Tokyo Speaks

Episode 77 – The Noh Master’s Wife

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Episode 77: Madeleine Abdel-Jalil Umewaka is author of the book and autobiography The Noh Master’s Wife: A Journey From Lebanon to Japan. In this episode, Madeleine shares her experience of leaving her home country during the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and integrating into Japanese culture, as well as the close-knit society of Noh theatre. 

Madeleine details what it was like being married to Japanese Noh actor, Naohiko Umewaka, who comes from a prestigious six hundred year-old Noh lineage. Noh is the oldest surviving form of Japanese theater.

Buy The Noh Master’s Wife: A Journey From Lebanon to Japan (レバノンから来た能楽師の妻) by Madeleine Abdel-Jalil Umewaka here! (Japanese version)

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Episode 76 – Me Too, With You

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Episode 76: Sachiko Ishikawa is a project manager in the video game industry. She is also an intersectional feminist, who speaks out about issues concerning women in society. In this episode, we chat with Sachiko about a monthly protest in Japan called the Flower Demo. She shares her own personal experience of sexual assault and explains three conditions of sexual consent. [Episode length: 52 minutes]

Join the next Flower Demo in Tokyo on Tuesday evening, February 11 at Tokyo Station. Click here to learn about more event locations in Japan.

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Episode 75 – Yakuzen: Food is Medicine

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Episode 75: Kayoko Hirano is a certified obesity prevention health coach and founder of YakuZen Therapy. After returning to Japan from New York, where she held a corporate job for 6 years, Kayoko experienced weight fluctuation for years; that led her to develop her own weight loss protocol. She then deepened her knowledge at the Japan Obesity Prevention Society Institute.

In this episode, we chat with Kayoko about the concept of yakuzen (food therapy), misconceptions about Japanese food, and her childhood interest in the English language, which inspired her to experience life outside of Japan. [Episode length: 56 minutes]

 **Farewell Shockolate Buddha**

This is the last episode recorded with Raw Urban Mobile Podcast original co-host Shockolate Buddha. The podcast will also have a location change after two years of recording inside the mobile man cave. Stay locked in for more informative and entertaining conversations with locals in Japan, including occasional guest co-hosts. 

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Episode 74 – Super Smash Hoes Podcast

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Episode 74: Erika Bulach and Fahreen Budhwani met in 2018 while attending Sophia University in Tokyo. After realizing they shared similar interests, Erika and Fahreen teamed up and created the Super Smash Hoes Podcast. On the podcast they discuss societal issues concerning gender inequality, women’s rights, feminism, the LGBTQ+ community and more; in the context of Japanese society.  

In this episode, Erika, who was raised in Japan, shares her experiences with sexual harassment and assault. We also discuss the safety and overall well-being of women in Japan. Fahreen could not physically join us; however, this episode includes an audio summation of her dissertation “Why Womenomics Isn’t Working in Japan”, which adds another layer of depth to this informative chat. 

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Episode 73 – 2019 Wrap-Up: Community in Tokyo

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Episode 73: We celebrate our podcast anniversaries with our pod brothers Mega and Late of the Mega Late Show. At the heart of both podcasts is a focus on the international community in the Greater Tokyo Area. In the last episode of 2019, we recap this year’s highlights and recognize many of the awesome guests we featured on our respective podcasts. Learn about some of the talented folks in entertainment and music production, plus leaders in technology, marketing/advertising, and environmental activism. 

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Episode 72 – Context, Passion, and Opportunity

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Episode 72: Ed Thompson is a marketing consultant active in Japan and Asia-Pacific, who started his own Tokyo-based company in 2000 called Concept Design. Ed is frequently called upon by global executives to assist them with coaching and training programs to build stronger teams that can compete in global markets. He’s also a lead lecturer in continuing education programs at Temple University and New York University (Japan campuses) targeting working professionals in Tokyo.

In this episode, Ed shares some of the key things he’s learned throughout his professional career in Japan, including one of the simplest and most powerful ways to leverage your passion to achieve opportunities that may be waiting just around the corner. 

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Episode 71 – The Voncujovi Brothers: What is Vodu?

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Episode 71 (Part 2 of 2): This episode is a continuation from Episode 70 featuring Ghanaian-Japanese brothers, Sena and Pele Voncujovi. In this episode, Sena (a Vodu priest) and Pele (a Vodu practitioner) give us insights into the West African spiritual and herbal practice of Vodu (also spelled Voodoo or Vodun). 

The influence of Christianity and Islam in the African continent has long been apparent. Subsequently, Vodu has been demonized globally. Many Ghanaians and other West Africans have denounced it as “satanic” and there are fewer and fewer priests and practitioners today. Through their social media platform “ReVodution”, Sena and Pele’s mission is to destigmatize Vodu and restore a lost pride among Africans. [Episode length: 36 minutes]

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Episode 70 – The Voncujovi Brothers: Black on Both Sides

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Episode 70 (Part 1 of 2): Sena and Pele Voncujovi are Ghanaian-Japanese brothers, who relocated to Japan from their home country of Ghana. Sena is a Career Development Coordinator at Ashinaga and Pele is a Marketing Analyst at Rakuten Mobile. Both Sena and Pele, along with Oulimata Gueye, are co-founders of the group and community event called Jaspora. Jaspora aims to facilitate networking, learning and collaborating among people of the African diaspora (as well as their allies) with the purpose of accelerating contributions to the development of Africa.

In this episode, we chat with Sena and Pele about their educational background, biracial identity, and cultural experiences in both Ghana and Japan. Stay tuned for part 2 of this conversation (Episode 71) next Tuesday! 

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Episode 68 – Supporting Foreign Entrepreneurs in Japan

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Episode 68: Miho Tanaka is a former public relations manager, who recently established her own company Startup Japan. Startup Japan’s mission is to support foreign entrepreneurs with starting businesses in Japan. In this episode, Miho tells us what you should consider before starting your own business in Japan. We talk about different types of visas, legal advice, company bank accounts, and picking a location (city) to start your own company.

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