The Last Hunters of the North (Matagi Bear Hunters)
Release Date: 06/12/2020
White Day (Japan's Valentine's Day Part 2, not a Proud Boy's wet dream)
Japanese History Junk Food
It's almost March 14th or White Day, Japan's other day meant for giving presents to the person you want to bang! Listen as Stephen (resident Japanese history non-expert) unpacks his sentiments on a "holiday" that only came into existence in the late 1970s!
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Aoya the Man We're Looking For? (The Aoya Yayoi Lookalike Grand Prix)
Japanese History Junk Food
Japan's least populous prefecture searches for an ancient doppelgänger and Stephen gives a quick, backwards rundown of Japanese history. Remember to rate and review the show. Any questions or comments can be sent to japanesehistoryjunkfood(at symbol thingy)gmail(dot)com
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A Not-So Brief Update
Japanese History Junk Food
Stephen provides a short (rambling) update not he future of the show and SiJ community going forward.
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The Last Hunters of the North (Matagi Bear Hunters)
Japanese History Junk Food
Nick and Stephen, two hombres with little expertise but lots of passion, are back and recording remotely to bring you the tale of the Matagi Bear Hunters, a vanishing group of Japanese woodsmen in the rural north!
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Japanese History Junk Food - COVID-19 Casualty (Shimura Ken)
Japanese History Junk Food
In this slightly different from normal episode, Stephen brings you the story of a rather recent figure in Japanese (pop culture) history: the great Shimura Ken, who unfortunately passed away due to COVID-19 on March 29th, 2020.
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Japanese History Junk Food - A Boy Named No One (Count Nogi Maresuke)
Japanese History Junk Food
In this coronavirus-era episode of the show, a solo Stephen, definitely not an expert, brings you the badly told story of Count Nogi Maresuke, an important figure in Meiji-era Japan and the man most responsible for Nogizaka46 (possibly).
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Japanese History Junk Food - The Government's Gone to the Dogs (Tokugawa Tsunayoshi)
Japanese History Junk Food
Nick and Stephen, two Americans who are definitely not history experts, have trouble remembering basic sayings and facts and are recording next to the busiest train station in the world but that won't stop them from talking about shoguns, this week primarily Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, also known as the Dog Shogun, a controversial figure in Japanese history.
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Japanese History Junk Food Podcast - Japanese Orgy Flash Mobs (Ee Ja Nai Ka)
Japanese History Junk Food
Esteban and El Chupacabra, two cabrons who aren't experts but like talking about Japanese history, are back at it again, this time talking about a lesser known protest movement in Japanese history! Block parties, orgies, and incredibly wrong dates given by Japan! It's all good!
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Japanese History Junk Food: A Haunting in Tokyo (The Curse of Taira no Masakado's Head)
Japanese History Junk Food
Nick and Stephen, two jabronies who aren't experts, bring you the long tale of the legendary ancient Japanese warrior('s head) that has allegedly played a huge role in shaping Tokyo as we know it today! Then Nick gets distracted and shares a tale of his band's bass player's experience with a ghost!
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Japanese History Junk Food - The Hiraga Gennai Bookclub "On Farting"
Japanese History Junk Food
Nick, not an expert, talks about his favorite work by Edo period Japanese renaissance man Hiraga Gennai, "On Farting". Listen to Nick and Stephen, two goobers who like Japanese history but not enough to learn much about it, discuss this little known work by Japan's favorite closeted homosexual inventor of asbestos!
info_outlineNick and Stephen, two hombres with little expertise but lots of passion, are back and recording remotely to bring you the tale of the Matagi Bear Hunters, a quickly vanishing group of Japanese woodsmen in the rural north!
“Red spots of blood flower in the virgin snow as the bear’s dead body is dragged to a nearby plain to be gutted and dismembered using a traditional Matagi knife. Part of the bear’s intestines are left as an offering to the mountain goddess.“. They cut off the bear’s paws before gutting and skinning the rest of its body.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/11/matagi-hunting-tradition-japan/
Currently there are still some Matagi communities in the Tōhoku region (Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Niigata and Nagano). There are no more full time Matagi hunters anymore because of hunting restrictions so most of the remaining Matagi are elderly farmers or foresters in the offseason.
There is a Matagi museum in Akita. https://visitakita.com/en/sightseeing/history-culture/213/
Matagi Documentary on NHK WORLD: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/3016051/