29 Koichi of Tofugu.com

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast we're talking about learning Japanese, running a business, and a whole lot more with the creator of Tofugu, Koichi.

About Koichi

For more than a decade Koichi has been helping people learn about Japan, Japanese culture, and the Japanese language via the blog Tofugu and all of its related products and services. Koichi got his start in the public eye when he began uploading Japanese-language videos to his YouTube channel Koichiben during the early days of YouTube. Not long after that, Koichi made the transition to English-language content when he launched the Tofugu blog and YouTube channel. Since then, Koichi has been able to build the Tofugu brand into a successful company that has become known as a source of great Japan-related content that is both fun and educational.

Topics Discussed

• Why Koichi started making YouTube videos
• The transition from Koichiben to Tofugu
• Koichi's connection to Hawaii
• The difficulties of starting and running a business
• What motivated Koichi to create the Japanese language textbook TextFugu
• The kanji learning app WaniKani
• How pretending to be a cult can be an effective marketing strategy
• Koichi's appreciation of off-the-beaten path sightseeing spots
• "Robot Sex Museums"
• The Retro Space Saka Kaikan (レトロスペース 坂会館) museum in Sapporo
• The Fushigi Hakubutsukan (ふしぎ博物館) museum in Fukuoka
• The Sanatorium cafe in Fukuoka
• What Koichi enjoys about running his own business
• The hunt for the elusive Bob Sapp
• Trying to get in touch with prime minister Shinzo Abe
• And much more!

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