165: Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan’s iconic summer festivals

As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique? Alex K.T. Martin joins Deep Dive to discuss this and other demographic-related woes the country faces. 
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode: 
Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram
Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter | Instagram 
Read more: 

• Inside Japan’s oldest village (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)
• In Japan, plenty of inheritances, but no one to claim them (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)
• Japan was the future but it’s stuck in the past (Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC)
• Does the pure joy seen at this year’s Sanja Matsuri hint at a summer of celebration? (Johan Brooks, The Japan Times)

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Photo: A man stands atop a float holding a portable shrine at this year’s Sanja Festival in Tokyo. | JOHAN BROOKS