Lots of Japanese people are addicted to Pachinko gambling. Find out why in Japan Podcast episode 12.

Episode 11 is all about Kabuki, a form of traditional Japanese theatre.

Part 2 of English conversation schools.

The first of a 2-part episode about English conversations schools in Japan, known as eikaiwa.

The third and final part of our yakuza episode. We're not scared but maybe you should be.

and our very nice coverage of the mob continues...

This is going to be a very, very nice set of 3 shows about the Japanese mob. Very nice. Almost too nice.

And now the conclusion (at least for now) of the Gyaru interview...

This is part two of our interview with Gaby from The Get Go Tokyo blog.

Gaby from The Get Go Tokyo blog has been involved UK Gyaru culture since the early days, and is widely considered to be one of the biggest of the "big dogs". She very kindly agreed to give us an interview.

We're not in an izakaya as we record this, but we couldn't discuss food and culture without talking about these staples of Japan. Time for a bit of nommunication ;-)

And our food-focused shows continue with the ubiquitous Asian food utensil, chopsticks.

Well, we couldn't let the food shows go by without addressing sushi, could we? So, here you'll find our take on the world of raw fish (and other things) on top of vinegared rice.

Last part of the Bento show: immigration affecting Japan's food habits, living longer by eating a more traditional Japanese diet, living well as you get older, making obento, little kids in Western countries with their obento, the incomparable Giant Robot, and more.

About bento, 'mind your manners' poster campaigns, eating culture in Japan, England and the US, multitasking while eating, obesity, and more.

I like bento with things like sukiyaki (sliced thin beef with a sweet sauce), an absence of spaghetti, and exciting rice (not just white rice). but that's just me. isn't it odd that Karamoon and I didn't even talk about our favorites in this show...stay tuned for part 2.

This is the final show of this 3-part exploration of danson-johi, Japan's male-dominated society, from our Western perspective. I think we'll be exploring danson-johi in future shows, both in the context of other elements of Japanese culture, and perhaps a second round for the concept itself.

Is our friend Alex Brooke right when he wonders if Japanese women, in general, are complicit in their oppression (in our eyes at least), because they have so much to gain from it? We’d love to hear what you think, especially if you are a Japanese woman who grew up in Japan!

Danson-johi means: Japan's male-dominated society. this will be a three-part discussion.

Some people believe that being called a gaijin is an insult. There's a diverse set of perspectives when it comes to whether the word 'gaijin' is derogatory or not. Certainly, using gaikokujin is seen as more polite, although the meaning is essentially the same. In this show, we talk about our experiences, the relative position of foreigners in Japan, and the culture and practices of our adopted country.

How come the wires are buried in Ginza - aren't the earthquakes going to reach Ginza?