Rootin' and Gaijin: Recent Episodes
Rootin' and Gaijin
2 best friends. 2 countries. 1 shared experience of being: Asian American. This is Rootin' and Gaijin, a podcast hosted by Missie Yamamura and Hana Maeda.
Believe it, but it's already the end of 2020 and to toast this strange year, we talk about our hopes for 2021. Also, be sure to catch a bittersweet announcement at the end.
To say that 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year is an understatement. From the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter Revolution, & the US presidential election (just to name a few), this year has taken a toll on everyone both physically & mentally. In today's episode Hana and Missie reflect on their gratitudes, realizations, and what they've learned so far in hindsight of the almost closed chapter that is 2020.
During quarantine, Hana fell into the K-drama hole and hasn't looked back since. In this solo episode, she breaks down what a K-drama is and gives her recommendations of what shows to watch, what to skip, and what to "maybe" watch, as well as shows that are on her "watch list."
Tune into Missie's solo interview episode ft. Seiichi Nagai: Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, & producer based in Seattle, WA. We discussed how his experience growing up as a Japanese American translates into the music he creates today & how one's cultural identity exploration is a life long journey.
Seiichi's Social Media
Music IG: @seiichi.music
Spotify link: https://spoti.fi/3iXaQ7e
The fox eye trend has been popularized by social media influencers and celebrities, but is it a beauty trend or a form of cultural appropriation? Hana breaks down what it is and why it's problematic in this solo episode.
In today's episode Hana & Missie brainstorm ways you can still have a spooky Halloween holiday in the midst of a pandemic. They give their favorite horror movie reccs, so stay tuned!
In the age of COVID-19 and the upcoming presidential election, life can get quite stressful. To help calm any nerves or anxiety, we're shared our self-care routines we hope you will incorporate in your daily lives.
Tune into Missie's solo interview episode ft. creative April Jingco. We discuss how she started in the music marketing industry to her love of vinyl record collecting.
April's Social Media
Personal IG: @aytrill
Plant IG: @plant_mamas
Inspired by the podcast Asian Boss Girl (ABG) 's episode 35 of season 4, tune in as Hana and Missie also answer some questions from the NY Time's article 'The 36 Questions That Lead to Love' (https://nyti.ms/2RSU5i8) by Daniel Jones. The series of questions explores the intimacy between two strangers that require them to step into vulnerability and answer personal questions. The goal of this social experiment is to bring forth the importance of how mutual vulnerability through these shared stories fosters a meaningful connection.
Here are the following questions answered in this episode:
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Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.
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What does friendship mean to you?
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Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.
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Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ... “
In the second episode of our two-part series, we discuss imposter syndrome, and how we've dealt with imposter feelings at work and in our personal lives. We also touch on burnout culture in the U.S. and Japan, and how we grapple with overworking ourselves.
Our two-part series on Workplace Stigmas deals with the challenges of workplace culture both in Japan and the U.S. In Part I, we discuss our personal experiences—as well as the broader issues—of racism/sexism at work.
The recent release of Disney's live-action remake of Mulan is a big win for Asian representation in media. Still, there has been criticism regarding some of the decisions the film has made. Hana breaks down everything you need to know before choosing whether or not to watch it.
Content mentioned: Throughline, "Hong Kong"
Tune into Missie's solo interview episode ft. creative Audrey Duque. We discuss mental health stigmas in the AAPI community to her love of vintage curation.
Audrey's Social Media
Vintage Shop IG: @_wearwemeet
This week's episode is all about navigating adult friendships. Your friendship dynamic may have become significantly smaller post-grad &...that's okay. Hana and Missie discuss the struggle of making genuine + long lasting friendships in adulthood.
Talking about money is quite a taboo nowadays, but to break those barriers down, Hana gives her five (basic, non-professional) tips on personal finance in this solo episode. Here are the resources mentioned:
Books: "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki
Podcasts: Planet Money, The Dave Ramsey Show
Youtube: Aja Dang, The Financial Diet
Apps: Mint, YNAB
Purpose of the 'foreign, yet familiar' series:
“To facilitate a discussion of the multi-cultural/ ethnic identities of Japanese-Americans of the diaspora. The aim of this podcast mini-series is to center a conversation around how our guests'Japanese-American experience has transformed and influenced their current lives. Documenting these person-specific stories creates a safe space to foster community in similar experiences, while celebrating the diversity within the Japanese American identity sphere. Each story is accompanied by their own experience of identity crisis and the resilience born in the struggle.
Let us deconstruct the narrative around Japans racial homogeneity and encourage a healthy perception of one`s Japanese-American self-image by rooting in first-hand accounts of millennials via the Japanese diaspora.”
Instagram:
@alienspacebats
It's been over a year since we've started Rootin' & Gaijin, and we're finally sharing our (non-professional) tips and tricks on starting a podcast. We chat about branding, recording equipment, and much more.
Mentioned links: Roselle's website (artist who designed our logo graphic).
Have you ever thought about what it's like dating someone from another culture...let alone country? Tune into this week's solo episode as co-host Missie chats with her s.o about the benefits & disadvantages of dating inter-racially & internationally.
Hana interviews her good friend, Raul, an aspiring architect who loves food (and Kanye West). He talks about his passions, what he hopes to achieve, and what being Asian means to him.
Purpose of the 'foreign, yet familiar' series:
“To facilitate a discussion of the multi-cultural/ ethnic identities of Japanese-Americans of the diaspora. The aim of this podcast mini-series is to center a conversation around how our guests'` Japanese-American experience has transformed and influenced their current lives. Documenting these person-specific stories creates a safe space to foster community in similar experiences, while celebrating the diversity within the Japanese American identity sphere. Each story is accompanied by their own experience of identity crisis and the resilience born in the struggle.
Let us deconstruct the narrative around Japans racial homogeneity and encourage a healthy perception of ones Japanese-American self-image by rooting in first-hand accounts of millennials via the Japanese diaspora.”
Links mentioned:
-Jim Carrey's Commencement Speech: https://bit.ly/2zrNuVQ
-'Start With Why' by: Simon Sinek: https://bit.ly/2WYVyWX
Hana interviews her brother, Maiki, in this episode as he shares what it's like to grow up as an Asian-American in New York City.
Tune into this week's episode as Hana & Missie chat about their favorite Japanese dishes to cook & eat during their downtime. #nikujaga+umeshuforever
In honor of Father's Day last Sunday, we chat about our relationships with our fathers, our favorite memories together, and the biggest life lessons we learned from them.
In today's episode we discuss the road to better anti-racist allyship & share our personal experiences with understanding racism.
We hope that this raw and honest conversation will continue to encourage you to keep fighting for black lives and be on the right side of history.
We're joined by our childhood best friend Emily to talk about one of her favorite interests: Horoscopes. We share what our Sun, Moon, and Rising signs are, how much we resonate with them (or not), and much more.
To truly get to know ourselves, we took two personality tests (Myers–Briggs and Enneagram Tests) and shared our results in this episode. Find out how accurate or not they were, and join the fun by taking the tests yourselves!
Myers–Briggs: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Enneagram: https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test
Happy Mother's day! Tune into this week's episode as Hana & Missie honor their mothers & chat about love languages.
Inspired by the podcast Asian Boss Girl (ABG) 's episode 35 of season 4, tune in as Hana and Missie also answer some questions from the NY Time's article 'The 36 Questions That Lead to Love' (https://nyti.ms/2RSU5i8) by Daniel Jones. The series of questions explores the intimacy between two strangers that require them to step into vulnerability and answer personal questions. The goal of this social experiment is to bring forth the importance of how mutual vulnerability through these shared stories fosters a meaningful connection.
Here are the following questions answered in this episode:
-
Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.
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For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
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If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be and why?
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What is your most treasured memory?
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If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?
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Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?
Tune into this week's episode as Missie chats about the benefits of framing solitude as a skill.
Inspired by this Vox Article 'How to Be Alone': https://bit.ly/2xKZhO1
Hana is joined by special guest (and college best friend) Julie, as they chat about first times, how they learned about sex, and why talking about sex is a stigma in Asian-American households. P.S. funny sex stories are involved—you won't want to miss out!
With so much "free time" in the age of coronavirus and social distancing, there's also the pressure to be productive and fill up every minute in our days. Between baking, virtual workouts, and TikTok challenges, we're here to tell you that it's OK with just doing nothing sometimes.
Self-isolation. Quarantine. Lockdown. The outbreak of COVID-19 has not only caused a world pandemic, but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes about our Asian community. Tune into this week's episode as Hana & Missie give their updates on how they're staying positive in uncertain times.
Well, it's April 2020 and by now, the entire world is somewhat affected by Coronavirus. Instead of talking about the damaged it's caused, Hana shares some fun and productive things to do at home (if you're fortunate enough to work/live remotely). So do your part, social distance, and let's help contain this spread — even if it means spending 5 hours on TikTok.
Purpose of the 'foreign, yet familiar' series:
“To facilitate a discussion of the multi-cultural/ ethnic identities of Japanese-Americans living in Japan. The aim of this podcast mini-series is to center a conversation around how our guestsJapanese-American experience in the West has transformed and re-translated into their current experience living in Japan. Documenting these person-specific stories creates a safe space to foster community in similar experiences, while celebrating the diversity within the Japanese American identity sphere. Each story is accompanied by their own experience of identity crisis and the resilience born in the struggle.
Let us deconstruct the narrative around Japans racial homogeneity and encourage a healthy perception of one`s Japanese-American self-image by rooting in first-hand accounts of millennials via the Japanese diaspora.”
Purpose of the 'foreign, yet familiar' series:
“To facilitate a discussion of the multi-cultural/ ethnic identities of Japanese-Americans living in Japan. The aim of this podcast mini-series is to center a conversation around how our guestsJapanese-American experience in the West has transformed and re-translated into their current experience living in Japan. Documenting these person-specific stories creates a safe space to foster community in similar experiences, while celebrating the diversity within the Japanese American identity sphere. Each story is accompanied by their own experience of identity crisis and the resilience born in the struggle.
Let us deconstruct the narrative around Japans racial homogeneity and encourage a healthy perception of one`s Japanese-American self-image by rooting in first-hand accounts of millennials via the Japanese diaspora.”
Purpose of the 'foreign, yet familiar' series:
“To facilitate a discussion of the multi-cultural/ ethnic identities of Japanese-Americans living in Japan. The aim of this podcast mini-series is to center a conversation around how our guestsJapanese-American experience in the West has transformed and re-translated into their current experience living in Japan. Documenting these person-specific stories creates a safe space to foster community in similar experiences, while celebrating the diversity within the Japanese American identity sphere. Each story is accompanied by their own experience of identity crisis and the resilience born in the struggle.
Let us deconstruct the narrative around Japans racial homogeneity and encourage a healthy perception of one`s Japanese-American self-image by rooting in first-hand accounts of millennials via the Japanese diaspora.”
For our special, Black History Month dedicated episode, we talk about our relationship with the black community as Asian American allies. Plus, we share some important Asian activists who have supported black movements over the years.
Parasite became the first non-English language film to win 'Best Picture' at the Academy Awards — so how did they do it? In this solo episode, Hana investigates how this movie resonated with audiences around the globe and why it's considered one of the best films ever.
In the spirit of Galentine's + Valentine's Day, we debate about the yellow fever fetish in dating, and whether someone truly likes you or just likes you cause you're Asian. And a warning, this might be our most NSFW episode ever — sorry mom and dad!
...And we're back! Hope you didn't miss us too much from our two-month hiatus — check out what's in store for the rest of the season and what we've been up to over our break.
As 2019 comes to a close, Missie and Hana reflect on their year and share their "goals" for 2020. Plus, listen in as they share a special announcement on Rootin' and Gaijin.
Andrew Yang: Who He Is and What He Stands For?
A former tech executive turned 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, entrepreneur, lawyer, and philanthropist...
Tune into this week's episode as we break down Yang's signature policy of what he calls the 'Freedom Dividend' and if he breaks or conforms to the model minority myth.
In honor of Queer Eye's newest season in Japan, Hana and Missie talk about their favorite episodes and the cultural significance of the season as the guys help transform the lives of four Japanese men and women. Spoiler alert, but be sure to catch Queer Eye on Netflix!
Welcome to Season 7 of Rootin' & Gaijin!
In this recap episode, we share some life updates, chat about our favorite moments of Season 6, and give a sneak preview of what we have in store for you in Season 7!
We are getting spooky in the spirit of Halloween by talking about Japanese Horror Films!
Tune in as Hana and Missie share their recommended Japanese horror films that will for sure give you a scare (+ a couple of sleepless nights to follow)...!
Happy Halloween and stay safe everyone <3.
Japanese horror movies mentioned:
Onibaba (1964)
Ring(1998)
Battle Royale (2000)
Exte: Hair Extensions (2007)
The death of South Korean singer and actress Sulli sparked conversations surrounding mental health and cyberbullying of K-pop idols. In this solo episode, Hana honors Sulli's life and talks about the tragedies that lead to her death.
If you or someone you know are suffering through depression or contemplating suicide, we encourage you to seek help with some resources below:
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
- Crisis Text Line: Text “START” to 741-741
- The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
- Alternatively, here is a list of resources worldwide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines
With so many beauty and body standards in East Asia, Missie and Hana discuss how they were influenced by these ideals and compare those standards to Western beauty.
Continuing from Missie's solo episode on Chanel Miller's testimony, we share our thoughts on the Brock Turner case, the broken justice system, and how women are unfairly treated in sexual assault cases.
Tune in for this week's solo episode as Missie reads Chanel Miller's 2016 testimony (https://bit.ly/2LvNDwj).
Life after college is anything, but easy...Life has its highs and its lows, but we are still navigating through our existential crisis tendencies with each other by our side <3.
Getting a degree is cool, but how about getting a job? In this solo episode, Hana walks through her personal job searching story and shares some tips on how to navigate the ~real world~ after college.
Tune in as Missie shares 10 helpful tips to make travel possible within your budget & lifestyle!
Welcome to Season 5 of Rootin' & Gaijin! In this recap episode, we share some life updates and chat about our favorite moments of Season 4.
Inspired by the podcast Asian Boss Girl (ABG) 's episode 35 of season 4, tune in as Hana and Missie also answer some questions from the NY Time's article 'The 36 Questions That Lead to Love' by Daniel Jones. The series of questions explores the intimacy between two strangers that require them to step into vulnerability and answer personal questions. The goal of this social experiment is to bring forth the importance of how mutual vulnerability through these shared stories fosters a meaningful connection.
Here are the following questions answered in this episode!
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Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
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What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
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Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?
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What do you value most in a friendship?
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When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?
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Tell your partner something that you like about them already.
Check in with Hana and Missie and how they came to have a healthy and strengthened long distance friendship <3
Breaking up (with friends) is hard to do. In this episode, Missie and Hana reflect on their personal stories with toxic friendships, how they healed, and built resilience.
Hear what's in store for our first themed-season of Rootin' & Gaijin! Also, life updates from Missie and Hana and a critique of Season 3.
Houseplants are good for your health, and not just for their visual beauty...but why? Whether it be an aloe plant on your work desk to a hanging spider plant gracing a corner of your home, plants increase levels of positivity! Tune into this week's solo episode as Missie talks about her green thumb origin story and her up-to-date houseplant collection!
K-pop is everywhere these days, but what exactly is it? In this solo episode, Hana dissects the history and rise of this global phenomenon — taking a deeper dive into the biggest K-pop group ever, BTS.
Kim Kardashian enraged the Japanese community by naming her new shapewear line, "Kimono." Learn more about the controversy, and why Kimonos are so important to Japanese culture.
Welcome to Season 3 of Rootin' & Gaijin! In this recap episode, we share some life updates and chat about our favorite moments of Season 2. Plus, lookout for a special announcement at the end!
Missie interviews artist Arthur Braud in this solo episode.
Arthur's social media:
Personal IG: @itsme.artyb
Art IG: @artybraud
Photography IG: @artybphotography
What’s the deal with Asians dying their hair? In our latest, we chat about the first time we dyed our hair (cringey box dye involved!), why we did it and what influenced us to go blonde — even if our parents weren’t totally ok with it.
The South Korean skincare routine has taken over the Western beauty industry in recent years — 10-steps of product at a time. In this solo episode, self-proclaimed skincare expert Hana walks through her skin journey, what the 10-step skincare routine is actually like, and how it transformed her lifestyle.
Hear our take on the new Netflix romantic comedy "Always Be My Maybe." In this movie review, we discuss our opinion(s) of how the film captured aspects of the Asian-American culture and overall outlined the unique Asian-American experience.
To start the new season off, we recap Season 1, how 'Rootin & Gaijin' came to be, and what to look forward for the rest of Season 2. Stay tuned!
Our first season is ever, but not without a bonus episode! Hear some of the spookiest Japanese superstitions Hana and Missie grew up with.
Thinking about getting a tattoo? But worried about what your parents will say? How this decision will affect your career? Today we are talking about our experience as tatted Gaijins & how we are navigating our spaces through it!
Introducing “Rootin & Gaijin,” a new podcast hosted by Hana Maeda and Missie Yamamura! As two, twenty somethings living in different countries, we started this passion project to discuss and celebrate the experiences of being Asian-American. Get to know us, what our podcast is about, and what to look forward in the next few weeks.