Photo taken at the Panasonic Center in Ariake, Tokyo, Japan. Cardboard dinosaurs rule!

Ok, well not really wrapping it up quite yet. Just some thoughts on paying my last rent payment here in Tokyo, a small request to all listeners, answering a letter to my future self, and more. Che-ch-che-ch-checka-check it out!

Show Notes:

• Paying my last rent payment
• Listeners - submit your thoughts on your favorite part of FJ
• Watching an excavator for 2 mins (sorry for leaving that in there)
• Interlude: “Memories of an Old Dog” by Fireproof Babies
• Thoughts on video games in Japan
• Answering future self letter from 1 year ago
• My Japanese ability
• Moving out sale
• Outro: “Uno Two (Instrumental)” by KCentric

Hello everyone. Just a few thoughts I’m tossing out as a catch up episode. Join me for lunch on the bay as we sit, chat, and do a little catching up. Also, in this podcast, I was joined by a special feline guest. Tune in here.

Show Notes

• (none because I am lazy tonight)

You asked for it, you got it. Straight from my (old) studio to your ears. This episode is 100% sound tour. Put on a pair of nice headphones and sit back to relax to the sounds of the Japan. The following sounds have been recorded during the last year or so and have been collected for your listening enjoyment.

Show Notes:

• Short Intro
• Clip1: 2007-05-31 Riding the Yurakuchou Line
• Clip2: 2007-09-19 Ariake TOC Building 7-11 Guy with Music
• Clip3: 2007-06-01 Crows at Waseda University
• Clip4: 2007-10-08 Watching Aural Expression Class Video
• Clip5: 2008-01-18 Singing Lame SMAP Songs in Class
• Clip6: 2007-07-07 Watching Tokyo Bousaikan (Disaster Preparedness Center) Smoke Video
• Clip7: 2007-07-15 Awesome French Elevator Music at Doutour Coffee
• Clip8: 2007-12-16 Chilling at a Club in Kobe Talking about Cats with Awesome Funk Music in the Background (Guest Appearance: Terrance from Kobe Beef)
• Clip9: 2007-12-16 Kobe Planetarium Presentation
• Clip10: 2008-04-05 Tokyo Giants Game
• Clip11: 2007-09-20 Sumo Tournament Match
• Clip12: 2007-08-08 Inside the Shinkanesen (Accelerating with Train Announcements)
• Clip13: 2008-04-07 Kanamara Matsuri (a.k.a. Kawasaki Penis Festival)
• Clip14: 2008-04-06 Crazy Sounding Cement Mixer
• Clip15: 2008-02-10 Cacophonous Sounds in Iidabashi (with commentary)
• Clip16: 2007-07-28 Drumming in a Small Park in Shinjuku

I feel like its quiet time. Join me for lunch in Ariake as I talk about what’s been going on with me over the past few weeks.

Show Notes:

• Intro - my favorite 7-11 guy
• Quick Overview of What’s Been Up
• Some Hakone ropeway / cable car Audio
• Sounds like a spaceship docking bay, for real
• Interlude - Unmoored (Again) by Fourstones (via ccmixter.org)
• Some discussion about my visa problems earlier this month

Show Notes:

• What’s been going on
• Linda’s Arrival
• Work
• Meeting up with Saya
• Meeting up with Scott and Karamoon
• New Listeners
• Responding to Blog Comments
• Projects
• Economics, finance, and work-related stuff
• Explaination of how I’d like to keep learning Kanji (help me out)
• Drink Review
• Kamakura Beer
• Daibutsu is there
• Saxophone train

Ever wonder what its like to sit in someone’s pocket as they walk around Tokyo?? Now is your chance to find out! In this episode, I take a commute to Tokyu Hands leaving the recorder on for the full monty. I also talk about two fairly interesting topics. If you’re into sound tours, you’ll enjoy this episode.

Show Notes:

• Pre-show - explanation of show format
• Current Laundry Setup
• 
• Screwing around with my laundry machine
• Walk to Kuramae
• Hanging out with Scott from Tokyo Calling
• Needed the de-stressing from my visa issues
• Talking about co-habitation with the fiancee
• Quick stop at Lawsons (19:00)
• Cement truck turning sound
• Brief explanation of numbers on train maps
• Kuramae to Iidabashi (9 minutes edited out)
• Construction warnings
• Really annoying alien sound
• Running into the same guy who sold me food the day before
• Iidabashi to Ikebukuro (42:00 - 51:45)
• Trying to find the right exit
• Talking about usage of strange English
• The Bic Camera audio Assault! (45:00)
• Almost going to McDonalds for coffee
• Sonna no kankei nai advertisement (51:00)
• Tokyu Hands
• Valentine’s Day explosion!

Let’s get deep again. I tried to mix it up with some pleasant thoughts, some interesting sights, and of course, always deep deep riveting commentary from yours truly (sarcasm goes to 11, you know).

Show Notes:

• Some thoughts about Saizeriya
• Topic: Japan Makes You Busy
• A bit about my lifestyle
• Spending my time on the computer
• “The Four Hour Separation”
• 1 hr of screwing around
• 1 hr of reading
• 1 hr of art
• 1 hr of life
• [Musical Break]
• Why is it necessary?
• Opportunity overload
• 6 hours spent doing nothing this weekend
• Putting more “real” in realtime
• Train announcer gets on my nerves
• Escalator Apologizers
• Some Closing Thoughts
• Music - “Atlantic Midnight” by Jaspertine from CCMixter.org
• Music - “Drugstar” by Pthalo

It’s snowing in Tokyo, so what better way to spend it than bring you all with me on a trip to McDonalds for breakfast. In this episode, I tough it out through the muck and power-line slush bombs to chat about Japanese people and alcohol consumption. This episode is not very organized but there’s plenty to listen to and some music mixed in as well. Enjoy.

Show Notes

• Part One
• It’s snowing
• The guy who drank too much last night
• Yakiniku 食べ放題、飲み放題
• Japanese paramedics
• Intermission
• “Fixing My Brain” by Gillies (from CCMixter.org)
• Ordering breakfast at McDonalds
• “Colors Shifting” by Electric West (from CCMixter.org)
• Part Two
• Throwup girl in the train station
• San Nakji’s interview series, I’m next
• Phone call
• Bought some Dekavita
• 

Probably the fast episode I have ever put together, but a good one at that. I’ve got two main chunks of goodness in this episode. First, I talk a little about the CEO at my company and how I see Japanese companies changing. Second, we go on a sound tour of arcades in Ikebukuro looking for Guitar Hero. Will we find it? Listen in.

Show Notes:

• Working full time
• CEO Story
• Ikebukuro Arcade “Sound Tour”

Show Notes:

• School’s out! Well almost
• Answering a letter to my future self
• The Overcoat
• Dan Carlin’s website
• WNYC Radio Lab website
• Brief comment about the awards thing

Perhaps I should have accepted an award for the worst haircut-cast ever. At any rate, we’ve got two topics for you this time around. A bit about the award discussion from the previous blog post but even more from the center of cheap haircuts in Japan, QB House.

Show Notes:

• Leopard upgrade completed
• Throat hurts - getting a cold?
• Great discussion on the site, thanks!
• Award Discussion
• Make sure you check out JapanPodcasters.com
• Brief listing of some of the podcasts there
• We need to resurrect the Kobe Beef show
• Haircut at QB House
• 
• QB House Website
• Haircut costs only 1000円, how can you lose!
• Prior art: Rich Pav’s Hair Cut Cast from May 2005
• Notes about audio
• Television sounding thing - radio
• Fascination with vacuuming my head
• A little weather and language discussion
• The entire audio clip available here: QB House Full

I’m back in Japan finally. After a wonderfully great time with my family and friends, I’m back to the grind here in Tokyo. A quick update of my travels and some brief impressions after leaving and then returning to this country. Enjoy!
Show Notes:

• Arrived back in Japan
• Been up for 22 and 1/2 hours
• New toys from Christmas
• Continental Airlines entertainment systems
• Getting Into Tokyo - Narita Express vs. Keisei Skyliner
• My occluded view of Mount Fuji
• Impressions on leaving Japan
• Impressions on coming back to Japan

Show Notes:

• Explosive laughing intro
• Fred’s rant about podcasts
• People who talk about how they make podcasts on their podcasts
• Joking about the FindingJapan DVD
• Reminiscing about “Netiquette”
• Why we’re talking about coffee
• Talking about the previous original video episodes before the official FJ episodes started
• The original coffee episode - Episode 21
• Doutor Single Service Packs
• 
• Fred’s New Coffee Machine
• A magical tour of Fred brewing coffee
• Discussion of froth vs. no froth with automatic coffee makers
• Baronette flavored coffee taste test
• Japan Coffee Place Audio Sound Tour Review
• Clip 1 - Starbucks in Asakusa
• Clip 2 - Campus Coffee Shop at Waseda University
• Clip 3 - Excelsior in Ikebukuro
• Clip 4 - Doutor in Ueno Station
• Hot and Cold
• Perhaps a non-coffee related show with Fred about Japan in the future??

Another cell phone cast recorded last week sometime, maybe even two weeks ago. I spend some time talking about learning how to communicate and the purpose of language learning.

Show Notes

• Walking back from Kamata
• A lot of talk about “communication” and “communicating”
• Check out Rich Pav’s Japlish Podcast

Alex and I had an impromptu drink review session after returning from Asakusa last week to grab some yaki-niku. Listen as we bring you through ears through a journey of thirst quenching Chu-Hi’s from both Suntory and Kirin. Some non-serious topics to lighten me up after this crazy week of studying and exams. Enjoy!
Show Notes:

• Intro by Alex
• Dueling Suntory and Kirin drinks
• Suntory 196 Ume
• Kirin Apple Nouveau Chu-Hi
• Final Fantasy Potion Drink

In this episode, I get the podcasting done while commuting back home after a long day of work on Monday. Since time is short, its time to find creative ways to squeeze in the content. I think this format works and if you can get over the cell phone quality, I think its a keeper! Hope you enjoy!

• Thanks for the feedback on episode 43
• Maximizing time with my new schedule
• The 7AM to 8PM schedule
• Study on the train between school and work
• Podcast on the phone between work and train and school and train
• Trains stopped
• Got hit with two late trains on Monday
• Nice to see the daylight in the morning while on the train
• Get out of jail free card paper for being late
• Addendum to Office Episode
• Document check sheet
• (sorry for the wind in Tsukishima)
• Spa flyers
• Short trip to Lawson’s
• Scaring people by talking to myself
• Funny in-store music
• Nice “LAWSONS!!!” right when I left
• Talking about my things I want to do list

This show is a little heavy. I talk about culture and learning about what my responsibility to my country might be. A little retrospective, a little forward looking, and a little bit of Oni Koroshi sake for the show. I also throw in an audio bit from the redubbed GI Joe PSAs that I love. Enjoy.

Show Notes:

• Shout out to San who’s closer to Japan right now
• Discerning Asian languages
• Culture
• Distance from my country
• Cultural interactions within Japan
• My responsibility back to my country
• Quick story about umbrella (somewhere in there)
• GI Joe PSA - Japanese Version (watch on YouTube)

I’m in a funk, there are no two ways around it. Well, actually just been really busy and have been enjoying the relaxing with the little free time I have. I do manage to bang out a few topics. Hope it works. Here we go.

Show Notes:

• Japanese school boys
• Thanks for the 作文 feedback
• Better Japanese support in OS X Leopard
• Japanese-English dictionary and thesaurus
• Feature list
• WWWJDIC Online Dictionary
• Windows XP Japanese Input Help
• Shimizu Mega-city Pyramid
• Wikipedia link
• Hope it gets built before I die
• Discovery Channel Extreme Engineering Interactive Site Link
• Meta Talk
• Ronald Donald MacDonald
• Coffee episode update
• Should I start a Mogulus Channel?
• Almost bought an iPod touch

Show Notes

• Genki Intro
• Audio Clip from Monday night
• New School Schedule and feeling mellow on a Monday evening
• Nice to see Tokyo skyline at night again
• Since Monday
• Stressing out
• What does one want to do with their life?
• “Reading” David Whyte’s - The Heart Aroused
• Celebrating a difficult week complete with a Shirokirin Beer
• Drink Review
• 2 SA’s - Calpis Fizz Light Style
• 1/2 SA - Nikka, Natural Mizuwari
• Trying to do math while drinking whiskey
• NEWSFLASH: Convenience stores in Japan are the first place new drinks are released!
• Check out Way of the Grape
• Next topic will have to wait

Scott Lockman’s latest episode beat me to the punch on the sumo update, but his update on sumo was much more informative than mine so go check it out. If you want audio from sumo, you can get that in this next episode. Recorded right after I was able to get my cord fixed last week, I touch upon sumo and a few other topics. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

• More about my power cord
• AppleCare rules!
• Homelessness in Japan
• The guy under the bridge
• The guy who asked me for “hungry”
• The guys who live in Internet cafe’s
• Only in Japan - strangest vending machine to date
• Sumo Wrestling
• Audio clip
• Zombie cleaning crew
• Audio clip

On my way to Akiba (Akihabara), I speak on a few topics after discovering a huge fire hazard in my apartment. Find out more by listening below.

Show Notes:

• Walking to Akihabara
• Crazy thing with my power adapter
• A little gear-talk
• School starts on October 1st for me - skipping a level, suicide?
• Politics
• Too much politics research
• Waiting for Scott’s “What’s Up America”
• Being away from home and how it affects your views
• Darth Vader
• Looking like him
• Dream I had about him when I was a kid
• Tattoos in Japan
• More insights on work
• Emergency rescue kit bag
• Sleepy time
• Power using MS Excel
• My rant about “Lifehacking”
• The podcaster biorhythm
• Follow-up story

Seems like this turned out to be the review episode. A Kanji dictionary, a great g4 video podcast to share, and some podcasting software review action. Is this podcast really about Japan?! And why do I mention sheep being on the radio? Find out if you listen here. Let’s go!

Show Notes:

• Intro
• Getting motivated to bring out some more content
• Review of Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten DS Dictionary
• Who should get it
• Where you can get it
• Play Asia
• Features
• G4 Code Monkeys
• Great clip from a great online show
• iTunes RSS Feed here
• Other G4 podcasts
• Review of Ubercaster
• Podcasting tool
• Great functionality
• Poor performance in editing
• Update: Turning off waveforms really helps though
• Update: Ubercaster is now available for a discount, see the site for details.

Alex joins in for the conversation about our Mt. Fuji experiences. We get sidetracked a little bit first with a few random topics: movie theaters in Asakusa, and the saga of our washing machine. I originally thought this would be a multi-topic episode including the review of the Nintendo DS dictionary and Ubercaster, but alas it wouldn’t fit - we’ll save that for episode 37.

Picture above is for SanNakji: “Yes those are vending machines”. Alex and I hope you enjoy this nearly hour long episode!

Show Notes:

• Intro
• Movie Theaters in Asakusa
• Washing Machine Troubles
• Mount Fuji
• Getting to Mount Fuji
• Stations
• Descent
• Wrap Up

Show Notes:

• Intro
• Katakana difficulty and reading tips
• My personal story about Katakana difficulty
• Some tips
• Don’t assume they’re English words
• Translate after saying it
• Have fun
• Regain Commercial
• Japanese commercials in general
• Original blog post about Regain commercial from Marxy
• Link to YouTube Regain commercial
• What commercials say about the culture of a society
• Work / life balance - is it really here in Japan?
• Only in Japan
• Special guest joins us for Only in Japan
• Links to the signs
• Reading 1
• Reading 2
• Reading 3
• Reading 4
• Music: “The World is Moving Too Fast” by Drye Glassmeyer courtesy of The PodsafeMusic Network
• Japanese music for inspiration
• YMCK
• 
• Description of Nerd-core music?
• YMCK Official website
• Samples
• “8 Bit Magical Tour”
• “Kira Kira”
• Marxy
• 
• Marxy’s Blog
• Marxy’s Site with Music Links
• Sample Track
• “Beaus in Disarray” on Creation Centre website
• Outro
• Thanks to people who have commented
• Outro track - “Neoplasticism vs. De Stijl” by Marxy

I’m BACK in the saddle again! I’m BACK!!! I’ve had that song stuck in my head all day. Get whatever song you have stuck in your head right out by listening to this next episode and me making excuses why I’ve been gone so long. I semi-experiment with new podcasting software that will “hopefully” make me more “productive” and provide a small music interlude at the end related to the movie Akira.

Show Notes

• Introduction and updates
• Where’s Calling Tokyo Calling
• New setup for podcasting
• Vacation Overview
• Things I notice being back in Tokyo
• Tokyo is really clean
• I feel at home in Tokyo, I think
• I’ve turned into “scary man”
• Indonesian Gamelan Music
• Clip from Akira
• Performance from ad-hoc matsuri in Shinjuku

Having lots of fun here in Tokyo and surrounding areas. For Fuji-san, we will be taking some audio at each stop so you all can get the heavy breathing experience as we attempt to climb to the top.

More to come next week! Stay tuned!

Having fun without a bike, find out why in today’s episode. Also, I talk a little bit about Tanabata and share some audio from the Tanabata parade in Asakusa from about 3 weeks ago. Lots has been going on but we’ll keep the episodes coming out. Enjoy.

Show Notes:

• Playing Battlefield 2142
• A few more comments on Japanese rain
• Getting my bike stolen
• Japanese police
• My bike description
• Hanko or no hanko
• Dealing with the feelings afterwards
• Tanabata
• Short description of the mythology behind Tanabata
• Audio tour of the parade
• Brief update on what’s going on
• Big vacation coming up
• Thanks for the downloads
• More material post-vacation coming

Its coffee time again. Join me for round two of my discussion with Fred on the finer points of Japanese coffee. If you’re not sick of hearing the word “coffee” yet, you will be after this episode. Grab a cup and enjoy!

Show Notes:

• Milk teas, bubble teas, what’s going on here?
• Fred thinks Doutor is the best in the world
• In-shop Doutor iced coffee discussion with Alex
• Internet Cafes / Denny’s Coffee (Millstone)
• Coffee Crown
• Trend of instant coffee

This was recorded a while ago so my outro comments may seem out of context. Hope you like it anyway. Cheers!

Its been 8 days, what’s wrong with me?! Find out more by tuning in here. I share a little bit of my personal life and plans for the next few days, talk about some scary little Japanese girl, answer questions about Japan and more. 行きましょう！

Show Notes

• Quick update
• Short story about Harajuku girls
• Planning my summer vacation
• Kobe Beef episode with some ideas.
• School update
• Presentation trip with my professor
• Lessons learned from his teaching style
• Sound scene (seeing) tour: Japanese Little League Game
• Story: Scary Little Girls!!
• Only in Japan: Pineapple Kit Kat
• 
• Click for a larger picture
• Questions:
• Answered today: “Easy or hard to meet Japanese people on more than just a superficial level?” (From San from SNA Podcast)
• Quick chat about my friend
• Japanese people really similar to American people in “worldliness”
• Tangent: Youth Culture article in BusinessWeek
• 6-month future self question: “What do you think American can learn from Japan and what thing would you like to see in your own country that Japan has?” (Also from San from the SNA Podcast)
• Wrap up and thanks

Show Notes:

• Quick Updates
• Catching up with school because of Hashika
• Been in Japan over 90 days!
• Japanese rain, its different, for real!
• Preparing for summer vacation
• Matsuri
• How I got involved in this matsuri
• Photos from the Sanja Matsuri
• Outfits / Tabi / Happi
• Photos from the matsuri I was in
• Mikoshi
• What I had to do
• Shaking the Mikoshi around in front of a guys house
• (Kim Chi break)
• The aftermath
• “Ssa Ssa Ssa Sssaaaa” guy
• What I think I learned
• Impromptu Only in Japan - neighborhood music
• New Finding Japan Segment
• LTMFS (listen to find out what this means)
• Way to ask your own question
• Email: christopher [a t] findingjapan [d o t] com
• Voicemail: check the sidebar
• Outro and thanks

The office episode has finally arrived, 6 weeks after I had started to do the recordings. Get the skinny on my first 6 weeks in a Japanese office, differences I have found, comparisons I was able to make. Though I’m sure there is much more I could have said, I at least hope that the parts I left in are interesting.

Show Notes:

• Introduction
• Japanese office observations
• My initial viewpoint - short history
• American cube-life
• Physical layout - Oobeya seido (大部屋制度)
• Organizational structure
• Vibe of a Japanese office
• Speed of response
• Attentiveness to particular details
• Meeting formalities
• Planning things ahead
• IT worker stereotypes
• Slouch guy
• Hypochondriac guy
• Sweaty guy
• Japanese working hours
• Prevalence of company commitment
• Omiage as an example of this commitment
• East coast US / Japan time difference advantage
• Side Topic: Yurikamome Peeps?
• Things I take for granted
• Knowing when you are understood
• Explaining complex topics
• Outro and thanks
• Tokyo Calling
• Kobe Beef Show
• HerroFlomJapan
• Hello From Michigan
• SNA Podcast
• Life in the Shadows
• Dicks and Janes
• Music featured in the podcast - Pthalo (scroll to bottom to find albums)

This episode is about my Japanese language ability, or lack thereof. This week in class, we had to perform our second interview project where we interview students on campus. This time, I brought the recorder along. In this episode, I share the actual interview audio and reflect a bit on my ability after being in Japan for over two months now.

Show notes:

• Time shifted intro (What day is it really?)
• Interview audio
• Intro with Alex (from France)
• First interview attempt (got “nai”-ed by 3 girls)
• Second Interview
• Third Interview
• Fourth Interview
• Some reflections after listening to the episode myself

This was something I had been meaning to do since I arrived in Japan. Alex and I headed out to Namco Namja Town in Ikebukuro (map) this past Saturday in search of miracle fruit. I heard about miracle fruit about 6 months ago and was surprised to hear that it was available in Japan. I wrote myself a note and that note popped up in front of me this weekend so off we went.

Miracle fruit is the common name of Synsepalum dulcificum, a berry containing miraculin which has the power to stop sour tastes in their tracks. Alex and I went out to find the Miracle Fruit Cafe in Namja Town and this episode is our audio experience of trying miracle fruit.

Instead of show notes. I’m posting pictures and links here. The show is just us talking.

Show Notes:

• Miracle Fruit Wikipedia entry
• Namja Town website
• Links to Miracle Fruit photos from the restaurant

The coffee episode had landed! Well at least 1/2 half of it. Fred joins me live from Times Square as we discuss the ins and outs of various coffee experiences in Japan. Scott Lockman provides a cameo from Allez France in Tokyo. It’s always interesting in these parts.

And since I ended up having much more material than I anticipated, this special will be brought to you in two, yes two, episodes. Combine a little bit of background noise from the skype / laptop mic, and voila … a perfectly listen-able episode for your coffee curiosity satisfying pleasure. Enjo