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Listen to Japanese Podcasts via iTunes

Started by tofugu · 10 months ago

Recently, I became a huge fan of podcasts. I thought they were a lot lamer than they really are, so I was surprised when I actually took a look at the Podcast section in iTunes. Now, I’m listening to NPR constantly, especially Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, ... Continue reading »

34 comments

  • Parallel Import Cars

    7 months ago

    This is a cool way of learning Japanese.
    reply
  • solo-kun

    10 months ago

    I've been getting my stuff from iTunes Japan for over a year now using the method described. When I first set it up tho, I did have to provide a Japanese address...

    I'll definitely check out some podcasts &c once I get some free time. Hadn't really thought about using it as a learning tool.

    Thanks.
    reply
  • Racing School

    7 months ago

    This Japanese duo is just hilarious.
    reply
  • Dan

    10 months ago

    reply
  • Fredy

    10 months ago

    This is really cool! I'm gonna try it.
    reply
  • WOTDsctoo

    10 months ago

    A friend of mine on Lang-8 talks about listening to podcasts for English practice. I thought it would be a good idea for Japanese practice, but never really took the initiative to investigate it further.

    Now I definately will! I think I'll take up that kids section recomendation. XD
    reply
  • Sebby.Japan

    10 months ago

    This is really cool, maybe I will use it to learn Japanese later on. Right now I'm still a noobie, so I feel this is very much beyond and above me.

    By the way, if someone is new to learning Japanese (like I am right now) I would love to hear from you. I write a blog about my experiences, and I'd like to know how they compare to yours. Please write me at www.sebbylearnsjapanese.blogspot.com

    Bye!
    reply
  • Popkornage

    10 months ago

    I'm pretty sure about the gift card thing that you have to buy an iTunes gift card from Japan, and have it shipped, or (if you know someone who lives in Japan) get a Japanese person to read out the serial for you on the phone or something. I'm pretty sure it's the same as iTunes Canada/ iTunes US. I live in Canada, and our iTunes video section sucks, really bad. We only have a couple of TV series' available. Anyway, I went to the US for shopping for a day and bought a Gift Card for iTunes US, and made an American account using the gift card. And now, I have some American (that also air in Canada) shows on my computer.
    reply
  • WOTDsctoo

    10 months ago

    Oooooh! I 've heard of this method of using a Japanese gift card before, but I thought paying for shipping wouldn't be worth it. I never thought of getting someone in Japan to give me the number! XDD Haven't tried the method with the US card either.
    reply
  • クリス

    10 months ago

    If you are going to try this out, please make sure to get a Japanese iTunes gift card. I can't confirm that the US iTunes gift cards work for this method of buying Japanese content from the iTunes (Japan).

    If you are wondering where you can buy a Japanese iTunes gift card, you can navigate over to the Japanese online Apple store (http://store.apple.com/jp) and purchase a card from there, OR visit one of my favorite sites, the JBox (http://www.jbox.com/SEARCH/itunes_card) which is basically the same way of getting the card, except the ordering process is in English.

    Posted on the site, there are detailed instructions on how to get your Japanese content once you have ordered and received your Japanese iTMS gift card. Follow the directions on the JBox site and you should be able to get your Japanese goodies with ease.

    PLEASE NOTE: The cards obviously come at a slight premium. A 1500¥ card, which is worth just under $13 in US currency costs $18 at the site. A 3000 card, worth closer to $25, costs $35. That means that individual tracks, which would normally cost between $1.25 and $1.30 based on the Yen/US dollar conversion rate, will set you back about $1.75 to $1.80. For the convenience and access to the foreign store, that's not too horrible a deal.

    TIP: If you actually plan on buying actual content from the iTMS, you might want to check the US/Yen exchange rate before buying. I suggest buying content when the exchange rate for the US dollar is higher than average. With the way the US economy is right now, you want to get the most bang for your buck, so by checking the exchange rates before buying, you'll probably be able to get 1 or 2 more songs out of your gift card. IMO, a low exchange value would be 106¥ for $1, and something higher would be 110¥ to 112¥ for $1. Just something I thought you'd like to think about.

    PS: Did the comment system change? Doesn't seem that the site is using the Disqus commenting system anymore.
    reply
  • クリス

    10 months ago

    If you are going to try this out, please make sure to get a Japanese iTunes gift card. I can't confirm that the US iTunes gift cards work for this method of buying Japanese content from the iTunes (Japan).

    If you are wondering where you can buy a Japanese iTunes gift card, you can navigate over to the Japanese online Apple store (http://store.apple.com/jp) and purchase a card from there, OR visit one of my favorite sites, the JBox (http://www.jbox.com/SEARCH/itunes_card) which is basically the same way of getting the card, except the ordering process is in English.

    Posted on the site, there are detailed instructions on how to get your Japanese content once you have ordered and received your Japanese iTMS gift card. Follow the directions on the JBox site and you should be able to get your Japanese goodies with ease.

    PLEASE NOTE: The cards obviously come at a slight premium. A 1500¥ card, which is worth just under $13 in US currency costs $18 at the site. A 3000 card, worth closer to $25, costs $35. That means that individual tracks, which would normally cost between $1.25 and $1.30 based on the Yen/US dollar conversion rate, will set you back about $1.75 to $1.80. For the convenience and access to the foreign store, that's not too horrible a deal.

    TIP: If you actually plan on buying actual content from the iTMS, you might want to check the US/Yen exchange rate before buying. I suggest buying content when the exchange rate for the US dollar is higher than average. With the way the US economy is right now, you want to get the most bang for your buck, so by checking the exchange rates before buying, you'll probably be able to get 1 or 2 more songs out of your gift card. IMO, a low exchange value would be 106¥ for $1, and something higher would be 110¥ to 112¥ for $1. Just something I thought you'd like to think about.

    PS: Did the comment system change? Doesn't seem that the site is using the Disqus commenting system anymore.
    reply
  • クリス

    10 months ago

    I forgot to add this, if any of you are fans of the BokeTsukkomi kind of comedy acts, you should check out some podcast channels from Banana Man.

    Also if you want to find different podcasts other than the ones provided on iTunes, you can check out http://voiceblog.jp/ for types of podcasts/blogs. The site is setup like any other blog site, except the blogs are in a voiceblog/podcast, or however else you want to call it. It's another alternative to translating Japanese blogs, with the perk of listening to what their blog is about. I hope you guys find the site useful.

    [ ! ] And I'm answering my own question here, but no the comment system didn't change, it was my stupid iGoogle RSS feed opening the site in a different format (-_- ')
    reply
  • lawnmowerlatte

    10 months ago

    Thanks for all the info クリスさん。I tried to buy one from the Apple Store Japan with no luck. It didn't like my shipping address (I think). Do you have to be in Japan to have it shipped to you?
    reply
  • クリス

    10 months ago

    If the Japanese Apple site won't sell you the gift card, you can also try buying it through iTunes, but somehow I think it will decline your order unless you actually have an actual Japanese address. I should have thought of that before posting the instructions. However, you are still able to by from the other site I mentioned, JBox.com. You shouldn't have any problems ordering from their site. I bought the ¥1500 gift card to access the Japanese iTMS.

    Also keep in mind that the gift cards have an expiration date, so if you plan on using it to access podcasts and other free content from iTMS Japan, make sure you actually use it to buy other content. Would seem like a waste of money if you only used the card to get free content.

    And to answer your question, JBox doesn't require you to be a residence of Japan to have their goods shipped out to you, however, I can't say the same for the Apple online store.
    reply
  • astrorainfall

    10 months ago

    Hey Koichi, that's a great post. I don't have a TV so I feel a little gutted I can't leave it on to just keep listening to Japanese sounds. Will check out the podcasts you suggested here.
    reply
  • Aaron

    10 months ago

    Right now I listen to Bakushou Mondai Cowboys (TBS Radio Show), Sakamoto Mayas "地図と手紙と恋のうた”, コラムの花道, Yomiuri Online, and occasionally I listen to the free Japanese Pod 101 lessons, most people find that Peter guy to be pretty annoying and I can't blame them. Anyways i'm still not at the level where I can understand everything but its good listening practice
    reply
  • Maciel

    10 months ago

    =[ i have nothing to do with ipods or iphones or anything so i cant really do this lol
    reply
  • Viet

    10 months ago

    You don't need an iPod or iPhone in order to listen to podcasts. Downloading iTunes is sufficient.
    reply
  • Maciel

    10 months ago

    oh ok thanks
    i've got iTunes so ill try
    reply
  • Maciel

    10 months ago

    i just skipped the whole post because i thought it was only for the ipods or iphones but now i read it and im listening to stuff =]
    reply
  • ChuanMing

    10 months ago

    I think I'm the only person on this world not owning an iPod. And I recently saw your videos on Youtube, this blog is very good and humorous. Keep up the good work!
    reply
  • St

    10 months ago

    If you're just going to listen to it on your PC, you might just as wel download KeyHoleTV. It's free, and you get moving pictures with that order.
    reply
  • lawnmowerlatte

    10 months ago

    Great post Koichi! This is a great resource. I'm looking right now for something that is at my level.
    reply
  • Hezaaa

    10 months ago

    I'm ashamed I never thought of doing this to get my NPR fix while away from the US, but THANK YOU. A ridiculously good idea for learning languages too.
    reply
  • bennegan

    10 months ago

    japanesepod101.com. It's been a huge help to me.
    reply
  • rikku

    10 months ago

    If you are dedicated to learning Japanese I'd thoroughly recommend www.japanesepod101.com whilst a lot of the podcasts are free, you can also subscribe via the payment option. This includes a learning center which contains PDF files readable by your iPod so you can see a word for word transcript of the lesson. I have been learning Japanese on and off now for a year and the podcasts have helped so much! The topics included in the casts are incredibly divese and they even have a regular feed on Japanese culture.. check it out it's very worth while!!
    reply
  • jrfiction

    10 months ago

    I'm with rikku, japanesepod101 is excellent and they have all the dialogue available for download as well, but... why pay for it when you can listen authentic Japanese for free.

    NHK World Radio has a never ending supply of radio broadcasts and a very useful Japanese lesson series with class notes in Japanese and English. http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/radio/pro...

    You don't even have to have an iPod, you can enjoy the podcasts on your computer, I've hooked up the feeds for my phone.

    Don't pay for it! There are countless authentic texts, spoken and written, online.
    reply
  • equath

    10 months ago

    Heh, I was in the process of looking around for Japanese podcasts for my zune, and I thought to myself, "huh, I wonder if tofugu has a podcast I've never noticed before." So I came to the site, and this is what I found as the top article. :)

    So far I've added japanesepod101, learn japanese @ japancast.net, Yomiuri News, and ふぁんた時間 (short fiction as japanese audio books): http://podfeed.podcastjuice.jp/app/rss_convert....

    To add podcasts for the zune that don't show up in the market place you just have to go to collection>podcasts>"add a podcast". From there you have to copy in the url of the feed for the podcast you want, so the real issue is finding that url.
    reply
  • equath

    10 months ago

    Btw, I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has a way to actually study for the JLPT 2 listening section.
    reply
  • emiko

    10 months ago

    very cool! yayay!
    reply
  • Najomie

    8 months ago

    I know this is an older post but still...
    WOW, this is awesome, I love this !! I'm listening to learnjapanesepod.com !! They are alot of fun!
    Thanks
    reply
  • Motorsport Experience

    7 months ago

    I think iTunes is probably the first Non-Japanese player to capture a big market share in Japan.
    reply
  • SEO

    6 months ago

    Very cool recommendation. Thanks
    reply
  • Hope

    5 months ago

    Just tried this and found FM Osaka. Thanks! Great Tip for learning any language you can find on iTunes.
    reply

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