On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: How do Japanese names work? Topics Discussed How people in Japan normally state their family name before their given name The complicated history of naming practices in Japan Commoners being prohibited from using family names during the Edo Period The Meiji era laws that mandated every Japanese person take a family name …

 On This Episode of Japan Station On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we explore the history of modern Japan with Dr. Christopher Harding. About Dr. Christopher Harding Dr. Christopher Harding is a cultural historian of Japan and India, journalist, and a senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. His latest book, published by Tuttle Publishing, was released …

 Today’s Question On this episode of Ichimon Japan we finish off the discussion on seppuku that we started in episode 18 with two very interesting examples of people cutting themselves open. Topics Discussed General Maresuke Nogi The death by (kind of sanctioned?) seppuku of General Nogi Maresuke The cork-sized plugs found in General Nogi’s rectum Nogi Shrine in Tokyo …

 In this episode of the Japan Station podcast we’re learning about the amazing story of the first group of Japanese girls to study in the U.S. Janice P. Nimura is the award-winning writer of the book Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back. In Daughters of the Samurai, Nimura recounts the epic real-life story …