With Marie Kondo and those tidy soccer fans representing Japan overseas, you’d be forgiven for thinking that everything is spick and span at home. This week, Alex K.T. Martin looks at what form compulsive hoarding disorder takes in Japan and how it manifests when combined with other aspects of life here.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Deal with clutter while the choice to toss is still yours (Louise George Kittaka, The Japan Times) In graying Japan, pet hoarding proving to be a pesky problem (Kyodo) RiskBenefit Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  

For the final Deep Dive of the year, culture editor Alyssa I. Smith talks to culture critic Thu-Huong Ha about the books they read, the festivals they went to and how Japanese stories are currently capturing Hollywood’s attention.  Hosted by Alyssa I. Smith and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Art came alive in the great outdoors in 2022 (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Junko Takase’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel is a feminist’s nightmare (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Is the new Ghibli Park worth all the hype? (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Do you have what it takes to become a novelist? Let Haruki Murakami decide. (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times) Get in touch:  Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!   Photo:  Looking for some books to read during the year-end holidays? The Japan Times culture section has you covered. | GETTY IMAGES

With the United Nations Biodiversity Conference taking place in Montreal this week, we thought it would be a good opportunity to look at how Japan is handling issues involving biodiversity here. Environmental journalist Mara Budgen comes on the show to talk about the Japanese giant salamander, which has been designated a "special natural monument" under Japanese law but is still vulnerable to extinction.  If you have pitches for our new section Our Planet, feel free to email us at environment@japantimes.co.jp.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Mara Budgen: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  Battle to stop Kagoshima seawall highlights divide over coastal engineering (Mara Budgen, The Japan Times) Save the Japanese giant salamander campaign (The Japan Channel, YouTube) Sustainable Daisen Get in touch:  Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  Photo:  The Japanese giant salamander’s biology has changed little over the past 23 million years, so when you see one it’s like looking at a dinosaur. | TOPOUTIMAGES/ YUKIHIRO FUKUDA

Dec. 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark treaty that put the idea of global effort to save the planet on many national radars. To mark the event, The Japan Times has launched a new section, Our Planet, that will look at the climate crisis, Earth science and disaster management from a Japanese perspective. Two of the section’s editors, Joel Tansey and Chris Russell, join me on the show to discuss how the Kyoto Protocol is viewed now and how the city it’s named for has taken to its green mantle.  If you have pitches for Our Planet, feel free to email us at environment@japantimes.co.jp.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Chris Russell: Articles | Twitter Joel Tansey: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  From Kyoto Protocol to ‘fossil’ awards: Japan’s climate image stained by inaction (Joel Tansey, Dan Traylor and Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) 25 years after Kyoto Protocol, U.N. climate process stumbles on (Chris Russell, The Japan Times) “Do You Kyoto?” (City of Kyoto, YouTube) Should I stay or should I go, now? (Linda Gould, The Japan Times) Get in touch:  Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  Photo:  Fridays for Future leader Takuro Kajiwara heads a march through Tokyo's Omotesando neighborhood. | OSCAR BOYD

When former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot earlier this year, the incident shone a spotlight on the links his fellow Liberal Democratic Party members had with the controversial Unification Church. Kanako Takahara joins this week’s Deep Dive to discuss what’s behind a new bill regulating faith-driven donations, investigations into the church and whether these actions will be enough to save Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s job.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Kanako Takahara: Articles | Twitter Read more/Watch more:  In Japan, ties between politics and religion run deep (Will Fee, The Japan Times) Faith or manipulation? Debate grows over regulating Unification Church tactics (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) Escaping the clutches of a cult (The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan) Get in touch:  Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. Photo:  A former follower of the Unification Church who goes by the pseudonym Sayuri Ogawa speaks to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. | TOMOKO OTAKE

Could drinking help the environment and rural communities? You might be surprised. Researchers in Japan have figured out how to make drinkable alcohol from wood, and the knock-on effects are much bigger than a hangover. This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to talk about the science — and sustainable process — behind the process that may bring cedar, oak and sakura to your next cocktail session.  Hosted by Jason Jenkins and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter Read more:  Wood spirits: How Japan made the world’s first liquor from trees (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Get in touch:  Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. Photo:  The huge trees that dot the Japanese countryside may be where you get your next cocktail. | JASON JENKINS 

As news about Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter continues to emerge, we’ll talk to Elizabeth Beattie about how the social media platform’s Japan team has been affected. Are you thinking of jumping the Twitter ship? Well, tech reporter Daisuke Kikuchi later joins us to discuss what social media services are doing well in Japan before recapping some of the year’s big tech and tech-related stories.  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.  On this episode:  Elizabeth Beattie: Articles | Twitter Daisuke Kikuchi: Articles | Twitter Read more:  Following mass Twitter Japan firings, some call for legal action (Elizabeth Beattie, The Japan Times) Elon Musk says Twitter is done with layoffs and ready to hire again (Alex Heath, The Verge) The Zenly implosion: Inside 6 months of tension, culture clash, and conflict (Andrew Deck, Rest of World) AI-generated art sparks furious backlash from Japan’s anime community (Andrew Deck, Rest of World)  Get in touch:  Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! For a transcript of the show, head to japantimes.co.jp. Photo:  Elon Musk’s Twitter profile is seen on a smartphone placed against printed Twitter logos. | REUTERS

The Samurai Blue are headed for Qatar to play in this year’s World Cup. This year also marks 20 years since Japan co-hosted the event with South Korea and a lot has happened in this country’s soccer scene since then.  Sports writer Dan Orlowitz joins the show to catch us up on where Japan stands in the global soccer landscape, the controversies swirling around the host nation of Qatar, and how fandoms here interact with “the beautiful game.” Read More: Hajime Moriyasu announces Japan squad for World Cup (Dan Orlowitz, The Japan Times) All Japan Times 2022 FIFA World Cup coverage On this episode: Dan Orlowitz: Articles | Twitter Jason Jenkins: Articles | Twitter Transcript: We have recently begun experimenting with transcripts for episodes of Deep Dive. A full transcript of this episode is available on The Japan Times website. Find transcripts useful? Tips for improvement? Contact us to let us know. Announcements: Get in touch with Jason and the show at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. If you like what you’ve heard, then please support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing this episode with someone you know. Follow us on Twitter! Photo: Japanese fans sing the national anthem before the start of a World Cup soccer match against Ivory Coast in 2014. | REUTERS/STEFANO RELLANDINI

Despite a recent spate of North Korean missile tests, Japan’s larger concerns have mainly focused on activities taking place to the south of the country — specifically, those involving China and Taiwan. This week on Deep Dive from The Japan Times we speak with senior staff writer Jesse Johnson about Japan’s new alliance with Australia, the recent increase in defense spending and, of course, North Korea. Afterward, staff writer Gabriel Dominguez discusses in more detail the recent Communist Party congress and how it is likely to affect Asia as a whole.    Read More: Spate of launches raises prospect of North Korean missile with multiple nuclear warheads (Jesse Johnson, The Japan Times) Taiwan and looming security crises bring Japan and Australia closer together (Jesse Johnson, The Japan Times) More ‘red,’ more capable and focused on Taiwan: Xi cements his grip on PLA (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) Concerns over China bringing Japan and Australia’s relations ever closer (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) What would be the signs China is preparing to invade Taiwan? (Gabriel Dominguez, The Japan Times) On this episode:  Jesse Johnson: Articles | Twitter Gabriel Dominguez: Articles | Twitter Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Announcements: Get in touch with Shaun and the show at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. If you like what you’ve heard, then please support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing this episode with someone you know. Follow us on Twitter! Photo: In his congress address, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned China to be prepared for “strong waters, high waves and dangerous storms.” Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said something similar in an interview this summer. | GETTY IMAGES

If you’ve ever had to endure a Tokyo commute at rush hour, you may not get the sense that the Japanese are very happy. However, Japan Times senior staff writer Alex K.T. Martin has been keeping track of the mood of the nation, and he thinks the country could be a lot happier than we are usually led to believe.  On this week’s Deep Dive he talks about his visit in the summer to Japan’s “happiest town,” and why exercise and a strong sense of community may have them living an extra 10 years healthier.  Read More: Inside Japan’s happiest town (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Is Japan happy? (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Kodoku: The fine line between solitude and loneliness in Japan (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) On this episode:  Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter Transcript: We have recently begun experimenting with transcripts for episodes of Deep Dive. A full transcript of this episode is available on The Japan Times website. Find transcripts useful? Tips for improvement? Contact us to let us know. Announcements: Get in touch with Oscar and the show at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show. Rate, review and share this episode with a friend if you've enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback. This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times. Photo: Is Japan happy? Western surveys say not really, but is that because the definition of happiness is different here? | GETTY IMAGES