With an increase in tourists heading to these parts, some may be wondering if Japan is a safe destination for those with disabilities. If you’re concerned, Josh Grisdale from the website Accessible Japan is here to help. Check out this past interview with him on everything from accessibility in Tokyo to dealing with trains and the country’s shifting attitudes.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. Read more:  Accessible Japan Breaking down barriers (Andrew McKirdy, The Japan Times) Tokyo named among the world’s best destinations for disabled travelers (William Lang ..read more

This week on Deep Dive, contributing writer and photographer Lance Henderstein reads us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.   Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Lance Henderstein: Articles | Instagram | Threads Read/Listen more:  My annual pilgrimage to Okinawa (Lance Henderstein, The Japan Times) Akiko Mizuno: ‘Time moves forward. Photographers stop time.’ (Lance Henderstein, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by ..read more

At 12, Miku Narisawa experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake. The ensuing and tsunami destroyed her home. Instead of running from the ocean, however, she is now working to try to protect it through her Odyssey Nature Japan initiative.  On this episode: Miku Narisawa: Instagram | Odyssey Nature Japan Read more/Listen more:  After 3/11, an environment education rethink takes shape in Japan (Francesco Bassetti, The Japan Times) COP28, didn't the oceans deserve more attention? (Miku Narisawa, The Japan Times) Japan is about to release 1.3 million tons of Fukushima wastewater. Shou ..read more

You probably don’t think of guns when you think of Japan, but Hokkaido’s hunters do. Hokkaido-based writer Justin Randall says newly proposed gun laws may make their lives more dangerous. Later, Shaun McKenna and Alyssa I. Smith discuss something less dangerous: Taylor Swift’s sold-out Tokyo shows. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Justin Randall: Articles | Linktree Alyssa I. Smith: Articles  Read more/Listen more:  Hokkaido hunters say more firepower means more humane kills (Justin Randall, The Japan Times) How are firearms regulated in Japan ..read more

Who wants to live forever? As scientists and tech billionaires attempt to tackle the problem of aging and death, we discuss Japanese ideas about immortality. Later, our games writers discuss the recent Palworld-Pokemon flare up.   On this episode: Elizabeth Beattie: Articles | X Owen Ziegler: Articles  Ann-Loy Morgan: Articles Read more/Watch more/Play more:  Eternal pursuits: A history of Japanese quests for immortality (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Living until 100, if not forever, in good health (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) The digital beyond: Is an eter ..read more

Japan made history last month when it became the fifth nation to soft land on the moon. What’s more, they landed it close to their target, a feat that could be a gamechanger for space travel. This week we discuss the science and the politics behind Japan’s lunar landing.  On this episode: Joel Tansey: Articles | X Tomoko Otake: Articles | X Gabriel Dominguez: Articles | X Read more/Watch more/Play more:  Japan makes history as spacecraft lands on the moon (Tomoko Otake and Joel Tansey, The Japan Times) One small step for a JAXA spacecraft, one giant leap for exploration  (Eli ..read more

It was a rough start to 2024 for Japan, with a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and an airplane collision at Haneda airport in the first week of January. On our first episode of the year, we report on the impact of the Noto Peninsula earthquake and what can be learned from rural disasters. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Jordan Allen: Articles Karin Kaneko: Articles | X Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | X Read more:  “Noto is kind, right down to its soil”: A community’s long road to recovery (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) How Japan’s violent New Year ..read more

For our last episode of the year, we’re summing up the year in culture with Matt Schley, Alyssa I. Smith, Thu-Huong Ha and Owen Ziegler, who tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X  Matt Schley: Articles | X  Alyssa I. Smith: Articles Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X  Owen Ziegler: Articles  Read more:  The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era (Matt Schley, The Japan Time ..read more

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. Excerpt for Audioboom:  On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X  Mara Budgen: Articles | X  Read more:  How simple steps can help alleviate climate anxiety (Joel Tansey, The Japan Times) Fall is the new summer: Warming ..read more

An “Otaku Dictionary” has Japan’s subcultures upset at an attempt to define them. Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue join us to explain the linguistic scandal before discussing whether or not Japan has mastered “sitting.”  On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | X  Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X  Yukana Inoue: Articles Read more:  How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times) Test your otaku vocabulary, from 'oshi' to bacon lettuce’ (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times) Let the gaming begin: A guide to ..read more