In this video, I break down the word puttsun by examining a specific line from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3 (Stardust Crusaders). Putssun (プッツン, ぷっつん) means to get angry but there’s a lot more to this word that that. The origins of puttsun date back to 1986 when an actor/TV personality named Kataoka Tsurutarō created it and it exploded in popularity. Watch the …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re talking with Alex from the Sakura Stardust YouTube channel. She tells us about Japanese lost media and digs into some specific examples like Saki Sanobashi and the mysterious Akihabara cassette tape. About Alex (Sakura Stardust) Alex runs the popular YouTube channel Sakura Stardust. In her videos Alex focuses primarily on Japanese …

Could this be Tokyo’s “smartest” bar? Takashi Nomura loves science. For many years he worked as a researcher specializing in developmental biology. And yet, today he is the owner of a bar in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Why did a scientist decide to open a bar? And what makes his bar unique? In this JapanKyo Docs video Nomura talks about his …

We found emus in Tokyo, so we couldn’t help but investigate! Hiroshi Kato is from the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. However, one day he decided to relocate to a rural part of the Tokyo Metropolis and become an emu rancher. In this video, we go to the twon of Okutama in Western Tokyo and Kato tells us about …

One day Aya decided to start a bar. It ended up being one of the best decisions of her life. Aya is the owner of Urue, a lesbian bar located in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district. She’s a talkative and cheerful person who seems to truly enjoy what she does. However, this wasn’t always the case. For many years Aya dealt with …

It’s not easy having a pompadour but to Yuki it’s totally worth it. The pompadour, or rīzento as it is known in Japan, is a classic hairstyle that was adopted by juvenile delinquents (不良: furyō/ヤンキー: yankī) in Japan during the Showa era. Just watch an anime or Japanese TV drama set in the 1970s or ’80s and you’re bound to eventually …

A whole new way to enjoy JapanKyo! That’s right! JapanKyo has now expanded to YouTube! First came the website, then came the podcasts and now we have a YouTube channel where we will be bringing you documentaries about fascinating people in Japan! This YouTube channel is the result of a collaboration between JapanKyo.com founder Tony Vega and Kyle from the …