In 1924 a bankrupt businessman in Portugal launched an audacious international scheme to become one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Devouring The Heart Of Portugal

In this episode, Emily and Kanae discuss “yuri,” the Japanese genre of women-loving women (wlw) romantic relationships.

Check out this episode to learn a brief history of yuri, famous examples of yuri, and Emily’s yuri/LGBTQ+ recommendations, such as:

    少女革命ウテナ (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
    やがて君になる (Bloom Into You)
    しまなみ誰そ彼 (Our Dreams at Dusk)

… and more!

"Yuri" — Japanese Queer Women Love Stories

よつばと！ (Yotsuba&!) is a Japanese slice-of-life comedy manga series that's become very popular in the Japanese learning community.

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian talk about how much they love Yotsuba&! and why it's such a great manga series to pick up for Japanese learners, especially beginners.

After listening to this episode, check out Ian's review article about "Yotsuba&!": https://www.tofugu.com/reviews/yotsubato/

Why Is Everyone Raving about "Yotsuba&!"?

The Rube's Dilemma

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and David discuss why e-books can be great materials for Japanese learners, all their tips for buying Japanese e-books, and their favorite Japanese e-book stores.

After listening to the episode, check out: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/how-to-buy-japanese-ebooks/

How and Where to Buy Japanese E-Books

In 1933, British WWI vet Maurice Wilson hatched an unorthodox plan to reach the still-untouched summit of Everest.

Lofty Ambitions

Language exchange is a fun and free way to improve your Japanese. But to do it successfully, you should consider a few things.

In this episode, the Tofugu crew, Kanae and Ian discuss tips and practical expressions you can use for language exchange sessions.

For more details, check out: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/language-exchange/

How To Language Exchange Successfully

In 2011, I was a JET living in Fukushima. From that opening sentence, you can probably guess what this episode will be about. A decade on, my friends and I will be recounting our experiences during that time and after, in this special 2-parter that's meant to mark the 10th anniversary of the Tohoku disaster (yes I know I'm a couple of years late).

My thanks to John Auyeung, Cathy Hawker and Caitlin Lee for taking this trip down memory lane with me.

You can read Cathy's blogpost about her experiences during the Tohoku Earthquake: https://32andcounting.blog/2018/03/11/its-not-a-matter-of-if-its-a-case-of-when-japan-tribute/?fbclid=IwAR3_14uypfflnfA2MFqGR8OJXWEkqzJFhAjXzk5DLgkZOjXHo10EymnqnPs

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this episode are not representative of any organisation or company and are solely the views of the speakers in this episode.

Music used in this episode (from freemusicarchive.org, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License):
- "Lacquer Groove" by Blue Dot Sessions
- "Night Roses for Dario" by Lobo Loco
- "Cue 1 - Slow-Sad-Loss-Gentle-Piano and Cello (Once More Into The Fray)" by Soularflair

Remembering the Tohoku Disaster: Part 1

Continuing on from Part 1, this time we talk about coming back to Iwaki. In Part 2, we describe how our local communities were impacted, what we saw and what we did. And how it continues to leave its mark on our memories and lives, 10 years on.

My thanks to John Auyeung, Cathy Hawker and Caitlin Lee for taking this trip down memory lane with me.

You can read Cathy's blogpost about her experiences during the Tohoku Earthquake: https://32andcounting.blog/2018/03/11/its-not-a-matter-of-if-its-a-case-of-when-japan-tribute/?fbclid=IwAR3_14uypfflnfA2MFqGR8OJXWEkqzJFhAjXzk5DLgkZOjXHo10EymnqnPs

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this episode are not representative of any organisation or company and are solely the views of the speakers in this episode.

Music used in this episode (from freemusicarchive.org, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License):
- "Coming Home" by Stefano Vita
- "Our Quiet Company" by Blue Dot Sessions

Remembering the Tohoku Disaster: Part 2

We head to the arts for our next theme, with our guest, filmmaker Gavin Hugh. In addition, we'll be getting into some political discussions, as Gavin also works for a member of the Scottish parliament, making this episode feel totally like, real grown-up and stuff. 

Film, politics, Nazi zombies, and Scottish independence - what more could you want?

Footnotes:
- Find Gavin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-hugh-09b3424a/
- Midgiebite Media is Gavin's film production company: https://midgiebitemedia.scot/
- Check out the Creative Film Fife Network: https://creativefilmfifenetwork.scot/
- Gavin's podcast on filmmaking: https://www.spreaker.com/show/creative-film-fife-network
- Also, Dick Dynamite 1944 - a Nazi-and-zombies film project that Gavin is involved in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiskLxCCo14

"Clear Progress" by Scott Holmes from the album Inspiring & Upbeat Music and is licensed under a  Attribution-nonCommercial License, available on freemusicarchive.org
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/Inspiring__Upbeat_Music/Scott_Holmes_-_Clear_Progress

Film and Politics

Featuring the lives, stories and careers from the global JET Programme alumni community. And usually, our stories begin with "This one time in Japan..." - our best, our silliest and our fondest.

Film and Politics

After JET

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