iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

What is "authentic" Japanese culture? Tourism consultant Alex Bradshaw from GOTOKU sits down to talk to us about his work integrating traditional culture into the tourism industry. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #traveljapan #traditionalculture

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

What makes jpop and kpop different: Alex Karlsson sits down to talk to us about his work producing k-pop and j-pop, and what makes idol music so different. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #kpop #jpop #idolmusic

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Truly great anime: Joey The Anime Man sits down to talk to us about manga and anime, as well as his work on Trash Taste and his fashion brand NØИSENSE. Full episodes in bio! #anime #manga #otaku #lifeinjapan

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

NPOs in Japan: Lowell Sheppard sits down to talk to us about his work with NPOs in Japan, as well as his life sailing around Japan. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #longevity #aging

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Japanese photographers: Amanda Ling-Ning Lo sits down to talk to us about her work managing Japanese photo galleries and exhibitions. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #photography #artgallery

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Shibari vs. kinbaku Shibari artist Pablo Aida sits down to talk to us about the history, art, and practice of shibari. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #shibari #kinbaku

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Translating Undertale to English: Keiko Fukuichi sits down to talk to us about her work translating indie games like Undertale, Hades, and Return of the Obra Dinn. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Japan's new visa regulations—Ray Hoe sits down to talk to us about his journey setting up a hotel in Japan, and the challenges he's faced from Japan's changing visa regulations. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #entrepreneur #inaka

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Should non-residents be allowed to buy homes in Japan? Derek from YukiHomes sits down to talk to us about his work as an akiya consultant and running a Japan-based business from overseas. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #akiya #japanlife

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The Japanese press oligopolies: Journalist Martin Fackler sits down to talk to us about his career in Japan and China, sharing stories about gangs, running from the Chinese police, and his experiences with Japan's kisha club system. Full episodes in bio!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Where did Japan's jazz kissa come from? Author of Tokyo Jazz Joints Philip Arneill sits down to talk to us about the culture of Japan's jazz kissa. Full episodes in bio!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Social support for invisible illness in Japan: Hanna sits down to talk to us about her journey with chronic invisible illnesses in Japan. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #japanesehealthcare #cfs #chronicpain

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

How anime came overseas with zero interest from Japanese companies: Roland Kelts, sits down to talk to us about the spread of Japanese pop culture overseas, as well his work on the upcoming documentary Tezuka: God of Manga. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #anime #manga

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Is there a demand for foreign manga? Manga professor Kofi Bazzell-Smith sits down to talk to us about the form and history of manga, his work in teaching and cultural relations, and his own projects as an artist. Full episode on YT! #manga #mangaka

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Are Japanese apartments foreigner friendly? Tokyo realtor Sandul Vinsuka sits down to talk to us about the Tokyo housing market. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #japaneseapartment #tokyorealestate

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Japanese audiences vs. improv: Actress Christiane Brew sits down to talk to us about her theatre career in Tokyo, as well as her roles in projects like Death Stranding and Godzilla. Full episodes in bio!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

The Bizen Samurai Exerpt from our new documentary, Bizen: The resilient artisans of a small Japanese town, out now on our YouTube channel! #lifeinjapan #japanesecraftsmanship #samurai

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Japanese comedy school: Comedian Daniel Wilson sits down to talk to us about Japanese comedy school, manzai, and his career in Japan. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #japanesecomedy #comedian #manzai

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Bizen: The resilient artisans of a small Japanese town Unpacking Japan's new documentary releases Wednesday, August 5th at 7am JST on YouTube! Please check it out! #lifeinjapan #japanlife #inaka #japanesecraftsmanship

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Japanese tattoo apprenticeship: Tattoo artist Hori Benny sits down to talk to us about his apprenticeship and career in Japan. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #japanesetattoos #tattooartist

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Should Japan still use nuclear energy? Nuclear engineering professor Akira Tokuhiro sits down to talk to us about Japan's energy future. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #nuclear #nuclearenergy

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Being half Japanese: Aki Yamaguchi sits down to talk to us about her life and career as a Thai-Japanese creator and MC. Full episodes in bio! #lifeinjapan #hafu

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

What is it like to be a rickshaw driver in Tokyo? Kenny sits down to talk to us about being a pro rugby player, and now rickshaw driver and entrepreneur. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

The reality of being an ALT in Japan: International school principal Jake Nalton sits down to talk to us about making English teaching in Japan a career. Full episodes on YouTube! #lifeinjapan #englishteaching

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Why people think Priyanka Yoshikawa is an elephant trainer: Priyanka sits down to talk to us about her life in Japan and abroad as an Indian hafu. Full episodes in bio!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The Japan cookbook: Nancy Singleton Hachisu sits down to talk to us about her career as a Japanese cookbook author. Full episodes in bio! #japanesefood #japanesecooking

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Setting up a company in Japan: Lauren Rose Kocher sits down to talk to us about her career as an entrepreneur and CEO in Japan. Full episodes on YouTube! #lifeinjapan #ceo #japanlife

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

The Tokyo art scene: Ameya sits down to talk to us about her career being an Indian director born in Tokyo. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

The Noh professor: Richard Emmert sits down to talk to us about all things Noh. Full episodes on YouTube! #noh #japanesetheatre #japanlife

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

The state of Japan content: this week we sat down with Matcha Samurai to talk about his life in London, what Kochi people are like, and how "Japan" is seen on social media. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

From salaryman to drag bar: this week, we sat down with Japan's biggest diva Sylvia Manchester to talk about her life and love of queer literature. Full episodes on YouTube! #lifeinjapan #dragqueen #pridemonth

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Being gay in Japan: Will Bennett from Japan Gay Guide sits down to talk to us about gay and queer life in Japan. Full episodes on YouTube! #lifeinjapan #japanlife #pridemonth #lgbt

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Fluent in kansai-ben: Honma ni Lawson sits down to talk to us about his tsurare comedy videos and becoming known for his fluent Kansai-ben. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Genoa Orion sits down to talk to us about his journey from growing up in a cult to being an exchange student in Okinawa, to eventually going viral for his comedy videos about studying Japanese.

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Japan's most unconventional influencer: this week we sat down with Bernd Kestler about his career as a knitter. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Sociologist James Farrer sits down to talk to us about his research on third spaces in Tokyo. Full episodes in bio!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Real life magical girl: We sat down with kfel to talk about her life of magical girl side quests in Tokyo. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

NYT correspondant River Akira Davis talks to us about being a journalist in Japan in the age of rising nationalism. Full episodes in bio!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

How does game translation actually work? This week, we sat down with @square-enix-games.com in-house translator Paula to talk about her work in localization. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

What's it like to be black in Japan? We sat down with Professor Avril Haye-Matsui to talk about her research in cultural diversity in Japan. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Are Japanese universities becoming more global? This week we sat down with Kyoto University's Director of Communications David Kornhauser to talk about the reality of higher education in Japan.

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

What's it like being a single mother in Japan? We spoke with @savvykenya about her life in Japan and her work as an applied AI researcher. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

How Western culture and fashion come to Japan: This week, we sat down with writer W. David Marx to talk about the history of fashion and pop culture in Japan. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Where do all these fashion trends come from? This week, we sat down with fashion creator Yumechi to talk about lolita, jirai-kei, and Japan's fashion culture.

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

This week we sat down with PiNKII about her journey as an artist, from jpop idol aspirations to her current colorful and pink domme-pop. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Walk like a samurai: "Renaissance Samurai" WIlliam Reed sits down to talk to us about his life in Japan, study of martial arts, and the practice of Namba walking.

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

This week, Cory from Science Patrol sits down to talk to us about the business of sofubi, Japanese vinyl toys. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

What's it like being a foreign jpop idol? Berry from Himichuu sits down to talk with us about chasing her idol dream. Full episodes on YouTube!

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

What was it like to live in an old Japanese farmhouse in the 1970s? Writer Karen Hill Anton sits down to talk to us about 50 years in Japan.

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Unpacking Japan @unpackingjapan.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

What was it like to be a full-time j-vlogger in 2012? Micaela sat down to talk to us about her life in Kyushu. Full episodes on YouTube!

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