Unpacking Japan

Produced by ZenStudio

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. 4h ago

    Japanese companies hate risk—how do they deal with social media?

    Meet Matt Hannan, an ex-Meta engineer who came to Japan to found his own social media marketing company. He sits down to talk about social media algorithms and how they relate to "Japan" content, the paradox of risk taking on social media vs. traditional Japanese business, and his thoughts on social media as an influencer and engineer in Japan.--0:00 Intro0:50 Meet Matt2:37 Life-changing trip to Japan9:31 Establishing business in Japan12:29 Social media algorithms in Japan16:54 Japanese companies vs. social media19:41 Matt's socials and marketing funnel24:20 Japan as content31:44 The role of clickbait36:51 Challenges of creators here41:25 The Japanese rules of business46:24 Social media vs. real Japan48:07 Cultural understanding as a Westerner53:02 Managing stability in social media57:03 Surprising AI use in Japan1:02:01 Looking back--Follow Matt: @mattjhannan  https://www.instagram.com/mattjhannanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@mattjhannanFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe 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. 4d ago

    How Chris Hart accidentally became a Japanese pop superstar

    Meet Chris Hart, an American-born Japanese singer who rose to fame suddenly in 2013, getting the opportunity to sing on Kohaku the same year he debuted. He sits down to talk to us about learning Japanese and being thrust into the spotlight so soon after moving to Japan, how he carved out a new path to success as a foreigner and how he sets himself apart from other j-pop singers, as well as stepping away from the spotlight to focus on his family and his current activities as an independent artist. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Japanese study & homestay 7:00 Getting back to Japan 9:38 Learning to sing in Japanese 11:40 Job at vending machine company 15:52 Becoming a professional singer 18:50 Success as a cover singer 20:55 Carving out a new career path as a foreigner 29:28 Choosing what to perform 35:09 Breaking Japanese singing conventions 40:53 Performing on Kohaku 44:58 What Kohaku did to his debut album 50:13 Touring Japan as a singer 53:20 Dealing with celebrity status 59:16 Pressure as a 'hit' artist 1:03:10 Stepping back from the spotlight 1:06:53 Coming back after hiatus 1:11:23 Looking back 1:14:55 Moving to Hokkaido 1:18:26 Current activities 1:22:13 Final words -- Follow Chris: @ChrisHart_Songs https://iamchrishart.com/ https://www.instagram.com/chrishart_official https://www.tiktok.com/@chrishart_jp https://x.com/chrishart_jp https://www.facebook.com/heartsongjapan 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. Nov 3

    How Billy Blanks accidentally became a mega celebrity in Japan

    Meet Billy Blanks, a fitness coach known for his Billy's Bootcamp Tae Bo workout program, which skyrocketed him to celebrity status when it came to Japan. He sits down to talk about developing Tae Bo and Billy's Bootcamp, what it was like coming to Japan for the first time, and his own fitness goals here. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Finding out he's famous in Japan 4:15 Developing Tae Bo workout 15:15 How Tae Bo became Billy's Bootcamp 25:47 Coming to Japan 33:04 Breaking through the language barrier 36:07 How Billy's teaching changed in Japan 42:34 Tae Bo vs. martial arts 45:13 Fitness in Japan 50:47 Training with martial arts masters 55:56 Billy's goal in life 1:01:31 Last words from Billy -- Follow Billy: https://www.youtube.com/@taebo https://www.taebonation.com/ https://www.instagram.com/billyblanksofficial1 https://www.tiktok.com/@billyblanksofficial https://www.facebook.com/thebillyblanks/ 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 30

    The life of a totally, completely normal office lady in Japan

    Meet Carla, a German designer known for her videos sharing her eccentric and sometimes silly office and coworkers in Japan. She sits down to talk to us about her journey to and misadventures in Japan, how she got hired at her company and what she does, and projects like the manga she wrote for Comiket. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Interest in Japan and anime 5:36 Coming to Japan 11:07 Internship in Osaka 15:25 Homestay with president's parents 19:15 Getting hired at current company 25:56 First day at work 33:52 The eccentric company president 36:16 How the social media started 40:14 T̶h̶e̶ o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ c̶a̶s̶t̶ m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s Carla's coworkers 43:22 Surprises about Japanese office life 51:09 She went viral, what now? 55:54 Setting up a booth at Comiket 1:00:12 Making a manga (Comiket Take 2) 1:07:08 Carla's vending machine designs 1:10:22 Is Hayakawa-san single? Follow Carla: https://www.youtube.com/@misstranslatio https://www.instagram.com/misstranslation https://www.tiktok.com/@misstranslation https://misstranslation-shop.fourthwall.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/

  5. Oct 27

    He built a career in Japan drawing people on the street

    Meet Adrian, an illustrator in Japan best known for his work on magazines like Popeye, Tarzan, and Hanako. He sits down to talk to us about building his career in Japan, what's great about Japanese magazines, and the secret to being a productive artist. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Adrian 5:13 First year in Aomori 12:19 Coming back to Japan 18:25 Getting work by drawing in public 22:04 Selling point of his style in Japan 24:22 Viral coffee cup illustrations 26:47 Adrian's sketchbook: Drawing is observation 34:15 Role of social media for artists 37:25 Working with Popeye magazine 51:15 Proof of trust as an artist in Japan 53:37 Making a magazine cover 56:55 Print magazines vs. social media 1:04:58 Selling merch as an artist 1:08:38 Community as an artist 1:13:07 Blind drawing exercise 1:16:48 Adrian's sketchbook 1:20:14 Drawing Tobi/Reverse interview -- Follow Adrian: https://www.adrianhogan.com https://www.instagram.com/adehogan https://x.com/adehogan 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 23

    Why people don't understand Japan's real problems

    Meet Gearoid Reidy, a journalist at Bloomberg Japan. He sits down to talk to us about his career as a journalist, his perspective covering finance and some of the biggest scandals in recent history, and his perspective as an opinion writer and why people should pay more attention to Japanese politics. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Gearoid 5:03 JET in rural Hiroshima 10:17 Working at Capcom in Osaka 13:00 Joining Bloomberg Japan 22:19 Learning to write about finance 25:27 The Toshiba scandal 29:45 Managing a news team 33:12 Reading between the lines in corporate speak 36:26 Translating Japanese information to English 38:17 Difference in journalism for finance company 39:52 Machine learning to filter information 43:48 Does Japan need AI? 49:35 Becoming Bureau Chief 52:32 Pivoting to opinion columnist 1:06:23 What you need to be an opinion writer 1:12:34 People should care more about Japanese politics 1:19:44 Where to begin with Japanese poiltics 1:24:36 On the Takaichi administration 1:30:57 What is the "real" Japan? 1:36:24 Goals for the future 1:39:29 The Carlos Ghosn scandal -- Follow Gearoid: https://x.com/GearoidReidy 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. Oct 20

    American ice skater who became a Japanese Olympic medalist

    Meet Tim Koleto, an American-born ice dancer who naturalized and took the silver medal for team Japan in Beijing in 2022 with his partner Misato Komatsubara. He sits down to talk to us about the sport of ice dancing, going to the Olympics, and what it's like to compete for Japan as a naturalized citizen. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 First experience on ice 4:43 Difference ice sports 7:09 Interest in ice dancing 7:53 Beginning competition 13:43 Switching to pairs 16:10 The mechanics of skating 25:30 Finding a partner 28:44 You can compete for other countries? 33:38 Competing for Japan? 37:12 Working with Misato 42:02 Competing with team Japan 47:53 Marriage to partner 50:47 Going to the Olympics 58:07 Strategy for competing to judges 1:03:53 Silver medal performance 1:15:12 Delayed medal ceremony 1:18:54 Retiring from competition 1:26:01 Final words -- Follow Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timkoleto https://www.tiktok.com/@timkoleto https://x.com/timkoleto https://www.twitch.tv/timkoleto 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. Oct 16

    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/

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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
    265
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Produced by ZenStudio
  • Show Website
    Unpacking Japan

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