Heroes or hypocrites? Buddhist soldier monks of middle-age Japan

Ghibli’s Spirited Away: Cultural walkthrough Part III

In this third part of this Spirited Away cultural walkthrough series, show host Kyota clarifies the mystery of Chihiro's sudden maturing and the trick Miyazaki plays in the scene where Chihiro signs an employment contract. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese] (https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese)

Ghibli’s Spirited Away: Cultural walkthrough Part II

In this second part of the Spirited Away cultural walkthrough  series, show host Kyota clarifies who all the absurd-looking monsters are and the peculiar nature of the world Chihiro wanders into. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese] (https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese)

Ghibli’s Spirited Away: Cultural walkthrough Part I

Ghibli's Spirited Away is undoubtedly one of the best films of all time,  but fully "getting" what goes on in the movie may be difficult without some knowledge of Japanese culture. In this podcast series, Japanese culture researcher/enthusiast/The Metro-classic Japanese show host Kyota Ko will share with you insights that will help you to enjoy the epic Miyazaki film two fold. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese] (https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese)

Heroes or hypocrites? Buddhist soldier monks of middle-age Japan

Buddhist monks are not supposed to harm anyone, but "soldier monks" were a long-lasting profession in middle age Japan - why did these people arm themselves and why were they even allowed to exist? Podcast host Kyota Ko explains the historical controversy in this insightful and hilarious podcast episode. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese] (https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese)

Samurai were the fathers of Japanese goldfish

Samurai were not only busy swinging around swords and spears taking people's lives. They also gave life. To goldfish. Goldfish were mass-produced and became a popular pet among Japanese people in the 18th-19th century, thanks to a creative samurai. Show host Kyota Ko narrates how the beautiful Japanese breeds of goldfish came to be, tracing back their origin to a single samurai lord who lived and thrived over 250 years ago. Check out The Metro-classic Japanese Blog [https://www.metro-classic-japanese.net/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/themetroclassic/] for more fun content on Japanese culture. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese] (https://www.patreon.com/metroclassicjapanese)