Maekan

The mention of Japanese culture calls to mind any number of things, ranging from Pokémon and Nintendo to kimonos and Noh theatre. Japan is full of niche cultural products that are often specific to certain prefectures and certain eras, but to an outsider located elsewhere, only the more popular exports make it through. Even with the best intentions of a person seeking to learn more, the lack of translated Japanese-English websites and media can prevent deeper understanding. Hikaru Komura, who prefers to go by Hiki, started a blog in 2009 to practice her English after she returned to Tokyo from her overseas studies. The blog quickly gained a global following and Hiki started fielding comments and questions about Japan and Japanese products. At the time, Hiki dreamed up an online store as a quick solution for her readers looking to acquire hard-to-find things from Japanes --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/maekan/support