Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Sendai

Summer is behind us, and autumn is here in Sendai.
After a surprisingly comfortable summer, it's nice to enjoy the cooler weather.
In this episode, I talk about the climate in Sendai, summer in London, and how my idea of good weather has changed over the years.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I don't go to Tokyo very often.
But when I do,
I always notice something.
In this episode, I talk about Tokyo, how my relationship with the city has changed, and why coming back to Sendai feels different these days.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I recently travelled to Indonesia during Japan’s Silver Week.
It was a really good trip.
Until my stomach decided otherwise.
In this episode, I talk about Indonesia, getting unexpectedly unwell on the way home, and somehow still making it to a Sendai Girls show in Tokyo before finally getting back to Sendai.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I've started learning Korean.
Very casually.
And after more than six months,
I still can't properly read Hangul.
In this episode, I talk about learning Korean, forgetting vocabulary, keeping a Duolingo streak alive, and wondering how on earth I managed to learn English.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I used to just watch wrestling.
And somehow,
I ended up getting involved.
In this episode, I talk about Sendai Girls, foreign wrestlers, a couple of dinners, and how I gradually became a small part of something I never really planned to be part of.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

We have a garden.
Every year, we plant some vegetables.
And every year, we learn that plants don’t always cooperate.
In this episode, I talk about gardening, vegetables, mosquitoes, and the surprisingly nice feeling of watching something slowly grow.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

The Jazz Festival will soon return to Sendai.
And somehow, that got me thinking about music again.
In this episode, I talk about Jazz, singing, and a few moments that stayed with me longer than I expected.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

English was never really part of my environment growing up.
And somehow,
over time,
it became part of my everyday life.
In this episode, I talk about the strange gradual process of building a life partly through another language.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

At some point,
leaving for a few days
started feeling like part of normal life.
In this episode, I talk about travelling around Asia, curiosity, cheap flights, carry-on backpacks, getting stuck in random situations abroad, and why unfamiliar places started feeling emotionally important to me.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Some things quietly disappear from your life.
And sometimes,
without much effort,
they return again.
In this episode, I talk about swimming, and why pools have somehow followed me through every stage of life.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Some things worked.
Some things didn’t.
And somewhere in between, life kept moving.
In this episode, I talk about what happened after Sweeney Todd—auditions, uncertainty, leaving London, and how travelling slowly became part of my life instead.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Eight performances.
A basement theatre.
And something that finally felt real.
In this episode, I talk about opening Sweeney Todd in London—and quietly realising I had actually done the thing I came there to do.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

A lot of repetition,
small improvements,
and things slowly making sense.
In this episode, I talk about rehearsals and everything around them.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Meal deals on buses,
singing in parks,
and trying to figure things out.
In this episode, I talk about my early life in London.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I started with one song.
And not necessarily the safest one.
In this episode, I talk about what it actually looked like when I started trying to become a musical theatre performer in London.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Some interests grow slowly.
And at some point, they become harder to ignore.
In this episode, I talk about how musical theatre found its way into my life.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Some periods of life are… less structured than others.
In this episode, I talk about my early days in Northampton, and the small routines that quietly filled the time.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Sometimes the decision itself is simple.
But everything around it isn’t.
In this episode, I talk about the period before leaving Japan—and what it felt like to arrive in the UK without much of a plan.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I’ve already talked about ramen before.
But somehow… here we are again.
In this episode, I talk about ramen, small habits, and the slightly complicated relationship between what I like and what actually works.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

From the outside, it might look like a big decision.
But from the inside, it didn’t feel that way.
In this episode, I talk about stepping away from my work as an oral surgeon—and how it felt more natural than expected.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Some things you leave behind without really noticing.
And sometimes, they come back in a different way.
In this episode, I talk about how pro wrestling became part of my life again—this time, here in Sendai.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Small things have felt slightly different lately.
In this episode, I talk through a few observations about daily life, routines, music, and the quiet ways people change over time without always noticing it immediately.
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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

Most days aren’t particularly memorable.

But they’re not entirely empty either.

In this episode, I talk about a normal day in Sendai—and the two cats who have gradually become a big part of it.

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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

You’d think that once you’re settled somewhere, you’d stay still.

Even with a settled life in Sendai, I still find myself thinking about the next trip, the next country, the next flight.

In this episode, I talk about my relationship with travel—and why the urge to go somewhere else hasn’t really gone away.

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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

What does a “normal day” look like?

In this episode, I talk about my everyday life in Sendai—work, routines, and the small things that fill the day. Somewhere along the way, ramen tends to appear more often than expected.

It’s not really a guide, and there’s nothing particularly dramatic. Just a quiet look at what life feels like now, and how my idea of “normal” has changed over time.

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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

I was born and raised in Sendai—but I didn’t plan to come back.

After spending years away, including time in the UK, I eventually found myself returning to the city I had once left behind.

In this first episode of Sendai Lads, I talk about how that happened, what it feels like to come back to a familiar place as a different person, and why I’ve chosen to stay.

From seeing Sendai with fresh eyes to building a life here again, this is a personal starting point—for both the podcast and a slightly atypical perspective on life in Japan.

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Sendai Lads: An Atypical Life in Japan

A brief introduction to Sendai Lads, a podcast about life — and random things — from a slightly atypical lad in Sendai.

Hosted by Moto, this show blends personal stories, cultural insights, and reflections on everyday life in Japan.

Start here to get a feel for what’s to come.