How Tokyo breeds third spaces
About this episode
James Farrer discusses his experiences and studies related to third spaces in Tokyo and compares them to his time in Shanghai.
Meet James Farrer, Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at Sophia University. He sits down to talk to us his sociology study in China and Shanghai, before moving to Tokyo and finding his own community by studying the third spaces that exist in the restaurants around train stations. -- 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meet James 3:32 Shanghai in the 90s 8:27 Studies at Fudan University 12:18 Coming to Japan 15:34 Finding community in Tokyo 18:14 The reality of Midnight Diner 21:20 Experiences as an outsider 28:42 Differences in Tokyo neighborhoods 33:53 Street food in Japan? 37:02 James's NHK program 41:42 Differences between Tokyo and Shanghai 46:23 Foreigner-run restaurants 50:50 Challenges telling stories on TV 55:10 Kabukicho nightlife 59:30 How comparable are Tokyo and Shanghai really? 1:02:36 Have you found your place in Tokyo? 1:09:24 The paradoxical freedom of big cities -- Follow James: https://www.nishiogiology.org/ https://www.instagram.com/japanfoodresearch/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesfarrer/ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan https://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapan https://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapan…
People in this episode
Guest: James Farrer
Topics covered
- third spaces
- community
- sociology
- Tokyo
- Shanghai
- restaurants
- cultural differences
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sophia University, NHK
Places: Tokyo, Shanghai, Japan, Kabukicho
More episodes of Unpacking Japan
- What it's like growing up in a "foreign bubble" in Japan
- Sitting down with Japan's most unconventional influencer
- How kfel became a real life magical girl
- Journalism in Japan in the age of rising nationalism
- What it takes to be a translator for Square Enix
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Unpacking Japan podcast page.