A podcast for Japanese women who've lived a little

Japan Times

3 days ago

Every Friday night, just as the workweek winds down, two voices cut through the urban noise. One belongs to Jane Su, a sharp-tongued columnist with a flair for life advice; the other to Mika Horii, who makes a living doing freelance narration and emceeing, and who recently had a star turn onstage in a production of 'Phaedra.'
From a dimly lit booth inside Tokyo's TBS Broadcasting Center, the pair records 'Over the Sun,' a podcast where the women crack jokes, air grievances and talk frankly about life in Japan for around 30 minutes — often longer. With 250 episodes under its belt, the show draws 1.5 million plays monthly, each episode reaching more than 200,000 listeners.
Japanese speakers often blur the 'b' and 'v' sounds in English pronunciation. With that in mind, try saying 'Over the Sun' five times fast — it starts to sound like obasan, a word used to refer to women in their 40s or 50s. That's the same age range as Su, Horii and many of their fans.
So what's on the mind of this cohort of Japanese women? In one recent episode titled 'Stallone Shoots a Ham in Yabusame,' Su and Horii reminisce over old TV commercials of Sylvester Stallone hawking hams, then riff on the idea of him taking up yabusame (horseback archery) inspired by two listener emails.
"Over the Sun" offers an honest, unfiltered space for middle-aged women to speak openly. |
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'We have to make it happen! Let's get Stallone to meet the listener,' Horii says. 'In the ultimate crossover,' Su chimes in, 'Stallone will end up doing yabusame and shoot at the ham!' As the pair begin to cackle, a handful of assistants on the other side of a soundproof studio window quietly look up places to try yabusame for fact-checking while stifling their own laughter.
Private jokes and viral takes
The 'Over the Sun' format relies heavily on listener emails — the reason Stallone entered the conversation in the first place. That same episode, which runs for over 75minutes, also covers topics like first loves and secret dreams.
But the draw may not be the topics themselves. Instead, the show offers something that has long been absent in Japan's media landscape: an honest, unfiltered space for middle-aged women to speak openly. A group often marginalized or ignored in the culture now has a place to talk — and laugh — among themselves.
Launched in October 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, 'Over the Sun' began with minimal backing from TBS Radio but steadily built a loyal audience. It eventually became a staple on Spotify Japan's top 10 podcast rankings. Hosts Su and Horii, along with producer Shuhei Yoshida, used this platform to connect directly with listeners — organizing events, responding to feedback and growing their following through fan-driven campaigns.
Mika Horii, Shuhei Yoshida and Jane Su are the team behind 'Over the Sun.' Yoshida, the producer, says the show is an easy edit due to an approach that allows the two hosts to riff off of listener emails. |
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The turning point came in 2022, when a listener suggested 'growing a flower together.' That metaphor bloomed into a real-world movement: Fans posted photos of flowers they'd grown using a shared hashtag, creating a genuinely viral moment.
Building on that momentum, the 'Over the Sun' team began organizing offline gatherings — including a two-day trip to Katsuura Bay in Chiba Prefecture and a Sports Festival where listeners joined the hosts for a high school-style athletics meet.
In March, they hosted an event featuring singer Masafumi Akikawa and Theater Orchestra Tokyo at Nippon Budokan — the same venue the Beatles played during their 1966 visit to Japan — selling more than 8,000 tickets. Given this success, Su and Horii aren't merely podcast hosts. They're at the center of a thriving, listener-powered community.
Middle-aged magic mics
Listening to Su and Horii talk, their chemistry is undeniable. They sound like old friends, though they only met recently through work.
'If we'd met in our 20s, we wouldn't have become friends,' Su says after the podcast recording. 'It was a discovery for us, too, that two women with opposite values could connect in their late 40s. Some listeners find hope in that, which is meaningful enough for us.'
Horii nods in agreement. 'The funny thing is, I can picture us being friends in junior high or high school, because I used to hang out with people like Su,' she says. 'But as we went on to university and started working, people categorized us and we assumed those roles, seeing women who belong to other groups from a distance.'
Their paths diverged early. Su worked in the music industry before turning to writing, earning acclaim for essays about single life in Japan. Horii, meanwhile, married young, raised a family and worked as an announcer at TBS.
Mika Horii left her company job to go freelance at 50, which she spoke about in detail on the podcast. |
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'As we age, we shed labels like 'wife' and 'mother,'' Horii says. 'Life's stages bring new relationships — not just with other moms.'
Su adds: 'That kind of shift can come in your late 40s. The burden of child-rearing starts to ease or work becomes more manageable. You gain the emotional space to respect someone else's values.
'Until then, you're often just trying to survive — not looking over at the greener grass because you can't afford to.'
That hard-earned empathy extends to the 'Over the Sun' audience, too. Listeners are referred to as 'mutual support group members.' Su and Horii praise the emails they receive as 'brilliant.'
Jane Su worked in the music industry before writing full-time about the single life in Japan. |
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Their listeners are more than just fans — they're active collaborators. Some have secured sponsorships or organized prize donations, motivated not only by marketing but also by a deep fondness for the show.
Thanks to that support, Su says their current fiscal year is fully sponsored — though she's quick to note that passive listeners shouldn't feel pressured to measure up. 'We want this to be a space where no one feels excluded or left behind.'
Horii agrees. The goal, she says, was never to grow a huge audience but to create a gathering place — something that feels like a summer festival. And while many listeners are women in their 40s and 50s, everyone is welcome.
The fandom has moved into social media spaces, too. Around 4,500 supporters take part in a group chat on the Line messaging app, and some even meet in person for 'Over the Sun'-centered running groups and hiking clubs.
Support and community
The listener gatherings have become spaces for emotional support, too. Fans discuss relationship issues, caregiving stress and midlife turning points. Often, a single message sets off a thread of responses filled with advice, solidarity and shared experience.
Despite this, Su and Horii say they don't want the community to grow any bigger and that they aren't pushing a political or activist agenda.
That stance has drawn mixed reviews. While some say they should steer clear of politics, others want them to use their platform for social change — not just banter and self-promotion. Su and Horii maintain their show needs to speak from 'street level,' not preach from a podium.
'We can't give some moral lecture when our listeners have to show up the next day at a male-dominated workplace,' Su says. 'We just share our honest thoughts and trust listeners to decide what they want to take from it.'
"Over the Sun" records every Friday and recently hit its 250th episode. |
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Still, their influence resonates. Many listeners aren't looking for revolution — they just want to be heard, inspired and affirmed. And for some, the hosts' life choices are an inspiration on their own.
At 50, Horii left her job at TBS to go freelance. In a 2022 survey by the Tokyo government, 14.2% of working-age women in Tokyo became their own bosses in their late 50s — the highest proportion across all age groups. Nationwide, that figure stood at 11.4%, with the trend for both showing an increase since 2012. Horii talked about her decision in an early episode, detailing how she repurposed her skills as a newscaster into emcee work and publishing books on communication. She even took up acting.
Horii once thought holding back opinions was a virtue, especially in corporate life. That changed after she quit.
'Now I've finally started to recognize that the ability to speak up is a positive thing,' she says. 'It's confidence. Promoting myself on social media was a huge challenge, but I realized expressing myself doesn't hurt anyone — it's affirming.'
The 'Over the Sun' hosts pose for a picture at a listener-centered athletics meet in Yokohama last year. A similar sports day will be held next month. |
COURTESY OF 'OVER THE SUN'
She credits Su with helping her reach that realization.
The admiration goes both ways. Both women say the podcast wouldn't have worked without the other — and they hope the sense of sisterhood translates to their audience.
For listeners tired of acting as shock absorbers at work or home, a few moments of laughter and validation can make all the difference. Whether or not it sparks a movement, the safe space Su and Horii have built is deeply valued.
Next up, 'Over the Sun' will host a Grand Sports Day on Sept. 27 at Yokohama Buntai. Listeners can join for a full day of dancing, trivia and tug-of-war. Among the 3,000 participants at the last event, 700 were avid listeners who came on their own.
'It's kind of wild to see all these women of a certain age pulling ropes and tossing balls,' Horii says, 'but everyone gradually gets into it. The realization that it's OK to act silly — that could be the first step in letting go of the things that hold us back.'
Mika Horii credits cohost Jane Su for helping her speak up more, which has improved her confidence. |
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'Over the Sun' can be streamed on Spotify Apple and YouTube with new episodes coming out every Friday. For more information, visit tbsradio.jp/ots