Japan Still Feels Really Safe | Japan Banter Club #1

NOTE: From October 1, 2026, the permanent residence application fee will rise from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000. Japan Forward's new monthly podcast, Japan Banter Club, kicks off with hosts Dan Manning and George (お喋りじょーじ)—two long-term foreign residents of Japan—talking through what still catches them off guard, even after more than a decade living here. It's a monthly conversation about Japan—its culture, society, and politics—from two people who actually live here, without the usual extremes of uncritical praise or cynicism. In this episode: how homelessness looks and is handled in Japan, the country's strict approach to drugs and how that plays out in daily life, and some of the stranger quirks of Japanese housing and renting. Subscribe for new episodes every month. Follow George: YouTube:    / @お喋りじょーじの戯言   Instagram:   / japanese_banter_with_george   === About Japan Forward: Japan Forward is a new English-language news and opinion website run by the JAPAN Forward association Inc. Website: http://japan-forward.com/ Facebook:   / japanforward   Twitter:   / japan_forward_   Instagram:   / japanforward