What are gyaru? (About the Slang, Fashion and History of Japan's Gyaru/Gal) | Japan Station 157/Ichimon Japan 52
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
Release Date: 05/15/2025
Shikoku's 88 Temple Pligrimmage: What You Should KNOW (Kevin Tarpey) | Japan Station 169
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, Kevin Tarpey joins us to talk about what it was like doing Shikoku's famous 88 Temple Pilgrimmage and why Japan is such a great place for long-distance walking. 👉Topics Discussed Why Japan is such a great place for long-distance walking About the famous Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimmage (Ohenro, お遍路) What it's like walking the 88 temple pilgrimmage How long it took to walk the 88 temple pilgrimmage in Shikoku How much distance Kevin covered per day while doing the 88 temple pilgrimmage About getting blisters while walking the 88 temple pilgrimmage About...
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She moved to this Japanese island to FARM INDIGO?! (Sally Hancox of AiAii) | Japan Station 168
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, we learn about traditional Japanese indigo dyeing from Sally Hancox, one of the co-owners of AiAii Worshop & Shop on Awaji island. This is a conversation to dye for! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. 👉Topics Discussed About AiiAii Worshop & Shop About the aizome (indigo dyeing) process About farming and preparing indigo for dyeing Why Sally Hancox ended up farming and working with indigo What are the benefits of natural indigo dyeing About the workshops at AiAii About Awaji How to get to Awaji How to get in touch with Sally for scheduling...
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How Japanese scandals EXPLODE! (Igor Prusa) | Japan Station 167
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about scandals in Japan. My guest Dr. Igor Prusa tells about how scandals in Japan work, how they surface and how entertainers/business people/politicians who get caught in scandals try to deal with them. This is a truly SCANDALOUS episode. Sorry, couldn't resist. 👉Topics Discussed The characteristics of a Japanese scandal About the Noriko Sakai scandal Why the Sakai Noriko scandal was such a big deal What celebrities caught in scandals are expected to do About the press conferences often seen after a scandal rises to the surface in Japan About...
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Why do Japanese train stations do that? | Japan Station 166/Ichimon Japan 03
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
This episode was originally released as episode 3 of the Ichimon Japan podcast. Today's Question On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why do Japanese train stations do that? Topics Discussed The train system in rural areas versus urban areas in Japan Trains in Kagoshima and Ishikawa What a Wanmanressha (one man trains) is Unmanned rural train stations Why Japanese train stations use cute songs to indicate a train is about to depart Hasshamero (train departure melodies) The use of Nogizaka46's song "Kimi no Na wa Kibō" as a train departure melody The logic behind train departure...
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WHICH is CORRECT? Funiki vs Fuinki (雰囲気) | Japan Station 165
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the Japanese word funiki (雰囲気) and other words that aren't read the way they are written. 👉Topics Discussed About the Japanese word funiki (雰囲気) What the correct way to read/pronounce funiki is Whether you should read funiki as fun'iki （ふんいき) or fuinki (ふいんき) Why so many people pronounce funiki incorrectly About words like manin (満員) and zenin (全員) and why people often pronounce them incorrectly/differently from how they are...
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Do Japanese people have longer intestines than Westerners? | Japan Station 164/Ichimon Japan 02
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
This episode of Japan Station is a rebroadcast of episode two of Ichimon Japan. On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Do Japanese people have longer intestines than Westerners? Topics Discussed Whether Japanese people have longer intestines than Westerners The idea that longer intestines are a result of the Japanese people having a diet centering around rice, grains, and vegetables The inconsistent details surrounding the idea that Japanese people have longer intestines than Westerners Andy Raskin's quest to determine if Japanese people have longer intestines than Westerners...
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The REAL Reason Japan doesn't have public TRASH CANS! They're LYING TO YOU! | Japan Station 163
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about why there's so few trash cans in public places in Japan. Despite what many sources say the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo is not the reason there are so few trash cans in public places in Japan. It's actually more complicated than that. While yes, it is true that there was a reduction in the amount of trash cans in some places in Japan--particularly the subway line targeted by Aum Shinrikyo during the sarin gas attack--many of these trash cans were reinstalled some time after the attack. Further trash cans were not used during the attack itself....
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Why are vegetables so insulting in Japanese? | Japan Station 162/Ichimon Japan 14
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
This episode of Japan Station is a rebroadcast of Ichimon Japan episode 12. On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why are vegetables so unsulting in Japanese? On this episode we are honored to once again be joined by Kyle Broyles of the Tokyo Splosion podcast and Hard Officers YouTube channel. Topics Discussed Some funny Japanese vegetable-based insults and their (supposed) etymologies What the term daikon ashi means Why daikon ashi is so insulting and reserved only for use on women The usage of the term "dumpling legs" What the term daikon yakusha means Why daikon...
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What is "PLUS ALPHA?" The Meaning & Origin of the Japanese term purasu arufa/プラスアルファ | Japan Station 161
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, I break down what the Japanese term "plus alpha" (purasu arufa/プラスアルファ) means and its possible origins. 👉Topics Discussed What does "plus alpha" (purasu arufa/プラスアルファ) mean? How you use the Japanese term purasu arufa プラスアルファ The most popular etymology of the term of purasu arufa Real world examples of purasu arufa in use About what puramaizero means (プラマイゼロ) And much more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! 👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi https://patreon.com/japankyo 👉Links, Videos,...
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The HISTORY of SUSHI (Dr. Eric C. Rath) | Japan Station 160
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
On this episode of Japan Station, Dr. Eric C. Rath joins us to talk all about the history of what may be Japan's most famous cuisine: SUSHI! We discuss its origins, evolution and more! 👉Topics Discussed Where sushi came from Fermented sushi The meaning of sushi Sushi's Chinese origins Shiga Prefecture's funazushi Sushi in the Edo period Sushi in Japan's post war period Sushi in modern times About sashimi About Kamipai: The History of Sake And much more! 👉Subscribe to the Podcast! 👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi https://patreon.com/japankyo 👉Links, Videos, Etc....
info_outlineThis episode of Japan Station is a re-broadcast of episode 52 of Ichimon Japan.
On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What are gyaru?
Topics Discussed
- What the term gyaru/gal means/refers to
- About the word gyaru
- How the word gyaru was used in Dragonball by Master Roshi
- What a kogyaru/kogal is
- About the singer Namie Amuro and her role in popularizing the gyaru subculture
- About Ayumi Hamasaki's influence on the gyaru subculture
- About the supposed but unconfirmed connection between the gyaru subculture and the American TV show Baywatch, as well as Pamela Anderson
- About the iconic "loose socks" (lūzusokkusu)
- About E.G. Smith, the supposed origin of loose socks
- An interesting linguistic quirk about the Japanese term for "loose socks"
- About ganguro and yamanba gyaru and their dark tans
- About ageha gyaru
- The connection between gyaru, eurobeat and parapara
- What eurobeat is
- What parapara is
- Contemporary gyaru
- What gyarugo is
- Examples of popular gyaru slang
- What karipaku means
- What MK5 means
- What ChōSW means
- What sumisu means
- What ATM means
- What gachi means
- What agepoyo/sagepoyo mean
- What doron means
- What tehepero means
- What gekiokopunpunmaru means
- And much more!
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If you enjoy Ichimon Japan and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. You can join for just $1 a month and that comes with perks like early access to episodes, a shout-out at the beginning of a future episode, bonus content, and discounts to Kimito Designs. For $3 a month you get all that plus access to Japanese Plus Alpha, a podcast produced by me (Tony Vega) that focuses on the Japanese language and its many quirks. Whether you are studying Japanese or just enjoy learning about language and linguistics, you'll enjoy Japanese Plus Alpha.
And it goes without saying that if you sign up, you'll also get my undying gratitude. Thanks in advance!
Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.
Here are some of the Japanese language articles found when researching the topic of this episode.
- ヤマンバ、イベサー、ガングロ…ギャル・ギャル男はどこに消えたのか？ 【 「ギャル文化」と「渋谷」をめぐる歴史を紐解く】
- ギャル文化特集～ギャルの歴史と生態～
- This is the article that has the illustrations of the gyaru that Ryan mentions during the episode.
- ガングロ
- ギャル系ファッションとは。ブランドと歴史【イラスト＆図解
- アラサーしかわからない！？90年代のギャル語クイズ
- 歴代ギャル流行語大賞／年代流行
Here's some of the English language sources read for this episode.
Here's a Japanese documentary about gyaru. Definitely worth a watch if you understand Japanese.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aunp-hOLNc
In this video you can see the 150 cm long loose socks that were mentioned in the episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e-iaDIOpR8
Here's a TV from 1996 about loose socks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUiGLAXNamo
Here is a video from 2020 in which a Japanese YouTuber tries to get girls in Shibuya to put on loose socks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DokhMaT3MeE
To check out the "snakes in a well" episode of Ichimon Japan, use the link below.
Don't forget to check out the latest episodes of the Japan Station podcast via the links below.
Support the show by picking up a t-shirt at KimitoDesigns.com.
Japanese Vocabulary List
Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here’s some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.
- Pichipichi
- ぴちぴち (adv-to,vs) (1) (on-mim) bursting with youth and energy (esp. young woman); vivaciously young; spunky; energetic; (adv-to) (2) (on-mim) (fish) jumping around energetically (e.g. when caught in a net); (adj-no) (3) (on-mim) bursting (e.g. seams); tight; (adv-to) (4) (on-mim) splattering (e.g. cooking oil)
We Want Your Questions
Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to [email protected].
Special Thanks
Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)
Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.