Being the netizen that I am, I listen to many podcasts. For those of you not in the know, podcasts are rich media files that are enclosed in an RSS feed, which can then be subscribed to with a program called a “podcatcher.” Any time a new file is placed in the feed it is automatically downloaded by the end-user’s podcatcher. An example of a popular program with podcatching capabilities is Apple’s iTunes.
If that all went over your head, all you really need to know is that podcasts are like TiVO for radio on the Internet. Podcasts run the gamut of topics, including Japan. Here today I’m going to detail some of my favorite podcasts relating to Japan. Please note that I’ve mentioned one before, JapanesePod101.com. However, the ones I’m mentioning today are not educational in nature - they are more for people with a general interest in Japan.
- Josh in Japan - Despite being discontinued indefinitely about a year ago, this is still one of the best podcasts out there on Japan. Josh is/was (I’m not sure of his current status) a medical technician in the United States Navy, stationed at the time in Yokosuka, Japan. His weekly podcasts were full of humor and great anecdotal information about the culture and people of Japan from a gaijin’s point-of-view. Each week, he highlighted a particular aspect of Japanese culture and gave about an hour-long show on that topic. Dig through the archives, listen and enjoy. This is about as good as it gets if you have even a passing interest in Japan or the Japanese. I will also mention that the title of Josh’s podcast/blog was an inspiration in choosing my own. Thanks, Josh!
- Japan Talk (The Japundit podcast) - Hosted by professional translator and operator of the Japundit blog Edward Chmura, Japan Talk is the de-facto podcast for weekly English-language Japanese news. Released every Saturday, each podcast centers around news stories from the Japundit blog, in addition to a selection of podsafe music. Edward really does a wonderful job with this podcast, as each episode has high production values - this could easily pass for something on AM radio.
- Guzen Media Japan - Done by the self-titled Chaz, Guzen Media Japan is a podcast/vidcast (meaning he releases videos too) that comes out on an irregular basis. The most likely reason for this is that he is an English teacher in Japan, and as such probably has to work long hours. Because of his profession, much of the podcast is about his experiences as a teacher and features interviews with people that he has met through teaching, including other teachers and students. This podcast can be a little esoteric, so you will probably have the most fun with it if you are interested in teaching English.
- A Year in Japan - A fortnightly podcast from Joseph Tame, this podcast chronicled the British foreign exchange student during his year in Japan, 2006-2007. Having just ended, he probably won’t be making many more significant updates, but the archives are a great listen if you want to see what it’s like for a student abroad in Japan. I happened to find this podcast quite interesting, imagine that. :P
There are many, many more Japan-themed podcasts out there - this is just a sampling of my favorites. Who knows, maybe I’ll throw my hat into the ring. I have been known to do podcasts before. No promises, though.
[Photo by OllyHart used under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license]
