Why traditional Japanese boatbuilding is dying and this American is their last chance to preserve it episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 24, 2025 · 1H 14M

Why traditional Japanese boatbuilding is dying and this American is their last chance to preserve it

from Unpacking Japan · host Produced by ZenStudio

Today we talk to Douglas, a boatbuilder who specializes in building traditional Japanese boats and has made an effort to keep this seemingly dying cultural tradition alive by learning from various masters around Japan. Not only does Douglas publish his research and teach at university classes, but his expertise has also allowed him to work on FX's Shogun as a consultant for maintaining historical accuracy for the boats used on the show.Follow Douglas:https://www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/https://www.instagram.com/douglasbrooksboatbuildinghttps://www.youtube.com/@DouglasBrooks-wz3fihttp://blog.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/Follow us on our social media:https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

Today we talk to Douglas, a boatbuilder who specializes in building traditional Japanese boats and has made an effort to keep this seemingly dying cultural tradition alive by learning from various masters around Japan. Not only does Douglas publish his research and teach at university classes, but his expertise has also allowed him to work on FX's Shogun as a consultant for maintaining historical accuracy for the boats used on the show.Follow Douglas:https://www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/https://www.instagram.com/douglasbrooksboatbuildinghttps://www.youtube.com/@DouglasBrooks-wz3fihttp://blog.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/Follow us on our social media:https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/

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Why traditional Japanese boatbuilding is dying and this American is their last chance to preserve it

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This episode is 1 hour and 14 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 24, 2025.

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Today we talk to Douglas, a boatbuilder who specializes in building traditional Japanese boats and has made an effort to keep this seemingly dying cultural tradition alive by learning from various masters around Japan. Not only does Douglas publish...

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