4 MAR 2024 · Crabs in a Bucket Today's off-the-cuff conversation starts with a discussion of 'crab mentality' within the gaijin community (00:07). We continue by looking at condescension towards English teachers in Japan (05:53), and the business of exploiting those teachers (07:46). Next, we analyze what motivates the crab mentality (09:56). There is a brief look at this phenomenon on Twitter (15:18), and then at online 'white knights' who oppose calls for social progress (16:54). The conversation continues with a focus on classism and (19:14) interdependence (24:06). Next, we revisit toxicity in the gaijin community online, and the value of making community (32:48). We consider the impact of a lack of healthy community (or psychology) (40:00), why we talk about our problems (47:52), and how Twitter rewards negativity, toxicity—and, yes—racism in the community (57:37). Next, some thoughts on being both open to change and closed to pointless fighting (1:04:03), and, finally, we offer some advice pushing past crabby people and finding some positivity in your life in Japan (1:08:43). Host: 🎙️Samuel Darbouze is making something worth listening to. https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Guests: 🎙️Will is a teacher and a Dad from Los Angeles now living on central Japan. His hobbies include video games, pottery and memes on Twitter. 🎙️Dontae is a teacher, Retired US Air Force veteran, and YouTube Storyteller living in Tokyo Japan. ❤️ Support the pod on Patreon: https://patreon.com/TokyoTeaPartyPodcast

25 FEB 2024 · S1x09 - Workplace Culture in Japan Guests Kevin and returning guest Brittni join Sam to talk about their impressions, good and bad, around workplace culture in Japan. Chapters: (0:00:12) - Intro (0:02:55) - Japanese Work Culture (in One Word) (0:08:01) - Your Experience Working in Japan (0:14:28) - Workplace Cultural Differences (0:29:37) - Thoughts on Inclusivity (0:36:33) - What Can be Improved? (0:43:04) - Oh this is gonna be great! (0:45:51) - Learning from Japan (0:52:44) - Best Workplace Experiences (0:57:45) - Outro Host: 🎙️Sam is working hard for the money, so hard for it honey; he works hard for the money, so give this show a Like❤️. Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki https://twitter.com/TokyoTeaPod Guests: 🎙️Kevin is the head teacher of a chain of English schools near Tokyo, Japan and previously worked in many other teaching positions all around Japan. A functioning workaholic, he spends his downtime enjoying a bewildering number of mostly nerdy hobbies. Socials: HobbyDrifter on Bluesky and Twitter (never known as X by anyone worth listening to) 🎙️Brittni is a preschool teacher who is trying to help her Littles become functioning members of society while also trying to be a decent member of society herself. Even though she's lived in Japanese snow country, she still doesn't enjoy winter. ❤️ Support the pod on Patreon: https://patreon.com/TokyoTeaPartyPodcast

11 FEB 2024 · Guests Alyse, Yana, and Kat join Sam to talk about ways they manage their mental health. TELL Japan (Tokyo English Life Line): Web: https://tell.jp Phone: 03-4550-1146 🎙️Samuel Darbouze is a teacher, designer, and podcaster. (3, 2, 1. 1, 2, 3. What the heck is bothering me?) Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki 🎙️Alyse is a freelance translator for video games, digital content, and a tourism consultant for the Kansai tourism bureau. On weekends, she moonlights as the lead singer in a punk band. @/nanairomiso on IG, Twitter, Blue sky, and YT 🎙️Yana is a free spirited queer polyam neurodivergent Black woman living in Osaka, Japan since 2011. Socials are Yana_yz across the board 🎙️Katarina is a doctoral candidate at Kyoto University studying psycholinguistics and Japanese language education with a background in cognitive psychology and philosophy of the mind. Socials: https://kyattogallery.weebly.com https://twitter.com/kittykat9312 (00:11) - Intro (04:18) - Workplace Stress (08:51) - Marrital Stress (14:54) - Student Stress (20:37) - Culture Shock (1) (31:53) - Culture Shock (2) (42:29) - Managing Stress and Anxiety (56:40) - Mental Health Resources (1:07:50) - Outro

21 JAN 2024 · Guests Will and Kayci help Sam answer the unanswerable question: Why (oh why) are you still on Twitter? 🎙️Samuel Darbouze is a teacher, designer, and podcaster. He still uses Twitter. He's thankful to everyone in his Twitter family who helped him learn and grow. Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki 🎙️Will is a teacher and a Dad from Los Angeles now living on central Japan. His hobbies include video games, pottery and memes on twitter. Finding community on twitter helped him feel less alone and more connected to the people of color all over Japan. 🎙️Kayci is a part-time freelancer, full-time nerd who also gets way into politics on Twitter. Proud of her Cali-roots, she also adores cats, coffees, and trivia on the side! (00:14) - Intro (00:56) - Guest Introduction (02:20) - What got you into G Twitter? (10:30) - How has Twitter impacted your life? (16:08) - What to watch out for? (32:06) - The Weird Thing about G Twitter (39:15) - Should newbies to Japan join G Twitter? (47:30) - What would you change about Twitter (in general)? (52:58) - The 'Net is Vast and Infinite (54:52) - Outro ❤️ Support the pod on Patreon: https://patreon.com/TokyoTeaPartyPodcast

14 JAN 2024 · Today's guest, Pengu, joins Sam to share experiences and information from the world of real estate in Japan. This episode is *jam packed* with information y'all, make sure you take a listen! (As always, chapters are included for your convenience!) Host: 🎙Samuel Darbouze is a teacher, designer, and podcaster. He still remembers the family-sized apartment he had out in the countryside that cost 60,000 yen ($410) a month. Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Guest: 🎙Pengu is a wearer of many hats living in Tokyo, formerly working as a real estate agent for international exchange students. She enjoys Harajuku fashion, J-pop, and dishes that contain potatoes. Socials: https://twitter.com/PenguPooh http://fedibird.com/@pengupooh = = = = = Chapters: (00:12) - Intro (05:03) - Why did Pengu leave? (07:14) - How do I find an agent? (10:02) - What can you expect in a Japanese apartment? (13:13) - Tatami, General Wear and Tear (16:01) - The Apartment Selection Process (18:55) - Guarantors (20:34) - What mistakes do apartment seekers make? (23:37) - The Center of the Universe (25:56)- Earthquakes (27:57) - Autolock (31:03) - Tips for women, femmes (35:34) - Is anything negotioable? (38:25) - Fees (40:49) - When rent prices cheapest? (42:01) - Getting Back More of your Deposit (44:47) - Are there blacklists? (47:45) - How to get Approved as a Foreigner? (51:12) - Why aren't anti-discrimination laws enforced? (1:01:41) - Do vacant houses (akiya) present any opportunities? (1:04:16) - "Monthly" Apartments (1:05:55) - The Final Straw (1:12:02) - If the zombie apocalypse happens... (1:13:38) - Outro ❤️ Support the pod on Patreon: https://patreon.com/TokyoTeaPartyPodcast

31 DEC 2023 · Guests Biankah and David join Sam to share some clues for cooking in Japan. (00:11) - Intro (05:48) - The hardest thing to cook in Japan (maybe the world) (07:46) - David and Biankah's culinary roots (17:28) - Favorite dishes, growth as cooks (28:25) - Cooking Essentials (42:02) - Finding ingredients, authentic cuisine (55:34) - Outro ❤️ Support the pod on Patreon: https://patreon.com/TokyoTeaPartyPodcast Host: 🎙️Samuel Darbouze is a teacher, designer, and podcaster. He made some really good stew after being inspired by this episode. Excelsior! Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Guests: 🎙️Biankah Bailey is a teacher, writer and occasional film photographer. She is also a sci-fi and horror fan, gamer, and cat lover. Links: http://ko-fi.com/biankahbailey http://medium.com/@biankah.bailey https://twitter.com/biankahbailey 🎙️David R Munson is an American photographer, essayist, and teacher based in Saitama City, Japan. When he’s not out wandering with a camera or playing with his cat, he can usually be found following his curiosity and researching whatever has piqued his interest that day. Links: https://twitter.com/davidrmunson prints at http://drm.darkroom.com http://somewherein.jp http://davidrmunson.com

25 DEC 2023 · The Ugly American Guests Nick and Andrew share their experiences and perspectives on walking the line between respecting one's home culture and host culture abroad. (00:12) - Intro (02:24)) - What is an "Ugly American"? (09:52) - Why is it Important to respect the local culture? (21:27) - Is there flexibility in following cultural norms? (33:31) - Where's the line between respect and brown-nosing? (45:04) - How do you deal with conflict in Japan? (54:03) - Ugly American, Cool American (57:02) - 'T', but not 'Tea' (59:31) - Outro Support the Pod on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/TokyoTeaPartyPodcast Host: 🎙️Samuel Darbouze is a teacher, designer, and podcaster. Happy holidays, y'all! Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Today's Guests: 🎙️Nick is a former engineer and current NLP graduate student in Hokkaido. When he's working in the lab, you'll probably find him baking a cake or burying his nose in a foreign language textbook. Socials: https://youtube.com/@TwentyNineJP 🎙️Andrew is 38 and has been living in Japan since 2007. He works as a freelancer and enjoys gaming, working out, anime, and motorsports.

17 DEC 2023 · Guests Dontae and Evelyn join Sam to talk about life in Japan from the Black perspective. (00:12) - Intro (03:00) - Is Japan a racist country? (24:51) - How is life different in Japan for Black people? (27:41) - How are you seen by Japan? (In general, romantic relationships...) (43:53) - How are you seen by Japan? (...and platonic relationships) (45:48) - On awareness of the diaspora. (53:07) - Do people see your intelligence? (57:38) - Being Black in the Japanese workplace. (1:08:02) - What we bring to the table. (1:13:21) - Outro Host: 🎙️Samuel Darbouze is a teacher, designer, and podcaster. He suggests you read about the Haitian Revolution. Socials: https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Guests: 🎙️Evelyn is an artist, production manager, and an enthusiast of herbalism. She also makes content on YouTube and Twitch. Socials: https://twitter.com/ebibebibae https://instagram.com/ebibebibae https://youtube.com/chocolatedesire https://twitch.tv/ebibebibae 🎙️Dontae is a teacher, Retired US Air Force veteran, and YouTube Storyteller living in Tokyo Japan. You can check out his stories on http://youtube.com/dontaedakara and http://Instagram.com/dontaedakara

8 DEC 2023 · Guests Mal and Blep join Sam to discuss how living in Japan affects body image. (00:30) Introduction of today's guests and topic. (04:48) How do you like to present yourself to the world? (22:00) What is the ideal Japanese body image? (43:23) How has living in Japan influenced your body image? (1:06:39) What do you do to feel good about how you look? (1:10:52) Outro Host: 🎙️Samuel Darbouze Sam is an amateur podcaster living in Japan. His favorite game is Project Zomboid. https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Guests: 🎙️Mal is a teacher in Japan. Mal has contributed to the book, "Sincerely, Your Autistic Child". https://twitter.com/noloryno 🎙️Blep is an influencer. Her socials are https://instagram.com/Hi_ImBlep https://twitter.com/Hi_ImBlep https://tiktok.com/@Hi_ImBlep https://twitch.tv/Hi_ImBlep Business e-mail (for collaborations): hiimblep@gmail.com

2 DEC 2023 · Guests Brittni and Maha join Sam to discuss the way living abroad in Japan has influenced their personal development. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Host: 🎙️Samuel Darbouze https://twitter.com/yo_samuteki Guests: 🎙️Brittni has been living in Japan since 2015. 🎙️Maha is half Chinese, half Egyptian, and born and raised in New Zealand. She majored in Japanese language and has been living in Japan since 2018, where she works as a teacher. She is an Otaku and enjoys Anime/Manga/Film/Video games and collectibles.