The XQ Sumimasen Podcast

Living in Japan often means running into problems that would be much easier if you had stronger Japanese, more technical knowledge, or enough money to hire someone else. AI has started filling some of those gaps for us, especially when it comes to work, translation, and dealing with Japanese websites. In this episode, Devin and I compared how we use AI in our daily lives as foreigners in Japan. We talked about the things it has helped us create, the time and money it has saved, and the mistakes that remind us why human judgment still matters. Watch the Full Episode Listen on: Spotify Apple YouTube Doing More Without Hiring Someone Else AI became useful to both of us when it started helping with real work. Devin uses it as a copywriter and has also been using it to learn Python and automate parts of his workflow. Instead of manually moving information betwee...

One of the things I love about living in Japan is that I’m still learning new things years after moving here. Sometimes it’s a food I’ve never tried, a custom I’ve never noticed, or a phrase I somehow managed to go over a decade without hearing. Other times, it’s something much smaller—like realizing a hand gesture I’ve used my entire life means something completely different here. In this episode, I talk about some of the Japanese gestures that caught me off guard over the years and the stories behind how I learned them. A few were harmless misunderstandings, while others made me rethink habits I never would have questioned back home. They’re all good reminders that understanding another culture isn’t just about learning the language—it’s also about learning the unspoken ways people communicate. Watch the Full Episode Listen on: Spotify Apple ...

Language never stops changing, and that's something I've noticed even more after living in Japan for so many years. Because I'm not surrounded by everyday conversations back in the U.S., I'll suddenly start seeing words online that seem like everyone else already understands. Half the time I'm left wondering whether they're compliments, insults, or just another internet joke that somehow became part of everyday English. In this episode, I explore some of today's American meme slang and compare it with the closest Japanese equivalents I could find. Along the way, I also talk about how difficult it can be to separate reliable information from recycled internet myths, especially when slang evolves faster than dictionaries can keep up. Watch the Full Episode Listen on: Spotify Apple YouTube Slang Doesn...

Living in Japan has always felt fairly predictable when it came to everyday prices. For years, I rarely thought twice about grabbing a drink from a vending machine or picking up groceries because prices stayed remarkably stable. Lately, though, that's changed. Like many people living in Japan, I've found myself stopping to look at price tags and wondering, "Wasn't this cheaper not that long ago?" In this episode, I share my personal observations about Japan's recent price increases and compare them with what economists, government agencies, and researchers have been reporting. I'm not trying to explain global economics—I'm simply connecting what I've experienced as a parent living in Tokyo with the data that's helping explain why everyday life feels different. Watch the Full Episode Listen on: Spotify Apple ...

When I first moved to Japan, I assumed I had a pretty good idea of what counted as a "bad word." Between anime, Japanese classes, and being married to a Japanese wife, I knew words like kuso , baka , and chikushō . But it didn't take long to realize that real-life Japanese and anime Japanese can sound very different. Words that subtitles translate as extreme insults often aren't nearly as harsh in everyday conversation, while other expressions can carry far more weight than they appear to. In this episode, I break down how I personally interpret Japanese swear words and insults, not by memorizing vocabulary, but by paying attention to tone, relationships, and context. Understanding those differences has completely changed the way I listen to Japanese conversations. Content note: This episode discusses and quotes Japanese swear words and insults. The YouTube version is embedded here because Spotify’s player is not displaying this part...