What do you do when the company you work for goes belly up?  Today's guest, Thomas Leitke, talks about his experience of working for GEOS, a major operator of eikaiwa (English conversation) schools in Japan. The company filed for bankruptcy in April, leaving Thomas and many other language teachers without work. Thomas also talks about some of the activities he pursues in his free time.

In addition, an uguisu (Japanese bush warbler) sings a lovely rendition of "ho-hokekyo".

Mervin Salazar became inspired to learn Japanese after winning a trip to Japan in the 1990s. He then went on to work for several Japanese computer companies, and later to serve in Japanese municipal and prefectural government as a Kokusaikoryuin, or "Coordinator for International Relations" (CIR). As a CIR, Mervin has worn many hats and dealt with many cultural and social issues, including racial discrimination. For Episode 25 of The Japanofiles Podcast, Mervin talks about some of his experiences living and working in Nagano Prefecture.

Tyler Lynch runs a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) in the hot-spring resort area known as Togura Kamiyamada Onsen.  For Episode 24 of The Japanofiles Podcast, Tyler explains how he got into the ryokan business, and he talks about the various tourism-related activities he is involved with.