Voices in Japan

Alex from England and avid fan of sumo wrestling joins your hosts, Ben and Burke, on the show today. We talk about many things such as the rules of the sport, salary and pay, scandals, the popularity of the sport, and much much much more!

As mentioned in today’s show, there is a documentary, by the Guardian newspaper,  that looks into women’s amateur sumo and the growing popularity among females, which is highly recommended.

We recorded this episode in a music studio and some of the musicians in the neighbouring rooms were a little bit loud, so we apologize if you find the background noise distracting. We will try our best to avoid this in the future. Gomen Nasai!

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http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

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Alex from England joins Ben and Burke to discuss all things related to Japanese music.  He is a musician and a fan of various types of Japanese music, and in this episode, we cover Japanese pop music, rock music, concerts and rock festivals in Japan, song lyrics, karaoke, snack bars, and much much more!  Check out the following links to the artists that are either mentioned or recommended in the episode!

• Number Girl - Omoide In My Head (Alex recommended)
• AKB48 - Heavy Rotation 
• Perfume – Polyrhythm (Alex recommended)
• Oki dub – Suma Mukar (Ben recommended)
• Sakanaction – Bach no Senritsu (Alex, Ben, and Burke recommended)
• Sakanaction – Identity (Alex, Ben, and Burke recommended)
• Zazen Boys - Himitsu Girl's Top Secret (Alex recommended)
• Elle Garden – Space Sonic
• Blue Hearts - Linda Linda (Alex recommended for karaoke)
• Kitajima Saburo – Matsuri (Alex and Ben recommended for karaoke)
• Hikawa Kiyoshi – Zundoko Bushi (Alex recommended for karaoke)
• Remioromen - Konayuki (Burke recommended for karaoke)
• Unicorn - Daimeiwaku (Alex recommended)
• Ricky G - Follow Your Heart (Burke recommended)
• Ricky G - On the Bridge (Burke recommended)
• Wanima - Tomo ni
• Maximum the Hormone - ALIEN
• Shina Ringo - Gips (Alex and Ben recommended)
• Fishmans - Nightcruising (Alex recommended)

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Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

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We welcome back Eric, who was our special guest on the Halloween episode and a long time resident of Sapporo, Japan. 

Theme parks are very popular in Japan for families and couples, even good for date spots, if you are that way inclined. We share our experiences of visiting some of the major amusement parks in Japan, namely Universal Studios and Disneyland/Disney Sea and we also compare them to their American counterparts. 

We also talk about the phenomenon of Japanese adults being obsessed with Disney, season pass tickets, our dislike for water parks and zoos, the weird and creepy Rusutsu Resort theme park in Hokkaido, rides breaking down and people getting stuck on them, sightseeing spots in Sapporo, and much much more.

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Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

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With October coming to a close, the atmosphere in Japan is building up to one of the favorite events for adults in the country - Halloween!  While it is very rare to see kids trick-or-treating in the streets, adults in Japan can enjoy costume parties at clubs in the city and even in the streets.  The famous Shibuya crossing Halloween party in Tokyo will try to overcome the over-the-top raucous behavior by the thousands of revelers that gather and celebrate around the station by banning alcohol starting from this year. 

Eric from Seattle (and long-time resident of Japan) joins the podcast to enlighten Ben and Burke about the costume competitions that take place in nightclubs around Sapporo City, where contest winners can walk away with ¥100,000 in prize money, and all of the other fun ways to celebrate Halloween in Japan!  Enjoy the show!

Support the show

Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

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There’s been a lot of confusion as the tax on some goods have increased to 10% but some have not. Also, some companies have decided to absorb the tax increase into their pricing, while other companies have used the timing of the tax increase to significantly raise their own prices, such as Japan Rail Hokkaido.  Yes, it’s all very confusing and there are a lot of unhappy people around, myself, Ben, included.

We also talk about Japan trying to push cashless payments and how they are going to do that, having an SD (safe driver) card, Burke taking his driving test in Japan, and much much more.

Like the previous episode, we recorded this one over dinner in a restaurant, and during the show there were some noisy customers next to us so we hope they were not too distracting!

If you would like to support the podcast, leave us a donation and don’t forget to rate, review and share us with whomever you think would find this podcast interesting.


Support the show

Website:

http://podcast.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]

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On this episode, our podcasters discuss funerals in Japan, including the expenses incurred, influence of Buddhism, the common custom of cremations at Japanese funerals, and much much more.  Enjoy the show!

Support the show

Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

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

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

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The Japanese are world renowned to be very kind and helpful, but are they really? This is what we discuss in today’s episode. We share some of our experiences and observations of Japanese people being unkind and rude.

We also talk about some common scams that happen, some of which can happen to tourists too, so don’t trust everyone when you visit Japan and stay vigilant. 

Support the podcast by making a donation.

Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

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Japan has some of the strictest garbage separation rules in the world - all for the sake of recycling.  Or...so it seems.  Japan's method of recycling plastic does not exactly align with what other countries consider to be recycling, and we explore that difference in this episode, along with the unbelievable level of plastic usage in the country.  Enjoy the show!

Support the podcast by making a donation.

Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

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Yuki joins us on the podcast again to share her insights about the Japanese diet. We compare Japanese and Western diets, talk about home cooking, and how the Japanese diet is becoming less healthy.

We also discuss the five biggest differences between Japanese and Western diets. Enjoy the show!

Support the podcast by making a donation.

Website:

http://podcast.voicesinjapan.com

Follow us and check out our other content:

https://twitter.com/voicesinjapan

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How does the purpose for a Japanese person going abroad affect their lifestyle while overseas? Do all Japanese people struggle with readjusting to their culture after returning to Japan? On this episode, our podcasters explore these topics with their good friend Yuki, who has lived in Canada, USA, and The Netherlands.   Also, Ben and Burke have each just returned to Japan after visiting their home countries of England and USA, respectively, and discuss some of the cultural differences they noticed both while they were away from Japan, and also after returning.  Listen now to enjoy another fun episode full of laughs!

Support the podcast by making a donation.

Website:

http://podcast.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