#101 - The Eugenic Protection Law
Hikikomori
In 1948 the Japanese Government, still under firm control by the Allied occupation forces, wrote into law the Eugenic Protection Law. While this law was similar to the myriad of pro-eugenic laws across the world, Japan's eugenics law is notable for having been only repealed in the 90s. Today's guest is Kieran Bennett! You can follow him via his , or check out his portfolio of video editing work at . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on...
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#100 - The Rabbit Island Poison Gas Factory
Hikikomori
We made it! The completely arbitrary milestone of 100 that's solely meaningful to humans because of our bias towards base 10! To celebrate, here's a nice story about an island covered in the cutest rabbits you've ever seen, also a poison gas factory. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter ,...
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#99 - Mamoru Samuragochi (Part 2)
Hikikomori
We continue the most famous and baffling fraud case of modern Japan with the tale of Mamoru Samuragochi. This week we examine exactly how the supposed deaf composer was able to get away with presenting another person's compositions as his own for 18 years. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on...
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#98 - Mamoru Samuragochi (Part 1)
Hikikomori
Born as a second-generation Hibakusha, that is to say a child of Hiroshima A-bomb survivors, Mamoru Samuragochi faced hardship, prejudice and increasing illness throughout his life. Despite these enormous setbacks, he became one of the most respected and successful musical composers in Japan, despite becoming almost entirely deaf. He was also a liar. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy...
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#97 - The Jehova's Witnesses
Hikikomori
Today, the JWs have as many as 250,000 adherents in Japan, despite having an extremely rocky start in the country in the early 1930s. In recent years, the JWs have experienced controversy in the media and courts once again, this time for serious allegations of abuse of its own members and children. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or...
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#96 - The Contaminated Blood Scandal
Hikikomori
When the AIDs epidemic began tearing its way through gay communities throughout the world, there was almost no effort made by governments to address the escalating health crisis whatsoever. Even when heat-treated blood became available, pharmaceutical companies were strangely reluctant to offer these newer, safer products, particularly in South America and Asia, but no country was quite as ruthlessly self-defeating than in Japan, which created an extraordinary conspiracy to put corporate profits above the lives of their citizens Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her ,...
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#95 - Saya Hiyama, Weather Caster
Hikikomori
Weather News Live is a 24-hour a day stream dedicated to reporting the weather... sort of. It has gained huge popularity on the internet over the last few years with live shows hosted by "Casters", young women who have attracted huge fanbases. By far the most popular has been Saya Hiyama who, in mid-2023, found herself at the centre of a controversy normally only reserved for those in the Idol industry. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's...
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#94 - The Piranha Family (Part 3)
Hikikomori
We end our series on Miyoko Sumida by looking at possibly her most disturbing family invasion with the Oe household, as well as how this eventually led to her accidental arrest and the fall of the Sumida gang. We also find out how the Yakuza hides bodies (allegedly). Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also...
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#93 - The Piranha Family (Part 2)
Hikikomori
We continue covering the disturbing crimes of Miyoko Sumida and her family, as she infiltrates and rips apart two more families. Today we look at how she added her loyal enforcer, Masanori Ri, and her presumed heir, Tanimoto Rui, to her organisation. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter ,...
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#92 - The Piranha Family (Part 1)
Hikikomori
Miyoko Sumida was a psychopath with a disturbing ability to manipulate others for her own ends. She was also seemingly obsessed with keeping other people by making them members of her family though marriage and adoption. In a horrifying 25-year career of criminal gang activity and serial murder, Sumida became more cult leader than yakuza. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her , and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, . Check my new album, , for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can...
info_outlineIn April of 2018, the writer Elif Batuman had an article published in The New Yorker, titled "Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry". It explored a cultural phenomenon in Japan, that of agencies where one could hire an actor to perform in a social interaction that would be otherwise awkward or impossible.
It became such a popular and celebrated article that it would win the National Magazine Award for that year.
Unfortunately, it was also based entirely on bullshit.
Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast.
Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy!
You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app.
Sources:
- New Yorker: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry
- The New Republic: How the New Yorker Fell into the “Weird Japan” Trap
- Wall Street Journal: New Yorker Re-Examines Article on Japanese Family Rental Service
- AFAR: What it’s Like to Rent a Friend in Tokyo
- Wikipedia: Elif Batuman
- Wikipedia: Rental Family Service