Originally aired in January 2025, this episode of Deep in Japan features my conversation with investigative journalist Jake Adelstein about his book The Last Yakuza. The book follows Makoto Saigo, a half-American, half-Japanese man whose failed rock star dreams led him into the world of the yakuza. Through Saigo’s story, Jake explores the history, codes, and brutal realities of Japan’s underworld.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] outro, Hotel Gokudo, can be found here on Jeff's Suno page. Trevor's can be found here. Thanks for listening, fellow travelers of the ear. Yoroshiku and rockets. 🚀

Originally released in May 2022, this episode features my conversation with author and investigative journalist Jake Adelstein about his book Tokyo Vice and the hit TV series it inspired. As the first American reporter assigned to the crime beat at Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, Jake pulls back the curtain on the yakuza, systemic corruption, and the hidden side of Japanese society. We dive into the stories that shaped Tokyo Vice, the challenges of reporting in Japan, and the high risks—and hard-earned rewards—of pursuing the truth.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening, fellow travelers of the ear. Yoroshiku and rockets. 🚀

Summary: The episode is an unscripted, free-flowing conversation that moves between light personal stories and heavier social commentary. It opens with anecdotes about a family trip to Sado Island and musings on the challenges of learning Japanese, then widens into discussion of rising anti-foreigner sentiment in Japan, often linked to economic strain and overtourism. The hosts explore recent political rhetoric, everyday annoyances like crowded trains, and how these reflect broader cultural shifts. They also touch on natural disasters such as earthquakes and extreme summer heat, the expanding role of AI in media and daily life, and slices of Japanese history and culture. The result is a candid, wide-ranging dialogue that blends lived experience with sharp observations about contemporary Japan.Sweet Sauce: Trevor's Outro: "Deep in Japan" (SUNO)Sanseito, DPP sharply increase their presence in Upper House The Sanseito Platform (English) Hokkaido lands gobbled up by Chinese moneyChinese intelligence activity abroadJapan Faces Prolonged Cyber-Attacks Linked to China’s MirrorFaceChina has spy in Japan intelligence agency, ex-detainee suggests in bookJapan records new all-time high temperature, 41.2 degreesHistory of Sado IslandNichiren on the Opening of EyesThe top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】NHK Easy NewsTwo Grandmas Speaking Tsugaru-ben (Touhoku Dialect)Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening, fellow travelers of the ear. Yoroshiku and rockets. 🚀

This is Part 2 of a two-part series with historian and Sōtō Zen priest Brian Daizen Victoria, discussing his groundbreaking book Zen Terror in Prewar Japan. In this episode, we dive deeper into the unsettling reality that Zen—often romanticized as a path of peace and detachment—was, in 1930s Japan, deeply entangled with ultranationalist ideology and acts of domestic terrorism. Through the story of Inoue Nisshō and his band of “patriotic youth,” Victoria reveals how spiritual rhetoric and militarist fervor collided in dangerous and surprising ways. If you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, click here to listen. Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening, fellow travelers of the ear. Yoroshiku and rockets. 🚀

In this episode, I speak with Brian Daizen Victoria—Sōtō Zen priest, historian, and author of Zen Terror in Prewar Japan—to uncover a disturbing and often deliberately forgotten chapter in Buddhist history. We explore how Zen, far from being the purely peaceful tradition many imagine, became entangled with ultranationalism and domestic terrorism in 1930s Japan. Along the way, we dive headfirst into one of the most controversial questions in modern Japanese history: Was Emperor Hirohito responsible for Japan’s war crimes? Listen and judge for yourself.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening, fellow travelers of the ear. Yoroshiku and rockets. 🚀

Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected]._______________Ah, yes—another self-styled podcast wandering through the thematic wreckage of contemporary Japan, like two backpackers lost in Don Quixote’s subconscious. What we have here is a pastiche of loosely strung anecdotes, cultural musings, and intoxicated speculation dressed up as commentary. The result? A cacophony of low-stakes banter occasionally brushing against relevance, only to promptly wipe its greasy fingers on the fabric of critical discourse.Let’s begin with tonal balance, or more accurately, the deliberate sabotage of it. This episode careens from the potentially rich terrain of Japan’s aging demographic crisis and the alarming uptick in ultranationalist rhetoric, straight into an imagined consumer product called a Gundam Strong Zero bucket. If this tonal whiplash is intended as postmodern juxtaposition—Baudrillard’s hyperreality rendered in podcast form—it fails to commit. Instead, it reeks of intellectual cowardice: the hosts flirt with meaning only to retreat behind irony and “lol” culture whenever things get heavy. One might call it epistemological blue-balling.The hosts’ conversational style, as gleaned from the summary, resembles the digital equivalent of late-stage barroom philosophy: free-associative, casually self-deprecating, and hopelessly drunk on its own cleverness. Their stories—diet-induced mental fog, AI-generated chips—aren’t stories at all, but rather symptoms of content-brain: the condition where everything must be flattened into anecdote, digested as comedy, and stripped of political or historical consequence.And oh, the cultural analysis—or what passes for it. There’s mention of Japan’s aging population and ultranationalism, both of which beg for sober treatment. These are not just “topics”—they’re existential conditions of the Japanese state. To mention them in passing before pivoting to Tenga products and crisp pizza burgers is the podcasting equivalent of quoting Foucault in a BuzzFeed listicle. The failure isn’t that these topics are raised; it’s that they’re raised and dropped like disposable party props at a WeWork-sponsored philosophy salon.There’s an attempt, feeble and twitching, to explore AI’s impact on creativity and truth—a topic that demands serious ontological engagement. But rather than invoking thinkers like McLuhan (“the medium is the message”) or considering the algorithmic collapse of authorship, the hosts opt instead for… what? A chip story? One can only assume “AI-generated chips” refers to some half-baked techno-fable—perhaps an edible metaphor, though it sounds more like content-padding for the TikTok generation. One longs for an engagement with Stiegler’s pharmacology or even a nod to Murakami’s recursive realism, but alas—we are served banter over ballast.To address whether this podcast contributes to the cultural discourse or merely generates noise, one must consider intention. If this is satire, it is toothless; if it is sincerity, it is incoherent. It floats in the purgatory between the two, where “vibes” reign and critique is neutered by constant self-referential detachment. It wants to be both the drunk uncle and the TED Talk, but ends up as neither.And as for influence? In the broader landscape of Japanese cultural commentary—currently crowded with shallow influencers, sensationalist YouTubers, and click-hungry content farms—this podcast makes a valiant effort to blend into the static. But perhaps there is unintentional genius here. Maybe this is McLuhan’s hot medium gone cold, a non-space of commentary so disjointed, so aggressively unserious, that it reflects our fractured infosphere better than any earnest sociological thesis ever could.But don’t mistake this for a compliment.

*This episode was originally published in March 2021Remember our friend Ted Bonnah, PhD? I’m republishing our podcasts together and putting out a call for support. Ted, a single father navigating a challenging transition to life in Vancouver, could use a hand. You can contribute by donating to his GoFundMe or picking up a copy of his latest book, Heisei Ghosts.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community!

*This episode was originally published in August 2021Remember our friend Ted Bonnah, PhD? I’m republishing our podcasts together and putting out a call for support. Ted, a single father navigating a challenging transition to life in Vancouver, could use a hand. You can contribute by donating to his GoFundMe or picking up a copy of his latest book, Heisei Ghosts.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community!

*This episode was originally published in October 2020Remember our friend Ted Bonnah, PhD? I’m republishing our podcasts together and putting out a call for support. Ted, a single father navigating a challenging transition to life in Vancouver, could use a hand. You can contribute by donating to his GoFundMe or picking up a copy of his latest book, Heisei Ghosts. Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community!

Welcome to Happy Hour, where the weird gets weirder, the deep gets deeper, and the news smells faintly of Strong Zero and grilled takoyaki. In this delightfully unhinged episode, we’re throwing it all into the blender—from the absurd chaos of クレクレタコラ and psychedelic escapism of H.R. Pufnstuf, to Osaka’s unstoppable granny idol group Obachaaan dropping heat in “Overpower.” We dive into the U.S.-Japan defense drama, Miyachi’s latest banger, and a bizarre fraud arrest involving a man sweating his way into trouble.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community! Sweet Sauce: クレクレタコラ - 第7話 死んでもらいますの巻 [公式配信]H.R. Pufnstuf - The Magic Path | Full Episode 1 | Sid & Marty Krofft PicturesMcDonald's - McDonaldland - USA Ad 1970Japan scraps US meeting after Washington demands more defence spendingOsaka granny idol group Obachaaan is here to cheer you up in newest song “Overpower”オバチャーン -OVERPOWER【Official Music Video】MIYACHI - GOING HOME FEAT. 11 (OFFICIAL VIDEO)FeedSpot Podcast RankingNagano father of victims in yakuza shooting calls for supportKing of Kanto (Podcast) Japan in Texas (Tony Marano a.k.a. Texas Daddy)Comfort Women statue Mafia protection (Tony Marano a.k.a. Texas Daddy)Disrespectful communist descend upon Nagano, Japan (Tony Marano a.k.a. Texas Daddy)The Great Ice Wall in Japan (Negative and Dreamcrushing) (cringe puppet Ryan Boundless) Man dressed suspiciously warm for Japanese summer chased by helicopter and arrested for fraud藤 圭子 圭子の夢は夜ひらくThe Marvelous Mr. Sato with Amazing Facemask MF DOOM X TATSURO YAMASHITA [Special Edition]

This episode originally aired in September 2023. In this episode, I sit down with Jon Heese, a former bar owner who naturalized and became a four-time elected political representative in Japan. Born in Saskatchewan and raised in a Mennonite family, Jon’s path took him from rural Canada to the political halls of the Tsukuba Assembly. Whether you’re interested in life abroad, Japanese politics, or enjoy a good story of reinvention, this episode is not to be missed. To learn more about Jon and his story, click here. Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community! 

John Rucynski returns for his third appearance on the Deep in Japan Podcast, and this time we hit the trail—literally. In this lighthearted yet insightful episode, we follow John through his many adventures hiking across Japan, including the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, an unexpected encounter with a wild boar (spoiler: he got gored by the boar), and a cross-country bike ride for charity.Along the way, we reflect on omotenashi (Japanese hospitality), the cultural and spiritual dimensions of pilgrimage, and what to consider when planning your own multi-day hike or long-distance ride. Pro tip: take care of your rear end—it might lock up on you.We also dive into Craig Mod’s new book, Things Become Other Things, and his reflections on walking and transformation in Japan, as discussed in his recent appearance on the Rich Roll Podcast.Featured links from John:⛩️ Kumano Kodo articles:⁦🔗 All About Japan 1⁦🔗 All About Japan 2⁦🔗 All About Japan 3🚴‍♂️ Cycling Across Japan for Japan (Pecha Kucha + blog):⁦🔗 Pecha Kucha Presentation⁦🔗 Disaster Relief Ride Blog📚 A Passion for Japan:⁦🔗 Book Page 🎤 John on the TEDx Stage:⁦🔗 The Secret to Feeling at Home in Japan | TEDxOkayama University📘 Textbook resource:⁦🔗 Cengage Listening & VideoMentioned in this episode:🥾 Craig Mod on Rich Roll📖 Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod🎧 Outro Music:🎵 Mountains in the Mist – Phish🎵 Mountains in the Midst – Deep in Japan (Suno)Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community! 

*This episode originally aired in February 2023In this episode, we welcome back Professor Steve McCarty for a deep dive into Kūkai the Universal, a historical novel by Ryōtarō Shiba, translated by Akiko Takemoto. Together, we explore the life, vision, and spiritual legacy of Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi), one of Japan’s most influential Buddhist figures.Steve McCarty, originally from Boston, holds a master’s degree in Asian religions from the University of Hawaiʻi and has spent 40 years living and teaching in Japan. A full professor for more than two decades, he currently lectures at Osaka Jogakuin University and JICA, where he educates international officials about Japanese society and culture. He writes extensively on Japanese religion, bilingualism, and intercultural education.🔗 Explore his work: Japanned – Steve McCarty’s site🎧 Outro: “Over the Mountain” by Buddhist hip-hop artist and former guest Gomyo Kevin Seperic. Support Gomyo’s family at GoFundMe – Kaori’s Treatment, and make sure to buy the album. Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community! 

*This episode originally aired in January 2021Professor Steve McCarty shares his journey of living in Japan, reflecting on encounters with cultural icons like Alan Watts and Donald Keene. He explores how to balance assimilation with authenticity, consult and negotiate cross-culturally, and maintain both public and private selves in an international family. With local stories, insights on Buddhism, and reflections on what makes real haiku possible in any language, this episode offers practical wisdom for anyone navigating life abroad.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community! 

*This episode originally aired in June 2020Where did Japan come from—and how did its people see the world around them? In this episode of the Deep in Japan Podcast, professor and storyteller Steve McCarty takes us on a journey through 30,000 years of Japanese history and mythology. From the earliest humans and the rise of the Imperial line to the cultural heights of the Heian Period, he weaves together archaeology, legend, and spiritual insight.Along the way, you’ll hear myths as powerful as anything in Greek tragedy—stories that shaped how the Japanese understood nature, gods, and themselves. The episode climaxes with a breathtaking vision of sacred mountains seen as a maṇḍala—an entire spiritual landscape you could walk through.If you’re curious about where Japan’s unique worldview came from—or just love a good origin story—this one’s for you.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And be sure to join the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) @DeepinJapanPod and Facebook. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening—and for being part of the Deep in Japan community! 

*This episode was originally aired in November 2022.What happens when a pun falls flat across cultures? Why does sarcasm get lost in translation? And can you actually teach someone to understand satire in a second language?In this episode, we once again sit down with educator, researcher, author, and world-renouned pun-slinger John Rucynski Jr., co-editor of Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor Competency Training in English Language Teaching, to explore the surprisingly complex world of teaching humor to English language learners. John walks us through:The mysterious “humor barrier” and why it trips up so many language learnersWhy jokes, sarcasm, and satire are more than just classroom distractions—they’re essential tools for cultural fluencyHow educators around the world are helping students “get the joke” in EnglishHow humor ties into sociopragmatic competence, cross-cultural adaptation, and… yes, even junior high textbooksWe also talk about stuff John may not have been fully prepared for—like where he plans to bury bones someday. Funny, right? Whether you’re a language teacher, a linguist, or just someone who’s ever bombed a joke abroad, I hope this episode will give you something to smile—and think—about.📚 Grab the book: Bridging the Humor Barrier is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook from Multilingual Matters. 💬 Like what you hear? Leave us a review, share with your nerdy language teacher friends, and follow for more deep dives into culture, language, and laughter. And if you like what you hear, please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com. Got something to day? You can reach us on Twitter @DeepinJapanPod or via email at [email protected] for listening. 

*This episode was originally aired in July 2022. They came for a year and stayed for a lifetime. In this episode, we once again sit down with educator, researcher, author, and world-renouned pun-slinger, John Rucynski Jr., to discuss his latest anthology, A Passion for Japan: A Collection of Personal Narratives, a deeply human mosaic of stories from 31 contributors who didn’t just survive the culture shock of moving to Japan—they thrived in it. If you enjoy listening to John and want to learn more, be sure to pick up a copy of his book, available here from the publisher. You can also find it on Amazon and other online booksellers.Like what you hear? Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com. And if you'd like to reach out to us for a chat, you can find us on Twitter @DeepinJapanPod or email us at [email protected] you for listening! 

Originally aired in September of 2016, this episode is the third installment of a three-part series featuring Dr. Arudou Debito, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of Embedded Racism: Japan’s Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination. Due to its enduring relevance and popularity, this series has become a cult classic among listeners of the Deep in Japan podcast.  Episode Overview: Dr. Debito delves into the systemic nature of racism in Japan, drawing from his personal experiences and extensive research. Key topics discussed include:The Otaru Hot Springs Case: Dr. Debito recounts his legal battle against a bathhouse in Otaru, Hokkaido, which denied entry to foreigners, highlighting issues of racial discrimination and the challenges faced by visible minorities in Japan. Concept of “Embedded Racism”: He introduces the idea that racism in Japan is not always overt but is deeply ingrained in societal structures and norms, affecting policies and everyday interactions.Naturalization and Identity: Dr. Debito shares his journey of becoming a Japanese citizen and the complexities of identity and acceptance in a society that often equates nationality with ethnicity. Legal and Social Frameworks: The discussion addresses the absence of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in Japan and their implications for minority communities.Additional Resources: For those interested in exploring these topics further, Dr. Debito’s book, Embedded Racism, offers an in-depth analysis of racial discrimination in Japan. His website, debito.org, serves as a comprehensive resource on human rights and social justice issues in Japan. Contact: You can reach us on Twitter @DeepinJapanPod or email us at [email protected]: If you like what you hear, please support the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com.Thanks for listening! 

Originally aired in September of 2016, this episode is the second installment of a three-part series featuring Dr. Arudou Debito, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of Embedded Racism: Japan’s Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination. Due to its enduring relevance and popularity, this series has become a cult classic among listeners of the Deep in Japan podcast.  Episode Overview: Dr. Debito delves into the systemic nature of racism in Japan, drawing from his personal experiences and extensive research. Key topics discussed include:The Otaru Hot Springs Case: Dr. Debito recounts his legal battle against a bathhouse in Otaru, Hokkaido, which denied entry to foreigners, highlighting issues of racial discrimination and the challenges faced by visible minorities in Japan. Concept of “Embedded Racism”: He introduces the idea that racism in Japan is not always overt but is deeply ingrained in societal structures and norms, affecting policies and everyday interactions.Naturalization and Identity: Dr. Debito shares his journey of becoming a Japanese citizen and the complexities of identity and acceptance in a society that often equates nationality with ethnicity. Legal and Social Frameworks: The discussion addresses the absence of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in Japan and their implications for minority communities.Additional Resources: For those interested in exploring these topics further, Dr. Debito’s book, Embedded Racism, offers an in-depth analysis of racial discrimination in Japan. His website, debito.org, serves as a comprehensive resource on human rights and social justice issues in Japan. Contact: You can reach us on Twitter @DeepinJapanPod or email us at [email protected]: If you like what you hear, please support the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com.Thanks for listening! 

Originally aired in August of 2016, this episode is the first installment of a three-part series featuring Dr. Arudou Debito, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of Embedded Racism: Japan’s Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination. Due to its enduring relevance and popularity, this series has become a cult classic among listeners of the Deep in Japan podcast.  Episode Overview: Dr. Debito delves into the systemic nature of racism in Japan, drawing from his personal experiences and extensive research. Key topics discussed include:The Otaru Hot Springs Case: Dr. Debito recounts his legal battle against a bathhouse in Otaru, Hokkaido, which denied entry to foreigners, highlighting issues of racial discrimination and the challenges faced by visible minorities in Japan. Concept of “Embedded Racism”: He introduces the idea that racism in Japan is not always overt but is deeply ingrained in societal structures and norms, affecting policies and everyday interactions.Naturalization and Identity: Dr. Debito shares his journey of becoming a Japanese citizen and the complexities of identity and acceptance in a society that often equates nationality with ethnicity. Legal and Social Frameworks: The discussion addresses the absence of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in Japan and their implications for minority communities.Additional Resources: For those interested in exploring these topics further, Dr. Debito’s book, Embedded Racism, offers an in-depth analysis of racial discrimination in Japan. His website, debito.org, serves as a comprehensive resource on human rights and social justice issues in Japan. Contact: You can reach us on Twitter @DeepinJapanPod or email us at [email protected]: If you like what you hear, please support the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com. Music: The outro was "虹” (niji | raindobw) by SHAKKAZOMBIE. Listen here. Thanks for listening!