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Episode 69 – Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival

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Recently, Linda, Fred, Terrance and I made the trek up to the base of Mount Fuji to see the Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival. This festival marks the closing of the hiking trails for Fuji-san. The carrying of the mikoshi through town along with the noise is said to try to appease the goddess of Mt. Fuji so that the mountain will not erupt. Fires are lit from the center of the city all the way to Sengen-Jinja in order to impress the goddess.

You can read more about the Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival by reading on other sites. You can see the festival by watching this video. Enjoy!

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Episode 68 – The Pachinko Experience

Fred joins in this episode to discuss the ever classic Japan pachinko parlor experience.

After coming home from a round of yakitori, we enjoy a few beers on the way back to my apartment to chat about our experience. Listen to us get distracted by the ultrasonic teenage repellers down in Tsukiji.

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Check out Japanpodcast

Hey everyone. Just a brief blog update before I get to editing some new episodes that were recorded this weekend.

If you haven’t already found it yet, you should go on over to Japan Podcast and check out the new podcast that my good friend Karamoon has started up along with Terri. The podcast seems to be developing quite well and they take a “topical” slant on Japan with some good focused discussion that dives in to Japan culture feet first.

iTunes Link

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Episode 67 – Awesome Beer Pour

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So I sat down this evening to get my Logic setup all ready for another podcast, and I just couldn’t sit down and belt out some audio tonight. So instead, we do a video.

A co-worker join myself and Linda for dinner the other night at a fabulous german beer hall restaurant in Hamamatsu-chou on Friday night. The beer was great, and the sausage was fantastic. And the beer was poured very stylistically. Enjoy!

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Episode 66 – Video Coffee Machine

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You can be in Japan for many years and still see something new every day. This was the case when Linda and I recently noticed a new type of coffee machine at our local hospital here. Apparently this coffee machine shows a multi-angle live video feed of how your coffee is being prepared inside the machine. We’re quite sure its legit too since my coffee cup had a different color than the customer before me.

And the coffee itself? Amazing! If you are ever in Saint Lukes hospital in the Tsukiji area, hit this machine up!

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Episode 65 – Long Overdue Update

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Hey everyone. Thanks for writing and for all of the comments and support. I figured it was well overdue and time for me to provide an update for what has been going on. In this episode, I take some time to address the gaps, give a brief update on our lives and adventures, and explain why things have been taking so long. We talk a bit about the last year and what’s changed and what is to come. Enjoy!

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Moving Back to Japan

Hello everyone. Yes it is true, I am moving back to Japan. I guess I just couldn’t get enough the first time. I’ve been receiving lots of questions about future podcasts lately, so I figured I’d sent of a quick now.

There will be a new podcast started soon and I will post the information here. Originally,wWhen I returned from Japan, I had high plans to start a new podcast about the financial crisis and my view of this crisis from overseas. However, due to lack of time and changing personal circumstances, I was not able to make this reality.

The new Japan-related podcast is already underway and under pre-production. I can only tell you that its again Japan-related, and this time has a new “twist”. So stay tuned right here for the new podcast, complete with new URL (once I name it) and new feed.

Thanks to all of the FJ listeners. I hope to take you on another, even more fantastic, ride overseas very very soon. Cheers!

Christopher

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Episode 64 – Final Episode

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Well, its that time. Time again for another, and final, Finding Japan episode by yours truly. It took a while but in this episode, I say goodbye to Japan and all of the fun times that we had. At nearly two hours long, this episode highlights some of my favorite parts of Japan by revisiting clips from prior episodes. Come revisit the podcast with me as we tour through the experiences I had, things I learned, and people I have met.

But rather than give a long-winded overview of the episode, just listen in and enjoy. Details about the future are also enclosed.

Thanks again to all of my friends, all of the listeners and contributors to the podcast, everyone who guided me and helped my find my way through the land of the rising sun. This was truly an amazing life experience and I will never forget it.

Finding Japan has been archived at archive.org for posterity. This site will cease to exist at some point in the future though I will do my best to maintain the feed. Check archive.org for all of the episodes, including prologues to the podcast.

Thank you all.

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Traveling Home

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I took a jet plane home this past Wednesday (first time on a 747 actually) and am now writing this post from the couch at my parents home in New Hampshire. It’s been nice to finally fly home and I am so tired-out I can barely stand it.

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I did manage to take a picture of my last meal in Japan though at the airport. I will send some updates along when I finish up the final episode, just as soon as my jet lag subsides. Talk to you all very soon.

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Episode 63 – Wrapping It Up

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Photo taken at the Panasonic Center in Ariake, Tokyo, Japan. Cardboard dinosaurs rule!

Ok, well not really wrapping it up quite yet. Just some thoughts on paying my last rent payment here in Tokyo, a small request to all listeners, answering a letter to my future self, and more. Che-ch-che-ch-checka-check it out!

Show Notes:

  • Paying my last rent payment
  • Listeners – submit your thoughts on your favorite part of FJ
  • Watching an excavator for 2 mins (sorry for leaving that in there)
  • Interlude: “Memories of an Old Dog” by Fireproof Babies
  • Thoughts on video games in Japan
  • Answering future self letter from 1 year ago
  • My Japanese ability
  • Moving out sale
  • Outro: “Uno Two (Instrumental)” by KCentric

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