Evaporated: Gone with the Gods

What if someone close to you just … vanished one day? That happens to tens of thousands of families a year in Japan, and it happened to Jake Adelstein, too, back in 2018 — when his accountant disappeared, just before tax day. Adelstein, the author of Tokyo Vice, and co-host Shoko Plambeck go in search of that missing accountant, and take us on a journey into the fascinating and bizarre world of Japan’s johatsu, or “evaporated” people.The Evaporated: Gone With the Gods is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Evaporated: Gone With the Gods show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Recent Reviews

Teon77

Really good. Well done.

Interesting, more please
PacificBagel

Fascinating issues

The reporting on this phenomenon of disappearances, for various institutional and cultural reasons, is smartly done and compelling to hear. I appreciated the number of different cases and perspectives that were discussed, and the broader themes that the hosts brought into nearly every episode. Great listen.
Tdrut

Need Season 2 ASAP please

Great show! Highly recommend for people interested in mystery/true crime/Japan-related content. Hope there’s a second season in the works!
Ahimsa2013

ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT

THANK YOU 💯
N0mad007

Can’t get enough!!!

Of Jake and Shoko narrating this story. It’s been so engaging that I find myself still listening in the parking lot not wanting it to end.!
Tbregs

Wonderful Narration and Scripting

Easy to listen to and inclusive of thoughtful, useful detail.
Ta2dMnky

Engaging and Educational

Admittedly I felt it started slow but once it got going I felt I learned so much, particularly about the Japanese culture. I have never had an interest in doing so before but the hosts made it engaging for me, so before I knew, I felt like I’d been in the middle of a Japanese missing persons novel.
Acote1224

Outstanding

Jake and Shoko are incredible storytellers and I really appreciate how well they narrate together. This is a fantastic series. I don’t like to binge podcasts but I couldn’t help myself with this one!
TYLERRAYMUSIC

Fantastic.

I listen to 10+ hours of podcast every day…I have for years…I don’t think I’ve ever felt compelled to write a review before but here I am. Honestly, I started and finished this season today. I was hooked from jump street and never once considered listening to something else. The narration and progression of the story itself was fascinating. I enjoyed the history lesson alongside the story line. Can’t wait for the next season. Thank you.
Someone’s Hot Mother

Amazing!

Narrated very well! Story was intriguing and never felt boring or drawn out. I feel like a lot of podcasts put unnecessary fillers to extend their episode count but this podcast did not do that in the slightest. I enjoyed this throughly and I am a little disappointed that I binged it in two days! It was just too good. Amazing work! Hope there’s a second season coming!!
Dkelley822

Japan disappearances

Love the show! But I did look up statute of limitations on murder in Japan Apparently, the statute was actually abolished in 2010.
biggerhead

Fascinating

I’ve long been a huge fan of Japan and Japanese culture. I had a good fortune to go there in the summer of 2021 for work. I never felt safer anywhere as a woman on my own. I felt like I could wake up at 2:30 in the morning and walk around the city and feel completely safe. After listening to this podcast, I understand so much more of the darker side of life in Japan. I love all the very specific words like death by work such a fascinating tragic and sometimes very funny show. Thank you.
xLIZisCOOLx

Wonderfully unique

This podcast is true crime but unlike so many other true crime podcasts. It’s intriguing but doesn’t try overly hard to lead you to that conclusion. I think we’ve all felt backed into a corner with the urge to leave everything and everyone behind to run away from your reality. But I think this podcast shows it’s never that simple.
Bladrunner1973

Riveting and heartbreaking.. superbly done

Riveting and heartbreaking. I’m already a fan of Jake Adelstein because of the book Tokyo Vice. I was curious about this podcast and gave it a go. I was hooked within the first couple of minutes. It’s exceptional. Superb writing and all around fantastic. Shoko is a great companion to Jake. The stories do bring tears to your eyes, i.e. the older woman, a wife who basically a slave in her own home for 35 years destroyed me, but she won in the end. The stories of the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens.. beyond the imagination. These are deep, deep stories that need to be told. This needs to seriously be considered for a tv series. Jake, Shoko, you have to do many, many more episodes of this. 9 episodes is simply like edamame.
Stoermy

Worth the weeds

I’m giving this 5 stars, although I do think some trimming could have helped with the storyline. It’s a very compelling topic, and Shoko Plambeck is an excellent foil to Adelstein as they explore both the specific case of Morimoto’s disappearance and the wider phenomenon in Japanese culture. Well written, and well told.
SOOOO tired of calculus...

Soooooooo boring….

It’s an interesting story that could’ve been told in a lot fewer episodes. I eventually bailed on it.
Andrew in Honolulu

Great reporting and social commentary

Jake Adelstein is an amazing reporter and essayist on the fringes of Japanese society. This podcast was a perfect medium for his exploration of the very different reasons people in Japan fall between the cracks, along with the guidebooks and night movers who allow people to vanish or start over. The delivery is relaxed and informative like a New Yorker piece. Strongly recommended.
Kozmo 702

Fascinating

I’ve never been to Japan but have always been fascinated by their culture, work ethic, history, and rigid adherence to the rule of law. This podcast peeled back Japan’s uptight facade and provided an interesting insight to their culture and daily challenges. I loved the series and look forward to the next season.
renandjulia

Intriguing and fascinating. Five stars.

I came here because I was so pleasantly thrilled with the HBO/MAX series Tokyo Vice. That put me on an enthralling Jake Adelstein trip that brought me here. If you haven’t seen the show (Tokyo Vice), you should definitely catch it. You can also purchase Jake’s books. Listening to this podcast gave me the same excellent feelings of going down some dangerous forbidden rabbit hole like Tokyo Vice. Excellent podcast.
LeylaDM

Great pod

A fascinating window into Japanese culture. Top notch story editing.
jipjopflop

Love this show!

It’s so refreshing to come across a podcast on this fascinating topic. The podcast was so informative and I learned so much, particularly about Japanese culture, society and Japan’s legal system. The hosts have a great rapport and are true journalists. Fingers crossed for a season 2 on a similarly unique topic!