Welcome to the Fun Friday edition of the Learn Japanese Pod podcast — the show where we sit down with cool people doing cool things in Japan. In this episode, I talk with Wes Lang about the recent rise in bear encounters and attacks across Japan: the latest stats, what’s causing them, and what Japan is doing to prevent future incidents.

We also dive into Wes’s long experience as a master hiker. He was the first American to complete the Hyakumeizan, and he shares practical advice on how to prepare for the unlikely event of meeting a bear on the trail — including what to do, what not to do, and some useful bear-related vocabulary in Japanese.

I learned a lot from this interview with Wes, and I now feel slightly more prepared to go hiking — and hopefully avoid any battles with bears!

Wes is the creator of hikinginjapan.com, an authoritative resource with detailed information on hundreds of hikes and mountains across Japan. If you love hiking, Japanese nature, or just a good story, you won’t want to miss this one.

Welcome to another episode of Learn Japanese Pod!In this episode we talk about how to express positive emotions in Japanese. You’ll learn some vocabulary, grammar and also a little bit about Japanese culture and how people in Japan tend to display their emotions in public.

Premium members can access detailed show notes as well as extra podcast dialogues and audio drills. To find out more, visit out Patreon page here: Learn Japanese Pod Premium Membership.

For more information about the podcast, visit the main site here: Learn Japanese Pod

The Japanese-only audio drills for podcast 59 have moved to our new Patreon page. Please click the link below for access:

Learn Japanese Pod Patreon

The show notes for this episode have moved to our new Patreon page. Learn Japanese Pod Patreon Page.

Podcast Guest: Timothy Reid – From English Teacher to Award-Winning Musician and Game Industry Pro in Japan

This week on the podcast, I’m thrilled to welcome Timothy Reid, a multi-talented artist and creator whose journey to success in Japan is nothing short of inspiring.

Originally from North Yorkshire in the UK, Timothy moved to Japan in 2011 after graduating from the University of Leeds. Like many foreigners, he started out teaching English just to get by — but everything changed in 2014 when he won a national guitar contest. That moment launched him straight into the Japanese music industry.

Since then, he’s done it all: from touring and recording as a professional guitarist, to demoing gear in-store, teaching at music schools, and more recently, breaking into Japan’s video game industry, contributing to both big-name AAA titles and indie games.

In this episode, we talk about learning Japanese, breaking into the music and gaming industries, and what it really takes to build a life and career in Japan. If you’re interested in living in Japan, pursuing a creative career here, or just want to hear an honest, fascinating story about surviving and thriving abroad, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

If you’ve ever dreamed of building a successful creative career in Japan, this is an unmissable episode packed with insight, inspiration, and hard-won lessons.

Click on the links below for Timothy’s home page and social media account:

Timothy Reid Official Website

Timothy Reid Instagram

For more Japanese language learning podcasts and interviews with people doing cool stuff in Japan, visit: Learn Japanese Pod

Welcome to another episode of Learn Japanese Pod! This time, we’re diving into a topic that’s more than just daily vocabulary—it’s a cultural deep dive into cleanliness, chores, and the Japanese mindset around keeping things tidy.

In this episode, Alex and Ami Sensei explore how to talk about household chores in natural, conversational Japanese. You’ll pick up useful words and phrases for cleaning, washing, tidying up, and more—perfect for everyday situations in Japan.

But that’s just the start.

We also go beyond the grammar and vocab to look at why cleanliness is so important in Japanese culture. From kids cleaning their classrooms to monks scrubbing temple floors, you’ll learn how these everyday actions reflect deeper values like discipline, respect, and mindfulness—ideas that shape how people live, speak, and interact in Japan.

We also compare the Japanese approach to cleanliness with Western attitudes and explore how understanding these cultural differences can help you become not just linguistically fluent, but culturally fluent too.

So if you’ve ever wondered what chores can teach you about Japan—and want to sound more natural when talking about them—this is the episode for you!

Enjoy!

The Japanese-only audio drills for podcast 59 have moved to our new Patreon page. Please click the link below for access:

Learn Japanese Pod Patreon

The show notes for this episode have moved to our new Patreon page. Learn Japanese Pod Patreon Page.

In this podcast, Alex and Andy talk about their experience setting up a company in Japan, why they did it and how!

In this episode of Learn Japanese Pod, Andy and I dive into the world of starting a small business in Japan. We share our personal journeys of setting up our own company , the lessons we learned, and the surprises we encountered along the way.

If you’re a foreigner living in Japan—or planning to move here—and you’ve ever thought about launching your own business, this episode is packed with useful insights and real talk.

What We Talked About in This Episode

Here are some of the main topics we covered:

• Why we decided to set up a company in Japan
  Our motivations, goals, and what pushed us to take the leap from freelance to incorporating.
• Types of companies you can register in Japan
  We break down common structures like the Godo Kaisha (GK) and Kabushiki Kaisha (KK), and why we chose what we did.
• Legal and financial help – Do you need a lawyer or tax accountant?
  How we found help with paperwork, taxes, and navigating the legal landscape.
• The process of registering a company in Japan
  From choosing a company name to getting all the documents stamped, we share what was smooth—and what wasn’t.
• Hanko culture and paperwork
  What it was like getting our hankos (personal/company seals) made and how they’re used for official documents.
• Registering your company name
  Tips and gotchas when reserving a name, and how we made sure ours passed.
• Our overall experience – Was it easy or hard?
  We compare notes on how bureaucratic (or not) the process was, and how long it took.

Listen to the Episode

Click here to listen now or find it on your favorite podcast platform.

Key Takeaways

• Preparation is key – Research and planning go a long way in making the process smoother.
• Get help – Hiring a bilingual tax accountant or lawyer can save you time and stress.
• Japan’s system is unique – Cultural and legal differences (like using hankos) can be surprising, but manageable with guidance.
• It’s possible! – Setting up a company in Japan as a foreigner is very doable with the right support and mindset.

For more podcasts on learning the Japanese language and discovering more about the culture of Japan, click here!

In this episode, you’ll learn how to understand Japanese vocabulary — using only Japanese. Specifically, we’ll focus on how to ask for the meaning of words in Japanese and try to understand the explanations you hear. Mastering this skill not only boosts your vocabulary but also deepens your understanding of how words are naturally used in context. And remember, this becomes an exponential process – the more words you learn, the more words you can learn. It’s an extremely effective way to improve fluency.

Admittedly, this can be a challenging skill to develop, especially for beginners who may not yet have enough vocabulary to follow explanations in Japanese. However, it’s an incredibly valuable skill to work on at any level. Over time, it will greatly improve your ability to use and understand Japanese more like a native speaker.

The Japanese-only audio drills for podcast 59 have moved to our new Patreon page. Please click the link below for access:

Learn Japanese Pod Patreon