Tokyo Podcast

A few months of being back in Canada and our host Anthony Joh is thinking that he’s missing one of the best things about Japan and it is the the Japanese convenience stores! It’s not fair to compare the famous Japanese ‘kombinis’ with the convenience stores of the rest of the world. The Canadian convenience stores are neither convenient nor are they a very good store, offering mostly junk food and minimal services. Japanese convenience stores on the other hand are the epitome of convenient and is one of the things that you’ll take for granted when you live in Japan and miss tremendously when you leave. Pay your bills Receive ordered goods Print or make photo copies Buy emergency clothing Transfer money worldwide Get your event tickets Eat really good food Read More: The Amazing Convenience of the Japanese Kombini

On this show Anthony talks about his return to Canada and gives you seven random tips that made living in Tokyo just a little easier. Start studying Japanese as soon as you arrive Buy a good set of noise cancelling headphones Learn which side of the train your exit is Spend your cash and collect your change Buy rechargeable batteries Master your google-fu Make true Japanese friends Read More: 7 Random Tips For Living In Tokyo

In this episode we guide you through the process of finding and setting-up your new home in Tokyo. The last time we spoke about renting an apartment in Japan was in Episode 49 of Season 1 - almost five years ago. With a few more Japan-based years under his belt, Anthony shares the best of his knowledge to make your apartment search as easy as possible.     Read more: Update on Renting an Apartment In Tokyo

After nearly five years MIA, Tokyo Podcast is back with Series 2. If you’re one of the listeners who stuck around – thank you! Much of Series 1 is still relevant, but let’s be honest, a lot can happen in half a decade. Our host, Anthony Joh, will be leaving Japan next year, so now seemed like the perfect time to bring you some fresh, updated content. In this episode, Anthony reflects upon his time in Japan by talking about his 5 favourite - and least favourite – things. Read more: 5 Things I Love and Hate About Living in Japan

Starting with a simple domain name and website, Davide Rossi has built Go Go Nihon into a hugely successful company that brings students from around the world to study in Japan.  Anthony also announces that this will be the final episode of Tokyo Podcast. He wants to thank each and everyone of the guests who came on the show to tell their story. Also a big thank you to everyone who downloaded the show each week and sent in your feedback and comments. Not one to stay offline for long, Anthony is already hard at work on his next internet venture and you can follow along on his Facebook page.

One of the first major hurdles that many foreigners face when moving to Japan is renting an apartment. Renting an apartment in Japan is a complicated process filled with all sorts of historic regulations and procedures, strange acronyms, and more fees than you can possibly imagine. To help us understand this process I am joined by Adam German from Real Estate Japan, who is going to guide us through the necessary steps of securing your new home away from home. Renting an apartment in Tokyo

The small town of Ishinomaki was one of the hardest hit from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which traveled up to 5 miles inland the tsunami destroyed over 40% of the buildings and left the small town devastated. Eight months after the tsunami, documentary filmmaker Paul Johannessen visited Ishinomaki and interviewed a number of residents to find out about the recovery effort. What he found was a strong community who are working hard to rebuilt their lives and their town. Ishinomaki: Then And Now

With it’s busy sidewalks and endless stairs in and out of the train stations, is Japan closed off to someone in a wheelchair or is it surprisingly accessible? On this show I talk to Ashley Olson who runs the website about traveling around the world by wheelchair. She recently completed her first trip to Japan and she joins me to talk about thoughts on how accessible Japan is. 

Anthony is back after a busy couple of weeks at his new job at GajinPot to bring you a new show all about the different social media networks in Japan. With guest Robin Sakai from Social500, we take a look at the origins of social media in Japan and how the old guard is changing to match the consumer needs. Anthony also welcomes back to the show past guest Ashley Thompson from Surviving in Japan who shares with us her latest venture, Go Tabi Japan which aims to make it easier for visitors to Japan. Social media in Japan.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary film by Mr. David Gelb that follows the daily life of 85 year old Jiro Ono who is widely considered to be the world's greatest sushi chef.  The film is an intimate look at Jiro's philosophies on work and life and his insistence on absolute perfection when making sushi. The film also explores the secondary characters that all contribute to the restaurant, from the fish seller at the Tsukiji Market, to the restaurant staff who struggle to meet Jiro's high standards to the relationship between Jiro and his eldest son, who is patiently waiting in the wings to take over the restaurant once his father retires. 

Japan is a country of great contrast with architecture that is an eclectic mix of ancient and modern, east and west. Tokyo is a dynamic metropolis where you will find some of the worlds most unique and fascinating architecture. Kyoto is a city steeped in tradition with an abundance of ancient temples, shrines and gardens scattered throughout a bustling modern city. On this show I talk to architect Robert Day about his 10 day Architecture tour that he runs in Japan. We talk about the different Architecture styles that are unique to Japan and what to look for if you plan your own trip to Japan.

Yoshimi Horiuchi runs a non-profit organization called Always Reading Caravan that provides mobile library services to families in the rural areas of Thailand. The program mainly aims to provide story books to children with disabilities who otherwise would not have access to these type of books. Yoshimi herself has been blind since she was a child and she joins Anthony to talk about the difficulties she faces in living and working in both Bangkok and Tokyo and the small things that we can all do that makes her day a little easier.

The history of tattooing in Japan is through to extend as far back as the Jomon period, which is 10,000 bc and even though tattooing has been in Japan for many years and is filled with historic symbolism it still hasn't gained widespread public acceptance that tattooing has in many western countries. To walk us through the journey of tattooing in Japan I am joined by renowned tattoo artist Hori Benny who has been tattooing in Japan 8 years ago, first starting off as an apprentice and then turing professional in 2007. Benny can be found at the Chopstick Tattoo studio in Osaka.

While New York is the place to go for jazz musicians when it comes to jazz fans it doesn't get any better than here in Tokyo. These are the words of James Catchpole, a transplanted Brooklyn native who has lived in Japan for 13 years and documents the many cool jazz joints in Tokyo on his website.  Anthony joined James at the hidden Samurai jazz bar in Shinjuku to talk about jazz in Japan and why he feels that Tokyo is one of the great jazz cities in the world.

This week Tokyo Podcast is pleased to welcome up and coming singer songwriter Sayulee, has won numerous awards for her singing and songwriting. Last year she launched an interesting YouTube project where she would sing a new song everyday for 1 year.  As of this recording she is at number 327 and she joins me today to talk about her YouTube channel, upcoming bilingual Japanese English album and the special event she has planned for the 365th day.

On this show I'm pleased to welcome back Sachiko Takao who was a guest on Tokyo Podcast episode #20 where we discussed her epic bicycle journey from Okinawa to Hokkaido. I asked Sachi to join me today to discuss the book 日本人が世界に誇れる３３のこと which was written by Ruth Jarman who was also a past guest on Tokyo Podcast episode #34. Sachi talks about the insights she gained into her own culture from reading Ruth's book and the important message that she feels the book has for the people of Japan.

On this show we take a visit to the Appalachian mountain areas of the United States with fiddler Leona Tokutake. Leona is a classically trained violinist from Tokyo who moved to America to pursue her dream of playing bluegrass music.  Leona is currently touring Japan to promote her latest CD, 'A New Peace Within' and joins us to talk about her journey from the big city of Tokyo to the mountains of Tennessee.  https://tokyo-podcast.com/leona-tokutake/

This show is all about sports as we first look at a traditional Canadian sport and then later in the show a traditional Japanese sport. My first guest is Chad Goble who runs the Tokyo Street Hockey Association website. What started out as a rag tag group of hockey loving Canadians has morphed into a weekly game and international tournament.  I also talk to Lance Lindely who practised kendo with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and achieved the rank of shodan. He joins me today to talk about his experiences in studying this traditional martial art here in Japan. 

One of the most disturbing records that Japan holds is that it boasts one of the highest suicide records in the world. Some estimates place the number of suicides as high as 30,000 per year and to give you an idea of just how high that is consider that that works out to 82 suicides per day. My guest today is Andrew Grimes who is a board certified Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist and founded the Tokyo Counseling Service in 1999. He joins me today to talk about the how the issue of mental health is dealt with here in Japan.

Many foreigners come to Japan with dreams of becoming a TV or movie celebrity, believing in the outdated myth that being a caucasian foreigner in Japan is the easy ticket to fame and riches. Many of these foreigners are in for a rude awakening when they realize that their English teaching job alone isn't going to get them the spotlight they wanted. My guest today is Bobby Judo who hosts his own cooking segment on a local Japanese television network. What is particularly interesting about Bobby's story is how he managed to get his cooking show on Japanese TV. It's a story of hard work and dedication to a dream.