Listen up! With Mr. I

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Here are some short-ish podcasts for extensive listening. Feel free to send a message if you have a topic you want me to talk about.

Jonathan Isaacson


    • Apr 4, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 12m AVG DURATION
    • 152 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Listen up! With Mr. I

    Listen Up! Episode 151: Mr. I's self-intro (2025 version)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 13:38


    It's the start of a new school year, so let me re-introduce myself. Listen to hear Mr. I's self-introduction and find out more about him.

    Listen Up! Episode 150: Place names

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 11:34


    Mr. I talks about differences in the names of cities and countries in English and Japanese. Why are some city names so different? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 149: Marriage and name changes

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 19:42


    Mr. I talks about changing attitudes about surname changes after marriage. Listen and find out what it's about and how Mr. I feels about it!

    Listen Up! Episode 148: My language learning journey

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2025 18:09


    Mr. I talks about how his experiences learning foreign languages - from Spanish in high school, to Japanese in university, and now Swedish on his own.

    Listen Up! Episode 147: Should everyone learn English?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 12:37


    Mr. I talks about whether or not he thinks everyone should learn English, and if they do, how should they learn.

    Listen Up! Episode 146: Name suffixes and Requests

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 11:52


    Mr. I talks about some changes in the use of Japanese recently, especially suffixes like -san, -chan, and -kun, as well as requests vs. commands.

    Listen Up! Episode 145: More cats - Mame and Mu

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 14:19


    How did Mr. I and his family end up with 5 cats? Listen and hear how Mame (AKA Bean) and Mu found a home with Mr. I's family.

    Listen Up! Episode 144: Elementary days

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 15:41


    Mr. I talks about some ways elementary school in the US is different from elementary school in Japan. Listen to find out more!

    Listen Up! Episode 143: How are houses different?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 16:07


    Mr. I talks about some ways houses in Japan and the US are different. Some things are inside the house and some are outside. Listen to learn more!

    Listen Up! Episode 142: Summer 2024 - part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 13:29


    Mr. I talks about his first trip back to the US in 5 years. In part 2, he talks about the different things he thinks are better in Japan. Listen and find out what those things are!

    Listen Up! Episode 141: Summer 2024 - part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 14:41


    Mr. I talks about his first trip to the US in 5 years. In part 1, he talks about the differences in things that he thinks are better in the US. Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 140: Learning to drive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2024 16:27


    How do you get a driver's license in the US? How is it different than in Japan? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 139: Let's talk about cars

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2024 18:32


    Driving and cars are different in Japan and the US. What are some of those differences? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 138: Old and New

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2024 14:42


    Mr. I talks about the differences between the ideas of old and new in the US and Japan. How do words change from culture to culture? Listen and find out! Listen Up! website#ListenUp #LearningEnglish

    Listen Up! Episode 137: Dating differences

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2024 11:53


    Mr. I talks about some differences in dating in the US and dating in Japan. How do you decide you are officially dating in the US? Listen to find out! #ListenUp #LearningEnglish

    Listen Up! Episode 136: Strange questions

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 17:39


    Mr. I talks about some questions from students that he finds a little strange or hard to answer. What are they and why does Mr. I find them strange. Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 135: Why do extensive listening?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 14:37


    What is extensive listening, exactly? And why should you do it? Mr. I talks about how extensive listening can help your language skills. #ESL #ListenUp

    Listen Up! Episode 134: Valentine's Day/White Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 16:31


    Mr. I talks about his feelings about these two holidays. What are some of the differences between Japan and the US? Listen to find out! #ListenUp #ESL #ExtensiveListening

    Listen Up! Episode 133: Concerts I've been to

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 17:32


    Mr. I talks some more about music. This time, find about some of the most memorable concerts and music festivals Mr. I has been to, both in the US and Japan. #ESL #ListenUp #ExtensiveListening

    Listen Up! Episode 132: Bands I've been in

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 18:02


    Mr. I talks about all the different bands and ensembles he has been a member of. Sometimes, it was playing trumpet, sometimes guitar, and sometimes other stuff! Listen and find out more! #ESL #ExtensiveListening

    Listen Up! Episode 131: Hit by a car! (But I'm OK)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2024 17:28


    Mr. I talks about his experience being hit by a car while riding his bicycle to work. What happened? What should drivers do when there's a cyclist on the road? Listen and find out! #Cycling #SafeDriving #BeCareful

    Listen Up! Episode 130: New Year's 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2024 15:09


    Find out what Mr. I did during the 2023-2024 winter break. Where did he go for the first shrine visit of the year? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 129: Sankebetsu bear incident part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2023 12:27


    In this episode (part 3 of 3), Mr. I ends the real story of an incident in a small village in Hokkaido. The people of the village met a very aggressive bear. Listen to find out how the incident came to an end.

    Listen Up! Episode 128: Sankebetsu bear incident part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2023 12:17


    In this episode (part 2 of 3), Mr. I continues the real story of an incident in a small village in Hokkaido. The people of the village met a very aggressive bear. How did the people of the village plan to take care of the bear problem?

    Listen Up! Episode 127: Sankebetsu bear incident part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2023 12:38


    In this episode (part 1 of 3), Mr. I begins the real story of an incident in a small village in Hokkaido. The people of the village met a very aggressive bear. Listen to hear the start of the story.

    Listen Up! Episode 126: A wise man climbs never

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2023 14:17


    Mr. I talks about the problem of overcrowding on Mt. Fuji. It is said that a wise man climbs once, a fool climbs twice. But is that still true? Listen and find out. #Japan #ListenUp

    Listen Up! Episode 125: Modern English

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 14:17


    Mr. I talks about some ways languages change. What are some new ways words are being used in English? Listen to find out! Website: bit.ly/LUWMI

    Listen Up! Episode 124: Summer 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 17:01


    Mr. I talks about what he did this summer. It wasn't a trip or anything fun like that. It was ear surgery. Listen and find out about his experience.

    Listen Up! Episode 123: Geography language

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 14:08


    Mr. I talks about the English language. How should you say the names of Japanese rivers and mountains in English? Listen to find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 122: Four seasons?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023 9:40


    Mr. I talks about something he's long noticed about Japan and the seasons. What does he think about the seasons in Japan? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 121: Fast changes in fashion

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023 13:59


    Mr. I talks about some thoughts about the quickly changing fashion trends. What has he noticed? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 120: More wild animals

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2023 13:53


    Mr. I updates his list of wild animals he has seen out in the woods - check out episode 100 for the first list. What two more wild animals has Mr. I seen since then? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 119: My favorite food

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2023 10:56


    Mr. I answers a question from the request page. What's my favorite food? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 118: Titan Submersible

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 17:35


    Mr. I talks about the submersible accident in June of 2023. What happened? What are Mr. I's thoughts about it? Listen Up! to find out.

    Listen Up! Episode 117: Entrance ceremonies

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2023 14:32


    Mr. I talks about entrance ceremonies. Find out about entrance ceremonies in the US. (Hint - there really aren't any!)

    Listen Up! Episode 116: Animal cafes

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2023 17:14


    Mr. I talks about animal cafes and what he thinks about them.

    Listen Up! Episode 115 - Balloon News (February '23)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2023 14:11


    Mr. I talks about two balloon related stories that have been in the news this month (February 2023). One of them is connected to something that happened here in Tohoku a few years ago. What was it? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 114: North Korean Missiles

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 13:25


    Mr. I talks about the recent North Korean missile tests. Another episode from recent news.

    Listen Up! Episode 113: Halloween tragedy in Seoul (Listen up to the News)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 14:27


    Mr. I talks about the tragedy that happened in Seoul during the 2022 Halloween festivities. This is the first of a new occasional feature - Listen Up to the News - where Mr. I will talk about events that have happened recently.

    Listen Up! Episode 112: An odd dream

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2022 14:24


    Mr. I talks about dreams in general, and one dream he had a few days ago in detail.

    Listen Up! Episode 111: Summer break 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2022 10:57


    Mr. I talks a little bit about what he has done during past summer breaks. Then he talks about what he did during summer break this year (2022). Where did he go? What did he do? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 110: My family

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 18:03


    Mr. I talks about his immediate family. Find out a little about his parents, his sister, his wife and his daughter.

    Listen Up! Episode 109: Improving your pronunciation

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 16:46


    Mr. I talks about ways to improve your English pronunciation. He also answers the question of what correct pronunciation really means. Listen to find out more!

    Listen Up! Episode 108: High school baseball

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 18:06


    The summer (2022), Sendai Ikuei won the national baseball tournament. What does Mr. I think about high school baseball in Japan? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 107: Overtime

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 13:33


    How to people in the US (or at least Mr. I) feel about working overtime? Are people who work a lot of overtime bad at their job? Listen and find out what Mr. I thinks about this listening request!

    Listen Up! Episode 106: Coming of age in the US

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2022 14:12


    Mr. I talks about what coming of age means in the US. When does it happen? What can you do when you "come of age" in the US? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 105: Basketball!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2022 12:10


    Mr. I talks about basketball - not a sport he has ever played much, but one he certainly enjoys watching.

    Listen Up! Episode 104: Winter sports

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2022 17:18


    Mr. I talks about winter sports that he enjoys. What sports did he watch growing up as a kid? What unique winter sports does he participate in? Listen to find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 103: The Ramen Episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2022 13:50


    Mr. I talks about his experiences with and thoughts about ramen. What is his favorite ramen shop? What is his favorite type of ramen? Listen and find out!

    Listen Up! Episode 102: Our third cat, Mimi

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 14:42


    Mr. I talks about how his family found and adopted their third cat, Mimi.

    Listen Up! Episode 101: How I became an English teacher

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 17:47


    Mr. I talks about how and why he became an English teacher in Japan. It certainly wasn't his goal in university or even when he first came to Japan. Listen and find out the whole story.

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