ciplantgo: plant-based lifestyle in Japan 日本での菜食ライフスタイル

Mina Martinez runs an animal refuge in Chiba prefecture. I discovered Mina on Facebook, through a wonderfully jolly video of her sharing a piece of salad with Kevin Bacon, the local pig. Then I discovered she’s also a personal trainer and used to be a cuban salsa teacher in Tokyo. So of course I was going to reach out to her!  During our conversation, we talked about her international roots, her experience as a martial artist and as a dancer, the beginnings of her refuge, her other careers such as singing and cooking, food and plant based eating, animal welfare in Japan, and much more. Mina struck me as a deep and caring person, who lives her life in a very raw and down to earth way. It was a real pleasure getting to know her. I hope you will enjoy our conversation as much as I did.   P.S.: check ciplantgo's FB page or IG to see pictures of Elegua, the roster brought up in this episode.   Content - Introduction - 0:01:37s - Who is Mina? - 0:06:08s - Her martial arts journey - 0:11:54s - Dancing and teaching salsa - 0:16:56s - From the UK to Japan - 0:19:24s - The beginnings of her animal refuge - 0:46:06s - Financing the refuge - 0:52:20s - Mina’s singing career - 0:58:11s - Back to animals: a few anecdotes - 1:07:07s - Mina the cook - 1:08:32s - Let’s talk about food - 1:27:51s - Some of Mina’s projects - 1:29:57s - Living with animals and being present in the moment - 1:32:40s - Japan and animal welfare - 1:35:35s - The madness of the factory farm industry - how cognitive dissonance allows it - 1:41:00s - Rapid fire questions - 1:51:47s - An Elegua song - 1:52:38s - Closing words and the future of ciplantgo   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - Animals in Japan FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Animals.in.Japan/ - Mina Martinez AnimO FB page: https://www.facebook.com/MissMinaMartinez/ - Mina Martinez FB page: https://www.facebook.com/mina.martinez.3766 - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Kiko Hirakawa is a Japanese ethical model based in Paris. Like most things in life, meeting Kiko was a coincidence born out of randomness: coronavirus spreading in Europe, me going crazy in the city and wanting a breath of fresh air in the mountains, and a common friend who’s into hiking. Long story short, after a hike with a couple of friends in nature, Kiko and I ended up recording this podcast in Yoyogi park, at a time when she was supposed to be in Paris and me, on holiday out of the country... During our conversation, we talked about how she became a professional model, learning new languages and living abroad, why she chose Paris, her path to veganism, being a teenage vegan in Japan, her views about modeling and ethics, food and our emotional relationship to it, and more. Kiko is a beautiful human being, full of life and passion, and striving to make a better world. It was a real pleasure talking with her. I hope you will enjoy our conversation as much as I did.   Content - Introduction - 0:01:21s - Kiko’s self introduction. - 0:02:38s - How did she become a professional model? - 0:04:14s - Learning languages and living abroad - 0:08:47s - Back to Japan before more modeling and choosing Paris - 0:12:19s - Kiko’s journey to veganism: a quest for health and balance - 0:19:07s - Being a teenage vegan in Japan - 0:24:05s - From studying in Paris to living over there - 0:26:04s - Kiko’s model job in Paris: an ethical view - 0:30:44s - Her projects going forward - 0:35:17s - Kiko’s Instagram and tips to fight off anxiety - 0:41:38s - About food: Kiko’s diet - 0:50:57s - To not be controlled by food - 0:53:18s - Being vegan in Japan: plastic everywhere... - 0:57:31s - Kiko’s advice on how to enter the modeling world - 1:00:00s - Her advice about living abroad - 1:03:00s - How to take your first steps toward veganism?   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/ - Kiko’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiko.sunflowersoul/ - Kiko’s Health Coaching Website: https://kikosunflowersoul.com/ - Kiko’s model profile: https://kiko.book.fr/ - Kiko’s model profile on JSW: https://jsw-models.com/New-Faces/Kiko/

Nadia McKechnie, professional educational writer and voice-actor, and organizer of Tokyo Vegan Meetup, is on ciplantgo for the second time. 2019 was a great year for TVM, so I thought it would be interesting to talk with Nadia about what happened and what is coming in 2020. This time, after a brief presentation of Nadia and TVM, we chatted about her experience taking part in the Vegigiren, a government initiative aiming at making Japan more vegan friendly before the Olympics, what are the foreseeable challenges for all the plant based people who will be visiting this summer, how to raise awareness among non vegans, which of the three pillars to focus on in Japan, and finally what is in store for Tokyo Vegan Meetup this year. It was a real pleasure sitting down with Nadia for the second time and exchanging points of view regarding all things vegan in Japan. I hope you will find the conversation as interesting as I did. Content Introduction 0:01:37s - Nadia’s presentation of Tokyo Vegan Meetup in a nutshell 0:09:28s - The rise of veganism in Japan and the Olympics: law makers get involved!...but for what results? 0:24:48s - How vegan friendly is Japan a few months away from the Olympics? 0:32:55s - Reactions to Joaqin Phoenix Oscar speech: how to raise awareness among non vegans? 0:53:20s - What is coming up for TVM.   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links Tokyo Vegan Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/vegan-389/ Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/ ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/  

Gray Horwitz is an environmental science researcher currently doing his Masters at Keio University. During our close to two hours together, we talked about Gray’s path towards research, his experience as a lifelong plant based person, the idea of animal consent and the ideal farm, courtyard chicken eggs, mock foods, animal rights activism, happy meat and the philosophy of well being, the best way to spread the vegan message, his five months of veganism in Tokyo, a bicycle tour of Europe he did before Japan, and, finally, whether we would raise our future kids vegan or not. Listening to Gray’s life story was fascinating to me, as was our philosophical exploration of veganism. It was a real pleasure talking with Gray. I hope you will enjoy our conversation as much as I did.   Content - Introduction - 0:01:40s - Gray’s self introduction. - 0:05:11s - About Gray's (path toward) research. - 0:22:02s - Born vegetarian, now vegan. - 0:33:08s - Is becoming vegan easy(ier nowadays)? - 0:34:48s - Gray's transition to veganism. - 0:38:23s - Does the ideal farm exist?... about animal consent. - 0:44:29s - Are courtyard chicken eggs vegan friendly? - 0:47:09s - About mock foods: eggs, cheese, meat. - 0:55:54s - Public reception of PETA's activism. - 0:58:01s - Nutrition science: how to know what is true? - 1:06:19s - Would Gray eat lab grown meat? - 1:11:05s - Is happy meat better than no meat? Discussing the ethics of well being. - 1:25:35s - Gray and animal rights activism. - 1:30:43s - Talking veganism to people: connection is key. - 1:40:01s - Being vegan in Tokyo for 5 months. - 1:42:30s - Eating out with non vegan friends, or avoiding it? - 1:47:45s - Gray’s bicycle trip across Europe. - 1:54:05s - Raising kids vegan: for or against?   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/ - Earthling Ed free ebook: https://earthlinged.org/ebook - Earthling Ed 2nd TED Talk: https://youtu.be/byTxzzztRBU

今回のエピソードでは、4AJを創立した竜二さんとローレンさんをインタビューしました。4AJ＝For Animals Japanは、横浜と川崎で活躍しているアニマルライツ活動のグループで、彼らは主にCube of Truthというアウトリーチを月二回行っています。 このエピソードでは、ローレンさんと竜二さんの自己紹介、プラントベースライフスタイルへの道、4AJの初歩、4AJ活動の思い出、活動を始めたい人へのおすすめ、などについて話しました。 竜二さんとローレンさんと話して、彼らの活動者として、そして一般個人としての話を聞いて、とても面白くて、勉強になりました。皆さんも、この話し合いを同じように聞いていただければと思います。 本題に入る前に、一つ言って置きたいことがあります。インタビューの最初の10分ぐらい、マイクの接続が悪かったため、2秒の雑音がときどき聞こえます。残りの1時間は雑音フリーになっています。 - イントロ - 0:01:35s - 竜二さんとローレンさんの自己紹介とプラントベースライフスタイルへの道 - 0:11:50s - 4AJの初歩 - 0:15:34s - キューブオブテュルースとは？4AJの行い方 - 0:22:33s - 4AJ活動の思い出：うれしいこと - 0:32:02s - 4AJに影響を与えたアクティビスト - 0:38:30s - 4AJ活動の思い出：くやしいこと - 0:42:27s - 4AJが何を聞いたりしてヴィーガンについて勉強するか？ - 0:46:28s - 僕が日本を去ってからのciplantgo - 0:52:13s - 活動を始めたい人へのおすすめ - 0:55:32s - 4AJのスケジュールと連絡先 - 0:59:09s - ヴィーガンになってからの一番難点 - 1:03:29s - ヴィーガンになってからのソーシャルライフ - 1:07:29s - ヴィーガンになって一番うれしいこと - 1:13:53s - 家族について - 1:15:55s - 4AJからのメッセージ イントロ曲："Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) 追加情報やリンク： - For Animals Japan (4AJ): https://www.facebook.com/foranimalsjapan/ - For Animals Japan (4AJ) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foranimalsjapan/ - 4AJのおすすめのメディア：    - Earthling Ed: https://earthlinged.org/    - That Vegan Couple: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV8d4At_1yUUgpsnqyDchrw    - The Chickpeeps: https://www.thechickpeeps.com/    - Food For Thought: https://www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/food-for-thought-podcast/    - The Bearded Vegans: https://www.thebeardedvegans.com/    - Species Unite: https://www.speciesunite.com/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

For this episode, I welcomed Kano Sekine for the second time on the show. I interviewed Kano as my second guest about a year ago and we talked extensively about her journey as a vegan, but also her travel and study plans. I thought it would be interesting to talk with Kano about her life exploration for the past year, so I invited her back on ciplantgo. After a brief overview of the year past, the discussion focuses on Kano’s work routine as a freelance translator, studying in Europe, her travels over there and in the United States, her plans going forward, translation work and digital nomadism, recent changes that happened for Kano as a vegan, and finally her expectations for 2020. It was lovely to catch up with Kano on the podcast. I hope you will enjoy listening to her updated story as much as I did recording it. Content - Introduction - 0:01:39s - Overview of the year past - 0:02:20s - Kano’s work routine as a freelance translator - 0:07:41s - About the cost of studying in the UK and France - 0:10:52s - Kano’s travels overview - 0:14:00s - Her Paris experience - 0:27:16s - Next step: Lyon and Les Châteaux de la Loire - 0:31:55s - To London for a vegan fashion festival... - 0:34:30s - … and back to Paris for a food centered vegan festival - 0:42:05s - Visiting L.A. - 0:46:00s - Kano’s plans going forward - 0:48:05s - Translation and digital nomadism - 0:51:38s - Changes as a vegan that happened during the past year. - 0:59:35s - Talking about veganism to non vegans - 1:04:30s - Something Kano is looking forward to in 2020   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links - Kano’s Instagram: kanosekine - Kano’s FB: https://www.facebook.com/kano.sekine - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Brigitte Noreau is an animal rights and minimalist lifestyle advocate. I’ve met Brigitte the first time I took part in a For Animals Japan cube of truth activism event. Being both French speaking vegans, a rare combination in Japan, we immediately  connected. A few months later, I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with her for a little more than an hour. After Brigitte’s self introduction, we talk about her podcast and blog, reading books, her path to Japan, the difficulty to planning your life as a teenager, life in Japan and natural disasters, her path to veganism and activism, before ending by a couple rapid fire questions. It was a real pleasure to discuss with Brigitte. I took the liberty to share my views and thoughts about most topics we addressed, this time in a more thorough way than usual. I feel we could have chatted for much longer, but unfortunately I had to cut the podcast short after a little more than an hour. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it. Content - Introduction - 0:01:39s - Brigitte’s self introduction - 0:03:51s - Her blog and podcast - 0:09:22s - About reading books and listening to podcasts - 0:14:24s - What brought Brigitte to Japan - 0:21:17s - About how complicated it can be to orientate yourself during/after high school - learning to (re)learn and face your fears - 0:32:04s - Stepping out of your comfort zone - learning about what makes you click - 0:39:09s - Living in Japan and the fear of natural disasters - 0:47:16s - Brigitte’s path to veganism - 0:54:12s - Coming out as a vegan and first steps into advocacy: what’s the best approach? - 1:00:52s - Brigitte’s path to activism and For Animals Japan - 1:13:35s - Two rapid fire questions   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links - “À fleur de peau. Le roman initiatique des hypersensibles.”, by Saverio Tomasella. - Tisane & Jasette, podcast and blog: https://www.youtube.com/user/oXAyaChanXo https://www.tisaneetjasette.com/ - For Animals Japan (4AJ): https://www.facebook.com/foranimalsjapan/ - Earthling Ed free ebook: https://earthlinged.org/ebook - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

日本でのアニマルライツ活動と言えば、岡田さんはその代表の一人でしょう。19年前から動物のために活動をしてきた岡田さんは、今はARCの代表理事を努めています。そのような大事な仕事で多忙な岡田さんと二時間ぐらい話せて、とてもありがたく思っています。 このエピソードでは、岡田さんが動物のために活動を始めたころの話、日本工場畜産の現実、日本人とヴィーガンやアニマルウェルフェアに関する意識、ペット産業と動物園、日本と海外の肉の比較、岡田さんの日常、などについて話しました。 - イントロ - 0:01:30s - 岡田さんの自己紹介 - 0:01:57s - いつから動物活動を始めようと思ったか - 0:03:35s - ピーター・シンガー『動物開放』を読んだ印象とヴィーガンへの道 - 0:06:58s - 2000年辺りの日本ヴィーガン外食オプションについて - 0:08:57s - 日本人として、日本社会でヴィーガンであること - 0:11:25s - ARCに努め始めたときの活動 - 0:12:46s - 活動の効果について - 0:22:37s - 20年前からのARCでのスタッフ変更 - 0:25:39s - ARCと他組織との協力活動 - 0:30:01s - 日本工場畜産の現実：鶏 - 0:37:22s - 日本人とヴィーガンやアニマルウェルフェアに関する意識 - 0:39:46s - ペット産業と動物園について - 0:49:17s - 日本工場畜産の現実、その2 - 0:55:07s - 肉なら、日本のより、輸入のほうが安全で、質がいい - 0:58:24s - 和牛について - 1:02:39s - 魚について - 1:06:06s - 日本工場畜産の現実：乳製品 - 1:12:38s - 動物のためなら、一番止めたほうがいい動物製品＝卵 - 1:14:21s - 岡田さんの日常 - 1:17:19s - 将来の日本でのヴィーガンライフスタイル - 1:18:51s - ソイミートなどについて - 1:23:50s - 日本人の問題意識について - 1:25:25s - 岡田さんの家族－親戚よりも、赤の他人が説得しやすい - 1:35:15s - 色々な小質問 イントロ曲："Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) 追加情報やリンク： - ARC Japan: https://arcj.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/ - Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/

Simon Wally is a passionate animal rights activist who started Foodfacts.jp, a website “...to inform the citizens of Japan (of) what the Japanese media are refusing to...”. Based in South Japan, Simon recently came to Tokyo where he shared his experience and message during a Tokyo Vegan Meetup Talk event. Asking him to be on the show was the obvious thing for me to do, and I am really grateful that Simon accepted to use some of his time in Tokyo to record our discussion. This episode starts with Simon’s self introduction and how he gave up meat. We then discuss the three pillars of veganism, the birth of Foodfacts.jp, its place in the Japanese vegan activism scene, Extinction Rebellion, flexitarianism, the environmental cost of travelling, before ending by a few rapid fire questions. It was a real pleasure to hear Simon express his feelings and opinions about all the topics we covered. I hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it.   Content - Introduction - 0:02:00s - Simon’s self introduction - 0:07:58s - Becoming pescitarian - 0:15:34s - Simon’s take on the three pillars of veganism - 0:20:33s - The birth of Foodfacts.jp and the state of Japanese media - 0:25:01s - Simon’s vision of the future - 0:27:41s - Who is Foodfacts.jp meant for? - 0:29:37s - Foodfacts.jp and relations with other Animal Rights organizations - 0:40:37s - Every little action counts - 0:47:21s - Extinction Rebellion - 0:56:40s - Simon’s take on flexitarianism - 1:02:36s - About travelling by plane - 1:12:18s - The social cost of being vegan - 1:15:26s - Simon’s message to you - 1:16:15s - Rapid fire questions   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - www.foodfacts.jp - Simon’s FB profile: https://www.facebook.com/simon.whalley.509 - Extinction Rebellion: https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellion/ - Extinction Rebellion Japan: https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellionJapan/ - Tokyo Vegan Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/vegan-389/ - Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Yuki Takahashi is a former globetrotter and researcher in the field of space exploration who now devotes his time to fight for the animals. He has been working for the ARCJ, the Animal Rights Center Japan, since April 2019. This episode focuses mainly on Yuki’s path to working in Japan last spring. On the way, we explored how Yuki came to grow up both in the USA and in Japan, where he studied, his experience working for SpaceX, his five years of nomadism, and his time in Hawaii. We finally ended by a few rapid fire questions. Yuki’s life sounds almost too unreal to be true. In contrast, as you will probably notice listening to this episode, he is very modest and never brags about his achievements. It was a real pleasure getting to know him more during the two hours and a half we talked together. Last but not least, you will find in the show notes links to the main animal rights related organizations brought up during the episode, and Yuki’s Facebook profile, should you want to contact him. Without further due, here is Yuki Takahashi.   Content - Introduction - 0:01:19s - Yuki’s self introduction - 0:15:29s - Receiving his first Vegan Outreach leaflet... - 0:25:14s - Working at SpaceX - 0:34:36s - Starting five years of nomadic lifestyle - 0:54:42s - Looking of an Animal Rights related job - 1:01:03s - Volunteering experience at a farm animal sanctuary in Spain - 1:17:49s - Living in Hawaii: part-time job and activism - 1:26:33s - Getting an opportunity to work for the ARCJ - 1:32:09s - Yuki’s family and veganism - 1:43:05s - Yuki’s experience at being plant based in Japan - 1:53:43s - Urban or countryside lifestyle? - 2:02:11s - Yuki’s plans for the years to come - 2:06:37s - Yuki’s take on how to approach veganism - 2:21:14s - The future of veganism in Japan - 2:25:26s - Rapid fire questions   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - Yuki’s Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/yukimoon - ARCJ: http://www.arcj.org/en/ - The Humane League: https://thehumaneleague.org/ - Vegan Outreach: https://veganoutreach.org/ - Farm Sanctuary: https://www.farmsanctuary.org/ - The Good Food Institute: https://www.gfi.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Clara Nilda Nieto Hernandez is a professional dancer living in Santiago de Cuba. During my 3 weeks in Santiago, Clara was the link between Clave Cuba, the travel agency I went to Cuba with, and me. In addition to being a great dancer, she has also been exploring, since a few years ago, questions related to veganism. Having her on the podcast was a no brainer. Not only that, she also asked me to appear on her YouTube channel for an interview… which I might release at a later date. This episode starts with Clara’s self introduction, before moving to her relationship with food, the current situation in Santiago de Cuba, being overweight, her vegetarian friend in town, what she could do to spread the vegan word, the importance of good food and, finally, why it matters to stay in touch with where meat comes from.   Content - Introduction - 0:01:38s - Clara’s self introduction - 0:04:36s - Clara’s relationship to (animal) food, past and present. - 0:13:37s - No real plant based food options in Santiago… yet. - 0:15:31s - Health and being overweight. - 0:23:23s - Clara’s plant based friend in Santiago. - 0:25:42s - Taking action in Santiago to promote plant based foods. - 0:33:24s - The importance of good food. - 0:36:36s - Staying in touch with where meat comes from.   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links - Clara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claridancer/ - Clara on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004945365281  - Clara on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSa1_6oC7apDNaFpwHkNvUA - Clave Cuba: https://www.clavecuba.com/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Alexandre Derycz is currently working as a talent and model in the Tokyo area. In addition of being the only vegan advocate I know of in the Japan talent world, Alex also has a fascinating story that lead him to his job. Upon meeting him, I knew he had to be on the podcast!  This episode starts with Alex’s self introduction, before moving to a wide range of topics like plurilingual upbringing, school as a teenager, veganism of course, or his experience living in Japan. We then end by a few rapid fire questions… recorded in less than ideal conditions: indeed, for the last 15 to 20 minutes of the interview we had to change rooms, and we ended next to a group of talents rehearsing for some audition. I did my best to clean up the background voices but for the very end, where I left some… entertaining interventions, let’s say. Content - Introduction - 0:01:56s - Alex’s self introduction - 0:08:08s - About plurilingual upbringing - 0:12:16s - Alex as a child - 0:13:50s - About school as a teenager - 0:31:33s - Studying biology and Japanese at UCLA - 0:43:48s - Alex’s long term goal of making the world a better place - 0:46:09s - Veganism - 0:51:21s - Accountability - 0:52:26s - First steps - 1:03:29s - Towards a 100% vegan family! - 1:06:00s - Importance of role models - 1:20:42s - Living in Japan - 1:24:35s - Scouted as a model - 1:46:42s - Promoting veganism as a model - 2:10:53s - Future of veganism in Japan - 2:15:16s - Alex’s typical day - 2:22:20s - Rapid fire questions   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_derycz/ - Alex on Ameblo (in Japanese): https://ameblo.jp/alexworld-official/ - Alex personal website (in construction): https://veganlife.co/ - Tokyo Vegan Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/vegan-389/ - Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

I’m back from my first trip to Cuba! But why did I fly out there? And why did I stay about 3 full weeks? This audiolog will answer these questions by first explaining why I chose couple dancing as my main hobby, before presenting the reasons that lead me to prefer Cuban salsa over all the other options on the dance market.   While in Cuba, I recorded daily audiologs, more to keep an account of my experience there than to report about it on the Internet. Those recordings are somewhat randomly, somewhat thematically structured. I plan on preparing and releasing a few episodes in the weeks to come - one about vegan food in Cuba, another about my dancing experience over there, and maybe more. The former topic, food, will definitely make it on the podcast, but dancing, or any other topic that is not sufficiently related to what I want to talk about in length on ciplantgo, will only appear on ciplantgo’s Youtube channel. So should you want to know more about how I traveled and trained in Cuba, head / keep an eye on that Youtube channel, as there will be no Instagram or podcast posts about this. Last but not least, photography. What used to be an important hobby of mine is still a form of artistic expression I enjoy. A few of the shots I took in Cuba made it through my selection process. I am sharing some of them on Instagram, all of them in the Youtube video; the best way to view them is on my Flickr though, to which you’ll find a link at the end of the show notes.  - 0:02:34s: Why, as a teenager, I started martial arts? - 0:08:40s: My encounter with, and my first steps dancing. - 0:17:26s: (...since) Going back to dancing 3 years ago. - 0:34:56s: What dancing means and represents to me. - 0:44:25s: Pluses of couple dancing. - 0:55:56s: Minuses of couple dancing. - 0:57:38s: Conclusion - 0:58:07s: Why Cuba?   - ciplantgo podcast: https://ciplantgo.podbean.com/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/ - ciplantgo Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEPsP5lxKk8uZVBI8WaEKQQ - My flickr (unrelated to ciplantgo): https://www.flickr.com/photos/florent_d/

Plamen Iontchev is a Bulgarian nuclear physicist who’s been living in Tokyo for a few years. I met him at my first meetup in Kiba park. He is one of the most regular members, attending almost all the meetings, and also started a Meetup group called Team Vegan, centered around hiking, running and the like among vegans. With such an original profile, I was certain Plamen’s story would be more than interesting. Our two hours talk did not disappoint! This episode starts with Plamen’s self introduction, followed by his life in Bulgaria and how he came to live an active and plant-based lifestyle, how he became pescitarian for ‘health’ reasons  (and a warning from us about how fish is not that healthy after all), Plamen’s discussions with his daughter who had just turned vegan, which circumstances saw him go vegetarian, how reconnecting with calves made him take the last step toward veganism, Plamen discovering the reality of the egg industry and then me taking the time to point out that a balanced vegan diet is healthy, before adding some information about calf rearing and egg production, what brought Plamen to search for other vegans, and then stumbling on the Tokyo Vegan Meetup, how his eating habits and social life changed (for the better) after becoming vegan, what he knows about how it was being vegan in Sofia when his daughter went plant-based, me leading a discussion about vegan activism and whether it’s optional or mandatory, Plamen’s experience of the vegan scene in Vienna, how we position ourselves regarding leather or same-ish items, Plamen learning about to what extent veganism can be healthy, how he came to live in Japan, his experience being vegan in Tokyo, what hiking and running brought to his life, Plamen’s unusual cholesterol levels and what he did about it, and finally some rapid fire questions. Before jumping in, a last few words about the ‘Atkins diet’ that helped Plamen address his cholesterol problem, and whether doing it vegan or not sounds possible to me. Short answer: maybe, but not with the four foods brought up by Plamen (sauerkraut, tofu, seitan and mushrooms). And in any case, I strongly recommend not going on an Atkins diet, period. More details at the end of the podcast and in the show notes.  And now, without further due, I give you Plamen Iontchev.   - Introduction - 0:03:00s - Plamen’s self introduction - 0:05:50s - His life in Bulgaria and how he came to a plant-based + exercise lifestyle                  0:15:25s - Pescitarian for ‘health’ reasons - how fish is not that healthy after all                  0:17:05s - Plamen’s discussions with his just turned vegan daughter                  0:22:05s - Going vegetarian                  0:23:50s - Reconnecting with calves and going vegan                  0:29:30s - Discovering the reality of the egg industry                  0:30:20s - Me taking the time to point out that a balanced vegan diet is healthy, then adding some information about calf rearing and egg production - 0:39:20s - Searching for other vegans… and stumbling on the Tokyo Vegan Meetup - 0:48:45s - How Plamen’s eating habits and social life changed (for the better) after becoming vegan - 0:55:30s - Being vegan in Sofia when Plamen’s daughter went plant-based - 0:56:25s - Vegan activism: optional or mandatory? Where to draw the/your ethical baseline, and why? - 1:06:15s - Plamen’s experience of the vegan scene in Vienna - 1:09:15s - Vegans and leather (or same-ish items), or how we vegans often see the glass half empty… - 1:17:05s - Plamen learning about to what extent veganism can be healthy - 1:21:40s - Plamen’s path to Japan - 1:24:20s - Being vegan in Tokyo when Plamen arrived here - 1:29:00s - What hiking and running brought to Plamen - 1:33:50s - Plamen’s unusual cholesterol levels and what he did about it - 1:45:10s - Back to running! - 1:54:50s - Rapid fire questions & Tokyo Team Vegan During our conversation, Plamen explained to me how he was able to address his high cholesterol problem with a ‘vegan’ Atkins diet he devised himself. First, about the Atkins diet itself. This is what the official website tells us: “The Atkins Diet is designed to "flip the body's metabolic switch" from burning carbs to burning fat.” And here are the macros they give for the two of their three diet plans; the only two ones that are ketogenic. Atkins 20 (original) = 60-70% fat, 20-30% prot, 5-10% carbs Atkins 40 = 55-65% fat, 20-30% prot, 10-15% carbs Both are very high in fat. Now, let’s have a look at the nutrients of sauerkraut, seitan, tofu and mushroom. Sauerkraut (100gr carbs 4.3 / 0.9 prot / 0.1 fat / 19 cal) Seitan (100gr carbs 14 / 75 prot / 1.9 fat / 370 cal)  Tofu (100gr carbs 2.1 / 10.3 prot / 5.3 fat / 76 cal) Mushrooms (white 100gr 3.3 carbs  / 3.1 prot / 0.3 fat / 22 cal) First conclusion: all four foods contain close to no fat; the fattiest one being tofu with 5%. So in order to get even 55% of daily calories from those 4 foods, you would need to eat an insane amount of tofu, much more than the carbs you are allowed on such a diet. Second conclusion: three out of those four foods are mostly water and fiber, which means they have a very, very low caloric density. Even eating seitan only, you would need to way too many carbs for what an Atkins diet is supposed to be. Final conclusion: I don’t see how the math would magically work for one to be on an Atkins diet while eating only those four foods. Even a super restrictive seitan only 1000 calories per day diet - which is only half of what an adult male needs to sustain himself one day; obviously not sustainable for two months - would mean you have to eat a little more than 42 grams of carbs. And that is without eating anything else, which means you would lack a lot of other very important nutrients, vitamins and minerals… which Plamen told us he supplemented. I have copied an additional detailed account of his experience he sent me after I reached out to him about this quite unusual outro. Here is his reply related to his ‘Atkins’ diet: “My secret with this vegan ‘Atkins’ diet was not the calorie intake. Actually if you are overweight you have a lot of calories stored  as fat in your body and this is the whole point to get rid of them by burning it. I thought that the reason that you may end in ER is not the calories but the other micronutrients like vitamins and minerals that you stop taking when you go in this crazy diet. I was fully aware of the danger and was taking daily from multivitamins about 4 daily doses each day. Much more than normal so to check deficiencies even if there is low absorption. Also controlling my BMI not to get below 23. In that way I was fully ok from a health standpoint. Just some unpleasant feelings since your body becomes not vegan for this period, meaning you start eating your own flesh (mostly fat). But the moment you eat some carbs you get so pleasant feeling but weight stop going down. Anyway I don't recommend my diet to anyone but I think I almost did the limit of the rate by which the body weight can be reduced - about 1kg/week.” At the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether his diet could have been labelled as ‘Atkins’ or not. What matters is that he solved his cholesterol problem without suffering serious health consequences following his extremely restrictive 2 months diet. That being said, I’ll repeat what I said in the introduction of this podcast: I strongly recommend avoiding any such restrictive diets, whether people call them ketogenic, Atkins or Paleo.   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL) Additional notes and links - Tokyo Vegan Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/vegan-389/ - Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

For this last vlog before I fly out of Japan, I’ll talk about yet another evolutionary psychology related topic, partly built on what I addressed in the two previous vlogs. Today’s key proposition is “Everything we do and are exposed to defines who we are”.   - 0:01:00s: Today’s topic: “Everything we do and are exposed to defines who we are” - 0:01:25s: Smile! - 0:04:30s: Everything matters                  0:04:40s: Who are you?... or the absence of a core self - 0:13:50s: You are your actions; why I quit martial arts - 0:39:00s: Exposing yourself to violence has a price - 0:46:45s: In closing: (I’ll) keep on asking questions   - ciplantgo podcast: https://ciplantgo.podbean.com/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/ - ciplantgo on Youtube: https://youtu.be/yJveyFKlYs0

Focus of the day: “Why is being vegan important?” and “Do we have free will?”.   - 0:00:55s: Today’s topic: “Why is being vegan important?” and “Do we have free will?” - 0:02:00s: Why is being vegan important? … for you. - 0:07:13s: Free will                  0:07:55s: Defining ‘free will’                  0:16:40s: The implication of not having any free will - 0:34:50s: The relationship between the lack of free will and being vegan   - ciplantgo podcast: https://ciplantgo.podbean.com/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

The ciplantgo podcast is taking a break June/July. Vlogs will continue until end June, and some, like this one, will be published as a podcast 'solo' episode. And since I’m talking alone for quite a stretch of time, I thought it would be fun to make a cover where I talk with, well, myself. This cover is not the result of my overblown ego, quite the contrary: I’m making fun of myself. The following self-talk is totally serious though, but I did try to keep it humorous when appropriate. Last but not least, you might find my discourse unclear at times, or lacking in detail; I could have talked for far longer, and maybe doing so would have made my points stronger. But I felt like I was dragging on long enough for a first uncut take on these two complicated questions, so I released it as is. I might revisit some of the themes brought up at a later date. Focus of the day: "Why is suffering bad?” and “Why are human beings good?” - 0:02:50s: Today’s topic: why is suffering bad, and why are human beings good? - 0:06:40s: Why do we suffer? An explanation based on evolution and chances of survival. - 0:08:25s: Our moral intuitions are also rooted in evolution. - 0:10:20s: Is suffering bad? Depends on your perspective… but yes, it is. - 0:15:05s: Why should we care about other beings suffering? - 0:31:55s: We are good because we do care. - 0:40:05s: What to do? Act in line with your values; keep revisiting those values. - 1:02:47s: Because we can. And a last quote from a controversial author...   Links: - this episode on Youtube (with BGM): https://youtu.be/tJ3YJIeQwKs - ciplantgo podcast: https://ciplantgo.podbean.com/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Katrin Tsukimi is working as a translator in the game industry. She has been in love with Japanese pop culture since childhood, and, very much like me, decided to invest a few College years into Japanese studies. I was certainly curious to know more about her experience living and working in Japan, but what I really wanted to hear about was her relationship. Katrin is, like numerous vegans around the world, dating an omnivore… however, quite a few aspects of their relationship made me curious to know more, and since Katrin told me she would be comfortable talking about this on the show, I invited her to be my guest! This episode starts with Katrin presenting herself and how she came to live in Japan. We then talk about her past and present jobs here, her plans for the future, her quite interesting path to veganism, relationships in general and hers in particular, and finally her recommendation to get into the gaming industry as a translator, before a few rapid fire questions. As a vegan, relationships with non vegans, whether it’s friends, family or a romantic partner, can be very challenging. If you have listened to some of my previous episodes, you will know that my experience since adopting a vegan lifestyle and value system is no exception. This topic is, and will probably stay, one of the most important and interesting one to me. I am therefore really grateful to Katrin for sharing her experience and giving me an opportunity to explore further the topic of relationships on the podcast. Whether or not you have been or are facing similar challenges in your own life, I truly hope this episode will be as interesting to you as it was to me. Before jumping in, a last few words about two references brought up during the show. One is ‘Vegan danshi’, which is the name of a foreigner living in Japan and vegan Youtuber making videos about bodybuilding and fitness. The other is ‘that book’ or ‘this book’, words I repeated quite a few times and that points to either “Beyond Beliefs: A Guide to Improving Relationships and Communication for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Meat Eaters” or “How Not to Die”.   - Introduction - 0:02:40s - Katrin’s self introduction - 0:03:30s - Katrin’s path to Japan: from loving pop culture to working in the game industry                 0:10:00s - Japanese studies is not the best choice when one wants to live in Japan                 0:12:50s - Attending a business school in Shibuya                 0:11:00s - Katrin’s first full-time job in Japan                 0:15:45s - Katrin’s job profile as a game translator/proofreader - 0:21:55s - Katrin’s plans for the future: Japan or not? - 0:26:45s - Katrin’s path to veganism: it all started with a cold...                 0:33:05s - Impact of Katrin’s gradual change to plant based on her social life                 0:37:00s - Becoming vegan = changing friends ? - 0:39:12s - Romantic relationships between vegans and non-vegans: in search of mutual understanding - 1:31:35s - Katrin’s current job: recommendations to get into the gaming industry - 1:35:10s - Rapid fire questions   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - Open Sesame Farm Animal Sanctuary in Kyushu: https://k-open-sesame.com/ - Tokyo Vegan Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/vegan-389/ - Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Ryuji Chua is an animal rights activist based in Los Angeles. Although he does not live in Japan, his profile totally justifies his presence on the show: Ryuji’s parental heritage is half japanese, and he has experienced almost a year living in the country. But more than his roots, it’s Ryuji’s direct and energetic activism - especially his short videos on Youtube - that makes him such a unique character to chat with. So when I was presented with the opportunity of meeting him during one of his trips to Japan, I made sure to seize it! My discussion with Ryuji covers a wide range of topics: his childhood and teenage years in France, his love for animal documentaries as a kid, the motivation he had going to study movies in the USA, the importance of improving your social skills and making real connections, about being a good listener, Ryuji’s path to veganism, why both vegans and omnivores need to reaffirm their own values, how sometimes vegans are loud and clumsy in communicating with others, Ryuji’s approach to activism, which message between ethics or pragmatism goes further in helping animals, romantic relationships and the use of comparisons when talking to non vegans, choice of words when talking morality with people consuming animal products, and finally morality and meaning. Having Ryuji on the show was a real pleasure, and his knowledge and energy made our discussion extemelly engaging to me. I hope you will enjoy listening to his story and views as much as I did.   - Introduction - 0:02:48s - Ryuji’s childhood and teenage years in France - 0:10:45s - Ryuji’s love for animal documentaries - 0:12:30s - Going to the USA to enter a film school                 0:13:55s - Looking for a fresh start - about realizing your potential for self growth                 0:20:55s - Trying to be part of the cool crowd when you’re different...and failing at it - 0:23:40s - Social life and making real connections - about the importance of improving your social skills - 0:28:50s - Being a good listener is key - but building meaning while talking as well - 0:37:25s - Ryuji’s path to veganism during College - “Sapiens” and the stories we tell ourselves - 0:54:05s - Why non vegans can feel threatened in their integrity talking to vegans - about the need to reaffirm your own values - 0:59:10s - How (new) vegans can be clumsily loud about it - 1:03:35s - Ryuji’s approach to activism and how to spread the message                1:06:35s - Ryuji’s telling his parents about being vegan                1:15:00s - Sensitivity to meat and animal products among vegans - the role of staying in touch with animals - 1:24:00s - Ethical veganism or plant based: which message holds the most potential for change?                1:33:00s - The importance to encourage people reducing their meat consumption                1:37:15s - About the impact my family activism had on my father diet                1:38:50s - The shortest way to a vegan (friendly) world - being smart in your consumer and activism choices as a vegan                1:43:50s - Ryuji considering producing (more) videos in Japanese - 1:49:30s - Feelings in a romantic relationship where one is not vegan - about the use of comparisons in talking to non vegans 　　　　  1:56:55s - My opinion on the importance of societal norms when considering why people will not go vegan                 2:03:30s - Are really open and win-win romantic relationships possible? - 2:16:40s - Good/bad or preferable/less preferable? - about how vegans should talk about choices for better communication with non vegans (is ethic/values objective or subjective?)                 2:20:10s - Why is suffering wrong? - is it meaningful to talk to people with different basic values?                 2:23:55s - Metaphysical queries and the meaning of life… or absence thereof - the importance of bringing meaning in your own life     2:32:10s - What if Alien came to Earth and used humans as cattle? - how to talk to people who say they would be ok with that     2:36:20s - The “I can therefore I should” argument - with great power comes great moral obligations Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - Ryuji’s activism Facebook, ‘Peacebyvegan’: https://www.facebook.com/peacebyvegan/ - Peacebyvegan on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalf6t4VdIx55Ppqpl83oBg - Peacebyvegan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacebyvegan/ - Peacebyveganjp (Japanese account) on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacebyveganjp/ - “How to Create a Vegan World”: http://veganstrategist.org/veganworld/ - Tokyo Vegan Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/vegan-389/ - Vegan Tokyo: https://vegantokyo.org/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/

Seyka Mejeur is vegan lifestyle advocate based in California and, at the time of recording this podcast, travelling Japan - then the world - with her husband Brian. Although they do not live in Japan, I thought it would be really interesting to ask about their experience as vegan travelers in Japan, and as vegan activists, so I invited them on the podcast after Seyka posted a message in the Vegan Japan Facebook group. The episode starts with a quick presentation of Seyka and Brian’s vegan world tour. The discussion then addresses their experience and organization travelling in Japan as vegans, their path to veganism, the most positive and negative aspects of adopting a vegan lifestyle, Seyka’s opinion about ethical veganism, plant-based cheese, what ‘it’s easy to be vegan’ means to different people, Seyka and Brian’s activism related activities in California, their motivation going forward, advice to people wanting to follow in their footprints, veganism in the future, Seyka and Brian typical day back home, and finally cell grown meat. It was a real pleasure being able to catch a little more than an hour with Seyka and Brian at the very beginning of their vegan world tour. I hope you will enjoy listening to the episode as much as I did recording it.   - Introduction - 0:01:30s - Seyka and Brian: quick presentation, their world tour, and Japan as their first stop                 0:04:10s - The rationale of the tour planning: new places, vegan discoveries, and minimum amount of flying - 0:08:00s - Their experience and organization travelling Japan as vegans                 0:13:10s - About how I think ethical veganism is not compatible with being ‘respectful’ of witnessing meat eaters indulge in their omnivorism - 0:19:05s - Seyka (and Brian) path to veganism                 0:22:25s - About romantic relationships - 0:28:05s - The most positive aspect of becoming vegan: walking the talk - 0:30:50s - The most negative aspect of becoming vegan - 0:33:55s - Seyka’s opinion about ethical veganism - 0:35:45s - Seyka’s take on “How do you go without cheese”... - 0:38:00s - What I think about saying “It’s easy to be vegan”: it makes you less relatable - 0:41:20s - Seyka and Brian activism related activities in California - 0:43:50s - What is keeping Seyka and Brian motivated to go forward - 0:44:35s - Advices to people who would like to emulate Seyka and Brian’s lifestyle and activism - 0:46:55s - Seyka’s vision for the future of the vegan movement - 0:51:15s - Seyka and Brian’s typical day back home - 0:53:25s - Something that Seyka is curious about right now   Introduction BGM: "Corporate Japan" by Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)   Additional notes and links - How to contact Seyka:          Website/blog: http://forgoodnessseyks.com/          Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seyka          Instagram#1: https://instagram.com/forgoodnessseyks          Instagram#2 (foodie): https://www.instagram.com/forgoodnessseyks_foodie/ - ciplantgo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciplantgo/