Unpacking Japan

Produced by ZenStudio
  • 4.7 (23)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Unpacking Japan explores Japanese arts, culture, and business through the lives of foreigners who have made this amazing country their home. While we’ve all seen vlogs and movies showing Japan from a pop culture perspective, Unpacking Japan tells the stories that get left by the wayside—the immigrants, the entrepreneurs, and the artists. Tune in every week for an authentic, inspiring conversation with someone who’s carved out their own, unique place in this beautiful country. Host: Tobias Bieker Production: A. Magdych Editing: L. Nicholas, J. Sketchley Social: J. Sketchley Design: M. Koga

  1. 2d ago

    This Japanese ukulele prodigy is changing how people view ukulele

    Meet Rena, also known by her stage name ukurena, a Japanese ukulele player from Kobe, who became the junior world champion in 2016. She sits down to talk to us about her discovery of the ukulele and subsequent career, how the ukulele is so often misunderstood, and how she's reinventing what people think of as ukulele music. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Rena 1:56 Learning from a former champion 11:00 The piece that drew Rena to ukulele 13:32 Early wins in ukulele competitions 16:03 What is a ukulele competition? 19:45 Ukulele in Hawaii vs. Japan 23:38 Winning international competition 27:52 Ukulele in Japanese music 33:44 Becoming a professional musician 35:58 Different genres with ukulele 39:28 Studying jazz and performing with emotion 47:58 Signing with a record label 52:32 Composing her own music 57:59 Goals for the future 1:01:21 Ukulele performance -- Follow Rena: @rena_ukulele_japan https://www.instagram.com/rena_ukulele https://www.facebook.com/rena.ukulele https://x.com/rena_ukulele Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  2. 5d ago

    Cute studies professor explains the science of kawaii

    Meet Joshua, a professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, who has been pioneering the field of cute studies. He sits down to talk to us about the difference between cute and kawaii, the development of kawaii culture, and the psychology of cuteness. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Joshua 5:15 Interest in kawaii culture 6:37 Cute vs. kawaii 12:54 Kawaii culture 14:36 Forming a new field of study 19:40 Cuteness in Japan 22:47 Origins of the word kawaii 25:56 Cuteness in everyday life 29:45 The "feeling" of cuteness 32:10 Managing cuteness studies research 37:47 Academics vs. culture 41:18 Artists and cute aesthetics 44:22 Japanese academics on cuteness 46:49 Applications of cuteness research 51:56 Spread of kawaii culture 55:45 The future of cute studies -- Follow Joshua: https://www.cutestudies.org/ https://www.instagram.com/dalejoshuapaul/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  3. Oct 9

    How Christianity shaped modern Japan

    Meet Hector, a pastor and the head of Tokyo Union Church, who sits down to talk to us about Christianity in Japan. He tells us about the history of his Church and Christianity in Japan, how present Christianity really is in everyday life here, and the commodification of Christianity in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Interest in Japan 4:58 Becoming a pastor 11:05 Serving in Korea, Switzerland 16:40 History of Tokyo Union Church 19:05 Coming to Japan 24:51 Leading an interdenominational church 27:36 Japanese members of the church 32:02 Guiding different denominations 39:48 History of Christianity in Japan 44:03 How Christianity shaped modern Japan 48:58 Christianity in everyday Japan 51:27 The value of commodifying religion 58:12 Interfaith community 1:03:04 Does Christianity belong in Japan? 1:09:29 Experience as a pastor in Japan -- Follow Hector: https://www.tokyounion.org/ https://www.instagram.com/tokyounion/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  4. Oct 6

    What exactly is "authentic" Japanese culture?

    Meet Alex, a tourism consultant based in Kagoshima. He sits down to talk to us about his study of martial arts, his experiences at a traditional Japanese company, and his work preserving traditional arts through tourism. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Alex 4:55 Studying Iaido 9:15 Arriving in Kagoshima 12:28 Studying local martial art jigen-ryu 17:59 Why jigen-ryu is kept secret 20:10 Joining a traditional company 32:00 Explaining Japanese culture to foreigners 35:21 Sending Japanese culture to Buckingham Palace 39:06 Founding a company to promote traditional culture 47:08 Commercializing traditional arts 52:40 What is "authentic" culture? 55:59 Making culture sustainable 1:01:12 Working with local governments 1:07:16 Are traditional arts being preserved? 1:09:37 Where to visit in Kyushu -- Follow Alex: https://gotoku.travel/ https://gotoku.consulting/ https://www.instagram.com/gotokutravel/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  5. Oct 2

    Idol music producer explains the difference between k-pop and j-pop ft. Alex Karlsson

    Meet Alex Karlsson, a Swedish idol music producer based in Seoul, Korea, known for his work with Korean groups like Ateez and Enhyphen, as well as Japanese groups like SixTones and &Team. He sits down to talk to us about the foundations of idol music, the differences between k-pop and j-pop, and the authenticity of manufactured pop music. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Start as artist 7:55 Transition to producer 11:39 Royalty split in k-pop vs. j-pop 14:16 Producing hits for foreign bands 19:25 K-pop vs. j-pop 23:21 The sound of manufactured pop 30:49 Modern idols are more involved in production 33:33 When the slave contract ends 35:30 The breadth of Asian pop music 41:00 Why k-pop is huge overseas but j-pop isn't 44:55 How Gangnam Style changed k-pop 47:25 Breaking in to the Japan market 50:51 Why Japan is so different 53:36 How moving to Korea changed his career 58:37 Adding emotion to manufactured pop 1:00:55 What's most important when producing 1:02:12 Boy bands vs. girl groups 1:05:28 The problem with AI music 1:10:43 The future of the industry 1:12:43 Next steps -- Follow Alex: @AlexKarlssonofficial https://www.instagram.com/lefauxreal https://www.tiktok.com/@lefauxreal https://x.com/AKarlssonMusic Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  6. Oct 1

    The anime man actually talks about anime

    Meet Joey, a Japanese-Australian content creator known by his alias The Anime Man. He sits down to talk to us about his passion for manga and anime, moving to Japan to make anime videos and what that's taught him about the anime and manga industry, as well as his work on the Trash Taste Podcast and his fashion brand NØИSENSE. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Joey 6:19 Early obsession with manga 13:07 Moving to Japan for anime reasons 16:18 Early anime YouTube 18:31 Interviewing manga authors 23:36 What makes manga so popular? 27:56 Joey's favorite manga 36:29 Trash Taste started in a karaoke bar 45:54 Being "the" anime man 49:18 Anime has gone mainstream 54:48 Going beyond Shonen Jump 1:00:14 What's important in good anime 1:08:36 The secret doujin engine running the industry 1:17:54 Branching out beyond anime 1:23:53 Tackling Japan misinformation 1:33:38 Starting a fashion brand 1:40:38 Licensing IP for fashion 1:45:11 What makes NØИSENSE cool 1:50:57 Work as a musician 1:57:18 What's next? -- Follow Joey: @TheAnimeMan @JoeyTheAnimeMan https://www.twitch.tv/thean1meman https://www.instagram.com/joey.the.anime.man/ https://www.facebook.com/TheAn1meMan/ https://nonsense.jp/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  7. Sep 25

    The difference between Japanese and Western NPOs

    Meet Lowell, the retired director of Hope International in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. He sits down to talk to us about running an NPO in Japan and the challenges of operating here, as well as his retired life as a YouTuber sailing around Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Lowell 4:54 Leaving missionary work 7:02 Founding an NGO in Japan 11:06 NGOs in Japan 15:01 The Fukushima disaster at home 17:56 How to spend $2.5 million 29:42 Lessons biking across Japan 38:29 Sailing around Japan 45:11 Japanese boating license 48:04 Buying a boat 51:03 First trip in Japan 56:15 Lessons sailing across Japan 59:11 Settling in Okinawa 1:04:15 What you should know about sailing in Japan 1:17:10 Book and research on longetivity -- Follow Lowell: @JapanSoloNotes @nevertoolateacademy https://www.instagram.com/lowellinjapan/ https://www.nevertoolateacademy.com/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

  8. Sep 22

    The challenge of running an art gallery in Kyoto

    Meet Amanda, an photography gallery manager and consultant living in Tokyo. She sits down to talk to us about her work exhibiting Asian/Japanese photography, her work in book design, and why physical books still matter. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Amanda 5:18 Post-colonial grandfather 8:23 Studying at Waseda 20:26 Start in gallery work 28:54 Galleries in Japan 32:55 Exhibiting Chinese photography 37:46 Japanese audience interest 40:16 Photo galleries as a business 42:12 Amanda's favorite projects 49:38 Focus on designing photography books 1:05:52 Why books still matter 1:19:59 How to get into Japanese photography 1:29:27 Current projects 1:42:03 Working as an exhibition producer 1:48:05 How to fit into a community -- Follow Amanda: https://www.intermediart.co/ https://www.nitesha.com/ https://lolingning.tumblr.com/illustration Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

See All (258)

4.7
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Unpacking Japan explores Japanese arts, culture, and business through the lives of foreigners who have made this amazing country their home. While we’ve all seen vlogs and movies showing Japan from a pop culture perspective, Unpacking Japan tells the stories that get left by the wayside—the immigrants, the entrepreneurs, and the artists. Tune in every week for an authentic, inspiring conversation with someone who’s carved out their own, unique place in this beautiful country. Host: Tobias Bieker Production: A. Magdych Editing: L. Nicholas, J. Sketchley Social: J. Sketchley Design: M. Koga

Information

  • Creator
    Produced by ZenStudio
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    258
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Produced by ZenStudio
  • Show Website
    Unpacking Japan

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