Japanese Horror Stories
This episode is rated mature. Horror and uncanny stories are fundamental elements of Japanese storytelling. We’ll start with a note about genre in general and “horror” in particular. We’ll continue wi...
12 Okt 1h 1min
Japanese Women Writers
This episode is rated mature. For decades, writing by women was treated as its own separate genre in Japan, joryu bungaku. In today's episode, we’ll start with an explanation of why joryu bungaku beca...
29 Aug 1h 3min
Aum Anxiety in Japanese Fiction
In this episode, we examine the history of the Aum Affair and its lasting impact on Japanese fiction. We'll start out with the history of new religions in Japan, including Aum Shinrikyo. We'll take a ...
25 Juni 59min
Yasunari Kawabata
In this episode, we're taking a look at Yasunari Kawabata's life and work. As we tell his story, we'll ask ourselves two big questions. Is Kawabata really a traditionalist? And what is up with the wa...
11 Maj 57min
Japanese Monster Stories on the Big Screen: Godzilla and Mothra
In this episode, we look at the writers behind two of Japan's greatest movie monsters—Godzilla and Mothra. We'll start out by looking at Godzilla—its context, author, and story—before we turn to Moth...
10 Feb 1h 3min
The Japanese Cell Phone Novel
In this episode, we take a look at the Japanese cell phone novel and the classic story of Train Man. We’re going to start today by explaining the Japanese cell phone novel, including some relevant bac...
14 Dec 202548min
Bullying in Japanese Literature: Mizuki Tsujimura and Lonely Castle in the Mirror
In this episode, we look at bullying in Japanese literature. We'll start out by defining bullying and looking at bullying in Japanese schools as well as the Japanese workplace. We'll see some example...
20 Sep 202557min
