Japan Unfiltered

Family Mart? Lawson? Seven Eleven? The big three? Who will give me the best dessert? Best fried chicken??? Tune in to hear our inside scoop on which is the best convenience store (also our love for Trader Joes and the grocery store experience in the United States).

Women only gyms, train cars, and holidays. Are these spaces appreciated in Japan? Seen as necessary perhaps to some? We dive into these questions and more!

Yes, we are almost ten years late. But love for Hamilton should always be proclaimed! In this episode, Kinuka gives us a rundown on why she loves Hamilton so much, now giving us a full picture of who she is as a person: a lover of bread and a lover of Hamilton.

In this next episode of the series, we dive into Johnny's and Associates as a company, when people first started hearing about Kitagawa sexually abusing young boys, and the BBC documentary about the case released in the spring of 2023.

In this episode, we unpack who Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of the largest boy group talent agency in Japan, was and how much of an impact he has had on the daily lives of most Japanese people.

Tune in to hear about our Christmas experiences in Japan vs. the US (KFC, yes please)! Also included is the tragic story of how Kinuka learned the truth about Santa...

Ever heard of Banana Man? Or Maybe Sandwich Man? No? Really? That's sad. But we've come to save the day and will teach you all about Japanese comedy with a sprinkling of what type of comedy we have in the US too. But, we must admit, it's not as legendary as being named Banana Man.

Have you been up all night? Not able to sleep? Tossing and turning, turning the pillow to the cool side? Trying to count sheep to distract yourself because you just are dying to know what Kai and Kinuka thought about the Barbie movie? Me too. We are very late, but here are our thoughts on the Barbie movie and the Japanese equivalent, Rika-chan.

Have you been up all night? Not able to sleep? Tossing and turning, turning the pillow to the cool side? Trying to count sheep to distract yourself because you just are dying to know what Kai and Kinuka thought about the Barbie movie? Me too. We are very late, but here are our thoughts on the Barbie movie and the Japanese equivalent, Rika-chan.

ATTENTION! THERE ARE SPOILERS! We, lifelong lovers of Studio Ghibli films, have VERY mixed feelings about Hayao Miyazaki's newest film. Having watched the film in Japan over the summer, we bring you our thoughts about the film that will be released in the United States by the end of this year. Be warned, this episode is for people who want spoilers (ew) or have already watched the film and want to hear about what other people think.

ATTENTION! THERE ARE SPOILERS! We, lifelong lovers of Studio Ghibli films, have VERY mixed feelings about Hayao Miyazaki's newest film. Having watched the film in Japan over the summer, we bring you our thoughts about the film that will be released in the United States by the end of this year. Be warned, this episode is for people who want spoilers (ew) or have already watched the film and want to hear about what other people think.

This week, we have a special guest! Azis joins us to talk about his experience working in Japan and what his perspective is on how foreigners are treated in Japan. Tune in to this two-part series and let us know what you think!

This week, we have a special guest! Azis joins us to talk about his experience working in Japan and what his perspective is on how foreigners are treated in Japan. Tune in to this two-part series and let us know what you think!

UNDOUKAI: aka, the best day for non-athletic people to make friends with other non-athletic people. Also a good day to confess your love to someone, maybe. Tune in to hear about our experiences with Japanese Sports Day and why we love/hate it so much.

This week, Kai introduces a film he recently watched about an alternate Japanese society where people at the age of 75 are given the choice to commit assisted suicide to limit the aging population. Tune in to hear what we think about the film and its anti-agist message. Note to Audience: This topic is a bit dark, but we giggle along the way. You are welcome to giggle with us too hehe.

Wait, how do they define maturity? In this episode, we dive into the differences between how Japanese and Americans define maturity and how it can help you if you go abroad to either of these countries. Also, make sure to wear sunscreen so you don't get weird tans like Kinuka did :)

In this episode, we discuss our thoughts about Hana's Miso Soup, a true story about a young girl who makes miso soup for her father after her mother passes away, and about the coverage of the story in Japan around 10 years after the story was published. Here are the videos we reference in the episode!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs48Lqh7JEw&ab_channel=GAGAIntl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aWkOn5OZRQ&ab_channel=FBS%E7%A6%8F%E5%B2%A1%E6%94%BE%E9%80%81%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jLJeWFVlRQ&ab_channel=minami https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwFU-ey6iE0&ab_channel=maidigitv

Black people, beware the racism in Japan. At least, that's what we thought. In this episode, we talk about our reactions to the NPR All Things Considered short video documentary "Living While Black, In Japan." While we thought that almost all Black people would have a difficult time living in Japan, we were surprised about the many positive experiences the documentary interviewees had in Japan. Tune in to hear more about our perspectives and about BLM's presence in Japan. Here is a link to the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMpxLmMnS6M

Do you shower regularly? Please say yes. Have you ever dreamed of Mount Fuji and an eggplant? Maybe? Tune in to hear our take on the (two completely compatible) topics of Japanese New Years dreams and how standards of hygiene differ in Japan and the United States.  

Gross. Just kidding. Well, maybe not. Kind of horrifying. Tune in to hear our mixed feelings about Japanese beauty pageants and their role in fueling Japanese media norms, sexism, lookism, and overall just making women feel like shit :)