Kuli English Podcast

In this episode, we talk about the phrase "one trick pony", a little bit about psychology, and also about certain habits people have when speaking your target language.

In this episode, we're going to be talking about video games. I talk about two games that I've been playing recently, Idle Slayer and RuneScape, both unpopular games that I like a lot. I also talk about how I'm always cheating in these games, and how they are fun in a way that's different from board games.

I recently went on a solo snowboarding trip to Nagano, so in this episode, I'll be talking about some thoughts I had on the trip, as well as a few silly stories of things that I noticed. As always, I'll be speaking at a "Kuli English" level (about 700 TOEIC), which is perfect for easy background English listening practice.Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Start02:04 Deciding on a hotel08:52 The buffet and the girl who doesn't like miso soup16:41 No shower, but yes sento30:31 Final thoughts on the perks of a solo trip over a group trip

Housing. It's something we all know, regardless of where or how we grew up. In this episode, I talk about my experience with housing, in particular during college and after college in the US. As always, I'll be speaking at a Kuli English Level, which means an upper-intermediate level, and I'll be explaining difficult words as we go. If you have any comments, feel free to write them here, and I will respond to them (although I might be slightly late!)Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start01:55 Berkeley Year 1: The Dorms10:29 Berkeley Year 2: The Stolen Bike, and Sunnyvale19:59 Finding housing when traveling31:27 Complaining Session: Moving out scam

In this episode, I'll be talking about my favorite foods in Japan. Along the way, we'll be using these recommended English phrases: My (something-something) phase, and a good deal. As always, the English that we use will be at a Kuli English level, perfect for intermediate English learners who want to get some English listening practice.Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start02:18 My something-something phase08:41 Sushi17:52 Ootoya, Japanese teishoku

In this episode, I'll be telling you an original story about Peter the Rabbit. As always, everything will be at an intermediate "Kuli English" level, made for background native English listening.I should note that although there are other stories relating to a rabbit named Peter, or Peter eating pumpkins, but this story has no relation to those stories, and this story was 100% created by Kuli English Podcast, with no use of any AI.Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start02:03 Easter Story (part 1 of 2)09:24 Easter Story (part 2 of 2)

In this episode, we'll be talking about three main topics: my story about falling down a mountain in college, a reminder that a lot of things we see today on SNS are fake, and also, my current favorite game, Farmer Was Replaced. As always, all of these stories will be told by me at a "Kuli English Level", which is meant for intermediate English learners!Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start04:48 Falling down the Fire Trails Hike22:17 The problem with fake things on SNS33:11 Pumpkin game!

In this episode, I'll be taking a step back and making an introduction episode again. I'll be talking about Quantity vs. Quality, and also about how listening to a podcast can help your English! As always, I'll be mixing in personal stories from my life, and everything will be at a "Kuli English Level" which means an intermediate level.Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start05:33 Quality vs. Quantity22:06 Preview of Episode 2: Going to a bunch of wrong hospitals in Japan

Welcome back to another episode! In this short episode, I'll be talking about snowboarding, and also the story about how I got injured and sprained my ankle. As always, I avoid using hard words, and will be explaining useful English vocabulary and phrases here and there.Bookmark Chapters00:00 Start02:29 Snowboarding injury story25:32 Recommendations if you are going to snowboard

In the previous episodes, we talked a lot about immigration visas, so this time I want to talk about a different kind of visa: the credit card type! So in this episode, we'll be talking about what a credit card is, some common credit card scams, as well as a few personal stories about encountering scams.Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start03:15 What is a credit card?09:37 Beware! ESTA scam for Japanese people15:25 Chiba housing scam story26:39 Credit card churning33:05 More scams

In this episode, I'll be talking about multiple (not just one!) failures that I encountered at the Tokyo Immigration Bureau (I made up the nickname "The Terrible Place" to make it easier to understand). As always, Kuli English Podcast is meant for you to listen to on the side while you do chores or other things, and hopefully it's a fun way to get English practice!Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Start06:34 The first failure16:13 The failures continue...34:47 Recap, American version (DMV), and wrapping up

In this episode, we talk about Valentines Day, and what that means for every day people in the US, as well as in Japan. Since Valentines Day is a day about romance, I also talk about my embarrassing story about my first love.Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Start02:00 Valentine's Day in the US13:08 My First Love23:25 My First Love (continued)

In this episode, we'll be talking about "Exploration vs. Exploitation", which is a general idea of "trying new things" vs. "repeating things that are familiar." Both are important, and I would recommend that you keep this in mind as you continue your English studies!Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Start06:07 Examples of exploration vs. exploitation14:27 The Me Section: Japanese food and tetris25:23 When you SHOULDN'T34:15 Recommendation for you!

In this episode, I will be talking about the typical process of making a podcast episode from beginning to end! I'm sorry it's a little bit short, but hopefully by next week we'll be back to the usual length episodes! For those that are interested, my mic is a Deity vo-7u mic! Please feel free to ask me if you have any questions about the podcast recording setup.

In this episode, we'll be talking about my recent trip to Malaysia. We'll talk about coconut water, English in Malaysia, and random little stories as always.Bookmark Chapters:0:00 Start3:17 Malaysia Trip Start7:56 Coconut water12:15 English in Malaysia18:04 Someone dropped chicken on me

In this episode, we'll be talking about the story The Three Little Pigs, which is probably the most well known story in the US. I'll be retelling the story in Kuli English, and we'll also be talking about the theme of the story, and how it relates to real life.Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Start05:58 Three Little Pigs Start15:28 Story Review25:49 Applying the story to real life

In this episode, we talk about three slang phrases that came from gaming: meta, grinding/farming, and all in.Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Start01:59 Meta09:20 Meta Red Lobster smoothies12:59 Grinding/farming20:06 All in

In this episode, we talk about a few American traditions with New Years, as well as a few random stories about life as always. Happy new year!Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Intro02:18 TV Interview Story11:02 New Years Resolution23:10 What we did on New Years Eve

In this episode, we talk about Christmas and many details about Santa Claus!Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start01:21 Who is Santa?08:47 Stockings and Chimneys12:41 The Real Santa18:00 KFC in Japan20:51 Culture has no right/wrong

My birthday is almost here! So in this episode we'll be talking about birthday culture in the US, along with a few personal birthday stories.Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start04:02 8th Birthday Party17:11 Chuck E Cheese31:49 My favorite birthday toy37:32 Bop it YouTube video

In this episode, I talk about a few stories related to gym class!Chapter bookmarks:00:00 Start01:46 Gym class06:09 High school gym class06:48 High school gym class (mailman)10:28 High school gym teacher hated me16:12 Gym teacher hated me and then loved me

In this episode, we'll talk about a few phrases you can use for when someone eats too much.Chapter bookmarks:00:00 Start01:11 Food coma11:16 Food baby17:03 Asian relatives make you eat a lot26:09 Pizza in Japan

In this episode, we talk about three English phrases that I recommend: win-win, lose-lose, and nothing to lose. Try using it!Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Start04:16 Win-win10:06 Lose-lose17:19 Nothing to lose

In this episode, I'll be telling you about some weird ways to save money! As always, these will be told in a story format, and this podcast is for practicing English, not for real financial advice! So remember to do your research online before actually doing anything!Chapter Bookmarks:00:00 Intro02:25 At home09:15 Phone and apps19:00 Random stuff and closing out

Thanksgiving is an American holiday, which is mostly about food! Today we'll be talking about what you do on Thanksgiving, the history, and also Black Friday and Cyber Monday!Bookmark Chapters:00:00 Intro02:17 What does Thanksgiving mean today?04:10 History09:13 My Thanksgiving from UC Berkeley19:52 Cyber Monday

In this episode, we'll be talking about a recent BB gun battle event that I went to. I'll tell you about how fun it was, how much it hurt, and also try to explain the rules of the game, all in my easy-to-understand Kuli English.Bookmark chapters:00:00 Intro03:15 What is an airsoft gun12:38 Rules of the game20:05 Board game rules are a good test of language skills

In this episode, we'll be playing a Guess the Accent Game with Mare! I'll play an audio clip donated by a viewer/listener/friend, and then we'll see if Mare can guess the accent!To find out more about Mare the actress, including her original show in December, see her Instagram page! @behope_bemare

In this episode, we chat with Mare, a theater actress based in Tokyo! She shares how she began acting as a child, how she fell in love with musical theater, and how she became fluent in English. Mare will also be performing a new original show in early December 2025 — check out her Instagram @behope_bemare for details! More info on the duo showcase available at: https://note.com/mareinny/n/n2f0aa3354ff8

In this episode, we talk about dreams. There are two main meanings to dream, one being the dream that you see when you sleep, and the other being a big goal that you have. In this episode, we talk about both!Bookmark chapters:00:00 Beginning00:15 Real start03:18 Dreams (sleeping)09:42 My own dream (sleeping)19:34 Controlling dreams (sleeping)24:04 Dreams (goals)

In this episode, we'll be talking about my recent trip to Okinawa, including stories about the new amusement park Junglia, pretending to be a Japanese person who can't speak English, and also a conversation about superpowers!Bookmark chapters:00:00 Intro Music01:50 Junglia15:55 Pretending to be Japanese to practice English29:23 If you could have a superpower, what would it be?40:07 The most useless superpower

In this episode, I will be reading an original short story that I wrote, called Timmy the Tofu Salesman. As always, I will be speaking with Kuli English Level, with pauses and explanations for hard words.Bookmarks:00:00 Start03:38 Start of the story09:20 Timmy's Date15:00 End of Timmy's Date23:21 Story Summary

In this episode, we talk about six commonly used phrases about time. There will be about 15 minutes of explanation of those phrases, so if you already know those phrases, feel free to skip directly to the next chapter, "Real examples from Chris's life"Chapter bookmarks:00:00 Start03:37 English phrases about time17:13 Real examples from Chris's life24:14 Me and Japanese30:40 Ways to study

In this episode, I talk about my experience with drawing, something I'm really bad at. As always, I'll be talking about true stories from my life, both as a kid in the US and as an adult in Japan.Bookmark chapters:00:00 Start02:06 Little Chris was bad at art07:30 Middle school12:36 They don't believe that I'm actually bad19:01 Recent art class25:12 Deep talking about zooming out33:25 Summary

In this episode, I talk about a summer camp I went to for music and writing called Quartz Mountain. As always, there will be silly stories, like throwing Cheetos at spiders and hiding a laptop underneath my pillow for two weeks.Chapter bookmarks:00:00 Start02:46 What is Quartz Mountain?05:00 Application process08:26 Making up a story: ants12:16 Typical day18:14 Throwing Cheetos at a spider22:47 Secret laptop25:55 When you fail at something

In this episode, we have an interview with Eriko, a freelance hair stylist in Tokyo. Eriko's Instagram is @ericolor_19870328. All video, sound, and editing for this episode was done by Oikawa san, his Instagram is @basperfilmsChapter bookmarks:00:00 Start02:26 The what button04:01 Why did you become a hair stylist?10:15 How was New York?13:17 My old bird watching boss14:53 Why did you come back to Japan?15:51 What's the worst part about New York?16:49 Chris got scared in New York19:32 Are you gonna live in Japan forever?20:32 Eriko, do you have any tips?23:33 As a hair stylist, what is your specialty?26:15 Interview result: pass

In this episode, we talk about a few differences between everyday life in Japan vs. the US, including food, hangouts, friends, and language. As mentioned near the end of this episode, here is the link to The Tokyo Talks blog post about Kuli English Podcast: https://www.thetokyotalk.com/post/mic-on-thoughts-in-motion-chris-jengContents:00:00 Start07:20 Food28:34 Hangouts and friends37:07 Language

What does awkward mean? In this story, we'll be covering four of my real life stories about feeling awkward!Contents:00:00 Start04:28 Ticket gate story08:02 Sushi story17:33 Date story29:10 21 guns story

In this episode, I talk about the Penguin Story, a prank where I dressed up as a penguin and ran in an election!

In this episode, I talk about my main two tips for how to tell stories in English: put in feelings, and put in checkpoints!

In this episode, we're going to focus on language stuff! I'll be sharing three main tips on how to learn English. As always, I'll be speaking at an intermediate-friendly English level, which I call Kuli-English level.If you have any tips that you'd like to share, please comment them below!

In this episode we talk about getting nervous! Why do we get nervous, and how can we humans avoid it??

Today, we talk about one of my favorite hobbies - programming robots to cheat in video games! If you have no experience at all with programming, don't worry! I'll be explaining everything with the usual easy-to-understand Kuli level English.

In this episode, we talk about musical instruments, and introduce them in a way that's easy for anyone to understand, even if you've never played any music before! As always, I'll be telling stories in easy-to-understand, Kuli English.

In this episode, we talk about the American school system and how it works, all in easy-to-understand Kuli-level English and with lots of little stories to keep things entertaining.

In this episode, we dive into a wild Japanese children’s book called The Red Shoes. I rewrote the story into easy-to-understand “Kuli English” and added comments and explanations to help English learners follow along.

In this free-talk episode, we talk about a pretty mundane story about going to a pizza shop and pretending not to speak Japanese. We also talk about Kabukicho and how to avoid talking to people!

In this episode we talk about superstitions, from lucky pennies to fortune telling in Yokohama, and also a childhood story about my lucky pet rock.

Wesley joins to talk about growing up bilingual, forgetting words in both languages, and how language shapes memory. We also share childhood stories, including getting locked in a bathroom and sticking a finger in a fan.

It’s the middle of the year, so let’s talk New Year’s resolutions! In this episode, we'll talk about purposely failing a fitness challenge at Google, broken water heaters, and the Japanese sento!Content:00:00 Intro00:34 New Year’s Resolution07:09 Google Walktober09:50 Sedentary Squatters16:23 My Water Broke23:58 Hurt My Thumb

Today, we talk about how using the word “please” can sound polite — or rude — in English. We compare English and Japanese politeness, bust the myth of Business English, and share funny stories about coconut water, fried chicken, and supermarket small talk.