The Sunday Edition: Why everyone's going to Japan
The Story31 Mai 2025

The Sunday Edition: Why everyone's going to Japan

This episode was originally published last March.


Japanese ‘kidults’ revolutionised pop culture in the 90s and 00s, turning to their inner children to cope with economic crisis and post-industrial societal ills, despite being ridiculed. As the milestones of adulthood - property, marriage and careers - become increasingly difficult for millennials and Gen Z to achieve - are westerners now turning to ‘kidulting’ to find answers?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak.

Further listening:

Clips: SEGA, Pokémon Theme/POKEMON, MSNBC, CNN, AJ+, Sony, PlayStation, CBS, SXSW, TikTok/@otakuintokyo, TikTok/@kaitlyneats, Your Name/dir. Makoto Shinkai/CoMix Wave Films/Toho.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(1730)

The West Bank land grab no one’s watching

The West Bank land grab no one’s watching

With the world’s attention fixed on the war in Iran, Israeli settler gangs are rapidly and violently expanding outposts in the West Bank – seemingly with impunity. So, what’s it like on the ground? Is...

8 Apr 30min

Inside Britain’s biggest Ponzi scheme

Inside Britain’s biggest Ponzi scheme

Thousands of pensioners invested their life savings into London Capital and Finance before it was revealed to be the UK’s biggest ever Ponzi scheme. Now, new Times reporting shows how the millions in ...

7 Apr 35min

Will voters back "the poster boy for the far-right"?

Will voters back "the poster boy for the far-right"?

Hungary goes to the polls on Sunday and for the first time in sixteen years, Donald Trump’s right-wing ally Viktor Orbán might lose his iron grip on power. But who is this man who’s ruled the country ...

6 Apr 28min

The contract killing scandal rocking France’s MI6 - The Sunday Story

The contract killing scandal rocking France’s MI6 - The Sunday Story

It's the trial rocking France's intelligence service. Two guards who had always dreamt of going under cover were allegedly tricked into a plot to kill a ‘Mossad agent’, who was nothing of the sort. It...

5 Apr 28min

Inside the world of 'Disney adults' - The Saturday Story

Inside the world of 'Disney adults' - The Saturday Story

For millions of people, Disney was a huge part of their childhood. But, for a great number of people that love never went away, and today, it's those people who have become central to Disney’s bottom ...

4 Apr 16min

The descent into madness under Putin

The descent into madness under Putin

When The Times foreign correspondent Marc Bennetts moved to Russia in 1997, there was hope for a new future for the country. But over the next 25 years, he witnessed the rise of Vladimir Putin and the...

3 Apr 32min

INVESTIGATION: How the SNP spends billions ‘to buy loyalty from charities’

INVESTIGATION: How the SNP spends billions ‘to buy loyalty from charities’

A Sunday Times investigation has found that, in Scotland, there are claims that the SNP has, in effect, shut down criticism from the charity and voluntary sectors because of a system that leaves them ...

2 Apr 27min

Artemis II: NASA’s plan for the Moon and beyond

Artemis II: NASA’s plan for the Moon and beyond

The countdown has begun for the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission around the Moon, the first manned mission there in more than 50 years. Their voyage around our nearest neighbour will pave the way f...

1 Apr 33min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
stopp-verden
popradet
forklart
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-gukild-johaug
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
fotballpodden-2
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
e24-podden
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-garne-damer