In Episode 3 of the longest running podshow ever produced by www.pokya.jp, George and Joseph go mobile and broadcast the show from a row boat on a pond in Meguro, Tokyo. [subscribe for free in iTunes]

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Hannah the Hostess

From their watery studio they bring you an interview with Hannah the Hostess, who reveals what it’s like to work in Tokyo’s entertainment world. What does she have to do at her club …and what exactly do her clients expect of her?

Hiragana Times

We then have an interview with Mr. Hasegawa, founder of the Hiragana Times, one of Tokyo’s longest-running magazines catering for the foreign population in Japan, and those outside of the country interested in its customs and culture, and wanting to learn Japanese. Mr. Hasegawa tells us of how the Hiragana Times started out in the 1980s and how it has since evolved. Recently, they have teamed up with Smart.FM to bring you two free articles to study every month – click here to visit the Smart FM Hiragana Times page.

Competition TIme – win an annual subscription to the digital Hiragana Times!

To win an annual subscription to the digital edition of the Hiragana Times just listen to the show to hear what the question is. You’ll find the answer on page 17 of the latest edition of the Hiragana Times (May 2009), which is available from all good book stores. If you are not in Japan you can find the answer in the digital excerpt – click here to download it for free now! You can also listen to the audio here.

We announce the winner of last week’s Tokyo Comedy Store tickets: congratulations to @macduckston for his winning entry: “At first I thought maybe your show would be a CROCK, but then I gave it A DIAL. It’s all I WANI in a podcast!”

Mac wins two tickets to the Tokyo Comedy Store Crocodile Show, which is held every last Friday of the month in Shibuya (Fourth Friday Funny!)

More about the TCS

This is TCS’s 14th year of making Tokyo laugh. It was started by comedy-starved expats, and the motto of the show is “Funnier Than You Think We’ll Be!”

The location is The Crocodile in Shibuya, on Meiji Dori. Doors open at 7:15, and the show starts at 8:00pm

Show line-up: stand-up comedy in the first half, improv comedy in the 2nd half, and special guest performers on occasion

Reservations: Write to: reservations@tokyocomedy.com
Website: tokyocomedy.com

Listener’s Feedback

We have some very Zen feedback from one of our listeners this week via skype, listen in to join the trance. Thanks also to everyone for the feedback via Twitter.

Special thanks to Doug DeLong and Jen of Planet Japan Podcast for the kind words on their latest edition – very much appreciated – they helped inspire us to go into production!

Music provided by Natural Groove Inn

Finally, we play Switch On – スイッチオン by Natural Groove Inn. It’s taken from their EP ‘Rest or Stay’, available from iTunes here.

Super funky, acoustic groove. These few words encapsulate the spirit of NGI. Comprising five members, two guitars, violin, cajon and melodion, and hailing from Japan and England they make use of all their influences to compose and perform mostly original music. Having spent the last eleven or so years in the USA working professionally, they bring a polished yet natural style to the Tokyo music scene. Capturing what music is all about, that is, communication, emotion and fun, don’t miss this chance to check them out and experience a stay at the Natural Groove Inn.

Natural Groove Inn will be playing live in Kichijoji in May 2009. Click here for more info

Please send us your feedback

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Video extracts of this episode in production

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