Now and Zen Japan
Conversations with Japan experts with a focus on business, culture, and arts. Entertaining and educational stories of success & failure and lessons learned. Discover first-hand what it’s like to live, work, and experience the most fascinating country in the world. Direct from Tokyo, this is the Now and Zen Podcast!
Recent Episodes
Brendhan Kelly: Hospitality Communication Manager
March 26, 2023
This episode I speak with Brendhan Kelly, the Hospitality Communication Manager for the Tysons Group of restaurants. Tysons is most well known for Ivy Place, Cicada, Smokehouse, and the iconic TY Harbor Brewery in Tennozu Is…
Katsura Sunshine: Master Rakugo Storyteller
Feb. 25, 2023
This episode I sit down with Katsura Sunshine, the only Western Rakugo Master Storyteller in the world and only the 2nd in the history of traditional Japanese Rakugo. He shares his fascinating journey from Canadian playwrigh…
Kaki Okumura: "Wa, the Art of Balance" Author
Jan. 29, 2023
I’ve been doing the Now and Zen podcast for exactly 3 years. That’s 80 episodes with many great guests, wonderful stories, fascinating insights, and I’m often asked, who was my favorite guest. That’s a lot like asking a par…
Joseph Delmastro: Author "Cultured Gaijin"
Dec. 19, 2022
This episode I speak with Joseph Delmastro, the author of Cultured Gaijin. It’s a unique book set in 1970s Japan about what happens when Joseph, an airman stationed in Tokyo, breaks free from expectations and fully embrace…
Alvin Tan: 6 Controversial Reasons Foreigners should work for Japanese Companies
Nov. 24, 2022
Have you ever thought about working for a Japanese company in Japan, but were turned off by all the stories of long hours, low pay, slow career path, no incentives for performance, archaic hierarchy rule setting, social drin…
Kiyoshi Matsumoto: Author of Japan Unmasked
Oct. 15, 2022
This episode we deep-dive into well-know, but often misunderstood Japanese culture topics with Kiyoshi Matsumoto. Kiyoshi is the author of the book “Japan Unmasked, Understanding Japan and its people”. Kiyoshi is Japanese …
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