Podcasts about Japanese

Plus OpenAI starts an app store, and Apple lets Japanese users have more app stores.Starring Tom Merritt and Huyen Tue Dao Show notes are found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Underrated, underplanted, underappreciated… so why isn't the Japanese pagodatree (Styphnolobium japonicum) a more popular as a street tree in our urban forests?Completely Arbortrary is produced and hosted by Casey Clapp and Alex CrowsonSupport the pod and become a Treemium MemberFollow along on InstagramFind Arbortrary merch on our storeFind additional reading on our websiteCover art by Jillian BartholdMusic by Aves and The Mini-VandalsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration says it will dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a cornerstone for American climate and weather science. Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, explains what this could mean for climate research. Then, President Trump has softened his approach to China as the rivalry between China and the U.S. grows. Jane Perlez, former Beijing bureau chief for the New York Times, details where U.S.-China relations are headed. Click here for our full conversation on Trump's push to bring tiny Japanese cars to the U.S.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

how to ask and answer the question "How are you?"

Reuters reveals ⁠China has secretly built a prototype chipmaking machine⁠ in a six-year effort insiders compare to the Manhattan Project. President Donald Trump delivers a holiday address boasting of accomplishments as the House fails to rein in his Venezuela aggression.  Warner Bros Discovery rejects Paramount Skydance's $100 billion hostile takeover bid, backing Netflix's offer instead. Plus Nick Reiner, son of director Rob Reiner, appears in court charged with murdering his parents. Recommended Read: AI romance blooms as Japanese woman weds virtual partner of her dreams Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.  Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.  You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Lumbee Tribe is celebrating the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes legislation to grant the tribe federal recognition. The U.S. Senate passed the defense bill Wednesday, as Lumbee citizens gathered in Pembroke, N.C. for a watch party. Lumbee Chairman John Lowery was in Washington D.C. for the vote, and shared a short video message saying he's the last chairman to go the nation’s capital to fight for full federal recognition. “Now our children and our grandchildren, our great grandchildren can come up here working and fighting and promoting other things for our people.” The tribe has sought federal status for more than a century. The Lumbee's effort has faced opposition, including by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, while President Donald Trump promised the Lumbee Tribe federal recognition. President Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt in 1941 and President Donald Trump in 2025 invoking the Alien Enemies Act. This December marked the 84th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing – a shocking attack that drew the U.S. into World War II and unleashed a wave of anti-Japanese hysteria. While the U.S. would join a global fight against fascism and Nazi concentration camps, it was erecting camps of its own at home, forcing tens of thousands of Japanese Americans into internment. Two of those camps were set up on tribal lands in Arizona. In the first of a 5-part series, KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio examines the law that has given presidents power to imprison perceived enemies. It all began December 7, 1941, a Sunday morning in Hawaii, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. More than 2,400 souls were lost at the naval base on the island of Oʻahu. The U.S. was suddenly swept into the Pacific Theater. “And we're going to fight it with everything we've got.” During President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's “Day of Infamy” speech, he invoked the Alien Enemies Act. It's a 1798 wartime law authorizing the president to legally detain and deport anyone suspected of engaging in acts like espionage and sabotage. “Not only must the shame of Japanese treachery be wiped out, but the forces of international brutality wherever they exist, must be absolutely and finally broken.” Weeks later, President Roosevelt directed the Secretary of War to herd more than 120,000 people with Japanese ancestry into camps in Arizona, California, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and as far east as Arkansas. Two-thirds of prisoners were American-born citizens. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt had empathized with them, even touring a camp south of Phoenix in 1943. Barbara Perry says Mrs. Roosevelt was simply ahead of her time. “And certainly on how she viewed Japanese Americans, but she couldn't convince her husband of that.” Perry is co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia. She also points out precedent was set a century prior when President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 – marching tribes west of the Mississippi River. “America was pretty discriminatory…” Despite not being at war, President Trump reinvoked the Alien Enemies Act on day one of his second term. “…to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks, bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities.” This proclamation wasn't surprising to John Woolley, co-director of the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara. “This is a domestic political rallying point that is very powerful with Donald Trump's base.” Part two explores why a pair of Arizona reservations were picked to house the camps. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Thursday, December 18, 2025 — Amid Greenland's independence push, Denmark accounts for colonial blunders

Today's story: Ted Danson stars in *Man on the Inside*, a warm, thoughtful comedy about a retired professor who becomes a private investigator. The show gently explores themes of aging, intergenerational relationships, and finding purpose later in life, all wrapped in a light mystery and comedic tone.Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/825Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/825 --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.com-- Mentioned 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

This week John Poz's TMPT welcomes into the show for the feature episode, Historian, and author Dr. Jonathan Foye. The historian, and author is on to discuss his entire professional wrestling journey. Host John Poz and Jon will talk about his new book: Freedom and Faith: Pro Wrestling NOAH, Beyond the Green Mat, his series of books, NOAH, Japanese wrestling, Great Muta, Johnny Ace, AJPW, NJPW, and so much more!Freedom and Faith: Pro Wrestling NOAH - https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/hybridshoot/freedom-and-faith-pro-wrestling-noahStore - Teepublic.com/stores/TMPTFollow us @TwoManPowerTrip on Twitter and IG

When Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895, it inherited a financial mess: a chaotic mix of chopped silver, copper cash, and foreign coins. The new colony also cost far more to subdue and administer than it brought in. Yet during that demanding first decade, able administrators such as Gotō Shinpei turned things around, bringing monetary order and eventual profitability. The United States took notice. In its own new colony, the Philippines, American officials followed Taiwan's monetary reforms and even came to study its opium monopoly, a system designed to reduce addiction while also funding the colonial government (opium was initially the single largest source of revenue). Eryk and John, channeling their inner opium fiend and colonial ruler, demonstrate how this system worked on the ground.Please leave a comment or review.

The first round of the College Football Playoff is right around the corner, and we're here to talk about a whole bunch of other vaguely sports-related stuff before getting into the games previews. Listen, if you must! Has something we said, or failed to say, made you FEEL something? You can tell us all about it by joining the conversation on our Substack or you can send us an email here. Enjoy!Show RundownOpen — Abe Live-Bets the Games!5:52 — WGAS NewsBag, Sports Edition! Sherrone Moore; Michigan coaching search; QBs in the portal; Heisman to the herb; Knicks win the “NBA Cup”42:31 — Sports-Adjacent Question of the Week53:02 — The Best Game in Every Time Slot1:10:37 — CIB 2025 Football Pick ‘em Contest1:19:45 — Jimmy Carter's Presidential Lock of the Week, Live from Plains, Heaven1:23:51 — Wrap-up! Athletic fees for non-athletes; Can the Japanese redeem themselves in Abe's eyes?Relevant Linkage can be found by visiting https://brainiron.substack.com/, where, if you would like to support this and the other podcasting and blogging endeavors of the Brain Iron dot com media empire, you can also become a paying subscriber.The opening and closing themes of Cast Iron Balls were composed by Marc Gillig. For more from Marc, go to tetramermusic.com.The background music for Jimmy Carter's Presidential Lock of the Week is "Bama Country" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The federal government says it intends to strengthen migration laws to ensure people with antisemitic views cannot visit or emigrate to Australia. The surviving suspect in Sunday's mass shooting at Bondi Beach, Naveed Akram, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. The Coalition has responded to the Labor government's Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, criticising the Albanese government for continuing what they call reckless spending. News from today's live program (1-2pm). - 連邦政府はボンダイビーチでの銃撃事件を受け、反ユダヤ主義の考えを持つ移民や観光客を受け入れないようにするため、移民法を強化する方針です。この銃撃事件で、銃撃を行った２人のうち生存しているナビード・アクラム容疑者が、殺人やテロ行為などあわせて59件の罪で起訴されました。労働党政権が今週発表した年央経済・財政中間見通しで、財政収支の赤字基調が今後も続くとの予想が示されたことを受け、財政支出が多すぎるとの批判が保守連合から上がっています。2025年12月18日放送。

Holding on to the memories of the places we travel through souvenirs is an act of preservation. They are the physical manifestations of our travel experiences captured through the things we buy, collect, and even photograph along the way. Souvenirs are meaningful not only for ourselves, but they're also a way of sharing those stories with others when we return home.Today, Angie Orth welcomes travel writer Rolf Potts. He has reported from more than seventy countries and six continents for publications including National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, Slate.com, the New York Times Magazine, and the Travel Channel. He is the author of Souvenir (Object Lessons), a book that explores the cultural history of travel souvenirs. You'll learn the history of bringing objects home from travel journeys through the ages, and how souvenirs have evolved as access to travel has expanded and changed. You'll hear about a Japanese-inspired tradition that imparts a deeper connection between the objects we choose and the people we gift them to, and you'll learn how to be a more discerning shopper when it comes to selecting souvenirs. What You'll Learn:(03:03) The definition of a souvenir(07:39) A deeper way to think about souvenirs(10:47) How photography has influenced our travel memories(14:57) Advice on choosing ethical, meaningful souvenirs(16:42) When to buy souvenirs on your tripConnect with Rolf Potts:https://rolfpotts.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rolfpotts/https://x.com/rolfpottshttps://www.facebook.com/rolf.pottsConnect with AAA:Book travel: https://aaa-text.co/travelingwithaaa https://clubadventures.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aaa-auto-club-enterprisesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprisesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprises

Habakkuk 1:1-3:19, Rev 9:1-21, Ps 137:1-9, Pr 30:10

More slop but hey it's detailed. That's nice. 00:25 – Hanukkah, Bondi and a terror attackJoel (Jack the Insider) opens the Christmas‑eve episode by recounting the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that turned into a mass‑shooting, with 16 dead including Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman and 10‑year‑old Matilda.​He notes that one gunman, Sajid Akram, was killed and his son Naveed faces 59 charges including 15 murders and a terrorism offence, while funerals proceed under a cloud of grief.​02:05 – Anti‑Semitic threats and the rise of Jew hatredThe Jacks detail an anti‑Semitic threat on a Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Sydney, where a 19‑year‑old allegedly made violent gestures and threats toward a Jewish passenger.​They discuss how contemporary anti‑Semitism in Australia and the West feels broader and deeper than before, increasingly visible on progressive and left‑wing fringes as well as the far right.​04:55 – Jenny Leong's “tentacles” remark and Greens politicsJoel quotes NSW Greens MLC Jenny Leong's 2023 comments about the “Jewish lobby” and “Zionist lobby” having “tentacles” infiltrating community groups, likening the rhetoric to classic Nazi tropes in Der Stürmer.​Jack notes Leong is part of NSW's hard‑left “watermelon” Greens and argues such language shows how anti‑Jewish narratives have crept into mainstream progressive politics in Australia, the UK and the US.​07:25 – Apologies, anti‑Zionism and the limits of definitionsThey note Leong apologised two months later for “poor choice of words” with anti‑Semitic implications, but Joel says the tentacle imagery hung “like a bad smell” over public debate.​The Jacks criticise semantic wrangling over definitions of anti‑Semitism and suggest calling much of it what it plainly is: old‑fashioned Jew hatred, often masked as anti‑Zionism.​10:25 – Who failed after 7 October? Government responses under fireJack argues federal and state leaders failed from “October 8th on” by not responding strongly enough to anti‑Jewish rhetoric and protests, suggesting Labor tried to balance Jewish concerns against Western Sydney Muslim votes.​Joel pushes back, citing Sean Carney's column outlining how Naveed Akram's jihadist associations, ASIO assessments and gun‑licence decisions date back to the Morrison/Dutton era and pre‑Albanese security failures.​13:55 – ASIO, gun licensing and unanswered questionsThe Jacks highlight ASIO's prior knowledge of Naveed's extremist links and question how Sajid Akram obtained a semi‑automatic shotgun with only an AB licence when B/C categories are needed for that weapon.​They call for frank explanations from ASIO and NSW firearms licensing about assessments, paper trails and whether bureaucratic or resourcing failures allowed Akram to amass an arsenal worth around $30,000.​17:55 – Under‑resourced counter‑terror units and a fearful Jewish communityJoel cites a retired AFP counter‑terror investigator who says counter‑terror units are stacked with officers fresh out of the academy instead of seasoned detectives.​Jack reflects on three decades of Jewish institutions in Sydney's east needing armed guards, and shares conversations with Jewish friends who now quietly contemplate leaving Australia because they no longer feel safe.​20:35 – “Don't bring your old hatreds here”The Jacks trace anti‑Jewish attacks in Sydney back to the 1982 Hakoah Club car bombing and the simultaneous attack on the Israeli consulate, arguing Jewish Australians have lived with this threat for over 40 years.​They say successive governments failed to hammer home a core Australian expectation: migrants must not import centuries‑old religious or ethnic hatreds into their new home.​23:05 – Segal anti‑Semitism strategy and hate‑speech lawsThey briefly canvass the Gillian Segal anti‑Semitism strategy; Jack dismisses it as “word salad” and window dressing, while Joel notes the government has been slow to act on its recommendations.​On hate‑speech laws, Jack argues bans on offensive political opinions tend to drive hatred underground and make it more dangerous, but both agree incitement to violence must remain a prosecutable offence, possibly with updated legislation.​26:00 – Policing protests and the limits of crowd controlThe Jacks explain why police sometimes tolerate ugly slogans at protests: wading in for arrests can inflame crowds that already vastly outnumber officers.​They stress the need to balance immediate public safety and officer safety with the longer‑term risk that demonstrators feel they can incite hatred with impunity.​29:00 – Bondi's stain and its heroesJoel laments that Bondi Beach, an iconic Australian destination, will now always be associated with a massacre, describing a moment of nausea as the death toll climbed on that Sunday night.​Jack reminisces about Bondi's 1990s mix of Kiwis, working‑class locals and a relaxed Jewish presence, and fears that openness has been permanently damaged.​32:05 – Old‑school cop and a Syrian‑Australian heroThey praise the middle‑aged, tie‑wearing NSW officer who initiated the “beginning of the end” of the attack and commend off‑duty police who rushed to Bondi and threw on uniforms.​Joel celebrates North Bondi tobacconist Al Ahmad, a Syrian‑born resident who tackled the gunman with astonishing courage, noting he now seems certain to receive Australian citizenship along with his parents.​35:10 – Patrol strength, long guns and local station realitiesThe Jacks relay reports that only three officers were on duty at Bondi police station, which Joel describes as a relatively minor station compared to Rose Bay or Maroubra.​They question why frontline police responding to long‑gun threats were not issued rifles of their own and suggest NSW should review access to long arms for first responders in high‑risk scenarios.​38:00 – Multiculturalism, old enmities and what really matters nextJack argues that, in an immigrant nation, the most important response is cultural: reinstilling the norm that old tribal feuds must be left behind, not accommodated.​Joel agrees this message should be central in citizenship education and public rhetoric, more important than technocratic hate‑speech tweaks or reactive gun‑law posturing.​42:05 – National Cabinet, ASIO and the demand for competenceThey criticise the National Cabinet's muted post‑Bondi meeting, which produced little beyond talk, and suggest the Prime Minister's cautious style leaves a leadership vacuum in national crises.​The Jacks insist Australians accept that security agencies cannot be omniscient, but say they must be properly resourced, competent and transparent when they make mistakes.​45:25 – Around the world: headscarves, condoms, climate and Reddit vs CanberraThe Jacks whip around global headlines: Austria's ban on headscarves for under‑14s, China's 13% tax on condoms and contraceptives to boost fertility, Denmark listing the US as a security risk, and the US government quietly deleting “fossil fuels” as a named cause of climate change from official websites.​They note Reddit's legal challenge to Australia's under‑16 social media ban and question whether Reddit is the ideal platform to front that fight given its often unpoliced content.​47:35 – Venezuela, the ICC and the limits of international lawVenezuela moves to withdraw from the International Criminal Court as investigations into alleged Maduro‑regime crimes against humanity advance.​Jack says the episode encapsulates international law's limits: states happily sign the Rome Statute until it becomes inconvenient, then walk away.​48:55 – Ireland rearms and Russia blocks “unfriendly” callsIreland announces a 55 per cent jump in defence spending to protect undersea data cables and deter drones, reflecting its geostrategic importance as a trans‑Atlantic communications hub.​Russia, meanwhile, moves to block incoming calls from “unfriendly” states; the Jacks mock the performative toughness and note how easily scammers will route around any such ban.​51:15 – Rob Reiner's murder and a towering film legacyThey react with shock to the murder of legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, allegedly by Reiner's troubled son, whose earlier violence was itself the subject of a film.​Jack runs through Reiner's extraordinary run—This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men—and argues that if you'd made only those, you'd still have had a remarkable career.​54:45 – “This one goes to 11” and Trump's gracelessnessThe Jacks recall how Spinal Tap helped invent the mockumentary form and embedded lines like “this one goes to 11” into pop‑culture vocabulary.​They condemn Donald Trump's statement calling Reiner “a terrible human being” after his death, with conservative actor James Woods publicly rebuking Trump and praising Reiner's personal kindness despite political differences.​57:40 – Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and comedy royaltyJoel outlines Rob Reiner's upbringing in a house full of comedic giants, with father Carl Reiner and close friend Mel Brooks holding weekly movie nights together well into old age, as captured in Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.​They reminisce about Carl and Mel's influence on Jewish humour and lament the passing of a generation of comic geniuses.​01:01:05 – EVs, hybrids and a Two Jacks lunch betThe Jacks revisit their running argument over electric vehicles, prompted by Ford CEO Jim Farley's plan to pivot the F‑150 towards hybrids instead of pure EVs.​Joel, a hybrid owner, sees hybrids as a transition technology in countries like Australia where fast‑charge infrastructure is patchy; he cites global EV sales rising to roughly 18–20 per cent of new car sales in 2025, with internal‑combustion shares steadily shrinking.​01:03:05 – Charging reality vs theory in AustraliaJoel recounts his in‑laws' BMW EV trip from central Victoria to Sydney using free or cheap NRMA/RACV chargers, but notes fast chargers are often the first to break or get switched off by retailers facing high electricity costs.​They swap anecdotes about BYD and Chinese Maxus taxis—fast‑improving but sometimes uncomfortable—and admit they can no longer remember the exact terms of their EV lunch wager, though Joel insists Jack owes him.​01:06:10 – Worst political year: Trump, Macron, Starmer, Albanese, Li, PutinThe Jacks playfully debate which leader had the worst year—Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Anthony Albanese, Chinese Premier Li or Vladimir Putin.​They characterise Albanese as the “Stephen Bradbury” of Australian politics, a cautious survivor whose luck and endurance have mattered as much as brilliance.​01:18:40 – Ashes update: England's fragile top orderIn a late segment, they revisit England's Ashes woes: repeated collapses leaving them three‑for‑not‑many and a top three of Crawley, Duckett and Pope exposing the middle order to the new ball.​Joel notes England dropped a bowler as a scapegoat while leaving the misfiring batting unchanged, and questions how long they can justify Ollie Pope at three ahead of the more solid Will Jacks.​01:21:15 – Hong Kong racing, Kooring Rising and Japanese fanboy jockeysJack describes Hong Kong's International Racing Day—four Group 1s and 80,000 people—and the rise of sprinter Kooring Rising, winner of The Everest and now on a long winning streak.​He shares footage from Japan's Nakayama track where every jockey stopped circling and sat still so they could watch Kooring Rising's race on the big screen, a measure of the horse's star power.​01:23:00 – Listener mail, Howard's gun laws and the Shooters lobbyJoel reads a note from listener Ray pointing out that 300 legally obtained guns are still attributed to “Howard's gun laws”, reminding listeners gun‑law reform was necessary but later watered down under pressure from the Shooters and Fishers political lobby.​01:24:00 – Christmas, loneliness and a surprise lunch guestThe Jacks close with Christmas reflections: acknowledging how joyful and stressful the season can be, especially for those who are lonely or estranged from family.​Joel recalls his mother inviting a homeless man to Christmas lunch—an act of charity met with teenage grumbling from him and his brother—and urges listeners to look out for those doing it tough without necessarily going to that extreme.​01:25:45 – Holiday plans and the show's return in JanuaryJack outlines Hanukkah parties and family Christmas plans in Hong Kong, while Joel describes a quieter Highlands Christmas with a Boxing Day visit from the grandkids.​They thank listeners for their support through 2025, wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and promise to return in the second week of January after a short break.​00:25 – Hanukkah, Bondi and a terror attackJoel (Jack the Insider) opens the Christmas‑eve episode by recounting the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that turned into a mass‑shooting, with 16 dead including Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman and 10‑year‑old Matilda.​He notes that one gunman, Sajid Akram, was killed and his son Naveed faces 59 charges including 15 murders and a terrorism offence, while funerals proceed under a cloud of grief.​02:05 – Anti‑Semitic threats and the rise of Jew hatredThe Jacks detail an anti‑Semitic threat on a Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Sydney, where a 19‑year‑old allegedly made violent gestures and threats toward a Jewish passenger.​They discuss how contemporary anti‑Semitism in Australia and the West feels broader and deeper than before, increasingly visible on progressive and left‑wing fringes as well as the far right.​04:55 – Jenny Leong's “tentacles” remark and Greens politicsJoel quotes NSW Greens MLC Jenny Leong's 2023 comments about the “Jewish lobby” and “Zionist lobby” having “tentacles” infiltrating community groups, likening the rhetoric to classic Nazi tropes in Der Stürmer.​Jack notes Leong is part of NSW's hard‑left “watermelon” Greens and argues such language shows how anti‑Jewish narratives have crept into mainstream progressive politics in Australia, the UK and the US.​07:25 – Apologies, anti‑Zionism and the limits of definitionsThey note Leong apologised two months later for “poor choice of words” with anti‑Semitic implications, but Joel says the tentacle imagery hung “like a bad smell” over public debate.​The Jacks criticise semantic wrangling over definitions of anti‑Semitism and suggest calling much of it what it plainly is: old‑fashioned Jew hatred, often masked as anti‑Zionism.​10:25 – Who failed after 7 October? Government responses under fireJack argues federal and state leaders failed from “October 8th on” by not responding strongly enough to anti‑Jewish rhetoric and protests, suggesting Labor tried to balance Jewish concerns against Western Sydney Muslim votes.​Joel pushes back, citing Sean Carney's column outlining how Naveed Akram's jihadist associations, ASIO assessments and gun‑licence decisions date back to the Morrison/Dutton era and pre‑Albanese security failures.​13:55 – ASIO, gun licensing and unanswered questionsThe Jacks highlight ASIO's prior knowledge of Naveed's extremist links and question how Sajid Akram obtained a semi‑automatic shotgun with only an AB licence when B/C categories are needed for that weapon.​They call for frank explanations from ASIO and NSW firearms licensing about assessments, paper trails and whether bureaucratic or resourcing failures allowed Akram to amass an arsenal worth around $30,000.​17:55 – Under‑resourced counter‑terror units and a fearful Jewish communityJoel cites a retired AFP counter‑terror investigator who says counter‑terror units are stacked with officers fresh out of the academy instead of seasoned detectives.​Jack reflects on three decades of Jewish institutions in Sydney's east needing armed guards, and shares conversations with Jewish friends who now quietly contemplate leaving Australia because they no longer feel safe.​20:35 – “Don't bring your old hatreds here”The Jacks trace anti‑Jewish attacks in Sydney back to the 1982 Hakoah Club car bombing and the simultaneous attack on the Israeli consulate, arguing Jewish Australians have lived with this threat for over 40 years.​They say successive governments failed to hammer home a core Australian expectation: migrants must not import centuries‑old religious or ethnic hatreds into their new home.​23:05 – Segal anti‑Semitism strategy and hate‑speech lawsThey briefly canvass the Gillian Segal anti‑Semitism strategy; Jack dismisses it as “word salad” and window dressing, while Joel notes the government has been slow to act on its recommendations.​On hate‑speech laws, Jack argues bans on offensive political opinions tend to drive hatred underground and make it more dangerous, but both agree incitement to violence must remain a prosecutable offence, possibly with updated legislation.​26:00 – Policing protests and the limits of crowd controlThe Jacks explain why police sometimes tolerate ugly slogans at protests: wading in for arrests can inflame crowds that already vastly outnumber officers.​They stress the need to balance immediate public safety and officer safety with the longer‑term risk that demonstrators feel they can incite hatred with impunity.​29:00 – Bondi's stain and its heroesJoel laments that Bondi Beach, an iconic Australian destination, will now always be associated with a massacre, describing a moment of nausea as the death toll climbed on that Sunday night.​Jack reminisces about Bondi's 1990s mix of Kiwis, working‑class locals and a relaxed Jewish presence, and fears that openness has been permanently damaged.​32:05 – Old‑school cop and a Syrian‑Australian heroThey praise the middle‑aged, tie‑wearing NSW officer who initiated the “beginning of the end” of the attack and commend off‑duty police who rushed to Bondi and threw on uniforms.​Joel celebrates North Bondi tobacconist Al Ahmad, a Syrian‑born resident who tackled the gunman with astonishing courage, noting he now seems certain to receive Australian citizenship along with his parents.​35:10 – Patrol strength, long guns and local station realitiesThe Jacks relay reports that only three officers were on duty at Bondi police station, which Joel describes as a relatively minor station compared to Rose Bay or Maroubra.​They question why frontline police responding to long‑gun threats were not issued rifles of their own and suggest NSW should review access to long arms for first responders in high‑risk scenarios.​38:00 – Multiculturalism, old enmities and what really matters nextJack argues that, in an immigrant nation, the most important response is cultural: reinstilling the norm that old tribal feuds must be left behind, not accommodated.​Joel agrees this message should be central in citizenship education and public rhetoric, more important than technocratic hate‑speech tweaks or reactive gun‑law posturing.​42:05 – National Cabinet, ASIO and the demand for competenceThey criticise the National Cabinet's muted post‑Bondi meeting, which produced little beyond talk, and suggest the Prime Minister's cautious style leaves a leadership vacuum in national crises.​The Jacks insist Australians accept that security agencies cannot be omniscient, but say they must be properly resourced, competent and transparent when they make mistakes.​45:25 – Around the world: headscarves, condoms, climate and Reddit vs CanberraThe Jacks whip around global headlines: Austria's ban on headscarves for under‑14s, China's 13% tax on condoms and contraceptives to boost fertility, Denmark listing the US as a security risk, and the US government quietly deleting “fossil fuels” as a named cause of climate change from official websites.​They note Reddit's legal challenge to Australia's under‑16 social media ban and question whether Reddit is the ideal platform to front that fight given its often unpoliced content.​47:35 – Venezuela, the ICC and the limits of international lawVenezuela moves to withdraw from the International Criminal Court as investigations into alleged Maduro‑regime crimes against humanity advance.​Jack says the episode encapsulates international law's limits: states happily sign the Rome Statute until it becomes inconvenient, then walk away.​48:55 – Ireland rearms and Russia blocks “unfriendly” callsIreland announces a 55 per cent jump in defence spending to protect undersea data cables and deter drones, reflecting its geostrategic importance as a trans‑Atlantic communications hub.​Russia, meanwhile, moves to block incoming calls from “unfriendly” states; the Jacks mock the performative toughness and note how easily scammers will route around any such ban.​51:15 – Rob Reiner's murder and a towering film legacyThey react with shock to the murder of legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, allegedly by Reiner's troubled son, whose earlier violence was itself the subject of a film.​Jack runs through Reiner's extraordinary run—This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men—and argues that if you'd made only those, you'd still have had a remarkable career.​54:45 – “This one goes to 11” and Trump's gracelessnessThe Jacks recall how Spinal Tap helped invent the mockumentary form and embedded lines like “this one goes to 11” into pop‑culture vocabulary.​They condemn Donald Trump's statement calling Reiner “a terrible human being” after his death, with conservative actor James Woods publicly rebuking Trump and praising Reiner's personal kindness despite political differences.​57:40 – Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and comedy royaltyJoel outlines Rob Reiner's upbringing in a house full of comedic giants, with father Carl Reiner and close friend Mel Brooks holding weekly movie nights together well into old age, as captured in Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.​They reminisce about Carl and Mel's influence on Jewish humour and lament the passing of a generation of comic geniuses.​01:01:05 – EVs, hybrids and a Two Jacks lunch betThe Jacks revisit their running argument over electric vehicles, prompted by Ford CEO Jim Farley's plan to pivot the F‑150 towards hybrids instead of pure EVs.​Joel, a hybrid owner, sees hybrids as a transition technology in countries like Australia where fast‑charge infrastructure is patchy; he cites global EV sales rising to roughly 18–20 per cent of new car sales in 2025, with internal‑combustion shares steadily shrinking.​01:03:05 – Charging reality vs theory in AustraliaJoel recounts his in‑laws' BMW EV trip from central Victoria to Sydney using free or cheap NRMA/RACV chargers, but notes fast chargers are often the first to break or get switched off by retailers facing high electricity costs.​They swap anecdotes about BYD and Chinese Maxus taxis—fast‑improving but sometimes uncomfortable—and admit they can no longer remember the exact terms of their EV lunch wager, though Joel insists Jack owes him.​01:06:10 – Worst political year: Trump, Macron, Starmer, Albanese, Li, PutinThe Jacks playfully debate which leader had the worst year—Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Anthony Albanese, Chinese Premier Li or Vladimir Putin.​They characterise Albanese as the “Stephen Bradbury” of Australian politics, a cautious survivor whose luck and endurance have mattered as much as brilliance.​01:18:40 – Ashes update: England's fragile top orderIn a late segment, they revisit England's Ashes woes: repeated collapses leaving them three‑for‑not‑many and a top three of Crawley, Duckett and Pope exposing the middle order to the new ball.​Joel notes England dropped a bowler as a scapegoat while leaving the misfiring batting unchanged, and questions how long they can justify Ollie Pope at three ahead of the more solid Will Jacks.​01:21:15 – Hong Kong racing, Kooring Rising and Japanese fanboy jockeysJack describes Hong Kong's International Racing Day—four Group 1s and 80,000 people—and the rise of sprinter Kooring Rising, winner of The Everest and now on a long winning streak.​He shares footage from Japan's Nakayama track where every jockey stopped circling and sat still so they could watch Kooring Rising's race on the big screen, a measure of the horse's star power.​01:23:00 – Listener mail, Howard's gun laws and the Shooters lobbyJoel reads a note from listener Ray pointing out that 300 legally obtained guns are still attributed to “Howard's gun laws”, reminding listeners gun‑law reform was necessary but later watered down under pressure from the Shooters and Fishers political lobby.​01:24:00 – Christmas, loneliness and a surprise lunch guestThe Jacks close with Christmas reflections: acknowledging how joyful and stressful the season can be, especially for those who are lonely or estranged from family.​Joel recalls his mother inviting a homeless man to Christmas lunch—an act of charity met with teenage grumbling from him and his brother—and urges listeners to look out for those doing it tough without necessarily going to that extreme.​01:25:45 – Holiday plans and the show's return in JanuaryJack outlines Hanukkah parties and family Christmas plans in Hong Kong, while Joel describes a quieter Highlands Christmas with a Boxing Day visit from the grandkids.​They thank listeners for their support through 2025, wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and promise to return in the second week of January after a short break.​

This Episode: Let's listen to what Alex thinks about owaraiNo music, no script, no fancy editingGet straight to pure Japanese between a Canadian Japanese learner and a native Japanese teacherImmerse yourself in JapaneseThis is the normal speed of a conversation in Japanese.If you think it's fast, there's more space for you to improve.  Alex has been learning Japanese for 6 years without skipping a day, and now he's close to JLPT N1 level (Advanced)You cannot go to Japan, so we bring Japan to you. Imagine you're overhearing this conversation somewhere in Japan. If it's too hard for you, play this in the background to feel like what it's like to be in Japan.

In this episode of the Specialty Matcha Podcast, Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) interview Simona Suzuki from the Global Japanese Tea Association. They discuss the origins of the association, its mission to connect tea lovers and producers, and the challenges faced by the Japanese tea industry, particularly in light of the recent matcha boom. Simona shares insights on community engagement, education, and the importance of balancing tradition with innovation in tea culture. The conversation highlights the need for younger generations to get involved in the tea industry and the association's efforts to foster a global tea community.https://gjtea.org/https://www.youtube.com/@GlobalJapaneseTeaAssociation

Back in 2010, Japanese writer Mari Kondo changed how we think about organisation and decluttering with her bestseller The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Behind the book's grand title is a simple premise: anything that doesn't bring you joy should be thrown away.  Since then, a new and somewhat similar trend caught on in the late 2010s: death cleaning. It's mainly designed for people entering the final stages of their life, and making sure they don't overboard before passing away. People started talking about death cleaning in 2018, when Stockholm-based artist and widow Margareta Magnusson published a book called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. Since then, the trend has started catching on. The name comes from the Swedish döstädning: a combination of the word “dö”, which means death, and “standing”, which means cleaning.  How did Magnusson come up with the term? Where does death cleaning fit in alongside other minimalist trends? From what age do people start death cleaning? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions ! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠What is a faecal transplant?⁠ ⁠What is BookTok?⁠ ⁠What is the romance gap?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 12/8/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Randy, Cody and Jordan put a bow on the 2025 LPGA season with a quick review of last week's Grant Thornton (Way to go LC!!!) and the biggest storylines from the past twelve months in the women's game including Craig Kessler's arrival as the new LPGA Tour Commissioner, Nelly's winless campaign in the year of parity on tour, emerging Japanese players, Jeeno as world #1 and more. From there we hand out some 2025 superlatives, ask for a year-long mulligan, and revisit some of our predictions from the start of the season. Join us in our support of the Evans Scholars Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nolayingup.com/esf⁠ Support our Sponsors: Titleist ServPro Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro + Grant Thornton thoughts 08:45 - Biggest 2025 LPGA Storylines 48:00 - 2025 Superlatives 1:08:30 - Mulligan of the Year, Picks review If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Nest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: No Laying Up's community of avid golfers. Nest members help us maintain our light commercial interruptions (3 minutes of ads per 90 minutes of content) and receive access to exclusive content, discounts in the pro shop, and an annual member gift. It's a $90 annual membership, and you can sign up or learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nolayingup.com/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the No Laying Up Newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://newsletter.nolayingup.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the No Laying Up Podcast channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@NoLayingUpPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use promo code JMBASEBALLGet a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://indeed.com/talkin.Whether you're just wanting to test an idea out, or you're getting serious about launching your own brand, it's never been easier to get started on https://shopify.com/talkin.Head to https://www.factormeals.com/talkin50off to save 50% off your first box! Coach Trev and Talkin' Jake discuss the what the market is for the Japanese stars who have been posted, if Tarik Skubal is actually going to be traded, Mets signing Luke Weaver, other Free agent signings and more! 0:00 Intro3:45 Jake's tweet about Peralta and Skubal7:40 Japanese posting rules9:40 Munetaka Murakami21:55 Mason Miller getting traded?26:10Tatsuya Imai29:33 Tarik Skubal getting traded?32:20 If you're Skubal how do you stay in Dtroit?36:11 Mets signing Luke Weaver40:00 Kazuma Okamoto42:11 Ha-Seong Kim signs with Braves48:55 Maikel Garcia extension58:11 Bregman - Diamondbacks rumor1:07:45 Relief pitchers signing 2/$22M Gambling problem? Call one eight hundredGambler. In New York, call eight seven seven eight HOPENY or textHOPENY (four six seven three six nine). In Connecticut, Help is available for problem gambling. Call eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit ccpg dot org. Please playresponsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (Kansas). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in Illinois. Twenty-one plus age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Restrictions apply. Bet must win to receive Bonus Bets which expire in 7 days. Minimum odds required. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see D K N G dot co slash audio. Limited time offer.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) President Trump prepares to address the nation tonight, fueling speculation about what he may announce. Bryan walks through the most likely possibilities, from the economy and falling inflation to explosive new revelations showing the Biden DOJ pushed ahead with the Mar-a-Lago raid despite FBI warnings that no probable cause existed. Trump may also signal major changes on marijuana policy or escalate pressure on Venezuela, as the White House orders a blockade of oil tankers that could trigger cascading unrest in Caracas and Havana. Abroad, China hardens its grip on the Panama Canal by blocking US-led efforts to reclaim port operations, raising the stakes for American naval access. Trump counters Beijing's influence by naming Peru a major non-NATO ally, part of a broader strategy to lock down South America's Pacific coast alongside new conservative governments in Chile and Ecuador. In Europe, the Green Revolution falters as Brussels backs away from banning combustion engines and Ford writes down nearly $20 billion after abandoning its electric truck push. The episode closes with remarkable scientific news from Japan, where researchers discovered a bacteria found in the Japanese tree frog that eradicated tumors in mice with a 100 percent success rate, offering new hope for future cancer treatments.    "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: Trump national address, US economy data, Mar-a-Lago FBI raid documents, DOJ lawfare, marijuana reclassification, Venezuela oil blockade, Panama Canal China, Peru non-NATO ally, South America strategy, EV collapse Europe, Ford EV losses, combustion engine reversal, Japanese tree frog cancer research

12-17-25 - Listeners Sending In Their HMS Stories - Fascinated By The Rob Reiner Murder And Son's Details - Seems Like We're Going To War w/Venezuela And We're Ambivalent About It - 92yo Japanese Woman Wins ESports PrizeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the late 1980s, Norway needed a new market for its growing farmed salmon production. Fish-loving Japan and its lucrative sushi market seemed to fit the bill. But salmon was one fish the Japanese did not eat raw. Lars Bevanger speaks to Bjørn-Eirik Olsen, the man who came up with the idea of putting salmon on sushi rice, and who spent years convincing the Japanese to eat it. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina's Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall' speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler's List; and Jacques Derrida, France's ‘rock star' philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world's oldest languages.(Photo:Bjørn-Eirik Olsen in Japan. Credit: Bjørn-Eirik Olsen)

Get ready for some far out music, ya dig?  It's a free play, so we've got a nice variety of music on which to groove.  That includes classic NES games like Ninja Gaiden as well as lesser known Japanese exclusives like Sangokushi Seishi: Tenbu Spirits on the Super Famicom, and everything in between.  There's no knowing where this trip will take you, or how it might expand your

It's the biggest episode of Wrestling Omakase ever- so big in fact that we had to split it in two, and here's the second part! John is back with an absolutely enormous lineup of 13 (!) guests for a two-part preview of Wrestle Kingdom Week, as we break down a simply absurd number of different promotions- 20 in total. All of our guests start by giving their opinions on each promotion's 2025 by giving them a letter grade, with thoughts on what went well and what could have gone better, as well as a look ahead at what 2026 could be for each one in general. Then we break down the Wrestle Kingdom Week schedule for every promotion: everything from the big ones (Wrestle Kingdom, Dream Queendom, Marigold at Ota Ward, TJPW's annual 1/4 Korakuen and more!) to the many other Korakuens and tiny shows being held all over the rest of Tokyo. No stone is left unturned in this one- it's a total breakdown of all of Japanese wrestling!Part 2 focuses on all of the women's (joshi) promotions. Please see below for the exact list of promotions covered in the order they appear on the show:-Marigold-Tokyo Joshi-Actwres girl'Z-STARDOM-OZ Academy-Ice Ribbon-Marvelous-SEAdLINNNG-ChocoPro-Diana-Pure-J-WAVEIn addition to covering all these different promotions, reviewing and recapping their years and looking ahead to their WK Week shows, we also get the breaking news of Saya Kamitani becoming the first ever women's wrestler to win the Tokyo Sports MVP while we were recording the AWG segment of this episode, so we all react to that live on the air!The guests who appear in Part 2, in their order of appearance, are below:-Dylan (Eastern Lariat: https://easternlariat.libsyn.com/)-Arametha-John DK (Check out his website here: https://dk1105.neocities.org/)-Jamie (DramaticDDT: https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/)-Tim (Joshi-ing around podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5vEhF921sFtprCxTsWhqt6?si=d1da6785766042cd)-Snazzy (Also Joshi-ing around!)-Velkej Bracha (ActWres Stage podcast)-Rodrigo-Xyon (Derailments of Thought blog: https://derailmentsofthought.com/)Don't forget to check out Part 1 (Episode 276) if you missed it, which featured all of the men's promotions (NJPW, NOAH, AJPW, DDT & more!).Follow Wrestling Omakase on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wrestleomakaseFollow John on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/justoneenby.bsky.socialAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

According to Chinese Communist official Xi Zhongxun, his first revolutionary act was an attempt to poison one of his school's administrators when he was 14. He was faithful to the revolution, and the Chinese Communist Party, until his death at age 88 in 2002. In between those ages was a remarkable life. He fought Nationalists and Japanese. He was a right-hand man to both Zhou Enlai in the 1950s, and Hu Yaobang in the 1980s. As the Party administrator responsible for dealing with religious groups, he negotiated with the Dalai Lama–and would show off the wristwatch that the Dalai Lama gave him. But Xi also spent sixteen years in house arrest, internal exile, under suspicion, or at least out of power, from 1962 to 1978. “In the early 1990s, Xi even boasted to a Western historian that although Deng Xiaoping had suffered at the hands of the party on three occasions, he had been persecuted five times.” All this would make Xi Zhongxun fascinating simply as a psychological study of a Communist functionary who, despite everything, remained devoted to the system that oppressed him. But Xi Zhongxun was also the father of Xi Jinping, now effectively the dictator of China. If we are to understand the younger Xi, argues my guest Joseph Torigian, then we must understand his father.Joseph Torigian is an associate professor in the School of International Service at American University in Washington, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a center associate of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan. He was previously on the podcast to discuss his book Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao, a conversation that was published on May 23, 2022. His latest book is The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping was released with Stanford University Press in June 2025. It was a Financial Times Book of the Summer and an Economist Best Book of the Year So Far.00:00 — Introduction02:19 — Overview of Xi Zhongxun's Life07:15 — Early Life and Revolutionary Beginnings11:44 — Growing Up as a Peasant in Shaanxi15:02 — Path to the Communist Base Areas19:21 — The United Front Work24:10 — Work with Ethnic Minorities26:00 — The 1935 Arrest by Fellow Communists27:56 — Patronage and Party Relationships30:51 — The Northwest Bureau and China's Territorial Expansion33:43 — Personal Life and Family36:37 — The 1962 Purge41:50 — Sixteen Years of Persecution44:37 — Why Bring Him Back?46:53 — Deng Xiaoping's Distrust50:55 — Grudges and Party History52:33 — Xi Jinping and His Father's Legacy59:17 — Conclusion

12-17-25 - Listeners Sending In Their HMS Stories - Fascinated By The Rob Reiner Murder And Son's Details - Seems Like We're Going To War w/Venezuela And We're Ambivalent About It - 92yo Japanese Woman Wins ESports PrizeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shea is back from her Japan adventure and is bringing you some of Japan's most captivating legends!  Today, not only does Shea share some insights into driving in Japan, Japanese bathing culture, castles as adult museums, and toilets, she brings the tale of one of Japan's most terrifying Yokai and urban legends, Kuchisake-onna or the Slit-Mouthed Woman. Visit our website for pictures from Shea's trip and more! www.rainydayrabbitholes.com Make sure to check out our YouTube, subscribe, like our videos, leave a comment! You can follow us on instagram for more photos! All links at our website!

Authorities in South Australia have found the body of a Victorian man who went missing during a fishing trip with a friend. - 昨日、南オーストラリア、ケープ・ジャッファ沖へ釣りに出かけた2人の男性が、行方不明になっていました。当局は、このうちの一人、ビクトリア州在住の67歳の男性の遺体を発見したと発表. 今年は、ビクトリア州で新たにがんと診断された数が、過去最多となったと発表しました。

John Lasseter introduced this Japanese animated film to American audiences.  While not a seasonal feature as such, it has many of the values we expect from Christmas movies. Can you guess what it is yet?

Nahum 1:1-3:19, Rev 8:1-13, Ps 136:1-26, Pr 30:7-9

What if the end of the year didn't have to mean resolutions, pressure, or performative reflection? In this episode, host Elizabeth Mintun explores an approach to closing the year that welcomes your whole experience - grief, joy, exhaustion, resilience - and creates gentle space for renewal.Elizabeth shares her personal experience navigating the end of last year while her mother was nearing the end of her life, offering a tender reminder that reflection doesn't always look like journaling prompts or structured rituals. Sometimes, the most courageous thing we can do is simply notice what is here. Elizabeth talks about the Japanese year-end ritual Ōsōji and how its symbolism can guide your inner clearing, how simple breath and movement practices to support clarity and grounding, and the difference between “resolutions” and carry-forward moments. Whether you are grieving, exhausted, hopeful, or somewhere in between, this episode offers spacious, gentle support as you prepare to step into a new year with clarity and compassion.Key TakeawaysReflection doesn't have to be structured to be meaningful. Mindful noticing (simply acknowledging what's present) is often enough, especially when life has been heavy or emotionally complex.Your bandwidth matters. Some seasons don't allow for deep journaling or intentional letting go. Showing up honestly to your own experience is a powerful form of self-care.Endings can create natural space for renewal. The Japanese year-end tradition of Ōsōji reminds us that clearing physical spaces can also clear emotional and mental space for what comes next.Resources Learn more about 1:1 Coaching with Elizabeth Mintun here. Contact Elizabeth: elizabethmintun@thecalmingground.comSubscribe to The Calming Ground Podcast so you never miss an episode. If you loved this conversation, please share it with a friend!

Hey there, and a very merry Wednesday to you! This is your Disney News for Wednesday, December 17th, 2025. I hope you're cozy and ready for some delightful Disney updates today! - Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is aglow with holiday spirit hosting Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, perfect for festive fun with parades, fireworks, and character meet-and-greets. - Disneyland Resort in California introduces The Mandalorian: Bounty Hunter's Quest in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, offering an immersive adventure with Din Djarin. - Tokyo Disneyland is preparing for its annual New Year's Eve celebrations with fireworks, live performances, and traditional Japanese customs to welcome 2026. - Disney+ releases a new docuseries "Behind the Disney Parks," showcasing the creation and evolution of Disney's theme parks, perfect for curious Disney enthusiasts. Thanks for being here with me, and don't forget to join in tomorrow for more enchanting Disney tidbits. Take care, and see you tomorrow!

Five songs. Three countries. Zero dull moments. We kick off with Japan's Six Lounge, a trio that proves rock's heartbeat is still loud and live. The track is all lift and launch: punchy drums, humming bass, and guitar flashes that nod to classic grit while sounding clean and current. It's the kind of sound that drags you into motion—head, hands, and maybe an air guitar solo.Then we slide into a velvet lane with China's Tia Ray and Heart Shaped Hole. A Spanish-tinged guitar loop meets soft R&B swing while her vocal ties it together with poise and bite. The imagery is intimate and memorable, turning a love song into a promise to do it right and do it slow. It's the kind of hook that lingers long after the fade.Alamat's Sinigang, named after the beloved Filipino sour-and-savory soup, is comfort rendered in sound. Minimal percussion, delicate keys, and harmonies that bloom like steam from a bowl. Produced by member Alas, the arrangement leaves room for voices to intertwine, capturing the sweet-and-sour ache of longing and the warmth of being held by a melody you trust.We shift gears with Tomohisa Yamashita's The Artist, a pop-rock cut built on a relentless cadence—a tattoo in rhythm and permanence. Smooth vocals ride a gritty bed as Yamapi frames the artist-fan bond as both fuel and vow: I'll be strong for you, can you see me? It's precise, propulsive, and unashamedly direct.To close, a hypercharged collision: Mori Calliope x Kenty's Gold Unbalance. Sparse spark, then blast-off—new metal edges, EDM swells, even a jazzy flicker—plus two rap breaks that snap without stepping on each other. Her fierce attack and his grounded glide lock back to back, no matter what.If you love discovering global music that actually flows as a playlist—rock that roars, R&B that soothes, pop that pulses, and a collab that rockets—this one's for you. SIX LOUNGE: Instagram X YouTube Rock and RollTia Ray: Instagram X Heart Shaped HoleAlamat: Instagram X YouTube SinigangTomohisa Yamashita: Instagram X YouTube The ArtistMori Calliope: X YouTube Gold Unbalance (with KENTY)Support the showPlease help Music Elixir by rating, reviewing, and sharing the episode. We appreciate your support!Follow us on:TwitterInstagram BlueskyIf have questions, comments, or requests click on our form:Music Elixir FormDJ Panic Blog:OK ASIA

Bear attacks in Japan have been in the news a lot recently. There have been over 220 attacks so far this year, and a record 13 people dead. Why is this happening? And what can be done about it? There’s a lot of information out there, and it’s hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to conflicts with wildlife. So I made two quick phone calls: one to a reporter from The New York Times and another to a Japanese bear biologist to figure out what’s really going on. Guests:Javier C. Hernández, Tokyo Bureau Chief for the New York TimesMasahiro (Masa) Ohnishi, Principle Research Scientist at the Wildlife Management Office in Japan Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you. Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Mixing Music Podcast, Dee Kei and Lū wrestle openly with one of the hardest and most misunderstood ideas in creative life: commitment. Not hustle. Not motivation. Not blind discipline — but the deeper question of why committing feels so heavy, especially in a world full of options, anxiety, and burnout.The conversation moves between mixing, relationships, career choices, and philosophy, contrasting Western goal-driven culture with Eastern ideas of alignment, duty, and craft. Dee Kei explores why overthinking and outcome-clinging create paralysis, how burnout often comes from committing to the wrong reasons, and why meaning in art and life emerges through commitment, not before it.They discuss the paradox of choice, perfectionism, nihilism, and why there is never a “perfect time” to make art, choose a path, or finish a mix. Drawing on personal stories, Japanese craftsmanship, sports analogies, and cultural contrasts, this episode isn't about giving rules — it's about helping listeners think differently so committing feels less terrifying and more natural.This one is for creatives who feel stuck, burned out, or afraid to choose — and for anyone who suspects that the answer isn't more thinking, but committing anyway.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!⁠SUBSCRIBE TO YOUTUBE⁠Join the ‘Mixing Music Podcast' Discord!HIRE DEE KEIHIRE LU⁠HIRE JAMES⁠Find Dee Kei and Lu on Social Media:Instagram: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLu @JamesParrishMixesTwitter: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLuThe Mixing Music Podcast is sponsored by ⁠Izotope⁠, ⁠Antares (Auto Tune)⁠, Sweetwater, ⁠Plugin Boutique⁠, ⁠Lauten Audio⁠, ⁠Filepass⁠, & ⁠Canva⁠The Mixing Music Podcast is a video and audio series on the art of music production and post-production. Dee Kei, Lu, and James are professionals in the Los Angeles music industry having worked with names like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Benny the Butcher, carolesdaughter, Crying City, Daphne Loves Derby, Natalie Jane, charlieonnafriday, bludnymph, Lay Bankz, Rico Nasty, Ayesha Erotica, ATEEZ, Dizzy Wright, Kanye West, Blackway, The Game, Dylan Espeseth, Tara Yummy, Asteria, Kets4eki, Shaquille O'Neal, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Arista Records, Position Music, Capital Records, Mercury Records, Universal Music Group, apg, Hive Music, Sony Music, and many others.This podcast is meant to be used for educational purposes only. This show is filmed and recorded at Dee Kei's private studio in North Hollywood, California. If you would like to sponsor the show, please email us at ⁠deekeimixes@gmail.com⁠.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There has been a lot of hype around Japanese superstar slugger Munetaka Murakami, as he was posted this offseason. With his posting nearing expiration, many are wondering which MLB team might make a move for the first baseman, or if there is a chance that he might not sign at all and stay in Japan for next season.On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the fascinating posting of Murakami and why teams like the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Seattle Mariners, among a few others, could be a suitable fit for his services. They then get into the flurry of transactions that have gone on over the past few days, including Jorge Polanco going to Queens, the Philadelphia Phillies picking up Adolis García and an update to the Scott Boras Scoreboard.Later, Jake and Jordan take a look at a couple of rosters for the World Baseball Classic, including the superstar power on Team USA and why the Dominican Republic squad is loaded on offense. They then ask a few questions pertaining to each team that could help them figure out which team could come out on top in the 2026 edition of the tournament. 1:14 – The Opener: Murakami signing soon31:40 – Predictions for his landing spot36:36 – Around the League57:09 – Scott Boras Scoreboard update1:02:02 – World Baseball Classic: Team USA roster1:11:09 – A look at Team DR Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:

Leslie Kenny is the CEO and founder of Oxford Healthspan, an innovative longevity company with a game-changing supplement called Primeadine. An Oxford-based longevity expert and Harvard alum, Leslie founded Oxford Healthspan after reversing her own Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and infertility and giving birth naturally at 43. Now 60, with a biological age of 21, she's committed to helping others optimize their health span. Leslie is also co-founder of the Oxford Longevity Project, a nonprofit dedicated to public education on aging smarter with science-backed strategies.

While much of Wall Street's focus over past recent years has been on the AI hyperscalers, there are an increasing number of seismic developments happening internationally investors need to be aware of.For example, as a basket, emerging market stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 this year.And to name just a few others:1) Japanese bond yields have surged to the highest levels in 20 years, threatening to put an end to the carry trade2) A US-driven regime change in Venezuela looks imminent3) China continues to fire its monetary and fiscal bazookas with gusto in attempt to pull itself out of its deep balance sheet recession4) And in the wake of negotiating a tenuous peace between Isreal and Palestine, renewed efforts are underway to bring an end to the Russia/Ukraine warWhich international trends are the most important for investors to track? What are the biggest risks? And where are the biggest opportunities?To better understand the situation from a non-US perspective, we're fortunate to welcome back to the program Louis Gave, Founding Partner and CEO at Gavekal.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com#emergingmarkets #inflationhedge #bonds _____________________________________________ Thoughtful Money LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor Promoter.We produce educational content geared for the individual investor. It's important to note that this content is NOT investment advice, individual or otherwise, nor should be construed as such.We recommend that most investors, especially if inexperienced, should consider benefiting from the direction and guidance of a qualified financial advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators who can develop & implement a personalized financial plan based on a customer's unique goals, needs & risk tolerance.IMPORTANT NOTE: There are risks associated with investing in securities.Investing in stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, money market funds, and other types of securities involve risk of loss. Loss of principal is possible. Some high risk investments may use leverage, which will accentuate gains & losses. Foreign investing involves special risks, including a greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods.A security's or a firm's past investment performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future investment performance.Thoughtful Money and the Thoughtful Money logo are trademarks of Thoughtful Money LLC.Copyright © 2025 Thoughtful Money LLC. All rights reserved.

In this short but powerful episode, Jason Schroeder shares eight Japanese philosophies that can quietly reshape how you live, lead, and show up each day. These concepts focus on purpose, patience, resilience, self-acceptance, balance, and continuous improvement, offering simple wisdom that applies just as much on the job site as it does in life.  What you'll learn in this episode: How ikigai helps you identify your true reason for being beyond work or titles. Why patience and dignity during stress can change how you experience adversity. How embracing imperfections can make you stronger and more resilient. Why comparing yourself to others distracts you from your own path. How small, consistent improvements compound into meaningful life change. Which of these philosophies could you practice today to take a better next step in your life and leadership? If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

In this week's episode of China Insider, Miles Yu reviews the recent announcement from technology giant Canon to close one of its major printer facilities based in mainland China, and assess the impact of a rising demand for domestic manufacturing on foreign companies based in China. Next, Miles covers the news of US naval operations and intercept of a Chinese cargo ship en route to Iran reportedly carrying dual-use goods in a move to prevent Iran's continued remilitarization efforts. Finally, Miles provides analysis on the CCP's continued efforts to spread anti-Japanese propaganda, and the political fallout from these campaigns that harms both Chinese domestic and foreign policy. China Insider is a weekly podcast project from Hudson Institute's China Center, hosted by China Center Director and Senior Fellow, Dr. Miles Yu, who provides weekly news that mainstream American outlets often miss, as well as in-depth commentary and analysis on the China challenge and the free world's future.

In the 372nd episode of 40 and 20, The Watch Clicker Podcast, we discuss some of the things that have caught our attention over the past few weeks. Studio Underd0g acquires Horologium Maurice Lacroix The Lab Konstantin Chaykin Venus Parchie Lunar-Time Albishorn Type 10 Officer Chronograph Seiko 5 Pink Panther Frederique Constant X Time+Tide Highlife William Wood Vintage Triumph Laco and Circula ProLab Kiwame Tokyo IWAO Serica 6190 TXD Other Things: Andrew: Certified Angus Beef Test Kitchen Everett: Nordic Ware ProForm Bundt Pan ***********************************  This Episode's Sponsors: Escapement Media: https://escapementmedia.com Foster Watch Co: https://fosterwatches.com Frank Affronti Photography: https://www.affrontography.com ***********************************  Check out all of Watch Clicker's content, including columns, reviews, and fantastic photography at: watchclicker.com Check out the Watch Clicker Shop with all your favorite gear, fully branded, here. Our full catalog of podcasts is at watchclicker.com/4020-the-watch-clicker-podcast/ On instagram: 40and20 (@40and20_watchclicker): https://www.instagram.com/40and20_watchclicker/ WatchClicker (@watchclicker): www.instagram.com/watchclicker/?hl=en You can support Watch Clicker and 40 and 20 here: Patreon Intro/Outro Music: Bummin on Tremelo, by Kevin MacLeod (incompetch.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Creativecommons.org/licenses/by.3.0/

Chef Jose Garces' Culinary Journey*Growing up, Chef Garces learned traditional dishes like ceviche, empanadas, and pan de bono from his mother and grandmother, while his father enjoyed grilling steaks. He emphasized the importance of sofrito, a foundational cooking technique using onions, garlic, and peppers, which he still prepares in large batches. Exploring Latin Culinary TraditionsJose and Amaris discussed the importance of sofrito in Latin cooking and its variations across families. Jose shared his journey from French classical training to embracing Latin cuisine, highlighting the foundational role of sofrito and other base ingredients in different culinary traditions. They also talked about Jose's experience with paella, which he has been perfecting for 20 years, emphasizing the complexity and precision required to make a great dish. Amaris praised Jose's interpretation of paella, which she found to be authentic and reminiscent of her experiences in Spain.Brand Expansion PlansJose discussed plans to expand the tapas-based concept Amada to Chicago in the spring and Dallas in the fall. He emphasized the importance of perfecting the paella recipe and mentioned that his team would be filming and annotating the process to ensure consistency. Jose also shared his experience with opening various restaurants, including Village Whiskey, and explained the decision-making process behind each venture.Brand Expansion and Partnership UpdatesJose discussed his brand's expansion to Nashville, planned for late 2026, and highlighted its southern-inspired menu and recent improvements. He mentioned a partnership with SPB Hospitality to enhance the beverage program and emphasized the brand's collaboration with Aramark at the Xfinity Mobile Center. Jose also shared his experience with Cook Unity, a home meal service, where he has been a chef partner since 2021, offering fresh, ready-to-eat meals in six markets. Amaris expressed her positive experience with the service and noted the quality and convenience of the meals.Community Initiatives and Future InvolvementsJose highlighted the importance of supporting restaurant workers through initiatives like English language classes and health screenings, and how his recently renamed foundation, Communidad Garces, reflects his service-oriented mission. Jose also expressed his excitement for the successful future of his newly-opened Japanese restaurant Okatshe, located in Allentown, PA. And he was very enthusiastic while expressing the value of not only supporting local purveyors, but ensuring the healthiest meals by utilizing local, sustainably sourced ingredients.*The following description was aided by an AI summarization, with original material included.

Hey before I begin I just want to thank all of you who have joined the patreon, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what other figures, events or other things you want to hear about in the future and I will try to make it happen.   If you are a long time listener to the Pacific War week by week podcast over at KNG or viewer of my youtube channel you have probably heard me talk about Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya quite often. It goes without saying when it comes to Japanese generals of WW2 he stands out. Not just to me, from the offset of the war he made a large impression on westerners, he achieved incredible feats early on in the war. Now if you look up books about him, you will pretty much only find information in regards to his infamous war crimes trial. Hell it was so infamous the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes, whereby a commanding officer is legally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his subordinates, was created. This is known as the command responsibility or “the Yamashita standard”. His court case was very controversial, he remains a controversial figure, certainly to the people of territories he campaigned in, but I think what can be said of him the most is he was special amongst the Japanese generals. Anyways lets get the show on the road as they say.   So who was Yamashita? When he was 59 years old commanding forces in the Philippines against General Douglas MacArthur, he weighed 220 ls and stood 5 feet 9 inches. His girth pressed out against his green army uniform. He had an egg shaped head, balding, wide spaced eyes and a flat nose. He wore a short mustache, sort of like Hitlers, until it grayed then he shaved it off. He was not a very attractive man, Filipinos referred to him as “old potato face” while Americans called him “a florid, pig faced man”.   Tomobumi Yamashita was born in 1885, he was the second son of Dr. Sakichi Yamashita and Yuu Yamashita in Osugi village, on Shikoku island. Like most males of his day he was indoctrinated into military preparatory school from a young age. Yamashita had no chosen the army as a career, in his words ‘my father suggested the idea, because I was big and healthy, and my mother did not seriously object because she believed, bless her soul, that I would never pass the highly competitive entrance examination. If I had only been cleverer or had worked harder, I would have been a doctor like my brother”Yamashita would graduate from the 18th class of the IJA academy in november of 1905, ranked 16th out of 920 cadets.    In 1908 he was promoted to the rank of Lt and during WW1 he fought against Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian forces in the famous siege of Qingdao, which if you are interested I did an episode over on my Youtube channel about this battle. Its a very overlooked battle, but many histories firsts occurred at it like the first carrier attack. In 1916 he was promoted to captain and attended the 28th class of the Army War college to graduate sixth in his class that year. He also married Hisako Nagayama in 1916, she was the daughter of the retired General Nagayama.    It seems Yamashita's brush against the Germans in 1914 had a huge influence on him, because he became fascinated with Germany and would serve as assistant military attache at Bern and Berlin from 1919-1922. He spent his time in Germany alongside Captain Hideki Tojo, both men would run into each other countless times and become bitter rivals. Both men toured the western front, visiting Hamburg and witnessed first hand the crippling inflation and food prices that came from Germany's defeat. Yamashita said to Tojo then “If Japan ever has to fight any nation, she must never surrender and get herself in a state like this.” He returned to Japan in 1922, was promoted to major and served a few different posts in the Imperial Headquarters and Staff College. Yamashita became a leading member of the Kodoha faction, while Tojo became a leading member of the rival Toseiha faction. In 1927 Yamashita was sent again to Europe, this time to Vienna as a military attache. Just prior to departing he had invested in a business selling thermometers starting by one of his wife's relatives, the business failed horribly and Yamashita was tossed into debt, bailiffs literally came to seize his house. As told to us by his biographer “For a regular officer to have contracted such a debt, however innocently, was a disgrace. He felt he should resign his commission.” Yamashita's brother refused to allow him to quit, instructing him to leave for Vienna, while he resolved his debts. His days in Vienna were the best of his life, professed Yamashita. He studied economics at Vienna university and made friends with a Japanese widow, who introduced him to a German woman named Kitty and they had an affair. This would spring forward his reputation as an eccentric officer. Yamashita was obsessed over hygiene,and refused to eat fruit unless it was thoroughly washed. He avoided ice water, hated dancing and never learnt how to drive a car. One of his most notable quirks was his habit of falling asleep often during meetings where he legendarily would snore. Like I may have said in previous podcast and youtube episodes, this guy was quite a character, often described as a big bear.    Now this is not a full biography on Yamashita so I cant devolve to far into things, such as his first fall from grace. During the February 26th coup incident of 1936, Yamashita was a leading member of the Kodoha faction and helped mediate a peaceful end to the standoff, however in truth he was backing the coup. He simply managed to not get caught red handed at the time doing too much for the mutineers, regardless he lost favor with the outraged Emperor and many young captains whom he loved like sons killed themselves in disgrace. If you want to know more about the February coup of 1936, check out my series on Emperor Hirohito or General Ishawara, they both talk about it in depth and touch upon Yamashita's role a bit.    The coup led to the dissolvement of the Kodoha faction and the dominance of the Toseiha, led by Tojo. Yamashita tried to resign from the IJA, but his superiors dissuade him. He was relegated to a post in Korea, which honestly was a punishment. Yamashita would say “When I was posted to Korea, I felt I had been given a tactful promotion but that in fact my career was over. Even when I was given my first fighting company in North China, I still felt I had no future in the Army, so I was always on the front line, where the bullets flew the thickest. I sought only a place to die.”  He had some time to reflect upon his conduct while in Korea, he began to study Zen Buddhism. He was promoted to Lt General in November of 1937 and when the China war broke out he was one of those speaking out that the incident needed to end swiftly and that peaceful relations must be made with the UK and US. He received a unimportant post in the Kwantung army and in 1938 was assigned command of the IJA 4th division. He led the forces during in northern china against insurgents until he returned to Tokyo in July of 1940. His fellow officers lauded him as Japan's finest general. Meanwhile Tojo had ascended to war minister and one of his first moves was to send a delegation to Germany. Tojo considered Yamashita a ruthless and forceful commander and feared he would become a powerful rival against him one day. Yamashita would go on the record to say then “I have nothing against Tojo, but he apparently has something against me.” You see, Yamashita had no political ambitions, unlike Tojo who was by nature a political monster. “My life, is that of a soldier; I do not seek any other life unless our Emperor calls me.” In late 1940, Tojo asked Yamashita to lead a team of 40 experts on a 6 month train tour of Germany and Italy, a move that kept him out of Tokyo, because Tojo was trying to solidify his political ambitions. This is going to become a looming theme between the two men.   He was presented to Adolf Hitler in January of 1941, passing along messages from Tojo and publicly praising the Fuhrer, though privately he was very unimpressed by the man  “He may be a great orator on a platform, with his gestures and flamboyant way of speaking. But standing behind his desk listening he seems much more like a clerk.” Hitler pressed upon him to push Japan to declare war on Britain and the US. At the time of course Japan was facing China and had two major conflicts with the USSR, thus this was absolutely not in her interest. “My country is still fighting in China, and we must finish that war as soon as possible. We are also afraid that Russia may attack us in Manchuria. This is no time for us to declare war on other countries.” Yamashita hoped to inspect Germany's military techniques and technology to help Japan. Hitler promised open exchanges of information stating “All our secrets are open to you,”, but this would prove to be a lie. “There were several pieces of equipment the Germans did not want us to see. Whenever I tried to persuade the German General Staff to show us things like radar—about which we had a rudimentary knowledge—the conversation always turned to something else.”   Yamashita met with field Marshal Hermann Goring who gave him an overview of the war in europe. Goring would complain about Yamashita falling asleep during lectures and meetings and he believed the man was drunk often. Yamashita met Benito Mussolini in June of 1941 receiving a similar rundown to what he got in Germany. Yamashita visited Kitty in Vienna for a quick fling, but overall the trip deeply impacted Yamashita's resolve that Japan should stay out of the Europeans war and that Germany made a grievous error invading the USSR in June of 1941. This is what he said the members of the commission “You know the results of our inspection as well as I do. I must ask you not to express opinion in favor of expanding the alliance between Japan, Germany and Italy. Never suggest in your report that Japan should declare war on Great Britain and the United States. We must not and cannot rely upon the power of other nations. Japan needs more time, particularly as there may be aggression against us from Russia. We must have time to rebuild our defense system and adjust the whole Japanese war machine. I cannot repeat this to you often enough.” His report was similar, and it really pissed off Tojo who was trying to develop plans for a war against America. Yamashita would then get exiled to Manchuria in July of 1941, but Tojo's resentment towards him could only go so far, because Yamashita was one of their best generals and in his planned war against Britain and America, he would need such a man.   Yamashita's time in Europe reshaped his views on how to conduct war. He saw first hand blitzkrieg warfare, it seems it fascinated him. He consistently urged the implementation of new proposals calling for the streamlining of air arms; to mechanize the Army; to integrate control of the armed forces in a defense ministry coordinated by a chairman of Joint Chiefs of staff; to create a paratroop corps and to employ effective propaganda. Basically he saw what was working for the Germans against the allies and wanted Japan to replicate it. Tojo did not like many of the proposal, hated the fact they were coming from Yamashita, so he obviously was not keen on making them happen. Luckily for Yamashita he would be given a chance to implement some of his ideas in a big way.   On November 6th of 1941, Lt General Yamashita was appointed commander of the 25th Japanese army. His orders were to seize the Malay Peninsula and then the British naval base at Singapore. The Malaya Peninsula snakes 700 miles south of Thailand, a rugged sliver of land that constricts at its narrowest point to about 60 miles wide. It hold mountains that split the peninsula in half, some going as high as 7000 feet. During this time Malaya produced around 40% of the worlds rubber, 60% of its tin, two resources vital for war. At its very southern tip lies Singapore, a diamond shaped island connected to the mainland by a 1115 stone causeway. Singapore's largest asset was its naval base guarding the passage from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Together Malay and Singapore represented the key to controlling what Japan called the Southern Resource Area.   Singapore was known as the gibraltar of the east for good reason. It was a massively fortified naval base. The base had been developed between 1923-1938 and cost 60 million pounds, around 2 billion pounds today. It was 21 square miles, had the largest dry dock in the world, the 3rd largest floating dock and enough fuel tanks to support the entire royal navy for 6 months. She was defended by 15 inch naval guns stationed at the Johre battery, Changi and Buona vista battery. And despite the infamous myth some of you may have heard, these guns were fully capable of turning in all directions including the mainland. For those unaware a myth perpetuated after the fall of Singapore that her large 15 inch guns could not turn to the mainland and that this spelt her doom, no it was not that, it was the fact they mostly had armor piercing shells which are using to hit ships and not land targets. Basically if you fire an armor piercing shell at land it imbeds itself then explodes, while HE shells would have torn any Japanese army to pieces. Alongside the 15 inch monsters, there were countless other artillery pieces such as 9.2 inch guns. By December of 1941 Malaya and Singapore held 164 first line aircraft out of a total of 253 aircraft, but many of the fighters were the obsolete Brewster F2A Buffalo, a pretty slow, fat little beast that could take a licking as it was armored, but against the Zero fighter it was unbelievably outmatched in speed and maneuverability.    The Japanese acquired a major gift prior to the outbreak of war. On november 11th, 1940, the SS Automedon, a German raider attacked the HMS Atlantis which was carrying documents intended for the British far east command. The documents indicated the British fleet was not going to help Singapore; that Britain would not declare war if Thailand was invaded and that Hong Kong was expendable. The Germans gave the documents to the Japanese who were very excited by the information.    Starting in January of 1941, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji led the Taiwan Army Research section based on Formosa to investigate how a campaign could be waged in Malay and Singapore. His findings on the defenses of Malay and Singapore were summed up in these 3 points: 1. Singapore Fortress was solid and strong facing the sea, but vulnerable on the peninsular side facing the Johore Strait;  Newspaper reports of a strong Royal Air Force (RAF) presence were propaganda;  Although British forces in Malaya numbered from five to six divisions (well over 80,000 men), less than half were Europeans.    Now just a little bit about Tsuji as he was to become the chief of staff operations and planning under Yamashita. Tsuji was extremely insubordinate and a political schemer. He was a Toseiha faction fanatic, loyal to Tojo and thus definitely an enemy to Yamashita. Yamashita wrote of Tsuji in his war diary “is egotistical and wily. He is a sly dog and unworthy to serve the country. He is a manipulator to be carefully watched.” Tsuji would go on to have a infamous reputation for ordering atrocities in the name of his superiors, often without them knowing and this would be very much the case under Yamashita. Now using Tsuji's intelligence Yamashita began plans at his HQ at Samah, a port on Hainan island, starting in November of 1941 on how to launch the campaign. He was initially offered 5 divisions for the invasion, but he felt he could accomplish the objective with only three. There are a few reasons why he believed this; first, Tsuji's research suggested the peninsula roads would be the center of the battlefront and that the flanks would extend no more than a km or so to the left or right due to the dense jungle terrain (in fact Yamashita was planning to assault from the jungle specifically); 2nd intelligence indicated the defending troops were not of the highest caliber (the British were busy in Europe thus many of the troops in southeast asia were poorly trained, half were british regulars the rest were Australian, Indian and Malayan); 3rd Yamashita was aware “the Japanese army were in the habit of flinging more troops into the battle than could possibly be maintained” boy oh boy tell that one to the future boys on Guadalcanal. Thus he calculated 3 divisions was the maximum to be fed, equipped and supplied. Based on his recommendations the 25th army was created with 3 divisions; the 5th under Lt General Takuma Matsui; 18th under Lt General Renya Mutaguchi and the Imperial guards division of Lt General Takuma Nishimura. Supporting these would be two regiment of heavy field artillery and the 3rd tank brigade. Something that made Yamashita's campaign quite interesting was the usage and amount of tanks. He was invading with around 200 or so tanks consisting of the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, type 97 Chi-Ha and Type 89 I-Go medium tanks and Type 97 Te-Ke tankettes. For aircraft he had the 3rd Air division, 459 aircraft strong with an additional 159 aircraft from the IJN to support them. The 3rd air division had a variety of aircraft such as Nakajima Ki-27 Nate's, Nakajima ki-43 Oscars, Kitsubishi ki-51 Sonia's, Kawasaki ki-48 Lily's, Mitsubishi ki-21 sally's, Mitsubishi ki-30 Ann's, Mitsubishi ki-15 babs and Mitsubishi ki-46 dinahs. For the IJN it was the 22nd air flotilla using Mitsubishi G3M1 Nell's, Mitsubishi A5M4 Claudes and some A6M Zeros. To say it was a lot of firepower at his disposal is an understatement, Yamashita was packing heat, heat he could use in a blitzkrieg fashion.   His staff at Samah identified 5 operational objectives: 1 Simultaneous capture of Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu, Malaya.  2 Capture of all enemy airfields in southern Thailand and Malaya.  3 Occupation of Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.  4 Occupation of Johore Bahru, and control of Johore Strait.  5 Conquest of Singapore.    Colonel Tsuji, appointed Chief of Operations and Planning for the 25th Army, proposed the following plan which was readily approved:  Land the main strength of the 5th Division simultaneously and without warning at Singora and Patani, and at the same time land a powerful section of the 18th Division to attack Kota Bharu.  The troops disembarked at Singora and Patani to press forward immediately to attack the line of the Perak River Hand capture its bridge and the Alor Star aerodrome.  The troops landed at Kota Bharu to press forward along the eastern coast as far as Kuantan.    The landing at Kota Bharu, the only one in Malaya was expected to be opposed and quite risky. But if it was successful, it would create a useful diversion away from the main force landings in Thailand.   The landings took place around 2:15am local time on December 8th, about an hour and 20 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The landings went largely unopposed, except at Kota Bahru where the Japanese saw heavy resistance. The British had anticipated this landing point and created operation Matador, a plan to pre-emptively invade southern thailand to secure defensive lines against the Japanese, however this plan was never accepted by British high command for obvious political reasons. But on December 5th, with a Japanese invasion looking certain, suddenly London gave permission to the Far east commanders to decide if Operation matador should be activated or not. The commander in Malaya, General Arthur Percival recommended forestalling it, fearing to violate Thai sovereignty, which ultimately would be the doom of a defense for Malaya.   At the battle of Kota Bharu, the 9th infantry division of Major General Barstow attempted holding off the Japanese from taking the important Kota Bharu airfield. The 8th brigade of Billy Key had fortified the beaches with pillboxes, barbed wire and land mines. The Japanese took heavy losses, but they were able to find gaps and fill them up until Brigadier Key had to ask permission to pull out. The royal air force at Kota Bharu tossed Hudson bombers to hit the troop transports, but it was a suicide mission to do so. Meanwhile the IJA 5th division landed at Pattani and Songkhla in Thailand while the Imperial guards division marched over the border from French Indochina. The Japanese encountered very little resistance, the leader of Thailand Plaek Pibulsonggram had been trying to get assurances from the allies and Japanese all the way up until the invasion, once the Japanese landed he knew his best option was to play nice and sign an armistice. This basically spelt doom for malaya as the Japanese were given access to Thailand's airfields which they used to smash the forward airfields in Malaya.   The first day of aerial encounters were a catastrophe for the British. General Percival would comment “The rapidity with which the Japanese got their air attacks going against our aerodromes was quite remarkable. Practically all the aerodromes in Kelantan, Kedah, Province Wellesley, and Penang, were attacked, and in most cases fighters escorted the bombers. The performance of Japanese aircraft of all types, and the accuracy of their bombing, came as an unpleasant surprise. By the evening our own air force had already been seriously weakened.” Brigadier Key withdrew after causing an estimated 800 casualties upon the Japanese while taking roughly 465. While Kota Bharu was being fought over, Percival unleashed Operation Krohcol, a 2.0 of Matador seeing British forces cross into Thailand to intercept the incoming enemy. It was an absolute disaster, the British attackers were defeated not only by the Japanese 5th division, but some Royal Thai police also defended their territory. The operation had basically become a race to who could seize the important focal point first and the Japanese took it first thus winning decisively. To add to that misery, force Z, consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales,, battlecruiser Repulse and 4 destroyers tried to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet only to be utterly destroyed by overwhelming Japanese airforces.   Within 4 days of the landings, the 5th division advanced from Singora through the town of Jitra to capture the RAF airfield at Alor star, around 100 miles away. Yamashita managed this using flanking techniques that saw his army take town after town and airfield after airfield. There were numerous natural obstacles to the advance such as dense jungles, very long supply lines, torrential rain and heat, but he had a secret weapon, bicycles. At Jitra Percival made his first major stand. Holding Jitra would safeguard the northern airfields of Malaya, but it was a folly to do so as the airfields in question were not provided adequate aircraft and the British lacked something extremely important to be able to defend themselves, tanks. Colonel Tsuji saw the fighting at Jitra first hand and reported “Our tanks were ready on the road, and the twenty or so enemy armored cars ahead were literally trampled underfoot … The enemy armored cars could not escape by running away, and were sandwiched between our medium tanks … It was speed and weight of armor that decided the issue.” The British had spread themselves far too thinly across a 14 mile front with jungle on their right flank and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps to their left. Yamashita used a innovative blitzkrieg like tactic, he combined his air, artillery, tanks and bicycle infantry to punch holes in concentrated attacks forcing allied defenders to withdraw. As Percival would write later in his memoirs “This withdrawal would have been difficult under the most favorable conditions. With the troops tired, units mixed as the result of the fighting, communications broken and the night dark, it was inevitable that orders should be delayed and that in some cases they should never reach the addressees. This is what in fact occurred … the withdrawal, necessary as it may have been, was too fast and too complicated for disorganized and exhausted troops, whose disorganization and exhaustion it only increased”    Yamashita had ingeniously thought of employing large numbers of bicycles for his infantry so they could keep up momentum and speed with his mechanized forces. Oh and he didn't bring thousands of bicycles over to Malaya, the real genius was that they were there ready for him. His intelligence prior to the invasion indicated nearly all civilians in malaya had bicycles, so when the Japanese came over they simply stole them. Half of Yamashitas troops moved in motor vehicles while the rest road on 18,000 bicycles. As noted by Tsuji “With the infantry on bicycles, there was no traffic congestion or delay. Wherever bridges were destroyed the infantry continued their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream.” They Japanese overwhelmed the defenders who were forced to fight, flee into the jungles or flee along the roads where they were simply outsped by the faster Japanese. The defenders left numerous stores of food, abandoned vehicles, and supplies that Yamashita's men would dub “churchill's allowance”. British Lt Colonel Spencer Chapmanwas forced to hide on the sides of roads watching Japanese pedal past remarking “The majority were on bicycles in parties of forty or fifty, riding three or four abreast and talking and laughing just as if they were going to a football match.” The Japanese had the ability to carry their gear on the bicycles, giving them an enormous advantage over the allies fleeing on foot. The Japanese could travel faster, further and less fatigued. When the British destroyed 250 bridges during their flight, “the Japanese infantry (to continue) their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream”. The British could not escape the bicycle blitzkrieg as it became known, countless were forced to surrender under constant pressure and relentless pursuit.    Alongside the bicycle warfare, whenever Yamashita faced terrain unsuitable for his tanks, he ordered amphibious landings further south to outflank the enemy's  rear.   Meanwhile the war in the air went equally terrible for the allies. The RAF had pulled back its best pilots and aircraft to deal with the war for Britain against the Luftwaffe. 21 airfields were in Malaya and Singapore, few of them had modern facilities, only 15 concrete runways. The heavy rain made the grass airstrips unusable. All the airfields were allocated around 8 heavy and 8 light anti aircraft guns. Quality radar units were completely inadequate. The Super Spitfires and Hyper Hurricanes were mostly in Britain fighting the Germans, while Buffaloes were allocated to Malaya. The Japanese airforces easily overcame the allied opposition and established air superiority quickly. Launching from airfields in Vietnam, they bombed all the airfields into submission and continuously applied pressure to Singapore. . The aerial dominance of the Zero and ‘Oscar' fighters served to undermine the morale of the British infantryman on the ground. As historian H. P. Wilmot has observed, “in the opening phase of the war the Zero-sen was just what the Japanese needed, and the Allies were devastated by the appearance of a ‘super fighter.' To add insult to injury, every airfield taken starting at the most northern going further and further south towards Singapore offered the Japanese new launching points to make for faster attack.   Yamashita's forces reached the southern tip of the peninsula in just 8 weeks, his men had covered some 700 miles, about 12 miles a day on average. They fought 95 large and smaller battles doing so. Multiple lines of defense were erected one after another to try and halt the Japanese advance, to kill their momentum. Starting at the beach landings, to Jitra, then to Kampar, over the Slim river, then Johor. The British failed to employ “leave behind forces” to provide guerilla warfare in lost territories leading not only the Japanese to easily consolidate their gains, the Thai's also came down and grabbed some territory. At the battle of Muar Major General Gordon Bennet deployed the allied defenders south of the Muar River and it was widely believed here they would finally halt the Japanese. Then the Imperial Guards division outflanked them performing an amphibious landing and advancing down the coastal route. The 5th Japanese division followed a parallel route through the center and the 18th division landed near Endau. The allies were thus surrounded and took heavy casualties, countless were forced to flee through swamps and thick jungle abandoned their stuff. Gordons 45th brigade were absolutely shattered, effectively disbanded and left north of the Muar river as the rest of the allies fled south. The defeat at Muar broke the British belief they could hold even a toehold on Malay. Percivals strategy to fight delaying actions until the arrival of reinforcements to Singapore had fatally undermined his troops ability to hold onto defensive positions. As the British governor of the Johore straits settlement, Sir Shenton Thomas would say on January 6th ‘“We … have gone in for mechanized transport to the nth degree. It is a fearsomely cumbersome method. We have pinned our faith to the few roads but the enemy used tracks and paths, and gets round to our rear very much as he likes.”” Yet alongside the conquest came a series of atrocities.    At the Parit Sulong Bridge south of the Muar, Captain Rewi Snelling was left behind with 150 wounded Australian and Indian soldiers not able to trek south. The Imperial guards division herded them into buildings, denied them medical treatment, many of the Indians were beheaded, others shot. This become known as the parit sulong massacre. Its hard to saw what Yamashita would have known about this incident, it technically was under the command of Takuma nishimura. On January 22nd, Nishimura gave the orders for prisoners to be forced outside, doused with petrol and set on fire. Nishimura would be sentenced to life in prison by a Singapore court, but on a flight back to Japan he was hijacked by Australian military police in Hong Kong who grabbed him and held a trial for the Parit Sulong massacre, finding him guilty and hanging him on june 11th of 1951.    When the Japanese reached the straits of Johore, Yamashita took several days to perform reconnaissance, allowing his forces to regroup and prepare to attack the massive fortress. His plan for the invasion would see the Imperial guards perform a feint attack on the northeast side of Singapore, landing on the nearby Palau Ubin island on february 7th. The 5th and 18th division would remain concealed in the jungle until the night of the night of the 8th when they would cross the Johore and hit the northwest side of Singapore. The causeway to Singapore had been blown up by the retreating British, but the ability for Singapore to defend itself from a northern attack was lackluster. When Churchill was told by Wavell the Japanese sat on the other side of the Johore strait ready to attack the fortress he said ““I must confess to being staggered by Wavell's telegram. It never occurred to me for a moment that … Singapore … was not entirely fortified against an attack from the Northwards …””   With barely enough supplies or logistical support for his campaign, Yamashita's rapid advance down the Malay peninsula walked a tightrope of what was possible. His 70,000 men of which 30,000 were frontline troops had overcome a British force double their number. In Japan he garnered the epithet “Tiger of Malaya”, which ironically he was not too happy about. Later on in the war he would bark at a German attache “I am not a tiger. The tiger attacks its prey in stealth but I attack the enemy in a fair play”.   By this point Singapore had swollen from a population of 550,000to nearly a million. Percival had a total of 70,000 infantry of mixed experience plus 15,000 clerks and support staff to man lines if necessary. 38 battalions, 17 Indian, 13 British, 6 Australian and 2 Malayan. He placed his weakest troops west of the causeway, near the abandoned naval base rather than nearby the airfield which he considered was going to be Yamashita's thrust. He placed his best forces over there, which would prove fatally wrong as Yamashita hit west of the causeway. Yamashita meanwhile could only muster 30,000 troops, he was outnumbered 2:1 and amphibious assaults called for the attacker to hold a 2:1 advantage for success. Yamashita's men were exhausted, they had suffered 4565 casualties, roughly 1793 deaths in their 55 day advance south. Worse yet, Yamashita had a critical supply issue. He had greatly exceeded his supply lines and had been surviving on the abandoned churchill stores along the way. His ammunition was critical low, it is said he was down to 18 functional tanks, allowing his men to fire 100 rounds per day, the fuel ran out, and as Yamashita put it “My attack on Singapore was a bluff—a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting.” He told his men of the 5th and 18th division not to build any cooking fires so they could conceal their positions in the jungle as he gathered hundreds of collapsible boats and other crafts to ford the strait. He gathered 40 divisional commanders and senior officers to a rubber plantation and with a flushed red face read out his attack orders while pouring them Kikumasamune (ceremonial wine). He made a traditional toast and said “It is a good place to die; surely we shall conquer”. He had to get the British to surrender quickly, he had to essentially ‘bluff” his enemy. He had to make the British think he was fully armed and supplied for a prolonged siege, how could he do so? He fired his artillery like a mad man, knowing full well they would run out of shells.   Starting on February 3rd,  Yamashita's artillery supported by aerial bombings hit Singapore for 5 days. On the night of the 7th, 400 Imperial Guards crossed to the Ibin island performing their feint attack. Percivals attention was grabbed to the east successfully, while on the night of the 8th the 5th and 18th divisions assembled carefully at the water's edge. At 8:30pm the first wave of 4000 Japanese troops crossed the Johore strait aboard 150 small vessels. The noise of their engines was drowned out by artillery. The thinly spread Australian lines, 3000 or so men led by Major General Bennet were breached fast leading to pockets of surrounded australian troops. As Lewis Gunner cliff olsen recalled “We were horribly spread out and it was pitch black and they [Japanese troops] were very hard to see. They walked through us half the time.” A beachhead was formed, a soon 14,000 Japanese had crossed by dawn.    Communications broke down for the allies, Percival unwilling to believe the Japanese's main thrust was in the west declined to send reinforcements there. When he did finally realize the main thrust was in the west he began to withdraw troops from quiet sectors and built up a reserve. The Japanese held air supremacy and their artillery was fierce. The big 15 inch guns of singapore held mostly armor piercing shells designed to hit ships, there were few HE shells available. When they fired upon the Japanese the shells would hit the ground they would embed deeply before exploding doing little damage. The defenders had no tanks, basically no more aircraft. The last departing ships fled the scene as everything was burning chaos around them. Morale was breaking for the defenders. By the 9th, Japanese bombers were raining bombs on allied positions unopposed. Bennet was forced to pull men back to a new line of defense from the east of the Tengah airfield to the north of Jurong. Poor communications hampered the northern sector of Brigadier Duncan Maxwell whose troops actually battered the hell out of the Imperial Guards who had landed at 10pm on the 9th. The Imperial guards gradually managed a foothold on a beach, but Maxwell feared encirclement and withdrew his men against direct orders of Bennet. The retreat opened up the flank of the 11th indian division who were overrun. All of the beaches west of the causeway fell to the enemy, when they did Yamashita brought over his tanks to smash the new Jurong line. The Japanese could have potentially stormed the city center at this point, but they held back, because in reality, Percival had created a formidable reserve in the middle. The Australian 22nd brigade took the brunt of the fighting.    Yamashita was running out of reserves and his attacks were reaching their limit, but he needed the battle to end swiftly. Yamashita was shocked and shaken when he received a report that the British troop strength within the city was twice what they believed. With covert desperation, Yamashita ordered his artillery to fire until their last rounds and sent Percival a demand for surrender. “In the spirit of chivalry we have the honour of advising your surrender. Your army, founded on the traditional spirit of Great Britain, is defending Singapore, which is completely isolated, and raising the fame of Great Britain by the ut¬ most exertions and heroic feelings. . . . From now on resistance is futile and merely increases the danger to the million civilian inhabitants without good reason, exposing them to infliction of pain by fire and sword. But the development of the general war situation has already sealed the fate of Singapore, and the continuation of futile resistance would only serve to inflict direct harm and in¬ juries to thousands of non-combatants living in the city, throwing them into further miseries and horrors of war. Furthermore we do not feel you will in¬ crease the fame of the British Army by further resistance.”   Singapore had received another order prior to this from Churchill “It is certain that our troops on Singapore Island greatly outnumber any Japanese that have crossed the Straits. We must defeat them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out on the Bataan Peninsula against far greater odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans, the Chinese with almost complete lack of mod¬ ern equipment have held the Japanese for AVi years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces. There must be no thought ofsparing troops or the civil population and no mercy must be shown to weakness in any shape or form. Commanders and senior officers must lead their troops and if necessary die with them. There must be no question or thought of surrender. Every unit must fight it out to the end and in close contact with the enemy. ... I look to you and your men to fight to the end to prove that the fighting spirit that won our Empire still exists to enable us to defend it.”   What was Percival to do? The Japanese had seized control over Singapore water reservoirs, the population would die of thirst within 2-3 days. Japanese shells were causing fires and death everywhere. People were panicking, trying to get on the very last boats leaving the port, even though that surely meant death to the IJN. An American sailor recalled “There was a lot of chaos and people killed on the docks during these bombardments. Everywhere you looked there was death. Even in the water there were dead sharks and people floating all around.” Defeatism was endemic. Australian troops were overheard saying “Chum, to hell with Malaya and Singapore. Navy let us down, air force let us down. If the bungs [natives] won't fight for their bloody country, why pick on me?” Sensing a complete collapse Percival formed a tight defense arc in front of the city, and by the 13th his commanders were telling him they believed Singapore was already doomed. Wavell was asked for approval for surrender, but he replied  “to continue to inflict maximum damage on enemy for as long as possible by house-to-house fighting if necessary.” Percival then told him the water reservoirs were taken, so Wavell sent back “YOUR GALLANT STAND IS SERVING A PURPOSE AND MUST BE CONTINUED TO THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE”   On the 15th, Percival held a morning conference reported there was no more fuel, field gun nor bofor ammunition. In 24 hours their water would be done. He told them he would ask for a ceasefire at 4pm, by the end of the day Wavell gave him permission to surrender. Over at his HQ on the Bukit Timah heights, Yamashita was staring at a Union Jack fluttering over Fort Canning. Then a field phone rang, and a frontline commander reported the British were sending out a flag of truce.   Meanwhile back on February the 14th, Japanese forces reached the Alexandra Barracks hospital at 1pm. At 1:40pm a British Lt greeting them waving a white flag and was bayoneted on the spot. The Japanese stormed the hospital and murdered the staff and patients. 200 male staff and patients, badly wounded were bound over night and marched to an industrial estate half a mile away. Anyone who collapsed was bayoneted. The survivors of the march were formed into small groups and hacked to death or bayoneted. For a few days over 320 men and women were massacred. Only 5 survivors would give recounts of the event. It is suspected by historians that Tsuji was the architect of the Alexandra hospital massacre. This is because he was the instigator of countless atrocities he ordered unbeknownst to his superior commanders such as Yamashita.    Percival was ordered to go to the Ford motor factory to where he met with Yamashita. Yamashita was hiding his surprise that the surrender party came and as he glanced at the surrender terms he said through his interpreter “The Japanese Army will consider nothing but surrender,” Yamashita knew his forces were on the verge of running out of ammunition and he still held half troops Percival did, he was anxious Percival would figure it out. Percival replied “I fear that we shall not be able to submit our final reply before ten-thirty p.m.,” Percival had no intention of fighting on he simply wanted to work out specific details before signing the surrender. Yamashita was sure Percival was stalling. “Reply to us only whether our terms are acceptable or not. Things must be settled swiftly. We are prepared to resume firing.Unless you do surrender, we will have to carry out our night attack as scheduled.”” Percival replied ““Cannot the Japanese Army remain in its present position? We can resume negotiations again tomorrow at five-thirty A.M”. Yamashita screamed “Nani! I want the hostilities to cease tonight and I want to remind you there can be no arguments.” Percival replied ““We shall discontinue firing by eight-thirty p.m. Had we better remain in our present positions tonight?” Yamashita said yes and that firing would cease at 8:30pm and that 1000 allied men could keep arms to maintain order within the city. Yamashita stated “You have agreed to the terms but you have not yet made yourself clear as to whether you agree to surrender or not.” Percival cleared his throat and gave a simple nod. Yamashita looked at his interpreter “There's no need for all this talk. It is a simple question and I want a simple answer.” He turned to Percival and shouted, “We want to hear ‘Yes' or ‘No' from you! Surrender or fight!” Percival finally blurted out  “Yes, I agree. I have a request to make. Will the Imperial Army protect the women and children and British civilians?”Yamashita replied  “We shall see to it. Please sign this truce agreement”. At 7:50 the surrender was signed off, 40 minutes later Singapore was in the hands of the Japanese. In 70 days Yamashita took at the cost of 9824 casualties, had seized Malaya and Singapore, nearly 120,000 British surrendered. It was the greatest land victory in Japanese history.   Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history" Churchills physician Lord Moran wrote The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly   With the fall of singapore came another atrocity, the Sook Ching massacre. After February 18th, the Japanese military began mass killings of what they deemed undesirables, mostly ethnic Chinese. It was overseen by the Kempeitai and did not stop in Singapore, but spread to Malaya. It seems the aim of the purge was to intimidate the Chinese community from performing any resistance. According to postwar testimony taken from a war correspondent embedded with the 25th army, Colonel Hishakari Takafumi, he stated an order went out to kill 50,000 Chinese, of which 20 percent of the total was issued by senior officials on Yamashita's operations staff, most likely Tsuji. It is certain at the behest of Tsuji the orders were extended to Malay. The death toll is a tricky one, the Japanese went on the record to admit to 6000 murders, the Singaporean Chinese community and the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew allege 70,000-100,000. Historians analyzing the scale of discovered mass graves after some decades think around 25,000-50,000. How much Yamashita knew of the massacre is debatable, the orders came from his office after all, but it seems Tsuji had orchestrated it. Many of Japan's generals wanted Yamashita to be appointed war minister, a move that obviously threatened then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who feared his rival. Tojo retaliated, ordering Japan's new war hero back to Manchuria. On the surface, the assignment appeared worthy as Yamashita would serve as the first line of defense against a possible Soviet invasion. But since the two nations had signed a neutrality pact in April 1941, and Soviets were bogged down fighting the Germans, immediate war appeared unlikely. In reality, Tojo had parked Yamashita on the war's sidelines. Tojo went even further, he barred Yamashita any leave in Tokyo, preventing him from visiting his wife as well as from delivering a speech he had written for the emperor. No worries though, an aide of Yamashita's sent him three geishas. Allegedly he said this “I know they want to please me with these girls. But send them back—and don't forget to tip them.” The Tiger of Malaya would maintain a low profile in Manchuria where he received a promotion to full General. As months fell to years Yamashita sat on the sidelines helpless to aid the Japanese forces. His exile would come to an end in 1944 when Tojo was outed and the Tiger was required to try and save the Philippines from General Douglas MacArthur.

Send us a textHere's the story of a producer, creative, father, and entrepreneur who blends music, storytelling, and authentic Hawaiian food. Born and raised in Pepe‘ekeo, Hawai‘i and rooted in values of aloha and community, he moved to the San Gabriel Valley in 2008 to pursue audio engineering. An internship with Doggystyle Records opened doors to collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Rock. By 2015 he began releasing instrumental music, earning over 2 million streams and a loyal following in the lofi and chillhop space.In 2022 he joined the Lone Lobos Podcast as producer and on-air contributor alongside Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña and Jacob Bertrand. The show has since amassed millions of streams and partnered with brands like Netflix, Sony, and San Diego Comic-Con. We dig into the craft behind consistent content: building audience, managing partnerships, and keeping creative energy high across music and podcasting.His love for food traces back to Hawai‘i and a family heritage that's Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, and Japanese. Inspired by his grandmother's pasteles and his parents' home cooking, he worked with East Los Musubi in El Sereno starting in 2015 and launched Unreal Poke in December 2023—a Native Hawaiian-owned pop-up rooted in food activism and cultural authenticity. In its first year, Unreal Poke served at 80+ events including Smorgasburg LA, 626 Night Market, and 88Rising's Head in the Clouds Festival.Fatherhood sits at the center of it all. Since 2011 he's focused on raising his son with traditions passed down through food and story. This episode covers the journey from studio sessions to street food, how to build a values-driven pop-up, and what cultural integrity looks like in both music and cuisine. Keywords: Hawaiian food, Native Hawaiian-owned, poke pop-up, lofi, chillhop, Doggystyle Records, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Lone Lobos Podcast, Smorgasburg LA, 626 Night Market, Head in the Clouds, East Los Musubi, San Gabriel Valley.__________Music CreditsIntroEuphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OGStingerScarlet Fire (Sting), Otis McDonald, YouTube Audio LibraryOutroEuphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG__________________My SGV Podcast:Website: www.mysgv.netNewsletter: Beyond the MicPatreon: MySGV Podcastinfo@sgvmasterkey.com

The last time Yamato was heavily involved on the continent, they were defeated militarily, and they returned to fortify their islands.  So how are things looking, now? This episode we will talk about some of what has been going on with Tang and Silla, but also touch on the Mishihase, the Hayato, the people of Tamna and Tanegashima, and more! For more information and references, check out:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-140   Rough Transcript   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 140: Improving Diplomatic Ties Garyang Jyeongsan and Gim Hongsye looked out from the deck of their ship, tossing and turning in the sea.  The waves were high, and the winds lashed at the ship, which rocked uncomfortably beneath their feet.  Ocean spray struck them from below while rain pelted from above. Through the torrential and unstable conditions, they looked out for their sister ship.  It was their job to escort them, but in these rough seas, bobbing up and down, they were at the mercy of the elements.  One minute they could see them, and then next it was nothing but a wall of water.  Each time they caught a glimpse the other ship seemed further and further away.  They tried calling out, but it was no use—even if they could normally have raised them, the fierce winds simply carried their voices out into the watery void.  Eventually, they lost sight of them altogether. When the winds died down and the seas settled, they looked for their companions, but they saw nothing, not even hints of wreckage on the ocean.  They could only hope that their fellow pilots knew where they were going.  As long as they could still sail, they should be able to make it to land—either to the islands  to which they were headed, or back to the safety of the peninsula. And so the escort ship continued on, even without a formal envoy to escort.  They would hope for the best, or else they would explain what would happen,  and hope that the Yamato court would understand. The seas were anything but predictable, and diplomacy was certainly not for the faint of heart.   We are going through the period of the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou.  It started in 672, with the death of his brother, Naka no Oe, remembered as the sovereign Tenji Tenno, when Temmu took the throne from his nephew, Ohotomo, aka Kobun Tenno, in what would become known as the Jinshin no Ran.  From that point, Ohoama continued the work of his brother in creating a government based on a continental model of laws and punishments—the Ritsuryo system.  He accomplished this with assistance from his wife, Uno, and other members of the royal family—his own sons, but also nephews and other princes of the time.  And so far most of our focus has been on the local goings on within the archipelago. However, there was still plenty going on in the rest of the world, and though Yamato's focus may have been on more local affairs, it was still engaged with the rest of the world—or at least with the polities of the Korean Peninsula and the Tang Dynasty.  This episode we are going to look at Yamato's foreign relations, and how they were changing, especially as things changed on the continent. Up to this point, much of what had been happening in Yamato had been heavily influenced by the mainland in one way or another.  And to begin our discussion, we really should backtrack a bit—all the way to the Battle of Baekgang in 663, which we discussed in Episode 124.  That defeat would lead to the fall of Baekje, at the hands of the Silla-Tang alliance.  The loss of their ally on the peninsula sent Yamato into a flurry of defensive activity.  They erected fortresses on Tsushima, Kyushu, and along the Seto Inland Sea.  They also moved the capital up to Ohotsu, a more easily defended point on the shores of Lake Biwa, and likewise reinforced various strategic points in the Home Provinces as well.  These fortresses were built in the style and under the direction of many of the Baekje refugees now resettled in Yamato. For years, the archipelago braced for an invasion by the Silla-Tang alliance.  After all, with all that Yamato had done to support Baekje, it only made sense, from their perspective, for Silla and Tang to next come after them.  Sure, there was still Goguryeo, but with the death of Yeon Gaesomun, Goguryeo would not last that long.  With a unified peninsula, then why wouldn't they next look to the archipelago? And yet, the attack never came.  While Yamato was building up its defenses, it seems that the alliance between Silla and Tang was not quite as strong as their victories on the battlefield may have made it seem.  This is hardly surprising—the Tang and Silla were hardly operating on the same scale.  That said, the Tang's immense size, while bringing it great resources, also meant that it had an extremely large border to defend.  They often utilized alliances with other states to achieve their ends.  In fact, it seems fairly common for the Tang to seek alliances with states just beyond their borders against those states that were directly on their borders.  In other words, they would effectively create a pincer maneuver by befriending the enemy of their enemy.  Of course.  Once they had defeated said enemy well, wouldn't you know it, their former ally was now their newest bordering state. In the case of the Silla-Tang alliance, it appears that at the start of the alliance, back in the days of Tang Taizong, the agreement, at least from Silla's perspective, was that they would help each other against Goguryeo and Baekje, and then the Tang dynasty would leave the Korean peninsula to Silla.  However, things didn't go quite that smoothly.  The fighting against Goguryeo and Baekje can be traced back to the 640s, but Tang Taizong passed away in 649, leaving the throne to his heir, Tang Gaozong.  The Tang forces eventually helped Silla to take Baekje after the battle of Baekgang River in 663, and then Goguryeo fell in 668, but the Tang forces didn't leave the peninsula.  They remained in the former territories of Baekje and in Goguryeo, despite any former agreements.  Ostensibly they were no doubt pointing to the continuing revolts and rebellions in both regions.  While neither kingdom would fully reassert itself, it didn't mean that there weren't those who were trying.  In fact, the first revolt in Goguryeo was in 669.  There was also a revolt each year until 673.  The last one had some staying power, as the Goguryeo rebels continued to hold out for about four years. It is probably worth reminding ourselves that the Tang dynasty, during this time, had reached out on several occasions to Yamato, sending diplomatic missions, as had Silla.  While the Yamato court may have been preparing for a Tang invasion, the Tang perspective seems different.  They were preoccupied with the various revolts going on, and they had other problems.  On their western border, they were having to contend with the kingdom of Tibet, for example.  The Tibetan kingdom had a powerful influence on the southern route around the Taklamakan desert, which abuts the Tibetan plateau.   The Tang court would have had to divert resources to defend their holdings in the western regions, and it is unlikely that they had any immediate designs on the archipelago, which I suspect was considered something of a backwater to them, at the time.  In fact, Yamato would have been much more useful to the Tang as an ally to help maintain some pressure against Silla, with whom their relationship, no longer directed at a common enemy, was becoming somewhat tense. In fact, just before Ohoama came to the throne, several events had occurred that would affect the Silla-Tang alliance. The first event is more indirect—in 670, the Tibetan kingdom attacked the Tang empire.  The fighting was intense, and required serious resources from both sides.  Eventually the Tibetan forces were victorious, but not without a heavy toll on the Tibetan kingdom, which some attribute to the latter's eventual demise.  Their pyrrhic victory, however, was a defeat for the Tang, who also lost troops and resources in the fighting.  Then, in 671, the Tang empire would suffer another loss as Silla would drive the Tang forces out of the territory of the former kingdom of Baekje. With the Baekje territory under their control, it appears that Silla was also working to encourage some of rebellions in Goguryeo.  This more than irked the Tang court, currently under the formal control of Tang Gaozong and the informal—but quite considerable—control of his wife, Wu Zetian, who some claim was the one actually calling most of the shots in the court at this point in time.  Silla encouragement of restoration efforts in Goguryeo reached the Tang court in 674, in and in 675 we see that the Tang forces were sent to take back their foothold in the former Baekje territory.  Tang defeated Silla at Gyeonggi, and Silla's king, Munmu, sent a tribute mission to the Tang court, apologizing for their past behavior. However, the Tang control could not be maintained, as they had to once again withdraw most of their troops from the peninsula to send them against the Tibetan kingdom once more.  As soon as they did so, Silla once again renewed their attacks on Tang forces on the peninsula.  And so, a year later, in 676, the Tang forces were back.  They crossed the Yellow Sea to try and take back the Tang territories on the lower peninsula, but they were unsuccessful.  Tang forces were defeated by Silla at Maeso Fortress in modern day Yeoncheon.  After a bit more fighting, Silla ended up in control of all territory south of the Taedong River, which runs through Pyongyang, one of the ancient capitals of Goguryeo and the capital of modern North Korea.  This meant that the Tang dynasty still held much of the territory of Goguryeo under their control. With everything that was going on, perhaps that explains some of the apparently defensive measures that Yamato continued to take.  For example, the second lunar month of 675, we know that Ohoama proceeded to Takayasu castle, likely as a kind of formal inspection.  Then, in the 10th lunar month of 675 Ohoama commanded that everyone from the Princes down to the lowest rank were to provide the government with weapons.  A year later, in the 9th month of 676, the Princes and Ministers sent agents to the capital and the Home Provinces and gave out weapons to each man.  Similar edicts would be issued throughout the reign.  So in 679 the court announced that in two years time, which is to say the year 681, there would be a review of the weapons and horses belonging to the Princes of the Blood, Ministers, and any public functionaries.  And in that same year, barrier were erected for the first time on Mt. Tatsta and Mt. Afusaka, along with an outer line of fortifications at Naniwa. While some of that no doubt also helped to control internal movements, it also would have been useful to prepare for the possibility of future invasions.  And the work continued.  In 683  we see a royal command to all of the various provinces to engage in military training.  And in 684 it was decreed at that there would be an inspection in the 9th month of the following year—685—and they laid out the ceremonial rules, such as who would stand where, what the official clothing was to look like, etc.  Furthermore, there was also an edict that all civil and military officials should practice the use of arms and riding horses.  They were expected to supply their own horses, weapons, and anything they would wear into battle. If they owned horses, they would be considered cavalry soldiers, while those who did not have their own horse would be trained as infantry.  Either way, they would each receive training, and the court was determined to remove any obstacles and excuses that might arise.   Anyone who didn't comply would be punished.  Non compliance could mean refusing to train, but it could also just mean that they did not provide the proper horses or equipment, or they let their equipment fall into a state of disrepair.  Punishments could range from fines to outright flogging, should they be found guilty.  On the other hand, those who practiced well would have any punishments against them for other crimes reduced by two degrees, even if it was for a capital crime.  This only applied to previous crimes, however—if it seemed like you were trying to take advantage of this as a loophole to be able to get away with doing your own thing than the pardon itself would be considered null and void. A year later, the aforementioned inspection was carried out by Princes Miyatokoro, Hirose, Naniwa, Takeda, and Mino.  Two months later, the court issued another edict demanding that military equipment—specifically objects such as large or small horns, drums, flutes, flags, large bows, or catapults—should be stored at the government district house and not kept in private arsenals.  The "large bow" in this case may be something like a ballista, though Aston translates it to crossbow—unfortunately, it isn't exactly clear, and we don't necessarily have a plethora of extant examples to point to regarding what they meant.  Still, these seem to be focused on things that would be used by armies—especially the banners, large bows, and catapults.  The musical instruments may seem odd, though music was often an important part of Tang dynasty military maneuvers.  It was used to coordinate troops, raise morale, provide a marching rhythm, and more.  Granted, much of this feels like something more continental, and it is unclear if music was regularly used in the archipelago.  This could be more of Yamato trying to emulate the Tang dynasty rather than something that was commonplace on the archipelago.  That might also explain the reference to the Ohoyumi and the catapults, or rock throwers. All of this language having to do with military preparations could just be more of the same as far as the Sinicization of the Yamato government is concerned; attempts to further emulate what they understood of the civilized governments on the mainland—or at least their conception of those governments based on the various written works that they had imported.  Still, I think it is relevant that there was a lot of uncertainty regarding the position of various polities and the potential for conflict.  Each year could bring new changes to the political dynamic that could see military intervention make its way across the straits.  And of course, there was always the possibility that Yamato itself might decide to raise a force of its own. Throughout all of this, there was continued contact with the peninsula and other lands.  Of course, Silla and Goguryeo were both represented when Ohoama came to the throne—though only the Silla ambassador made it to the ceremony, apparently.  In the 7th lunar month of 675, Ohotomo no Muraji no Kunimaro was sent to Silla as the Chief envoy, along with Miyake no Kishi no Irishi.  They likely got a chance to witness first-hand the tensions between Silla and the Tang court.  The mission would return in the second lunar month of the following year, 676.  Eight months later, Mononobe no Muarji no Maro and Yamashiro no Atahe no Momotari were both sent.  That embassy also returned in the 2nd lunar month of the following year. Meanwhile, it wasn't just Yamato traveling to Silla—there were also envoys coming the other way.  For example, in the 2nd lunar month of 675 we are told that Silla sent Prince Chyungweon as an ambassador.  His retinue was apparently detained on Tsukushi while the actual envoy team went on to the Yamato capital.  It took them about two months to get there, and then they stayed until the 8th lunar month, so about four months in total. At the same time, in the third month, Goguryeo and Silla both sent "tribute" to Yamato.  And in the 8th month, Prince Kumaki, from Tamna, arrived at Tsukushi as well.  Tamna, as you may recall, refers to nation on the island known today as Jeju.  The late Alexander Vovin suggested that the name originated from a proto-Japonic cognate with "Tanimura", and many of the names seem to also bear out a possible Japonic influence on the island nation. Although they only somewhat recently show up in the Chronicles from our perspective, archaeological evidence suggests that they had trade with Yayoi Japan and Baekje since at least the first century.  With the fall of Baekje, and the expansion of Yamato authority to more of the archipelago, we've seen a notable uptick in the communication between Tamna and Yamato noted in the record.  A month after the arrival of Prince Kumaki in Tsukushi, aka Kyushu, it is noted that a Prince Koyo of Tamna arrived at Naniwa.  The Tamna guests would stick around for almost a year, during which time they were presented with a ship and eventually returned in the 7th lunar month of the following year, 676.   Tamna envoys, who had also shown up in 673, continued to be an annual presence at the Yamato court through the year 679, after which there is an apparent break in contact, picking back up in 684 and 685. 676 also saw a continuation of Silla representatives coming to the Yamato court, arriving in the 11th lunar month.  That means they probably passed by the Yamato envoys heading the other way.  Silla, under King Mumnu, now had complete control of the Korean peninsula south of the Taedong river.  In the same month we also see another mission from Goguryeo, but the Chronicle also points out that the Goguryeo envoys had a Silla escort, indicating the alliance between Silla and those attempting to restore Goguryeo—or at least the area of Goguryeo under Tang control.  The Tang, for their part, had pulled back their commandary to Liaodong, just west of the modern border between China and North Korea, today.  Goguryeo would not go quietly, and the people of that ancient kingdom—one of the oldest on the peninsula—would continue to rise up and assert their independence for years to come. The chronicles also record envoys from the somewhat mysterious northern Mishihase, or Sushen, thought to be people of the Okhotsk Sea culture from the Sakhalin islands.  There were 11 of them, and they came with the Silla envoys, possibly indicating their influence on the continent and through the Amur river region.  Previously, most of the contact had been through the regions of Koshi and the Emishi in modern Tohoku and Hokkaido.  This seems to be their only major envoy to the Yamato court recorded in this reign. Speaking of outside groups, in the 2nd lunar month of 677 we are told that there was an entertainment given to men of Tanegashima under the famous Tsuki tree west of Asukadera.  Many people may know Tanegashima from the role it played in the Sengoku Period, when Europeans made contact and Tanegashima became a major hub of Sengoku era firearm manufacturing.  At this point, however, it seems that it was still a largely independent island in the archipelago off the southern coast of Kyushu.  Even southern Kyushu appears to have retained some significant cultural differences at this time, with the "Hayato" people being referenced in regards to southern Kyushu—we'll talk about them in a bit as they showed up at the capital in 682.  Tanegashima is actually closer to Yakushima, another island considered to be separate, culturally, from Yamato, and could be considered the start of the chain of islands leading south to Amami Ohoshima and the other Ryukyuan islands.  That said, Tanegashima and Yakushima are much closer to the main islands of the archipelago and show considerable influence, including Yayoi and Kofun cultural artifacts, connecting them more closely to those cultures, even if Yamato initially saw them as distinct in some way. A formal Yamato envoy would head down to Tanegashima two years later, in the 11th lunar month of 679.  It was headed up by Yamato no Umakahibe no Miyatsuko no Tsura and Kami no Sukuri no Koukan.  The next reference to the mission comes in 681, when the envoys returned and presented a map of the island.  They claimed that it was in the middle of the ocean, and that rice was always abundant. With a single sowing of rice it was said that they could get two harvests.  Other products specifically mentioned were cape jasmine and bulrushes, though they then note that there were also many other products that they didn't bother to list.  This must have been considered quite the success, as the Yamato envoys were each awarded a grade of rank for their efforts.   They also appear to have returned with some of the locals, as they were entertained again in Asuka—this time on the riverbank west of Asukadera, where various kinds of music were performed for them. Tanegashima and Yakushima would be brought formally under Yamato hegemony in 702 with the creation of Tane province, but for now it was still considered separate.  This was probably just the first part of the efforts to bring them into Yamato, proper. Getting back to the Silla envoys who had arrived in 676, they appear to have remained for several months.  In the third lunar month of 677 we are told that they, along with guests of lower rank—thirteen persons all told—were invited to the capital.  Meanwhile, the escort envoys and others who had not been invited to the capital were entertained in Tsukushi and returned from there. While this was going on, weather out in the straits drove a Silla boat to the island of Chikashima.  Aboard was a Silla man accompanined by three attendants and three Buddhist priests.  We aren't told where they were going, but they were given shelter and when the Silla envoy, Kim Chyeonpyeong, returned home he left with those who had been driven ashore, as well. The following year, 678, was not a great one for the Silla envoys.  Garyang Jyeongsan and Gim Hongsye arrived at Tsukushi, but they were just the escorts.  The actual envoys had been separated by a storm at sea and never arrived.  In their place, the escort envoys were sent to the capital, probably to at least carry through with the rituals of diplomacy.  This was in the first month of the following year, 679, and given when envoys had previously arrived, it suggests to me that they waited a few months, probably to see if the envoys' ship eventually appeared and to give the court time to figure out what to do.  A month later, the Goguryeo envoys arrived, still being accompanied by Silla escorts, also arrived. Fortunately the Yamato envoys to Silla and elsewhere fared better.  That year, 679, the envoys returned successfully from Silla, Goguryeo, and Tamna.  Overall, though, I think it demonstrates that this wasn't just a pleasure cruise.  There was a very real possibility that one could get lost at sea.  At the same time, one needed people of sufficient status to be able to carry diplomatic messages and appropriately represent the court in foreign lands.  We often seen envoys later taking on greater positions of responsibility in the court, and so you didn't have to go far to find those willing to take the risk for later rewards. That same year, another tribute mission from Silla did manage to make the crossing successfully.  And in this mission we are given more details, for they brought gold, silver, iron, sacrificial cauldrons with three feet, brocade, cloth, hides, horses, dogs, mules, and camels.  And those were just the official gifts to the court.  Silla also sent distinct presents for the sovereign, the queen, and the crown prince, namely gold, silver, swords, flags, and things of that nature. This appears to demonstrate increasingly close ties between Silla and Yamato. All of that arrived in the 10th lunar month of 679, and they stayed through the 6th lunar month of 680—about 7 to 9 months all told, depending on if there were any intercalary months that year.  In addition to entertaining the Silla envoys in Tsukushi—it is not mentioned if they made it to the capital—we are also told that in the 2nd lunar month, halfway through the envoys' visit, eight labourers from Silla were sent back to their own country with gifts appropriate to their station. Here I have to pause and wonder what exactly is meant by this.  "Labourer" seems somewhat innocuous.  I suspect that their presence in Yamato may have been less than voluntary, and I wonder if these were captured prisoners of war who could have been in Yamato now for over a decade.  If so, this could have been a gesture indicating that the two sides were putting all of that nastiness with Baekje behind them, and Yamato was accepting Silla's new role on the peninsula.  Or maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it does seem to imply that Silla and Yamato were growing closer, something that Yamato would need if it wanted to have easy access, again, to the wider world. Speaking of returning people, that seems to have been something of a common thread for this year, 680, as another mission from Goguryeo saw 19 Goguryeo men also returned to their country.  These were condolence envoys who had come to mourn the death of Takara Hime—aka Saimei Tennou.  They must have arrived in the midst of all that was happening peninsula, and as such they were detained.  Their detention is somewhat interesting, when you think about it, since technically Baekje and Goguryeo—and thus Yamato—would have been on the same side against the Silla-Tang alliance.  But perhaps it was just considered too dangerous to send them home, initially, and then the Tang had taken control of their home.  It is unclear to me how much they were being held by Yamato and how much they were just men without a country for a time.  This may reflect how things on the mainland were stabilizing again, at least from Yamato's perspective.  However, as we'll discuss a bit later, it may have also been another attempt at restoring the Goguryeo kingdom by bringing back refugees, especially if they had connections with the old court.  The Goguryeo envoys—both the recent mission and those who had been detained—would remain until the 5th lunar month of 681, when they finally took their leave.  That year, there were numerous mission both from and to Silla and Goguryeo, and in the latter part of the year, Gim Chyungpyeong came once again, once more bearing gives of gold, silver, copper, iron, brocade, thin silk, deerskins, and fine cloth.  They also brought gold, silver, flags of a rosy-colored brocade and skins for the sovereign, his queen, and the crown prince. That said, the 681 envoys also brought grave news:  King Munmu of Silla was dead.  Munmu had reigned since 661, so he had overseen the conquest of Silla and Goguryeo.  His regnal name in Japanese might be read as Monmu, or even "Bunbu", referencing the blending of literary and cultural achievements seen as the pinnacle of noble attainment.  He is known as Munmu the Great for unifying the peninsula under a single ruler—though much of the Goguryeo territory was still out of reach.  Indeed he saw warfare and the betterment of his people, and it is no doubt significant that his death is recorded in the official records of the archipelago.   He was succeeded by his son, who would reign as King Sinmun, though the succession wasn't exactly smooth. We are told that Munmu, knowing his time was short, requested that his son, the Crown Prince, be named king before they attended to Munmu's own funerary arrangements, claiming that the throne should not sit vacant.  This may have been prescient, as the same year Munmu died and Sinmun ascended to the throne there was a revolt, led by none other than Sinmun's own father-in-law, Kim Heumdol.  Heumdol may, himselve, have been more of a figurehead for other political factions in the court and military.  Nonetheless, the attempted coup of 681 was quickly put down—the envoys in Yamato would likely only learn about everything after the dust had settled upon their return. The following year, 682, we see another interesting note about kings, this time in regards to the Goguryeo envoys, whom we are told were sent by the King of Goguryeo.  Ever since moving the commandery to Liaodong, the Tang empire had claimed dominion over the lands of Goguryeo north of the Taedong river.  Originally they had administered it militarily, but in 677 they crowned a local, Bojang as the "King of Joseon", using the old name for the region, and put him in charge of the Liaodong commandery.  However, he was removed in 681, and sent into exile in Sichuan, because rather than suppressing revolt, he had actually encouraged restoration attempts, inviting back Goguryeo refugees, like those who had been detained in Yamato.  Although Bojang himself was sent into exile, his descendants continued to claim sovereignty, so it may have been one of them that was making the claim to the "King of Goguryeo", possibly with Silla's blessing. Later that year, 682, we see Hayato from Ohosumi and Ata—possibly meaning Satsuma—the southernmost point of Kyushu coming to the court in 682.  They brought tribute and representatives of Ohosumi and Ata wrestled, with the Ohosumi wrestler emerging victorious.  They were entertained west of Asukadera, and various kinds of music was performed and gifts were given. They were apparently quite the sight, as Buddhist priests and laiety all came out to watch. Little is known for certain about the Hayato.  We have shields that are attributed to them, but their association may have more to do with the fact that they were employed as ceremonial guards for a time at the palace.  We do know that Southern Kyushu had various groups that were seen as culturally distinct from Yamato, although there is a lot of overlap in material culture.  We also see early reports of the Kumaso, possibly two different groups, the Kuma and So, in earlier records, and the relationship between the Kumaso and the Hayato is not clearly defined. What we do know is that southern Kyushu, for all that it shared with Yamato certain aspects of culture through the kofun period, for example, they also had their own traditions. For example, there is a particular burial tradition of underground kofun that is distinct to southern Kyushu.  A great example of this can be found at the Saitobaru Kofun cluster in Miyazaki, which contains these unique southern Kyushu style burials along with more Yamato style keyhole shaped and circular type kofun.  Miyazaki sits just north of the Ohosumi peninsula, in what was formerly the land of Hyuga, aka  Himuka.  This is also where a lot of the founding stories of the Heavenly grandchild were placed, and even today there is a shrine there to the Heavenly Rock Cave.  In other words there are a lot of connections with Southern Kyushu, and given that the Chronicles were being written in the later 7th and early 8th centuries, it is an area of intense interest when trying to understand the origins of Yamato and Japanese history. Unfortunately, nothing clearly tells us exactly how the Hayato were separate, but in the coming century they would both come under Yamato hegemony and rebel against it, time and again.  This isn't the first time they are mentioned, but it may be the first time that we see them as an actual people, in a factual entry as earlier references in the Chronicles are suspect. Continuing on with our look at diplomacy during this period, the year 683 we see a continuation of the same patterns, with nothing too out of the ordinary.  Same with most of 684 until the 12th lunar month.  It is then that we see a Silla ship arrive with Hashi no Sukune no Wohi and Shirawi no Fubito no Hozen.  They had both, previously been to the Tang empire to study, though we don't have a record of them leaving for that or any other purpose.  They are accompanied by Witsukahi no Muraji no Kobito and Tsukushi no Miyake no Muraji no Tokuko, both of whom had apparently been captured and taken by the Tang dynasty during the Baekje campaign.  Apparently they had all traveled back from the Tang empire together to Silla, who then provided them passage to Yamato. The timing of this suggests it may have had something to do with the changes going on in the Tang empire—changes that I desperately want to get into, but given that we are already a good ways into this current episode, I think I will leave it for later.  But I will note this:  Emperor Gaozong had passed away and his wife, Empress Wu Zetian, was now ruling as regent for her sons.  Wu Zetian is probably the most famous empress in all of Chinese history, and while she held de facto power as a co-regent during her husband's reign and as a regent during her sons' reigns, she would actually ascend the throne herself in 690.  Her reign as a woman during a time of heightened patriarchal tradition is particularly of note, and it leads us to wonder about the vilification that she received by the men who followed her rule.  And I really want to get into all of that but, thematically, I think it better to wait.  Those of you reading ahead in the syllabus—which is to say the Chronicles—probably know why.  So let us just leave it there and say that the Tang was going through a few things, and that may explain why students were returning back in the company of former war captives. A few months later, the Silla escort, Gim Mulyu, was sent home along with 7 people from Silla who had been washed ashore—presumably during a storm or other such event, again illustrating the dangers of taking to the ocean at this time.  Perhaps related to that theme is the entry only a month later, which merely stated that Gim Jusan of Silla returned home.  Gim Jusan was an envoy sent to Yamato in the 11th lunar month of 683.  He was entertained in Tsukushi, and we are told that he returned to his own country on the 3rd month of 684.  Now we are seeing an entry in the 4th month of 685 that this same person apparently returned home. It is possible that something got mixed up, and that the Chroniclers were dealing with a typo in the records that made it seem like this took place a year later than it did.  This was certainly an issue at this time, given all the math one had to do just to figure out what day it was.  There is also the possibility that he returned on another embassy, but just wasn't mentioned for some reason.  The last possible explanation is that he somehow got lost and it took him a year to find his way back.  Not entirely impossible back then, though I am a bit skeptical.  Among other things, why would that note have found its way into the Chronicles in Yamato?  While they were certainly using some continental sources, this seems like something they were talking about as far as him leaving the archipelago, rather than discussion of something happening elsewhere. Speaking of happening elsewhere, I'm wondering about another event that happened around this time as well.  In fact, it was while Gim Mulyu was still in the archipelago.  For some reason the Yamato court granted rank to 147 individuals from Tang, Baekje, and Goguryeo.  Interestingly, they don't mention Silla.  Furthermore, there is no real mention of any Tang envoys during this reign.  In fact, there is hardly mention of the Tang dynasty at all.  There is a mention of some 30 Tang men—captives, presumably—being sent to the Yamato court from Tsukushi.  Those men were settled in Toutoumi, so there were men of Tang in the archipelago.  But beyond that, there are only three other mentions of the Tang dynasty.  One was when the students and war captives came back.  Another was this note about giving rank to 147 individuals.  Finally there is a similar record in 686, at the very end of the reign, where it is 34 persons who were given rank.  This time it was to carpenters, diviners, physicians, students from Tang—possibly those who had just come back a year or so earlier.  So if there weren't envoys from Tang, Goguryeo, and Baekje, who were these people and why were they being granted Yamato court rank?  My assumption is that it was foreigners living in the archipelago, and being incorporated into the Yamato court system.  Still, it is interesting that after the overtures by the Tang in the previous reign we have heard virtually nothing since then.  Again, that is likely largely due to the conflicts between Tang and Silla, though now, things seem to be changing.  The conflicts have settled down, and new rulers are in place, so we'll see how things go. Speaking of which, let's finish up with the diplomatic exchanges in this reign.  I'm only hitting some of the highlights here.  First is the return from Silla, in the 5th month of 685, of Takamuku no Asomi no Maro and Tsuno no Asomi no Ushikahi.  They had traveled to Silla in 684, and they did not come back emptyhanded.  The new King of Silla presented them with gifts, including 2 horses, 3 dogs, 2 parrots, and 2 magpies.  They also brought back the novice monks Kanjou and Ryoukan.  Not bad, overall. Then, 6 months later, another tribute mission came, but this one has an interesting—if somewhat questionable—note attached to it.  It is said that the envoys Gim Jisyang and Gim Geonhun were sent to request "governance" and to bring tribute.  This certainly go the court's attention.  They didn't bring the envoys all the way to the capital, but they did send to them, in Tsukushi, Prince Kawachi, Ohotomo no Sukune no Yasumaro, Fujiwara no Asomi no Ohoshima, and Hodzumi no Asomi no Mushimaro. About three months later they send the musical performers from Kawaradera to provide entertainment during a banquet for the Silla envoy, and in payment some 5,000 bundles of rice rom the private lands attached to the queen's palace were granted to the temple in gratitude. The Silla tribute was then brought to the capital from Tsukushi.  This time it was more than 100 items, including one fine horse, one mule, two dogs, a gold container inlaid with some kind of design, gold, silver, faint brocade, silk gauze, tiger and leopard skins, and a variety of medicines.  In addition, as was now common, the envoys, Gim Jisyang and Gim Geonhun, apparently had personal gifts to give in the form of gold, silver, faint brocade, silk gauze, gold containers, screens, saddle hides, silk cloth, and more medicine.  There were also gifts specifically for the sovereign, the queen, the Crown Prince, and for the various princes of the blood. The court returned this favor with gifts to the envoys, presented at a banquet just for them, before sending them on their way. A couple of notes.  First off, it is interesting that they are entertained at Tsukushi rather than being invited to the capital, and I wonder if this was because the sovereign, Ohoama, wasn't doing so well.  This was all happening in 685 and 686, and the sovereign would pass away shortly afterwards.  So it is possible that Ohoama just was not up to entertaining visitors at this time.  Of course, the Chronicles often don't tell us exactly why a given decision was made, only that it was.  And sometimes not even that. The other thing that seems curious is the mention of a request for governance.  That almost sounds like Silla was asking to come under Yamato hegemony, which I seriously doubt.  It may be that they were asking something along the lines of an alliance, but it is also possible that the scribes recording things for Yamato heard what they wanted to hear and so wrote it down in the light most favorable to Yamato laying claim to the peninsula. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding exactly what they were asking for.  Maybe "governance" here means something else—perhaps just some kind of better relationship. And with that, we'll leave it for now.  There is more developing in the next reign, but I think we want to wait until we get there.  There are still a lot more things to cover in this reign before we move on—we haven't even touched on the establishment of the new capital, on the various court events, not to mention some of the laws and punishments that this period is named for.  And there is the minor issue of a rebellion.  All of that will be dealt with.  And then, after that, we get to the final reign of the Chronicles: the reign of Jitou Tennou.  From there?  Who knows. It is the winter holiday season, so I hope everyone is enjoying themselves.  Next episode will be the New Year's recap, and then we should finish with this reign probably in January or early February. Until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

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Edward Blair only wanted a quick, quirky feature story from a secluded Japanese shrine—but what he found was a girl who defied explanation, a priest with powers beyond science, and a warning about the dangerous cost of controlling the universe.“The Shrine” by Walt Sheldon – originally published in Fantastic Universe, December 1956MORE Stories Like This: https://www.auditoryanthology.comFully Produced Version: https://www.auditoryanthology.com/2025/04/17/the-shrine-by-walt-sheldon/Originally aired: December 15, 2025EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/TheShrineABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.#WeirdDarkness #VintageScienceFiction #JapaneseMysticism #ClassicHorror #ScaryStories #Psychokinesis #MysteriousShrine #ParanormalPowers #WeirdFiction #DarkFiction

Subscribe to Throwing Fits on Patreon. Our interview with Josh Willis is for the foos. Josh—the co-founder, designer and creative director of Second/Layer—was in town from sunny Los Angeles to brave the NYC cold and chat about being a janitor of all trades, getting what you pay for with knits, going a step beyond for customer service, the Dodger blue speaking to him like the Green Goblin mask, Good Art toolery, grom's today ain't got no respect, what if How To Make It In American took place in LA, Wear Second/Layer And You'll Pull Bitches™, you need to figure out the first layer on your own, arriving at style vs. it just showing up, creative direction is easy but the production is hard, what's even going on with sneakers these days, delivering on time is everything, differences between American and Japanese consumers, going to the bank or the street to keep things afloat, dear other brands: he sees your cheap tricks and how you're barely a business, dressing like you give a fuck, hive mind design, what to wear when you get a newlywed blessing from the Pope, and much more on Josh Willis' interview with The Only Podcast That Matters™.

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