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PODCAST

Everyday Japanese Podcast

Natural Japanese, one step beyond textbooks. 🐧 Weekly episodes for intermediate learners who want to train their ear with real Japanese. I talk about everyday life in Japan: small things I notice, places I explore, whatever catches my curiosity. All at a relaxed pace. Sometimes it"s just me; sometimes friends join and we chat naturally. Great for getting ready for real conversations. Transcripts & video at sayurisaying.com. Let"s keep exploring together! 💖

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All Episodes

00:12:54

333. What Is "Oyakoko"? Small Ways to Show Your...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/10/05

My mom just got a passport, and I'm the reason why. In this episode, I talk about Oyakoko (親孝行 — caring for and giving back to your parents) and its opposite, Oyafuko (親不孝）. We look at the kanji together, visit a street in Fukuoka with an unexpected name, and pick up everyday expressions like 門限を破る (to break curfew). I also share three small ways I think we can show our parents we care, plus a proverb most people in Japan know. Take your time and listen along! 🎧 Full transcript, video, and

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00:11:05

332.【会話】Generational Gaps at the Japanese Workplace |...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/09/28

Yusuke(もしもしゆうすけ）once saw a young employee walk in late — Starbucks cup in hand, smiling — and we ended up talking about what's really shifting in Japan's workplaces. Is the younger generation just more relaxed, or is something bigger changing? We get into generational gaps, punctuality, paid leave, and power harassment — and what it all means for the future of Japanese work culture. It's the kind of conversation you'd have over coffee, not in a classroom. Come listen in!🎧 Full

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00:12:38

331. Japanese YouTube Channels I Actually Watch |...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/09/20

If you're learning Japanese, you've probably watched a lot of channels made for learners. But you might also wonder what Japanese people actually watch — I get asked this a lot!So this time I'm just talking about four channels I watch myself. A bookshow, a literary critic, a cook, and one small channel about Tokyo that honestly I half wanted to keep to myself.It's a pretty relaxed episode. Everything I mention is linked

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00:10:59

330.【会話】How Do Japanese Couples Actually Manage Their...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/09/14

It's not something people here talk about — so I asked. Tatsuya is back, this time to compare how married couples in Japan handle their finances: the old 小遣い制 kozukai-sei (the wife manages the salary and hands her husband monthly spending money), what 按分 anbun means (splitting shared costs proportionally, not 50/50), and why some couples end up with three wallets.We also get into travel, workation, and one small purchase worth far more than it cost.Unscripted Japanese for intermediate learners

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00:13:33

329. Ningen Dock: Japan's Full-Body Health Checkup |...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/09/07

"Human dock." That's what 人間(にんげん）ドック literally says. So what do you think it actually means? Maybe some of you are thinking "human and dog."I went for one recently, and in this episode I talk through the whole morning, from the changing room to sitting down with the doctor at the end. I also get into how it's different from the kenko shindan (健康診断), the free yearly checkup that companies arrange, and the one test I'd rather not do again.🎧 Full transcript, video, and

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00:08:32

328.【会話】The Negi Pile-Up: When "Free" Becomes a Gray...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/08/31

It started with a mountain of negi — green onions — piled onto a bowl of udon at a self-serve topping station. In this episode, Yusuke(もしもしゆうすけ） and I talk about where the line is, why shops now have to post rules that used to go without saying, and what that shift says about Japanese society today. If you've ever felt like something quietly changed in how people treat shared spaces, this conversation is for you!🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.com Search by episode number

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00:10:02

327. The Little Happy Moments We Never Talk About |...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/08/24

We all have those little happy moments — too small to tell anyone about, but that quietly make your day. Lately I've been wanting to hold onto them, so I built a quiet website to collect them: Hokkori Biyori. (Hokkori is that warm feeling when your heart softens; biyori means a lovely day for something.) It's a collection of short true stories, about 100–150 characters each, drawn from my own life and the people I've met along the way, no likes, no sharing buttons, just a calm space to

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00:13:38

326. Bureiko, Shirafu, and Nominication: How Japan...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/08/17

If you could never drink alcohol or coffee again, which would you give up? For me the answer was easy — I don't drink — but the question led somewhere I didn't expect. Both drinks bring people together, but in completely different ways. I talk about 無礼講 bureiko (setting aside rank and formality over drinks), シラフ shirafu (being sober), and 飲みニュケーションnominication (bonding through drinking), plus two stories: friends in their 40s who quit alcohol and lost their circle, and an awkward moment at my new

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00:13:43

325. Udon or Ramen? What Fukuoka Locals Actually Eat...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/08/10

After spending two months in India, I landed in Japan craving one thing: a warm bowl of udon. I'm originally from Kagawa, known as Udon-ken (Udon Prefecture — where udon is practically a way of life), but these days I live in Fukuoka, the city famous around the world for tonkotsu ramen. Here's the surprising part: when I asked people here "udon or ramen?" — the answers weren't what you'd expect from the ramen capital of Japan.In this episode, I take you through Fukuoka's udon culture — the famously

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00:16:33

324.【会話】Is AI Becoming Our New God? (Modern Faith,...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/08/03

In part 2 of this series, YUYU throws out a question that really got me thinking: is AI becoming our new god? We talk about how easy it is to lean on ChatGPT when we don't know what to do, why that habit can quietly turn into something risky, and where the line is between using AI as a tool and letting it think for us. We also get into journaling as an alternative way to work through uncertainty without outsourcing it.🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.com Search by

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00:10:34

323.【会話】Is 'Oshikatsu' Japan's New Religion? (Modern...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/07/27

After a trip to India, I started wondering why Japanese people rarely talk about faith the way people in more religious countries do. In part 1 of this two-part series, YUYU and I dig into what shrine visits and New Year prayers actually mean to us, why Japan seems to have rules but not always morals, and how Nitobe Inazo's Bushido once tried to answer that. We also get into "oshikatsu" (obsessively supporting an idol or celebrity) and whether it's quietly become a modern religion

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00:14:08

322. Umi no Hi: A Taste of Japanese Summer | 海の日

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/07/20

It's 海の日 -Umi no Hi (Marine Day) here in Japan, and I'm marking it with a taste of what a Japanese summer at the sea really feels like 🌊 I talk about 海開き- umi biraki (the official beach-opening ceremony), the nostalgic snacks and drinks you'll find at 海の家- umi no ie (beach huts), and why the swimming season here is surprisingly short. Along the way, I get into 自己責任 - jiko sekinin (self-responsibility) A quiet idea that says a lot about how things work in Japan, even when no one writes

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00:09:01

321.【会話】Do Japanese People Talk About Politics? (An...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/07/13

I recently came back from India, and I kept getting the same question from European travelers — "So what do you think of the new Takaichi administration?" And honestly? I froze. It wasn't a language problem. I just never expected that question, and I realized I'd never really thought about it.So I brought it to Yusuke (もしもしゆうすけ）. Do Japanese people actually talk about politics? With friends, with coworkers, at all? We ended up having a surprisingly candid conversation — and his

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00:12:50

320.How Rainy Season Taught Me to Slow Down |...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/07/06

Have you ever wondered why 梅雨（つゆ）☔️Japan's rainy season — has the kanji for "plum" in it? I didn't either, until this year. In this episode: that mystery, plus how I'm spending these gray days — brewing two kinds of homemade 梅シロップ（plum syrup）, a slow walk past blooming hydrangea, deep-cleaning my 水回り（the water-use spots — sink, drain, etc.）, and an evening at the sento learning to だらだらする, do absolutely nothing. Cozy listening for intermediate-to-advanced learners.🎧 Full

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00:15:57

319.【会話】Sapporo Summer, According to Tatsuya (a...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/06/29

I'm joined by Tatsuya, a Sapporo local, to talk about what summer in the city is actually like. We get into biergarten (ビアガーデン — large-scale outdoor beer events that run through July and August), Hokkaido specialties like jingisukan (ジンギスカン — a Hokkaido-style grilled lamb dish) and zangi, regional beer brands, and the best day trips if you want to see Hokkaido beyond the city. If you've ever thought about visiting in winter, this episode might just change your mind.Tatsuya also teaches

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00:10:10

318. Life in Fukuoka: Honest Review | 福岡に住んでみた感想

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/06/22

I moved to Fukuoka and this is my honest review of life here so far. There's a lot to love, but there are also a few things that don't quite work for me yet. In this episode I share both — not as a travel guide, but as someone actually living here day to day. If you've ever wondered what it feels like to settle into a new city in Japan, I hope this gives you a real sense of it.🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.com Search by episode number (e.g., “EP 120”) to find

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00:09:13

317. Eight Reasons Fukuoka Won Me Over | 福岡に引っ越した理由

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/06/15

I moved from Osaka — but why Fukuoka? In this episode, I walk you through the 8 reasons I chose my new home. I didn't just pick a city. I thought carefully about the lifestyle I wanted, what makes me feel happy day to day, and what I wasn't willing to give up. Fresh local food, nature within walking distance, no bears on the hiking trails, and a city that's lively without being overwhelming . Fukuoka checked a lot of boxes. If you've ever thought about where you'd want to live,

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00:17:58

316. 【会話】Sweat or Sake: The Two Ways to Make Friends...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/06/08

I came back from a yoga teacher training in India with a new friend and a simple theory: adults bond through sweat or sake. YUYU and I talk about why that is, what makes some people just click, and how the Japanese concept of goen (ご縁 — a fated connection) quietly takes the pressure off relationships. We also get into why Japanese people sometimes go cold out of nowhere and a way of thinking about it that actually helps.🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.com Search by episode

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00:14:39

315. Perfect Japanese Isn't the Point: What I Learned...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/06/01

I'm recording this from a small town in Kerala, South India, somewhere I didn't expect to learn something so meaningful about language. Watching people communicate here without worrying about perfect grammar made me reflect on a story involving a friend of mine and a Japanese sake bar. It's a bit of a surprising one. If you've ever felt like you need to get your Japanese perfect before you speak, this episode is for you!🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.com Search by episode

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00:08:26

314. Culture Shock Diary: Chased by Dogs in India...

Everyday Japanese Podcast ·

2026/05/25

Back with another culture shock from India. This time, stray dogs. I got chased twice during my trip and the two experiences could not have been more different! The first time was not my finest moment. The second time, I surprised even myself. This episode is a bit embarrassing, a bit scary, and maybe useful if you ever travel to India😉🎧 Full transcript, video, and more: https://sayurisaying.com Search by episode number (e.g., “EP 120”) to find what you need!🐧 Join the Penguin Family for bonus

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333 results

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