Meet PiNKII, an artist producing what she calls "domme-pop," and former jpop idol. She sits down to talk to us about her first interest in idol culture, moving to Japan with the help of an unscrupulous man, and how she left that all behind to become the artist she is today.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet PiNKII4:33 First coming to Japan8:11 Posting her own idol dance videos11:56 Getting "discovered"16:27 Arriving in Japan19:42 Experiencing kindness22:32 Bouncing back23:21 Coming back for the fashion industry28:06 Advice for those dreaming of being an idol32:17 Move to the fashion world34:23 Going to idol school35:27 Rediscovering her love for music38:37 PiNKII's music today41:48 PiNKII's proudest work43:34 Moving to Berlin45:56 Performing in Japan49:46 What is Japan to PiNKII now?51:05 Japanese fashion now53:36 What PiNKII wants people to know--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 William Reed, also known as the renaissance samurai. He sits down to talk us about moving to Japan in the 1970s, his lifelong practice of martial arts and calligraphy, and his passion for teaching Namba, the samurai walk. 0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Will5:15 Discovering aikido9:06 Homestay in Japan13:17 Tokyo in 197217:38 Deciding to come back to Japan21:46 Returning in the 80s24:10 Practice of martial arts33:00 Key martial arts teachings44:33 Finding balance with Namba56:28 How Namba walking is different1:00:05 How this is relevant today1:09:56 Studying calligraphy1:17:49 What is good calligraphy?1:25:22 The importance of a signature1:34:11 Looking back--Follow William:https://www.samurai-walk.com/https://www.instagram.com/showmeshodo/https://x.com/william_reedhttps://www.facebook.com/will.reedhttps://www.youtube.com/user/taproot55Follow 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 Cory, a sofubi (soft vinyl toy) producer under his company Science Patrol. Cory sits down to talk to us about getting into sofubi, learning the trade and setting up his company here, creating officially licensed merchandise for Japan's one-day license events, and everything that goes into creating these toys.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Cory4:58 What are sofubi?8:44 Why so many kaiju?9:54 What's being produced today14:20 Typical day as a sofubi producer19:33 Learning the sofubi trade23:57 Trends in sofubi28:27 Collecting sofubi30:42 Managing the secondary market33:32 How sofubi molds work37:27 Japan's one day license events41:49 How Chinese sofubi affect the market45:13 Cory's design philosophy48:53 How many sofubi producers are there?52:12 Biggest challenges55:17 Overseas clients59:43 Science Patrol's new workshop/storefront1:02:22 Mass producing vs. collector's items--Follow Cory:https://scipatrol.thebase.in/https://www.instagram.com/science_patrols/https://x.com/Science_PatrolsFollow 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 Berry, an idol from California performing in the group himi♡chuu. She sits down to talk to us about chasing her childhood dream of becoming an idol, turning an internet hate mob into an opportunity, and finally coming to perform in Japan.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Berry 5:07 Berry's idol dream8:08 The SORB3T incident15:58 Turning her setback into an opportunity24:01 Debut as a soloist28:45 Are Japanese interested in overseas idols?32:39 Performing in taiban35:47 Interacting with fans39:13 Performing in Japan40:05 Achieving her dreams42:35 How much creative control does Berry have?47:44 Balancing her persona and real self51:38 Transitioning to being based in Japan56:16 Collaborating with other idols58:24 Berry's plans for 20261:00:01 How to start as an idol--Follow Berry: @blooberrytrain https://www.instagram.com/blooberrytrainhttps://www.tiktok.com/@blooberrytrainFollow 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 Karen Hill Anton, a writer who first came to Japan in the 1970s. She tells us about living in a martial arts dojo before moving to an old farmhouse and raising her children in the countryside, and sharing her experiences here as a writer.--0:00 Intro4:05 Living in a dojo7:48 Moving to an old farmhouse14:21 Deciding to stay long-term19:48 Life in Hamamatsu22:27 Karen's dance class24:24 When did you decide to settle permanently?27:58 Key topics in her Japan Times column31:05 Raising children in Japan36:25 What is home?41:17 Working as a corporate consultant50:15 Karen's novel set in 1970s Japan58:58 Looking back1:02:26 Advice to people moving to Japan--Follow Karen:https://www.karenhillanton.com/https://www.instagram.com/karenhillanton/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 Micaela, a vlogger based in Fukuoka, Japan. She sits down to talk to us about going to Japanese high school and music school, working as a full-time influencer at an agency in early YouTube, and her current life in Fukuoka.--0:00 Intro0:46 Meet Micaela3:05 First interest in Japan 6:25 Was Miyazaki a personal choice?8:02 High school in Japan 13:11 Why Japan became home14:36 Choosing Kyushu over Tokyo16:12 Teaching English in Japan20:36 Vocational school in Japan24:58 Experience at YouTuber agency34:57 Experiences on Japanese TV40:57 What makes Kyushu special56:31 What's next for Micaela59:15 How content creation has changed over time1:04:31 What has changed in Japan over 20 years1:08:23 Micaela's recommended dishes--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 Peter Frankl, a Hungarian mathematician living in Japan. Peter sits down to talk to us about his life and journey to Japan, his NHK series for children, and why he thinks the Japanese have a mathematician's mindset.

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0:00 Intro

0:44 Meet Peter

5:14 Arriving in Japan in 1982

10:08 Researching in Japan

15:04 Peter's fascination with math

19:51 Japanese people are kind of like mathematicians

29:28 Peter's autobiography

39:37 Peter's NHK show Mathematica

52:07 Being an independent mathematician

57:25 Current work

1:03:09 Working with Japanese mathematicians

1:10:21 Peter's juggling career

1:27:35 Looking back

Follow Peter:

http://peterfrankl.com/

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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 Harry, an indie music promoter working in Tokyo. He sits down to talk to us about his love of Japanese indie music, the mind-boggling variety of acts you can find, and how you can get tickets as a foreigner in Japan.

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0:00 Intro

0:44 Meet Harry

7:05 Interest in Japanese music

12:21 Japanese music has EVERYTHING

22:18 Favorite stories

26:51 How to support the scene

32:12 Helping foreigners get tickets with Gigs in Tokyo

39:49 Reaction from performers and venues

42:42 Is it working?

46:57 Organizing his own events

54:09 Scene beyond Tokyo

57:10 Next steps

--

Follow Harry:

⁠ @angura_live

https://www.instagram.com/gigsintokyo/

Follow us:

https://unpacking.jp/

https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan

https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan

https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan

https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts

https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan

https://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/