Japanese History Junk Food

It's almost March 14th or White Day, Japan's other day meant for giving presents to the person you want to bang! Listen as Stephen (resident Japanese history non-expert) unpacks his sentiments on a "holiday" that only came into existence in the late 1970s!

Japan's least populous prefecture searches for an ancient doppelgänger and Stephen gives a quick, backwards rundown of Japanese history.   Remember to rate and review the show. Any questions or comments can be sent to japanesehistoryjunkfood(at symbol thingy)gmail(dot)com  

Stephen provides a short (rambling) update not he future of the show and SiJ community going forward.

Nick and Stephen, two hombres with little expertise but lots of passion, are back and recording remotely to bring you the tale of the Matagi Bear Hunters, a quickly vanishing group of Japanese woodsmen in the rural north!     "Red spots of blood flower in the virgin snow as the bear's dead body is dragged to a nearby plain to be gutted and dismembered using a traditional Matagi knife. Part of the bear's intestines are left as an offering to the mountain goddess.". They cut off the bear's paws before gutting and skinning the rest of its body.  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/11/matagi-hunting-tradition-japan/   Currently there are still some Matagi communities in the Tōhoku region (Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Niigata and Nagano).  There are no more full time Matagi hunters anymore because of hunting restrictions so most of the remaining Matagi are elderly farmers or foresters in the offseason. There is a Matagi museum in Akita.  https://visitakita.com/en/sightseeing/history-culture/213/   Matagi Documentary on NHK WORLD: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/3016051/

In this slightly different from normal episode, Stephen brings you the story of a rather recent figure in Japanese (pop culture) history: the great Shimura Ken, who unfortunately passed away due to COVID-19 on March 29th, 2020.   Remember we aren't experts but we do like to talk like we are!   Let me google that for you! https://blog.gaijinpot.com/remembering-ken-shimura-through-his-best-comedy-sketches/