Tim Ferriss

The Random Show – Drinking Urine, Exploring Japan, and Figuring Out Life (#224)

Photo credit: Kevin Rose

Coming to you from a late night in rural Japan, this is a special edition of The Random Show.

Per usual for The Random Show, I am joined by Kevin Rose (@KevinRose), serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, and all around wild and crazy guy. We discuss Japan and how to do it cheaply, building apps, urine drinking, love and marriage, beauty and absurdity in 2017, why Kevin doesn’t have New Year’s resolutions, favorite books, and much more.

Enjoy!

You can listen to this episode on Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastPodcast AddictPocket CastsCastboxGoogle PodcastsAmazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

#224: The Random Show – Drinking Urine, Exploring Japan, and Figuring Out Life

Want to hear another episode of The Random Show? Listen to this earlier conversation with Kevin Rose. In this episode, we discuss saunas and cold treatment, dating apps, and fitness apps (stream below or right-click here to download):

#146: The Random Show, Ice Cold Edition

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is a financial services platform that offers services to help you save and invest your money. Right now, your cash can earn 3.30% APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Cash Account from its network of program banks. That’s 8 times more interest than a typical savings account at a bank, according to FDIC.gov as of 05/18/2026 (Wealthfront’s 3.30% APY vs. 0.38% average savings rate). Right now, for a limited time, Wealthfront is offering new clients that use my sign-up link an additional 0.75% boost over the base rate for three months, meaning you can get up to 4.05% APY, limited to a $150,000 balance. Terms & Conditions apply. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started. 

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

  • Connect with Kevin Rose:

Twitter | The Journal

Show Notes

  • Why are we in Japan? [06:56]
  • At Araya Totoan, Kevin doesn’t have to hide his tattoos. [09:17]
  • What it’s like in Japan if you don’t speak the language. [11:23]
  • The difference between losing a personal item in Japan and the US. [12:26]
  • Tokyo has a reputation for being an expensive city, but you can still have fun on the cheap. [15:20]
  • Book recommendations for people who want to learn Japanese. [20:02]
  • Book research and development, and mantra meditation app creation. [21:22]
  • Weighing the benefits of Slack vs. a private Facebook group for community feedback. [29:20]
  • Why is Kevin creating an app for mantra meditation, and what would its success look like? [31:43]
  • What do developers and designers mean when they talk about “wireframes?” [36:08]
  • Why don’t I have a “4-Hour” app yet? How can developers minimize maintenance once an app goes live? [37:51]
  • What can an app developer expect in terms of cost and maintenance for the first year if their launch is successful? [44:02]
  • Some of the features I’d like in my own app. [47:50]
  • Aside from app development, what has Kevin been up to? [49:27]
  • Book promotion is busy work. [50:09]
  • My recent Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon experience. [52:40]
  • The merits of deep work and blocking time “for unknown purposes.” [55:32]
  • Epitaph ideas, writing, and podcasting as vehicles for teaching. [56:55]
  • The three keys to achieving goals. [58:28]
  • How can you apply data to love and marriage? [1:00:06]
  • On drinking urine. [1:03:23]
  • How this podcast evolved as a break from writing to what it is today. [1:07:29]
  • Absurdity and beauty as project criteria — case studies: court jesters and Mark Rothko. [1:09:38]
  • Why Kevin got into woodworking. [1:17:23]
  • How Kevin avoids costly impulse purchases. [1:23:36]
  • Hedonic adaptation (aka experience stretching). [1:26:49]
  • Parting thoughts: Kevin’s podcast, our tour of a sake brewery, and book and documentary recommendations. [1:32:00]

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