I think that podcasts are one of the best ways to learn new things about virtually anything. There are thousands of podcasts available in nearly every language and there are a plethora of podcasts available to teach you more about Japanese history, culture and the language. Here are a few of my favorites.
1. Survival Japanese Phrases
This is a short weekly podcast that focuses on useful phrases for specific situations. It is very informative, brief, and easy to understand and useful for learners of almost every level.
2. Easy Japanese – NHK World Radio
This is a podcast produced by Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) which translates into Japan Broadcasting Corporation in English. Each episode is about 10 minutes or so, and very well produced. The only weakness is that only one episode is available at a time.
3. News in Slow Japanese
This is a very interesting show. Each show is a short news podcast entirely in Japanese, the newsreader speaks slowly and clearly. This is best for lower intermediate level speakers.
4. Samurai Archives Japanese History Podcast
The hosts of this podcast are history majors and researchers. They go over everything about samurai; literature, history, culture, warfare, and interesting stories.
5. History of Japan
The host of this podcast has a PhD in history and presents Japanese history in a very interesting way. He covers each subject deeply, but thoroughly and with a lot of nuances.
6. Just Japan Podcast
Most of these episodes are interview episodes where the host, Kevin O’Shea interviews his guests about many different subjects so if you want to learn about a variety of topics, this is the podcast for you.
7. True Crime Japan Podcast
This is a more recent podcast. This podcast explores unsolved mysteries and true crimes in Japan. It is not a fun podcast, and definitely not for those with a weak constitution or children. But it shows a very different side of Japan and is very interesting.
So there you have it if you love Japan and are interested in learning more about the culture, the language, or its history, check out some of these fun and interesting podcasts!