
DEEP IN JAPAN
Jeff Krueger
A hodgepodge of guest interviews, personal narratives, recent news, history, and Japan-related memes and cultural phenomena.
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Top 10 DEEP IN JAPAN Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best DEEP IN JAPAN episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to DEEP IN JAPAN for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite DEEP IN JAPAN episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Tokyo Underworld Book Review
DEEP IN JAPAN
09/03/20 • 80 min
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ROGER PULVERS - The Unmaking of an American (Part 2)
DEEP IN JAPAN
03/08/24 • 69 min
In this episode, we are happy to welcome back Roger Pulvers to delve deeper into his writings: specifically, The Unmaking of an American, Star Sand, The Dream of Lafcadio Hearn, and LIV.
Roger Pulvers is an American-born Australian playwright, novelist, film director, theater director, and translator who has lived the better part of 50 years in Japan. Throughout his long and prolific career, he has published more than 50 books in Japanese and English, and was assistant to the director of the film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.”
He has translated works from Russian, Polish, and Japanese, among them Gogol's "The Government Inspector," plays by Stanislaw Witkiewicz, the poetry of Miyazawa Kenji and Ishikawa Takuboku, and novels by Inoue Hisashi. His latest novels are “Liv” and "The Dream of Lafcadio Hearn," both published by Balestier Press. He wrote the screenplay for and directed the film "Star Sand" based on his novel of the same name. The film was released widely around Japan in 2017.
The Deep in Japan Podcast is completely independent and crowd-funded. And by that, I mean we are broke, impecunious, poor. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron on our Patreon page.
The outro was The intro was つれづれなるままに Tsurezure Naru Mama ni off the 1974 folk album Out Of Mind [アウト・オブ・マインド] by Ryo Kagawa. The intro was my original mashup of Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) anime sound bites with “Dubstep" from BenSound.
Got something to say? You can find me at the following:
As always, thanks for listening!

Lost Without Japan Colab (i.e. The Trevor Roast)
DEEP IN JAPAN
03/08/22 • 68 min
In this episode, we speak with Deep in Japan podcast fan-turned podcast creator, Michael Schuelke, who produces the Lost Without Japan podcast, a podcast about Japan in general, but also about Michael’s specific dream of returning to Japan.
The Deep in Japan Podcast is completely independent and crowd-funded, and by that I mean we eke out an existence on the kindness of your donations. Please give a thought to supporting the show at https://www.patreon.com/deepinjapan
The outro was Buddha Brand’s Kushokan. The intro was my own original mashup of Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star), a few anime sound bites, some kabuki, a cheap recording of my son’s Buzz Lightyear toy and “Dubstep" from BenSound.
Got something to say? You can find me at the following:
As always, thanks for listening!

03/13/25 • 168 min
In this epic journey, author Munehito Moro and I discuss a recent confrontation between two Australian tourists and an irate Japanese man, Patlabor 2, The Emperor's Naked Army Marches on much more. Check out his book, Empire of Blood, available on US or Japanese Amazon.
- Japanese Man Explodes on Australian Tourist (Twitter)
- Ken Shimura - English Lessons (with English Subtitles)
- What is a Bogan? (Wesda / Youtube)
- Save the Whales! (Country Joe McDonald)
- Bill Hader on The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
- 怒祭戰友魂 The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (outro clip)
Enjoying the show? Support us on Patreon!
Got something to say? You can reach me at the following: [email protected]
Thanks for listening

JOHN RUCYNSKI on Bridging the Humor Barrier
DEEP IN JAPAN
03/08/24 • 74 min
In this episode, we invite Professor John Rucynski back to discuss his book, Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor Competency Training in English Language Teaching, and more generally the topic of joking in Japan. John is an associate professor at the Center for Language Education at Okayama University. His main research interest is exploring the role of humor in foreign language acquisition and intercultural communicative competence. In addition to editing two volumes about this passion, he has written numerous articles and given conference presentations around the world. His mission going forward is to at least slightly disprove the maxim that “Nothing is as unfunny as trying to explain why something is funny.” To learn more about John and his work, check out the following books and articles:
- Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor Competency Training in English Language Teaching (Rowman & Littlefield; with Caleb Prichard)
- New Ways in Teaching with Humor (TESOL Press)
- Is This Thing On? Teacher Views of Incorporating Humor Into Online Language Classes (The Language Teacher, with Peter Neff)
- L2 Learners' Ability to Recognize Ironic Online Comments and the Effect of Instruction (System; with Caleb Prichard)
- Implementing Humor Instruction into English Language Teaching (English Teaching Forum; with Caleb Prichard)
- The English Classroom as “Warai no ba”: Instructor Views on Humor and Language Learning in Japan (International Journal of Educational Research; with Peter Neff)
- Second Language Learners’ Ability to Detect Satirical News and the Effect of Humor Competency Training (TESOL Journal; with Caleb Prichard)
- Japanese Perceptions of Humor in the English Language Classroom (HUMOR; with Peter Neff)
- Using The Simpsons in EFL Classes (English Teaching Forum)
The Deep in Japan Podcast is completely independent and crowd-funded, so if you like what you hear, please give thought to supporting us.
The outro was American Joke Man by JAM. Don't know who Spalding Gray is? You're not alone. I thought John was referring to a crayon color. For context, check out his 1987 masterpiece, Swimming to Cambodia.
Got something to say? You can reach me at the following:
As always, thank

JON HEESE - A Naturalized Japanese Politician
DEEP IN JAPAN
09/05/23 • 174 min
What an interview. Such a fun, down-to-earth, amazing person. See, folks, this is why I spiritually identify as Canadian-Japanese. Want to learn more about Jon? Check out the following links:
- Visible Minorities: Life Lessons from a Naturalized Japanese Politician (SNA)
- A Road Less Travelled | Degrees Magazine (University of Regina)
- Foreign-born assemblymen try to make a difference (Asahi)
- ヘイズ・ジョン (Jon's Wiki)
- TOP of 愛してる、つくば (Jon's Website)
- Jon Heese (IMDB for Nihon igai zenbu chinbotsu and The Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit)
- OMG AND HERE HE IS IN THE MOVIE!
- ウルフルズ - バンザイ~好きでよかった~ (outro)
- Queen Hits - Japanese versions (intro)
And remember, the Deep in Japan Podcast is completely independent and crowd-funded, so if you like what you hear, please consider supporting the show.
Got something to say? You can reach me at Deep in Japan Podcast (@DeepinJapanPod) · Twitter/X
Thanks for listening!
Support the show
03/08/24 • 93 min
Amy Chavez has been a columnist for The Bali Times, HuffPo, and The Japan Times (the latter 23 years). She founded Books on Asia in May 2018. Her articles have been published in newspapers and magazines around the world including Japan, the UK, the US, Canada, Taiwan, Indonesia, and New Zealand. She lives in Japan. Her latest book is The Widow, The Priest and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island available at Bookshop.org (an online bookshop that puts you in touch with local bookstores who procure your purchase for pick-up) for those in the US. You should also be able to find the book at Kinokuniya and The Laughing Oyster Bookshop in B.C. Canada, for all our B.C. canuck buddies out there.
LINKS:
- The Facebook Page for the book
- Amy on Twitter: @JapanLite and @BooksOnAsia
- Books on Asia Podcast is here or subscribe
PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: The Deep in Japan Podcast is completely independent and crowd-funded, so if you like what you hear, please give a thought to supporting the show at https://www.patreon.com/deepinjapan
MUSIC:
The intro was my original mashup of Fist of the North Star, a few anime sound bites, some kabuki, a cheap recording of my son’s Buzz Lightyear toy, and “Dubstep" from BenSound.
The outro was "Kanzan Bakuzen Bouzen" by "that old bad enka singer" Chiharu Matsuyama. Apparently, he was a well-coiffed renai baller back in the 80s though.
Got something to say? You can find me at the following:
As always, thanks for listening!

10/21/22 • 172 min
The Deep in Japan Podcast is completely independent and crowd-funded, so if you like what you hear, please give a thought to supporting us.
Got something to say? You can reach me at the following:
As always, thanks for listening and enjoy the links!
weatpants Spiderman / Ado - New Genesis / Gen Hoshino - Comedy / Nakajou Kiyoshi 風が泣くとき / “Passengers who don’t want to be groped, please use the rear train cars” announcement angers Japan / New anti-chikan cellphone stickers let you mark train gropers with sign of shame / 10 Popular Japanese Marriage Proposals / さわらないで!/ Groping is a Crime Pins / Stop Chikan Badges / Shiori Ito (wiki) / Naomi Osaka Fornite skin / Naomi Osaka’s MIdrift / Rodcaster Pro II / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless / Tsuyama Massacre (wiki) / Jeff's Bedroom Post Operation Get All The Screen
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FAQ
How many episodes does DEEP IN JAPAN have?
DEEP IN JAPAN currently has 365 episodes available.
What topics does DEEP IN JAPAN cover?
The podcast is about News, Japan, Comedy, Podcast, Podcasts, Deep, Japanese and Comedy Interviews.
What is the most popular episode on DEEP IN JAPAN?
The episode title 'Tokyo Underworld Book Review' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on DEEP IN JAPAN?
The average episode length on DEEP IN JAPAN is 81 minutes.
How often are episodes of DEEP IN JAPAN released?
Episodes of DEEP IN JAPAN are typically released every 4 days.
When was the first episode of DEEP IN JAPAN?
The first episode of DEEP IN JAPAN was released on Jun 5, 2016.
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