travel campaign, and the one with Keiko where she talks about harassment in the work place. Check em out if you haven't already.

Enjoy the show!


Thanks to our sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar
12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House Rusutsu

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, the restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. Check out Hokkaido Guide.com for everything you need to know about this beautiful prefecture.

https://hokkaidoguide.com



Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

 Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

Albert Weiland (aka @aruchansensei on TikTok) is a comedian with Yoshimoto Kogyo - a major entertainment conglomerate and the employer of most of Japan's popular comedy talent. Albert was able to join Yoshimoto after winning a series of comedy competitions in Sapporo, and in this episode he enlightens Ben and Burke about life as an upstart comedian who is doing it for the love of the art. Topics include the types of events and TV programs Albert has participated in, the approaches he has taken with his comedy in front of Japanese audiences, expectations for employees of a major talent agency, the reality of why entertainment in Japan might not be the most lucrative career, and much much more!

Here is a YouTube clip of the hilarious Japanese comedian who was supposed to be on America's Got Talent, that we talk about at the end of the podcast.

Thanks to our sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar
12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House Rusutsu

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, the restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. 

https://hokkaidoguide.com

Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

There are a lot interesting words and phrases in the Japanese language that don't really exist in the English language. For example, "Koyo", which is a word to mean the autumn leaves changing colour. The Japanese also like to create words that represent sounds and emotions, called Onomatopoeia (Jiyongo / gidaigo) that for non-native Japanese people are difficult to make sense of. Some of the ones we talk about on this episode are words for things that age gracefully, a word for the action of buying books but not reading them, taking walks in the forest to enjoy the natural energy of trees and foliage, starting something new but giving up on it very quickly, and much much more. Enjoy the show!


Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar. 12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House Rusutsu

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, the restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/


Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. Check out Hokkaido Guide.com for everything you need to know about this beautiful prefecture.

https://hokkaidoguide.com


Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show

On this episode of Voices in Japan, Ben and Burke review Tsunagu Japan's list of recommended activities people should do while visiting Japan. That includes visiting temples, shrines, castles, doing purikura, riding bullet trains, eating conveyor belt sushi, karaoke, and much more, along with specific activities for Sapporo, such as Shiroi Koibito Park.

Thanks to our sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar
12 different types of Japanese made craft beers, both bottles and on tap. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Tapas style menu and burgers. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Open 7 days a week. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. Why not pop in for a drink if you are in town!

https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House Rusutsu

Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, the restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000.

https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges

Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability.

http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide

Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. 

https://hokkaidoguide.com

Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!

Website:

https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

https://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/

https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/

Get in touch: 

[email protected]

Support the show