The first episode of the year!
It's almost the end of 2022. It feels like just the other day I wrote an article saying "this year's final," but time flies. Is it because of my age? Nevertheless, it was Kyokorin, also known as Kyoko Nitta, who invited me to introduce Canadian culture in her NOTE magazine, and in April 2022, we started a podcast called "Kyokorin and Ane-go no Sonnan Ieya'n" (Roughly translated as "Kyokorin and I talk about this and that"). Perhaps only our families and friends are listening, but it has become a bi-weekly pleasure for the two of us.
The podcast began with surreal drawings. I am neither an artist like my eldest son (who studies industrial design) nor a talented producer, but some surreal drawings I made between my classes inspired us to start the podcast. Kyokorin seemed to like these strange drawings, and the idea of starting a podcast was immediately born. As a producer, Kyokorin likes to come up with interesting projects, and she is a talented woman who works on various projects besides being a publishing translator. So, the podcast project took shape from the concept (although it was just a prank) to the release, after several months. This year, we recorded a total of 18 episodes, including Season 1 (April to August 2022) and Season 2 (October 2022 to present).
Although we had no idea how to start a podcast, we started it anyway without any major sponsors, and with only a few dozen listeners. But, it's quite enjoyable. The title "Ieya-yan" is a word from Mie, the hometown of Kyoko Rin, meaning "I can't say". When we were thinking about the title, we wanted something that would reflect our roots as Japanese immigrants living in Canada. Since the pandemic, Kyoko Rin and I have been talking about various topics on Zoom, which always leads to discussions in various fields. We talk about Kyoko Rin's work, book discussions, my work, movie and comic discussions, streaming content, current events, partner and fashion discussions, and topics that never seem to end. The idea of recording our conversations and turning them into a podcast came to mind. After doing some research and test recordings, we began distributing it in April 2022.
We also had guests on our podcast!
Although our podcast is like a casual conversation between friends on Zoom, we had guests join us. Mochierinda san (@mochiey), a Japanese teacher living in the United States, appeared in Season 1, Episodes 8-10. Mochie san is a kind and wonderful person who shared many lovely stories, including discussions about movies and how Kyoko Rin met her through "The Handmaid's Tale." In Season 2, Episodes 5 and 6, we had the pleasure of having Mariko Nagai, a simultaneous interpreter, as our guest. Kyoko Rin and Nagai-san are private acquaintances, and she is a wonderful woman who could be called a pioneer in her field as a simultaneous interpreter. She has an impressive career, having worked at two Olympic Games in Tokyo and many other international summits. We were impressed by their ability to tell interesting stories and lead the conversation.
We plan to continue our relaxed conversation until we run out of things to talk about in 2023. We also plan to have more guests appear on the show. As we age, our current topics of discussion include aging, health, the aging society of Japan and the world, and how to live in the era of 100-year life. We want to discuss these topics with our guests. Hope you can join us on our podcast 'Kyokorin and Ane-go no Sonnan Ieya'n' in 2023!
Translated from original text on NOTE
Comments