12 episodes

This podcast is dedicated to sparking your interest in all things related to Japan!

JOIN US!, as we discuss travel, culture, language, daily life, history, work, cuisine and many other aspects of Japan.

COME INTERACT WITH US!, as we share our personal experiences, opinions & advice for all travel and life within Japan.

LET’S DISCOVER NEW THINGS TOGETHER!, as we interview Japanese friends, business owners and many others to explore their stories, advice & experiences relating to Japan.

Feel free to visit us at hikaritravelagency.com or send us an email at info@hikaritravelagency.com

Hibana: The Japan Travel, Life & Culture Guide, The Official Podcast of Hikari Travel Agency (HTA‪)‬ Hikari Travel Agency, LLC

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.5 • 8 Ratings

This podcast is dedicated to sparking your interest in all things related to Japan!

JOIN US!, as we discuss travel, culture, language, daily life, history, work, cuisine and many other aspects of Japan.

COME INTERACT WITH US!, as we share our personal experiences, opinions & advice for all travel and life within Japan.

LET’S DISCOVER NEW THINGS TOGETHER!, as we interview Japanese friends, business owners and many others to explore their stories, advice & experiences relating to Japan.

Feel free to visit us at hikaritravelagency.com or send us an email at info@hikaritravelagency.com

    Japan's Nightlife - Your Guide To Enjoying The "Afterhours" In Japan

    Japan's Nightlife - Your Guide To Enjoying The "Afterhours" In Japan

    THIS is definitely the episode you don't want to miss if you have any interest in doing anything "after dinner" in Japan.
    Isaac and Abby discuss some of the unique aspects of Japan's Nightlife culture; what it has to offer, the in's and out's and how to best enjoy it as a tourist or foreigner.
    They discuss some of their personal experience's of the nightlife of Japan, elaborate on their best practices and also provide details/recommendations for those unfamiliar with "Japan at Night".
    If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to connect with us on our social media pages.

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    • 58 min
    Itadakimasu! Let's Dig Into Japanese Cuisine & Food Culture, Part 2

    Itadakimasu! Let's Dig Into Japanese Cuisine & Food Culture, Part 2

    We start off this episode with a Japanese food taste experience!
    Abby brings some of her favorite finds from her recent trip to an Asian food store and Isaac tastes some of them for the first time.
    After the taste test though, we talk more about connections between food and culture within Japan.
    We cover everything from children’s school lunches in Japan to Konbini’s (Japanese Convenience Stores) to how food plays into Japanese cultural holidays.
    Food will always be connected to any countries culture, so here we breakdown how Japanese food relates to our experiences with the culture as well as tying in how it relates to our USA upbringing.

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    • 1 hr 7 min
    Itadakimasu! Let's Dig Into Japanese Cuisine & Food Culture, Part 1

    Itadakimasu! Let's Dig Into Japanese Cuisine & Food Culture, Part 1

    The Hibana Podcast returns to talk about Japanese Food and how food relates to culture. This topic of Japanese food and culture is certainly a multi-episode topic, so if you are interested, we will discuss more on our next episode. 

    Unfortunately, we don't want to break any copyright (or whatever) laws, so we couldn't play the "Sukiya" song that we talked about for the outro, BUT here is the link to the song: Sukiya Song By Dela (It is a pretty fun song, in Isaac's opinion!) 

    Also, as always, feel free to hit us up on our social media pages. 

    Lastly, thank you to all of our listeners. We hope you have gained some interest or better understanding through our discussions. This has always been a genuinely fun conversation between ourselves and we thank you for listening but mostly hope that you have gained some insight from it.


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    • 1 hr 1 min
    Travel Etiquette in Japan

    Travel Etiquette in Japan

    Sorry, for the recent lack of content, but Hikari Travel Agency (HTA) is ecstatic to get back into the swing of things!

    This episode, Isaac & Abby talk about some of the proper etiquette that they recommend you follow when traveling to/throughout Japan as a foreigner.

    As expected, they provide their personal experiences of living and traveling throughout Japan as well as commenting on some of the more mainstream recommended etiquette in Japan.  Not all of their personal experiences flow with the common published "Proper Japan Etiquette" though, so if you want to hear the real or slightly embarrassing details then give a listen to this episode! 

    Also, they discuss some of the up-coming future projects that HTA has been planning!  Definitely listen to the end to hear the announcements, but we recommend you follow our social media for the details! (sorry if that sounds like click-bait, but social media is where we continuously post)

    SIDE NOTE: The Japanese term that Isaac was referencing when talking about an informal, after-work gathering is known as "無礼講" (bureikou). 


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    • 1 hr 2 min
    Living in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 2

    Living in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 2

    This episode is Part 2 of our “Living in Japan as a Foreigner” topic.

    As always, be sure to interact with us on the Hikari Travel Agency Facebook Page too. If you enjoyed the podcast, feel free to like us on our social media outlets for additional content.

    Let us know what you think! We would love to hear suggestions for future episodes too!


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    • 51 min
    Living in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 1

    Living in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 1

    For this episode, HTA discusses the experiences that come with living in Japan as a foreigner for an extended period of time. Being a long-term foreigner in Japan comes with many interesting experiences! This episode aims to discuss some of our honest opinions on the advantages/disadvantages of it. This episode is Part 1 of 2.

    As always, be sure to interact with us on the Hikari Travel Agency Facebook Page too. If you enjoyed the podcast, feel free to like us on our social media outlets for additional content.

    Let us know what you think! We would love to hear suggestions for future episodes too!


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    • 44 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
8 Ratings

8 Ratings

Tori Neko ,

Excellent Podcast !!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent Podcast about the foreign experience in Japan , various topics explored and discussed. Real talk about traveling and living in Japan and what to expect from a foreign perspective. The podcasters focus on topics that sparks ⚡️ your interests in Japan as listeners.
Enlightening and refreshing!

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