In this third part of this Spirited Away cultural walkthrough series, show host Kyota clarifies the mystery of Chihiro's sudden maturing and the trick Miyazaki plays in the scene where Chihiro signs an employment contract.

In this second part of the Spirited Away cultural walkthrough  series, show host Kyota clarifies who all the absurd-looking monsters are and the peculiar nature of the world Chihiro wanders into. 

Ghibli's Spirited Away is undoubtedly one of the best films of all time,  but fully "getting" what goes on in the movie may be difficult without some knowledge of Japanese culture. 

In this podcast series, Japanese culture researcher/enthusiast/The Metro-classic Japanese show host Kyota Ko will share with you insights that will help you to enjoy the epic Miyazaki film two fold. 

Buddhist monks are not supposed to harm anyone, but "soldier monks" were a long-lasting profession in middle age Japan - why did these people arm themselves and why were they even allowed to exist?

Podcast host Kyota Ko explains the historical controversy in this insightful and hilarious podcast episode.

Samurai were not only busy swinging around swords and spears taking people's lives. They also gave life. To goldfish. Goldfish were mass-produced and became a popular pet among Japanese people in the 18th-19th century, thanks to a creative samurai.

Show host Kyota Ko narrates how the beautiful Japanese breeds of goldfish came to be, tracing back their origin to a single samurai lord who lived and thrived over 250 years ago.

Check out The Metro-classic Japanese Blog and Instagram for more fun content on Japanese culture.

Many Japanese people didn't even have last names until around 150 years ago.

In this short episode, show host Kyota Ko explains the background and potentially embarrassing secrets behind Japanese names.

Check out The Metro-classic Japanese Blog and Instagram for more fun content on Japanese culture.

Japanese people are terrible at being religious. Shintoism allows Japanese people to be religious whenever and only when they need supernatural help.

In this  episode, show host Kyota Ko explains the meaning and cultural background behind the proverb 困った時の神頼み "Turning to God in times of trouble". Great listen for students looking for an interesting essay topic.

Check out The Metro-classic Japanese Blog and Instagram for more fun content on Japanese culture.

The Japanese language, like any other language, has a rich inventory of witty and useful proverbs.

In this short episode, show host Kyota Ko explains the meaning and cultural background behind the proverb 及ばぬ鯉の滝登り "Waterfall climbs of feeble Koi".

Check out The Metro-classic Japanese Blog and Instagram for more fun content on Japanese culture.