Unfolding Japan – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Unfolding Japan

Matthew Owens & Devin Hurt

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/14d. Total Eps: 32

Mat and Devin, having spent the majority of their adult lives in Japan, unfold the layers of this fascinating country, bringing you stories, explaining social issues, doing deep dives into the history, and everything in between. Your one stop shop for Japan.

Read moreCollapse

Site

RSS

Apple

Data updated on 13/09/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
15/09/2026
#29
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
14/09/2026
#43
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
13/09/2026
#68
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
19/06/2026
#87
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
08/06/2026
#75
🇩🇪 Germany - Places & Travel
23/05/2026
#77
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
22/05/2026
#79
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
01/05/2026
#81
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
19/04/2026
#86
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
26/03/2026
#60

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

https://patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan
1 share
http://patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan
1 share

https://freesound.org/s/500725/
1 share

https://www.instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast
1 share

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 48%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

The Curious History of Japanese Houses - Part 2

Season 1 · Episode 32

Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 01:29:56

In this series Mat and Devin continue their voyeuristic journey into the houses and, a little smidgen, the minds of the Japanese people. We pick up from last episode with the beginning of modernity brought on by the Meiji restoration, continue on to the tabla rasa created by the destruction of WWII and the mad building rush that created the somewhat acquired taste of the modern eclectic residential areas found throughout Japan that continues to this day.

Listen on if you want to discover about the shocking price differences between Japan and much of the West, have some of your preconceptions burst, and hear first hand about the joys of Japanese bathrooms.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram:instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon:patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email:unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

The Curious History of Japanese Houses - Part 1

Season 1 · Episode 31

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 01:12:09

In this series Mat and Devin sneak a peak under the stylish eaves of the Japanese house. If you've ever wondered 'how the other half live' in historic Japan, we have you covered in part one of the series. We travel all the way back into the mists of history to the ubiquitous pit houses, smattered here and there with stone age skyscrapers, and all the way to luxury palaces and street design that possibly inspired the modern supermarket! Listen on to hear about houses in Japan from pre-history to the mid 19th century.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram:instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon:patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email:unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Japan - The Dutch Connection Part 2

Season 1 · Episode 30

Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 01:27:49

In this episode Mat and Devin continue the deep dive into the long connection between the Netherlands and Japan. We reveal what exactly it was that made the dutch willing to sail around the world and endure the tiny claustrophobic prison island of Dejima. We also explore the unraveling of this relationship once Japan opened up, even to the point of open hostilities, and the more wholesome relationship they maintain to this day.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Japan - The Dutch Connection Part 1

Season 1 · Episode 29

Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 01:15:10

In this episode Mat and Devin , fresh from the disappointment of Japan's tragic loss in the world cup, bury themselves in the past, and explore the unique relationship between another unlucky team this year, the Netherlands. We detail the fateful early tragedy that first brought the Dutch to Japan, and how they eventually became the last men standing. Listen on to find out how, as Japan was famously closing their door to the Western world, they left that door ever so slightly ajar...

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Japan - Football (Soccer) World Cup Edition!

Season 1 · Episode 28

Thursday, June 25, 2026 • Duration 01:15:17

In this episode Mat and Devin lace up their football boots and seek the origins of the beautiful game in the land of the rising sun. From early signs of success to the doldrums of large company teams, we trace the revival under the suspiciously high salary of Gary Lineker, and recent near misses of the Samurai Blue.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

True Crime in Japan Part 2 - The Mystery SOS

Season 1 · Episode 27

Sunday, June 7, 2026 • Duration 55:57

In this episode Mat and Devin keep riding the true crime band wagon, although this one is more of a mystery, you can decide if a crime was committed or not! For part two we explore the mystifying case of the giant SOS sign from the 80's which has a whole host of unanswered questions for you to ponder. Listen on to find out about one of Japan's most famous mysteries, involving missing persons, superhuman building skills, and some very strange goings on in the mountains of Northern Japan!

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

True Crime in Japan Part 1 - The 300 Million Yen Incident

Season 1 · Episode 26

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 • Duration 49:38

In this episode Mat and Devin jump on the true crime band wagon, if it ain't broke don't fix it as they say! Part 1 we delve into a mysterious unsolved robbery from the 60's which leaves people scratching their heads to this day. This story has it all, fake cops, cyanide, getaway cars and bucket loads of cash! listen on to find out about one of Japan's most famous heists.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Japanese Meibutsu - Regional Specialities Taken to the Extreme Part 2

Season 1 · Episode 25

Friday, May 15, 2026 • Duration 01:13:56

In this episode Mat and Devin continue on their whistle-stop tour of the regional specialities to be found in Japan. This time we veer off the comforting main island of Honshu and plunge into the icy waters of Hokkaido for King crab, take a peek at the prefecture with a frankly ludicrous love of Udon noodles, and head south, where you'll learn about the incongruous love of tiny shortbread cookies in Okinawa.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Japanese Meibutsu - Regional Specialities Taken to the Extreme

Season 1 · Episode 24

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 01:16:57

In this episode Mat and Devin, dip a toe into the world of Meibutsu, the regional specialities which define the identity of all the different regions and towns of Japan, creating a must eat, or must buy, product in basically every town or city in Japan!

Listen on to hear about the prefecture that's gone all in on peanuts, or the practically violent rivalry for Japan's best Okonomiyaki - Japan's answer to the pizza, pancake, and lasagne rolled in to one.

As always, if you want to get in touch or find ways to support the show, please check out our patreon or instagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Japanese Politics - Fascinatingly boring, fiendishly complex

Season 1 · Episode 23

Thursday, April 2, 2026 • Duration 01:21:17

In this episode Mat and Devin dive right in to the swirling mire of Japanese post war politics. Intended as an overview, we chart the early experimentation with democracy following the war,through decades of LDP dominance and how it came about, and check in on the state of play with Japan's very own Iron Lady. While Japanese politics can feel deliberately opaque, we hope the light of unfolding Japan is able to pierce the shroud and leave you with at least a glimmer of an insight!

As always, if you want to get intouch or find ways to support the show, please check out our Patreon orinstagram pages and feel free to email us as well.

Instagram: instagram.com/unfoldingjapan_podcast/

Patreon: patreon.com/UnfoldingJapan

Email: unfoldingjapan2025@gmail.com

Read moreCollapse

Unfolding Japan – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Unfolding Japan – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Patreon2

Freesound1

Instagram1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Patreon2

Freesound1

Instagram1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify