99% Invisible was recommended to me during a job interview. Sadly I didn’t get the job (or rather, the translation agency I was being interviewed by on the now soon-to-be-defunct Skype never gave me any work), but I still listen to this podcast, which is one of the absolute best English-language ones in existence.
It’s essentially about design, but covers a vast range of other and/or related topics, to the extent that I suspect less than half of the episodes are actually about design at all. 99% Invisible has also covered a decent amount of Japan-related content, including one episode – as far as I can remember – about the fact that ivory is still used to manufacture some inkan (印鑑/personal seals of the kind people used to use in the west to fix a glob of red wax to the back of an envelope).
The one linked to below is about one of my favourite Japanese TV programmes, Hajimete no Otsukai (はじめてのおつかい/My First Errand), which I have to admit I rarely watch nowadays, partly because I don’t have time, partly because M Jr. and M Jr. II now almost completely monopolise the TV in the living room, and partly because it’s only on once or twice a year.
So if you’re interested in either My First Errand or 99% Invisible, this is a pretty good place to start, and like me, I assume you’ll enjoy presenter Roman Mars’ laid-back, West Coast personality and infectious laugh.
