This week, Jeff and Trevor return from the wilderness with tales of Oregon, AI disco bangers, bear attacks, workplace shorts, maruhara, tokuryu, and Saitama crimes so dumb they may qualify as performance art. It’s Japan news, expat brain damage, and podcast self-sabotage — all lovingly sealed inside one neon-lit convenience-store parking lot. Oh, and...>> CHECK OUT THE ALL-NEW DEEP IN JAPAN PODCAST WEBSITE <<Saitama / Crime Stories偽の覆面パトカーで飲酒運転か＝危険運転致傷容疑で男逮捕―事故起こし発覚・警視庁偽の覆面パトカーで重傷事故｜飲酒危険運転疑い男逮捕、警視庁コンビニ強盗、容疑の男逮捕Tokuryu / New Organized Crime令和6年版 警察白書 特集：匿名・流動型犯罪グループ (NPA)警視庁 匿名・流動型犯罪グループ対策本部匿名・流動型犯罪グループ対策 (gov-online)As Japan's yakuza weakens, police focus shifts to loosely organized crime groups (AP)Tokuryū, the shadowy criminal groups taking over from yakuza in Japan (Guardian)Evolving tokuryu gang groups test Japan's policing strategy (Japan Times)Bear Attacks in Japanクマに関する各種情報・取組 (環境省)クマ類による人身被害について（速報値）(環境省 PDF)クマ出没件数、25年度は5万件突破 (nippon.com)A bear injures 4 people in a residential area of Japan as attacks rise (AP)'Extremely intelligent' Japanese bear that attacked four people still at large (Guardian)Japan launches bear hunt after unusually bold attacks in Fukushima (Times)Cool Biz / Shorts at Work令和８年度クールビズについて (環境省)Tokyo workers encouraged to wear shorts to cut energy costs (Guardian)Tokyo wants you to wear shorts to work. Say no. (Japan Times)Tokyo orders office workers to wear shorts to keep cool (Times)Maruhara / Punctuation HarassmentJapanese punctuation mark becomes latest symbol of workplace harassment (Japan Times)「マルハラ」って何？ (毎日新聞)Manga / Anime Piracy CrackdownThe Great Japanese Piracy Conspiracy (Japanlysis) One of the biggest manga piracy networks has been shut down (Verge)Japan looks to AI in crusade against manga piracy (Times)Unspoken RulesEvery Unspoken Japanese Rule You Need to Know (Japanalysis) Enjoying the show?  Consider supporting us. Every little bit helps keep this magnificent shitshow lurching forward. And while you’re at it, join the conversation over on Facebook, and follow us on X/Twitter at @DogePunk2077.For inquiries, complaints, spiritual confessions, legal threats, guest pitches, or reasonably coherent messages, you may be able to reach us at [email protected]. Then again, you may not. Show supporters, naturally, jump the queue—so if you’re one of the blessed few, The Chosen, be sure to mention that at the top of your message for maximal response potential.Finally, if you enjoyed the musical outro and want more Deep in Japan-adjacent sonic nonsense, check our SUNO profiles: Trevor's SUNO pageJeff's SUNO pageThanks for listening! 

Episode 92 begins with a clerical apocalypse: Jeff and Trevor discover they are not on Episode 91 after all, but Episode 92, meaning the long-promised Episode 100 is now both closer and somehow less reachable than ever. The show immediately collapses into a metaphysical audit of its own existence. Episodes are too long. Files are too large. Transistor is too expensive. Spotify is the new economy bunker. Deezer remains preserved like a sacred shrine for the seven remaining listeners, each of whom is assumed to be either a monk, a bot, or James Hathaway.Then, against all odds, actual commerce occurs. Miho has made international Deep in Japan merch possible, Mythic Weeb James becomes the first customer, and Trevor unveils a design so volatile it may require both a fashion disclaimer and a police escort. This sends the hosts into a sukajan-shaped wormhole of Yokosuka jackets, bomber nostalgia, imperial ghosts, American military aesthetics, right-wing cosplay, and the eternal question: is wearing politically explosive kanji in Japan hilarious, suicidal, or merely good branding?From there, the episode achieves its natural Deep in Japan state: one topic mutates into another until the original premise has been legally declared missing. 尊王攘夷 becomes kanji literacy. Kanji literacy becomes man-on-the-street content. Man-on-the-street content becomes Osaka homeless YouTube. Osaka homeless YouTube becomes koans in the kōen. The kōen becomes One Cup. One Cup becomes Strong Zero. Strong Zero becomes a grand unified conspiracy theory involving patriarchy, declining birthrates, and possibly Abe-era beverage policy. Then, inconveniently, the hosts discover there is a real-world alcohol policy angle involving Japan’s 2024 drinking guidelines and the quiet retreat of 12–13% chūhai from polite society.The first great news relic is the Shibuya Scramble fire guy: a man from Nagoya who allegedly set fire to a cardboard sign at the crossing, turned himself in, and reportedly described the act as a protest against “the current state of Japan.” Jeff and Trevor are less interested in the fire than in the communications failure. If you ignite cardboard at the world’s most famous intersection and nobody can summarize your manifesto, have you protested, or merely littered with combustion?The middle section becomes a museum of Japanese weird-news objects: the dogeza volleyball player, the Saitama pipe/sinkhole imagination chamber, ChatGPT language-bleed errors, the naked Saitama rampage, RocketNews/SoraNews as a content-generating organism, a Dogo Onsen Lawson camouflaged for historical respectability, and the immortal TENGA insect-repellent collaboration. The TENGA segment becomes a reluctant MBA seminar on brand normalization: at what point can a company famous for adult products place a bright red TENGA-shaped mosquito repellent in your home and allow you to say, with a straight face, “No, no, this is for bugs”?After coffee, the fever cools into something dangerously close to substance. Jeff and Trevor talk recording tools, Zoom avatars, VTuber futures, Adobe hatred, and the misery of video editing before landing on the Kyoto ALT strike and the long erosion of ALT working conditions. Jeff’s own ALT past gives the section some ballast: dispatch English teaching is framed as a system where the “Japan experience” is increasingly used as emotional currency to justify bad pay, unstable contracts, and the slow grinding-down of people who came looking for meaning and found paperwork.That turns naturally into Japanese study: Kanzen Master, particles, Anki, Manabi Reader, OCR, tiny-font Japanese books, and the dream of an AI-powered custom reader that gives instant lookup, repetition, and mercy. The larger point: intermediate and advanced Japanese is where the grammar charts stop saving you, the particles begin laughing at you, and progress becomes less about rules than exposure, bruising, rhythm, and vibes.The legal and political center of the episode is Japan’s new post-divorce joint custody framework. Jeff broadly supports reform, but complicates the familiar “left-behind foreign father” story with a personal anecdote about interviewing someone whose later behavior made the custody narrative feel much less clean. The section ends in the proper DIJ shade of gray: reform is necessary, but family courts still have to separate alienated parents from people who may, in fact, be kept away for very good reasons.The final hour becomes a pachinko machine filled with geopolitics, parasites, theme parks, and municipal shame: crows attacking the Rapunzel animatronic at Tokyo DisneySea, Disney hatred, gas prices, Iran, Japan’s dependence on the U.S., Takaichi, China and Taiwan anxiety, Article 9, Artemis II as the thing humanity should probably care about more, overtourism, tourist defecation lore, Anisakis parasite pens, micro-crimes, mystery incidents, UV ninja parkas, Oregon steakhouse inflation, Asahi’s school future, and haccoba’s insect-poop sake.It closes, as all respectable cultural analysis should, with a proposed tourist itinerary: eat Anisakis sushi, wear a ninja mask, buy gasoline, set nothing on fire at Shibuya Crossing, and remember that Japanese police may arrest you, but they will not do your PR. Other possible titles include:Miho Made Merch, Japan Made MayhemKoans at the KōenThe TENGA Mosquito Repellent EpisodeRapunzel, Crows, and the Collapse of CivilizationAdobe Must Fall, Deezer Must LiveDispatch ALTs and Insect-Poop SakeKamehameha & Other Aisatsu SolutionsThe Shibuya Manifesto (Nobody Read)One Cup, Strong Zero, and Article 9Ninja Masks, Parasite Pens, and Other Tourist EssentialsSaitama Never DisappointsTakaichi Turns Down DonnyLove your kids? Don't divorce. No Cherry Blossoms for You! Turning Shit Into SakeThe Episode That Refused to EndRequest for Support:Enjoying the show? Consider supporting us. Every little bit helps keep this magnificent shitshow lurching for...

In this episode, we sit down with writer, translator, martial artist, and long-time Japan resident Robert R. Gray to talk about his wonderful little book, Whispers of the Departed—a collection of samurai death poems (辞世, jisei) paired with glimpses into the lives of the people who wrote them. From impermanence and acceptance to emptiness and transcendence, the conversation explores what people reveal when there’s nothing left to hold onto.Links:秘伝 Online MagazineBudo Japan (秘伝's English Site)[Outro] Iroha ft. Chi@ki by long-time friend of the show, Gomyo Kevin Seperic Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And get some Deep in Japan merch while you're at it! I highly recommend the 尊王攘夷 (Revere the Emperor, Expel the Foreigners) hoodie. There is nothing else quite like it.  And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening! 

This year, we celebrated the Emperor’s Birthday with a Happy Hour. From the Imperial Household to underground heroes, from banned words to ghost-town virality, this episode has a little something for everyone. We get into the “Naru-chan Kenpo” and how Emperor Naruhito was raised, Japan’s ever-evolving list of broadcast “NG” words, and the country’s real-life superheroes patrolling the streets with trash tongs instead of weapons. Along the way, we explore eerie signs of the Dead Internet, Japan’s obsession with craftsmanship—from luxury stationery to washi-paper headphones—and what it all says about living in an increasingly algorithmic world. So before you throw this one on, buckle up—because things get a little wild. That Sweet Sauce: The Naru-chan KenpoBanned Japanese Words for TV and RadioMap of Active Real Life Superheroes and their TeamsFinal debuts DX4000 CL headphones with washi paper driversSHO - イジメーはやめろ【STOP BULLYING】OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO真岡北陵高校トイレで暴行】 学校に突撃してイジメーはやめろ19日に判決「なぜ息子をいじめたのか」我が子の死から4年…母親の思い 福岡【高2自殺】R65 THE SILVER GENERATION テクノミュージシャン 河西文治(77) 前編日本今ばなし桃太郎 - SNSの”そのうわさ”、信じて大丈夫？MAN POURS CHUHAI ON COPharachan - ParadiseThe Cancer Doctor: "This Common Food Is Making Cancer Worse!"KINSHI-GO RHAPSODY (outro)Request for Support: Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected], if you are hoping to hear more Deep in Japan music, check out Jeff's SUNO page. Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. James D.J. Brown, Professor of Political Science at Temple University’s Japan Campus and one of the leading experts on Russo-Japanese relations. His research focuses on the history and geopolitics between Japan and Russia, including territorial disputes, diplomacy, and security issues in Northeast Asia.We discuss his new book, Cracking the Crab: Russian Espionage Against Japan, from Peter the Great to Richard Sorge. The book traces more than three centuries of Russian intelligence activity directed at Japan—from early explorers and castaways gathering information during the era of Japanese isolation, to the famous Soviet spy Richard Sorge and his network in Tokyo before World War II.Along the way, Brown reveals how espionage shaped the relationship between the two countries, how spies operated in one of the world’s most closed societies, and why Japan was often seen by Russian intelligence as a “crab”—hard on the outside but vulnerable once its shell was cracked.Links & Resources:Cracking the Crab: Russian Espionage Against Japan, from Peter the Great to Richard SorgeJapan, Russia and their Territorial Dispute: The Northern DelusionFCCJ Book Break: James D.J. Brown, author of "Cracking the Crab"Qui etes-vous, Monsieur Sorge? (Old French Film on Sorge) Richard Sorge, Master Spy (Recent Russian series on Sorge)Cracking the Crab (outro) Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected], if you are hoping to hear more Deep in Japan music, check out Jeff's SUNO page. Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, we sit down with Zach Mathis—now commonly known in Japan as Tanaka Zakku—a cybersecurity expert with over two decades of experience working in Japan. Zach recently chose to relinquish his American citizenship and naturalize as a Japanese citizen. When he announced it on Twitter, the post exploded, racking up almost 6 million views.What was surprising wasn't just the reach, but the reaction. The comments were overwhelmingly positive. Given the rising anti-immigration sentiment in the country and how quickly Japanese ultranationalist elements on Twitter tend to dogpile these kinds of announcements, Zach’s reception was a massive exception to the rule. We had a wide-ranging conversation about how he fell in love with Japan, the reality of the naturalization process, his cybersecurity career, and his twenty-year journey here. Hope you enjoy it!Links & Resources:Zach's viral naturalization post on XHybrid State of Mind (The Tanaka Zach Anthem) [musical outro]Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected], if you are hoping to hear more Deep in Japan music, check out Jeff's SUNO page. Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Jay and Trey are joined by special guest Mythic Weeb James Hatheway for a three-hour tour de force through the green room of modern Japan—covering, among other things:The Japanese naturalization process The myth of Japan's “ancient” tradition of HatsumodeThe Sankebetsu brown bear incident The rise of a very small online “Bear Slayer" movement, devotees of lo-fi aesthetics, spear-sharpening rituals, and MS-Paint iconographyThe odd rise of Elon Musk's "Unhinged" AI companion in Japan and what it might mean for a society governed by constrained intimacy and a growing need for low-stakes emotional release valves.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected], if you enjoyed the outro, check out Jeff's SUNO page. It's filled with goodies. Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, we walk the streets of Japan with Tom Gill—anthropologist, longtime Japan resident, and one of the most clear-eyed observers of the country’s marginalized communities. Gill is best known for his decades of fieldwork among day laborers, the homeless, and the urban poor, particularly in places like Tokyo’s San’ya district. Rather than studying Japan from a distance or through official narratives, Gill practices what he calls “being there”—immersing himself in the lives of people most visitors (and many locals) never see. Whether you’re interested in Japan, anthropology, or the uncomfortable realities beneath orderly surfaces, this episode is a reminder that understanding requires proximity—and humility.Enjoy the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going.And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening! 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! -J and TreyTRACK LIST: [0:00:00] 01. クリスマス・イブ / 山下達郎 (Tatsuro Yamashita)[0:03:24] 02. クリスマスキャロルの頃には / 稲垣潤一 (Junichi Inagaki)[0:07:24] 03. 悲しみは雪のように(1992 single) / 浜田 省吾 (Shogo Hamada)[0:10:58] 04. X'masがいっぱい / 工藤静香 (Shizuka Kudo)[0:14:17] 05. Snow Lie / 岩崎良美 (Yoshimi Iwasaki)[0:17:31] 06. クリスマスまで待てない (雪だるま Version) / 渡辺 美里 (Misato Watanabe)[0:21:14] 07. 最後のHoly Night / 杉山清貴 (Kiyotaka Sugiyama)[0:24:42] 08. Sweet Snow Magic / スターダスト☆レビュー (Stardust Revue)[0:28:02] 09. クリスマスの夜 / 岡村 孝子 (Takako Okamura)[0:31:51] 10. ひとりでX'mas / 今井美樹 (Miki Imai)[0:35:14] 11. 冬のフォトグラフ / 新井正人 (Masahito Arai)[0:39:15] 12. 遠い街のどこかで… / 中山美穂 (Miho Nakayama)[0:43:28] 13. リフトの下で逢いましょう / 南野 陽子 (Yoko Minamino)[0:46:30] 14. スノーフレイクの街角 / 杏里 (Anri)[0:50:01] 15. Last Christmas / 松田 聖子 (Seiko Matsuda)[0:53:47] 16. クリスマスは一緒に / 竹内まりや (Mariya Takeuchi)[0:57:00] 17. Merry X’masをあげたい / 井上昌己 (Shoko Inoue)[1:00:20] 18. Kissin' Christmas (クリスマスだからじゃない) 2023 / 桑田佳祐 & 松任谷由実 (Keisuke Kuwata & Yumi Matsutoya)Enjoy the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going.And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening! 

Jay and Trey are at it again! This week, we investigate why Japanese parks are becoming "no-fun zones" with draconian bans on ball games—is the country waging a war on its own children? We also dive into the "Ultimate Waifu" politician Kimi Onoda, and the latest stats showing Japan’s English proficiency plummeting to new lows. And last but certainly not least—the big reveal—Trevor's got a new "Number One Waifu," none other than "Muscle Idol" and Saitama Queen Reika Saiki. Does that make Trevor the King of Saitama? You decide. As always, sauce included: Very Low Proficiency: Japan Drops into Bottom Group in English Ability RankingJapanese Company Offers Up to 10 Days Paid Leave for Workers to Mourn Their Favourite Celebrity's Marriage or RetirementReika Saiko - Japanese Muscle GirlClips from Reika’ 4-hour Workout 所持金20円で焼き肉を無銭飲食か 酒や漬物、デザートまで約1万2000円分 49歳男「お金がない」で判明Democracy Manifest and his succulent Chinese meal News report 1991Democracy Manifest Wiki完全自殺マニュアルOnoda Kimi’s YoutTube ChannelLongform Interview with Onoda KimiJapan’s Ultimate WAIFU: Kimi OnodaPARKS FOR KIDS TO KICK A BALL AROUND IN TOKYOResearch on local governmental restrictions for ball play in block parksEnjoy the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected] for listening!