Hi, everyone. Before we get started today, I just want to quickly apologize.

I know at the end of last week's episode, I promised that we would be having a guest on for an interview.

However, that guest, Mr. Isaac Shapiro, had to reschedule.

It turned out that the original timing just couldn't work.

And that's fine. He'll be on next week.

Instead, this week, we're going to be doing a

different episode, and next week, Mr. Shapiro will be joining us. I'm really excited. His life

is incredibly fascinating, and I hope you find it enjoyable, too. For now, though, let's get

on with this week's episode. Before we do, though, a quick word from our sponsor.

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Hello and welcome to the history of Japan podcast, Episode 246, There and Back Again.

This week, I want to tell the story of one of the most important non-Japanese people in Japanese history,

who most folks had never heard of.

He was not born in Japan and lived there only a short time, but for a century and a half,

...