Aliens and Moonbeams

Aliens and Moonbeams•jeskalled.com

Society & Culture

Stories from Japan. (And other places too). Volume II in production.

Last refreshed: July 5th, 2025 at 6:21 AM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

If Japan Were A Movie, I'd Be Swallowed By Pac-Man

"[Living in Japan is] like being inside a gameboy." Join a conversation between two journalists from Norway at the Tokyo International Film Festival as they discuss drowning in big cities, women in film, and Tokyo sounds. Happy International Women's Day from Aliens and Moonbeams.

Mar 08, 2018•13 min

A Very Real Holiday

"Halloween is that holiday when you can be what you want to be--when you can be yourself. The other you." And this time, you can do that in Japan--in Tokyo. Happy Halloween from Aliens and Moonbeams.

Oct 31, 2017•14 min

Tokyo Glow

What is it like to stumble through a new life in Tokyo? I thought there would be a moment when I knew I’d made it. Or at least a moment when I felt like I was going in the right direction. But honestly, it’s felt like a lot of wrong turns, a lot of meager, less than good decision making, and a surprisingly familiar feeling of doubt.

Oct 25, 2017•24 min

Sayonara Sendai

I have some pretty big news. About a month ago I packed up my bags, left my job, sold my bicycle, and moved to Tokyo to pursue my dreams. This means...I'm jobless, on a budget, and it means I said goodbye to Sendai, my home of the last three and a half years. It's hard to say goodbye, so I asked my friends to tell us about some of their Sendai memories on a cassette tape. Listen to their stories about falling asleep in parks, taking surveys to pay for food, making out with guys that you didn't k...

May 26, 2017•31 min

Saxophones and Somewhere Else

Some foreigners come to Japan and never leave. This episode explores why they decide to make Japan their home, and why other foreigners aren't so sure. After traveling back and forth between two worlds, it becomes hard to differentiate which one is truly your home. It's difficult to choose between your new life 'somewhere else,' and your old life back home that by now may be unrecognizable.

Mar 05, 2017•27 min

The Day Before Trump (in Sendai, Japan) [a Bonus Episode]

It’s Inauguration Day in 2017. Well, almost. This bonus episode was made in less than a day in an effort to capture the essence of “the cringing” that’s happening around the world as D. Trump (トランプ) is sworn into office. Remember, being an alien can be a human thing too. (All voices transmitting from Sendai, Moon-ku, Japan).

Jan 20, 2017•24 min

Frankie, the phone that died

Frankie, the phone, was my ally and companion before she slipped from my fingers onto the ground, shattering as a subway passed by. It was one of those moments when you realize just how many thousands of miles away from home you are. RIP, good friend.

Dec 11, 2016•16 min

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android