JAPAN|CRANK
So. You Want Some Ear Candy.
Japan just sounds good, you know? For so many reason too … they love all kinds of music, have a massive erection for Jazz still, and love to break convention taking pop classics and completely whacking them up. Their vinyl even sounds better, being produced in small batches with superior materials, because, well, they’re Japanese and everything they do is just a little bit better. So here are a few drops of honey to pour in your ear to get you in that island kingdom type of mood.
Chances are you got a long flight in front of you so you’re gonna wanna load up on some good offline content. Yes, download the entire Shogun series. Yes download Oldboy. Yes grab a copy of Ghost of Tsushima for your Steam deck. But dont forget the audiobook “A Geek in Japan” by Hector Garcia. What? Hector doesnt sound Japanese … right. It’s not. He’s a transplant working in IT that see’s, and most importantly understands Japanese culture from the eyes of an outsider. You know … like you. It’s an amazing book, insightful doesn’t cover it, and truth told I pounded it on the flight before I even got there and felt somehow … prepared for everything that surprised me when I arrived.
This is the podcast I wish I had for every country I dared to visit. Every month Thersa Matsuura explores a different and little-known area of Japanese culture, folklore, and language. Uncanny Japan leans towards the creepy side of Japan, which is kind of a refreshing counterpoint to the cuteness that permeates modern Japanese culture.
Yes, music too. You lucky dog. Japan has some sick style and it’s not hard to find, but one of our absolutely fave lists on the ol’ Spotify is JP/KR-V which Roberto thinks stands for “Japan divided by South Korea minus 5 equals awesome” but we’re not too sure. We are sure you’ll find some top hits here that will get you feeling right at home at your new micro bar.
