This Japanese pilgrimage should be more famous! A 5-day trip to the Kumano Kodō (plus crazy conbini socks) | Japan Station 204

Inside an Intense Sushi Training Course in Tokyo

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about what it's like doing an intensive sushi preparation course with Travin Keith, owner of Sushi Kita in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 👉Topics Discussed * Where Miyagi Prefecture is located * What it was like trying to open a ramen shop in Kosovo * The problems with trying to open a ramen shop in Kosovo * Why Travin decided to learn how to prepare sushi in Japan * What to expect when taking a two month intensive sushi preparation course in Japan * What were the challenges of learning how to become a sushi chef * About cooking rice for the first time * Why Travin decided to open a sushi shop in Belfast, Northern Ireland * Travin's plans for Sushi Kita * About Ishinomori Shotaro's various museums * About "good morning socks" * And much more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! * Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB [https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB] 👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi * Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content * Support on Patreon [https://patreon.com/japankyo] https://patreon.com/japankyo * Support via a one time donation! * Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo [https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo] * Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega [https://venmo.com/tonyrvega] * Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega [https://paypal.me/tonyrvega] 👉Affiliate Links Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo. * Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan [https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan] * Support by Buying a T-Shirt! Support the show by getting a t-shirt! * MechaNekoSushi.com [https://mechanekosushi.com/] 👉Links, Videos, Etc. Links for Sushi Kita: * Sushi Kita Website: https://sushikita.one/ [https://sushikita.one/] * Sushi Kita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sushikitaresto [https://www.instagram.com/sushikitaresto] * 👉Follow on Social Media * X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega [https://x.com/tonyrvega] * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social] * Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega [https://instagram.com/tonyrvega] * The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist [https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist] * Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews [https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews] * Website: https://japankyo.com/ [https://japankyo.com/] * Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony [https://x.com/thevegatony] * Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ [https://tonyrvega.com/] *

What you need to know about FAMIRESU!

This episode is a re-broadcast of episode 61 of the Ichimon Japan podcast (originally released 6/21/22). On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is a famiresu? Topics Discussed * What famiresu are * The characteristics of famiresu (family restaurants) * About the history of famiresu in Japan * The first famiresu in Japan (Skylark) * Some of the most popular famiresu in Japan * About Big Boy and how it's an offshoot of Bob's Big Boy * About Jonathan's * About Bikkuri Donkey * About Saizeriya * Whether Sizzler is a famiresu * Whether TGIFriday's is a famiresu * Whether kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) should be considered famiresu * And much more! Listen to Ichimon Japan on [btn btnlink="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ichimon-japan-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1492400997" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]Apple Podcasts[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9pY2hpbW9uamFwYW4ubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]Google Podcasts[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/japankyocom/ichimon-japan-a-podcast-by-japankyocom" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]Stitcher[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://open.spotify.com/show/1ZVgnljVM8gcR1ar98eK0D" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]Spotify[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-ichimon-japan-a-podcast-by-59510504/" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]iHeartRadio[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/mv3zr-ad2df/Ichimon-Japan-A-Podcast-by-Japankyo.com" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]PodBean[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/Ichimon-Japan-A-Podcast-by-Japankyocom-p1290988/" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]Tunein[/btn] [btn btnlink="https://ichimonjapan.libsyn.com/rss" btnsize="medium" bgcolor="#0568bf" txtcolor="#ffffff" btnnewt="1" nofollow="1"]RSS[/btn] Support on Patreon & Ko-fi If you enjoy Ichimon Japan and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. You can join for just $1 a month and that comes with perks like early access to episodes, a shout-out at the beginning of a future episode, bonus content, and discounts to Kimito Designs. For $3 a month you get all that plus access to Japanese Plus Alpha, a podcast produced by me (Tony Vega) that focuses on the Japanese language and its many quirks. Whether you are studying Japanese or just enjoy learning about language and linguistics, you'll enjoy Japanese Plus Alpha. And it goes without saying that if you sign up, you'll also get my undying gratitude. Thanks in advance! * Support on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32280122] If you would just like to do a one time contribution, then please go to our Ko-fi page. * Support JapanKyo on Ko-fi [https://ko-fi.com/japankyo] Sources, Links, Videos, Etc. Get 10% off on your Mobal voice & data plan via the affiliate link below * https://mobal.com/tonyjapan [https://mobal.com/tonyjapan] * Support the show by getting a t-shirt from Mecha Neko Sushi! * Mecha Neko Su\ushi: https://mechanekosushi.com/ [https://mechanekosushi.com/] Japanese Vocabulary List Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here's some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC. [http://nihongo.monash.edu/cgi-bin/wwwjdic?1C] * Famiresu * ファミレス (n) (abbr) (See ファミリーレストラン) family restaurant We Want Your Questions Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to ichimon@japankyo.com [ichimon@japankyo.com]. Special Thanks Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/apolxcore], Twitter [https://twitter.com/apolxcore], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/apolmusic], Fiverr [https://www.fiverr.com/apolxcore]) Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R. 👉Follow on Social Media * X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega [https://x.com/tonyrvega] * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social] * Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega [https://instagram.com/tonyrvega] * The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist [https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist] * Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews [https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews] * Website: https://japankyo.com/ [https://japankyo.com/] * Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony [https://x.com/thevegatony] * Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ [https://tonyrvega.com/] *

Why life in Miyagi is DIFFERENT!

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the unique cultural and geographic quirks of life in Miyagi Prefecture. 👉Topics Discussed * Where Miyagi Prefecture is located * The population of Miyagi Prefecture * Miyagi's mild weather * What izui means * What is gyūtan (牛タン) * About Sada Keishiro and the origins of gyūtan (beef tongue) * How most people in Sendai rarely if ever eat gyūtan * What is zundamochi? * About Kessennuma and its fishing industry * About shark meat in Kessennuma * About Sendai's links to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Jujutsu Kaisen and other anime/manga * About Ishinomori Shotaro's various museums * About "good morning socks" * And much more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! * Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB [https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB] 👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi * Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content * Support on Patreon [https://patreon.com/japankyo] https://patreon.com/japankyo * Support via a one time donation! * Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo [https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo] * Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega [https://venmo.com/tonyrvega] * Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega [https://paypal.me/tonyrvega] 👉Affiliate Links Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo. * Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan [https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan] * Support by Buying a T-Shirt! Support the show by getting a t-shirt! * MechaNekoSushi.com [https://mechanekosushi.com/] 👉Links, Videos, Etc. None this time. 👉Follow on Social Media * X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega [https://x.com/tonyrvega] * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social] * Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega [https://instagram.com/tonyrvega] * The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist [https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist] * Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews [https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews] * Website: https://japankyo.com/ [https://japankyo.com/] * Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony [https://x.com/thevegatony] * Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ [https://tonyrvega.com/] *

What the hell is JUNE sickness? (rokugatsubyō, 六月病) | Japan Station 217

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about "May sickness" and "June sickness." What are these sicknesses? Are they real? Should you be concerned? ðŸ'‰Topics Discussed * What is gogatsubyÅ (äº"津病) * What is rokugatsubyÅ (六月病) * The origin of "May sickness" * Why April-June has a reputation for being a stressful time of year in Japan * Why June sickness is stupid * Why June is thought to be a particularly stressful time of year in Japan * And much more! ðŸ'‰Subscribe to the Podcast! * Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB [https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB] ðŸ'‰Support on Patreon & Ko-fi * Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content * Support on Patreon [https://patreon.com/japankyo] https://patreon.com/japankyo * Support via a one time donation! * Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo [https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo] * Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega [https://venmo.com/tonyrvega] * Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega [https://paypal.me/tonyrvega] ðŸ'‰Affiliate Links Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo. * Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan [https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan] * Support by Buying a T-Shirt! Support the show by getting a t-shirt! * MechaNekoSushi.com [https://mechanekosushi.com/] ðŸ'‰Links, Videos, Etc. None this time. ðŸ'‰Follow on Social Media * X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega [https://x.com/tonyrvega] * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social] * Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega [https://instagram.com/tonyrvega] * The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist [https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist] * Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews [https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews] * Website: https://japankyo.com/ [https://japankyo.com/] * Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony [https://x.com/thevegatony] * Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ [https://tonyrvega.com/] *

Who started the Japanese soccer fan trash clean up custom?

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the origins of the famous custom of Japanese World Cup soccer/football fans cleaning stadiums after a match is over. Where did this custom originate? Who started it? Why do they use blue garbage bags? We talk about all that and more! 👉Topics Discussed * The history of the Japanese soccer/football fan cleaning up trash custom * Why Korean soccer fans may be the origin of the Japanese soccer fan stadium clean up custom * How Tanabe Seiyaku fans clean up trash after their team lost the Emperor's Cup on January 1st, 1981 * Japan's loss to Korea during the 1985 qualifiers for the 1986 Mexico World Cup * About Yoshizawa Koichi * How Korean soccer fans picked up their own trash after defeating Japan in 1985 * Why Japanese soccer fans use blue garbage bags to cheer at soccer games * And much more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! * Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB [https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB] 👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi * Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content * Support on Patreon [https://patreon.com/japankyo] https://patreon.com/japankyo * Support via a one time donation! * Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo [https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo] * Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega [https://venmo.com/tonyrvega] * Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega [https://paypal.me/tonyrvega] 👉Affiliate Links Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo. * Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan [https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan] * Support by Buying a T-Shirt! Support the show by getting a t-shirt! * MechaNekoSushi.com [https://mechanekosushi.com/] 👉Links, Videos, Etc. Here are the sources I used for this episode: * This is the article that shares the Yoshizawa Koichi story (about Korean soccer fans picking up trash): https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV6L3G9CV6LUQIP05YM.html [https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV6L3G9CV6LUQIP05YM.html] * https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0a9c3eeb476794e87fd854e91e730a16b9dc01a2?page=4 [https://hikinginjapan.com/] * https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/7a641bc611b1a765b8a8646f288ec347ada073a5 [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/7a641bc611b1a765b8a8646f288ec347ada073a5] Here is the Japan Station episode that digs into the origins of why Japan has so few trash cans in public: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOYW0P4JfqY&t=1s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOYW0P4JfqY&t=1s] * JapanKyo Post: https://japankyo.com/2025/06/the-real-reason-japan-doesnt-have-public-trash-cans-theyre-lying-to-you-japan-station-163/ [https://japankyo.com/2025/06/the-real-reason-japan-doesnt-have-public-trash-cans-theyre-lying-to-you-japan-station-163/] * 👉Follow on Social Media * X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega [https://x.com/tonyrvega] * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social] * Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega [https://instagram.com/tonyrvega] * The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist [https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist] * Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews [https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews] * Website: https://japankyo.com/ [https://japankyo.com/] * Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony [https://x.com/thevegatony] * Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ [https://tonyrvega.com/] *