187: Hunting in Hokkaido; Taylor Swift comes to Tokyo

You probably don’t think of guns when you think of Japan, but Hokkaido’s hunters do. Hokkaido-based writer Justin Randall says newly proposed gun laws may make their lives more dangerous. Later, Shaun McKenna and Alyssa I. Smith discuss something less dangerous: Taylor Swift’s sold-out Tokyo shows.

Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:

Justin Randall: Articles | Linktree

Alyssa I. Smith: Articles

Read more/Listen more:

• Hokkaido hunters say more firepower means more humane kills • (Justin Randall, The Japan Times)

• How are firearms regulated in Japan? • (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)

• Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move. • (Alex K.T. Martin, Deep Dive from The Japan Times)

• Most Japanese outside major urban areas say they do not engage with foreign nationals • (Kyodo)

• Taylor Swift slays her Tokyo era • (Allan Richarz, The Japan Times)

• Fans share love for Taylor Swift at sold-out Tokyo shows • (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times)

• Welcome to Japan, Taylor Swift fans. Please remain seated as you cheer. • (Motoko Rich and Kiuko Notoya, The New York Times)

• Seiji Ozawa’s boundless experiment • (Chiho Iuchi, The Japan Times)

• The story behind my favorite photo of Seiji Ozawa • (Dan Szpara, The Japan Times)

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Photo: Naoko Motooka began hunting 10 years ago. Her hobby is one way Hokkaido hopes to curb a current boom in the deer population. | JUSTIN RANDALL