About Japan Station: A Podcast About Japan by JapanKyo.com
Japan Station helps you understand Japanese culture, language, and society on a deeper level. Hosted by The Anime Linguist, Tony R. Vega, the show features expert interviews and deep dives into topics you won't find anywhere else—sometimes with ridiculous tangents.
Each episode dives into everything from Japanese language and linguistics to history, food, travel, and pop culture. You'll also hear stories from foreigners living in Japan, giving perspective on life in the country beyond the usual guidebook tips. Whether you're learning Japanese, planning a trip, or just passionate about Japan, each episode delivers insight, humor, and useful information.
Topics we explore include:
・Japanese culture and society
・The Japanese language (learning, linguistics, nuance)
・Japanese history and traditions
・Food, regional specialties, and travel tips
・Anime, manga, and pop culture
・Experiences of foreigners living in Japan
・And much more
Contact: mail@japankyo.com
About the host
Tony R. Vega is the founder of JapanKyo.com and creator of The Anime Linguist YouTube channel. He holds an M.A. in Japanese language and linguistics from the University of Hawaii and has hosted Japanese-language content for native speakers. As a legally blind creator, Tony advocates for accessibility while offering a perspective on Japan and its language that few can match.
On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about interesting trains and train stations in Tokyo and beyond with Adam from the AdamU YouTube channel.
👉Topics Discussed
The origin of AdamU's passion for trains
About Oigawa Railway
Oigawa Railway's recent price increase
How rual railways are closing down
About the Tokyo Adventure Line and exploring Okutama
About Takanawa Gateway
The history of the Takanawa Embankment
About the new Suica mascot candidates/contest
About the Hi no Tori train that connects Nagoya and Osaka
About luxury trains in Japan
And much more
👉Subscribe to the Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB
👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi
Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content
Support on Patreon (https://patreon.com/japankyo) https://patreon.com/japankyo
Support via a one time donation!
Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo (https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega (https://venmo.com/tonyrvega)
Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega (https://paypal.me/tonyrvega)
👉Mobal
Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo.
Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan (https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan)
👉Get a T-Shirt!
MechaNekoSushi.com (https://mechanekosushi.com/)
👉Links, Videos, Etc.
Check out AdamU's YouTube channel!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adamu027 (https://www.youtube.com/@adamu027)
Check out some of the videos mentioned in this episode.
About the Oigawa Railway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7DlyMmLiYI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7DlyMmLiYI)
About Takanawa Gateway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAozBtz44-8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAozBtz44-8)
About the Hinotori train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5jKzaw7IU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5jKzaw7IU)
AdamU is raising funds for the Tokyo Yamathon 2026. Dante here: https://donorbox.org/tokyo-yamathon-2026-team-fundraising-challenge/fundraiser/saitama-pheasants
👉Follow on Social Media
X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega (https://x.com/tonyrvega)
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega (https://instagram.com/tonyrvega)
The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist (https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist)
Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews (https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews)
Website: https://japankyo.com/ (https://japankyo.com/)
Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony (https://x.com/thevegatony)
Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ (https://tonyrvega.com/)
6 Oct 2026
Japan's (linguistic) harassment problem explained
On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking about the ridiculous amount of terms for different types of "harassment" in Japanese.
👉Topics Discussed
We go over some well known and some very obscure "hara" (ハラ) words
What is sekuhara セクハラ
What is pawahara パワハラ
What is morahara モラハラ
What is harahara ハラハラ
What is manehara マネハラ
Why calling everything "harassment" can be problematic
And much more!
👉Subscribe to the Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB
👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi
Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content
Support on Patreon (https://patreon.com/japankyo) https://patreon.com/japankyo
Support via a one time donation!
Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo (https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega (https://venmo.com/tonyrvega)
Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega (https://paypal.me/tonyrvega)
👉Mobal
Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo.
Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan (https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan)
👉Get a T-Shirt!
MechaNekoSushi.com (https://mechanekosushi.com/)
👉Links, Videos, Etc.
None this time.
👉Follow on Social Media
X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega (https://x.com/tonyrvega)
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega (https://instagram.com/tonyrvega)
The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist (https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist)
Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews (https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews)
Website: https://japankyo.com/ (https://japankyo.com/)
Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony (https://x.com/thevegatony)
Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ (https://tonyrvega.com/)
1 Oct 2026
Why you GOTTA go to IZUMO TAISHA
On this episode of Japan Station, we're talking all about one of Japan's most famous shirnes: Izumo Taisha.
👉Topics Discussed
About the history of Izumo Taisha
The origins of Izumo Taisha
The kuniyuzuri story
How tall Izumo Taisha is
How Izumo Taisha used to be the tallest building in Japan
About the Kamiari Festival
How archaelogical discoveries seem to confirm Izumo Taisha having once been 48 meters tall
About Izumo Taisha's status as one of Japan's most famous shrines for "matchmaking"
About the architecture of Izumo Taisha
About the Izumo Taisha curse/why it's said couples break up after visiting Izumo Taisha
Gods partying after going to Izumo Taisha
About Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii
And much more
👉Subscribe to the Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB
👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi
Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content
Support on Patreon (https://patreon.com/japankyo) https://patreon.com/japankyo
Support via a one time donation!
Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo (https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega (https://venmo.com/tonyrvega)
Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega (https://paypal.me/tonyrvega)
👉Sponsor
This episode was sponsored by PlayPodcast.net.
PlayPodcast.net (https://www.playpodcast.net/) is a free podcast player you can use on any device in your browser. You can listen to episodes from your favorite hosts. You do not need an account, an app, or to download anything to listen to the best free podcasts.
👉Mobal
Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo.
Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan (https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan)
👉Get a T-Shirt!
MechaNekoSushi.com (https://mechanekosushi.com/)
👉Links, Videos, Etc.
None this time.
👉Follow on Social Media
X/Twitter: https://x.com/tonyrvega (https://x.com/tonyrvega)
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega (https://instagram.com/tonyrvega)
The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist (https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist)
Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews (https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews)
Website: https://japankyo.com/ (https://japankyo.com/)
Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony (https://x.com/thevegatony)
Tony R. Vega Personal Website: https://tonyrvega.com/ (https://tonyrvega.com/)
Who has been a guest on Japan Station: A Podcast About Japan by JapanKyo.com
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Kyle Broyles
Dr Eric C Rath
Klaus K.Y. Hammering
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
4,238,681
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
20 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
38 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 79 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
92
Contact Japan Station: A Podcast About Japan by JapanKyo.com
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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