74 In Search of the Japanese Wolf (Alex K.T. Martin)

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we talk about the probably extinct (but maybe not?) Japanese wolf with journalist Alex K.T. Martin.

About Alex K.T. Martin

Alex K.T. Martin is a feature writer for the Japan Times. He is also the author of a recent five-part feature about the Japanese wolf (nihon ōkami) titled In Search of Japan's Lost Wolves.

Topics Discussed

• Whether the Japanese wolf (nihon ōkami) is considered a cryptid
• How Alex Martin became interested in researching the Japanese wolf
• Who Hiroshi Yagi is
• How Alex Martin got in touch with Hiroshi Yagi
• About Chichibu's connection to the Japanese wolf
• How Hiroshi Yagi became interested in looking for the Japanese wolf
• Hiroshi Yagi's 1996 encounter with an animal resembling the Japanese wolf and the famous 19 photographs that he took of said animal
• The process taken by Hiroshi Yagi in his hunt for the Japanese wolf
• Who might take over Hiroshi Yagi's hunt for the Japanese wolf when he retires
• Hiroshi Yagi's personality
• About Naoki Maruyama, founder of the Japan Wolf Association
• The effort to reintroduce wolves into Japan and the troubles it faces
• The allure and mystery of the Japanese wolf
• Alex Martin's articles about Tokyo post-Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
• Japan's declining population
• The smaller size of a Japanese wolf
• And much more!

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• Support Japan Station on Patreon

Links, Videos, Etc.

Use the link below to access the landing page for In Seart of Japan's Lost Wolves, the five-part series of articles about the Japanese wolf by Alex K.T. Martin.

• In Search of Japan's Lost Wolves

To read Alex Martin's articles about post Olympics Tokyo, use the links below.

• Tokyo tomorrow: What comes after the 2020 Games?
• The race is on to define the legacy of Tokyo 2020

To listen to the Deep Dive podcast episode about the Japanese wolf use the link below.

• Episode 18: Is the Japanese wolf really extinct?

You can follow Alex Martin on Twitter.

• Alex K.T. Martin on Twitter

Don't forget to check out the latest episode of the Ichimon Japan podcast.

• Is Yamaguchi cursed to have”ugly” girls? (Places in Japan Known for “Beautiful” & “Ugly” Women) | Ichimon Japan 50

If you would like to support the show by picking up some merchandise, make sure to visit KimitoDesigns.com.

• KimitoDesigns.com

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi) To listen to more of Yunomi's music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.

Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.

Featured image: Courtesy of Alex K.T. Martin

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Full Show Notes

• Get the full version of show notes at https://www.japankyo.com/category/podcasts/japanstation/