Author Alex Kerr may be single-handedly responsible for the current global spotlight on restoring old Japanese country homes, so we talk to him about how these homes may be at the forefront of a new style of Japan tourism... if tourism in Japan ever happens again.

Ollie shows us how YOU can go home again, as long as you do it by river cruise.

Bobby's pleased to see more Japanese river cruise companies adopting American business practices re:COVID-19.

Topics discussed on this episode range from:

• New Japan Post policies
• Our goals for season 4 which starts just now
• HOW BRIAN WALKED OUT ON US
• Bobby gets some advice from Alex about making Japanese houses livable
• Old styles of Japanese house construction, and the challenge of respecting the construction while keeping the house WARM enough for humans
• Catching up with listener messages
• The continuing strict foreign entry rules and how the tourism industry is weathering things
• Domestic vs foreign tourism, and how tourism has picked up in more minor areas BECAUSE of Covid
• What Alex thinks of the overwhelming Japanese public support of the foreign entry ban
• HOW OSCAR BOYD GOT IT ALL WRONG
• Alex's take on Japan's pandemic response
• The AKIYA(abandoned house) BOOM and what Alex thinks of the global attention to the movement he started
• Akiya as social problem and Japanese cultural heritage
• A major MYTH about Japanese architecture
• Is the Akiya attention in the media birthing new myths about Japan?
• The reality of buying the 5 dollar country house
• How much of future tourism in Japan will involve properties like this?
• An update on Alex's thinking on construction development in Japan since "Dogs and Demons" featuring the development of Yoyogi Park
• Why there isn't more pro-preservation activism in Japan?
• The paradox of Japan taking pride in its nature and history while actively destroying it.
• When Buddhism backfires

This week's extras feature lots more insights from Alex about Buddhism, tourism, and life between Thailand and Japan. Plus, is it true

Get access to the extras for standard episodes by supporting the podcast for less than $1 an episode by becoming a member at http://buymeacoffee.com. 

Have something you'd like to say? Send us a fax at japanbyrivercruise.com - it works now.

or Tweet to us at @jbrcpod

Social Media Links:

Alex Kerr:  Homepage | Facebook 

Ollie Horn: Twitter | Instagram

Bobby Judo: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Other things to click on

Some are affiliate links because we're sell-outs

• We record remotely using Squadcast and the podcast is hosted on Transistor. 
• Bobby uses a Shure mic and a Scarlet Focusrite. Ollie uses the AT2005USB mic.

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