Finally some grown-up Japan content! - The Message Garrett & Ken are broadcasting about Japan and why you, J-blogger, should listen - An exclusive interview with Trans-Pacific Radio

On September 10, 2008 in Interviews, Resources, fun

 

(Here it is as promised, with apologies for lateness) 

That title is probably the longest title I have ever written (and I am notorious for long titles!), but I think it is a fitting one. Well, maybe not if you thought “grown-up content” meant something illicit. None of that here, sorry pervs.

For one, the long title is fitting as this is the longest post I have ever posted. I know several people have said “Don’t divide up the interview posts on DailyJ.” To you I say, I have listened. This interview is all in one post. To everyone else, the real reason :

This interview with Trans-Pacific Radio flows so well and really speaks so much for itself that I just can’t put it into pieces and it needs no commentary from me. Garrett and Ken answered my questions so masterfully, and left me (in awe) thinking “we could learn something from these people!”

So, dear reader, I am giving you this interview in one sitting. But I suggest you sit and read it many times. I also strongly suggest you head over to TPR, go there often, and take in some hearty Japan-related knowledge. It is there for you to study and savour.

The other reason why I think the title is fitting is that it (hopefully) encapsulates the message TPR has regarding media coverage of Japan.

J-bloggers, I know you love the wacky, weird and wonderful of Japan. The food, the entertainment, the gadgets (amongst other things…). We are a bunch of Peter Pans running our mouths about Neverland (and I guess that is ok, but…)

Today we grow up (at least a little). So sit up and pay attention because today Garret and Ken are at the podium with a message so meaty it just might put some hair on that boyish chest

Without further ado, let’s hear from Garrett:

DailyJ: What is the mission/vision of TPR? What is it all about? And what motivated you to start it?

Garrett: Basically, I listened to a fair number of podcasts - I’ve always been a radio fan (but bought my first TV just before my 28th birthday - go figure) - and I was happy to see that there was a good bit of interesting content available (NPR and Chicago Public Radio got into podcasting early and made a sizable number of their shows available in this new format.)  However, the lack of coverage of East Asia was yet again made obvious.   Here was one of the world’s most populous and wealthiest nations - Japan - in a region containing nearly half of the world’s people and a good deal of its growth in economic terms as well as terms of political influence, and it was all but ignored in the Anglophone media!
 
So, long story short, I wanted to help fill that gap.  I wanted to start a podcast, Ken was already blogging.  He turned me onto blogging and, within maybe thirty seconds, convinced me that a blog was the ideal platform from which to launch a podcast, so that’s what we did.
 
It seems odd to me now, but less than two years ago, I knew next to nothing about blogs or blogging and had an entirely erroneous impression of the blogosphere as a self-congratulatory network of shut-ins working on vanity projects.  Now I know that some of the vain self-congratulators sometimes go out as well.  Ken and I frequently meet readers and listeners to drink and chew the fat.  (I’m kidding about the vain, self-congratulating thing.)
 
Since we started in August of 2006, the number and quality of blogs focusing on the serious side of Japan have increased, which is simply awesome, in both senses of the word.
When I write, talk, or do research for TPR, I have a sort of guiding philosophy: “Japan is an actual country, just as much as any other and it is allowed to be interesting in its own right.”
 
The weird and wacky side of Japan has a place - and it is real, don’t get me wrong - but it represents only a tiny slice of the people here and an even tinier slice of what’s important.
 
In the Anglophone media, the French presidential elections will be followed for months, with insightful editorials, analyses, and more!  What does Japan, with nearly three times the population and many times the economic might get?  About as much space as the oft-maligned cat up the tree.  And when Japan is mentioned, it’s either with a focus on the weird and wacky, a string of unresearched cliches about salarymen, or with an eye toward what it means for the US military.
 
I think that’s disgraceful.  I’m not vain enough to think that TPR can do much more at the moment than be a place where those interested in Japan can discuss the issues of the day, but I think TPR, and a handful of others, is taking steps in the direction of rectifying a serious problem.

DailyJ: So, as you take those steps, where do you see the site going in the future? What will change, what will stay the same?

Garrett: TPR will keep improving at releasing podcasts and articles on a regular basis.  (At times, it feels like we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.)  We hope to keep TPR News a regular distillation of the main events making headlines in Japan and get it out there more often.  Seijigiri, our political show, and BizCast Japan, the business show, of course, keep attracting more and more listeners, so we hope to make those shows better.

Over time, I hope our “this day in history” posts will be numerous and detailed enough to cover the entire calendar, would like to more regularly write editorials and revive our Shasetsu category, and branch out into other areas of audio work.

We have a new look in mind for TPR, too.  We’re excited about that.  It’ll enable to do a lot more with the site and make it more accessible, useful, and, we hope, interesting to the steadily growing number of people who visit TPR every day.

                

(Update: From the time they answered the interview earlier this year, TPR has been really busy. Here is a breakdown of TPR’s current features)

DailyJ: Since we are talking about your different categories and content, which would you say have been your favourites? And why?

Garrett: This is a very difficult question for a few reasons.  First and foremost, we try to avoid posting anything we don’t like.  Most of our posts tend to be rather long-form for a blog and often include audio.  The time when one of us dashes off a quick post are rare.
Second, I’ll freely admit that different programs and different types of posts require different things from us.  TPR News, for example, often involves three people researching, writing, recording, and editing with one of us putting everything together as a final step.  Obviously, that’s quite a bit different from a show like Seijigiri, where Ken and I are together in a room and nothing is scripted.  Then there are the Shasetsu and Rekishi posts, which are solo efforts and tend to take longer to prepare.

Now that I’m done dodging the question, I’ll answer by telling you which posts I most enjoyed producing.
In no particular order:

Nova Employees: Their Voices, Their Stories: This was really Ken’s baby, but I enjoyed it as well.  There were a few technical hurdles to overcome, a lot of people to coordinate, and it was highly time-sensitive.  This might be the closest thing to actual journalism TPR has done.

Seijigiri #10: Ken and I clicked on this one, I just remember it going really well and being a lot of fun.

おい、いじめをやめろ！目を覚ませ、先生！(Bully, knock it off. Teacher, wake up!): This was the first long opinion piece I wrote on TPR and it got a really good response.  I’m locquacious, I like it when I can sit back and just tell a story.

Nippon Pro Baseball’s Central League (日本プロ野球のセ・リーグ): We were drinking beer, talking about baseball, and Chris sang the Swallows’ take on “Tokyo Ondo,” which means we had a valid reason to say ” kutabare Yomiuri” over and over again.  What’s not to like?  I also really like the way the musical template for the NPB on TPR shows came out.

The “Comfort Women” Resolution (HR 121) Passed: Why That’s Not Bad : There was so much stink about this issue and it was so stupid.  Sometimes it’s nice to be absolutely right and hit a nice, fat, slow one like this.

Having Tobias Harris and Adam Richards on for two editions of Seijigiri each: I’m ashamed of the audio on these, but the interviews and conversations are great.  Tobias and Adam are both great guys with great heads on their shoulders.  It’s not often you can sit down with people who are so knowledgeable and so interesting and excited about what they’re talking about.  It was a blast having those guys on.

Finally, just because it would be bad form for me to list every post on the site here, I’ll say that I look forward to every episode of BizCast Japan.  It’s the only show on TPR I’ve never been on and that’s apparently a good thing because it’s fantastic.  No one else in the world does what Alby and Ken do on that show, no one else even really tries.

I hope anyone and everyone who reads this interview, though, will stop by Trans-Pacific Radio, take a spin through the archives as well as the new stuff and find out for themselves what they like best (I hope there’s something.) 

“Hi, this is Ken, picking up where Garrett left off…”

DailyJ: What part of running TPR do you like the best?

Ken: To be honest, I enjoy prepping for shows the best. Although it depends on the topic, we sometimes spend a considerable amount of time discussing the issues, reading up on them or sending emails back and forth. That’s where I’m really able to let myself think about what I want to say, and try to find a space that hasn’t been discussed thus far.

I also like the time spent in discussion on the comment threads. It’s great to hear from other people and to get into the issues a bit more. There’s almost no point in creating the shows if there’s not going to be a follow-up discussion.

DailyJ: Can you tell us a bit more about how others can contribute to TPR?

Ken: At the moment, getting into the comments thread is the easiest way to contribute. We’re always willing to have people come on our shows and offer their viewpoints or share their expertise. One thing we would like to do in the future is have more interviews and bring on more of the people who are writing about Japan in general.
 

DailyJ: Are there any new projects you are working on?

Ken: In terms of TPR, right now we’re working on a new design for everything. We’d like to have some new shows, but that’s still a few months away. I spend a good amount of time researching and writing for Japan Economy News as well.
 

DailyJ: What would you say really makes your site unique and how can readers get the most from it?

Ken: I think the site’s unique in terms of the content being put out there. It’s unfortunately rare to find much about politics or business in Japan that is not owned by corporate media. That said, there are other people writing very well about Japan and Japanese politics. Tobias Harris, MTC (Shisaku) and Jun Okumura all have insights that we wish we could have. In a sense, we might be “outsiders”, but we’re willing to talk about and deal with Japan as we feel an ordinary, analytical long-term resident of Japan would. We live here, intend to always live here, we love Japan and want to take a critical eye at what we see. I think our content reflects that. We’ve turned to audio perhaps since we both enjoy talking so much.

I would say that my favorite releases are those we haven’t done yet. I know everything will get better, and that we will have a broader view on Japan. Now, we cover politics, business, general news and Japanese baseball. We’ve been graced to have Mr Debito Arudou contribute his pieces to our site. We can only hope to continue to raise and discuss important issues and how Japan can be a world leader not only economically, but also hopefully in terms of a well-guided foreign policy.

There you have it, one of the best interviews ever to grace DailyJ. Garrett and Ken, I definitely owe you one for your time and patience. And thank you for giving all of us a window to your thoughts on Japan and media.

There is so much more for you to see and hear on Trans-Pacific Radio. So, dear readers, as you head off to there I wish you…

A great day,

DailyJ

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