Shout out to Teppei

I recently came across a [webpage](https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/learn-japanese-language-podcasts/) listing recommendations for podcasts to learn Japanese with.

I was saddened to see that my favorite Japanese podcaster, *the incomparable* [*Teppei*](https://www.youtube.com/c/fzneko/videos), was not mentioned *at all*.

So here’s my feeble attempt to right this wrong, at least a little.

Before going any further, let me state that, besides listening to his podcasts, I have no connection to Teppei. Everything I write below is just my opinion, and I get nothing from it, other than the satisfaction of giving credit where it’s due.

**Why is Teppei my favorite?**

First, the guy is *hilarious*! Even with my very limited Japanese listening comprehension, I was laughing my head off with his recent piece on [unlucky numbers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRoxhBmDdu0), just to name the latest example. At the very least, Teppei’s podcasts always cheer me up, somehow.

Second, he is incessantly creative, constantly coming up with new modalities to help learners of Japanese. For example, he produced a series on [“katakana words”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTB1krh42uc&list=PLbsmSVzhiwvD9dgyX51q1fD7Ljy0i6zr9), one featuring [off-the-wall rap-like numbers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gI0XK1S4RE&list=PLbsmSVzhiwvCsYgniVMvTyG58FuvRrjtb), one featuring [zany (and often hilarious) fictional short stories](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjU5tpW34M&list=PLbsmSVzhiwvBxxI24yBmAOQ5Ns63mZh4j), even one of [pieces to fall asleep to](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbsmSVzhiwvAzpJQTYF_bJbVPrukn3cNI). His most recent projects are a [book](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7HSPRN4) and a series to [train the listening of rank beginners](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX1l7qr1bYw&list=PLbsmSVzhiwvDNi-QcBXFa4z2C_nIbKL4W). This is all in addition to his long runing podcasts, for [beginner-intermediate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drTGtJEvRCA&list=PLbsmSVzhiwvA8VNMAW_cuDqujRQULBjFd) and [intermediate-advanced](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fza5Mre2-G4&list=PLbsmSVzhiwvAxb9qofyPE4bIgFgXW-Qu7) listeners.

But, by far, what I most appreciate about Teppei is that he is a man with principles, and with the courage to live by them. He decided to be a simple one-man operation, with all the difficulties, but also all the possibilities, that this represents, and he’s sticking to it. He decided to have no ads, and rely solely on voluntary support, and he’s sticking to it. He solo-produces new podcasts, at a daily rate, or pretty close to it. For free. He seems to me totally committed to this project. Respect.

This post is one way for me to return the favor.