I’ve heard it said that 2006 is meant to be the year of the podcast. Seeing as the number of podcasts out there in many categories has increased exponentially over the past year or so, drawing in a large number of major media producers, such as NPR, the BBC, and the New York Times, as well as the myriad of vanity projects out there, this may well be so.
Being based in Japan, it seemed high time to take a detailed, rational survey of what was out there in English and from Japan, then write thoughtful reviews of as many as possible. This, however, proved to be daunting to say the least, so I fell back into the safety net of a Google search and some time spent with the top few results and a couple of others that were mentioned by those podcasters. For the purposes of this review, I have eliminated podcasts with a focus on Japanese language instruction, although “i??? learn Japanese” seems to be one of the most popular podcasts coming out of Japan, especially for listeners outside of Japan.
“Tokyo Calling” was mentioned by a number of other podcasters and, being popular, is at least partially responsible for some of the traffic to a number of other Japan-based blogs and podcasts. It also claims to be “Japan’s First Podcast,” which, anecdotally, seems to be true. Around since at least October 2004, “Tokyo Calling” has had 59 numbered episodes and comes out, as do most of the podcasts reviewed in this piece, somewhat irregularly, the podcast being a hobby of its creator’s. It takes a casual tone and the content is capricious, often in a good way. The intended audience is people either outside of or new to Japan and the host, Scott Lockman (who also produces “Comprehensible Input - The Podcast,” not reviewed here), gives his perspective on life in the Tokyo area. Although married with children and apparently rather a long-term resident of Japan, Mr. Lockman’s occasional bewilderment at certain aspects of life in Tokyo makes it easy for all, from those who have never visited Japan to those who make their home here, to relate to his podcast and get an occasional laugh or useful morsel of information.
In this vein of reflecting on and attempting to explain life in Japan are most of the other podcasts, including “Made in Japan” whose host calls himself Tokyo Joe - another long-term resident married with children. Unlike the other podcasts reviewed here, “Made in Japan” is designed more like a conventional radio show than a casual podcast - Joe includes pop and pop-country tunes, appropos of little, and long, local radio-esque intros to segments on his podcast, which is planned and scripted better than it’s researched, but comes across better for not being free-form, which can get tiring. Perhaps the best thing about “Made in Japan” is that Tokyo Joe does not just ramble on whatever pops into his head, but makes an attempt to put together something coherent. Now if only he’d lose the songs and lengthy pre-recorded intros - never one of conventional radio’s endearing points.
Also from long-termers is Amy Chavez and Doug DeLong’s “Planet Japan,” which recently put out its 60th episode and spends a lot of time on amusing news from around the world that is not directly related to Japan. Although well-scripted, but unfortunately fond of a slick, lengthy intro, like “Made in Japan,” “Planet Japan” differs in most other respects. It seems to target foreign residents of Japan and non-residents more or less equally and fills a very different niche - each show begins with a cutesy joke of the groaner variety and the banter, while friendly is tame, apparently by design. While I haven’t seen any demographic info on the podcast, I’d say it’s safe to assume that “Planet Japan” attracts a slightly older audience than its counterparts. Commendably, “Planet Japan” is a well-researched show whose producers apparently do some fact-checking, which is a special treat in the podcast/blogosphere.
From the opposite end of the spectrum comes “Josh in Japan.” Josh deserves the most-improved award. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan at first, but after listening to a few episodes (jumping back and forth between his earliest podcasts and his most recent), I have come to appreciate the important niche that “Josh in Japan” fills. Josh is in the Navy, but this fact does not directly inform his perspective; in fact, he talks less about his job than any of the other Japan-based podcasters to which I listened. Like his counterparts, he’s married with children; unlike them, he’s been in Japan for a far shorter time (just over four years, if my deductions based on his podcasts are correct) and is a lot younger. He also appears not to speak much Japanese and works for an employer that tends to give its employees fewer chances to encounter local culture in a “normal” context. In this way, the US Navy indirectly affects his podcast. This is not to be lamented, though, as it gives his podcasts a decidedly different feel and perspective from others. For long-term residents, it can provide a reminder of how bewildering a place Japan can be or remind them of the humiity that comes as one begins to know what he doesn’t know. Perhaps because Josh has been in Japan for a shorter period of time and views it through different, if not more lenses than other podcasters, listeners can sort of figure things out with him.
Saving the best for last. Of all the podcasts to which I listened, the one which most grew on me and the one I’d most like to continue listening to is Rich Pav’s “Herro Flom Japan.” I was a bit put off by the name - it sounded cheesy, culturally insensitive, and so on, but I got off my high horse and was won over fairly quickly by Mr. Pav’s candor and relaxed charisma. Like the others, he’s a husband and father with a full-time job, but his take on things, despite calling himself a dissatisfied perfectionist, is much more relaxed. He rambles on his walk to the station and his listeners become engaged. I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he said and curious to hear what he was going to say next. Best of all, though, Mr. Pav seemed to put a lot of thought and care into how “Herro Flom Japan” sounded. Not the content or his voice, but the technical side of things. His binaural microphones and attention to sound quality made this a rich, detailed podcast with an edge over others regardless of content. Unfortunately, “Herro Flom Japan” is no longer being produced as a podcast, although his blog of the same name is still regularly updated and many past episodes of his podcast are still available there.
For podcasting in Japan to reach higher levels of both quality and listernship, there remains a good bit to be done, though. It’s safe to say that those podcasts I’ve reviewed here represent the first wave - inevitably labors of love with narrow foci in which the producers figure out what works for them as they go along. The next generation will come into its own when someone decides it’s worth the time, effort, and expense of regularly putting out a technically proficient podcast with solid content, which is no small feat for independent producers. Nevertheless, I trust I am not alone in looking forward to it.
