We're recording an episode on Zoom and you're invited! We have no idea how it'll go, and there is a good chance we won't even release the episode if it doesn't go well, so find a reason to sneak off for an hour and join us! All are very welcome this Christmas Day at 9pm JST using the following link! https://jbrc.link/christmas-zoom-25th-dec-9pm See you there! ★ Support this podcast ★
Japanese Comedian Go Takeuchi, AKA Black Samurai, joins us to talk about the changing media landscape in Japan and how it could affect the level of diversity in entertainment. Also, what do you really have to do to make it big in Japan, and why haven't any of us done it yet? Ollie's river cruise recommendation starts off so close, and ends up so far. Bobby isn't letting that Google/YouTube outage last week get in the way of him BEING CONSTANTLY ONLINE, producing mediocre content, and just genera...
Some Japanese folks are telling foreigners not to bring their racial problems into Japan. Baye McNeil joins us in wondering if by "racial problems" they mean that new Nike commercial, or our children. Ollie recommends an email scam. Bobby looks at how Osaka River Cruises do it, and by "it," he means, "nothing." Topics discussed on this episode range from: How you too can learn Japanese design fundamentals How nice it is to be able to welcome Baye when something nice is going on Baye's new Tokyo ...
What does a Biden Administration mean for Japan's economy? Will the US keep the pressure on China? Will the US get back on board the SS TPP? Nikkei Asia's Katsuhiko Hara talks all this plus, more importantly, how it will effect Bobby's investment portfolio. Ollie recommends a River Cruise that lets you ride with people who share your tastes in music, and distaste for each other. Bobby gives Aso Taro enough rope to hang us all. Topics discussed on this episode range from: A New Way to Take advant...
As Japan gets back into full-on Corona mode, the flailing Japanese business sector gets weird with it. Intercultural business consultant Rochelle Kopp looks at outside-the-box ideas to help us pick out the winners, the losers, and the RENTAL FERRIS WHEELS. Ollie recommends a man-powered cruise in which the galley might have bitten off more river than they can chew, without loosening their dentures. Bobby checks out a river cruise business model that's equal parts savvy and sadism. Topics discuss...
Misinformation about foreign communities going viral goes viral in foreign communities due to misinformation. Mercari's Diversity and Inclusion manager, director of Women Who Code: Tokyo and SpeakHer co-founder Tutti Quintella helps us puzzle through the whole Corona Gaijin mess on TV and Twitter. Ollie recommends a cruise that ticked the "innovation box" and not much else. Bobby puts on his NO RIVER CRUISE, NO LIFE t-shirt and gets angry at a list, AGAIN. Topics discussed on this episode range ...
Chicago based stand-up comedian Saku Yanagawa talks performing comedy in a country on the verge of civil war, and why some Japanese people think Trump is good for them. Ollie recommends a cruise that we only used because it was factory installed. Bobby hits the rivers of Hokkaido and catches fall foliage fever. It's a low-grade one that lasts for longer than three days. Topics discussed on this episode range from : An important tip about how you can avoid one of the major causes of seasonal depr...
Everyone and their mother are getting into the animated series "Kimetsu no Yaiba," in which demons brutally slaughter... everyone and their mother. Film critic Matt Schley tells us why the series resonates and, more importantly, sells. Ollie recommends a cruise that gives a 25% half discount. Bobby congratulates a cruise on making history and violating boat capacity restrictions. Topics discussed on this episode range from : Why Japan Doesn't Hire Native Speakers to Check their English, and what...
Anne Crescini, the authority on Wasei-Eigo (Japanese words coined from English ones), helps us guess what pandemic related English-y terms will be popping up on this year's Trendy Word List. Will "Host Club Cluster" make the cut? Listen to find out. Ollie recommends a cruise line that could use some positive feedback. Bobby sees boats full of dead people. Topics discussed on this episode range from : That place that looks like a really nice cafe but is actually a beauty salon Being asked to expl...
We ask author and scholar Oleg Benesch if the "samurai spirit" is the reason for Japan's voluntary compliance with corona guidelines, and should he fail in his duty to answer, we expect him to choose the only honorable way to deal with the shame. Ollie recommends a cruise line even though it could stand to show a little more compassion. Bobby talks about how EDM artists who profit off of the Japanese river cruise industry are actually harming it, and not just because they're producing EDM. Topic...
Yan Fan talks about the need for SpeakHer, the database of female experts in Japan, and what it says about society that something as simple as a list of women is not only necessary, but newsworthy. Ollie recommends Chiba’s “Soup’s On! River Cruise buffet,” and explains how exactly WHAT the soup is on, depends on the day’s river conditions. Bobby looks into the benefits of a new ANTI-TECH movement in the industry and gets a free tinfoil hat. Topics discussed on this episode range from : All of th...
The best bits from Episodes 1 - 54 of the award-deserving Japan By River Cruise Podcast.
As Japan gets ready to reopen to tourism, sustainable travel consultant JJ Walsh thinks we should rethink harmful modes of travel like *koff koff* cruises even though, historically speaking, big old boats have proven their worth when it comes to opening Japan. Ollie apologizes for falling for the PR spin of a river boat company who has, quite literally burned bridges. Bobby tracks down a group of riverboat dwellers, which they are very grateful for, because they were drifting away. Topics discus...
Is armed conflict in Asia inevitable? Would China ever really invade Japan? What does North Korea want? Japan Times senior editor Jesse Johnson tries to navigate the tortured landscape of Bobby and Ollie's jokes about these questions. Ollie's river cruise recommendation is SO GOOD that Bobby is mad that he didn't think of making this... river cruise recommendation first. Bobby looks into how a Japanese River Cruise court case demonstrates Japan's legal dedication to the people who really matter....
Ako Suzuki, our favorite online Japanese teacher, stops by to talk about Yasashii Nihongo: the effort to make Japanese "kinder" to foreigners. Time permitting, we'll also talk to a landlord, a cab driver, and an immigration official about why they don't care. Ollie recommends a river cruise that initially sucks, but manages to seem like it sucks less by simply changing its surroundings. Not recommend for ALTs who appreciate analogies. Topics discussed on this episode range from : Misleading stat...
Former pumpkin farmer Jake Adelstein and amateur firefighter Derek Wessman fill us in on everything you ever wanted to know about Japan's new Prime Minister, but he didn't allow you to ask. For real though, Derek worked as an aide to a member of the Japanese diet, and Jake is Jake, so they were perfect for walking us through all of the stuff that Bobby and Ollie should really have already been at least somewhat aware of. Topics discussed on this episode range from : Prime Minister Abe's resignat...
YouTube Creator and Instagrammer CurrentlyHannah drops in to give her perspective on the challenges, responsibilities, and realities of travel influencers, for a conversation that will inspire all of our parents to say "Wait, so WHAT do you ACTUALLY DO for your JOB?" Ollie ignores the fact that he spent his time in Japan at McDonald's to shit on a Hard Rock Cafe River Cruise, and Bobby puts his ability to read the news headlines (and only the headlines) to take a crack at the Shinzo Abe Boat sto...
Craft Beer Pioneer Matthew Boynton of Sakamichi Brewing talks about starting an alcohol business in the new, smoke-free, covid-filled landscape of Japan, a country so steeped in drinking "culture" that it probably shouldn't drive. Plus, Ollie recommends a cruise for passengers who want to be prepared for the worst, and, you know what? Bobby DID wake up in a bath tub full of ice on his last river cruise, but he honestly can't tell whether or not anything is missing. Topics discussed on this episo...
Japan Times Journalist and host of the Japan Times podcast that was ranked #1 in a Japan Times article entitled " The best podcasts about Japan " Oscar Boyd has bad news for anybody who plans to continue living on planet Earth for more than 12 more years. Plus, Ollie recommends two river cruise courses that might kill you, and Bobby shares his favourite river cruise related podcasts according to the jingles he likes the most—his favourite being a high quality horn that the podcast host toots the...
Former Japanese idol Amina Dujean joins the buoys to talk Johnny's Jimusho and why its boy bands can't compete globally like Korea can? What do you think? Is it the lack of English ability or the fact that they're awful? Ollie recommends the river cruises with the only amenity that matters right now, and Bobby continues down the path to his dream of captaining a riverboat, this week taking one step forward and 1,000 metric tons back. Topics discussed on this episode range from : The female fando...
Author Matt Alt walks us through his new book "Pure Invention," especially as it relates to a democracy loving hamster, and all the times when MAGA actually stands for Man with Anime Girl Avatar. Ollie recommends a river cruise simulator that lets you see turtles, all the way down. Bobby talks about the difference between paying passage and paying toll. Topics discussed on this episode range from : The Japanese cultural artifacts that we grew up with How they shaped our ideas of what Japan was w...
NHK-World business reporter and first-class gourmet Phoebe Amoroso breaks down the will-they won't-they drama around Japan's Go To campaigns, including questions like "Won't they reconsider?" and "Will they kill us all?" Ollie recommends a river cruise that does what it can to prevent the robots from taking over... the window seats. Bobby talks about a river boat discount that comes with a little extra something special. Topics discussed on this episode range from : SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE AL...
Author Rochelle Kopp shares what she learned interviewing people affected by Japan's re-entry ban for the Japan Times, and probably credits the buoys for getting Abe to lift that ban. Ollie recommends a river boat business that might not stop for you unless you hold up a sign that says "Nihongo OK." Bobby asks hard questions about a boat that is taking a weird approach to a subsequent wave. Topics discussed on this episode range from: Our favorite way to find out when other gaijin we hate are le...
Vancouver-based Japanese comic Yumi Nagashima joins the boys to talk about a Japanese company in the US that has "no brand," and also "no money," plus explain how sometimes, the purest form of love is worth dying for. Ollie recommends a cruise that hearkens back to Mickey Mouse's earliest boat piloting roots, and the Disney tradition of profiting off of someone else's creativity. Bobby reports back on a river cruise innovation that simultaneously offers a sleeping chamber and a night soil foot b...
In the wake of devastating flooding, author, speaker, and expert in both Disaster Relief/Recovery and Corporate Social Responsibility, Angela Ortiz joins the boys to talk about the real sustainability question "Would we like to be alive in 20 yrs?" and Japan's go-to response "We'll get back to you on that." Ollie recommends a cruise for Christian cosplayers, and Bobby explores the natural, sometimes sudden processes that turn riverboats into driftwood. Topics discussed on this episode range from...
Japan Times journalist Magdalena Osumi joins the buoys to talk about Japan's priorities in reopening international travel, which can be summed up as "Let the money in, keep the foreigners out.," even though, typically, it's the money that carries more germs. Ollie recommends a river cruise that shows you how the sausage is made, literally. Bobby considers a law suit for false advertising. Topics discussed on this episode range from: How Tokyo is doing as it prepares to engage with the second wav...
Kotaku journalist and author of "The Japanese Sake Bible," among other Japan-focused books, BRIAN (!!!) Ashcraft, joins Ollie to break the disappointing news that Strong Zero is going off the market to our mostly alcoholic expat listenership. Plus, Ollie recommends a River Cruise that will give you an English menu and ask you to make your boat selection while you're still at the back of the line, and Bobby barely conceals his resentment for the actor who beat him out for the part of "Guy riding ...
Author, columnist, speaker, and activist Baye McNeil joins the boys to discuss how we're all so offended by the NHK's racist cartoon that we are continuing to not pay our NHK bills in protest. Also, Ollie recommends a river cruise that thinks honesty is the best policy when it comes to fleecing newlyweds. Plus, Bobby shares how a simple facebook foray forces us all to confront some dark, dark river cruise realities. Topics discussed on this episode range from: How NHK could potentially DOUBLE DO...
Tokyo Cheapo Co-founder Greg Lane joins the boys to talk about a new Harry Potter theme park plus unmanned convenience stores. BTW, did you hear? JK Rowling says that just because they're "unmanned" doesn't make them women. Also, Ollie recommends a river cruise that, on the one hand, is profiting off of racism, but on the other hand, has gathered a bunch of racists in one, pretty vulnerable location. Just saying. Plus, Bobby lets a bunch of angry river cruise shachos yell at Greg for 25 minutes....
In this week's episode Phil Wang joins us for conversation about the 54-year old Okayama man who was caught with 2700 pairs of women's undergarments etc, and the police brutality protests in Shibuya, that lasts for 30 mins, AND EXACTLY 30-fucking minutes, TIM . Not forgetting, Ollie recommends a river cruise that has been instrumental in fixing America, and Bobby talks about the essential role Japanese river cruises are playing in curing the nation's covid-malaise. Topics discussed on this episo...
