This episode follows the lives and adventures of Basil Hall Chamberlain and Lafcadio Hearn, two of the most famous foreign residents who lived in Japan during the Meiji Period. Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

The Meiji Period witnessed a radical expansion of the Japanese palate as the people began consuming foreign foods like beer and the government encouraged the populace to eat meat.Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

Writers of the Meiji Period included some of the most influential Japanese authors of all time, many of whom are still regularly included in reading curriculum today. Soseki Project Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

The Meiji period saw sweeping transformation in nearly every aspect of Japanese society. The political status quo which it established, however, paved the way for future infighting and the imperial government's tendency toward repression cast a dark shadow. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes...

After the Russo-Japanese War, the Meiji government moved quickly to solidify their control of Korea, gradually chipping away at the sovereignty of its government until annexation became the only logical next step. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.or...

Both Russia and Japan were desperate to end the Russo-Japanese War by the summer of 1905. However, the conditions of that peace would not bring an end to domestic turmoil in Russia, and would inaugurate entirely fresh domestic turmoil in Japan. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble,...

After securing the southern portion of Liaodong Province, the Imperial Japanese Army proceeded to besiege Port Arthur while simultaneously fighting Russian forces to their north in increasingly costly and difficult battles. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, B...

In February of 1904, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on Port Arthur and initiate the Russo-Japanese War. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

We examine the development Russian Empire of the 1800s and see what factors set them on a collision course with Japan in 1904. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

When a militant anti-imperial movement spreads China, an allied army of eight nations moved quickly to suppress the rebels, leading to a reactionary swing from the Qing Dynasty's government. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other onlin...

Although Japan had seemingly won influence over Korea as a war prize from the Chinese, Joseon itself was still an independent state. Because of the actions of one inexperienced Japanese diplomat, that independence was about to be asserted in an undeniable way. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Bar...

Mounting tensions over the future of Korea turned violent after the end of the Donghak Rebellion, resulting in a war between Japan and China. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

With its new constitutional structure in place, the Japanese government began to take on a more permanent political shape. However, war with China over the future of Korea lurked on the horizon. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other o...

In light of its repeated defeats and humiliations at the hands of imperial powers, the Qing Dynasty attempted to modernize its military, economy, and society through a series of reforms known as the "Self-Strengthening Movement." 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Bo...

By the mid-1800s, the Joseon Kingdom had become an isolated polity which was famously hostile to unwelcome visitors. Nevertheless, imperial powers vied to force the nation to open to international trade, offer paths toward modernization, and jealously eyed the strategic and economic value of Korea's many ports. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, ...

As pressure mounted from grass roots organizations like the Freedom Party, the Meiji government decided to finally draft a constitution. The process which brought it about, and the language which it employed, would determine the course of Japan's political future. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon,...

The early years of the Meiji period saw an explosion of economic growth as Edo Period merchant houses transformed into conglomerates called Zaibatsu. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

The Meiji Revolution very rapidly changed nearly every aspect of public life in Japan. Such rapid progress led, inevitably, to counter-revolutions among various groups who felt discarded by the march of modernization, including a large body of samurai in the land formerly known as Satsuma Domain. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crus...

The Buddhist temples throughout Japan had worked hand-in-hand with the Shogunate to help prevent the spread of Christianity in Japan. Now that the Shogunate was gone, anti-Buddhist sentiment in the country boiled over into a violent response. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, K...

As the Meiji leaders continued to consolidate power and enact radical reforms, they also sought to expand Japan's sovereignty over the northern island of Ezo and the Ryukyu islands to their south. 4min Podcast (English)Welcome to 4minEN – the English version of a multilingual podcast that delivers the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other...