In the first of a multi-part series on the history of communications technology in Japan, we’ve got a double-header: the…
Tokugawa Ienari is often considered the worst shogun of the Tokugawa era. Where does his reputation come from, and is it entirely deserved?
In life, they were poor hooligans. In death, they became five of Japan’s greatest folk heroes. Join us for a journey into Japan’s 17th-century true crime puppet shows, time-traveling heroic tales, and kabuki romance.
Osaka enters the modern era. How did the nation’s kitchen become the “capital of smoke,” and how did the city’s government attempt to remake it for the modern era?
Apologies for the delayed release! I had some computer issues on my end, but they are now resolved. This week…
You’ve heard jokes about the Iran-Contra affair, but have you heard the actual legal arguments of the defendants? To understand the true scope and purpose of these complicated financial shenanigans, we’ve got to cover a whole lot of history.
This week: it’s the height of the Edo period, and you sail into Osaka’s harbor. What sorts of things might…
This Pride month, we’re gearing up for a fight. As we battle over “Don’t Say Gay” bills in the US today, we’re looking back to the 1980s to see how a similar legal effort played out in the United Kingdom. No one was ever successfully prosecuted under Section 28, but that doesn’t mean it was harmless.
Note: due to a numbering error on my end, I recorded this episode as 487. It is actually 488. This…
The start of our multi-part series on the history of Osaka! Supposedly the site where Japan’s first emperor began his conquests, the city has a long history stretching back well before it even got its current name. This week is all about the first 1000-ish years of Osaka’s history, and how it became one of the country’s most important port cities.