Episode 12: Reverse Culture Shock

Saying goodbye to our favorite coffee shop in Japan!

Saying goodbye to our favorite coffee shop in Japan!

The last episode of the podcast đŸ„ł

We talk about our experience moving back to the US and adjusting to American culture again. This is our longest episode yet — here are a few highlights of what we cover:

  • Why did we come back? Plus discussions of the optimal time to leave Japan

  • The argument for not becoming fluent in a foreign language

  • Japanese vs. American bureaucracy

  • Different levels of cleanliness and ease of public transportation in Tokyo and San Francisco

  • Circle of influence vs. circle of concerns

  • Long term vs short term reverse culture shocks

“This is maybe is just kinda mean—What most people talk about on the street or in a cafe or something, is just kinda
 dumb.”
— Dru

MUSIC LIST

Venetian Blinds by Ping Pong Club
Shibuya by Bad Snacks
Mizuki by Bad Snacks
Dreamy Flashback by Kevin MacLeod
Tribal War Council by Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions
Dark Alley Deals by Aaron Kenny
Spy Suite By Quincas Moreira
Half Day by Bad Snacks
American Frontiers by Aaron Kenny
Saving the World by Aaron Kenny
Easy Saturday by Bad Snacks
Delightful Life by Jekk

SHOW NOTES

Check out Bic Camera walkthrough and Bic Camera ads that were used for the background foley work at 11:20.

While we won’t be recording more episodes, I’ll be publishing more travel information from our time as locals in Japan đŸ›©đŸ§łđŸ‡ŻđŸ‡”đŸŻ

Bonus Episode! Unintentional Background Noise

Some outtakes from editing Episode 11. We had to cut out these bits when the washing machine was too loud, or when Dru was drinking water, or sneezing, or when our dog was coming in and out of the house


“There’s some audiophile somewhere who’s like ‘oh god this is going to give me ear cancer’ ... the audiophile appreciates good foley work, it’s unintentional background noise that’s—I mean, I’m not an audiophile but if I was, that’s what I imagine the snobbery to be.”
— Dru

MUSIC LIST

Venetian Blinds by Ping Pong Club
Wallflowers by Bad Snacks
Delightful Life by Jekk

SHOW NOTES

Next episode will be our final episode! Stay tuned for our final thoughts and reflections about Japan.

Bonus Episode! Smack in the Face

We had a few leftover stories that ended up getting cut from previous episodes. These were too interesting and funny to leave out of the podcast completely, so I’ve assembled them into a bonus episode.

This time, we tell stories about:

  • New hobbies that we’ve picked up (like wagashi!)

  • Japanese beach vacations

  • Dealing with food spoiling and small refrigerators

  • Visiting the Tokyo Treasure Islands (specifically Oshima)

  • How well humor translates

  • Angry Japanese waitresses

  • Making fun of our friend at Disney Sea

“It was like Dennis was trying to smack this woman in the face. She recoiled in fear as if he were attacking her.”
— Dru

MUSIC LIST

Venetian Blinds by Ping Pong Club
Cherry Blossom - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod
Easy Saturday by Bad Snacks
New Moon by Bad Snacks
Island Coconuts by Aaron Kenny
Away by Geographer
Wallflowers by Bad Snacks
Christmas Village by Aaron Kenny
Mizuki by Bad Snacks
Delightful Life by Jekk

SHOW NOTES

Stay tuned for one more bonus episode coming up, plus a final wrap-up episode that will be a send-off for this podcast (😱)!

We have taken both the Buddha Bellies Wagashi - Japanese sweets and tea-making lesson class and Simply Oishii’s Wagashi (mochi) course in Tokyo.

Check out our wagashi attempts on our instagram @sanfransokyopodcast by clicking here.

Episode 10: Diametrically Opposed

“There are a lot of moments where people start to develop one mental image of Japan and then they just get hit by something that seems so diametrically opposed to that. You get a lot of people going, "Huh?" IT builds up an expectation and then knocks it down, much more than other countries I’ve been to.” — Dru

You can see a peaceful zen garden and then immediately afterwards a neon-colored suggestive anime store, sometimes even in side-by-side buildings.

You can see a peaceful zen garden and then immediately afterwards a neon-colored suggestive anime store, sometimes even in side-by-side buildings.

This conversation is actually one of my favorite ones we've had so far. We talk about the dichotomy between the perceptions of Japanese culture that we Westerners have, some really interesting consequences of that dichotomy. We also dive into the exchange of Japanese and American culture over the last few decades, and how we're able to live here and experience Japan while not giving up any of our American pop culture.

In this episode we cover:

  • The existence and mingling of zen and weird Japan

  • “What Japanese people think American people think Japanese is like”

  • 1,000 year old trees in Omiya Bonsai Village

  • Otakus and weaboos channeling the true spirit of Japan

  • Japan creating all our favorite childhood pop culture

MUSIC LIST

Venetian Blinds by Ping Pong
Half Day by Bad Snacks
Powerup! by Jeremy Blake
Star Wars Cantina Theme (8Bit Remix Cover Version) by 8 Bit Universe
Harry Potter Soundtrack - Hedwig’s Theme 8-Bit by Miles_Metal
Delightful Life by Jekk

SHOW NOTES

Here are links to the articles and videos that I used as reference in the ending section of the episode.

  • “Bonsai” [Quartz Obsession]

  • “Kodawari” [Medium]

  • “An Unusual Way of Speaking, Yoda Has” [The Atlantic]

  • “Lots of Harry Potter Books in China, Not All By the Author” [New York Times]

  • “China Cracks Down on Foreign Children’s Books” [The Guardian]

  • “The Death and Resurrection of Japan’s Used Panty Vending Machine” [Tech In Asia]

And, as promised, here is the summary of “Harry Potter and the Big Funnel” (from NYT):

After six years at Hogwarts, Harry Potter becomes an intern sorcerer and is assigned to teach at the Honiton School. Harry has a painful time in his aunt’s house, as Dudley has met a belly-dancing girl. As Harry prepares to report to his job, Bat Bug warns him disaster awaits.

At the school, his students become wooden stools one after another. Harry doesn’t know whether an evil student is behind this, or if his old benefactor Hagrid is making a mistake, or if the shadow of Voldemort has returned. Did it have something to do with the big funnel?