Deep Dive from The Japan Times

After a large earthquake struck Turkey and Syria last week, those of us living in Japan can’t help but worry about something similar happening here. This week, we speak to Prof. Hitoshi Abe, an architect who has some ideas on how to start designing our cities to better deal with such inevitable disasters. Hosted by: Shaun McKenna and Jason Jenkins, and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Hitoshi Abe: Website Read more/Watch more:  How researchers in disaster-prone Japan and the Pacific are rethinking city design (Will Fee, The Japan Times) Battle to stop Kagoshima seawall highlights divide over coastal engineering (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times) Ten years on from 3/11, do you think you're ready for the 'Big One'? (Eric Margolis, The Japan Times) New Vision for Regenerative Urbanism (Small Table) (UCLA Architecture and Urban Design) From lessons of 3/11, Japan scientists share knowledge of disaster resilience across Pacific (Will Fee, The Japan Times) Donate: Association for Aid and Relief, Japan Tokyo Camii and Diyanet Turkish Culture Center 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 walks along the seawall near Watanoha, Miyagi Prefecture. | OSCAR BOYD

15 Helmi 202321min

The reviews are in, lab-grown meat is … good? This week, Oscar Boyd gives us a review of his cultured chicken meal and runs down the environmental implications of such an endeavor, while Tomoko Otake gets us caught up on where Japan stands in the great race to replicate beef.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Tomoko Otake: Articles | Twitter Oscar Boyd: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Japanese researchers pushes the boundaries of lab-grown “real” meat (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) What you need to know about cultivated meat (Coco Liu, Bloomberg) Japanese scientists work up an appetite for lab-grown wagyu beef (Rikako Murayama, Reuters) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. 30Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

8 Helmi 202321min

As 2022 wrapped up, the Japanese government let forth a flurry of defense policy announcements. Those were followed by a five-nation tour by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and talk of a tax hike to pay for it all. Gabriel Dominguez joins the podcast this week to try to help us make sense of it all. Hosted by Jason Jenkins and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Gabriel Dominguez:  Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more: Kishida and Biden meeting heralds an alliance in lock-step — but challenges remain (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) Crucial role: Defense of Taiwan hinges on Japan support (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) Japan and NATO agree to deepen partnership, saying rules-based order ‘at stake’ (Gabriel Dominquez, 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, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

1 Helmi 202327min

From noodle stands to Michelin-starred restaurants, Japan has some of the most amazing food in the world. Food writer Robbie Swinnerton has been covering Tokyo’s culinary scene for decades, so for this week’s episode we asked him to pick out a few standout meals from last year.  Hosted by Jason Jenkins and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Robbie Swinnerton: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Read more/Watch more:  Tokyo Food File (Robbie Swinnerton, The Japan Times) The Japan Times Destination Restaurant Series (Robbie Swinnerton, The Japan Times) When Rene Redzepi brought Noma to Japan (Robbie Swinnerton, 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, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

25 Tammi 202327min

With Marie Kondo and those tidy soccer fans representing Japan overseas, you’d be forgiven for thinking that everything is spick and span at home. This week, Alex K.T. Martin looks at what form compulsive hoarding disorder takes in Japan and how it manifests when combined with other aspects of life here.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Deal with clutter while the choice to toss is still yours (Louise George Kittaka, The Japan Times) In graying Japan, pet hoarding proving to be a pesky problem (Kyodo) RiskBenefit 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, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

18 Tammi 202319min

For the final Deep Dive of the year, culture editor Alyssa I. Smith talks to culture critic Thu-Huong Ha about the books they read, the festivals they went to and how Japanese stories are currently capturing Hollywood’s attention.  Hosted by Alyssa I. Smith and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Art came alive in the great outdoors in 2022 (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Junko Takase’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel is a feminist’s nightmare (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Is the new Ghibli Park worth all the hype? (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Do you have what it takes to become a novelist? Let Haruki Murakami decide. (Thu-Huong Ha, 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, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!   Photo:  Looking for some books to read during the year-end holidays? The Japan Times culture section has you covered. | GETTY IMAGES

21 Joulu 202227min

With the United Nations Biodiversity Conference taking place in Montreal this week, we thought it would be a good opportunity to look at how Japan is handling issues involving biodiversity here. Environmental journalist Mara Budgen comes on the show to talk about the Japanese giant salamander, which has been designated a "special natural monument" under Japanese law but is still vulnerable to extinction.  If you have pitches for our new section Our Planet, feel free to email us at environment@japantimes.co.jp.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Mara Budgen: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Battle to stop Kagoshima seawall highlights divide over coastal engineering (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times) Save the Japanese giant salamander campaign (The Japan Channel, YouTube) Sustainable Daisen 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, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  Photo:  The Japanese giant salamander’s biology has changed little over the past 23 million years, so when you see one it’s like looking at a dinosaur. | TOPOUTIMAGES/ YUKIHIRO FUKUDA

16 Joulu 202229min

Dec. 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark treaty that put the idea of global effort to save the planet on many national radars. To mark the event, The Japan Times has launched a new section, Our Planet, that will look at the climate crisis, Earth science and disaster management from a Japanese perspective. Two of the section’s editors, Joel Tansey and Chris Russell, join me on the show to discuss how the Kyoto Protocol is viewed now and how the city it’s named for has taken to its green mantle.  If you have pitches for Our Planet, feel free to email us at environment@japantimes.co.jp.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Chris Russell: Articles | Twitter Joel Tansey: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  From Kyoto Protocol to ‘fossil’ awards: Japan’s climate image stained by inaction (Joel Tansey, Dan Traylor and Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) 25 years after Kyoto Protocol, U.N. climate process stumbles on (Chris Russell, The Japan Times) “Do You Kyoto?” (City of Kyoto, YouTube) Should I stay or should I go, now? (Linda Gould, 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, head to japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  Photo:  Fridays for Future leader Takuro Kajiwara heads a march through Tokyo's Omotesando neighborhood. | OSCAR BOYD

14 Joulu 202220min