Planet Japan Podcast

Ep 185: The Road to Hiroshima

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:42:00 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We open the show with Doug’s fantasy of marrying a mermaid.

For the first time ever, the U.S. sent a representative, ambassador John Roos, to the ceremonies in Hiroshima marking the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city.

A young British girl named Beckii Cruel has taken Japan by storm with her dancin’ and her prancin’.

We honor two Dicks of the Week this week. Dr. Laura’s radio empire has collapsed after she said the n-word 11 times in 5 minutes on her show, andSteven Slater became a hero to some people after a spectacular exit from an airplane - but we think he’s a dick.

This week’s Nihongo a Go Go includes "susume no namida," which means "tears of a sparrow," and is used to refer to something that is very small. And in Japanese, trains don’t go "choo choo," they go "kachong, kachong."

We have an interview with our friend "Georg With No E" from Germany, as he searches far and wide for a job in Japan.

We end the show with a song called "Comes a Lie" by a great Canadian singer named Melissa Rebronja, courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 184: All Aboard the Chu Chu Train

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:23:00 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We start off with our very first audio tweet from our friend Tokyo Dan, and talk about our dinner with Corey and Kazuya, who came all the way to Okayama to worship at the alter of Planet Japan.

A Japanese supertanker was damaged and no one is sure exactly what happened, although Al Qaeda is taking credit for it.

The Japanese government is not doing a very good job of keeping track of its centenarians, and people are starting to think something is fishy.

We merge our Dick of the Week with our Religion Corner and give the honor to Dr. Terry Jones, who has organized a Burn the Quran Day on September 11th. Oh yeah - I’m sure that’ll go well.

The Japanese government is now sponsoring sporting events in an effort to bring men and women together with the hope that they’ll get busy and start making more Japanese babies.

In our Tech Corner, we take a look at a new billboard from NEC in Japan that will recognize your face and age and change the content accordingly. Some may worry about invasion of privacy issues, but NEC insists that no images will be stored.

In this week’s Nihongo a Go Go, we talk about blue asses - "shiri ga aoi" - which means that you’re a greenhorn. And of course, "chu chu" means that you’re kissing someone.

We end the show with some music by a Norwegian singer named Hilde Klain - aka Sweet Annie and a song called Little Boy, brought to you courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 183: The Maku-Makudo War

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 06:48:00 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We start the show with an apology for the fake news story we covered last week, disappointing a lot of Chinese students who were looking forward to free sex with a Japanese porn star.

Our friend and listener, Dan Savage, has cranked up a brand-new podcast about Japan called Savage Japan. Be sure to check it out!

Georg with no E wrote to tell us about an interesting new site called Flattr.com, wherein you can show your love for Planet Japan or your other favorite podcasts or blogs with a quick click.

Walker wrote to ask about the possibility of picking up a used iPhone when he gets to Japan.

We honor actor Mel Gibson with our Dick of the Week award, as well as a woman at McDonald’s who tried a unique to get a free hamburger.

Speaking of McDonald’s...a big Internet war has broken out over the "official" nickname for McDonald’s in Japan. Should it be "maku" or "makudo?"

Everybody loves geishas, but they’re generally not available to those of us with limited means - until now! Now you can get discount geishas! Woo-hoo!

There has been a big push recently, in Japan, to push their students to become proficient in English. At Rakuten, they’ve declared English their official language.

This week’s Nihongo a Go Go takes a look at "kao ga hiroi," which means "wide face," and generally means that you are a very friendly or sociable person. Our onomatopoeia is "gan gan," which represents the sound of a bell, and is often used to describe a throbbing headache.

We end the show with a couple of well-deserved shots at Sarah Palin and a song by Japanese resident Chris Juergensen and a song called Long Time Wondering, courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 182: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet Train

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:58:45 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We open the show with exciting news about Doug’s new iPad and Jen’s new computer - and Jen wins free tickets to the big game!

Tokyo Billy wants to know why people in Japan sometimes eat placenta, and ponders the question on his very own blog.

America once again celebrated the Fourth of July with the big Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest. The happy event was marred when Japan’s very own eating champion, Takeru Kobayashi, got himself arrested after storming the stage to protest his inability to participate.

Some Subway Sandwich shops in Japan are installing hydroponic growing systems so that they can grow their own lettuce. (Unless, of course, it’s just a cover for some other type of crop!)

We take a look at smoking in Japan and the growing success of anti-smoking campaigns.

The Japanese are hoping to land the big contract to build a high-speed rail system between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It would be awesome, but would take about 8 years to finish.

Exciting news from Japanese porn actress Anri Suzuki - after studying the Rape of Nanking in China, she has decided to apologize to China in a very unique way.

(UPDATE: This story is apparently a hoax - dashing the dreams of Chinese students everywhere! But I’m still posting her picture - because she’s totally hot!)

Our Dick of the Week comes from the world of sumo, as yet another scandal rocks the nation. This time, wrestlers have been caught betting on baseball - a big no-no. Just ask Pete Rose. The scandal has also brought to light the extent to which the sport is tied to the yakuza (Japanese mafia).

No Nihongo a Go Go this time. We promise to do a double NaGG next time.

We close out the show with a song called Life is Good by David Silva, a folk singer from California. Hat tip to Edward at the Japan Talk podcast!

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 181: The Wrath of Kan

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:41:56 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We open the show with a look at Japan’s chances in the World Cup and whine about the vuvuzela situation.

Prime Minister Hatoyama has stepped down from his cushy job and handed over the reigns to Kan-san.

Thanks to Corey for sending a donation to help fund my iPad acquisition.

In our Religion Corner, a six-story sculpture of Jesus was hit by lightening and burned to the ground in Ohio. Folks are pondering the theological implications of the event. In an even stranger story from the world of religion, a fatwa has been issued in Saudi Arabia to say that grown men who want to be considered to be related to a woman should drink the woman’s breast milk. Really. I’m not making this up.

It apparently is becoming trendy in some parts of Japan to eat insects insects. We suggest several delicious recipes.

A guy in Arizona decided that he would try to barter for an iPad on Craigslist. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

A baby robot stars in this week’s Tech Corner. Japanese researchers at Tokyo University have created a very expensive baby robot to learn more about human development. Also, 3-D TV has arrived in Japan and it looks like, more than anything, people want to watch porn in 3-D.

Speaking of porn, we take a look at some interesting statistics about online porn.

Our Dick of the Week involves a beautiful mural that caused racists in Arizona to insist that the faces needed to be whiter.

We close the show with a very cool song called Addicted from Strangers in Wonderland, a singing duo from Stockholm, Sweden - courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 180: Tadpoles From Heaven

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:08:17 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

The iPad has finally arrived in Japan, and Doug takes it for a test drive.

We introduce a service in Japan that lets you rent wedding guests if you don’t have enough friends, and explore the trendy new "double happy service" wedding phenomenon.

Our Dick of the Week is a doctor who was less than supportive of his girlfriend when he found out she was pregnant.

The debate over American bases on Okinawa has claimed Prime Minister Hatoyama as a victim, who resigned over his lack of leadership in the matter and the confusion he caused.

This week’s Nihongo a Go Go includes the idiom "me ga takai" - which literally means "high eyes" and is used to talk about someone with expensive tastes. Our onomatopoeia is "peko peko," which means "hungry" or also can refer to a head-bobbing motion.

And finally, we examine the mysterious case of tadpoles falling from the sky in Japan. I’m guessing it’s because of global warming, but I could be wrong.

We close the show with some Nashville rock from the Steve Palmer Band and a song called "Nothin’ To Do." It’s from their debut CD "Apparition," and is courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for listening!

Ep 179: How to Grow Rice on Your Boobs

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Mon, 24 May 2010 07:38:44 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We open the show with a look at why North Korea is making everyone nervous again.

Parrot let us know about his favorite podcast called Irreligiosophy - a show from a couple of ex-Mormons who take a funny (and serious) look at religion. They’re very well-versed on their subject matter and just a tad provocative. One of their recent shows dealt with the infamous Chick Tracts. Check ’em out!

Frando Bagel wrote to volunteer her services as a looker-upper of crazy stories, and Heidi Baggot let us know about a very funny Japanese TV show from the 90’s called Vermillion Pleasure Night, a kind of Japanese Saturday Night Live. Popular segments included the One-Point English Lessons and The Fuccons, an American family of mannequins who had moved to Japan to live. Very quirky, funny stuff.

Two Japanese record-breakers are in the news. The first is pro golfer Ryo Ishikawa who made the Guiness World Record Book for lowest score on a pro tour for one round (58). Masanobu Sato, on the other hand, did his nation proud by setting a new record for masturbating (nine hours and 58 minutes) at the 9th annual Masturbate-A-Thon in San Francisco. You can’t make this stuff up.

The folks at Triumph International have come up with another less-than-practical but environmentally friendly bra - the rice bra. No you can grow rice right on your boobs! How convenient is that?

In Japan, if you need someone to seduce a loved one, you can just call a "wakaresaseya" (splitter-upper) company and they’ll take care of it for you. Unfortunately, a murder has put their business under the microscope.

Our Dick of the Week is Marcel Cote Marcel Cote, a guy who sued a Canadian airline because nobody wanted to look at his bleeding penis. The judge threw out the case with these words: "Bailiff, whack his pee-pee!"

This week’s Nihongo a Go Go includes the idiom "kubi o nagaku suru," which literally means "to make your neck long" and is used when you’re talking about someone waiting in anticipation. The onomatopia is "nuru nuru," which means "slimy or slippery."

We close the show with a very cool song from Cris Tanzi called "Save your Prayers," courtesy of Music Alley.

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 178: Does Cleavage Cause Earthquakes?

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:27:04 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We open the show with a celebration of Boobquake - the brainchild of an Indiana student who decided she would test the theory put forth by an Iranian cleric who claimed that earthquakes are caused by scantily-clad women.

A woman in England is claiming that an accident on her Wii video game system has resulted in a unique condition called Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome. Oh dear.

Parrot sent us some info on a popular new Japanese book that has been translated into English. "The Apprenticeship of Big Toe P" is the story of a woman with a rather unusual physical deformity.

In our Religion Corner, the Christian world has been thrown into a tizzy by the shocking news that a popular Christian singer, Jennifer Knapp, is a lesbian. Check out her appearance on Larry King Live and read the debate between The Preacher and The Skeptic.

Philip James Conran is our Dick of the Week for the ad on he placed on Craigslist pretending to be the neighbor lady, and inviting everyone over for an orgy.

It’s time once again to ask our lovely listeners to help support Planet Japan by donating to the cause. You can just go to Paypal.com and send whatever you can afford to planetjapan07@gmail.com. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

A new soft drink with a familiar name has surfaced in Bolivia. Coca Colla is being sold as a refreshing beverage with just a hint of the coca leaf.

This week’s Nihongo a Go Go includes the idiom "me o nusumu." It means "steal someone’s eyes" and is used to mean that you’re hiding something from somebody. Our onomatopoeia is "hara hara," and is used to talk about something that is fluttering. It can also mean that you’re nervous.

In the Tech Corner, we examine the coming explosion of mind-reading robots and have sad news about the Apple iPad in Japan.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for listening!

Ep 177: Interview With a Cow

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:35:29 GMT

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SHOWNOTES

We open the show with a big surprise visit from a cow named Dazey May. Her distinctive moo may be familiar to longtime Planet Japan listeners. Dazey May came in to let us know about a brand-new website called the Humor-Us Guide to Japan. It’s a great place to read about all things Japan, and is sure to cause you to chuckle or even laugh out loud. Planet Japan is proud to be a part of the new site - each episode will now be available through the Humor-Us site!

Dazey May fills us in on the famous Cow Nose Ring festival here in Okayama, as well as Akebono’s new affiliation with cows.

Parrot wrote to assure us that the Einstein quote on his Dumbasses Guide to Knowledge blog was indeed the real deal, and the archangel Gabriel brought us a message from God.

Gabriel was kind enough to provide this week’s Nihongo a Go Go. The Japanese onomotopia is "niya niya," which means to smirk in a George Bushian fashion. The Japanese idiom is "neko o kaburu," which translates to "wearing a cat on your head," and means that a person is two-faced.

Gomyo has alerted us to a cool new book. Susan Tennant has created an English translation of Musume Junreiki. It’s Takamure Itsue’s famous account of her pilgrimage in 1918 when she was 24, and the exciting adventures she had along the way. It’s widely believed to be the inspiration for the "Wizard of Oz." (Okay, I made up that last part.)

We introduce people to the Shinjuku Cheerleader, who stands out in front of the station every day, dressed in her sexy cheerleader outfit, attempting to cheer up salarymen in these dark economic times.

In this week’s Tech Corner, we learn about a cell phone ringtone that will cure your hayfever! Really! It’s magic!

This week’s Dick of the Week is Jack Cassell, a Florida urologist who posted a sign which said "If you voted for Obama, please seek your urologic care elsewhere," which of course resulted in a genuine brouhaha.

Another brouhaha has erupted in England, where a small town is attempting to become a sister city with a Japanese city. Unfortunately, some of the townfolk are still sore about that whole World War II thing, and are trying to gum up the works.

We close the show with a group from Nashville, Tennessee called The National Pool and a song called Japan, which may explain why some of us are here. The song is courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for now! Thanks for listening!

Ep 176: Bring on the Bears!

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:39:00 GMT

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Shownotes

We open the show with an extended discussion of condom use in Japan.

The U.S. Defense Department has released some of the more interesting (and amusing) ideas for keeping America safe. Our favorite has to do with bears.

From the Email bag: "Rainbow in the Dark" wrote to tell us about an interesting project in Russia, and Parrot has a great blog called The Dumbasses Guide to Knowledge, a guide to all things skeptical.

JR reminded us that we haven’t done Nihongo a Go Go for awhile, so we’ve taken his advice and will feature a Japanese idiom and a Japanese onomatopia on each show. This week’s idiom is Me ga tobasu (my eyes flew out of my head), and can be used when you’re surprised about something. Our onomatopia is pera pera, which means "fluently."

We have a followup to our story about the Christian pastor in Uganda who showed gay porn to his congregation.

Our Dick of the Week is a politician from New Hampshire whose joke about anime fell flat. Way flat.

The Tech Corner features Japan’s very first electric taxis.

And last (and perhaps least), we look at the new penchant for some Japanese men to wear skirts.

We close the show with some indie rock from an Ohio group called Earwig, and a song called Japanese Girlfriend. It’s courtesy of musicalley.com.

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening!

Ep 175: The Chinese Pajama Crisis

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:30:00 GMT

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We open the show on a nostalgic note by re-enacting some comic highlights from the old Hollywood Squares show from the 70’s.

We got some fun email from Christopher, Gabriel, Cory, and Keren. Check out Christopher’s cool art and podcast!

In our Cool Stuff on the Internet corner, we look at a great online learning system called Smart.fm, and check out a new movie stock exchange called The Cantor Exchange.

The Cove, the American movie that exposed the practice of killing dolphins in Japan, won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary.

First China tries to squelch Google, now they’re going after pajamas! Shanghai has a campaign to discourage people from wearing pajamas in public, seeing as the World Expo is coming soon, and foreigners will be scrutinizing the fashion choices of local residents.

We give out two Dick of the Week awards this time. The first one goes to a Japanese monk who came up with a novel way to pay back his pachinko debts, and the second one goes to a school district in Pennsylvania that has been accused of using webcams to spy on their students at home!

This week’s Religion Corner takes a look at a couple of stories that meet at the corner of Religion and Porn. They involve a Bible/porn exchange and gay porn in church. Doug also talks about his new debate with The Preacher.

We have an update on the release of the new iPad in Japan, and Doug invites students of English to join his new Email English Writing lessons. Take a free trial lesson by sending an email to planetjapan07@gmail.com.

We close the show with an encore performance of a song called Japanese People, from a very unique band from California by the name of The Argyle Pimps, courtesy of Music Alley.

Ep 174: Mayhem in the Potato Patch

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:58:00 GMT

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Happy Birthday to Jen who turns 40 this week! If Doug wasn’t so damn old himself, he’d probably feel sorry for her.

The Olympics are here and Okayama has a hometown favorite in figure skater Daisuke Takahashi. Doug is not happy with the flower ceremony, and the Japanese government is not happy with Olympic snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo.

Tiger Woods has finally made his much-anticipated mea culpa and Doug is annoyed by it.

We got some great email from Ian and Hisham, and let us know about the Russian farmer who planted landmines along with his potatoes. Parrot wrote and let us know about an interesting Japanese lesson about how NOT to pick up women.

In the Philippines, there seems to be a rash of killings of karaoke singers, especially those folks who like to sing "My Way." But in happier karaoke news, if you’re blind, you can now sing along with everyone else with the invention of braille karaoke.

In our Tech Corner, print magazines have begun to develop versions for the soon-to-be-released iPad. WIRED magazine posted the video below to demonstrate what it will look like on the iPad.

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Two airlines share this week’s Dick of the Week award. Southwest Airlines kicked off movie director Kevin Smith for being too fat, and Spirit Airlines kicked off a man and his pregnant wife because the man had the nerve to ask for water for his wife after being grounded for two hours.

We close the show with a tune from an Oakland CA group called Radio Nowhere and a song called picture of you, courtesy of the fine folks at musicalley.com.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for listening!

Ep 173: Here Comes Tomo Choco!

planetjapan07@gmail.com (Doug DeLong) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:08:00 GMT

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We were excited to get an actual email from Jesus, even though he’s not a big fan of Planet Japan. We also got fun emails from Parrot (who believes that Bob Saget is God) and Grant. A big thanks, also, to Brevard, who sent me an iPhone app called "Tits and Boobies."

The Australian government has made an unusual new regulation for the porn industry - no more small-chested women allowed in porn! The odd reason is that they believe it promotes pedophilia.

Valentine’s Day is changing in Japan with the newest trend - tomo choco. Women are giving more chocolate to their women friends instead of their male friends.

Big scandal in the sumo world! Asashoryu, sumo’s top dog, has resigned from sumo after getting arrested for assault.

Look out for The Black Widow! Luckily, she’s in jail now after being busted for the murder of her benefactor.

Big news in the Tech Corner! Apple’s iPad is coming soon! Japan’s Fujitsu is raining on their parade by claiming that they had the "iPad" name first. Although the iPad has a great ebook function, the whole ebook phenomenon has not caught on in Japan.

Our Dick of the Week is Paul Shirley, who thinks the whole Haiti disaster is the fault of the Haitians themselves. What a dick!

We close the show with music from a canadian singer named EMAR and a song called The Moon Represents My Heart.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for listening!