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. 10H AGO

    Meet Japan's Mr. Rogers of math

    Meet Peter Frankl, a Hungarian mathematician living in Japan. Peter sits down to talk to us about his life and journey to Japan, his NHK series for children, and why he thinks the Japanese have a mathematician's mindset. -- 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meet Peter 5:14 Arriving in Japan in 1982 10:08 Researching in Japan 15:04 Peter's fascination with math 19:51 Japanese people are kind of like mathematicians 29:28 Peter's autobiography 39:37 Peter's NHK show Mathematica 52:07 Being an independent mathematician 57:25 Current work 1:03:09 Working with Japanese mathematicians 1:10:21 Peter's juggling career 1:27:35 Looking back Follow Peter: http://peterfrankl.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/

    1h 41m

  2. 3D AGO

    If you think you know Japanese music, you don't

    Meet Harry, an indie music promoter working in Tokyo. He sits down to talk to us about his love of Japanese indie music, the mind-boggling variety of acts you can find, and how you can get tickets as a foreigner in Japan. -- 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meet Harry 7:05 Interest in Japanese music 12:21 Japanese music has EVERYTHING 22:18 Favorite stories 26:51 How to support the scene 32:12 Helping foreigners get tickets with Gigs in Tokyo 39:49 Reaction from performers and venues 42:42 Is it working? 46:57 Organizing his own events 54:09 Scene beyond Tokyo 57:10 Next steps -- Follow Harry: ⁠ @angura_live https://www.instagram.com/gigsintokyo/ 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/

    1h 8m

  3. MAR 20

    Sitting down with Shibuya Kaho about her life as a writer & cosplayer

    Meet Shibuya Kaho, a writer, cosplayer, and livestreamer from Tokyo. She sits down to talk with us about her time as a journalist, her book on the AV industry, and her current life as a streamer and cosplayer. -- 0:00 Intro 4:17 All-girls school in Japan 7:57 Journalism internship 11:48 Time as a sports journalist 17:58 Book about the AV industry 23:18 Reaction from the industry 29:52 Suing the AV industry 33:12 Cosplay career 37:06 Being a cosplay judge/host 44:40 How to work with Japanese companies 50:42 Overcoming stigma as a woman and former AV actress 52:49 Streaming career 55:21 Learning kimono 1:00:44 Book about becoming fluent in English 1:08:36 Kaho's single life -- Follow Kaho: https://www.kaho-shibuya.com https://www.twitch.tv/shibuya_kaho https://www.instagram.com/shibukaho https://www.tiktok.com/@shibuya_kaho https://x.com/Shibukaho 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/

    1h 14m

  4. MAR 17

    The reality of being Muslim in Japan

    Meet Zhafira, an Indonesian content creator who spent several years in Japan growing up, returning to Indonesia and coming back to Japan as an adult. She sits down to talk to us about her life between countries and the challenges faced by Japanese Muslims and Muslim immigrants here. -- 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meet Zhafira 4:24 Growing up Muslim in Japan 8:31 Going to school as a Muslim in Japan 11:10 Culture shock returning to Indonesia 15:20 Coming back to Japan 19:04 Interest in academia 26:49 University in Japan as Muslim 29:39 Managing prayer schedules here as Muslim 32:00 Halal food in Japan 34:30 Growing islamophobia in Japan 40:58 Misconceptions about Muslims in Japan 45:24 Is there a Muslim voice on social media? 51:08 Zhafira's work and research in sex education 58:28 Sex education taboo in Islam 1:03:48 Moving to Tokyo 1:08:06 Muslim community in Japan 1:12:05 Challenges with employment as Muslim in Japan -- Follow Zhafira: https://zhafiraiha.com/ ⁨@Zhafiraiha⁩ https://www.instagram.com/zhafiraiha https://www.tiktok.com/@zhafiraiha https://medium.com/@zhafira.aqyla https://x.com/zhafiraqyla 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/

    1h 23m

  5. MAR 13

    The reality of "Japan" content ft. @foxmaskdaze ​

    Meet Dani, a content creator from Venezuela also known as the guy in the fox mask. Dani sits down to talk to us about his journey to Japan, what it was like for him to work here, the reality of being a Japan content creator, and where the heck the mask came from. -- 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meet Dani 6:37 Start in content creation 9:24 Content creation process 13:06 Becoming a full-time creator 16:52 How to stay unique in a sea of content 19:15 Story behind the mask 22:06 Taking off the mask 24:46 Thoughts on overtourism and content creation 30:11 Favourite areas of Japan 34:34 Is it possible to stay authentic? 37:41 Misconceptions about Japan creators 39:57 Moving forward -- Follow Dani: ⁨@foxmaskdaze⁩ https://www.instagram.com/foxmaskdaze/ https://www.tiktok.com/@foxmaskdaze https://www.facebook.com/foxmaskjapanon/ 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/

    47 min

  6. MAR 6

    How safe is Japan for women? ft. eviebunniex

    Meet Evie, a fashion model and content creator living in Tokyo. Evie sits down to talk to us about her interest in Japanese fashion, how Japanese styles are being taken overseas, and her own fashion and feminism content.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Evie5:44 Coming to Japan for fashion8:57 Where subcultures come from11:19 Foreign view on subcultures12:12 Moving to Japan16:35 Job hunting in Japan21:11 Start in content creation24:23 Is Japan safe for women?28:10 What does feminism mean to you?31:47 Feminism in content creation34:03 What's changed in Japan?39:04 Is it difficult to talk about Japan's problems?42:19 Evie's life in Japan now44:06 Do you feel responsibility as a creator?46:31 Working with Japanese brands as a creator51:57 Using her philosophy degree52:55 Mixing business and content creation54:24 Misconceptions about feminism in Japan--Follow Evie: @eviebunnie https://www.instagram.com/eviebunniex/https://www.tiktok.com/@eviebunnieFollow 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/

    58 min

  7. MAR 3

    Why early kabuki performances were banned

    Meet Tove Bjoerk, a professor of Japanese culture and kabuki researcher at Saitama University, who sits down to talk to us about the history of kabuki. She tells us about the origins of kabuki performances, how it's evolved throughout the years, and the secret to why it remains so successful to this day.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Tove8:48 Interest in theatre9:56 Interest in Ichikawa Danjuro14:24 What makes kabuki special16:36 A stage art for the poor19:27 Kabuki was banned23:11 How popular was kabuki?27:15 Was kabuki style consistent across Japan?28:43 Diaries of Ichikawa Danjuro34:40 What do you need to know before seeing kabuki?37:33 Kabuki gets banned again44:52 Bjoerk's least favorite play47:09 Kabuki acting56:25 Ongoing research1:00:31 Founder of kabuki1:03:58 Kabuki today--Follow 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/

    1h 9m

  8. FEB 27

    The effect of Japanese housing regulations on tourism

    Meet Chai Kanda, CEO of Shiki Properties in Kyoto, who sits down to talk about Japan's short-term rental market. He talks about his work restoring machiya for vacation rentals, Japan's tourism boom, and how regulations affect Japan's tourism industry. -- 0:00 Intro 0:45 Meet Chai 1:07 What brought Chai to Japan 2:07 Chai’s childhood in Japan 2:27 Leaving Sydney for Japan 2:51 Chai’s original vision for Japan 3:52 Chai’s first job in Japan 4:11 Staying in Kansai long term 4:36 Discovering real estate 6:43 From rentals to acquisitions for Chai 9:30 The pros and cons of machiya investment for Chai 11:38 The charm of machiya 12:15 Chai on Airbnb in Japan 13:58 Chai on renovation budgets 16:27 Chai navigating funding and partnerships 17:35 Chai on customer demand for machiya 18:55 Adapting to rapid growth 20:17 How booming tourism affects regulations 24:32 Kyoto-specific rules 25:29 Expanding beyond Kyoto 29:02 Expanding into Japan's "Little Venice" 32:37 Chai comparing markets 34:20 The usual process of starting in a new area 36:56 Tourism and neighborhood change 39:55 Evaluating sustainable tourism markets 43:09 Chai on overtourism in Japan 45:13 Crowded buses and local frustration 47:27 Transit expansion challenges 48:10 Untangling the tourism challenge 50:27 Chai’s long-term vision 52:36 From real estate to hot sauce 54:12 The reality of launching food products in Japan 56:04 Chai’s Scoville rating 56:55 Key lessons from two decades in business 58:25 The fear of failure in Japan 1:00:39 Being prepared for business in Japan 1:03:26 Wrapping up 1:04:01 Outro ____________ Shiki Group: https://linktr.ee/shikigroup Shiki Properties IG: https://instagram.com/shiki_properties Shiki Real Estate: https://linktr.ee/shiki.realestate 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/

    1h 5m
See All (201)

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
14 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
    201
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Produced by ZenStudio
  • Show Website
    Unpacking Japan

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