We spoke with Dora Tamari-Tutnjević, a Japanese-Croatian intercultural navigator working on building a sustainably multicultural society. With a special emphasis on refugee and migration issues, Dora has educated and engaged both minorities and host communities in dialogue and co-creation through lectures, corporate trainings and events at companie…

Ken Persen is the founder and CTO of LIVMOR, an American Digital Health company. Ken has worked nearly his entire career in the medical device industry, working for companies such as Guidant and Boston Scientific before founding LIVMOR. Ken has a passion for improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs through the large scale adoption of…

Erica Baffelli is a Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Her research covers "new religions" in Japan. You can read some of her publications in the links below. Note: at some point, Taro compared Japanese new religions to the American Christian Science. He meant Scientology, not Christian Science. Mus…

In this episode, we speak with Carolina Zeledon from Costa Rica, about how and why you should make good, simple and tasty food at home whenever you can. Music credit: Ai IMAZATO from the Senri International High School of Kwansei Gakuin. Thank you Ai!!! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theglocal/message…

We spoke with Joseph Kim, an American writer based in Seoul, about refugees in South Korea and why South Korea has the lowest refugee acceptance rate among developed countries. Joseph Kim has covered the Korean Peninsula for the past 10 years, and was previously a Reuters correspondent. He is now a researcher focusing on climate change. --- Send in…

We spoke with Luke Lozier about the value of wearable health devices and how to use them to optimize personal health practices. Luke has wide knowledge of implantable medical devices, which he gained over 25 years of professional experience. Luke has specific knowledge of the neurological systems related to heart health, breathing and sleep. He is …

We spoke with Sayako Hatano, founder of KidSprout Therapy Tokyo, about occupational therapy for children. Sayako has over 15 years of clinical experience in a variety of fields, including occupational therapy for children diagnosed with developmental delays, physical and congenital diseases, acquired diseases, cerebral palsy, gray zones and develop…

We spoke with Malcolm Foster about Christmas celebrations, Christianity and religion in Japan. Malcolm was born and raised in Hokkaido as the son of American missionary parents, he worked as a reporter and editor for 17 years for the Associated Press in Japan (including during the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster), Thailand and the United States. …

Iraq is often in the news, but few understand this ancient society. We spoke with Erik Gustafson, the founder and executive director of Enabling Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), an independent non-profit organization in Washington DC, to help us understand some of the dynamics that are rarely reported in the news. Learn more and follow updates at https…

The United Nations climate negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, or COP26, concluded earlier this week. We speak with Molly McGregor, a climate and economics policy specialist formerly with the New Climate Economy (NCE) Project, to help understand the key outcomes from the summit. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/th…

Ethiopia has been in the news lately with reports of armed conflicts around the country in addition to tense relations with some of its neighbors. We speak with Braden Fuller, Senior Researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), to help us shed some light on the country and help us understand the origins of these conflicts…

We spoke with Megumi Moss, CEO and co-founder of CareFinder, which connects babysitters and parents. Prior to becoming a mother, Megumi worked in Business Planning at Sony and Sony Mobile Communications. She saw co-workers and friends struggle with the challenges of working while raising children. Megumi realized there was a serious lack of childca…

We spoke with Malcolm Foster about his recently published article in the New York Times on Japan's digital gender gap. Malcolm is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist who has written about business, culture, religion, society, education and travel for a range of publications. Born and raised in Hokkaido as the son of American missionary parents, he w…

In celebration of the Paralympics, we invited Mr. Shinji Maeda, a Japanese man who was told he could never accomplish his dream of becoming a pilot due to his blindness in one eye. Listen to find out how he proved everyone wrong, and the journey he went through to succeed. Click to Learn more about the Paralympic Games (or copy/paste this link: htt…

We speak with Ernest Ming-tak Leung, a PhD Candidate at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. We discuss his article, The School That Built Asia, which explores the role of Kenkoku University in Japan's wider Pan-Asian ambitions. Notes: Ernest would like to note that the Edo-era scholar, Sato's given name, should be read instead as 'Nobuhiro', an un…

We discuss the challenging situation facing refugees in Denmark, where government policy aims to deport them back to their home countries. We spoke with: Alysia Alexandra, a Danish-American human rights activist and anthropologist. You can follow her updates on Syrian refugees in Denmark on Twitter at @AlysiaAlexndra Lisbeth Zornig Andersen, a Dani…

We interviewed Suzu, a university student fighting anorexia. Her experience dealing with anorexia alone made her realize that young people suffering from eating disorders need more help from others. Since then, she has used Instagram to share her thoughts and experience about how patients and people around them should face eating disorders. Now, sh…

We speak with Haruka Adachi, a student at Kwansei Gakuin University who is passionate about solving environmental problems. While living in Berlin, she was very impressed with the high German environmental awareness, so she decided to study environmental issues at university. She is very interested in humanitarian activities such as disaster volunt…

Join us for an informative conversation with Ben Silverman, founder of Flx-Fit in Tokyo. Learn valuable tips around the mindset, diet and exercise required to be healthy. Find out more at flxfithealth.com and here. Ben Silverman is an American who came to Ishikawa, Japan in 2010 to practice Kyokushin Karate. After some success, he moved to Taekwond…

Ms. Teddy Umurorwa was born and raised in Rwanda. She's a survivor of the Rwandan genocide of Tutsis. She worked for the United Nations in Rwanda before moving permanently to London UK. She's a mother of two. Listen to her speak about the status of women in Rwanda, why they consistently rank in the top 10 in the Global Gender Gap Reports, her thoug…

We speak with Shota-san about his two years in Ethiopia as a volunteer for JICA, the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Shota was based in Ethiopia's second largest city, Bahir Dar. Click the links to learn more about delicious injera, and the Blue Nile. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theglocal/message…

In this episode, we interview two Japanese women working for organizations involved in issues related to SDGs. First we speak to Noriko Shindo, co-founder of Ekolocal, who are on "a mission to empower everyone to make the right decisions for their health, their local community and the environment". Find out more by clicking here. And check out thei…

We speak with a researcher inside Myanmar, Mr Sai Tun Aung Lwin, and with Victor Maung, a journalist from Myanmar based in Washington DC. Learn about current events in Myanmar, how the generals are reacting to the popular uprising, and whether Myanmar will see a resolution to the conflict or become another Syria. This is our second episode covering…

Join us for a conversation with university students from Lebanon who persevered through great obstacles and won the Best Delegation Prize at Harvard World Model United Nations competition - which was supposed to be held in Tokyo this year. Find out how they prepared, what exceptional challenges they faced due to conditions in Lebanon, and how they …

In this episode, we speak with Carolina Zeledon, of Tamarindo Coffee Roasters in Costa Rica. Fun Fact: Japan is the 5th coffee consumer per person in the world. Carolina is a native Costa Rican who is a Certified Culinarian, Certified Health & Life Coach, business administrator, consultant and fully bilingual in both Spanish and English. She unders…

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Zed Alrefai, "The Godfather of Arab Mountaineers". Zed is one of the leading figures and role models for Arabs in the climbing community. He has personally mentored and motivated many Middle Eastern athletes and adventurers in many expeditions across Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. He is a man of m…

Join us a for a conversation on Myanmar with Victor Maung and Peter Morris. Victor Maung is a Burmese journalist and scholar with dedicated knowledge on press freedom, Burma and LGBT rights. Peter Morris began his career as a writer/editor for Asia Times and other news media organizations. In 2011, Myanmar opened up after decades of military rule, …

Join us for a conversation with Samia Alduaij, a senior environmental specialist from Kuwait with almost 20 years experience in international development, environmental management, policy analysis and in scientific/ research institutions. Samia has worked for the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, as well as the Scientific Center…

Martin Tilman is a nationally recognized author, thought leader and expert on the linkage of education abroad to student career development and employability. He is President of Global Career Compass, an international consulting practice and an Affiliate to the Gateway International Group. Previously, he retired as Associate Director of Career Serv…

Join us for an informative discussion with entrepreneur Teresa Ha, founder of Basis Nuts. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Basis Nuts sources and imports unique varieties of nuts - like almonds and pine nuts - that have been carefully cultivated for centuries in Central Asia. Find out why Teresa chose to work with farmers in Afghanistan and how her bu…

In this episode, we travel first to Beirut, Lebanon, to talk to Dr Hana El-Ghali, a senior lecturer and academic researcher at the American University of Beirut, and Ms Nour Jeha, an elected first-year student representative at the same university. Then, we travel to Argentina, where we are joined by Ms Micaela Orfali, a university student in Bueno…

We talk about the impact of the corona virus on university education in South Africa with Mr Pitso Tsibolane, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Cape Town, and Ms Nomfundo Zulu, a student leader at the same university. In our second segment, we continue the discussion with Ms Sofia Meza, a student of law in Colombia. --- Send in a voice…

In this episode, we speak to Colin Rowat, a Canadian living in London. Colin recently sailed from Russia (Vladivostok) to Japan (Fukuoka). Find out why he embarked on that journey; how he spent 14 days at sea; the golden heart of Russian bears; the Russo-Japanese naval battle at Port Arthur; Korean wifi connections at sea; and much much more. --- S…

In our first podcast episode, Taro was in Washington DC this week. Tamago called to learn about DC during the corona pandemic. Later, Taro and Tamago call award winning American journalist, Mark Tarallo, to talk about the US elections and much more. As they were talking, the New York Times announced that Joe Biden had won the US presidential electi…