EP 191 Do We Deserve Japanese Culture & Matcha In Western Markets?

Wabi Sabi - The Perfectly Imperfect Podcast with Candice Kumai

Candice Kumai

Health & Fitness, Education, Health, Wabisabi, How To, Nutrition, Mental Health, Wellness

4.9 • 793 Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to Wabi Sabi. Have we been kind to the Japanese? Do we deserve Japanese 7-Elevens in NY? How about asking a Japanese- American? In Today’s episode is about reflection, learning, and appreciation. There is so much to learn from Japanese history — from the Edo period, to the U.S. Occupation, to the reawakening of Japanese hearts in the 20th century, and the complex but resilient relationship between Japan and the U.S.. If you ask me, we shouldn’t learn about Japan — we should learn from Japan. That means supporting Japanese voices, reading books by Japanese and Japanese American authors, and buying Japanese products, foods, beauty, and cultural traditions directly from their source. The research and care that goes into each episode can take me weeks, even months, to create. So if you enjoy listening, please subscribe, leave a comment, and share this podcast with two of your best friends. Now — what can we learn from the obliteration of matcha in the Western world? What can we learn from the history of Japanese Americans, wrongfully imprisoned in concentration camps during World War II, accused of crimes they did not commit? What can we learn from the resilience of a culture that endured deep suffering, only for us to now enjoy its traditions, artistry, and cuisine in all their beauty, novelty, and kawaii? We are able to appreciate Japanese culture today only because our ancestors paid a dear price. This is something we must honor, reflect on, and consider deeply in today’s episode. Thanks for listening. —Candice Kumai

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, wonderful friends. Welcome back to the Wabi-Sabi podcast. This is episode number 187. Today we will be talking about immersing back into nature. As a fellow wellness practitioner, I've often found it very interesting that it looks like we have to buy our way back into well.
0:22.8	I see ads for our rings all over town in Brooklyn.
0:27.4	I see more products on the shelves at stores like I was just at Good Earth out in the Stinson S.F. area in Northern California. And I'm kind of amazed. I mean,
0:42.1	I obviously tap into both worlds, the natural world of healing and wellness. And also the,
0:49.3	you know, I guess you could call it the capitalistic world of wellness where people are selling things and making money off of wellness.
0:58.6	But the reason why I haven't been on the pod for the past two weeks was because I decided to go offline and reset.
1:07.9	I wish I could have gone longer, to be honest.
1:10.5	It was that good. And we're going to talk about
1:13.5	the benefits of immersing back into nature and how you can transform your own power and take back
1:20.7	your own health and wellness with just three to four days of being offline, off your computer, off
1:27.3	your phone. You absolutely can do it. You can just
1:31.0	plan for it if you need to or not tell anybody at all. Honestly, I come from the analog world.
1:37.5	This is how we lived back in the day. You don't have to worry about anything. You don't have to
1:42.0	worry about emergencies. Everything will be fine. Three to four days is really nothing. I actually did between seven to
1:50.0	eight days completely offline, gave my phones up, gave my computers up, had them in a safe space.
1:57.5	And, you know, I just think that a lot of toxicity and a lot of bad habits are forming into
2:08.7	destructive toxicity in our lives if we allow these things to happen so as a kid who used to watch
2:17.4	like the 96 bulls, you know, with Jordan
2:21.0	and Pippin and Rodman, I really appreciate the analog days when you went to a concert or you went
2:27.6	to a game and not one person had a cell phone. People had cameras, but you know, you take a shot and then you put the thing away.
2:35.8	So I miss those days. And if you're too young for the analog days, I have a big heart for all of you
2:43.5	who had to grow up with technology or entire life, especially social media. I'm also going to ask
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