Episode 12 of the Japan Station podcast is here and this time we’re stomping our way into the world of kaiju. Kevin Derendorf is an expert on the world of giant monster movies and the author of the recently published book Kaiju for Hipsters: 101 “Alternative” Giant Monster Movies. In this episode we discuss: What the word kaiju means …

It’s only a matter of time before Hatsune Miku becomes a security guard. Companies in Japan are already having to deal with problems caused by the country’s steadily shrinking population. With less people being born and an ever-increasing portion of the population retiring out of the workforce, industries are starting to have difficulty filling job openings. In an effort to …

Cute cat vs. giant robot. Who will win? Late last month it was announced that the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam model from the 1979 series Mobile Suit Gundam (Kidō Senshi Gandamu) and the instantly recognizable Sanrio character Hello Kitty would be facing off in an epic battle as a way of celebrating the 40th anniversary of Mobile Suite Gundam and the …

 Episode eight of the Japan Station podcast is here and this time we’re exploring the fascinating history of shōjo manga. Dr. Deborah Shamoon is an associate professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore. She is the author of Passionate Friendship: The Aesthetics of Girls’ Culture in Japan, a book which examines the emergence …

This time we’re taking a deep deep dive into the history of Japanese animation with Dr. Jonathan Clements. An expert on Asia and anime, Jonathan Clements is the author of many books, including Anime: A History, The Anime Encyclopedia (co-authored with Helen McCarthy), and Sacred Sailors: The Life and Work of Seo Mitsuyo. In this episode we discuss the origins …

Atsuko, you’re the best! Around! Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down. There’s a lot of stereotypes about Japanese people but perhaps one of the more infamous ones is that they all know martial arts. Plenty of Japanese people have little to no training in martial arts and would be pretty lost in a dojo. As proof of this, one need …

The beauty of acoustic anison. Harudori is a talented Japanese singer/songwriter/guitarist from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Born in 1984, Harudori took up playing the guitar while in junior high due to his love of the Japanese band Mr. Children and ever since then he’s been creating and performing music. That’s basically the kind of information that his official website will tell you. …

Unleash your dance killer technique. Among the many games that the Japanese game developer Konami has produced over the course of its long history, it’s possible to find an ample amount of music games. These include offerings like Dance Dance Revolution, Beatmania, and Para Para Paradise. However, it looks like Konami is looking to attract a whole new type of …

Doraemon gets a butt makeover. With his simple circular features, the popular blue robot cat from the future Doraemon is a relatively easy character to to draw – with your hands that is. Try to draw him using your butt though, and suddenly it becomes a whole different story. That’s exactly what Japanese adult film (JAV) actress and YouTuber Minami …

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! The Japanese YouTuber Sushi Ramen Riku is a master of doing things one should never do. And well, he’s done it again. This time he’s playing with fire in an effort to recreate the trademark move of a character from the popular manga & anime One Piece. In the world of One Piece pretty …

Who knew a cajon could be so metal? Given the way Japanese media seems to be overrun by pop idol groups, at times you can’t help but wonder if there’s any other kind of music in Japan. Perhaps something with a bit more edge to it? Something with more “power” to it. Thankfully, if you look beyond mainstream media, you’ll …

These guys have some mighty fine mouth skills. The five member acappella group Yokaroumon has released an impressive 18 song medley of some of the most popular anime songs in recent history. Check out the Yokaroumon guys doing their thing in the video below (check the list below to see a full track list of all the songs they cover). …