This episode was originally released as episode 3 of the Ichimon Japan podcast. Today’s Question On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why do Japanese train stations do that? Topics Discussed The train system in rural areas versus urban areas in Japan Trains in Kagoshima and Ishikawa What a Wanmanressha (one man trains) is Unmanned rural train stations Why Japanese train …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, Tony Vega talks to one of the world’s leading scholars on Edo Period Japanese literature: Dr. Robert Campbell. About Dr. Robert Campbell Dr. Robert Campbell is a literary scholar specializing in the literature of Edo era Japan. Since 2017 Dr. Campbell has served as the Director-General of the National Institute of Japanese …

Today’s Question On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why does to “nyan nyan” mean to “have sex” in Japanese? Topics Discussed Japanese expressions/idioms related to cats What the Japanese expression neko no te mo karitai means and how it is used What pets are most popular in Japan The Japanese festival game of kingyosukui What the Japanese expression …

On This Episode of Japan Station On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re exploring the history of Japanese aidoru (idols) and discussing the dynamics behind one of Japan’s most popular idol groups: AKB48. About Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith is a lecturer at Senshu University in Tokyo. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the …

Dempagumi.inc won’t let the coronavirus pandemic stop them! On April 15, the idol group Dempagumi.inc released a brand new music video inspired directly by the COVID-19 pandemic and produced completely remotely. The new music video is for a song titled “Nanto! Sekai Kōinin Hikikomori (なんと！世界公認 引きこもり), which in English could be translated to something along the lines of “The world …

The song panchira lovers have been waiting for. The idol group Ebisu Muscats has released a new song and music video dedicated entirely to panchira, a.k.a. the act of catching a quick glimpse of a woman’s panties, a.k.a. that thing that male characters in anime often go crazy for. Check it out video below, but just keep in mind, while …

Not the face you’d like to see coming after you in a dark alley. The city of Nabari in Mie Prefecture is not particularly famous, especially among people not from the area. However, over the past few years, more and more people have started to become aware of this relatively small city. This is thanks in no small part to …

Japan’s newest heartthrob is a real baaaad boy. Take a look at the roster of just about any Japanese male idol group and nine times out of ten you’ll find an almost interchangeable collection of beautiful boys. However, the Japanese male idol group *ChocoLate Bomb!! is a bit different. While yes, the majority of its members do indeed fit the …

Caveman chic meets 1990s Tokyo street style. In the 1990s there was a peculiar fashion trend in Japan that resulted in many Japanese girls bleaching their hair, putting on bright colored clothing, and, perhaps most notably, using tanning beds and/or make up to turn their faces and general skin color about as dark as it could get. These girls came …

Get ready for the youngest Japanese idol group ever. A mere hour after the highly anticipated press conference in which it was revealed that Reiwa would be the name of Japan’s new Imperial era, Yasushi Akimoto–the creator of Japan’s most popular idol group AKB48–held his own press conference in which he announced the formation of a new idol group composed …

You know it’s spring when you hear idols growling. Derived from haru (spring) and uraraka (bright, beautiful, glorious), haruurara is a Japanese term used to refer to the wonder and beauty of spring. As such, you probably would not expect that a song titled haruurara would feature guttural growls and ear-piercing vocals. However, that’s exactly what you get when you listen …

Pucker up. In anticipation of the release of their eighth single on January 16, the Japanese female idol group FES☆TIVE has released a music video, which is sure to put many of the group’s fans in a very festive mood. Titled “Yurayurayurari Koigokoro” (very loosely translates to “A Swaying Heart in Love”), the new song is a catchy and energetic …