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The Queens of the Forty Elephants

November 3, 2021 Demetria Spinrad

One gang of women terrorized London’s merchants for more than a century. From smashing cars through shop doors to stuffing fur coats down their pants, learn the secrets of the lady gang of master criminals.

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast, Podcasts

Episode 412 – …Don’t Do the Crime

October 29, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re looking at how the criminal justice system in Japan was remade to serve the interests of the…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: crime, History, Japan, justice, Meiji, punishment

Episode 411 – If You Can’t Do the Time…

October 22, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re taking a quick detour into Isaac trolling fans of Michel Foucault-er, the Edo period criminal justice system.…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: crime, Edo, History, Japan, Samurai, Tokugawa

Operation Wedding

October 20, 2021 Demetria Spinrad

What do you do when your country won’t let you leave? One group of defectors from the Soviet Union hatched…

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 410 – A Man of His Times

October 15, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week: Isaac spends 30 minutes unpacking the 400+ page ramblings of a cranky retiree who died about 200 years…

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

Episode 409 – The Contenders, Part 4

October 8, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

How did it all go so very wrong? Sources Funabayashi, Yoichi, and Koichi Nakano, eds. The Democratic Party of Japan…

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

The Holy Roller Murders

October 7, 2021 Demetria Spinrad

A Salvation Army-inspired preacher decided to turn a small Oregon town into a new Eden. His method for achieving this:…

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Posted in: Criminal Records Podcast

Episode 408 – The Contenders, Part 3

October 1, 2021 Isaac Meyer

In just three years, Ozawa Ichiro managed to guide the DPJ from defeat to one of the most smashing victories…

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

Episode 407 – The Contenders, Part 2

September 24, 2021 Isaac Meyer

This week, the DPJ’s good fortune–in the form of the hilariously politically inept Prime Minister Mori Yoshihiro–turns to disaster, as…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: DPJ, History, https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyofjapan/Episode_407_mixdown.mp3, Japan, Koizumi, LDP, ozawa

Episode 406 – The Contenders, Part 1

September 17, 2021 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re beginning a four-part retrospective on the rise and fall of Japan’s most successful postwar opposition party: The…

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

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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 646 – A Fief By Any Other Name, Part 1
  • Episode 645 – The Forgotten Radicals, Part 3
  • Episode 644 – The Forgotten Radicals, Part 2
  • Episode 643 – The Forgotten Radicals, Part 1
  • Episode 642 – The Hunters, Part 2
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