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Author: Isaac Meyer

Episode 547 – The Five Mountains, Part 1

September 27, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week on the Footnotes to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: many describe Zen as the religion of the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Buddhism, History, Japan, Kamakura, religion, Samurai, Zen

Mickey Cohen, part 2

September 26, 2024 Isaac Meyer

Mickey Cohen had friends in high places, from celebrities to televangelists to the LAPD. So what happened when one of…

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 546 – The Extreme Right in Postwar Japan, Part 2

September 20, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re continuing last week’s footnote on the postwar ultraright. How did the fall of the Soviet Union affect…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: extremism, History, Japan, Politics

Episode 545 – The Extreme Right in Postwar Japan, Part 1

September 13, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week’s footnote: the first of two parts on the postwar extreme right. This week, we’re mostly focusing on the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Anpo, extremism, Fascism, History, Japan, Postwar

Episode 544 – A Day in the Life of Meiji Japan, Part 2

September 6, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re continuing last week’s footnote on daily life in Meiji Japan. Topics covered this week include life as…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: army, cuisine, Film, History, Japan, Kabuki, Meiji

Mickey Cohen, part 1

September 5, 2024 Isaac Meyer

It’s an illegal gambling, Nazi-punching, tax-paying good time with Mickey Cohen, a gangster who rose through the ranks during one…

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 543 – A Day in the Life of Meiji Japan, Part 1

August 30, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History Footnotes: what was it like to live in the Meiji Era?…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: cuisine, economy, Education, History, Japan, Meiji

Episode 542 – The Heart of Darkness

August 16, 2024 Isaac Meyer

For our second footnote to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: a simple question that definitely won’t result in an…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Fascism, History, Japan, Politics, WWII

Sovereign Citizens, part 2

August 15, 2024 Isaac Meyer

As the internet creates new unmoderated spaces for ideas to spread, the sovereign citizen movement moves on to new audiences…

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 541 – The Way of the Gods

August 9, 2024 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we have our first Footnote to the Revised Introduction to Japanese history, expanding on questions we didn’t get…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Jomon, Kofun, religion, Shinto, Yayoi

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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 577 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 4
  • Episode 576 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 3
  • Episode 575 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 2
  • Episode 574 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 1
  • Episode 573 – The Revolutionary, Part 8
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