Unpacking Japan

Ken Shibusawa, economist and great-grandson of Eiichi Shibusawa, blends finance and social entrepreneurship. He talks about rediscovering his ancestor's moral capitalism, shifting from hedge funds to long-term investing, and building bridges between Japan and Africa. He also discusses funding African startups and inspiring younger generations.

Meet Sora, a voice actor from Japan*, who sits down to talk to us about his life and career. He tells us about his struggles with his identity and how weebs helped him learn to be proud of his country, his journey from English teacher to voice actor and creator, and the absolute state of Japan content.*yes really--0:00 Intro0:46 Is Sora actually Japanese?4:21 How weebs changed his perception of Japan10:28 Becoming an English teacher15:20 Start as a voice actor19:15 Sora's most viral roles23:33 Becoming a meme27:57 Mindset as an actor29:22 Being cringe on YouTube34:04 Making skits about Japanglish37:59 Is his channel still for weebs?41:31 Sora's opinion on VTubers45:20 Sora's opinion on "Japan" content48:50 Does Sora feel any pressure as a Japanese?53:44 Sora's obsession with Chris Broad1:00:57 What fame means living in Japan1:03:29 Living in Tokyo vs. Osaka vs. Chiba--Follow Sora: @sorathetroll Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Chloé Viatte, a French professor and bunya ningyo joruri puppeteer, who sits down to talk to us about this rare Japanese theatre. She tells us about her journey to Japan and interest in puppeteering, how these puppets are operated, and why they might disappear forever.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Chloe5:35 Planning to move to Japan7:35 First time in Japan10:03 Life in Niigata12:06 Interest in Kunio Yanagita12:52 Interest in bunya joruri18:56 What is Japanese puppet theatre?21:06 When did it start?22:36 Who was Chikamatsu Monzaemon?24:14 Studying puppet theatre as a foreigner26:40 Puppet troupes28:14 Japanese vs. French plays33:26 How puppeteers perform36:20 Understanding the characters38:45 How the puppets are operated43:52 How the stories are performed47:49 Why bunya joruri might disappear50:26 How bunya joruri changed Chloe's life54:10 Chloe's NHK French program57:35 Is it important to keep traditional arts alive?59:29 Where to watch bunya joruri1:00:29 Tobi tries puppeteering--Follow Chloé:https://x.com/YasathemFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Osama Ibrahim, an Egyptian opthamologist practicing in Japan. He sits down to talk to us about getting his medical license here, his work as a researcher, and the challenges he's had as a foreign doctor in Japan.--0:00 Intro0:46 Meet Ibrahim4:21 Coming to Japan8:07 PhD in Japan14:49 Overcoming the language barrier19:35 Getting a Japanese medical license26:03 Passing the exam30:07 Treating Japanese vs. foreign patients36:18 Navigating the Japanese medical system40:01 Research on eye surgery48:09 Medical tourism to Japan51:56 Common eye problems in Japan54:28 Navigating medical regulations58:53 Looking back1:02:38 Goals for the future1:07:20 Advice for anyone considering studying in Japan--Follow Ibrahim:https://www.facebook.com/Osamaiburahimu/Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapan--Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Chani, a teacher and content creator that sits down to talk with us about moving to Japan at almost 50. She tells us about her first homestay experience in Japan, life as a teacher bringing her students here, buying an akiya here and her big move to her next stage in life.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Chani2:52 Homestay in Japan6:03 Move back to Japan9:55 Moving back at 5019:34 Japanese teacher to English teacher26:18 Buying an akiya32:51 Settling in to the house35:55 Starting a YouTube channel40:14 How moving here changed Chani's perspective on life42:06 Adopting a cat in Japan45:31 Finding a community in Japan49:31 Looking back51:48 Advice for people moving to Japan--Follow Chani: @ChaniJapan  https://www.chanijapan.com/https://www.instagram.com/chanijapan/Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Luna, a model living in Tokyo who performs as a drag queen under the name Andromeda. She sits down to talk with us about being queer and transgender in Japan, and why older people keep asking her why being trans is considered an issue--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Andromeda6:18 Moving to Japan & working at fashion company11:17 Life in the Japanese fashion industry12:54 Interest in kimono17:33 Podcast and LGBTQ activism22:38 Issues with LGBTQ labels27:50 Finding community in Japan35:19 Performing drag in Tokyo40:46 Start with queer magazine & activism52:08 Response by Japanese audience56:09 Why it's important to talk about love1:00:39 How much work does a magazine take?1:03:39 How perspective on LGBTQ has changed in Japan1:06:56 What's next for Luna?1:08:46 Coming out in public1:11:01 Why being trans was never an issue in Japan1:15:18 Where do we stand today?--Follow Luna:https://www.instagram.com/luna.andromeda.jphttps://www.instagram.com/moto.iwakanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@luna.andromeda.jpFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Kodo Nishimura, a Pure Land Buddhist monk. He sits down to talk with us about growing up in a buddhist temple as a gay man, learning to understand himself studying abroad, and rediscovering his own calling as a monk. --Follow Kodo:https://www.kodonishimura.com/https://www.instagram.com/kodomakeup/https://www.tiktok.com/@kodomakeuphttps://x.com/kodonishimura ⁨@KodoNishimuraMakeup⁩ Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Meet Peppe, an Italian mangaka who gained international attention after his appearance on the reality show Terrace House. He sits down to talk with us about his journey to Japan and struggle to get published while studying Japanese and working as a fashion model, to his time on Terrace House just as he was making his debut as a serialized mangaka.--0:00 Intro0:46 Meet Peppe6:20 Deciding to move to Japan10:55 First time in Japan13:40 Studying other manga artists17:33 Missing his big chance with a publisher26:55 Second chance meeting32:24 One-way ticket back to Japan35:45 Working as a model39:21 Getting a work visa41:41 Entering his first manga contest45:15 Big break48:18 Writing Mingo and getting serialized55:01 Working with a Japanese editor57:19 How Terrace House affected his career1:01:05 Terrace House audition1:05:17 What was Terrace House like?1:12:55 Writing Endo (and who was Maraini?)1:21:47 Challenges of writing a biographical manga1:26:48 Reception from Japanese people1:33:44 What's next for Peppe?--Follow Peppe: https://www.instagram.com/peppedesuhttps://x.com/peppedesuFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Jaya (Tokyo Llama), a content creator and renovator documenting kominka restorations, shares his akiya hunt and tax-auction win. He talks about blind bidding, secret inspections, massive site clears, working with traditional carpenters, and balancing preservation with modern upgrades. He also covers unexpected structural surprises, budgeting realities, and plans for a huge attic conversion.

Meet Randy Soei, a tea master from Canada, who sits down to talk with us about why the tea ceremony is unlike any other Japanese art. He talks to us about his history with martial arts, the role of tea in Japanese culture, and the beauty of the tea ceremony.--Follow Randy:https://15-1a.com/https://www.instagram.com/soei151a/https://www.facebook.com/ranhoteihttps://x.com/ranHoteiFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/