181: A problematic otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting
An “Otaku Dictionary” has Japan’s subcultures upset at an attempt to define them. Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue join us to explain the linguistic scandal before discussing whether or not Japan has mastered “sitting.” On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X Yukana Inoue: Articles Read more: How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times) Test your otaku vocabulary, from 'oshi' to bacon lettuce’ (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times) Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo’s video game landmarks (W. Tanner Kirk, The Japan Times) Has Japan mastered sitting? (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Bedbugs are spreading in South Korea and China. Is Japan next? (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times) Japan to start trial of over-the-counter sales of morning after pill (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X! Photo: Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures. | TAIDGH BARRON
30 Marras 202338min
180: Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder
Chinese President Xi Jinping made the rounds at APEC last week, Gabriel Dominguez tells us what it means for Japan. At home, NHK has announced its “Kohaku” lineup — with nary a Johnny’s act to be found. Patrick St. Michel discusses the year’s most notable snub. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X Gabriel Dominquez: Articles | X Patrick St. Michel: Articles | X Read more: Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions (Gabriel Dominguez and Gabrielle Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) 'Offensive' and 'defensive' diplomacy: Managing ties with China (Hotaka Machida, The Japan Times) NHK ditches Johnny's acts for year-end musical bonanza (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times) Takeshi Kitano, comedian, film director, actor, painter, writer, singer (FCCJ, YouTube) Scandal-hit Takarazuka to set up experts panel to improve culture (The Japan Times) With ‘Idol,’ Yoasobi pens a new chapter in J-pop’s story (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X! Photo: An official shot for this year’s lineup for NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen.” | KYODO
22 Marras 202335min
179: Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move
As nature reclaims depopulated villages and climate change wreaks havoc on food sources, Japan’s animal population has been inching closer to the country’s urban areas. This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X Dave Cortez: Articles | X Read more: The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head for the cities (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) A saury state of affairs: How the price of ‘autumn’s fish’ skyrocketed (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) In the shadow of the Fukushima disaster, an unusual experiment in rewilding (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho (Laura Pollacco, The Japan Times) Japan set to scrap rule requiring testing of new drugs on Japanese (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times) Japan women prisoners suffer serious abuse: Human Rights Watch (Tomohiro Osaki, AFP-JIJI) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not? | GETTY IMAGES
16 Marras 202322min
178: Japan’s ‘four-eyed tax hiker’ and the curse of Colonel Sanders
Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X Gabriele Ninivaggi: Articles | X Dave Cortez: Articles | X Jason Coskrey: Articles | X Joel Tansey: Articles | X Read/View more: Hotly debated tax cuts risk backfiring on Kishida administration (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) Kishida unveils ¥17 trillion stimulus package amid pushback (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) G7 top diplomats call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Israel-Hamas war (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) Tigers beat Buffaloes in Game 7 to end 38-year Japan Series drought (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times) Sheldon Neuse and the catch that ended the Tigers’ 38-year drought (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times) Osaka erupts in celebrations as Tigers win Japan Series (Joel Tansey, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: A man dressed as Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders jumps into the Dotonbori River in Osaka after the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series. | KYODO
9 Marras 202332min
177: Why single mothers in Japan have been left behind
Single parents in Japan have it tough, but these hardships seem to disproportionately affect single mothers more. This week, filmmaker Rionne McAvoy joins us to discuss the hidden poverty present in one of the world’s richest nations. Hosted by Mara Budgen and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Mara Budgen: Articles | X Rionne McAvoy: Website | X Read/View more: Documentary shines a spotlight on Japan’s single mothers (Louise George Kittaka, The Japan Times) Pandemic magnifies household gender roles in Japan (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times) “The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan” (official website) Heartful Family Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X! Image Caption (JT): A scene from "The Ones Left Behind," which documents the successes and struggles of single mothers in Japan. | JAPAN MEDIA SERVICES
2 Marras 202336min
176: The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked
One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X Elizabeth Beattie: Articles | X Read/View more: Halloween’s rise in the 2010s provided Shibuya crossing with plenty of tricks and treats (Mike Sunda, The Japan Times) Halloween spooks Shibuya (Matt Alt, Matt Alt’s Pure Invention) Calls grow to abolish Japan’s surgery requirement for gender change (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) Germany set to eclipse Japan as No. 3 economy in 2023, IMF says (Elizabeth Beattie, The Japan Times) What South Korea’s frequent protests say about its politics (Choe Sang-hun and Chang W. Lee, The New York Times) What went wrong in the South Korean ferry disaster (The New Yorker, YouTube) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party. | TAIDGH BARON
26 Loka 202332min
175: Table for one? What depopulation in Japan means for dinner.
This week on Deep Dive, Alex K.T. Martin noticed a dip in the national caloric intake and it turns out that a graying population that is increasingly single has something to do with why Japan is gradually downsizing dinner. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X | Instagram Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X | Instagram Read/Listen more: Downsizing dinner: Aging Japan is eating less (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Inside Japan’s oldest village (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Work forever: Japan’s seniors brace for life without retirement (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Boom in ‘pet guardianship’ amid rise in elderly and singles (Kyodo) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: A woman takes her meal alone in Tokyo's Yanaka neighborhood. | LANCE HENDERSTEIN
19 Loka 202328min
[Rebroadcast] Japan’s got ghosts
This week on Deep Dive, Shaun McKenna and Dave Cortez discuss a few horror movies before “Uncanny Japan” podcast host Thersa Matsuura tells a classic Japanese ghost story. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X | Instagram Dave Cortez: Articles | X Thersa Matsuura: Website | X | Instagram | YouTube Read/Listen more: The ghosts that have been haunting cinema-goers in Japan for over a century (Mark Schilling, The Japan Times) 10 days of J-horror: From funny frights to shock and gore (Mark Schilling, The Japan Times) Scary Japanese stories to read in the dark (Haruka Murayama, The Japan Times) Uncanny Japan Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: The classic Japanese ghost story often features a vengeful female ghost. | GETTY IMAGES
12 Loka 202341min
