Season 9 (2022)

Japanophiles: Tom Hovasse
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January 6, 2022 • 28m

In a Japanophiles interview, Peter Barakan meets Tom Hovasse, a basketball coach from the USA. After spending much of his playing ...Read more

Kotatsu: Heated Tables
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January 13, 2022 • 28m

Kotatsu are low tables with a heat source underneath, and a blanket draped over the top. For hundreds of years, Japanese have gath...Read more

VTubers
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January 20, 2022 • 28m

VTubers create online content using a computer-generated avatar. Motion capture technology enables them to record their gestures a...Read more

Traditional Homes
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February 17, 2022 • 28m

Traditional Japanese homes, featuring earthen walls, wooden beams and thatched roofs, have been used for centuries. Built using lo...Read more

Jomon Period: The Sannai Maruyama Site
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March 10, 2022 • 28m

The Jomon period lasted from around 13,000 BC to 300 BC. This society of hunter-gatherers cherished peace, cooperation and a deep ...Read more

Jomon Period: Dogu
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March 17, 2022 • 28m

The Jomon period lasted from around 13,000 BC to 300 BC. This society of hunter-gatherers cherished peace, cooperation and a deep ...Read more

Japanophiles: Steve Tallon
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March 24, 2022 • 28m

Steve Tallon is a cycling enthusiast from the UK. In 2005, he spent 8 months cycling from the UK to Japan. It was a 16,000-kilomet...Read more

Face Masks
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April 14, 2022 • 28m

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, people all over the world have become accustomed to wearing masks. But in Japan, a custom of mask-...Read more

Washi: Japanese Paper
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April 28, 2022 • 28m

Japanese paper, known as washi, is attractively textured and extremely durable. For centuries, it has been used in many aspects of...Read more

Name Stamps and Seals
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May 12, 2022 • 28m

For hundreds of years, Japanese have used name stamps, known as Hanko, to prove their identity. People use stamps in everyday situ...Read more

Showa Nostalgia
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May 19, 2022 • 28m

The "Showa era" was the period of Japanese history between 1926 and 1989. The 60s, 70s and 80s are fondly remembered in Japan as a...Read more

Japanophiles: Claudio Feliciani
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June 2, 2022 • 28m

Claudio Feliciani is a Swiss-Italian scientist whose main interest is the movement of crowds. He worked alongside 3 Japanese scien...Read more

Keitora: Tiny Trucks
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June 16, 2022 • 28m

40% of the motor vehicles in Japan are ultra-compact "kei" cars. These light vehicles are maneuverable, practical and cost-efficie...Read more

Vinyl Records
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June 30, 2022 • 28m

In Japan, vinyl records have made a comeback. Sales in 2021 were 10 times higher than they were in 2010. Japan's second-hand recor...Read more

Okinawa: The Ryukyu Kingdom
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July 14, 2022 • 28m

Okinawa Prefecture is a group of subtropical islands in the far south of Japan. It was previously a prosperous maritime trading st...Read more

Okinawa: The Reconstruction of Shuri Castle
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July 21, 2022 • 28m

Okinawa Prefecture is a group of subtropical islands in the far south of Japan. It was previously a prosperous maritime trading st...Read more

Frozen Food
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July 28, 2022 • 28m

In Japan, frozen food is an essential part of many people's lives. Companies are constantly developing new techniques that make pr...Read more

Japanophiles: Gregory Khezrnejat
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August 11, 2022 • 28m

Gregory Khezrnejat is an author and university associate professor from the United States. In 2021, his Japanese-language novel Ka...Read more

Goldfish
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August 25, 2022 • 28m

Goldfish were introduced to Japan in the 16th century, and since then, they have become widely admired. Many people keep them as p...Read more

Welfare Goods
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September 8, 2022 • 28m

The average age of the Japanese population is rising quickly. To offer care that matches the diverse needs of Japan's many elderly...Read more

Water-related Disasters
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September 29, 2022 • 28m

Japan suffers from frequent water-related natural disasters, such as flooding, landslides and storm surges. Throughout history, me...Read more

Japanophiles: Andrew Dewar
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October 13, 2022 • 28m

Andrew Dewar, originally from Toronto, Canada, is a designer of paper airplanes. His interest was sparked at the age of ten, when ...Read more

The Moon
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October 20, 2022 • 28m

The moon has been cherished and admired throughout Japanese history. People have long held moon-viewing events, and expressed grat...Read more

Cardboard
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November 24, 2022 • 28m

Japan is one of the world's top consumers of cardboard. The cardboard beds used during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games...Read more

The Samurai of the Sea: Pirates or Protectors?
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December 8, 2022 • 28m

Around 500 years ago, sea traffic in the Seto Inland Sea was monitored and controlled by a group called the "Murakami Kaizoku." Th...Read more

The Samurai of the Sea: The Murakami Legacy
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December 15, 2022 • 28m

Around 500 years ago, sea traffic in the Seto Inland Sea was monitored and controlled by a group called the "Murakami Kaizoku." Th...Read more

Japanophiles: Colleen Schmuckal
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December 22, 2022 • 28m

Hanawa-bayashi is the name both of a parade of floats in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, and of the traditional music that is performed ...Read more