On this episode of Japan Station, I dig into the history of a fascinating example of Japanese slang: gyarandu (ギャランドゥ). This is a Japanese word that means refers to the patch of hair some people have between their belly button and public area. Often called “happy trail” or “belly/stomach hair,” in English, gyarandu has a really interesting history that goes …

On this episode of Japan Station, I talk to musician NEONshe about how she fell in love with Japan, how Japan inspired her music, her time in Japan, her upcoming move to Japan and more. Topics Discussed About NEONshe and her musical career NEONshe’s time living in Japan How she became interested in Japan The Japanese music artists that have influenced …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, Dr Thomas Baudinette talks about Shinjuku’s Ni-chome district and Japanese media as it relates to queer individuals/gay men in Japan. About Dr. Thomas Baudinette Dr. Thomas Baudinette is Senior Lecturer in Japanese and International Studies in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Languages and Literatures at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. He …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re talking with music journalist Patrick St. Michel. He’ll be telling us about Japanese pop music, Perfume, the city pop boom and one of his latest articles which focuses on the rise and fall and rise of eurobeat. About Patrick St. Michel Patrick St. Michel is a music journalist who specializes in …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re talking about depictions of Japan and Japanese people on popular American TV shows with Dr. Alisa Freedman. About Dr. Alisa Freedman Alisa Freedman is a Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon and the Editor-in-Chief of the U.S.–Japan Women’s Journal. Her books include Tokyo in Transit: Japanese …

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 …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast we’re talking about the Japanese language and the very interesting linguistic phenomenon of “made in Japan English” (wasei eigo). Anne Crescini is an Associate Professor at the University of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture. She has conducted extensive research on the linguistic phenomenon of wasei eigo (“made in Japan English”) and has even written a …

 In this episode of the Japan Station podcast we’re going deep into the world of J-pop with Dr. Capital. Dr. Jonathan Patterson is an Assistant Professor of Popular Music in the Division of Jazz Studies of the University of North Texas College of Music. Also known by the stage name Dr. Capital, he is a composer, singer, guitarist, and …

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 …

 The one and only Crystal Kay is the guest today in this very special episode of the Japan Station podcast. A singer, songwriter, and actress, Crystal Kay has been singing for just about as long as she’s been able to speak. In fact, her first credit is at the age of four when she used her vocal talents in …

Just in terms of its concept you’d be tempted to think that the documentary Big in Japan is totally vapid and obnoxious. After all, it’s about a Westerner with no particularly marketable talents moving to Japan for no other reason than to become famous. However, Big in Japan is neither of these. At times hilarious and at times genuinely thought …

It’s that time of year again. YouTube has unveiled a list of the 10 most popular music videos in Japan for 2017. Released this past Sunday (Dec. 17) at YouTube FanFest 2017 in Tokyo, the list features plenty of appearances by some of this past year’s most talked-about artists and idol groups. The massively popular girl group TWICE for example, …