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Tag: literature

Episode 455 – In the Shadow of the Pine

September 23, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, the tale of Ogimachi Machiko–the aristocrat whose literary descriptions of her life in a samurai family became one…

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

Episode 447 – On a Summer Night, The First Thought of Sleep

July 22, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re taking a look at the legacy of one of Japan’s most influential poets: Ki no Tsurayuki. His…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Heian, Heian Period, History, Japan, literature, poetry

Episode 446 – In Days of Old, There Was a Man

July 15, 2022 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re unpacking a rather odd classic of Japanese literature: the Ise Monogatari, a collection of short tales that…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Heian, Heian Period, History, Japan, literature, poetry

Episode 383 – Hell Hath no Fury

March 26, 2021 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

Today, we’re taking a look at a fascinating literary text from 1000 years ago, the Kagero Nikki (most commonly translated…

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

Episode 369 – The Wandering Brush

December 18, 2020 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re taking a deep dive into a distinctly Japanese literary genre (zuihitsu, or ‘wandering brush’) by looking at…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Buddhism, History, hojoki, Japan, Kyoto, literature, Tsurezuregusa

Episode 368 – The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

December 11, 2020 Isaac Meyer 1 Comment

This week, we’re talking about one of the most famous stories in Japanese history: the bamboo princess Naotake no Kaguyahime…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Heian, History, Japan, Kaguyahime, literature, monogatari, taketori

Episode 355 – Tales of Moonlight and Rain

September 11, 2020 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week, we’re talking about one of Japan’s most famous collections of supernatural tales, the fantastic Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of…

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

Episode 354 – Elementary, My Dear Okamoto!

September 4, 2020 Isaac Meyer 4 Comments

This week, we’re talking about popular literature, with a specific focus on one of Japan’s most famous pieces of detective…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: crime, detective, Edo, History, Japan, literature, Tokyo

Episode 317 – Separate Ways

December 13, 2019 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week, we explore the career of the first woman to make a big splash in modern Japanese literature: Higuchi…

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

Episode 270 – A Brief and Fleeting Dream

January 5, 2019 Isaac Meyer 2 Comments

This week, we cover the life and work of one of Japan’s most famous authors: the 11th century courtier Murasaki…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Genji, Heian, History, Japan, literature, Murasaki

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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