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Tag: Japan

Episode 615 – I am Legend, Part 2

February 13, 2026 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment

This week, the Yoshitsune legend finds its legs with Heike Monogatari–one of the most epic works in Japanese history. Except…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, medieval, Muromachi, Samurai

Episode 614 – I am Legend, Part 1

February 6, 2026 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment

Note: I made a mistake recording this episode but did not have time to go back and fix it. It’s…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Kamakura, medieval, Minamoto, Samurai

Episode 613 – I am a Cat

January 31, 2026 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re covering one of the most titanic names in Japanese literature–Natsume Soseki–and the work that propelled him to…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, literature, Meiji

Episode 612 – The Final Frontier, Part 8

January 23, 2026 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week: Japanese Manchuria comes crashing down as a combination of poorly planned colonial policies and a worsening war situation…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: China, History, Japan, Manchukuo, Manchuria, WWII

Episode 611 – The Final Frontier, Part 7

January 16, 2026 Isaac Meyer

This week: some reflections on the hollow nature of Manchurian “independence”, and on what kept the state going if so…

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

Episode 610 – The Final Frontier, Part 6

January 9, 2026 Isaac Meyer

This week on the podcast: the Japanese presence in Manchuria was never particularly large, even at its height. So how…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Manchukuo, Manchuria, WWII

Episode 609 – The Final Frontier, Part 5

December 26, 2025 Isaac Meyer

In the last episode of 2025: a bomb “mysteriously” goes off just outside Mukden during the evening of September 18,…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: China, History, Imperial Japanese Army, Japan, Manchuria, Politics, WWII

Episode 608 – The Final Frontier, Part 4

December 19, 2025 Isaac Meyer

As Japan enters the 1920s, national policy becomes increasingly liberalized–but Manchuria remains a holdout of extremists who, if anything, begin…

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

Episode 607 – The Final Frontier, Part 3

December 12, 2025 Isaac Meyer

This week: Japan’s military and civilian leaders find themselves at a crossroads in Manchuria in the 1910s, as views begin…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: colonialism, History, Japan, Manchuria

Episode 605 – The Final Frontier, Part 1

November 28, 2025 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re turning our attention to possibly the most unique of Japan’s colonial ventures during the imperial era: Manchuria.…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: colonialism, History, Japan, Meiji, 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.

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

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Recent Posts

  • Episode 615 – I am Legend, Part 2
  • Episode 614 – I am Legend, Part 1
  • Episode 613 – I am a Cat
  • Episode 612 – The Final Frontier, Part 8
  • Episode 611 – The Final Frontier, Part 7
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