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Angela An |credit| This week the pod team sits down with Angela An of the very popular YouTube channel ‘Intenatoinally Me.’ Angela shares some horror stories from working at a Japanese ‘black company’ and how, after a well-deserved recovery holiday, she slowly worked her way up into becoming a successful full-time YouTuber. Plus, her fascinating plan for leverging her channel into helping the dying Japanese countryside. And on our Tokyo Stories this week, we’re down a cheapo as Greg is off handling real business. Meanwhile, Chris talks about having some fun with Japanese at a coffeeshop in London, and Taryn reveals the embarassing story behind why her foot is broken. Produced/edited/mixed by Taryn Siegel Music The post Episode 12: Out of the Dark, Into the Country appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Joseph Tame |credit| This week, we welcome to the pod an old friend, known to some as ‘Tokyo Marathon Man’, ‘Sakuraman’, or, our personal favourite, ‘The Running Christmas Tree’ – Joseph Tame. Jospeh tells the podcast team some amazing tales, including living on top of a mountain with a terrifying Swiss lady, being caught on CNN running around Tokyo inside a Christmas tree, and gradually building a successful creative agency. Plus, Joseph explains why he came to the podcast recording wearing 4 massive pinwheels – the answer to which kind of explains his whole Japan trajectory. And this week on our Tokyo Stories, Chris ‘hogs the mic’ to tell Greg and Taryn what it was like to attend the FujThe post Episode 11: Run For Your Life appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Selena Hoy This week the pod team sits down with freelance-writer success story Selena Hoy, who boasts pieces in everything from the Atlantic to the Independent to Playboy. Selena has spent the past 15 years in Japan trying her best to marry her two loves: writing and social work. She shares some harrowing tales from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, discusses Japan’s bizarre refugee policies and tries to explain how she actually found success as a full-time freelance writer (and what other aspiring writers should do too). Plus – on our Tokyo Stories this week, Taryn, Greg and Chris reunite after a 2-month separation. Chris shares an expert travel tip, Greg brags about landing Olympic tickets after much queueing, and Taryn spins a taThe post Episode 10: Lost Dogs & Found Blogs appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

John Daub This week the pod is thrilled to sit down with hitchhiker, videographer and Naked Man festival participant John Daub, best known for his mega-famous YouTube channel ‘Only in Japan’. John tells the pod crew about being royally set up by a sneaky newspaper columnist, losing $30,000 on a popular video series, and turning all that around to become one of Japan’s most sucessful YouTubers. Also, John shares some moving but devastating stories about being in Japan during the 2011 earthquake, and how that changed his whole Japan trajectory (in a good way). Plus! On our Tokyo Stories, while Chris is gallivanting around Europe, Greg and Taryn swap tales about gallivanting around Hiroshima. Greg finds himself on a pink traThe post Episode 9: Post-Disaster Artist appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Jasper Degens This week, the podcast team sits down with teamLab’s Jasper Degens, one of the geniuses behind the Borderless Mori Digital Art Museum. As one of teamLab’s first and only gaijin, Jasper tells us about landing his dream job with zero Japanese and a lot of ingenuity (and persistent e-mailing), plus arriving in Vietnam without a job or plan and teaming up with an engineer/DJ. And here in Japan it’s festival season! So in our Tokyo Stories Greg hops the mic to tell us what it’s like to actually join a festival – from buying a festive loincloth to shaking a 400 kg portable shrine. Produced/edited/mixed by Taryn Siegel Music by Ryan Carter Links teamLab homepage Apply to work at teamLab! Jasper’s friThe post Episode 8: Analog Swirls & Digital Worlds appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Adrian Hogan Adrian along Meguro River This week the podcast team sits down with illustrious and alarmingly nice illustrator Adrian Hogan, best known for his viral ‘panoramic coffee cups’. Adrian takes us through his winding Japan journey, from being a ‘will draw for food’ starving artist to being commissioned as the Starbucks Tokyo Roastery muralist, plus some viral instagram moments, what fascinates him about the Japanese color palette and illustration style, and why Jesus Christ is buried in northern Japan. And in our Tokyo Stories, Greg befriends some drunken ojisans and explains what the Japanese drink ‘hoppy’ is, Chris has two serendipitous encounters in one cafe, and Taryn is obsessed with a sparklThe post Episode 7: Forest Blues, Train-car Yellows, Haunted House Greens appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Mike Sheetal Mike Sheetal This week the podcast team sits down with Mike Sheetal, founder and CEO of Playbrain (among many other things). Mike tells us about landing in Japan with two suitcases and zero job leads, making his way onto the club scene with home-made VJ software, working on a music TV show, running a fake political campaign – oh, and starting two companies. A mind-boggling CV, indeed. And in our Tokyo Stories, Chris finds the bank culture in Japan confounding, Greg tries to explain how a political candidate won his election with the platform ‘people should smile more’ and Taryn shares another tale from the Ruby Room open mic. Produced/edited/mixed by Taryn Siegel Music by Ryan Carter Live music performed by Kate BThe post Episode 6: Gaming the System appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Yan Fan and Kani Munidasa This week on the pod we sit down with Yan Fan and Kani Munidasa, the founders of Code Chrysalis. Yan and Kani take us through their worldwide wanderings where they ‘flip the table’, quit their stable jobs, and ultimately land in SF where they meet each other and start plotting their new company: a coding bootcamp in Tokyo. Why Tokyo? Yan and Kani explain everything that’s fascinatingly wrong with software engineering in Japan – and how they’re going to fix it. Also: while our notorious cheapo Greg is notoriously absent, Chris and Taryn swap stories about discussing climate change naked in a salt sauna and the magic of the Ruby Room open mic night in Shibuya. Got something to share with thThe post Episode 5: Coding Out of the Cave appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

BJ Fox This week on the pod we sit down with comedian BJ Fox of Stand Up Tokyo and the NHK Sitcom ‘Home Sweet Tokyo’. BJ tells us how he landed a job at Pokémon by NOT choosing pikachu, what it was like to jump into stand up comedy in Singapore and bomb repeatedly, all the way through his successful stand up career in Tokyo. PLUS: how to make knocking down a baby funny in any country. Also: a very special Tokyo Stories! This week, Taryn takes over the mic to regale the podcast team with a truly bizarre story featuring handymen you can hire to be your fake family, a shack in the middle of the Shizuoka countryside, and Japan’s one and only ‘Apology Agency’. Produced/edited/mixed by Taryn Siegel Music by Ryan CThe post Episode 4: Pokémon Branding, Sitcom Landing appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Daniel Harris Rosen The Tokyo Cheapo Podcast is BACK after a sizable hiatus – here with our third episode! This week, we sit down with ‘the godfather of the international Tokyo art scene’ Daniel Rosen of TokyoDex. Daniel takes us through his long journey discovering his love for art and Japan, culminating in making one of the first viral YouTube videos all the way back in 2006. Daniel has revolutionized the Tokyo art scene in the decade and a half he’s been hitting the pavement here, and believes Japan is on the brink of an art renaissance. And we’re once again bringing you our new segment – Tokyo Stories! Every episode the podcast team will share some of their own stories – salacious, otherworldly and everythThe post Episode 3: Artists Without Borders appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Jared Campion The Tokyo Cheapo Podcast is BACK after a sizable hiatus – here with our second episode! This week, we sit down with ‘most illustrious gentleman’ Jared Campion of DreamDrive vans. Jared takes us through 12 years in Japan – from failing as an English teacher to succeeding as a real/fake ‘bling bling’ priest and eventually starting his own #vanlife company. A big fan of the roadtrip, Jared also takes us through some of his favourite travel stories, like sneaking on to a grape farm in Australia and posing as a tractor driver. And we’re once again bring you our new segment – Tokyo Stories! Every episode the podcast team will share some of their own stories – salacious, otherworldly and everythThe post Episode 2: Dream Drive – The Roads Less Travelled appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Alvin Cheung The Tokyo Cheapo Podcast is BACK after a sizable hiatus. In our pilot episode, we’re joined by Alvin Cheung of ABC Coffee, Hapnick, and Tokyo Keyboards. Alvin takes us through a whirlwind of stories, from coffee roaster handshakes to Blade Runner-like dystopians to playing with keyboards. Also introducing a new segment – Tokyo Stories! Every episode the podcast team will share some of their own stories – salacious, otherworldly and everything in between. This week Chris tells us why he loves going to the doctor in Japan, Taryn discovers a love hotel-style bar in the middle of Shibuya and Greg talks aliens. Music by Ryan Carter Links: ABC Coffee Club Tokyo Mechanical Keyboard Meetup Follow Alvin on Instagram TheThe post REBOOT Episode 1: Coffee Beans and Slick Machines appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast Pets in Tokyo To discuss the art of successful ownership of pets in Tokyo, we’re joined this week by rabbit handler and cheapo extraordinaire Aaron Baggett. Owning pets in Tokyo can be tricky and expensive, with many landlords not accepting pets and certain logistical issues that Tokyo presents. We discuss where to get yourself a healthy pet from an outlet that cares about animal welfare (unlike many of the questionable pet shops in Tokyo, that put profit before happy animals), finding an apartment that allows pets, and more. We also give a run down of interesting up and coming events, plus the usual round up of top content on Tokyo Cheapo. And of course we announce our crowdfunding campaign for the Tokyo Cheapo Book The post Guide to Keeping Pets in Tokyo – Podcast appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast In this podcast episode your intrepid Cheapos venture into the deepest darkest depths of Akihabara. With their guide Aaron Baggett, Cheapo extraordinaire and author of our book “A Cheapo’s Guide To Akihabara“, hear them dodge maids, escape the clutches of full size dolls and run in shock from the rather sketchy moe posters plastered just about everywhere. Akihabara is the Otaku mecca of the universe, with electronics, games and manga making up the mainstay of shopping. It’s most definitely a key pin on the “Weird Japan” map. Get Your Copy Of A Cheapo’s Guide To Akihabara The post Akihabara with Aaron appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo. The post Akihabara with Aaron appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast Your favourite cheapos are back with a special on location recording of the “Best Of Japan Tour” in Coredo Muromachi. The tour is organised by the Nihonbashi Tourist Information Center who provide a few different tours and experiences with English speaking guides. The tour we went on is essentially a food tour with nibbles, you can hear our munching sounds on the podcast. They also offer a few other experiences, including Tea Ceremony, Geisha and Kimono, and you can book from their website. Our delightful kimono-clad hosts for the afternoon Okui Kaiseido – kombu and colourful boxes from Fukui prefecture Food Samples Food Being Prepared Some hand made sweets: Shaving Bonito flakes (we also got to trThe post Nihonbashi Best Of Japan Tour appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast This week your favourite cheapos catch up with Brad Stephenson from 25 cafes. Get the low down on the choicest spots for smoke free coffee, afternoon tea and free wifi in Tokyo. And of course some banter on up coming events in Tokyo, recent articles and cheapo news. Podcast edit and production by PodcastMagic Brad from 25 Cafes The post Cheapo Podcast: 25 Cafes Interview appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo. The post Cheapo Podcast: 25 Cafes Interview appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast This week the cheapos tackle good parks for picnics (and grass) in Tokyo, and some craft beers you can take with you. Parks Shinjuku Gyoen – 200yen for adults, 50yen for children Yoyogi park (secret park as well) Tachikawa Showa Memorial Park – 410yen for adults, 80yen for children Inokashira Koen Kitanomaru Koen Ikuta Koen Toyama Koen Futago Tamagawa Area And of course the Beer Antenna America (need to mention it’s like a club rooms – unpretentious) 10 Best Value Craft Beer bars Brimmer Beer Box Antenna America – 400yen Shinshu Osake Mura – from 260yen Craft Beer Bar iBrew Beer Horn – Otaru Brewery Hachiban – Ginza Koenji Bakushu Kobo 390yen Towers Craft Beer Bar Beersaurus HaThe post Beer, Parks and Picnics appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast With the exception of language learning, even the most raving Japanophile will agree that Japanese TV is slightly less enjoyable than being sat on by a very fat and sweaty man, so what is a cheapo to do? Fortunately one can easily get round the location specific problems of connecting to popular TV station internet broadcasts or streaming sevices from back home like Netflix, BBC iplayer etc using a VPN. A VPN, which stands for virtual private network (amongst other things) allows one to connect to a website as if one is located somewhere else, e.g. you can use a British VPN to connect to BBC iPlayer, which will think you are inside the UK and therefore allow you to access all it’s warez. Free VPNs mentioned in the The post Events, Cherry Blossom Forecasts, the Cheapo Market and VPNs appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast Musicians are by definition cheapos – they put the starving in “starving artist” – so here’s a special feature on picking up a musical bargain in Ochanomizu’s Medai Dori or “Guitar Street”, Tokyo’s music shop district or even “The Guitar Mecca of the (cheapo) Universe”. Joined by our resident muso extraordinaire TJ Eckleberg, hear our expert commentary on what kind of bargains to look out for. Top bargains include Japan Fender Strats, Telecasters and a plethora of made in Japan boutique effect pedals. Guitar Street is easy to find, just head to the JR Ochanomizu station and take the Ochanomizu Bashi (bridge) exit. Editing and production by Podcast Magic eThe post Ochanomizu, Guitar street and General Muso Paradise – Podcast #20 appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.

Download Podcast This week your favourite cheapos take a stroll down Takeshita Dori Harajuku. Squeezing through the school girls, socks, crepes and rabbit bags, Chris, Greg and his daughter give you a running commentary on what the cheapo can find amongst the stalls and shops of the legendary Takeshita Dori. Takeshita Dori is a narrow pedestrian only shopping street (or shotengai 商店街) just across from Harajuku station and is a popular area amongst the younger crowd, well more specifically the teenage girls :). It’s been known as an epicenter of fads, fashion and Crepes since as far back as the 70’s. Cheapo eat this week: Nikushokugyou Podcast editing and production by: Podcast Magic The post Takeshita Dori, HarajukuThe post Takeshita Dori, Harajuku – Podcast #18 appeared first on Tokyo Cheapo.