best of luck in everything you do!

BC

You do what you need and want to do.. You've given enough of yourself to others; we respect you for giving to us, but also for saving some for you.

GJ

Thanks again and good luck.

P.S. Learn to type! You're typing is the thing that gave away your age group. I had to read it a couple of times to try to understand what you were saying and It still didn't make sense. Go to school, borrow a grammer textbook, and read it cover to cover. Then again, an idiot like you probably already dropped out of school, or is too lazy to give a damn about it.

That was fun. I really needed someone like you to help alleviate my bad mood today. Thank you:)

P.S. I'm the person who gave you that tattoo comment on youtube under the house tour. すみません。 It was stupid to say that. I was having one of those "duh….." days if you know what I mean(and I don't mean I was sleepy). Plus my friends are goofballs. I was hanging out with them for a while and some of it rubs off on me for a little while. That still isn't an excuse though. Also, sorry about this long, sappy, run-on comment ^^'

Good luck with family, life, and not getting fired from your job. ^.^

Hope everything works out for ya.

Love you Bro,
Susie(your sister)
ps-you weren't really adopted

I've missed driving into work with you. I understand what you're saying though. You did put yourself out there and that is extremely hard. Good for YOU! I am greatful that I've learned a lot from you. Mostly about how you feel about people and how you cut them a lot of slack. Sometimes I find that hard to do. You have empathy and thoughtfulness in what you do and that is really cool. Be well and happy. That is what is important.

Take care Rich.

oh, and have a good one rich . life that is.

I'm sorry to hear that you're going to stop podcasting, but I (we)
appreciate your eloquent explanation. Your reasoning is certainly respectable, not that you owe us anything.

Yours was one of the very first podcasts I stumbled upon, and has helped to open me up to this great new medium.

I had been meaning to contact you about your ideas for distributing Japanese music outside of Japan. If you can think of any way that a person in the states might aid you in your plan (drop shipping?), let me know, as I would like to help out.

Your podcasts about the things you are/were going through and how you deal with them have at times stirred some self-reflection, and for that I thank you.

Sorry to see you go, but thank you for the enjoyable and informative peek into your life and into Japan.

Best of luck for you and your family in the future.

もうきけなくなるのはかなしいけど
ずっとおうえんしてます！

Thank you for your wonderful podcast！

Again as others have said I think what made it most listenable was your honest, sincerity and humour.

Thanks for sharing part of your life with us and all the very best for the future,

Take care man!

Richard

The Netherlands

"Something I think is really strange about podcasting is that it is such a personal thing sometimes for the people that make shows and because of this you end up feeling like you know a person that hosts a show sometimes. It may sound strange but I don't think its to hard to understand. You spend all of these secret little moments in between other parts of your own life and you sneak into this alternate existence that is someone else's podcast, someone else's world. You get used to seeing a new recording come up and having this person ramble on about this or that or you get used to having a chance to be somewhere different from where you are when you listen to someone talk about whatever is around them.

You get to know the host in this strange sort of a way on a personal level because its just you listening to them talk. It's almost like having a conversation if you let yourself look at it this way. From time to time you may remember that this is being shared with potentially hundreds of other people and you feel a little strange thinking that there are all of these other people that are listening in to this conversation but you fall right back into that personal connection you get from listening.

So now put yourself in the podcasters shoes. You take your time, money, and effort to put these recordings together and post them for the whole world to listen to and see. You expose yourself so much by letting the world in on your life and surroundings and through something as simple as a podcast you stand there on top of the world where everyone can see and you speak of your personal opinions and experiences and sometimes your dreams or your struggles and for what? Because of the challenge? Because you are lonely and want an audience to get some things off your chest? Because you want to overcome a fear? Or maybe because you feel as though you have built a family around your ramblings. A family meaning the audience. Maybe you have discovered a way to communicate how you see the world around you to anyone who cares to listen and that gives you some sort of peace of mind. But then again, there may not be anything there at all. The existence of the show may just be there simply to exist. Who knows, only the host.

I know this all sounds a bit over the top and all that but it's true. Podcasting has opened up so many lives and minds in the world and in some sort of subtle way caused people to make friends they may never meet.

Today after reading the news that Rich from Herro Flom Japan had stopped podcasting I felt like I had lost one of my friends but it was strange because in a way he is not my friend at all but merely a voice somewhere in the world speaking into empty space that I just happened upon. So then tell me, why do I feel so strangely attached to it? This is what fascinates me about podcasting and I just wanted to share it with everyone and to use this space to stand up and read my eulogy to a podcast, one of thousands of voices but one that for whatever reason, I connected with and one that I will miss as a voice speaking into the black as well as a voice that I will miss a friend. From what I have learned of Japan and its culture I can see that some of it's tendencies have rubbed off onto Rich over the long amount of time he has lived there. It would seem that as a whole Japanese citizens are very family and self motivated and the business of others is more of an afterthought. They seem to function as a whole by having so much respect for each other. It's amazing really and I can totally understand his viewpoint on podcasting and the reason for his quitting somewhat out of the blue. Ah well. Could be just a big elaborate april fools joke right? Right.

P.S – All of this doesn't come across as creepy or anything does it? It wasn't intended to be, just observations on a cultural phenomenon."

David

….right?
くそ。。。

But seriously though, I feel the same as all the other people who left comments above. Your podcast was my favourite! I used to look forward to it too. I can understand that you are under a lot of pressure in your life so cannot continue as before. But maybe just once in a while?!?!

Anyway, you probably have lots of random people wanting to grab a few beers with you, but if you fancy that in a couple of weeks when I'm in Tokyo, then you just have to shout.

So long and good luck!

Sending you and your family good wishes from the other side of the world.

-Ann

Your podcast was/is the best… hope you'll come back.

Jay
Knoxville, TN

When you come back I will be here.

From Portugal

Thanks. Take care. Bon't jumpin' off the cliffs in Second Life too much – it's not good for the soul.

I will miss your podcast. especially the background noise.(not a joke)

Sad to see you go, but we understand.

Bruce

Thanks for the ride man. It's been fun, and I hope that one day you can find the time and the want to podcast again.

Good luck to you and your family.

Sayonara

THANKS—FOR-THE -MEMORIES!!
LA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA

But, it is understandable. You put yourself out there on long limbs a couple of times… I was even worried that you might get clobbered once or twice when approaching people on the street who didn't get what you were doing. And the time taken away from family is too valuable to ever replace…

So, good luck, and thanks.

So long mate, thanks for the interesting tidbits on Japanese life.

For fans who havent yet listened to the older shows, give them a listen, they are just as good as the more recent shows!

Take care Rich! Thank you so much for Herro Flom Japan.

In the meantime, I know you listen to The Daily Breakfast from time to time. You may want to check out Fr. Roderick's latest 'cast. He may need hand – his superiors may yank his plug.

So-long and thanks for all the fish,

Trev

Take care, man. I hope this is not the last time I get to read/hear you say herro but if it is it seriously was great. Sayonala Flom San Flanshisuko

Mata-ne.

You are probably one of my favorite podcasters to date and still will be, because you never needed to use any cheap ways of doing things to make your podcast episodes interesting, I believe you were naturally interesting to listen to…And I know I'm not the only one who thinks thats. Enjoy life and all your great endeavors…If you ever record something just for the hell of it, we'll be there to listen.

All the best for the future.

Anyway, thanks for the great podcasts! Good luck in the future, and hopefully you'll still continue to blog once in a while to vent some frustration or what not

Then, later, she may wonder "but wait, things were so good…can't we be friends?" If Podcasting ever sneaks back into your life to resume a more casual, sporadic relationship, let her back in! We'll all still be around, ears open.

Good luck with all that you do from here forward, and never forget: you can always say the first thing that comes to your mind–that's what podcasts are for, aren't they? I'm touched & flattered, not the least bit creeped out.

Thanks for all the great podcasts. Good luck, good luck, good luck!

I guess letter-writing campaigns don't help when your favorite podcast is cancelled.