July 15, 2020
Episode 85: Sierra Todd and Jaime Smith are organizers of the Black Lives Matter Tokyo Peaceful March. On June 14, 2020, Sierra and Jaime—along with the rest of their team—put on Tokyo's largest Black Lives Matter event, which drew more than 2,000 attendees. In this episode, we discuss the follow topics:
- How Black Lives Matter Tokyo started
- Preparing for the peaceful march
- Post-march reflections (challenges and lessons learned)
- Sierra and Jaime's backgrounds
- Being Black and Queer
[Follow Black Lives Matter Tokyo]
https://blacklivesmattertokyo.carrd.co/
[Follow Sierra Todd]
@frokyo
[Follow Jaime Smith]
@jaime.in.japan
[Guest host: Thalia Harris]
@ladyscribe21
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![Destigmatizing Periods]()
June 30, 2020
Episode 84: Marina Yoshimura is the Founder and President of PERIOD@Tokyo, which is a chapter of the parent organization PERIOD. In this episode, Marina tells us why she decided to start a chapter of PERIOD in Japan. We'll also discuss various aspects of menstruation (periods) such as deep-rooted stigma, education, health, first-time experiences, and accessibility of period products.
Guest host, Chalice Davis (also known as singer/songwriter Afrodyty), gives this episode another level of depth by sharing a horrific menstrual experience and condition that undermined her health in 2019.
PERIOD@Tokyo recently partnered with Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) and launched a campaign called #GiveLove to donate period products to asylum seekers and refugees in Japan.
[Listen to Afrodyty's Music]
Apple Music
Spotify
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![Cyberpunk Girl: Using Tech to Inspire]()
June 16, 2020
Episode 83: Steffie Harner is a Software Engineer at Code Chrysalis; Co-Founder of Startup Lady Japan; and Cyberpunk content creator/influencer. Steffie came to Japan simply to fulfill her childhood dreams, but a series of events led her to co-founding a nonprofit organization for female entrepreneurs and a new career in software engineering. In this episode, we chat with Steffie about the following:
- Co-founding Startup Lady Japan
- Becoming a software engineer
- Her life and career in Silicon Valley
- Her love for Cyberpunk and digital content creation
[Follow Steffie Harner]
steffieharner.com
[Guest host: Yan Fan]
@yanarchy (Twitter) @yanarchy (Instagram)
[Code Chrysalis]
https://www.codechrysalis.io/
Want to learn how to code? Sign up for Code Chrysalis' Foundations course by August 31 and mention "Tokyo Speaks" for a 15% discount!
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[Support via Ko-fi]
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![COVID-19 Tokyo: Community Check-In]()
April 18, 2020
Episode 82: Returning guests, Robin Lewis, Kayoko Hirano, and Yan Fan, join Tokyo Speaks remotely to talk about how they're adjusting to this new reality caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Although we all are dealing with a global pandemic that has impacted every aspect of our lives, Robin, Kayako, and Yan share some ways that we can still be productive, healthy, and helpful to others in their time of need.
Read these helpful blog posts by Robin, Kayoko, and Yan on Medium:
10 Ways to Support Coronavirus Relief in Japan
by Robin Lewis (Co-Founder of Social Innovation Japan & mymizu)
5 Ways to Support Your Immune System During the Pandemic
by Kayoko Hirano (Certified Obesity Prevention Health Coach)
Job Hunting in a Global Pandemic and Recession
by Yan Fan (Co-Founder and CTO of Code Chrysalis)
[Special Shout Outs]
Thanks to Guidable for featuring Tokyo Speaks! Check out Guidable Jobs and Guidable Media.
Episode 82 background music by Rhyming Gaijin
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![Forging Your Own Path]()
April 7, 2020
Episode 81: Amber Chook is Co-founder of Zebra Global and Founder of TEDxRoppongi (an independently-organized TEDx event in Tokyo). Amber moved to Mie, Japan from Harbin, China at the age of 15, and she was placed in a high school that had low expectations for its graduates.
Instead of following the standard path for women in the area, getting married and becoming a housewife, Amber pushed aside her high school responsibilities and religiously studied English on her own; then eventually pursued her college education at Hosei University in Tokyo.
In this episode, we discuss topics such as:
- Growing up in China and Japan
- Her interest and career in Blockchain technology
- Women empowerment in the tech/fin-tech sector
- Her passion for social impact
[Follow Amber Chook]
Facebook | LinkedIn
[Amber Chook's Book Recommendations]
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Alchemist
[Co-host]
Jasmine Griner a.k.a Enlightize - @enlightize
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![Machine Learning Tokyo]()
March 24, 2020
Episode 80: The featured guests are Machine Learning Tokyo (MLT) members Suzana Ilić (co-founder), Dimitris Katsios, and Asir Saeed. MLT is a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization dedicated to democratizing Machine Learning (ML). They are a team of engineers and researchers--now with a community of 5,000 people--and the winner of the Rakuten Technology & Innovation Silver Award 2019.
In this episode, we discuss the following topics:
- What is Machine Learning
- What kind of knowledge base is needed to excel in Machine Learning
- How to participate in MLT study sessions and events
- Diversity, inclusion and ethics in Machine Learning
- Future career opportunities
[Guests' Social Links]
Machine Learning Tokyo - MLT Website | Facebook | Meetup.com | Twitter
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[News]
Tokyo Speaks was recently featured on the Guidable Japan website! Also check out Guidable Jobs for jobs in Japan.
[Support via Ko-fi]
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March 10, 2020
Episode 79: Ebony Norwood-Brown and Barbara Kobayashi are teachers and moms residing in Tokyo. This episode is all about their experiences of motherhood - more specifically, motherhood from the perspective of two foreign (American) women. We discuss topics such as:
- Prenatal care in Japan
- Family/spousal relationships
- Work-life balance
- Japanese traditions related to pregnancy and birth
- Raising biracial and multiracial kids in a homogenous society
[Resource]
Tokyo Mothers Group
[Special thanks]
Monica, Nydia, and Tara
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March 7, 2020
Episode 78: This is more of an announcement than the usual guest-featured chat about life in Japan. Raw Urban Mobile Podcast has been rebranded to the name Tokyo Speaks. In this short episode, Cliff explains how this podcast got started and why the name changed. This podcast will resume its regular episode schedule--every other Tuesday--on Tuesday, March 10th. Episode length: 7 minutes.
[Special thanks]
Graphic Designer Jenn Piatkowski. Jennifer is the designer of the Tokyo Speaks logo.
[Music Credit]
Background music for this episode by Rapper/Producer, Rhyming Gaijin.
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[Support via Ko-fi]
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February 22, 2020
Episode 77: Madeleine Abdel-Jalil Umewaka is author of the book and autobiography The Noh Master’s Wife: A Journey From Lebanon to Japan. In this episode, Madeleine shares her experience of leaving her home country during the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and integrating into Japanese culture, as well as the close-knit society of Noh theatre.
Madeleine details what it was like being married to Japanese Noh actor, Naohiko Umewaka, who comes from a prestigious six hundred year-old Noh lineage. Noh is the oldest surviving form of Japanese theater.
Buy The Noh Master's Wife: A Journey From Lebanon to Japan (レバノンから来た能楽師の妻) by Madeleine Abdel-Jalil Umewaka here! (Japanese version)
[Raw Urban Mobile Podcast rebranded to Tokyo Speaks Podcast on Mar 7, 2020]
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[Support via Ko-fi]
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![Yakuzen: Food is Medicine]()
January 21, 2020
Episode 75: Kayoko Hirano is a certified obesity prevention health coach and founder of YakuZen Therapy. After returning to Japan from New York, where she held a corporate job for 6 years, Kayoko experienced weight fluctuation for years; that led her to develop her own weight loss protocol. She then deepened her knowledge at the Japan Obesity Prevention Society Institute.
In this episode, we chat with Kayoko about the concept of yakuzen (food therapy), misconceptions about Japanese food, and her childhood interest in the English language, which inspired her to experience life outside of Japan. [Episode length: 56 minutes]
**Farewell Shockolate Buddha**
This is the last episode recorded with Raw Urban Mobile Podcast original co-host Shockolate Buddha. The podcast will also have a location change after two years of recording inside the mobile man cave. Stay locked in for more informative and entertaining conversations with locals in Japan, including occasional guest co-hosts.
[Raw Urban Mobile Podcast rebranded to Tokyo Speaks Podcast on Mar 7, 2020]
[Featured guest]
Kayoko Hirano - LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
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[Support via Ko-fi]
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![Super Smash Hoes Podcast]()
January 7, 2020
Episode 74: Erika Bulach and Fahreen Budhwani met in 2018 while attending Sophia University in Tokyo. After realizing they shared similar interests, Erika and Fahreen teamed up and created the Super Smash Hoes Podcast. On the podcast they discuss societal issues concerning gender inequality, women's rights, feminism, the LGBTQ+ community and more; in the context of Japanese society.
In this episode, Erika, who was raised in Japan, shares her experiences with sexual harassment and assault. We also discuss the safety and overall well-being of women in Japan. Fahreen could not physically join us; however, this episode includes an audio summation of her dissertation "Why Womenomics Isn't Working in Japan", which adds another layer of depth to this informative chat.
[Raw Urban Mobile Podcast rebranded to Tokyo Speaks Podcast on Mar 7, 2020]
[Featured guest]
Super Smash Hoes (Erika & Fahreen) - Anchor | Instagram: @supersmashhoespodcast
[Resource]
"Why Womenomics Isn't Working in Japan" by Fahreen Budhwani
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