Podcasts about Japanese

SEG 13: Grant Newsham evaluates Japan's new hawkish Prime Minister, Takaichi Sai. He argues Japanmust accept military risks in the Strait of Hormuz to solidify future Americansupport against the growing threats from mainland China now. (14)1937 Shanghai, Japanese fladship

The Japanese opening move at the Battle of the Coral Sea is dealt a blow by Adm. Fletcher and the pilots of the Yorktown.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A single spy can change the course of history - for better, or for worse. In this Classic episode of True Spies, you'll meet one of them - Takeo Yoshikawa. Stationed in Honolulu, Yoshikawa's intelligence was used by the Japanese to launch a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The massacre brought the USA in to WW2, and ultimately led to Japan's crushing defeat. He shares his unsettling story with Vanessa Kirby. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Takeo Yoshikawa is voiced by Eiji Mihara. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Morgan Childs. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Animation writer-director Shannon Tindle joins Drew Taylor for a wide-ranging conversation about breaking into animation, developing new projects, and navigating Hollywood's ever-changing animation landscape. Shannon reflects on his career from CalArts to DreamWorks and beyond, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from Ultraman Rising, Kubo and the Two Strings, and projects that never made it to the screen. He also discusses his upcoming animated John Wick prequel and how animation opens creative possibilities that live action can't. HIGHLIGHTS • Shannon Tindle discusses how artists today can break into animation from anywhere in the world thanks to digital portfolios, social media, and global collaboration. • The evolution from analog portfolios and paper storyboards to Cintiq tablets and fully digital pipelines - and how that shift changed how animation talent gets discovered. • Shannon shares details about his unproduced Disney animated series inspired by The Haunted Mansion, which would have followed a young girl tracking down escaped ghosts from the attraction's famous “999 happy haunts.” • A second Disney concept explored a modern take on the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, imagining a diverse group of kids in today's world and a girl challenging the group's “no girls allowed” rule. • Behind-the-scenes insights into developing Ultraman Rising, including how the project began as an original concept before becoming an official Ultraman film and how Japanese fans reacted to the finished movie. • Shannon explains how his upcoming animated John Wick project will expand the franchise with stylized action sequences impossible in live action while also exploring the emotional origin story of John and Helen. • The creative challenge of balancing large-scale action with quiet character moments - something Shannon sees as essential to preserving the tone that makes the John Wick films work. • Stories from Shannon's time at DreamWorks working alongside artists like Nico Marlet, Carlos Grangel, and Tony Siruno, and how collaborative studio environments sharpen artists' skills. HOSTS • Drew Taylor - IG: @drewtailored | X: @DrewTailored | Website: drewtaylor.work GUEST • Shannon Tindle - IG: @shannon_tindle FOLLOW • Facebook: JimHillMediaNews • Instagram: JimHillMedia • TikTok: JimHillMedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Morgan Stanley MUFG 's Japan Equity Strategist Sho Nakazawa talks about the sectors that are leading the current rebound of Japanese stocks and why these gains may be more than a cyclical shift.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Sho Nakazawa, Japan Equity Strategist at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities.Today: How Japan's Takaichi administration could define Japan's stock market for years to come.It's Tuesday, March 17th, at 3 PM in Tokyo.Sanae Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister on October 21, 2025. She leads a conservative administration that emphasizes defense spending and economic resilience. When Takaichi took office in February, this signaled the start of a structural pivot in Japan's economy. And markets have responded quickly. Over the past several months, stocks with high exposure to the administration's 17 strategic domains have outperformed TOPIX by 15 percentage points. That kind of divergence suggests something bigger than a cyclical rebound. Capital is positioned to a structural shift. First, there's the Japanese government's increased emphasis on economic security and supply chain resilience. This reflects a philosophical shift. For years efficiency ruled: just-in-time supply chains and global optimization. The pandemic and the reorientation towards a multipolar world changed that workflow. Now the emphasis is on redundancy and autonomy – and this has implications for Defense & Space, Advanced Materials & Critical Minerals, Shipbuilding, and Cybersecurity. The second pillar of Japan's structural market shift is AI and the compute revolution. Yes, some investors worry about overinvestment in AI, but we believe in [the] possibility of nonlinear returns as AI breakthroughs occur. And, keep in mind, AI isn't just software. It requires data-center cooling, communications networks, expanded power grids, and critical minerals. This is a full industrial stack upgrade. Looking further out, the global humanoid robotics market could reach US$7.5 trillion annually by 2050 according to our global robotics team estimates. That's roughly three times the combined 2024 revenue of the world's top 20 automakers at about US$2.5 trillion. The third force reshaping Japan's market is infrastructure. The 2026 budget slated towards national resilience initiatives exceeds ¥5 trillion. With aging infrastructure and intensifying natural disasters, resilience spending relates directly to economic security. Ports, logistics, and communications systems are increasingly becoming strategic assets. Our work suggests the long-term construction cycle is entering an expansion phase as bubble-era buildings from the late 1980s reach replacement timing. That points to durable demand rather than a temporary spike. With all of this said, what's also important is how stock market leadership spreads. It tends to move from upstream to downstream – from materials and power infrastructure, to AI, to defense and communications, and eventually to applications like drug discovery, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and content. Right now, the strongest three-month returns are in Advanced Materials and Critical Minerals, and in Next-Gen Power and Grid Infrastructure. Meanwhile, areas like Cybersecurity and Content have lagged but remain tightly connected in the network. If leadership broadens, those linkages matter. The real constraint isn't political opposition. It's [the] market itself. If investors decide this is a temporary stimulus rather than sustainable earnings growth, valuations might adjust. But we do believe that Japan's equity market isn't simply rallying. It is reorganizing around economic security, AI infrastructure, and national resilience.Thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend and colleague today.

Episode Highlights With MikiHer amazing story, growing up half Indian and half Japanese and the winding journey of her entrepreneurial successHow she went from being a professional athlete to opening a gluten-free restaurant in NYC, to other start-ups as wellEvery baby goes through up to 6,000 diapers that take hundreds of years to break downHer revelation with diapers and baby poop and how this led to a product that's helping address the plastic problemThe unique way that fungi can break down plastic in a completely safe way!Diapers are actually the #1 source of plastic waste91% of plastic is not recycled and ends up in landfills and oceans The planet is running a fever, and humans are the viruses it's trying to get rid of if we don't fix the problemWhat ecosystem consciousness is and how we can shift our thinking How they're shifting from reduce, reuse, and recycle to reduce and regenerate, and how this shifts thingsWhat sacred reciprocity is and how this shifts the modelHer audacious mission in life is to elevate people and the planet What new paradigm parenting is and how this framework shifts things for familiesOther ways we can make small shifts that contribute to sacred reciprocity 24% of all landfill waste is food waste! How home composting can helpTrees are the greatest technology of our timeWhy she's so anti-toilet paper, and what to try instead! Emergence and Cultivation in parenting and what we can learn from natureNature is our greatest technology, and it can even shape the way we parentThe very real way that fungi have the potential to reverse some of these massive planetary problemsResources MentionedFollow Miki on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Follow Hiro Diapers on InstagramHiro Diapers - get a discount at this linkTushy BidetLMNTI talk often about the health benefits of salt and electrolytes and I am a big fan of LMNT canned drinks and packets. Go to drinklmnt.com/wellnessmana for a special offer.HiyaHiya created a super powered chewable vitamin for kids that packs twelve organic fruits and vegetables plus fifteen essential vitamins and minerals into every dose. Try it at hiyahealth.com/wellnessmama for 50% off your first order.

Bring on the sweetness with new 5-hour ENERGY® shots, available right here:https://click2cart.com/274100bu?utm_campaign=swtflvr&utm_medium=paid_video&utm_source=kf&utm_content=relsRula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/kindafunny  #rulapodGo to Factormeals.com/kindafunny50off and use code kindafunny50offto get 50% off your first box, plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year.Catch Nick and Andy LIVE this Friday at Answer For It San Francisco! Head to KindaFunny.com/AnswerForIt for tickets and info! Thank you for the support! Run of Show - - Start - Saudi Arabia Buys Another 5 Percent Of Capcom As Resident Evil Requiem Sells 6 Million Copies - Xbox just revealed Gaming Copilot is coming to "current-generation consoles" later this year - Ad - Judge Orders Subnautica 2 Studio CEO To Be Reinstated And Gives Him Control Over Early Access Release - Warner Bros Montréal reportedly hit with staff cuts - In an industry beset by layoffs and crunch, Japanese publisher Atlus is raising salaries and working to reduce fixed overtime - Wee News! - SuperChats & You‘re Wrong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Sony abandoning its chase of easy PC dollars, the megalithic Japanese company instead seems intent on maximizing its dollars at home, and reasonably so. While reporting indicates PlayStation's PC sales were stymied by staggered and unpredictable releases, that was already obvious. What's less clear is how Sony's pursuit of profit might affect the status quo, with a lawsuit in the UK over PSN monopolization and blatant A/B testing for dynamic digital pricing happening right before our eyes. What does the future hold as we begin to move towards next-gen? Plus: EA lays off members of the Battlefield team that created America's best-selling game in 2025, Nagoshi Studio and its Yakuza-like title Gang of Dragon are in big trouble, a LEGO PlayStation (1) console is seemingly en route for the holiday season, adventure classics Myst and Riven are PS5-bound, Crimson Desert finally emerges on PS5 Pro, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With id finding so much success with the revived Doom trilogy, could Quake be next? What was the deal with that cryptic Bluepoint Tweet from 2019, anyway? Are physical-only players being hurt by the underproduction of copies of big games? Is Dustin intentionally making mistakes in his edits to sabotage our entire operation? Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/SACRED and use code SACRED and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! A special Magic City Max Discount promotion is live in the app right now. Jalen Johnson only needs 0.5 POINTS during the Hawks vs Magic game this Monday 3/16. Open the app and make it rain! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols Get 50% off and free breakfast for a year at https://www.factormeals.com/sacred50off and use code sacred50off  Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:28:57 - Ragebaiting Dustin0:38:33 - Geno Smith0:38:56 - Neighborhood drama0:45:22 - Sony's issues with PC releases0:54:22 - UK case vs Sony digital storefront begins1:13:40 - Sony testing dynamic pricing1:33:32 - EA layoffs1:45:23 - Nagoshi Studio is in trouble1:56:33 - A PS1 Lego set is coming2:05:55 - Crimson Desert console specs2:13:43 - Pragmata moves up release date2:15:36 - Myst and Riven remake coming to PS52:19:38 - Falcom revives Dragon Slayer2:27:09 - New PS+ game catalog titles2:31:27 - What We're Playing (Resident Evil Requiem, Minishoot Adventures, Marathon, Pokemon Pokopia)3:38:42 - Preordering physical games3:48:05 - New Quake?3:56:13 - Can Sony pull people away from established games?3:59:50 - Do Sony studios have too much power?4:02:27 - What was the point of Bluepoint's old tweet?4:05:03 - Starfield interference Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey Clutterbugs! Let's stop making piles and use tiny 1% changes to organize our homes without overwhelm. In this podcast, we're using Japanese organizing ideas (Kaizen, 5S, Wabi-Sabi, “Mottainai”) to declutter, build simple systems, and keep the house tidy longer. And we're doing this together (not in a “make 47 piles and cry about it for 60 days” way). This is a mini‑challenge episode where you make tiny micro improvements while you listen . . . and end the podcast feeling weirdly proud of yourself.We're talking:Kaizen: small steps that actually add up (especially for ADHD brains)Why pulling everything out is a trap (and what to do instead)The “don't go on Amazon for bins” rule (you know who you are)The 5S system (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain) — Toyota vibes, but for your houseMottainai (“what a waste”): the guilt-free decluttering mindset shiftWabi-Sabi organizing: good‑enough systems that are easy to maintainLet's get to it! Want to get organized? Learn 6-Step The Clutterbug Method: https://clutterbug.thinkific.com/courses/Clutterbug-Method You can find more Clutterbug content here: Main YouTube Channel: @Clutterbug Website: http://www.clutterbug.me TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clutterbug_me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutterbug_me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clutterbug.Me/ #clutterbug #podcast #adhdorganization #adhdhome #kaizen #homeorganization #decluttering #homehacks #cleaningmotivation #habitsthatchangeyourlife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On an all-new Speed Dates episode, host Joel Kim Booster sits down with his good friend and recent Traitors Season 4 alum Ron Funches (Harley Quinn, Loot, Inside Out 2) to talk about everything that went down at the castle! They'll discuss the roundtables, the betrayals, the strategy, the secret traitor, was Michael Rapaport really like that (yes), and go deep on Ron's autism diagnosis. Plus: we hear all about Ron's new relationship with a British lady who thinks Snoopy might be Japanese.   Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video clips and full episodes.  Merch available at SiriusXMStore.com/BadDates.   Joel Kim Booster: Scrubs Season 10, Psychosexual, Fire Island, Loot Season 3 Ron Funches: RonFunches.com for tickets and tour dates, The Traitors Season 4, Loot Season 3 Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Bad Dates ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born from 1930s Japanese schoolyard whispers and now embedded in global horror culture, Aka Manto represents modern urban legend at its most psychologically visceral. This isn't ancient folklore passed down through centuries—it's a contemporary yokai that emerged from the anxieties of modern life, transforming the mundane vulnerability of a bathroom stall into a trap with no escape. When you answer the wrong question, there's no bargaining, no mercy, only the terrible realization that you've sealed your own fate. Aka Manto reminds us that new monsters are born every generation, shaped by our evolving fears—and sometimes, the most terrifying horrors aren't buried in forgotten forests, but waiting in the places we visit every single day.   freakyfolklore.com   carman-carrion.com   #AkaManto #JapaneseFolklore #FreakyFolklore #UrbanLegends #Yokai #BathroomHorror #ModernMyths #JapaneseUrbanLegends #SchoolHorror #RedCloak #ToshiDensetsu #JapaneseGhosts   EXPLORE MORE SPINE-CHILLING CONTENT: Freaky Folklore: https://www.eeriecast.com/podcasts/freaky-folklore Carman's Crypt (Original Horror): https://carmanscrypt.buzzsprout.com   Deadly Intent (True Crime): https://carmancarrion.buzzsprout.com Destination Terror: https://www.eeriecast.com/podcasts/destination-terror    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CarmanCarrion   Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/carmancarrion   CONNECT WITH CARMAN: Website: https://www.carman-carrion.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CarmanCarrion Twitter/X: https://x.com/CarmanCarrion   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmancarrion/   SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0uiX155WEJnN7QVRfo3aQY   iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaky-folklore/id1550361184   Your support helps bring you more terrifying tales!   DISCOVER MORE HORROR: http://eeriecast.com/   https://www.carman-carrion.com/   Crypt Shop: https: //the-crypt-shop-2.myshopify.com/   MUSIC CREDITS:   Music and sound effects provided by: CO.AG, Myuu, Jinglepunks, Epidemic Sound, Kevin MacLeod, Dark Music, and Soundstripe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes a character so compelling that readers will forgive almost anything about the plot? How do you move beyond vague flaws and generic descriptions to create people who feel pulled from real life? In this solo episode, I share 15 actionable tips for writing deep characters, curated from past interviews on the podcast. In the intro, thoughts from London Book Fair [Instagram reel @jfpennauthor; Publishing Perspectives; Audible; Spotify]; Insights from a 7-figure author business [BookBub]. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn This episode has been created from previous episodes of The Creative Penn Podcast, curated by Joanna Penn, as well as chapters from How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book. Links to the individual episodes are included in the transcript below. In this episode: Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' trifecta, how to hook readers on the very first page Define the Dramatic Question: Who is your character when the chips are down? Absolute specificity. Why “she's controlling” isn't good enough Understand the Heroine's Journey, strength through connection, not solo action Use ‘Metaphor Families' to anchor dialogue and give every character a distinctive voice Find the Diagnostic Detail, the moments that prove a character is real Writing pain onto the page without writing memoir Write diverse characters as real people, not stereotypes or plot devices Give your protagonist a morally neutral ‘hero' status. Compelling beats likeable. Build vibrant side characters for series longevity and spin-off potential Use voice as a rhythmic tool Link character and plot until they're inseparable Why discovery writers can write out of order and still build deep character Find the sensory details that make characters live and breathe More help with how to write fiction here, or in my book, How to Write a Novel. Writing Characters: 15 Tips for Writing Deep Character in Your Fiction In today's episode, I'm sharing fifteen tips for writing deep characters, synthesised from some of the most insightful interviews on The Creative Penn Podcast over the past few years, combined with what I've learned across more than forty books of my own. I'll be referencing episodes with Matt Bird, Will Storr, Gail Carriger, Barbara Nickless, and Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. I'll also draw on my own book, How to Write a Novel, which covers these fundamentals in detail. Whether you're writing your first novel or your fiftieth, whether you're a plotter or a discovery writer like me, these tips will help you create characters that readers believe in, care about, and invest in—and keep coming back for more. Let's get into it. 1. Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' Trifecta When I spoke with Matt Bird on episode 624, he laid out the three things you need to achieve on the very first page of your book or in the first ten minutes of a film. He calls it “Believe, Care, and Invest.” First, the reader must believe the character is a real person, somehow proving they are not a cardboard imitation of a human being, not just a generic type walking through a generic plot. Second, the reader must care about the character's circumstances. And third, the reader must invest in the character's ability to solve the story's central problem. Matt used The Hunger Games as his primary example, and it's brilliant. On the very first page, we believe Katniss's voice. Suzanne Collins writes in first person with a staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short declarative sentences—that immediately grounds us in a survivalist mentality. We care because Katniss is starving. She's protecting her little sister. And we invest because she is out there bow hunting, which Matt pointed out is one of the most badass things a character can do. She even kills a lynx two pages in and sells the pelt. We invest in her resourcefulness and grit before the plot has even begun. Matt was very clear that this has nothing to do with the character being “likable.” He said his subtitle, Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love, doesn't mean the character has to be a good person. He described “hero” as both gender-neutral and morally neutral. A hero can be totally evil or totally good. What matters is that we believe, care, and invest. He demonstrated this beautifully by breaking down the first ten minutes of WeCrashed, where the characters of Adam and Rebekah Neumann are absolutely not likable, but we are completely hooked. Adam steals his neighbour's Chinese food through a carefully orchestrated con involving an imaginary beer. It's not admirable behaviour, but the tradecraft involved, as Matt put it—using a term from spy movies—makes us invest in him. We see a character trying to solve the big problem of his life, which is that he's poor and wants to be rich, and we want to see if he can pull it off. Actionable step: Go to the first page of your current work in progress. Does it achieve all three? Does the reader believe this is a real person with a distinctive voice? Do they care about the character's circumstances? And do they invest in the character's ability to handle what's coming? If even one of those three is missing, that's your revision priority. 2. Define the Dramatic Question: Who Are They Really? Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, came on episode 490 and gave one of the most powerful frameworks I've ever heard for character-driven fiction. He explained that the human brain evolved language primarily to swap social information—in other words, to gossip. We are wired to monitor other people, to ask the question: who is this person when the chips are down? That's what Will calls the Dramatic Question, and it's what he believes lies at the heart of all compelling storytelling. It's not a question about plot. It's a question about the character's soul. And every scene in your novel should force the character to answer it. His example of Lawrence of Arabia is unforgettable. The Dramatic Question for the entire film is: who are you, Lawrence? Are you ordinary or are you extraordinary? At the beginning, Lawrence is a cocky, rebellious young soldier who believes his rebelliousness makes him superior. Every iconic scene in that three-hour film tests that belief. Sometimes Lawrence acts as though he truly is extraordinary—leading the Arabs into battle, being hailed as a god—and sometimes the world strips him bare and he sees himself as ordinary. Because it's a tragedy, he never overcomes his flaw. He doubles down on his belief that he's extraordinary until he becomes monstrous, culminating in that iconic scene where he lifts a bloody dagger and sees his own reflection with horror. Will also used Jaws to demonstrate how this works in a pure action thriller. Brody's dramatic question is simple: are you going to be old Brody who is terrified of the water, or new Brody who can overcome that fear? Every scene where the shark appears is really asking that question. And the last moment of the film isn't the shark blowing up. It's Brody swimming back through the water, saying he used to be scared of the water and he can't imagine why. Actionable step: Write down the Dramatic Question for your protagonist in a single sentence. Is it “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you brave enough to love again?” or “Will you sacrifice your principles for survival?” If you can't answer this with specificity, your character might still be a sketch rather than a person. 3. Get rid of Vague Flaws, and use Absolute Specificity This was one of Will Storr's most important points. He said that vague thinking about characters is really the enemy. When he teaches workshops and asks writers to describe their character's flaw, most of them say something like “they're very controlling.” And Will's response is: that's not good enough. Everyone is controlling. How are they controlling? What's the specific mechanism? He gave the example of a profile he read of Theresa May during the UK's Brexit chaos. Someone who knew her said that Theresa May's problem was that she always thinks she's the only adult in every room she goes into. Will said that stopped him in his tracks because it's so precise. If you define a character with that level of specificity, you can take them and put them in any genre, any situation—a spaceship, a Victorian drawing room, a school playground—and you will know exactly how they're going to behave. The same applies to Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, as Will described it: a man who believes absolutely in capitalistic success and the idea that when you die, you're going to be weighed on a scale, just as God weighs you for sin, but now you're weighed for success. That's not a vague flaw. That's a worldview you can drop into any story and watch it combust. Will made another counterintuitive point that I found really valuable: writers often think that piling on multiple traits will create a complex character, but the opposite is true. Starting with one highly specific flaw and running it through the demands of a relentless plot is what generates complexity. You end up with a far more nuanced, original character than if you'd started with a laundry list of vague attributes. Actionable step: Take your protagonist's flaw and pressure-test it. Is it specific enough that you could place this character in any situation and predict their behaviour? If you're stuck at “she's stubborn” or “he's insecure,” keep pushing. What kind of stubborn? What kind of insecure? Find the diagnostic sentence—the Theresa May level of precision. 4. Understand the Heroine's Journey: Strength Through Connection Gail Carriger came on episode 550 to discuss her nonfiction book, The Heroine's Journey, and it completely reframed how I think about some of my own fiction. Gail explained that the core difference between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey comes down to how strength and victory are defined. The Hero's Journey is about strength through solo action. The hero must be continually isolated to get stronger. He goes out of civilisation, faces strife alone, and achieves victory through physical prowess and self-actualisation. The Heroine's Journey is the opposite. The heroine achieves her goals by activating a network. She's a delegator, a general. She identifies where she can't do something alone, finds the people who can help, and portions out the work for mutual gain. Gail put it simply: the heroine is very good at asking for help, which our culture tends to devalue but which is actually a powerful form of strength. Crucially, Gail stressed that gender is irrelevant to which journey you're writing. Her go-to examples are striking: the recent Wonder Woman film is practically a beat-for-beat hero's journey—Gilgamesh on screen, as Gail described it. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, both the first book and the series as a whole, is a classic heroine's journey. Harry's power comes from his network—Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, his friendships with Ron and Hermione. He doesn't defeat Voldemort alone. He defeats Voldemort because of love and connection. This distinction has real practical consequences for writers. If you're writing a hero's journey and you hit writer's block, Gail said, the solution is usually to isolate your hero further and pile on more strife. But if you're writing a heroine's journey, the solution is probably to throw a new character into the scene—someone who has advice to offer or a skill the heroine lacks. The actual solutions to writer's block are different depending on which narrative you're writing. As I reflected on my own work, I realised that my ARKANE thriller protagonist, Morgan Sierra, follows a hero's journey—she's a solo operative, a lone wolf like Jack Reacher or James Bond. But my Mapwalker fantasy series follows a heroine's journey, with Sienna and her group of friends working together. I hadn't consciously chosen those paths; the stories led me there. But understanding the framework helps me write more intentionally now. Actionable step: Identify which journey your protagonist is on. Does your character gain strength by being alone (hero) or by building connections (heroine)? This will inform every plot decision you make, from how they face obstacles to how your story ends. 5. Use ‘Metaphor Families' to Anchor Dialogue and Voice One of the most practical techniques Matt Bird shared on episode 624 is the idea of assigning each character a “metaphor family”—a specific well of language that they draw from. This gives each character a distinctive voice that goes beyond accent or dialect. Matt explained how in The Wire, one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, every character has a different metaphor family. What struck him was that Omar, this iconic character, never utters a single curse word in the entire series. His metaphor family is pirate. He talks about parlays, uses language that feels like it belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it creates this incredible ironic counterpoint against his urban setting. It tells us immediately that this is a character who sees himself in a tradition of people that doesn't match his immediate surroundings. Matt also referenced the UK version of The Office, where Gareth works at a paper company but aspires to the military. So all of his language is drawn from a military metaphor family. He doesn't talk about filing and photocopying; he talks about tactics and discipline and being on the front line. This tells us that the character has a life and dreams beyond the immediate scene—and it's the gap between aspiration and reality that makes him both funny and believable. He pointed out that a metaphor family sometimes comes from a character's background, but it's often more interesting when it comes from their aspirations. What does your character want to be? What world do they fantasise about inhabiting? That's where their language should come from. In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a spiritual hermit, but his metaphor family is military. He uses the language of generals and commanders, and that ironic counterpoint is part of what makes him feel so rich. Actionable step: Assign each of your main characters a metaphor family. It could be based on their job, their background, or—more interestingly—their secret aspirations. Then go through your dialogue and make sure each character is consistently drawing from that well of language. If two characters sound the same when you strip away the dialogue tags, this is the fix. 6. Find the Diagnostic Detail: The Diagonal Toast Avoid clichéd character tags—the random scar, the eye patch, the mysterious limp—unless they serve a deep narrative purpose. Matt Bird on episode 624 was very funny about this: he pointed out that Nick Fury, Odin, and eventually Thor all have eye patches in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eye patches are done, he said. You cannot do eye patches anymore. Instead, look for what I'm calling the “diagonal toast” detail, after a scene Matt described from Captain Marvel. In the film, Captain Marvel is trying to determine whether Nick Fury is who he says he is. She asks him to prove he isn't a shapeshifting alien. Fury shares biographical details—his history, his mother—but then she pushes further and says, name one more thing you couldn't possibly have made up about yourself. And Fury says: if toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it. Matt said that detail is gold for a writer because it feels pulled from a real life. You can pull it from your own life and gift it to your characters, and the reader can tell it's not manufactured. He gave another example from The Sopranos: Tony Soprano's mother won't answer the phone after dark. The show's creator, David Chase, confirmed on the DVD commentary that this came from his own mother, who genuinely would not answer the phone after dark and couldn't explain why. Matt's practical advice was to keep a journal. Write down the strange, specific things that people do or say. Mine your own life for those hyper-specific details. You just need one per book. In my own writing, I've used this approach. In my ARKANE thrillers, my character Morgan Sierra has always been Angelina Jolie in my mind—specifically Jolie in Lara Croft or Mr and Mrs Smith. And Blake Daniel in my crime thriller series was based on Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy. I paste pictures of actors into my Scrivener projects. It helps with visuals, but also with the sense of the character, their energy and physicality. But visual details only take you so far. It's the behavioural quirks—the diagonal toast moments—that make a character feel genuinely alive. That said, physical character tags can work brilliantly when they serve the story. As I discuss in How to Write a Novel, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike is an amputee, and his pain and the physical challenges of his prosthesis are a key part of every story—it's not a cosmetic detail, it's woven into the action and the character's psychology. My character Blake Daniel always wears gloves to cover the scars on his hands, which provides an angle into his wounded past as well as a visual cue for the reader. And of course, Harry Potter's lightning-shaped scar isn't just a mark—it's a direct connection to his nemesis and the mythology of the entire series. The rule of thumb is: if the tag tells us something about the character's interior life or connects to the plot, it's earning its place. If it's just there to make the character visually distinctive, it's probably a crutch. Game of Thrones takes character tags further with the family houses, each with their own mottos and sigils. The Starks say “Winter is coming” and their sigil is a dire wolf. Those aren't just labels—they're worldview made visible. Actionable step: Start a “diagonal toast” notebook. Every time you notice something strange and specific about someone's behaviour—something that feels too real to be made up—write it down. Then gift it to a character who needs more texture. 7. Displace Your Own Trauma into the Work Barbara Nickless shared something deeply personal on episode 732 that fundamentally changed how I think about putting pain onto the page. While starting At First Light, the first book in her Dr. Evan Wilding series, she lost her son to epilepsy—something called SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. One day he was there, and the next day he was gone. Barbara said that writing helped her cope with the trauma, that doing a deep dive into Old English literature and the Viking Age for the book's research became a lifeline. But here's what's important: she didn't give Dr. Evan Wilding her exact trauma. Evan Wilding is four feet five inches, and Barbara described how he has to walk through a world that won't adjust to him. That's its own form of learning to cope when circumstances are beyond your control. She displaced her genuine grief into the character's different but parallel struggle. When I asked her about the difference between writing for therapy and writing for an audience, she drew on her experience teaching creative writing to veterans through a collaboration between the US Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts. She said she's found that she can pour her heartache into her characters and process it through them, even when writing professionally, and that the genuine emotion is what touches readers. We've all been through our own losses and griefs, so seeing how a character copes can be deeply meaningful. I've always found that putting my own pain onto the page is the most direct way to connect with a reader's soul. My character Morgan Sierra's musings on religion and the supernatural are often my own. Her restlessness, her fascination with the darker edges of faith—those come from me. But her Krav Maga fighting skills and her ability to kill the bad guys are definitely her own. That gap between what's mine and what's hers is where the fiction lives. Barbara also said something on that episode that I wrote down and stuck on my wall. She said the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul. I've been thinking about that ever since. On my own wall, I have “Measure your life by what you create.” Different words, same truth. Actionable step: If you're carrying something heavy—grief, anger, fear, regret—consider how you might displace it into a character's different but emotionally parallel struggle. Don't copy your exact situation; transform it. The emotion will be genuine, and the reader will feel it. 8. Write Diverse Characters as Real People When I spoke with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673—Sarah is Choctaw and a historical fiction author honoured by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian—she offered a perspective that every fiction writer needs to hear. The key message was to move away from stereotypes. Don't write your American Indian character as the “Wise Guide” who exists solely to dispense mystic wisdom to the white protagonist. Don't limit diverse characters to historical settings, as though they only exist in the past. Place them in normal, contemporary roles. Your spaceship captain, your forensic scientist, your small-town baker—any of them can be American Indian, or Nigerian, or Japanese, and their heritage should be a lived-in part of their identity, not the sole reason they exist in the story. I write international thrillers and dark fantasy, and my fiction is populated with characters from all over the world. I have a multi-cultural family and I've lived in many places and travelled widely, so I've met, worked with, and had relationships with people from different cultures. I find story ideas through travel, and if I set my books in a certain place, then the story is naturally populated with the people who live there. As I discuss in my book, How to Write a Novel, the world is a diverse place, so your fiction needs to be populated with all kinds of people. If I only populated my fiction with characters like me, they would be boring novels. There are many dimensions of difference—race, nationality, sex, age, body type, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, culture, education level—and even then, don't assume that similar types of people think the same way. Some authors worry they will make mistakes. We live in a time of outrage, and some authors have been criticised for writing outside their own experience. So is it too dangerous to try? Of course not. The media amplifies outliers, and most authors include diverse characters in every book without causing offence because they work hard to get it right. It's about awareness, research, and intent. Actionable step: Audit the cast of your current work in progress. Have you written a mono-cultural perspective for all of them? If so, consider who could bring a different background, perspective, or set of cultural specifics to the story. Not as a token addition, but as a real person with a real life. 9. Respect Tribal and Cultural Specificity Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673 was emphatic about one thing: never treat diverse groups as monolithic. If you're writing a Native American character, you must research the specific nation. Choctaw is not Navajo, just as British is not French. Sarah described the distinct cultural markers of the Choctaw people—the diamond pattern you'll see on traditional shirts and dresses, which represents the diamondback rattlesnake. They have distinct dances and songs. She said that if she saw someone in traditional dress at a distance, she would know whether they were Choctaw based on what they were wearing. She encouraged writers who want to write specifically about a nation to get to know those people. Go to events, go to a powwow, learn about the individual culture. She noted that a big misconception is that American Indians exist only in the past—she stressed that they are still here, still living their cultures, and fiction should reflect that present reality. I took a similar approach when writing Destroyer of Worlds, which is set mostly in India. I read books about Hindu myth, watched documentaries about the sadhus, and had one of my Indian readers from Mumbai check my cultural references. For Risen Gods, set in New Zealand with a young Maori protagonist, I studied books about Maori mythology and fiction by Maori authors, and had a male Maori reader check for cultural issues. Research is simply an act of empathy. The practical takeaway is this: if you're going to include a character from a specific cultural background, do the work. Use specific cultural details rather than generic signifiers. Sarah talked about how even she fell into stereotypes when she was first writing, until her mother pointed them out. If someone from within a culture can fall into those traps, the rest of us certainly can. Do the research, try your best, ask for help, and apologise if you need to. Actionable step: If you're writing a character from a specific culture, identify three to five sensory or behavioural details that are particular to that culture—not the generic version, but the real, researched, lived-in version. Consider hiring a sensitivity reader from that community to check your work. 10. Give Your Protagonist a Morally Neutral ‘Hero' Status Matt Bird was clear about this on episode 624: the word “hero” simply means the protagonist, the person we follow through the story. It's a functional role, not a moral label. We don't have to like them. We don't even have to root for their goals in a moral sense. We just have to find them compelling enough to invest our attention in their problem-solving. Think of Succession, where every member of the Roy family is varying degrees of awful, and yet the show was utterly compelling. Or WeCrashed, where Adam Neumann is a narcissistic con artist, but we can't look away because he's trying to solve the enormous problem of building an empire from nothing, and the tradecraft he employs is fascinating. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, readers must want to spend time with your characters. They don't have to be lovable or even likable—that will depend on your genre and story choices—but they have to be captivating enough that we want to spend time with them. A character who is trying to solve a massive problem will naturally draw investment from the audience, even if we wouldn't want to have tea with them. Will Storr extended this idea by pointing out that the audience will actually root for a character to solve their problem even if the audience doesn't actually want the character's goal to be achieved in the real world. We don't really want more billionaires, but we invested in Adam Neumann's rise because that was the problem the story posed, and our brains are wired to invest in problem-solving. This connects to something deeper: what does your character want, and why? As I explore in How to Write a Novel, desire operates on multiple levels. Take a character like Phil, who joins the military during wartime. On the surface, she wants to serve her country. But she also wants to escape her dead-end town and learn new skills. Deeper still, her father and grandfather served, and by joining up, she hopes to finally earn their respect. And perhaps deepest of all, her father died on a mission under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find out what happened from the inside. That layering of motivation is what turns a flat character into a three-dimensional one. The audience doesn't need to be told all of this explicitly. It can emerge through action, dialogue, and the choices the character makes under pressure. But you, the writer, need to know it. You need to know what your character really wants deep down, because that desire—more than any external plot device—is what drives the story forward. And your antagonist needs the same depth. They also want something, often diametrically opposed to your protagonist, and they need a reason that makes sense to them. In my ARKANE thriller Tree of Life, my antagonist is the heiress of a Brazilian mining empire who wants to restore the Earth to its original state to atone for the destruction caused by her father's company. She's part of a radical ecological group who believe the only way to restore Nature is to end all human life. It's extreme, but in an era of climate change, it's a motivation readers can understand—even if they disagree with the solution. Actionable step: If you're struggling to make a morally grey character work, make sure their problem is big enough and their methods are specific and interesting enough that we invest in the how, even if we're ambivalent about the what. 11. Build Vibrant Side Characters Gail Carriger made a point on episode 550 that was equal parts craft advice and business strategy. In a Heroine's Journey model, side characters aren't just fodder to be killed off to motivate the hero. They form a network. And because you don't have to kill them—unlike in a hero's journey, where allies are often betrayed or removed so the hero can be further isolated—you can pick up those side characters and give them their own books. Gail said this creates a really voracious reader base. You write one series with vivid side characters, and then readers fall in love with those side characters and want their stories. So you write spin-offs. The romance genre does this brilliantly—think of the Bridgerton books, where each sibling gets their own novel. The side character in one book becomes the protagonist in the next. Barbara Nickless experienced this firsthand with her Dr. Evan Wilding series. She has River Wilding, Evan's adventurous brother, and Diana, the axe-throwing research assistant, and her editor has already expressed interest in a spin-off series with those characters. Barbara described creating characters she wants to spend time with, or characters who give her nightmares but also intrigue her. That's the dual test: are they interesting enough for you to write, and interesting enough for readers to demand more? As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, characters that span series can deepen the reader's relationship with them as you expand their backstory into new plots. Readers will remember the character more than the plot or the book title, and look forward to the next instalment because they want more time with those people. British crime author Angela Marsons described it as readers feeling like returning to her characters is like putting on a pair of old slippers. Actionable step: Look at your supporting cast. Is there a side character who is vivid enough to carry their own story? If not, what could you add—a specific hobby, a distinct voice, a compelling backstory—that would make readers want more of them? 12. Use Voice as a Rhythmic Tool Voice is one of the most important elements of novel writing, and Matt Bird helped me think about it in a technical, mechanical way that I found really useful. He pointed out that the ratio of periods to commas defines a character's internal reality. A staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short sentences—suggests a character who is certain, grounded, or perhaps survivalist and traumatised. Katniss in The Hunger Games has a period-heavy voice. She's in survival mode. She doesn't have time for complexity or qualification. A flowing, comma-heavy style suggests someone more academic, more nuanced, or possibly more scattered and manipulative. The character who qualifies everything, who adds sub-clauses and digressions, is a different kind of person from the character who speaks in declarations. This is something you can actually measure. Pull up a passage of your character's dialogue or internal monologue and count the periods versus the commas. If the rhythm doesn't match who the character is supposed to be, you've found a mismatch you can fix. Sentence length is the heartbeat of your character's persona. And voice extends beyond rhythm to the words themselves. As I discussed in the metaphor families tip, each character should draw from a distinctive well of language. But voice also encompasses their relationship to silence. Some characters talk around the thing they mean; others say it straight. Some are self-deprecating; others are blunt to the point of rudeness. All of these choices are character choices, not just style choices. I find it useful to read my dialogue aloud—and not just to check for naturalness, but to hear whether each character sounds distinct. If you could swap dialogue lines between two characters and nobody would notice, you have a voice problem. One practical test: cover the dialogue tags and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Actionable step: Choose a key passage from your protagonist's point of view and read it aloud. Does the rhythm match the character? A soldier under fire should not sound like a philosophy professor at a wine tasting. Adjust the ratio of periods to commas until the voice feels right. 13. Link Character and Plot Until They're Inseparable Will Storr made the case on episode 490 that the number one problem he sees in the writing he encounters—in workshops, in submissions, even in published books—is that the characters and the plots are unconnected. There's a story happening, and there are people in it, but the story isn't a product of who those people are. He said a story should be like life. In our lives, the plots are intimately connected to who we are as characters. The goals we pursue, the obstacles we face, the same problems that keep recurring—these are products of our personalities, our flaws, our specific ways of being in the world. His framework is that your plot should be designed specifically to plot against your character. You've got a character with a particular flaw; the plot exists to test that flaw over and over until the character either transforms or doubles down and explodes. Jaws is the perfect example. Brody is afraid of water. A shark shows up in the coastal town he's responsible for protecting. The entire plot is engineered to force him to confront the one thing he cannot face. Will pointed out that the whole plot of Jaws is structured around Brody's flaw. It begins with the shark arriving, the midpoint is when Brody finally gets the courage to go into the water, and the very final scene isn't the shark blowing up—it's Brody swimming back through the water. Even a film that's ninety-eight percent action is, at its core, structured around a character with a character flaw. This is the standard I aspire to in my own work, even in my action-heavy thrillers. The external plot should be a mirror of the internal struggle. When those two are aligned, the story becomes irresistible. Will also made an important point about series fiction, which is where most commercial authors live. I asked him how this works when your character can't be transformed at the end of every book because there has to be a next book. His answer was elegant: you don't cure them. Episodic TV characters like Fleabag or David Brent or Basil Fawlty never truly change—and the fact that they don't change is actually the source of the comedy. But every episode throws a new story event at them that tests and exposes their flaw. You just keep throwing story events at them again and again. That's a soap opera, a sitcom, and a book series. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, character flaws are aspects of personality that affect the person so much that facing and overcoming them becomes central to the plot. In Jaws, the protagonist Brody is afraid of the water, but he has to overcome that flaw to destroy the killer shark and save the town. But remember, your characters should feel like real people, so never define them purely by their flaws. The character addicted to painkillers might also be a brilliant and successful female lawyer who gets up at four in the morning to work out at the gym, likes eighties music, and volunteers at the local dog shelter at weekends. Character wounds are different from flaws. They're formed from life experience and are part of your character's backstory—traumatic events that happened before the events of your novel but shape the character's reactions in the present. In my ARKANE thrillers, Morgan Sierra's husband Elian died in her arms during a military operation. This happened before the series begins, but her memories of it recur when she faces a firefight, and she struggles to find happiness again for fear of losing someone she loves once more. And then there's the perennial advice: show, don't tell. Most writers have heard this so many times that it's easy to nod and then promptly write scenes that tell rather than show. Basically, you need to reveal your character through action and dialogue, rather than explanation. In my thriller Day of the Vikings, Morgan Sierra fights a Neo-Viking in the halls of the British Museum and brings him down with Krav Maga. That fight scene isn't just about showing action. It opens up questions about her backstory, demonstrates character, and moves the plot forward. Telling would be something like: “Morgan was an expert in Krav Maga.” Showing is the reader discovering it through the scene itself. Actionable step: Look at the main plot events of your novel. For each major turning point, ask: does this scene specifically test my protagonist's flaw? If not, can you redesign the scene so that it does? The tighter the connection between character and plot, the more powerful the story. 14. The ‘Maestra' Approach: Write Out of Order If you're a discovery writer like me, you may feel like the deep character work I've been describing sounds more suited to plotters. But Barbara Nickless gave me a beautiful metaphor on episode 732 that reframes it entirely. Barbara described her evolving writing process as being like a maestra standing in front of an orchestra. Sometimes you bring in the horns—a certain theme—and sometimes you bring in the strings—a certain character—and sometimes you turn to the soloist. It's a more organic and jumping-around process than linear writing, and Barbara said she's only recently given herself permission to work this way. When I told her that I use Scrivener to write in scenes out of order and then drag and drop them into a structure later, she was genuinely intrigued. And this is how I've always worked. I'll see the story in my mind like a movie trailer—flashes of the big emotional scenes, the pivotal confrontations, the moments of revelation—and I write those first. I don't know how they hang together until quite late in the process. Then I'll move scenes around, print the whole thing out, and figure out the connective tissue. The point is that discovery writers can absolutely build deep characters. Sometimes writing the big emotional scenes first is how you discover who the character is before you fill in the rest. You don't need a twenty-page character worksheet or a 200-page outline like Jeffery Deaver. You need to be willing to follow the character into the unknown and trust that the structure will emerge. As Barbara said, she writes to know what she's thinking. That's the discovery writer's credo. And I would add: I write to know who my characters are. Actionable step: If you're stuck on your current chapter, skip it. Write the scene that's burning in your imagination, even if it's from the middle or the end. That scene might be the key to unlocking who your character really is. 15. Use Research to Help with Empathy Research shouldn't just be about factual accuracy—it's a tool for finding the sensory details that create empathy. Barbara Nickless described research as almost an excuse to explore things that fascinate her, and I feel exactly the same way. I would go so far as to say that writing is an excuse for me to explore the things that interest me. Barbara and I both travel for our stories. For her Dr. Evan Wilding books, she did deep research into Old English literature and the Viking Age. For my thriller End of Days, I transcribed hours of video from Appalachian snake-handling churches on YouTube to understand the worldview of the worshippers, because my antagonist was brought up in that tradition. I couldn't just make that up. I had to hear their language, feel their conviction, understand why they would hold venomous serpents as an act of faith. Barbara also mentioned getting to Israel and the West Bank for research, and I've been to both places too. Finding that one specific sensory detail—the smell of a particular location, the specific way an expert handles a tool, the sound of a particular kind of music—makes the character's life feel lived-in. It's the difference between a character who is described as living in a place and a character who inhabits it. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, don't write what you know. Write what you want to learn about. I love research. It's part of why I'm an author in the first place. I take any excuse to dive into a world different from my own. Research using books, films, podcasts, and travel, and focus particularly on sources produced by people from the worldview you want to understand. Actionable step: For your next piece of character research, go beyond reading. Watch a documentary, visit a location, talk to someone who lives the experience. Find one sensory detail—a smell, a sound, a texture—that you couldn't have invented. That detail will make your character feel real. Bonus: Measure Your Life by What You Create In an age of AI and a tsunami of content, your ultimate brand protection is the quality of your human creation. Barbara Nickless said that the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. Don't be afraid to take that step back, like I did with my deadlifting. Take the time to master these deeper craft skills. It might feel like you're slowing down or going backwards by not chasing the latest marketing trend, but it's the only way to step forward into a sustainable, high-quality career. Your characters are your signature. No AI can replicate the specificity of your lived experience, the emotional truth of your displaced trauma, or the sensory details you've gathered from a life of curiosity and travel. Those are yours. Pour them into your characters, and they will resonate for years to come. Actionable Takeaway: Identify the Dramatic Question for your current protagonist. Can you state it in a single sentence with the kind of specificity Will Storr described? Is it as clear as “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you the only adult in the room?” If you can't answer it with that kind of precision, your character might still be a sketch. Give them a diagonal toast moment today. Find the one hyper-specific detail that proves they are not an imitation of life. And then ask yourself: does your plot test your character's flaw in every major scene? If you can align those two things—a precisely defined character and a plot that exists to test them—you will have a story that readers cannot put down. References and Deep Dives The episodes I've referenced today are all available with full transcripts at TheCreativePenn.com: Episode 732 — Facing Fears, and Writing Unique Characters with Barbara Nickless Episode 673 — Writing Choctaw Characters and Diversity in Fiction with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer Episode 624 — Writing Characters with Matt Bird Episode 550 — The Heroine's Journey with Gail Carriger Episode 490 — How Character Flaws Shape Story with Will Storr Books mentioned: The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love by Matt Bird The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn You can find all my books for authors at CreativePennBooks.com and my fiction and memoir at JFPennBooks.com Happy writing! How was this episode created? This episode was initiated created by NotebookLM based on YouTube videos of the episodes linked above from YouTube/TheCreativePenn, plus my text chapters on character from How to Write a Novel. NotebookLM created a blog post from the material and then I expanded it and fact checked it with Claude.ai 4.6 Opus, and then I used my voice clone at ElevenLabs to narrate it. The post Writing Characters: 15 Actionable Tips For Writing Deep Character first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Last time we spoke about the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact. In the summer of 1939, the Nomonhan Incident escalated into a major clash along the Halha River, where Soviet-Mongolian forces under Georgy Zhukov decisively defeated Japan's Kwantung Army. Zhukov's offensive, launched on August 20, involved intense artillery, bombers, and encirclement tactics, annihilating the Japanese 23rd Division and exposing weaknesses in Japanese mechanized warfare. The defeat, coinciding with the Hitler-Stalin Nonaggression Pact, forced Japan to negotiate a ceasefire on September 15-16, redrawing borders and deterring further northern expansion. Stalin navigated negotiations with Britain, France, and Germany to avoid a two-front war, ultimately signing the German-Soviet pact on August 23, which secured Soviet neutrality in Europe while addressing eastern threats. Post-Nomonhan, Soviet-Japanese relations warmed rapidly: fishing disputes were resolved, ambassadors exchanged, and the Chinese Eastern Railway sale finalized. By 1941, a neutrality pact was concluded, allowing Japan to pivot southward toward China and Southeast Asia.   #193 The Chiang-Wang Divide Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. After that lengthy mini series covering the battle of Khalkin Gol, we need to venture back into the second sino-japanese war, however like many other colossal events….well a lot was going on simultaneously. I wanted to take an episode to talk about the beginning of something known as the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, or much shorter, the Wang Jingwei Regime. It's been quite some time since we spoke about this character and he is a large part of the second sino-japanese war.    After the fall of Tianjin and Beiping, the government offices in Nanjing entered their annual summer recess. All of GMD's senior leadership, from Chiang Kai-shek down to Wang Jingwei, gathered on Mount Lu, a picturesque resort in northern Jiangxi, south of the Yangtze, famed for cliffs, clouds, and summer villas. Although Chiang had visited Mount Lu every summer, this was the first occasion that nearly the entire central government assembled there. Analysts suspected the gathering was a deliberate move to relocate government functions inland in the event of total war. Dozens of the nation's leading intellectuals were invited to Mount Lu to discuss strategies for countering Japan's ambitions. The forum was scheduled to begin on July 15 and to last twenty-seven days in three phases. The bridge incident caught them off guard. Unlike Manchuria, Beiping had long been the nation's capital, and the shock added urgency to the proceedings. When the forum, chaired by Wang, finally opened on July 16, speculation ran as to whether this signaled another regional conflict or the onset of full-scale war. The media pressed for a resolute stance of resistance from the government. To dispel the mounting confusion and perhaps his own indecision, Chiang delivered a solemn speech on July 17, declaring that if the incident could not be resolved peacefully, China would face the "crucial juncture" of national survival and would consider military action; if war began, every Chinese person, from every corner of the country and from every walk of life, would have to sacrifice all to defend the nation.   Chiang's Mount Lu Speech was now commonly regarded as the moment when China publicly proclaimed its firm commitment to resistance. Contemporary observers, however, did not take Chiang's stance at face value. Tao Xisheng, a Peking University law professor who had been invited, recalled that after the speech, people gathered in Hu Shi's room to discuss whether a peace option remained. Chiang left the mountain on July 20, leaving Wang to chair the conference. The discussions continued upon their return to Nanjing, where a National Defense Conference was organized in mid-August. It was also Tao's first encounter with Wang Jingwei. A "peace faction," largely composed of civil officials and intellectuals, began to take shape around Wang, favoring diplomatic solutions over costly and potentially ineffective military action.   During this period, both Chiang and Wang publicly called for resistance, while both harbored hopes for a peaceful solution. Yet their emphases differed. On July 29, Wang Jingwei delivered a radio address from Nanjing titled "The Critical Juncture," echoing Chiang's slogan. He likewise asserted that after repeated concessions and retreats, the critical juncture had come for China to rise against Japan. It would be a harsh form of resistance, since a weak nation had no alternative but to sacrifice every citizen's life and scorch every inch of land. Yet toward the end, Wang's speech took on an ironic turn. He stated, "The so-called resistance demands sacrificing the whole land and the whole nation to resist the invader. If there is no weakness in the world, then there is also no strength. Once we have completed the sacrifice, we also realize the purpose of resistance. We hail 'the critical juncture'! We hail 'sacrifice'!" The sentiment sounded almost satirical, revealing his doubt about the meaning of total sacrifice.   The hope for containment was crushed by Japan's ongoing advances. On November 12, Shanghai fell. Chiang's gamble produced about 187,200 Chinese casualties, including roughly 30,000 officers trained to German standards. Japanese casualties were estimated at a third to a half of the Chinese losses, still making it their deadliest single battle to date. The battered Japanese Imperial Army and Navy, long convinced of their invincibility, were consumed by vengeful bloodlust. The army swept from Shanghai toward Nanjing, leaving a trail of murder, rape, arson, and plunder across China's heartland.   With the fall of Nanjing looming, the central government announced on November 20 that it would relocate to Chongqing, a city upriver on the Yangtze protected by sheer cliffs. Plans for Chongqing as a reserve capital had already begun in 1935, with Hankou as the midway station. To preserve elite troops for the future while saving face, Nanjing was entrusted to General Tang Shengzhi and his roughly one hundred thousand largely inexperienced soldiers. Nanjing fell on December 13. Despite this victory, Japan's hopes of ending the China Incident within three months were dashed. The carnage produced by the war, especially the Rape of Nanjing, left a profound moral stain on humanity. A mass exodus from the coastal provinces toward the hinterland began. People fled by boats, trains, buses, rickshaws, and wheelbarrows. Universities, factories, and ordinary households were moved halfway across China, step by step. The nation resolved to persevere, even in distant mountains and deserts if necessary. In Sichuan alone, government relief agencies officially registered about 9.2 million refugees during the war years.   Chiang Kai-shek, after paying respects at Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum, flew to Mount Lu with Song Meiling. The so-called Second Couple chose a more modest path: like most refugees, the Wang family traveled upriver along the Yangtze. On November 21, they left Nanjing, abandoning a recently renovated suburban home and thirty years of collected books. Coincidentally, the ship carrying Wang Jingwei from Nanjing to Wuhan was SS Yongsui, the former SS Zhongshan that had escorted Sun Yat-sen to safety and witnessed Wang's ascent and subsequent downfall from power. Ironically renamed "Yong-sui," the ship's new title meant "peace," while the compound term suijing denoted a policy of appeasement. This symbolism—Wang being carried away from Nanjing by a ship named "Eternal Peace"—foreshadowed his eventual return to the city as a champion of a "peace movement."   After the Mount Lu Forum, Hu Shi and Tao Xisheng could not return to Beiping, now under Japanese occupation. They joined the government in Nanjing. Beginning in mid-August, Japanese bombers began attacking Nanjing. Air power—an unprecedented weapon of mass destruction—humbled and awed a Chinese public largely unfamiliar with airborne warfare. By striking a target that did not serve its immediate interests, Japan demonstrated its world-class military might and employed psychological warfare against the Chinese government and people. Because Zhou Fohai's villa at Xiliuwan had a fortified cellar suitable as an air-raid shelter, a group of like-minded intellectuals and civil servants sought refuge there. They preferred a peaceful approach to the conflict, subscribing to the idea of trading space for time—building China's industrial and military capabilities before confronting Japan. Tao Xisheng and Mei Siping, old allies of Zhou Fohai, lived in his house. Another frequent guest was Luo Junqiang, an ex-communist. The former CCP leader Chen Duxiu, recently released from prison, joined their gatherings a few times. Gao Zongwu hosted another meeting site. Hu Shi, as a guest himself, jokingly called this circle the "Low-Key Club" (Didiao julebu), a label that underscored their pragmatic defiance of the government's high-flown rhetoric urging all-out resistance. Many members of this group would later become central figures in a conspiracy known as the "peace movement," with Wang Jingwei as its leader and emblem.   As Gerald Bunker noted, the peace scheme did not originate with Wang but with certain associates of Chiang, elements in Japanese military intelligence, and members of liberal-minded Japanese political circles who were linked to Konoe. Zhou Fohai belonged to the Chiang-loyalist CC faction, named for Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu. Zhou believed that resistance under current conditions was suicidal. He sought to influence Chiang through people around him, including Wang Jingwei, whom he found impressionable and began visiting at Wang's salon. Gao Zongwu, head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Department, felt sidelined by Chiang's uncompromising stance. They shared the sense that Chiang might be willing to talk but feared the price, perhaps his own leadership. They were dismayed by the lack of a long-range war plan beyond capitulation. Their view was that China's battlefield losses would worsen the terms of any settlement, and that the war's outcome seemed to benefit Soviet Russia and undermine the GMD more than China itself. The rapid collapses of Shanghai and then Nanjing vindicated their pessimism. Chiang's autocratic decision-making only deepened their dissatisfaction. They feared China was again at risk of foreign conquest from which it might not recover.   Wang Jingwei became the focal point for these disaffected individuals, drawn by his pacifist leanings, intellectual temperament, and preference for consensus-building. After the government relocated to Hankou, he lent guidance to the Literature and Art Research Society (Yiwen yanjiu hui), a propagandist body led by Zhou Fohai and Tao Xisheng. Its purpose was to steer public opinion on issues like the war of resistance and anticommunism, and to advocate a stance that the government must preserve both peace and war as options. Many believed it to be Wang's private organization; in truth, Chiang supported its activities. For much of 1938, Chiang's belligerent anti-Japanese rhetoric and Wang's conciliatory push were two sides of the GMD's broader strategy.   Among the society's regional branches, the Hong Kong chapter flourished under Mei Siping and Lin Baisheng. In addition to editing South China Daily News, Lin established Azure Books and the International Compilation and Translation Society (Guoji bianyishe) as primary propaganda organs. Ironically, Mei Siping had himself been a radical during the 1919 student protests, when he helped set fire to the deputy foreign minister's house in protest of perceived capitulation to Japan.   Wang Jingwei also actively engaged in international efforts to broker peace between Japan and China, including Trautmann's mediation by the German ambassador. Since the outbreak of war, various Western powers had contemplated serving as mediators, but none succeeded. Nazi Germany, aligned with Japan in an anti-Soviet partnership, emerged as China's most likely ally because it did not want Japan to squander its strength in China or compel China to seek Soviet help. Conversely, Japan's interest lay in prolonging the war or achieving a swift settlement. Ambassador Trautmann met with Wang Jingwei multiple times from October 31 to early November 1937 to confirm China's preference for peace before negotiating with Japan. The proposal Trautmann carried to Chiang Kai-shek on November 5 proposed terms including autonomy for Inner Mongolia, a larger demilitarized zone in North China, an expanded cease-fire around Shanghai, a halt to anti-Japanese movements, an anti-communist alliance, reduced tariffs on Japanese goods, and protection of foreign interests in China. Although Japan did not specify territorial gains, these terms deviated significantly from Chiang's demand to restore pre–Marco Polo Bridge status. After Shanghai fell, Chiang's rigidity softened.   On December 5, at Hankou, the National Defense Conference agreed to begin peace negotiations based on Trautmann's terms, a decision Chiang approved. But it was too late: Nanjing fell on December 13, and a provisional Beiping government led by Wang Kemin was established, signaling Japan's growing support for regional separatism. On December 24, Japan issued an ultimatum for a harsher deal to be accepted by January 10. In response, Chiang resigned as chairman of the Executive Yuan on January 1, 1938, and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Kong Xiangxi. Chiang declared that death in defeat was preferable to death in disgrace and refused to yield under coercion. The Konoe Cabinet announced on January 16 that Japan would not negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek. Trautmann's mediation had failed.   After Konoe's announcement, mediation became even more precarious, as it placed the already deadly, no-win situation between the two nations in deeper jeopardy. Secret contacts between the two governments persisted through multiple channels—sometimes at the direction of their own leaders, other times at the initiative of a cadre of officials and quasi-official figures of dubious legitimacy. Many of these covert efforts were steered by Chiang himself. In late 1937, Wang Jingwei even sent Chen Gongbo to Rome to explore the possibility of Italian mediation between China and Japan. After meetings with Mussolini and Foreign Minister Ciano, Chen concluded that Italy had no genuine goodwill toward China and favored Japan. His conversations with other Western leaders (Belgium, France, Britain, and the United States) proved equally fruitless. In diaries, Zhou Fohai and Chen Kewen recorded a pervasive mood of pessimism among Hankou and Chongqing's national government factions. Although direct champions of negotiating with Japan were few, many voices insisted that China was on the brink of collapse while secretly hoping peace talks would begin soon. Gao Zongwu's mission emerged from this tense atmosphere.   With Konoe's cabinet refusing to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek, many regarded Wang as the best candidate to carry forward a diplomatic solution. Yet Wang remained convinced of his loyalty to Chiang and to Chiang's policy. The Italian ambassador visited Wuhan to offer mediation between Wang and the Japanese government, an invitation Wang declined. Tang Shaoyi's daughter traveled to Wuhan to convey Tokyo's negotiation intent, but was similarly turned away. Even Chen Bijun, then in Hong Kong, urged Wang to join her and start peace negotiations; he again declined. Tao Xisheng remembered a quiet night when Wang confided in him: "This time I will cooperate with Mr. Chiang until the very end, regardless of how the war unfolds." His stance did not change when Gao Zongwu reported that the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office wanted him to head the peace talks.   Gao Zongwu's bid was brokered by Dong Daoning, head of the Japan Affairs Section in the Foreign Ministry. Shortly after Konoe's statement, Dong traveled to Shanghai to meet Nishi Yoshiaki, representative of Mantetsu, and Matsumoto Shigeharu, a Dōmei News Agency journalist. Nishi and Matsumoto then introduced Dong to Kagesa Sadaaki, head of the Strategy and Tactics Department in the General Staff Office. Kagesa introduced Dong to Deputy Director Tada Hayao and colleagues Ishiwara Kanji and Imai Takeo, who agreed that a peaceful resolution to the China crisis aligned with Japan's interests. It would be inaccurate to paint these figures as pacifists: Ishiwara, who helped build Manchukuo, also recognized that further incursions into China could jeopardize Japan's hard-won gains. They proposed a temporary resignation by Chiang to spare Konoe from having to retract his refusal to negotiate, thereby allowing Wang to lead the talks. In short, the scheme aimed to save face for Konoe.   Dong returned to Hong Kong and delivered the proposal to Gao Zongwu, who had been stationed there since February under Chiang's orders to oversee intelligence and liaison with Japan. Luo Junqiang, Gao's contact, testified that Gao was paid monthly from Chiang's secret military fund. Gao went back to Hankou twice, on April 2 and May 30. On the second trip, he personally conveyed Japan's terms to Chiang. Gao later admitted that Chiang never gave him explicit instructions, but rather cultivated an impression of tacit approval. At no point did Gao view the deal as Chiang's betrayal. As long as Chiang retained control of the military, Wang's leadership could only be nominal and temporary. Unbeknownst to Wang, Gao's personal ties to Chiang remained hidden from him; he learned of them only through Zhou Fohai. Startled, he handed the information to Chiang Kai-shek and told Tao Xisheng: "I cannot broker peace with Japan alone. I will not deceive Mr. Chiang." Given Tao's later departure from Wang's circle to rejoin Chiang, Tao's recollection could be trusted.   Two months later, Wang left Chongqing to pursue a peace settlement. A key factor may have been persistent lobbying by Zhou, Gao, Mei, Tao, and especially his wife Chen Bijun. Luo Junqiang recalled that Kong Xiangxi objected that Gao acted without him, prompting Chiang to order Gao to halt his covert efforts, an order Gao ignored. Gao and Mei Siping continued to press for a deal. Gao even spent three weeks in Japan in July, holding extensive talks with Kagesa Sadaaki and Imai Takeo. Their discussions produced the first substantive articulation of the Wang peace movement as a Sino-Japanese plot to end the "China incident." On November 26, Mei flew from Hong Kong to Chongqing with a draft of Japan's terms and Konoe's planned announcement. The proposal stated that the Japanese army would withdraw completely within two years once peace was reached, but it demanded that China formally recognize Manchukuo. Wang was to leave Chongqing for Kunming by December 5, then proceed to Hanoi. Upon Japan receiving news of his arrival in Hanoi, the telegram would reveal the peace terms. This pivotal moment threw Wang into intense inner turmoil. Zhou Fohai visited Wang daily, and Wang delayed decisively each time, much to Zhou's frustration. Ultimately, it seemed that Chen Bijun rendered the final judgment on Wang's behalf. As in earlier episodes, Wang found himself trapped by an idealized image of himself held by family, followers, and loyalists, seen by them as a larger-than-life figure who must undertake a mission too grand to fail.   Yet Wang's stance was not purely involuntary. As Imai Takeo noted, he fundamentally disagreed with Chiang's strategy of resistance. The so-called scorched-earth approach caused immense suffering. Three episodes stood out: the 1938 Yellow River flood, ordered by Chiang to impede Japan's advance, which destroyed dikes and displaced millions, yielding devastating agricultural and humanitarian consequences; the subsequent epidemics and famine that followed, producing about two million refugees and up to nine hundred thousand deaths, while failing to stop the Japanese advance toward Wuhan (which fell in October); and the Changsha fire, ignited in the early hours of November 13, which killed nearly thirty thousand people and devastated most of the city. These events sharpened Wang's doubts about Chiang's defense strategy, especially its reckless execution and cruelty. By late November, Wang began to openly challenge Chiang's approach, delivering a series of speeches advocating his own war-weariness and preference for limiting resistance to preserve national strength for future counterstrikes. He argued that guerrilla warfare burdened the people and wasted national resources that could be saved for a later, more effective defense. He urged soldiers to exercise judgment and listen to their consciences, and he attributed much of the civilian suffering to the Communists; nonetheless, with General von Falkenhausen, Chiang's German adviser, now urging a shift toward smaller-unit mobile warfare, Wang's critique of Chiang's strategy took on a more pointed, risksome tone. If resistance equaled total sacrifice, Wang was not prepared to endorse it. As Margherita Zanasi noted, Wang Jingwei and Chen Gongbo had long shared a vision of a self-consciously anti-imperial "national economy", the belief that China's economy had not yet achieved genuine nation-power and that compromising with the foe might be necessary to save the national economy.   Wang and Zhou also worried that continuing resistance would strengthen the Communists and that genuine international aid would not arrive, at least not soon. After Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia, Wang briefly hoped for the formation of an antifascist democratic alliance. Yet the Munich Agreement disappointed him. Viewing Western democracies as culturally imperialist, he doubted they would jeopardize their relations with Japan, another imperial power, on China's behalf. This view was reinforced by Zhou Fohai and other China specialists who had recently joined Wang's circle; they argued that China would fall unless the international situation shifted dramatically. Their forecast would prove accurate only after Pearl Harbor.   In the end, Wang longed for decisive action. He had been sidelined since the government's move to Wuhan. At the GMD Provisional National Congress in Hankou (March 29–April 1), the party resolved to restore Chiang Kai-shek to near-total control by reasserting the authoritarian zongcai system. The Congress also established the People's Political Council as a nominal nod to democracy, but it remained largely consultative. Wang was elected deputy director and chairman of the council, yet he clearly resented the position. Jiang Tingfu described Wang's Hankou mood as "somewhat resentful," recognizing the role as largely ceremonial. More optimistic observers attributed his dismay to the return of dictatorship, and he likely felt increasingly useless. Since the Mukden Incident, Wang had prioritized party unity and been content to play a secondary role to Chiang, but inaction did not fit his sense of historical purpose. It was Zhou Fohai who urged Wang to risk his reputation for a greater cause, presenting a calculated nudge to someone susceptible to idealism. A longing to find meaning through action may have finally pushed him toward a fateful decision. As Chen Bijun bluntly told Long Yun, her husband "was merely an empty shell in Chongqing and could contribute nothing to the country; thus he wanted to change his surroundings."   Wang considered staying abroad as a serious option amid the Hanoi uncertainty. Gao Zongwu had previously told Japanese negotiators that if Konoe's stance did not satisfy Wang, he might head to France. Chongqing echoed this possibility. On December 29, Ambassador Guo Taiqi, acting on Chiang's orders, telegraphed Wang suggesting he go to Europe "to take a break." It would have offered a graceful exit. Kagesa recommended Hanoi as Wang Jingwei's midway station because, as a French colony, it offered a relatively safe environment. Only the French were armed there, and several members of the extended Wang family had grown up in France, enabling them to communicate with the colonial authorities.   After Wang departed for Hanoi, Long Yun hesitated for weeks. On December 20, he telegraphed Chiang, saying Wang had paused in Kunming on the way to Hanoi to seek medical treatment. Knowing this was untrue, Chiang replied on December 27 with a stern warning about Japan's unreliability, a message that appeared to have persuaded Long. A day later, Long urged leniency for Wang. Following Wang's publication of the "yan telegram," public anger likely pushed Long toward a final decision. On January 6, he informed Chiang of a letter from Wang delivered by Chen Changzu, and he noted that the Wangs were considering the French option, but recommended allowing Wang to return to Chongqing to show leniency and to enable surveillance.   Chiang replied two days later that Wang would be better off going to Europe. The extended Wang family resided in two Western-style mansions at 25 and 27 Rue Riz Marché, surrounded by high walls. On February 15, Chongqing's envoy Gu Zhengding brought their passports to Hanoi. Accounts differed on what happened next. One version had Wang offering to travel abroad if Chongqing accepted his proposal to start peace talks; if Chongqing remained indecisive, he would return to voice his dissent. Another version claimed Gu's primary task was to bring Wang back to Chongqing, which Wang declined, preferring France.   Although the French option was gaining favor, the Wang circle continued to explore other avenues. In early 1939, secret contacts with the Japanese government persisted, though not always in a coordinated way. Chiang's intelligence advised that the Wang group was forming networks in Shanghai and especially Hong Kong, with Gao Zongwu playing a central role. On February 1, Gao returned from Hong Kong and stayed for five days, finding Wang in a despondent mood. Wang asked Gao to pass along a few letters to Japanese leaders urging the creation of a unified Chinese government to earn the Chinese people's understanding and trust. Wang believed his actions would serve the best interests of both China and Japan. On March 18, the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong informed Gao that funding for the Wang group would come from China's customs revenues that Japan had seized.   Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-shek sensed a shift in the war's direction. On February 10, Japan seized Hainan, China's southernmost major island. The next day, Chiang held a press conference describing the development as "the Mukden Incident of the Pacific." He warned that Japan's ambitions could threaten British and French colonial interests and U.S. maritime supremacy. Gao Zongwu read the speech and concluded that Chiang's outlook had brightened.   For three months, the Wang circle met frequently to weigh options. The prominent writer and scholar Zhou Zuoren, who had already accepted a collaborationist post as head of the Beiping library, warned Tao Xisheng, saying "Don't do it," signaling his misgivings about collaborating with Japan based on his reading of Japanese politics. As Zhou observed, many young Japanese militarists did not even respect General Ugaki, let alone a foreign leader.   Then the assassination of Zeng Zhongming, Wang's secretary and protégé, abruptly altered the meaning of Wang's mission. The Wang group was deeply unsettled by Zeng Zhongming's assassination. The event came as a shock. On March 20, Gu Zhengding's second Hanoi visit concluded. Allegedly Gu delivered passports and funds for a European excursion. On a bright spring day, the entire Wang family enjoyed a lighthearted outing to Three Peaches Beach, only to be halted by a French officer who warned they were being followed. During their afternoon rest, a man posing as a painter, sent by the landlord to measure rooms for payment, appeared at the door and was turned away when he insisted on entering every room. More than twenty people in the household, none were armed.   Since January, Hanoi had been a hive of BIS activity. The ringleader was Chen Gongshu, a veteran operative under spymaster Dai Li, though Chen's recollections clashed with those of other witnesses, leaving the exact sequence unclear. Chen claimed their role was intelligence and surveillance until March 19, when an unsigned telegram from Dai Li ordered, "Severest punishment to the traitor Wang Jingwei, immediately!" The mission supposedly shifted. The Wang family was followed the next day but evaded capture in traffic, prompting a raid on the house. Reports varied: some said Wang resided on the second floor of No. 27; others suggested he lived in No. 25, with No. 27 used for day guests. The force entered the courtyard, forced open the door to Wang's room, and a getaway car waited outside. Chen, in the car, heard gunshots: initial shots toward a downstairs figure, then three shots through a bedroom door hacked open with an axe, aimed at a figure beneath the bed, believed to be Wang Jingwei. The team drove off after four to five minutes. Vietnamese police soon detained three killers who lingered in the courtyard and even listened in on a hospital call. Chen didn't realize the target had been misidentified until the next afternoon. Some BIS records suggested Wang and Zeng Zhongming had swapped bedrooms that night, a detail Chen doubted. Chen did not mention a painter's earlier visit.   There were competing accounts of the event with their numerous inconsistencies that fueled conspiracy theories. Jin Xiongbai outlined three possibilities: (1) the killers killed the "wrong person" as a warning to Wang Jingwei; (2) they killed Zeng to provoke Wang toward collaboration; or (3) the episode was always part of a broader Chiang-Wang collaboration plan.   In any case, Dai Li showed unusual leniency toward Chen Gongshu, who was never punished and later led the Shanghai station. After Dai Li's agent Li Shiqun was captured in 1941, Li not only spared Chen's life but recruited him on a double-agent basis for the remainder of the war, with Chen retiring to Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek never discussed the case publicly or in his diary, and his silence was perhaps the strongest indication that he ordered the killing.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Wang Jingwei, once a key figure in China's resistance against Japan, grew disillusioned with Chiang Kai-shek's scorched-earth tactics during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Amid devastating events like the Yellow River flood and Changsha fire, which caused immense civilian suffering, Wang joined a peace faction advocating negotiation. Secret talks with Japanese officials led to his defection in 1938. He fled Chongqing to Hanoi, where an assassination attempt, likely ordered by Chiang, killed his secretary Zeng Zhongming instead.   

This weeks episode heralds the predictable joy of a cheeky Nando's, the lunacy of the UK having limited free refill joints, the audacity of the price of eating out, Gabby's historical spell of being paleo and the delights of a Japanese sweet potato!  We always love to hear from you, so feel free to fire us over an email on hello@makinganeffortpodcast.com AND - Don't forget - if you fancy some bonus episodes (NEW BONUS EP OUT NOW!), weekly episode commentary, community chat and BTS content, we'd love you to consider supporting us at www.patreon.com/makinganeffortpodcast

Episode 804 In this action-packed episode of Got Faded Japan, Johnny kicks back with one of Japan's legendary artists, Monkey Monk. Together they dive deep into the wild world of art in Japan, from the adrenaline of live painting and grinding it out in the studio to the mysterious spark behind creative ideas. But that's not all. Monkey Monk also unveils his brand-new festival experience: MURAL CAMP. This isn't just another event, it's a full-blown art adventure. Imagine two days of camping in the stunning Japanese countryside surrounded by creative minds, incredible food, great music, and some of Japan's top artists painting massive murals right before your eyes. Seriously, it's going to be epic. If you love art, creativity, and good vibes, you don't want to miss this. Learn more about Monkey Monk, check out his artwork, and grab your tickets for Mural Camp: https://www.instagram.com/monkeymonkart/ https://www.instagram.com/mural_camp/ https://ticketdive.com/event/muralcamp_ticket https://artsacca.com/i1247     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Supporting GOT FADED JAPAN ON PATREON directly supports keeping this show going and fueled with booze, seriously could you imagine the show sober?? Neither can we! SUPPORT GFJ at: https://www.patreon.com/gotfadedjapan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORT THE SHOW!!!!   1. THE SPILT INK: Experience art, buy art and get some original art commissioned at: SITE: https://www.thespiltink.com/ INSTAGRAM: @thespiltink YouTube: https://youtu.be/J5-TnZLc5jE?si=yGX4oflyz_dZo74m ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- 2. MITSUYA LIQUOR in ASAGAYA: "The BEST beer shop and standing beer bar in Tokyo!" 1　Chome- 13 -17 Asagayaminami, Suginami Tokyo 166-0004　 Tel & Fax: 0303314-6151Email: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------   3. Harry's Sandwich Company 1 min walk from Takeshita Street in HarajukuCall 050-5329-7203 Address: 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome−16−7 MSビル 3F ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- 4. Share Residence MUSOCO “It's a share house that has all that you need and a lot more!” - Located 30 minutes form Shibuya and Yokohama - Affordable rent - Gym - BAR! - Massive kitchen - Cozy lounge space - Office work units - A spacious deck for chilling - DJ booth and club space - Barber space - AND MORE! Get more info and move in at: https://sharedesign.co.jp/en/property.php?id=42&property=musaco&fbclid=IwAR3oYvB-a3_nzKcBG0gSdPQzxvFaWVWsi1d1xKLtYBnq8IS2uLqe6z9L6kY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Food House https://soulfoodhouse.comAddress:2-chōme−8−10 | Azabujūban | Tokyo | 106-0045 Phone:03-5765-2148 Email:info@soulfoodhouse.com Location Features:You can reach Soul Food House from either the Oedo Line (get off at Azabujuban Station and it's a 7-minute walk) or the Namboku Line (get off at Azabujuban Station and it's a 6-minute walk). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET YOURSELF SOME GOT FADED JAPAN MERCH TODAY!!! We have T-Shirts, COFFEE Mugs, Stickers, even the GFJ official pants! BUY NOW AND SUPPORT THE SHOW: http://www.redbubble.com/people/thespiltink/works/16870492-got-faded-japan-podcast -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Got Faded Japan Podcast gives listeners a glimpse of the most interesting side of Japan's news, culture, peoples, parties, and all around mischief and mayhem. Hosted by Johnny and Jeremy who adds opinions and otherwise drunken bullshit to the mix. We LOVE JAPAN AND SO DO YOU! Send us an email on Facebook or hell man, just tell a friend & post a link to keep this pod rolllin' Fader! Kanpai mofos! #japan #japantalk #japanpodcast #gotfadedjapan #japantravel #japanvlog  

Today's story: For decades, the United States followed other wealthy democracies in becoming less religious. The share of Americans identifying as Christian fell sharply, while the number of people with no religious affiliation grew. But new data suggest that this long decline may have slowed. Younger generations are no less religious than Millennials, and adults today are not becoming less religious as they age. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/847Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/847--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Num 22:21-23:30, Luke 1:57-80, Ps 58:1-11, Pr 11:12-13

Today's episode is a Japanese folktale adapted for you by Daniel Hinds. An old couple discovers a large peach in a stream. Draw us a picture of what you think any of the characters in this story look like, and then tag us in it on instagram @storiespodcast! We'd love to see your artwork and share it on our feed!! If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can subscribe and give us a five star review on iTunes, check out our merch at storiespodcast.com/shop, follow us on Instagram @storiespodcast, or just tell your friends about us! Check out our new YouTube channel at youtube.com/storiespodcast. If you've ever wanted to read along with our stories, now you can! These read-along versions of our stories are great for early readers trying to improve their skills or even adults learning English for the first time. Check it out.

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is media, culture and creative industries lecturer Sarah Jilani. We start in 1954 with the Japanese film Seven Samurai which is widely considered to be one of world cinema's most influential films. Then, we hear about the 2006 Hindi film Rang de Basanti which broke box-office records and inspired thousands of young Indians to march for justice. We delve into the BBC Archives to hear from director Leni Riefenstahl about one of the most controversial propaganda movies ever made, Triumph of the Will, which was filmed at the Nazis' Nuremberg rally in 1934. Next, we hear about the challenges of making the Hollywood 1942 classic, Casablanca, from the late son and nephew of the screenwriters. Finally, the story of the Spanish language fantasy, Pan's Labyrinth, which took the world by storm in 2006. Contributors: Hisao Kurosawa - movie producer, head of the Kurosawa Production Company and son of Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa. Sarah Jilani - a Lecturer in the Department of Media, Culture and Creative Industries, City St George's, University of London. Kamlesh Pandey - screenwriter. Leni Riefenstahl - film maker (from BBC Archive). Leslie Epstein - the late son and nephew of screenwriters Julius and Philip Epstein respectively. Ivana Baquero - actress. (Photo: Ingrid Bergman with Humphrey Bogart in a still from Casablanca. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Episode 698: We just survived a crazy windstorm in Western PA. Andrew lost a tree, Puke lost shingles, and Brett lives in an apartment. How are storms measured? Comparing river scenes in Anaconda and Congo. Do snakes have thoughts? What are the Tennessee Volunteer Slave Catchers? Can Brett get a Jappalachia hat? Brett thinks Japanese people look retarded. Beef tubes! Trying to figure out how Lent works. War with Iran makes Puke depressed. Andrew's never ending Valentine's Day. Puke catches his kidney stone in a jar.

事項 is one of the most useful Japanese words, but it's useless on its own. It must link together with another word to take on meaning. This month I look at all the different combinations I could find. Also, I give my recommendations for Kobe. Don't forget to check out the blog and the newsletter. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on the newsletter, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

We speak with Ro Tajima, editor in chief of iconic Japanese publication ‘Brutus’, plus Nelson Ng from meditative travel magazine ‘Lost’ and Jane Gleeson from Irish food title ‘Guzzle’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Num 21:1-22:20, Luke 1:26-56, Ps 57:1-11, Pr 11:9-11

Community Prayer and Encouragement

In this episode of Supernatural Japan, we explore the eerie world of Japan's haunted love motels. Learn the surprising history of Japanese love hotels, their rise during the economic Bubble era, and how some later became abandoned haikyo ruins. From the infamous Seline Love Motel in Nagano to the mysterious “haunted room” legend of the Akasaka Love Hotel, we uncover chilling urban legends, real crimes, and ghost stories connected to these secretive spaces. Why do abandoned love hotels attract paranormal tales and urban explorers? Step inside Japan's most unusual haunted locations — if you dare. BRAND NEW Website: supernaturaljapan.com Get lots of Premium and Exclusive Content! Premium membership: @patreon  Support on: @BuyMeACoffee Listen to my (host Kevin O'Shea) expat life diary podcast, “Tales from Kevin”: @TalesFromKevin Connect with Supernatural Japan: Website: supernaturaljapan.com Instagram: @supernaturaljapan Facebook: @SupernaturalJapan BlueSky: @MadForMaple X: @MadForMaple YouTube: @BusanKevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Japanese town run entirely by British civil servants.

Send a textIn today's episode, we're going to sit with something that every one of us will face in our lives, but most of us struggle to talk about openly: grief.My guests are author and educator Frank Stepnowski and his daughter, Sam Welch. Together, they've created a beautiful and deeply moving picture book called Where Did Cain Go? A Family's Walk Through Loss—a book that grew out of the death of Frank's son and Sam's brother, Cain, who died at just 13 days old from a congenital heart defect.This conversation is not about neat answers or tidy closure. It's about what it actually feels like to live with loss over years and decades. You'll hear Frank talk about what it meant to carry his infant son's coffin, to try to stay strong when everyone else went silent not knowing what to say or how to act around Frank and his wife Dawn after their profound loss. You'll hear Sam share what it was like to grow up sensing a grief she couldn't fully understand, and how later losses—of her uncle, her grandparents, and a pregnancy—reshaped her understanding of her parents' pain and her own.We explore how grief and love mirror each other, how gratitude can slowly change the way we carry our pain, and how art, story, and honest conversation can help families—especially children—talk about death in a more compassionate and grounded way. We also get into ideas from positive psychology, the power of journaling, and the Japanese art of Kintsugi as a metaphor for putting ourselves back together with gold after we've been broken.My hope is that as you listen, you don't just think about loss in an abstract way, but gently reflect on the people you've loved and lost, and on the legacy they continue to have in your life.Connect with Frank and SamFrank- FacebookSam- FacebookWhere to purchase their book: Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Mark Levin. 91% of MAGA Approves Iran Action, 50% of Right Wing Podcasters Disapprove. Who are they Really! America's Role in Reshaping Iran's Future For this entire Mark Levin Show visit - https://youtu.be/vgoaq-e4RDI?si=0jCO9FLpYhWxwmgY The Mark Levin Show 91.7K subscribers 4,380 views Premiered Mar 10, 2026 Mark Levin Audio Rewind On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, for the media, and now for most politicians, what's most important is not winning this war against Iran AND ensuring it's not replaced by another monstrous regime, but the price of gasoline on a daily basis. If this military campaign is ended prematurely, and the second phase of ensuring the institution of a civil government is not accomplished, chances are this entire effort will be for naught.  The economic, geo-political, and national security gains, which have been immense, and the stated goal of liberating the Iranian people, which initiated this process, could become a disaster in every respect -- including political. After we destroyed the Japanese regime in WWII, the U.S. wrote their constitution and installed a government that would be aligned with us.  We must give very focused thought to what comes after the Iranian regime's navy, air force, missiles, and top leadership are destroyed.  It still has a standing army, secret police, and an entire Islamist-supporting infrastructure.  There are many approaches to dealing with this short of a democracy project or sending hundreds of thousands of soldiers.  But to be clear, if a void is created and left there, and we do not fill it (perhaps with our allies) or significantly influence how it is tilled, it most definitely will be filled by the forces in Iran that remain from the old regime with the support of their allies, including China and Russia. Also, polls show that 91% approve of President Trump's handling of the Iran situation among MAGA supporters and 83% among Republicans. Since Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Steve Bannon, and Candace Owens opposed this military campaign, their audience must largely consist of leftists, anti-Semites, foreigners, Islamists, Marxists, and Democrats. Later, Democrats fiercely oppose voter ID requirements, particularly photo IDs, despite broad public support across all races.  Photo IDs are routinely required for everyday activities, yet Democrats claim they are too difficult to obtain, especially for Black people and married women, which is inherently racist and condescending. Without photo ID verification, there is no reliable way to confirm a voter's identity, prevent double voting, or stop impersonation, particularly in the 11 states (mostly Democratic) that do not require any ID.  Finally, Dr James Lindsay calls in and argues that efforts to drive a wedge between Jews and Christians, and to redefine Americanism, stem from multiple interconnected motives. Primarily, opponents of President Trump are now attempting to weaken him and his agenda from within by fracturing his coalition. This includes pushing the Republican Party toward a more radical, identity-based politics inspired by failed European conservatism, moving away from the traditional American ideal of equal citizenship regardless of background. Influencers driving these narratives are motivated by a mix of genuine ideological commitment to paleoconservative or Buchanan-style views, financial incentives like chasing clicks, payments, bot amplification, and foreign boosting, all converging to reorganize the Republican Party and sever U.S.-Israel ties to diminish America's global defensive posture. Key Links: Subscribe to Mark's other channel, Liberty's Voice:    / @libertysvoice   Order Mark's latest book, On Power: https://a.co/d/2IVBWiW Be sure to visit http://www.marklevinshow.com for all things Mark Levin. Follow on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/marklevinshow

I seldom give focus to money in this podcast, and this episode has nothing to do with making more or managing your money. It's on how we make meaning of money, which may dictate more about your money situation than anything else. And to that degree we are looking at how you feel about your money, more than whatever your situation may be. We all likely know people with lots of money who stress about it far more than some with very little. My guest in this episode helped me reposition how I think about money. Long ago we exchanged goods and service with each other. Today we do the same thing, but the exchange happens through money instead of the direct product or service. But of greater focus we are looking at our attitude towards money. My guest in this episode is a self-help legend and celebrity in Japan where he's sold nearly 9 million books about this topic. Ken Honda is the author of Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money. But it's not money Ken is concerned about, it's your happy soul. This is why he has most of his own country following him, and now is claiming hearts around the world, including now, America. He joined me via Zoom from somewhere near Tokyo and we just had a super sweet time together. Ken ultimately endorsed my book, “What Drives You, for the Japanese market. I think you'll find a significant paradigm shift in your perspective on money and a new hope for feeling better about it. I did. Truly. There are products and services we don't want to spend money on. Such as, we don't want to give $1,000 to a car mechanic to fix something that went wrong on our car. So we give the mechanic money with sad feelings. Sad energy. And the mechanic is on the receiving end of getting sad money. Would you like to change this perspective, as the customer and the mechanic? Ken is going to help. We start off addressing the common negative feelings many people have towards money, and turn it on its head. It's not money we are upset with. It's really the work we don't like and aren't proud of, that we are doing to earn money. It's more about how we are earning our money than the money itself. I think you will be so stoked with this episode you'll want to share it with everyone you know. Sign up for your $1/month trial period at shopify.com/kevin Go to shipstation.com and use code KEVIN to start your free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: manga is today one of the most ubiquitous forms of entertainment in Japan. But the idea of comics as we might understand them has a much longer history. So how did we get from there to here--what, in other words, is the origin of Japanese manga/ We'll look today at the earliest known examples as we try to understand the origins of manga as a form.  Show notes here. 

NCB10 Boston's Sue O'Connell discusses the rescission of a Biden-era rule on LGBTQ foster care placements and what the filibuster has to do with the SAVE Act.Live Music Friday with Irish musicians Matt & Shannon Heaton and flutist Kozo Toyota, one of three members of the Japanese band O'Jizo that plays traditional Irish music. Tonight, they all collaborate on a show at Club Passim.Dr. Megan Ranney of Yale School of Public Health discusses measles concerns and the epidemic of American gun violence.Iranian-American owners of La Saison bakery return ahead of Persian New Year, and to discuss the impacts of war on their family. 

What does Spirited Away actually mean? And who—or what—is No-Face really supposed to be? In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive deep into the Japanese folklore, Shinto mythology, and yokai legends that inspired one of the most beloved animated films ever made: Spirited Away. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli, the film is packed with references to kami, yokai, purification rituals, and ancient spiritual beliefs that many viewers outside Japan may not recognize. You'll learn ✨ The meaning of kamikakushi — the folklore concept of being “spirited away” by the gods ✨ Why the spirit bathhouse reflects Shinto purification rituals and onsen culture ✨ The real folklore behind Haku's dragon form and river spirits ✨ The environmental message hidden in the Stink Spirit scene ✨ The possible yokai inspiration behind Yubaba and mountain witches ✨ And the true meaning behind No-Face, one of the most mysterious characters in animation From ancient Shinto beliefs about spirits in nature to the strange world of Japanese yokai, this episode uncovers the folklore that shaped Spirited Away's spirit world. If you love Japanese mythology, anime history, folklore, or Studio Ghibli, you're in the right place. Website (

VGC's Andy Robinson is this week's guest. Andy discusses his days on PC Zone and CVG, and why he's made the effort to built relationships with Japanese game developers in the last few years. This week's music is from the Yooka-Laylee soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope, David Wise and Steve Burke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Japanese culture "Honne" and "Tatemae"Script (Website) : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Momoko: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Request your topic: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram momoko.nihongo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vlog in Japanese: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Momoko To Nihongo Youtube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Illustration by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠szln_drawing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hurt Record

Support NEStalgia directly by becoming a member of our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/Nestalgia  Members at the $5 and above level get access to our brand new show NEStalgia Bytes. A look at the famicom games you can play without any Japanese knowledge! For More NEStalgia, visit www.NEStalgiacast.com

(00:00:00) Intro (00:08:52) Development (00:21:36) Visuals: Those Beautiful Backgrounds (00:38:05) A Battle System Refresh (01:04:00) Mitsuda: Still Great, Maybe Greater? (01:15:16) Story Discussion: Return to the Sea (01:28:13) Another World (01:49:24) Termina (01:52:52) 3 Weirdos and Viper Manor (01:59:00) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram!"Nobody can take anything away from him. Nor can anyone give anything to him."This week begins a look at Chrono Cross, the Playstation 1 follow-up to the critically acclaimed and fan-beloved Chrono Trigger. While sharing a namesake and a creative team, there is far more about Chrono Cross that differs from its older sibling than there is that makes them alike. Co-host Chris (Retrograde Amnesia podcast) joins the show to mull over what works—and more importantly why. Chrono Cross takes a lot of risks in its battle system, its cast of colorful weirdos, and, especially, its narrative identity...and that is where this conversation begins. Join us for the first of three episodes exploring this wonderful and weird JRPG gem. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy!Referenced Links:Chrono Cross's beautiful pre-rendered backgroundsHow the greatest Japanese RPGs of the ‘90s came to the WestThank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

In this episode, we dive into the real historical events behind The Last Samurai and the legendary 1877 Satsuma Rebellion that marked the end of the samurai era in Japan. We explore how traditional samurai warriors rose up against Japan's rapidly modernizing government in an effort to preserve their culture, honor, and way of life. We also discuss the fascinating story of Jules Brunet, a French military advisor who famously chose to stand with samurai forces during Japan's turbulent transition into the modern world. But the conversation doesn't stop with history. We explore the lesser-known cryptid sightings, folklore, and paranormal legends tied to the battlefields and forests of that time period. From mysterious spirits believed to be fallen warriors to strange creatures rumored to roam the mountains of Japan, we examine how war, fear, and cultural mythology may have blended together during one of the most dramatic chapters in Japanese history. Was the fall of the samurai purely political… or did the legends and supernatural beliefs of the time play a deeper role in how people experienced the conflict? Join us as we uncover the history, mystery, and legends surrounding the final days of the samurai.     Ways to Support and Connect with Brice Witherow :  ✅https://www.instagram.com/bricewitherow?igsh=dnJpYTRkem43aTRh     Help a brother out and buy me a Coffee ☕️ (Monthly or one time donation keeps the show going): We know there is room for improvement and have decided to ask you (Our amazing listeners) to help the podcast grow! This will help with better audio, expedition funding, and much more!  ✅ https://venmo.com/u/cryptidwarfare     Email me:  Podcast Cryptidwarfare@gmail.com   Critter/Cryptid Control/Consulting  C.WOPPS@protonmail.com C.woperations17905@gmail.com         Help support our mission in giving you the best podcast on ? Anchor.fm/Spotify, iTunes, Podbean +   Make sure to give me a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review :). Thank yall!   ✅ Cryptid Warfare: https://www.instagram.com/cryptid_warfare_pod_cast/ youtube: www.youtube.com/@cryptidwarfare     Awesome Friends to Follow: The Cryptid Huntress: https://thecryptidhuntress.com/  Josh Monday: https://www.instagram.com/joshmonday_podcast/  Shannon Ray Davis : https://www.omegamanradio.com/ Randy Richey : https://christoutreachoklahoma.com/ Kevin (Where the Weird Ones Are Podcast) : https://linktr.ee/wheretheweirdonesare?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=ae3f5382-235d-49a1-8e57-2483c7d1db7d Ryley (Midwest Mythos Podcast) : https://linktr.ee/midwestmythospodcast?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=04c1a648-29eb-4e6d-adbb-2441c3b090cf Kenny boy (MidnightLycanthropy) : https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2F%40MidnightLycanthropy%3Ffbclid%3DPAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafBNw3B-19HaJlPxdGB0VfH17137NnvwJv2d0iZJ8l0G8DypTXlGTR2fEbsgQ_aem_KKA8f2PLcCOoczwMXOB4Uw&e=AT07rj4AdwOF6DowVy0OYlwjRcfRWAfN0lPNUQya4he-PltGe_GStLBD70PAuUjHhRhJWXOkcrJlAHtqSMubcqDoGbdwT0_5seWfw1SAJat_UtcA4qSCTx0 Doc (Prometheus Lens Podcast) : https://prometheuslenspodcast.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacMhzmC7J7zOPvpf_yE4WX3EqGp0tyIqrI6viGuq11ZSYnXKm9df90DHSy_2A_aem_KvXHR1mTOCOC0NYJhJS5eQ AG (Paranoiradio) https://l.instagram.com/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fparanoiradio.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DPAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaddqk8iVFqv0Z0gM3-i_-1OTwZzUA457zp47caz-HZ_JOsoE7axzP-JUQaOnQ_aem_uOpbs_YqSh38WecKxVCn_Q&e=AT1-3GftOpDYdmfDiZox6r63G3ZfBkissS0ZV5WiXzuZ85Hg2E8-4YGQWQz48ft8qR6GcLGPlPC9xot4OvZgtj9SpCeTRGEFButqr3lWFwvyy46JahmmC3k     Business Shout Outs:   C.W OPERATIONS & SURVIVAL  Owner & Operator : Drew M Critter Hitters / Monster Hunters for Hire email: c.woperations17905@gmail.com. or  C.WOPPS@protonmail.com    Lantern Rescue  lanternrescue.org https://l.instagram.com/? email : Korrin@lanternrescue.org   Tier1 Restoration  Brain Cochrans phone = 615-809-9839 https://tier1restoration.godaddysites.com/   Bearded Brothers Trucking  Danny Vega  https://vegabrostn.com/   BerryHill Window Cleaning  https://www.berryhillwindowcleaningtn.com/   The Tac Patch  https://www.instagram.com/thetacpatch_?igsh=MWFidzk3d2tib3Ztdw== https://thetacpatch.com/   FLatTopK9  Owner - Tim Russell  www.FlatTopK9.com   Stead Fast OverLand Owner - Jerrett Hudson https://www.instagram.com/steadfastoverland?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==   kingdom.defense.llc   Part Owner : Mr. Charlie  https://www.instagram.com/kingdom.defense.llc?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==   https://www.instagram.com/anestillc?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==           Amazing outtro ? by my friend D & Andrew (Walking Lightly Tones Studios Music) Check out CallhimD Spotify and Instagram give him a listen/follow https://open.spotify.com/artist/16BHUS6UGILgxsBEUxqQJ https://www.instagram.com/call.him.d?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==  

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has promised to not allow oil through the Strait of Hormuz, choking global supplies. Indonesia and Australia will include Japan and Papua New Guinea in elements of their security plans. Special Advisor to the Royal Commission, Dennis Richardson has formally resigned from his position, sparking concerns over the ultimate outcome of the investigation. - イランの新たな最高指導者は、アメリカや湾岸諸国への攻撃を続ける考えを示し、世界最大級の原油輸送ルートであるホルムズ海峡の封鎖を維持するとしました。世界のエネルギー供給への影響が深刻化しています。インドネシアとオーストラリアは、両国の安全保障協力に日本とパプアニューギニアを含め、拡大する計画を明らかにしました。ボンダイで起きた襲撃事件を受けて設置されたロイヤル・コミッションで、元ASIO長官のデニス・リチャードソン氏が今週、突然辞任しました。1週間を振り返るニュースラップです。

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has promised to not allow oil through the Strait of Hormuz, choking global supplies. Indonesia and Australia will include Japan and Papua New Guinea in elements of their security plans. Special Advisor to the Royal Commission, Dennis Richardson has formally resigned from his position, sparking concerns over the ultimate outcome of the investigation. Recorded 13 March. - イランの新たな最高指導者は、アメリカや湾岸諸国への攻撃を続ける考えを示し、世界最大級の原油輸送ルートであるホルムズ海峡の封鎖を維持するとしました。世界のエネルギー供給への影響が深刻化しています。インドネシアとオーストラリアは、両国の安全保障協力に日本とパプアニューギニアを含め、拡大する計画を明らかにしました。ボンダイで起きた襲撃事件を受けて設置されたロイヤル・コミッションで、元ASIO長官のデニス・リチャードソン氏が今週、突然辞任しました。1週間を振り返るニュースラップです。3月13日収録。

Num 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Ps 56:1-13, Pr 11:8

It's very hard to believe, but The Famicast as a podcast turns 15 as of March 11th (...12th in Japan)! The crew has talked about tons of games and will continue to do so in this episode. Joined by special guest Will from Raccoon City Cinemas, the guys talk about the Japanese version of Resident Evil Requiem (Biohazard Requiem), complete with some regional differences, as well as Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown. After a quick break, the guys reminisce about the show before moving on to a FAKE OR REAL quiz, Feedback and Ty's Anime Trash. Thank you for 15 years! If you want a look at some crazy visual novels, be sure to check out Visual Novel Database at the link here.For some new Famicast merch, you can check out our stores below:JAPAN | EVERYWHERE ELSE00:00:00 Intro00:02:33 BIOHAZARD requiem00:35:39 Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown00:43:07 Now Playing at TheFamicast.com00:45:45 The Famicast - 15 Years Later01:03:18 FAKE OR REAL01:27:31 Feedback01:32:30 OutroThank you so much for subscribing, listening and for your support for the past 15 years! Here's to the next 15!Website: www.thefamicast.comEmail: thefamicast (at) gmail (dot) comPatreon: patreon.com/thefamicastYouTube: youtube.com/thefamicastBluesky: @thefamicast.bsky.socialX: @thefamicast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Returning to the Pacific Theater, after Pearl Harbor the Japanese run wild. But Adm. Nimitz seeks ways to sting the enemy until the U.S. is ready to bring the fight to the enemy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9. Professor Paul Thomas Chamberlainof Columbia University recounts the November 1941 White House meetingswhere U.S. leaders prepared for an imminent, yet poorly understood, Japaneseattack. He explains that military planners initially focused on the Philippines and discounted a strike on Pearl Harborbecause they underestimated the lethality of aircraft carriers. Chamberlain highlights that this era marked the transition from traditional battleship-centric warfare to the carrier-dominated strategies that would define the Pacific theater. (9)1942 MERCHANT MARINE

This week, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed welcomes designer Samuel Ross, back to the WHOOP Podcast to unveil Project Terrain, the new collection built to elevate your performance. From technical Italian and Japanese fabrics to architectural steel clasps and reflective detailing, Samuel shares how function, endurance, and silhouette drive every decision. Together, Will and Samuel explore each of the pieces of the collection, diving into the intent that went into the creation of each. Whether its the perforation of the fabrics, the logo detailing, or material finishing, each detail of this collection was thoughtfully created to reimagine performance wear for modern athletes and everyday high performers. (01:06) Introducing Project Terrain(01:48) The Making, Material, and Ethos In Creating The Jacket(04:04) Designing For Season: The Ultimate Spring/Summer Short (06:03) The Influences and Inspiration Behind Project Terrin Layer I(07:51) Project Terrain Bands: A New Look At The Superknit(11:14) Creating For The Modern AthleteLearn more about Project Terrain Layer I at shop.whoop.com/us/en/samuelross/Follow Samuel Ross:InstagramXLinkedInWebsiteFollow SR_A:InstagramWebsiteSupport the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

This week, Jimmy talks about a Miami concours that was drowned out by a storm, a "Million Dollar Camper" that failed to sell at auction and the un-awaited return of Stancypants. Plus, Japanese drifters arrested in sting operation and the F.A.T. Ice Race.

What if purpose isn't something you discover once and hold onto forever? What if it's something you discover in small ways — every single day? Over the last few episodes we've been talking about something many of us are missing: margin. Space in our lives and space in our nervous systems. Because we can't build a life we love when every ounce of our energy is already spent holding the current one together. But once we create a little space, another question appears: Now what? In this episode I share five Japanese wisdoms that offer a gentler way to think about purpose, presence, and rebuilding a meaningful life in midlife. Not a roadmap. More like a long exhale. We explore: • Ikki no Mei — finding one small reason to show up today • Ma — why the space between things matters more than we think • Shodo — how writing by hand changes the way we experience our lives • Wabi-Sabi — finding beauty in the life that didn't go according to plan • Kintsugi — why the cracks in our story may be the most valuable part If you've ever wondered what comes next after years of caring for everyone else, this episode is an invitation to start small. You don't have to solve your whole life. You just have to find today's reason.

Host Jo Reed and contributor Stephen Cummings begin with Escape by Stephen Fischbach, an Earphones Award winner narrated by Julia Whelan, Imani Jade Powers, and Sean Patrick Hopkins; it's a debut novel that digs into the machinations of reality TV and the costs of reinvention. Next they turn to Paper Cut by Rachel Taff, narrated by Helen Laser, a sharp exploration of true crime culture that follows a former cult member facing renewed scrutiny when a documentarian wants to revisit her past. Finally, they discuss the Earphones-winning Crown City by Naomi Hirahara, narrated by Brian Nishii, a richly observed social history threaded with a mystery as a newly arrived Japanese immigrant navigates 1903 Pasadena. Together, the three audiobooks—and their narrators—offer distinct portraits of pressure, survival, and the long reach of the past.   Audiobooks Discussed:   Escape! by Stephen Fishbach, read by Julia Whelan, Imani Jade Powers, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and Stephen Fishbach (Penguin Audio)   Paper Cut by Rachel Taff, read by Helen Laser (Harper Audio)   Crown City by Naomi Hirahara, read by Brian Nishii (Recorded Books)   Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollinsChristianPublishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Colleen Coble, Mark Harmon, Jennie Allen, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, for the media, and now for most politicians, what's most important is not winning this war against Iran AND ensuring it's not replaced by another monstrous regime, but the price of gasoline on a daily basis. If this military campaign is ended prematurely, and the second phase of ensuring the institution of a civil government is not accomplished, chances are this entire effort will be for naught.  The economic, geo-political, and national security gains, which have been immense, and the stated goal of liberating the Iranian people, which initiated this process, could become a disaster in every respect -- including political. After we destroyed the Japanese regime in WWII, the U.S. wrote their constitution and installed a government that would be aligned with us.  We must give very focused thought to what comes after the Iranian regime's navy, air force, missiles, and top leadership are destroyed.  It still has a standing army, secret police, and an entire Islamist-supporting infrastructure.  There are many approaches to dealing with this short of a democracy project or sending hundreds of thousands of soldiers.  But to be clear, if a void is created and left there, and we do not fill it (perhaps with our allies) or significantly influence how it is tilled, it most definitely will be filled by the forces in Iran that remain from the old regime with the support of their allies, including China and Russia. Also, polls show that 91% approve of President Trump's handling of the Iran situation among MAGA supporters and 83% among Republicans. Since Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Steve Bannon, and Candace Owens opposed this military campaign, their audience must largely consist of leftists, anti-Semites, foreigners, Islamists, Marxists, and Democrats. Later, Democrats fiercely oppose voter ID requirements, particularly photo IDs, despite broad public support across all races.  Photo IDs are routinely required for everyday activities, yet Democrats claim they are too difficult to obtain, especially for Black people and married women, which is inherently racist and condescending. Without photo ID verification, there is no reliable way to confirm a voter's identity, prevent double voting, or stop impersonation, particularly in the 11 states (mostly Democratic) that do not require any ID.  Finally, Dr James Lindsay calls in and argues that efforts to drive a wedge between Jews and Christians, and to redefine Americanism, stem from multiple interconnected motives. Primarily, opponents of President Trump are now attempting to weaken him and his agenda from within by fracturing his coalition. This includes pushing the Republican Party toward a more radical, identity-based politics inspired by failed European conservatism, moving away from the traditional American ideal of equal citizenship regardless of background. Influencers driving these narratives are motivated by a mix of genuine ideological commitment to paleoconservative or Buchanan-style views, financial incentives like chasing clicks, payments, bot amplification, and foreign boosting, all converging to reorganize the Republican Party and sever U.S.-Israel ties to diminish America's global defensive posture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

INTRO (00:24): Kathleen opens the show drinking a Conway's Irish Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland. She reviews her weekend in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, visiting her favorite Cleveland dive bar and seeing her first Faberge egg.     TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.”   TASTING MENU (4:26): Kathleen samples Pennystick's Stick Pretzels, Ballreich's Buffalo Garlic Parmesan Chips, and Sarris Candies Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods.    COURT NEWS (41:12): Kathleen shares news about Dolly Parton's Songteller Hotel in Nashville confirming an opening date, and Taylor Swift is credited for Travis Kelce's return to the Kansas City Chiefs 2026 roster.    HOLLYBOBBY (25:05): HollyBobby provides the latest news in Hollywood.    UPDATES (45:00) : Kathleen shares updates on Britney Spears' DUI, stowaway Svetlana Dali sneaks on another European flight, Punch the Japanese snow monkey has outgrown his orangutan stuffed animal, Elon's proposed Tesla tunnel loop meets opposition in Nashville,     FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (1:03:52): Kathleen shares articles on the history of Faberge eggs, Ticketmaster experiences further issues with the Metallica Sphere onsale, Southwest considers only cleaning premium seats, Costco plans to build apartments over their warehouse stores,  American Airlines could be downgrading their crew hotels, David Copperfield retires from his Vegas residency, the current owner of Epstein's island is revealed, and the woman who designed the iconic Vegas sign never made a fortune on her design.    HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (1:01:35): Kathleen reads about a lost Rembrandt rediscovered in Amsterdam.    WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (42:13): Kathleen recommends watching “Love Story” on FX, and “Death By Lightening” on Netflix.    SAINT OF THE WEEK (1:32:14): Kathleen reads about St. Damien of Molokai, patron saint of lepers.    FEEL GOOD STORY (1:26:11): Kathleen shares a story about a golden doodle who gets a happy ending after being abandoned at a Las Vegas airport ticket counter.