When I parted ways with Twitter back in June, I did so with a post stating that I needed more time to focus on strengthening my parasocial relationships. This was only half in jest: I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time dialed into my headphones, listening to people chatter about great books, bad movies, and everything in between. This is partly because I’ve picked up a lot more duties on the domestic front as of late, and cooking and cleaning go down easier when backgrounded by someone enthusing over, say, the hottest new striker in the Bulgarian second division. But I also think I’m in a place where I’m seeking that Next Big Something to pour myself into, and listening to people who are genuinely in love with what they’re discussing feels like part of that process.
The show I’ve been gobbling up these past few days is an old favorite that I’d fallen behind on: Abroad in Japan, which touts itself as “the best way to learn about Japan without actually being in Japan.” The episode synopses lean toward the sensationalized, but that’s thankfully not what the two hosts deliver. There’s a real thoughtfulness to their conversations about the minutiae of daily life in Japan, and they always strive to leaven their obvious affection for the country’s unique qualities with fair observations about its flaws. Most important, the podcast reminds me of the power of travel, and of the sort of growth that can only occur when one pushes past anxiety to embrace discomfort.
Also recommended along the same lines: Brian Ashcraft’s Japanese Whisky.
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