Happy Hour #90: Bureaucrats, Bears, & Bots
Sun Feb 01 2026
In this episode, Jay and Trey are joined by special guest Mythic Weeb James Hatheway for a three-hour tour de force through the green room of modern Japan—covering, among other things:
The Japanese naturalization process The myth of Japan's “ancient” tradition of HatsumodeThe Sankebetsu brown bear incident The rise of a very small online “Bear Slayer" movement, devotees of lo-fi aesthetics, spear-sharpening rituals, and MS-Paint iconographyThe odd rise of Elon Musk's "Unhinged" AI companion in Japan and what it might mean for a society governed by constrained intimacy and a growing need for low-stakes emotional release valves.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at deep.in.japan.podcast@gmail.com.
Finally, if you enjoyed the outro, check out Jeff's SUNO page. It's filled with goodies.
Thanks for listening!
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In this episode, Jay and Trey are joined by special guest Mythic Weeb James Hatheway for a three-hour tour de force through the green room of modern Japan—covering, among other things: The Japanese naturalization process The myth of Japan's “ancient” tradition of HatsumodeThe Sankebetsu brown bear incident The rise of a very small online “Bear Slayer" movement, devotees of lo-fi aesthetics, spear-sharpening rituals, and MS-Paint iconographyThe odd rise of Elon Musk's "Unhinged" AI companion in Japan and what it might mean for a society governed by constrained intimacy and a growing need for low-stakes emotional release valves.Enjoying the show? Please consider supporting us—every little bit helps keep the podcast going. And make sure to join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DogePunk2077. For all inquiries, you can reach us at deep.in.japan.podcast@gmail.com. Finally, if you enjoyed the outro, check out Jeff's SUNO page. It's filled with goodies. Thanks for listening!