In a Japanophiles interview, Peter Barakan meets Asa Ekstrom, a manga artist from Sweden. Her work takes a humorous look at her life in Japan, and the surprising discoveries she makes every day. Ekstrom talks about falling in love with manga and anime as a teenager, and explains how she ended up as one of the most popular foreign manga creators working in Japan. We look at the collaborative process involved in developing each comic strip, and hear about her ambitions for the future.

It's common to find robots in factories, assembling products. But recently, Japan has been embracing personal robots: devices designed to aid conversation, provide companionship and offer emotional support. Innovative new examples are constantly hitting the market. Our guest is robotics researcher Niiyama Ryuma. He introduces us to the latest personal robots, and talks about his own research. He explains his vision of a future where robots are a part of people's families.