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Author: Isaac Meyer

Jack Johnson

March 18, 2021 Isaac Meyer

Jack Johnson was so good at boxing that he scared an entire generation of racists. White authorities chose to make an example of him with one of America’s most infamous laws.

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 381 – The Three Daughters of Azai, Part 2

March 12, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we cover the rest of the lives of Sugen’in, Joko’in, and Yodo-dono (and some other really fascinating incidental…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Samurai, Sengoku, Tokugawa, Women

Episode 380 – The Three Daughters of Azai, Part 1

March 5, 2021 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re revisiting some well-trod ground (the final decades of the 1500s and the careers of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi)…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: hideyoshi, History, Japan, oda, Samurai, Sengoku, Women

Episode 379 – So Close, and Yet So Far

February 26, 2021 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

This week, we’re starting off a month of Sengoku-themed content with a look at one of the remoter areas of…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: chosokabe, History, Japan, Samurai, Sengoku, Sengoku period

Episode 378 – A Star Is Born

February 19, 2021 Isaac Meyer 5 Comments

This week, we’re talking about the birth of the idol industry in Japan. What are idols, how are they made…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: capitalism, History, idol, Japan, music, Postwar

The Hollywood Ten

February 18, 2021 Isaac Meyer

Get your flags and your bibles, we’re hunting Communists. The Red Menace could be lurking anywhere: in your unions, in your movies, maybe even in the very halls of Congress.

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 377 – The Black Mist Scandal

February 12, 2021 Isaac Meyer 4 Comments

This week, we’re taking a look at one of the greatest scandals in the history of Japanese baseball, when the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Baseball, History, Japan, NPB, Postwar

Episode 376 – The Nectar of the Gods

February 5, 2021 Isaac Meyer 3 Comments

This week, we’re exploring the history of Japan’s most famous drink: sake, or Japanese rice wine (though it turns out,…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, sake

Episode 374 – The First Frontier, Part 5

January 29, 2021 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week, we’re wrapping up our history of the colonization of Hokkaido with a look at the impact of the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Ainu, History, hokkaido, Japan, WWII

Episode 374 – The First Frontier, Part 4

January 22, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re talking about Hokkaido in the early 20th century, and in particular the stark problems created by the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Ainu, Anarchism, History, hokkaido, Japan

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About Me

My name is Isaac Meyer, and I’m a  former PhD student at the University of Washington, specializing in modern Japan (with sub-specializations in modern China, modern Europe, and international relations). Today, I work as a teacher at an independent school in the Seattle area.

I also have a tendency to go off on random historical tangents. One day, I decided to combine these two traits in podcast form, and thus was born the History of Japan Podcast!

In 2018, I decided start the Criminal Records Podcast with my wife, Demetria Spinrad. This podcast gives me the chance to talk about world history–and the weird, wonderful world of historical crime and punishment.

Support the Show

Support the Facing Backward network on Patreon to get access to our bonus features, including our bonus episodes about historical fiction.

The History of Japan Patreon is still live, and subscribers will be able to get the weekly newsletter there as well.

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Recent Posts

  • Episode 581 – The Men of Chivalry, Part 1
  • Episode 580 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 7
  • Episode 579 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 6
  • Episode 578 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 5
  • Episode 577 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 4
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