
Christmas in Japan (Conversation)
2026-1-12 | 1h 7 mins.
Hear all about my time in the bars of Osaka and Fukuoka at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Christmas in Japan isn't like Christmas in the UK. For one thing, it includes humiliation. It also includes very strange food. And don't forget the hot springs! Vocabulary: Elephant in the room, Onsen, Thatched house, Bullet train, Purikura, Chazuke Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Japan for the full transcript. 00:00 Preview 00:31 Intro 01:34 The elephant in the room 03:23 New Year's resolutions 07:03 A spicy train journey 12:25 The hotel tricked me! 14:19 A smooth flight 15:57 The little things 18:32 Public behaviour 20:38 The wonderful resort 23:26 My first onsen experience 27:41 Let's go to the murder village! 34:13 The panda has left the building 36:14 Meeting the locals 39:15 Pew pew trains 40:51 Bright lights, big city 42:25 Ariel, you tease! 43:58 Welcome to the New World 46:54 The magical disappearing hangover 49:09 Onwards to Fukuoka! 50:51 Embarrassing ourselves at the Pretty Club 52:54 Crooning like robots 53:59 Exploring Fukuoka 57:23 But what about Christmas? 59:34 Culture shock-ish 01:02:35 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hansel and Gretel (Pre-Intermediate)
2025-12-30 | 36 mins.
Get episodes without adverts at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! What if the witch in Hansel and Gretel was Chinese? Well, then things would be very different. In this twisted version of the classic fairy tale, the two young children run away from the house of sweets and end up somewhere far more exotic... Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Hansel for the full transcript. Level: Pre-intermediate. Genre: Horror. Vocabulary: Woodcutter, Sweet tooth, Twig, Abandon, Breadcrumbs, Quitter, Betrayal, Witch, Belly, Prison bars. Setting: Fairytale. Word Count: 2357. Author: Ariel Goodbody. 00:00 Intro 10:55 Hansel and Gretel 29:52 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's My Podcast and I'll Ramble If I Want To (Conversation)
2025-12-15 | 37 mins.
Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Have you ever eaten bone marrow? You know, the fat inside of animal bones? Have you ever wondered whether ancient humans sucked out the marrow like a tube of yoghurt? Yeah, that's the kind of stuff I've been doing recently. Have a listen. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Ramble for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 00:48 Friday dreams vs Saturday realities 02:57 Dreaming of any colour Christmas 05:06 Whammageddon 06:42 Yummy bones 09:56 Style change! 12:22 Japan for Christmas 17:06 Osaka is Daban, apparently 23:52 No more faffing about with thumbnails! 30:34 Me, Myself and AI 34:03 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Three Goats (Rerun)
2025-12-01 | 21 mins.
Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! Three goats live happily in a field eating grass. But one day, there's no more grass. They decide to cross a bridge to another field. But when they try to cross, a monster jumps out, and he wants to eat them! Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/ThreeGoats for the full transcript. Level: Beginner. Genre: Children's. Vocabulary: Goat, Eldest, Middle child, Greedy, Flow, Silly, Drown, Narrow, One by one, Troll, Annoying. Setting: Fairytale. Word Count: 1232. Author: Fairy Tales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hangzhou and the Joy of Cycling (Conversation)
2025-11-17 | 43 mins.
Get episodes without adverts + bonus episodes at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Support. Your support is appreciated! This episode has come out very late because of my appendicectomy. Apologies! I have recovered now and we should be back to our regular schedule soon enough. 'Above there is heaven, and below there is Hangzhou.' So it must be a pretty great city, right? I sure thought so! In today's episode, I tell you all about my visit to this ancient Chinese city, with its lovely lake, temples and food. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Hangzhou for the full transcript. 00:00 Intro 00:53 A rite of passage 02:54 A new view 06:03 Hali Bote 09:57 Hang Joe! Do it! 11:36 Bustling with history 13:30 A mouldy hotel 14:24 That West Lake vibe 16:59 Soaking up the temples 19:22 Amazing noodles 21:37 Back on the bike! 25:44 An unfortunate incident 28:07 New frames 29:18 Where's this cafe?? 31:13 The results of my Japanese exam 34:07 Random China things 37:49 The best tissues in the world 40:22 Stay in the light? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices



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