About this episode
The episode explores various cultural phenomena in Japan, from rising rice prices to public displays of affection and the peculiarities of local law enforcement.
Pour yourself a Strong Zero and strap in. This week’s Happy Hour is a fever dream that starts with public displays of 2D affection and ends with a map of bears and suspicious people in Gifu. We cover the rising price of rice (and the rise of "Pasta Japan"), the legal ramifications of calling your coworker "-chan," and why Tommy Lee Jones is the greatest alien to ever sell canned coffee. Plus, we take a dark dive into the "Hentai Teacher" ring in Aichi and the ultimate compilation of "Truck-kun." Oh, and do stick around for the WORLD PREMIERE of our new original Outro track: テレアモリー・メモリーズ. You're gonna love it. 🥃 LINKS & RESOURCES: Reaction to foreign man holding anime waifu pillow in public Former coworker who used ‘-chan’ at work and commented on appearance ordered to pay ¥220,000 in damages for sexual harassment (Japanese article) Sex act in police box: officer disciplined with pay cut — Kanagawa Prefectural Police sergeant in his 40s and a female officer in her 20s (Japanese article) Japan's No. 1 Serial Killer | Ultimate “Truck-kun” Compilation Rice prices soar, consumers turn to pasta: January imports up 180% year-on-year Sam Rockwell monologue about being an Asian girl…
People in this episode
Host: Deep in Japan
Topics covered
- public displays of affection
- rice prices
- Pasta Japan
- sexual harassment
- Hentai Teacher
- Truck-kun
- canned coffee
Keywords
- Strong Zero
- Pasta Japan
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Hentai Teacher
- Truck-kun
- Gifu
- Aichi
- sexual harassment
- rice prices
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Kanagawa Prefectural Police
Products: Strong Zero, Pasta Japan
Books & works: テレアモリー・メモリーズ
Places: Gifu, Aichi
More episodes of Deep in Japan
- Happy Hour #91: 禁止 · March 29, 2026 · 4h 16m
- Cracking the Crab: Russian Spies in Japan · March 11, 2026 · 1h 1m
- Tanaka Zakku: From Indian Hackerman to Japanese Citizen · February 22, 2026 · 1h 36m
- Happy Hour #90: Bureaucrats, Bears, & Bots · February 1, 2026 · 3h 55m
- A Walk on the Wild Side: Japan’s Hidden Lives with Tom Gill · January 16, 2026 · 2h 34m
- Happy Hour #89: Ball Wars · December 22, 2025 · 3h 31m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Deep in Japan podcast page.