How to Japanese Podcast · Daniel Morales

Episode 69 - 謎

·50 min·3 clips

Japanese comedy is built on the mystery of how things work.

Episode 69 opens with a late-season update from Osaka. Daniel Morales says the hottest days are behind him, and he thinks next weekend may be the first truly crispy weekend of the season. He also gives a practical platform note: the podcast will be removed from Spotify at the end of the month. He sounds a little apologetic about the timing and says he may need more time to handle the backend. The rest of the episode turns into a long, reflective digression about language and comedy. A large stretch goes to Katagiri Jin, his repertoire, and an attempt to explain why he works. Daniel keeps returning to the line he translates as Katagiri doing nothing with intention. That becomes the center of a broader point about how a performer can get a laugh simply by being there. He talks about early Ramens sketches where Katagiri sometimes acts almost like a prop, with Kobayashi carrying the action. He suggests that Katagiri’s looks, his plain ceramics, and his habit of presenting an unvarnished version of himself all support that reading. The episode does not pretend the thesis is airtight. Daniel points out one wrinkle: Katagiri was also the PC in Japan’s Get a Mac ads, which makes the idea of pure passivity harder to hold onto. He connects that campaign back to the American version with John Hodgman and then back again to the Japanese context. That is the sort of zigzag the show likes, where a language point turns into a media point and then into a small theory of performance. Even when the thread wanders, it stays tied to actual usage and concrete examples. The final turn is lighter and more local. Daniel recommends Shin Osaka Station as a place worth poking around in. He mentions cheese puffs in both cheese and dashi flavors and notes that they are sold in Kansai rather than Tokyo. The station lands as both a travel note and a practical suggestion, the kind of small detail that feels earned after a long conversational path. He signs off by thanking listeners for getting through a long episode and inviting questions or recommendations by email.

As heard by us

A wandering Japanese-language monologue that turns digression into explanation.

Episode 69 of How to Japanese Podcast starts with Osaka weather notes and the planned Spotify departure, then settles into a long look at Katagiri Jin. Daniel Morales keeps returning to one point: Katagiri can be funny by doing almost nothing, so long as the intention is there.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you like language lessons that start with weather and end at a station snack.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from How to Japanese Podcast