In part 2 of our series in Japan, we dive into the how behind planning a trip there, from what is worth seeing, how to navigate the epic train system, their unintuitive review system, and more.

After traveling to 40+ countries each, we’ve found Japan to be a unique beast, and hope this helps you navigate one of the best countries in the world.

If you missed part 1, start there!

Resources discussed:

• Full list of Japan recommendations (in different cities) 📌
• Pico Iyer’s Beginner’s Guide to Japan
• Don’t forget to look out for takkyubin (luggage transport)!
• Tabelog for reviews
• JR pass calculator
• Suica card
• Airolo e-sim
• Japanese konbini
  • Reddit recommendations here and here
  • Listicle here (the custard at #7!)
• Kappabashi kitchen district
• Mount Fuji hut list
• Naoshima Benesse House
• Recommended ryokans:
  • Yoshimatsu
  • Yamanochaya
• More city-specific recommendations in the guide

This episode is not affiliated with Steph's work at a16z and is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

We’re back with a whole new season. In our first episode back, we discuss everything from the wonderful to the wacky of Japan.

You'll hear about an epic art island, specialty coffee and konbini (AKA convenience store food), 100+ year-old businesses, the philosophical ideas that make Japan such a distinct place, and much more.

In our next episode, we get tactical and break down exactly how we would plan a future trip to Japan, in case that's something you've got on the horizon.

Resources discussed:

• Full list of Japan recommendations 📌
• Pico Iyer’s Beginner’s Guide to Japan
• Episode on Yayoi Kusama
• Ivy’s post about Japan
• Akiya websites: Akiya Banks and All Akiyas
• Glitch coffee shop: Ginza and Chiyoda
• Cokuun coffee omakase
• Cocktail omakase: Bar Cacoi
• Recommended ryokan: Yoshimatsu
• Cattle tracking website (need ID to use)

This episode is not affiliated with Steph's work at a16z and is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

This is the 10th episode back for SYDLIS, so if you want us to continue creating new episodes for the podcast, let us know by leaving a review at ratethispodcast.com/learn.

In this episode, Steph and Cal bring a medley of half-baked business ideas to the table. They introduce the origin story of each idea, rate it on a scale of A-F, discuss modifications that would make it better, and most importantly, roast each other when the idea is a little too half-baked.

This episode is a part of the broader nudge Steph and Cal push for everyone to see that there are endless ideas to pursue when you learn to see them in the world.

Business ideas covered:

1. Marketplace for premium goods
2. Hot sauce tasting kits
3. Long-duration gifting platform
4. AI-powered collectible evaluators
5. The upgraded ZYN tin!
6. Unrecordable digital spaces
7. Making friends as an adult workshop
8. Bidirectional poll-based newsletters
9. Hyper-localized surf guides
10. Immersive, animal sensory museums