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Jake Adelstein: The Devil Takes Bitcoin
Episode 49
Adelstein introduces the people behind Mt. Gox, one of the world's largest Bitcoin exchanges, based in Tokyo and run by Frenchman Mark Karpeles. As a…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Stephen Mansfield on The Modern Japanese Garden
Episode 48
In this episode we cover traditional Japanese gardens and how ancient gardens were related to nature, geomancy, literature and Japanese concepts of w…
9 months, 4 weeks ago
Book Talk: Korea
Episode 47
Books discussed include:
Korean Wilds and Villages (1938) by Swedish zoologist Sten Bergman
The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why…
10 months ago
Hector Garcia—The Spirit of Shinto
Episode 46
Amy Chavez and Hector Garcia discuss his recently released book, The Spirit of Shinto, and how Shinto’s worldview permeates pop culture—anime, manga,…
10 months, 1 week ago
Guitarist Marty Friedman and Dreaming Japanese
Episode 45
Amy Chavez opens the show by asking Friedman to give a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on July 25, 2025. Friedman then turns to the reason …
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Ginny Takemori on Translating Cats
Episode 44
A few of Takemori's favorite books on Japan are:
Hitomachi, a photo book by Araki NoboyoshiWalking The Kiso Road by William Scott Wilson (See our podc…10 months, 3 weeks ago
Lina Terrell on Translating Okinawa
Episode 43
Lina Terrell is a translator of Japanese historical texts. Today we are going to talk about her recently released translation of The Legacy of the Ry…
1 year, 2 months ago
Igor Prusa "Scandal in Japan"
Episode 42
Igor Prusa, Ph.D. is a Czech scholar in Japanese and media studies, currently affiliated with Ambis University Prague and Metropolitan University Pra…
1 year, 3 months ago
Baye McNeil talks about Racism in Japan
Episode 41
In this episode of the Books on Asia podcast, Amy Chavez talks with Baye McNeil talk about being a black minority in Japan, Japanese views of black p…
1 year, 5 months ago
Michael Pronko's New Books: Shitamachi Scam and Tokyo Tempos
Episode 40
Podcast host Amy Chavez talks with Michael Pronko, a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir, and music. He is professor of American Literature at Meiji…
1 year, 6 months ago