Raising a glass today for Dear Ol' Dad, and the family that have to put up with him. To all ye who've sown seed (consciously or not), hope you had a great one! Speaking of fathers, today we take a look at the extraordinary life of Maejima Hisoka. Born in Joetsu, Niigata, he's known as the father of the Japanese postal system, but digging deeper, we…

'Tis a very special Back of Japan celebrating all the Moms out there for raising babies into men and women, even when we're still just big babies! In the spirit of mamasitas, we're heading straight into Niigata's Furamachi district to shine a bright "red-light" on one of Japan's most beautiful - and maybe influential - geishas of all time: Shin Sho…

Hey all you Backers! Spring is the time for growth and trying out new things, like watching FX's 2022 show, The Bear, and almost tasting the Michelin-worthy food in its kitchens. Moreover, April showers may bring May flowers, but there are still plenty of petals to be seen, especially at Joetsu's annual "sakura hanami", or cherry-blossom festival. …

Top o' the mornin' to ya's, Back Lovers! Not only has Spring sprung, but St. Patrick's Day is around the corner, which means lots of green socks, green beer and the pastoral sounds of Irish folk-rock band, The Pogues. Keeping on the theme of green, we dig deep into the history of jade in Japan and Niigata's key role in its production, especially in…

Hey all you Snow Bunnies, It's full-blown winter all over, especially with Season 4 of HBO's awesome series "True Detective". Moonshine, murder and mountains of snow in Alaska's outback! However, if that's not your thing, there are plenty of other ways to spend the colder months, and that's zipping down the beautiful Japanese mountains. We dive hea…

Happy Holidays, Back Lovers! Since you've all presumably been good this year, Santa's giving all of us a real treat: full bowls of steaming delicious ramen from Niigata! But not just any ol' bowl, no; these are Niigata's 5 Great Ramen (新潟５大ラーメン) from all over the prefecture. We'll be stopping by the original shops, waxing over the stories and saliv…

Put on your aprons and light up your kilns, Back Lovers! Due to the weather taking a chilly turn, one of the best ways to stay warm is to fill your belly with those most useful protein ovals: eggs! Lots o' ways to cook 'em, but we touch on the simple yet elegant omelette. The kitchen's no place to be scared of! You know what they say, "You can't ma…

Hello there, you Jeans/Flannel Lovers! It's spooky time and, steering far from the clutches of pumpkin spice, we touch on required Halloween reading from a master of Japanese horror: Ryu Murakami, author of disturbing classics like Piercing, In The Miso Soup and Audition. Read at your own risk! Shifting gears, we turn to the changing of the seasons…

Part 2 of my conversation with the super cool and excellent author, Eka Wong. We cover Koshihikari rice, importing from Japan, over-the-top food shows and simple beauty of plain onigiri. The "Hungry In Japan" series are excellent bookshelf companions due to the deliciously arranged dishes, the comprehensive research done and practical use as a type…

Man-oh-man, gang, I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Eka Wong: doctor, father and author of the very popular "Hungry In Japan" series and it was awesome. To boot, he even agreed to speak with me and waste his precious free time while his young son slept! What a guy, eh? We took a little trip down Eka's past, touching on the origin story of hi…

Woohoo! It's A Very Back of Japan Birthday! On this episode, Josh... -fortells his mouth-watering birthday lunch -goes an overview trip to the beautiful island of Sado Island and explores its early roots in Japanese history -brushes over the Sado's diverse topography, like a Bob Ross canvas -drops a golden bombshell about the real reason behind Sad…

Happy Late Mother's Day, you guys! In this episiode, -Josh gets his filthy hands on the new Zelda game, but fears its addictive power -We answer a few burning questions about Echigo, specifically HOW DID ECHIGO COME FROM KOSHI, HOW BIG WAS ECHIGO, and HOW DID ECHIGO GET ITS NAME -Now with Koshi out of the way, we've cleared the road to Echigo. Onwa…

Happy Hanami, you guys! In this episode, -Josh gushes about the ups and downs of spring, including his allergies -We discuss the beauty and history of the sakura-hanami in Niigata, especially in Joetsu's Takada Park -Then we switch gears and discuss the VERY LAST reference to Koshi Land, which involves an emperor, some burning water and some burnin…

In this episode: -Josh apologizes for getting ahead of himself and slooooooooows his Koshi roll -More super old references to Koshi Country (future Kokuriku areas) in Japan -First recorded castle walls in existence were built on the borders of Koshikuni by the Yamata government in response to Ezo threat in the north Nuttari Fence (沼垂柵) https://www.…

In our first episode, we dig up the origins of the Back: the land of Koshi, which includes modern-day Niigata, Fukui and Toyama prefectures. We find references in the the Kojiki (712 AD) the Nihon Shoki (720 AD) and the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki (733 AD). Also, big unpronounceable names abound: Izanakino-no-mikoto - primordial male deity associated with…

A quick introduction and breakdown to the show