Tokyo Confidential

Aug 08, 2022 • S02 E02 • 00:08:16

In the closing days of 1945, the Japanese town of Kokura escaped atomic destruction not once, but twice, due to fortunate turns in weather. Support the Show.

Jul 31, 2022 • S02 E01 • 00:04:41

Among other Americanisms adopted by Okinawa during the post-War administration by US forces—such as an abiding love of A&W restaurants and SPAM—was the requirement to drive on the right, in contrast to the rest of Japan.

With the Vienna...

May 18, 2022 • S01 E10 • 00:09:02

THIS PAST APRIL, FAMILIES ACROSS Okinawa gathered as they do each spring at island cemeteries for a lively graveside party. Family members sat under canopies and on blue tarps, laid out neatly in small courtyards in front of family tombs. Children dashed...

May 07, 2022 • S01 E09 • 00:07:57

THERE ARE FEW FOREIGN BANDS that whip Japan’s famously stoic audiences into a frenzy the way that English rockers Queen traditionally have. 

Every April 17 is Queen Day there, with a slate of events to celebrate the day that the band first arrive...

Apr 04, 2022 • S01 E08 • 00:07:07

In Japan, even something as mundane as manhole covers can be turned into beautiful works of urban art. 

Join us as we discuss the history and philosophy of ornate, enameled manhole covers found in 95% of Japanese municipalities.Support the S...

Apr 02, 2022 • S01 E07 • 00:03:27

September 2nd – known to history as VJ Day – marks the signing on-board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay of Japan's formal surrender. Under the watchful eye of the 31-star American flag that had accompanied Matthew Perry and his Black Ships into th...

Mar 10, 2022 • S01 E06 • 00:09:13

Phones left in taxis. Briefcases forgotten under train seats. Dropped wallets, abandoned umbrellas, misplaced purses. Japan’s 126 million residents lose a vast number of personal items every year. But a remarkably high percentage of them are returned...

Mar 01, 2022 • S01 E05 • 00:06:25

Walking through Tokyo's labyrinthine Shinjuku Station can be a challenge for even seasoned commuters. Hundreds of exits, countless corridors and the constant crush of passengers in the world's busiest train station are not for the faint of heart...

Feb 16, 2022 • S01 E04 • 00:08:28

Apologies for the delay in this week's episode! A last minute re-record was needed
to add in some information newly reported this week in Japanese media.

For two decades, it was the lament of inexperienced visitors to Japan: Where a...

Feb 07, 2022 • S01 E03 • 00:05:10

IN THE WANING MONTHS OF World War II, as the likelihood of a land invasion of the Japanese home islands loomed, the United States’ Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Areas (JICPOA) instituted a new psychological warfare unit under the command o...