

Unpacking Japan
Produced by ZenStudio
Unpacking Japan explores Japanese arts, culture, and business through the lives of foreigners who have made this amazing country their home. While we’ve all seen vlogs and movies showing Japan from a pop culture perspective, Unpacking Japan tells the stories that get left by the wayside—the immigrants, the entrepreneurs, and the artists.
Tune in every week for an authentic, inspiring conversation with someone who’s carved out their own, unique place in this beautiful country.
Host: Tobias Bieker
Production: A. Magdych
Editing: L. Nicholas, J. Sketchley
Social: J. Sketchley
Design: M. Koga
Tune in every week for an authentic, inspiring conversation with someone who’s carved out their own, unique place in this beautiful country.
Host: Tobias Bieker
Production: A. Magdych
Editing: L. Nicholas, J. Sketchley
Social: J. Sketchley
Design: M. Koga
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 9, 2024 • 1h 8min
How urban farming could transform how we think about food in Japan
Meet Jon, a sustainability consultant living in Tokyo, who teaches us about using urban farming techniques to support greener, healthier and more efficient food production techniques.Follow Jon:https://japanurbanfarming.wordpress.com/Follow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Feb 2, 2024 • 1h 5min
How this Australian woman became one of Japan's most prolific consultants
Meet Melanie, an international consultant for some of the biggest brands in Japan, who sits down to share her unique life and career with us.Follow Melanie:https://twitter.com/melaniebrockjpnhttps://www.melaniebrockjapan.com/https://www.celebratingwomenjapan.com/Follow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Jan 26, 2024 • 1h 8min
What people don't understand about the Fukushima nuclear accident
Meet Jayne, a podcaster and long-term Fukushima resident from New Zealand, who sits down to talk about her podcast for foreign women in Japan, as well as share her first-hand experiences with the earthquake and nuclear disaster that happened 10 years ago.Follow Jayne:https://www.jaynenakata.com/https://transformationswithjayne.captivate.fm/https://www.jandalsinjapan.com/Follow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan!Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Jan 19, 2024 • 1h 13min
What life is like running a voice acting studio in Japan
Meet Kimberly, an American voice actress living and working in Japan, who sits down to tell us about how she broke in to the industry and how it's changed since she started.Follow Kimberly:https://www.lilyprojapan.com/https://twitter.com/lilyproJPFollow us on our social media:Follow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Jan 12, 2024 • 1h 8min
Fitness researcher breaks down Japanese beauty standards
Meet Toshi, a Japanese-American medical and fitness researcher, who sits down to talk with us about exercise, genetics, and beauty standards in Japan vs the US.Follow Toshi:https://www.instagram.com/f_a_projectFollow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Jan 5, 2024 • 1h 9min
How to get investments and start a business in Japan
Meet Schyler, an American investment professional living in Tokyo, who teaches us about the investing climate and challenges of raising capital in Japan.Follow Schyler:https://linkedin.com/in/schylercoleFollow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Dec 30, 2023 • 1h 11min
What living in the Japanese countryside is REALLY like
Meet Martin, an American visual artist living a quiet rural life in Shizuoka prefecture, who sits down to talk to us about why he thinks that Japan is the most peaceful place on earth, even going so far as to call it a utopia.Follow Martin:https://www.youtube.com/@TheMartinShowJapanhttps://twitter.com/GaijinotousanFollow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Dec 22, 2023 • 1h 12min
Why Japan can't stop using so much plastic
Meet JJ Walsh, a sustainability consultant based in Hiroshima, who helps Japanese businesses develop sustainability-focused tourism and business marketing strategies.Check out JJ Walsh's links:YouTube:https://youtube.com/@JJWalshhttps://www.x.com/jjwalshhttps://www.instagram.com/inboundambassadorhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jjwalsh-inbound-ambassador/https://patreon.com/jjwalshhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/jjwalshFollow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Dec 15, 2023 • 1h 11min
Why this Rockstar developer left to make games in Japan
Meet Liam, a British game developer, who shares his journey from working in the world's biggest game companies to starting his own studio in Kyoto, Japan.Follow Liam:https://twitter.com/LiamBMEhttps://twitter.com/denkiworkshttps://www.denkiworks.games/Follow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Dec 8, 2023 • 1h 7min
What life is like as a performing magician in Japan
Meet Ben, a magician and escape room designer from London, who shares his experiences performing as a magician, and the differences in magic in Japan, China, and the West.Follow Ben:https://www.instagram.com/ben_daggers/https://theimpossibleco.com/Follow us on our social media:https://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshorts Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/