This week, we take on the scintillating story of the Manchurian princess Kawashima Yoshiko, who grew up in Japan before…
This week, we discuss the career of Japan’s most legendary director, Kurosawa Akira. From humble, middle class beginnings, our story…
This week: the story of a relatively unimportant man who appears briefly and dies spectacularly, and the long chain of…
Note: Since this week we’re talking about the sex trade, I’ve taken the precaution of giving this episode an explicit…
This week, we tackle the history of the Burakumin. Where did this outcast group come from? Why does discrimination against…
This week, we spend an entire history podcast talking about someone who may not even have actually existed — the…
This week, we wrap up the life of Japan’s 124th Emperor. What, in the end, did it all mean? Listen…
How does a man raised to be a military autocrat become a democratic emperor in just a few short years?…
This week: Hirohito goes to war. What did he know, how much did he direct things himself, and ultimately, how…
This week, we take a look at Hirohito’s life before World War II. What kind of ruler was Japan’s new…