I Tried Being Vegan in Japan for a Day
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- I attempted to be a vegan for a day. It wasn't an overly fun experience, but at least I got to do it in the town they call the "Venice of Japan". And so our 2,000km Journey Across Japan continues.
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#journeyacrossjapan #traveljapan
Those ladies in the shop made me miss Japan and how DECENT so many people there are. I met a group of retired nurses who gave me a ride from Sapporo to Onuma Lake, which is a nearly 4-hour car ride. They paid for my lunch along the way and gave me gifts when we arrived at the destination. One even wrote me a letter that I received months later when I returned to the US. Then to my shock I realized they were headed back to Sapporo, so they had spent the entire day just taking care of me. Their response was "We are retired, every day is holiday."
Holy sheet. Wow.
That is awesome. ^^
i'm cry :'( why can't i speak japanese!
Saula Gonzalez That’s amazing!!!
Awww wow wow what an amazing people can be on this planet, now im emotional)), have a fantastic weekend.
I'm looking forward to the spin-off series, Journey Across Uzbekistan, where you travel around with that old lady.
😂
That would be amazing.
I would 100% watch that.
Abroad in Uzbekistan
And her lovely friends. I'd even pay towards the minivan :)
"If you've watched these videos you'll know that I basically live off of an exclusive diet of fried chicken and wagyu beef." Challenge accepted. I went through all the videos and logged as much of the food and drinks I saw referenced. Here's the list. And yes, I admit I obsessed, but it was fun watching the videos again. Missing the Best Comment segment. If you want I can send a spreadsheet on all this. 157 EpisodesLiving in Japan: Culture Shock! October 2, 2012
Ghana (chocolate)
Convenience store sushi
Kappa Sushi
First bonito Concrete floor
Fried potatoes with toothpick
Calpis Sour
Beer with free hand towel
C.C. Lemon
Robot Restaurant, Shinjuku, Tokyo December 22, 2012
Bento Box Dinner
Japanese Table Smashing Arcade Game | Cho Chabudai Gaeshi February 13, 2013
How Dangerous is Japan? May 10, 2013
Fruit
Seachicken
White Cheddar
Strawberries and Cream sandwich
How to Learn Japanese Kanji the Fun way (Heisig) June 22, 2013
Southern Comfort
McDonald's Japan's: Extreme Burgers August 7, 2013
Well, technically you didn't show eating there
The Horrors of Japanese - English Textbooks October 5, 2013
Japanese: 3 Essential Phrases You Should Know! October 26, 2013
Japanese coffee
KFC Christmas Japan: A Delicious Alternate Reality December 28, 2013
Pocky Chocolate
KFC premium menu
How I Learned to Memorise Japanese Easily January 26, 2014
Ritz Crackers
Pocky Chocolate
Crunky Chocolate
Bag of…..
KFC Potato Chips
Salt & Fruit
Red wine
Japanese Thoughts on British Snacks February 11, 2014
Cheese & Onion Crisps
Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate
Visiting Japan: 5 Reasons Why It'll Be Awesome April 13, 2014
Happy Chicken Flavored Potato Chips
Iyokan Pie
Burger King
Ramen
Samuride
Pet Sweat
Pocari Sweat
The Pungency
Tequila
How to Move to and Work in Japan April 14, 2014
Sake
The Worst Thing about Asia May 18, 2014
Japan's First Drink on the Moon May 25, 2014
Pocari Sweat
C.C. Lemon
Asahi Beer
Wanko Soba: Japan's Greatest Food Challenge (わんこそば) June 1, 2014
Wanko Soba
Learning Japanese: Tongue Twisters (早口言葉) June 1, 2014
Sushi
TEACHING SWEAR WORDS TO JAPANESE PEOPLE June 22, 2014
LEARNING JAPANESE: 9 Tips for Success June 22, 2014
Banana
Chocolate
90 Yen hot dog
LOVE Hotels in Japan: 5 You Should Know July 22, 2014
Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Learn Japanese for Free | 5 Tools & Resources August 2, 2014
Hot Dog
Living in Japan and Losing Weight August 6, 2014
Cup Of Noodles
Family Mart Fried Chicken
Salad
How to Lose Weight in Japan - #Week 1 August 25, 2014
Roasted Cashew Nuts
Salad
McDonalds
Tokyo's Tastiest Souvenir (東京バナナ） August 31, 2014
Tokyo Banana
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (ft. Natsuki) September 4, 2014
You Won't Believe WHAT HAPPENED Next September 16, 2014
How to Lose Weight in Japan - #Week 2 October 20, 2014
Salad
Japanese Octopus Style Sausage
Coffee
Tea
Green Tea
Wheat Tea
Japan's Poorest Girl Group October 30, 2014
gschneyer oh god man, that’s some detication
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
🙏🙏👏👏Dedication at its highest
This is pretty incredible. Good job!
Jesus, this is what you do when there isn't even a lockdown!
Those elderly ladies were so lovely! :D I hope that when I'm old I'm also still going to have breakfast surrounded by my best friends
Holy cow :D
My favourite German youtuber.
Yeah! And that restaurant seemed so lovely, too.
Seriously! I'm a white American and she reminded me of my gran!
Get germanised do you know u look like him
And there are many old ladies like that in Japan. Especially in Kansai (Osaka, Okayama area).
I love the subtitle from the fruit shop:
“Bananas and apples are where it’s at innit” 😂
When I was traveling through Japan in 2018 I visited some quite rural places and only ate in restaurants. If you tell the staff that you can't eat anything that comes from animals they usually are really thoughtful and try their best to find something on the menu that you can eat, or especially make something for you. I stayed at a Ryokan in Aizu-Wakamatsu and they even created a 9-course vegan dinner for me and explained every single dish to reassure me that I can eat it 😅
Delicious mouthfeel aside, I can't say I'm enthusiastic at the thought of re-trying this any time soon. I forgot to mention in the video I'm the world's worst cook, and thus I'm forced to eat out all day every day. But given the lack of vegan options in Japanese restaurants, it'd mean I'd also be unable to eat out and would inevitably starve (or be forced to learn how to cook god forbid).
That said, I'm trying to cut down the amount of meat I eat this year, as part of my groundbreaking strategy to live a healthier lifestyle. I don't need to read a scientific journal to realise that sausages and bacon aren't exactly the most nutritious additions to your diet.
ALSO, how awesome is it that the woman in the fruit shop visited Uzbekistan?!
Tofu is nice
I’d cook for you, but it would definitely spoil in the mail.
Sausages and bacon are a great way to get your daily recommended dose of lard and grease. They're also an excellent source of shame and indigestion!
the crispy soyjoys are vegan
I cook good shit, but still eat unhealthy lol
That conversation with the elderly ladies was so heartwarming
yeah, it's wholesome af
Yes thats why we love japan #japanforever
Fun fact: The UK imports most of their bananas from Jamaica, not Africa. The lion's share of the world's supply of bananas come from Guatemala, but the UK gets them from Jamaica for commonwealth reasons.
edit: I have a more in-depth explanation in the comments.
Really? What supermarket are you referring to because most of the Bananas I find buying from Marks and Spencers, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Aldi, Lidle and Morrisons are from Brazil.
@@fastcars393
I just googled it and it is actually Guatemala, not Nicaragua. I'll edit my comment since I got the wrong country.
As for the UK, I think I was using old information. Apparently this began to change a decade ago, but I was still using old data.
The way it seems to work nowadays is that Guatemala services most of the North American market, Brazil and Ecuador service the European market, and the Philippines and India service most of Asia.
I probably should have checked before I spread out of date info.
But none of these countries is the largest producer , just largest suppliers
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, bananaphone
Elderly Japanese often are so nice, even if you're only a beginner at speaking/learning Japanese. In Tokyo, I was commuting past a small bakery every morning and went there to get my breakfast. Those ladies were so nice and tried so hard talk and just hold a conversation with a random foreigner.
What was the place called. One day in the future I'll probably go for that sweet wholesome vibe:)
RTSA all places are very sweet in Japan. I’m sure you will find a place like that very soon
@@Alice-ib4cz I'm expecting to :)
Same here. OK, students like to try their English on you, but any type of conversation in English is hard and, frankly, a bit awkward. Until you run into an elderly person who's either fluent in English or not afraid to try. Which always is a happy surprise
@@rtsa4633 Okada coffee shop--after that segment he is standing in front of it, talking about not talking to locals and how they don't usually agree to be on camera--the name is on the awning.
2 videos in one week?! YESSSSSS
yeah, me like: *REALLY !!???* ((WHERE THE LAZY ASS CHRIS GO)) 😂😂😂
What is this madness
Seeing Chris walk and talk in the just beautiful locations in Japan just puts a massive smile on my face, such a peaceful and a wholesome experience!
2:28 For a moment I thought the lady asked Chris, "Have your been to UK" and Chris replies "No, I haven't".
I love how the adorable elderly Japanese women in Okada’s Coffee Shop were asking you questions as if you were some fruit connoisseur from the UK.
I've visited Kurashiki before, and I was honestly surprised at how pleasant it was. The art museum was also surprisingly good with amazing collection. It may not be a big town with lots of things to do, but definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area.
Onomichi is also a rather cute town, with lots of narrow pathways leading you to some hidden places that has something fun.
I travelled through Onomichi once, and looking at the island across the water, I felt like I knew the scenery from somewhere. Turns out the funny and charming anime series Kamichu is set there.
"Bananas and Apples are where it's at innit"
This amused me to no end, Mr. Broad... x3
It's really not just British slang anymore, isn't it(refusing to make a pun)? It's common is a lot of English speaking countries I'm sure.
I loved how it's changed from "journey of despair" to "journey of discovery"!!! Chris has changed so much since the beginning, I think...thank you for showing all of us around Japan!!!
Edit: OMG 221 likes?! Never, ever gotten this much!! Hehehe! Thank you everyone! Have a great day :-)
Despair and discovery actually aren't that far from each other. Despair could lead to discovery and discovery could lead to despair.
2:33 It's so weird to see such a quaint little shop with elderly people, and hearing "Make my story" from MHA play.
I love Japan.
Wow that town is beautiful
"haven't been to the UK. But I've been to Uzbhekistan." These kinds of moments, my friend, are what keeps me subscribed.
Good to see you, it's been a while!
If you've seen Uzbekistan, you've seen the UK.
Hahaha
Mouthfeel is correct English; its a food science term. So technically, that's what a food scientist would do.
*laughs in Contrapoints*
*"I've never been to the UK, but I've been to Uzbekistan"*
Easily the video highlight
Highly comparable countries, indefinitely.
@@MarkLumsley yeah just like Arizona XD
I really could not have anticipated that answer.
Lol, i think that's probably the only place she's been to outside of Japan, so just brought it up on the topic of foreign countries. It definitely caught me by surprise though lol
And cut!!! Then Chris pulls out lawson's fried chicken from his backpack.
thats what i would do :D
Probably went to get mcdonalds later or bigass bucket of kfc chicken xD but yea ive heard its hard to find vegan foods in japan.Being vegetarian is fine too tho.
He probably went bonkers on fried chicken right after ;)
jay d. Lawsons! Drooooool.......
And he probably didn't, cos @abroadinjapan is crazy honourable af
7:49 anyone else notice the ladies waving at the camera? So cute 🥺🥺
There's a website/app called happy cow that shows all vegan/vegetarian places in the city. Okayama has a few places with vegan options
Found some amazing vegan restaurants in Japan via the Happy Cow App
Vegan restaurant are so expensive
If you get vegetarian sushi. Its cheaper than normal options. It just depends whether you go to a vegan restaurant or a regular restaurant with options. I have been to some compabarably priced vegan restaurants. Its just your frame of mind going in.@@lol51679
There's a nice vegan ramen place in one of Tokyo's main train stations if I remember correctly! We went there last time because one of my friends is vegan! It was very yummy and not too pricy. Not sure where it was exactly, might have been at the Shinjuku one?
A place I visited on HappyCow that people said had "mock meat" had real meat in it. Wouldn't trust it again tbh.
More episodes of Chris discussing fruit with elderly locals please!
Honestly, that scene was just sooo wholesome. I just smiled.
And Uzbekistan. Don't forget Uzbekistan.
Just send him in to a greengrocer
@@mrmatt2466
As opposed to a blue or brown grocer? 😋
i second this!✋🏻
Those kind ladies reminded me of my visit to Japan; catching a bus in Fukuoka an elderly lady wanted to practice her English and discuss what she knew of my home country (New Zealand), when we parted ways she offered me her last apple as a gift which was so utterly unexpected and heart warming. I don’t think I’ve ever had a stranger offer me fruit before.
Chris you glorious rascal. When you're done with your Journey across Japan ™ , make a video for all the people that want to attempt the same/a similar bike trip through Japan. Things like what to pack, accommodation, what to bring for/how to perform bike maintenance etc. Would be a cool video and I can't be the only one who has watched your videos while burning with envy and muttering to himself "I'm gonna do that too some day".
Oh yay, the historic face of Sharla is coming back!
7:46 I love how the people in the boat wave to the camera. its quite sweet
Wow the shop owner lady was really kind , it's rare to find such people these days but I guess that's Japan for you .
Not rare at all
dont know if I was just lucky but I met plenty really nice people in japan. I have been to okayama too and had some lovely conversations with shop owners there. We even got invited to have a picknic at the park with a group of elderly people who were having an english class. We had tons of snacks and nice conversations... It was so awesome!
Not rare at all, unless you spend a lot of time on the internet
@@Gaaraape It is where I am from in Canada. I have literally NEVER went into a shop and was given something for free. And we are supposed to be one of the nicest nations in the world. Everything is so corporate now. Hard to find nice mom and pop shops that care about there customer relationships. :(
"First time alone"
Cameraman: am I a joke to you?
😂
Was thinking the same.
It was only halfway through the 'personal taste test' that he realised there was a person behind the camera
NICE ONE
Cameraman is called Allen.
“Looks like foreign tourists haven’t discovered this town yet”
My city does a student exchange to kurashiki every year. We’re sister cities. I went to kurashiki last year on the exchange in September and it was amazing. We actually visited the historical bikan area on our first full day there.
As a person who grew up in a tourist town, visitors aren't tourists.
Cernan WinterFox I agree and disagree, here’s why. The first week or two, depending on what their life is supposed to be like during the time, people are looked upon as tourists and do touristy things to get a feel for the area, no matter what country they’re in. It’s only once you see them multiple times for longer than a week or so that you realize they aren’t the same. Just the nature of the beast with people being new in a place. Some might ask, but I feel like that isn’t the Japanese way as it seems too personal.
Are you from another japanese city or is it an exchange between foreign countries? Because it seems cool that, if you are from a different country, their sister city would be such a small and unknown one.
How does Chris’s mouthfeel after making this video???
Sparkly
Cocaine
Shite?
probably hungry after not getting real food.
idk prob got some nice beef after the video cut
2 Abroad in Japan videos in 1 week? We are eating this month boys.
The Crispy Soyjoys are vegan! Just not the non crispy ones. Also at most sushi places you can eat natto or vegetable maki rolls. Japan also has a lot of vegan restaurants especially in Tokyo Osaka and Kyoto. But most places I went in Kansai like Nara and Kobe had vegan restaurants as well. Even in residential Hirakata they had a vegan ramen place and I could eat pasta and pizza at the local Italian restaurant. Also Coco Ichibanya has vegan curry. 💁🏼♀️
I also went to two vegan food festivals while in Japan. And restaurants host vegan meet ups on occasion as well.
More rural areas might be a different of course but overall I felt it wasn't that difficult to eat vegan at all! :)
Who the heck goes to Uzbekistan? I'm jealous.
The Soviets?
@@giantred ummm, Uzbekistan is the soviets. A former sssr Republic to be exact.
@@giantred unless you're referring to the citizens of the sssr. Then i get u
You should. Great people, sights, cooking and bread. Amazing place and no American tourists!
Well, why not? And she might be korean. In 1937, when the WW2 was brewing, the koreans inhabiting the far east region of USSR were relocated to Uzbekistan.
From the first 10 seconds of the video, I can already hear the despair in Chris's voice.
Is it just me or when he says “Calpis” it sounds like he’s saying “Cow piss”?
lol not just you buddy xD
that's why I don't like saying calpis lmao
he is aware
a previous video was all about that xD
Instantly what i thought
In America they changed the name to calpico
People keep saying just “Download the Happy Cow app etc... “ yeah maybe in the center of Tokyo but trust me , living in Japan for almost 20 years you won’t find many options for vegans here... and even when u do you’ll have to survive on the same boring stuff rather than actually enjoying a variety of foods. 99% of people here ARE NOT vegan . The concept is hardly even understood.
いや、今日日京都や大阪みたいな地方でもビーガンメニューぐらいあるし、そもそもビーガンって言葉が浸透する以前に和食の多くは採食ですよ...
Happy cow is a social app though, so it's used by vegan's to upload their vegan discoveries.
lol happy cow.
what a name
@Eemeli Eeme I suppose that is the real concern haha
@Eemeli Eeme if you live or visit in a country side, yes it would be difficult to find "vegan menus" but that's the same in every country I assume(I live in Germany)
but in cities like Kyoto or Osaka it's not difficult to find some options at even a normal restaurant.
I loved Kurashiki so much when I went there! A scene of rurouni Kenshin es filmed there.
isnt that an anime tho
@@Flugmorph there's a live action.
Its translation is called Samurai X in America.
ruclips.net/video/8o5Y1OLXPh0/видео.html
This is the fighting scene of the movie. We Japanese call the movie "るろうに剣心rurouni-Kenshin".
るろうに=流浪=vagrant.
剣心=the name of the main character.
剣=Katana, samurai's sord.
心=heart, mind.
10:58 You reached out for some what?!?!?
10:59 Ohhh, Calpis... nevermind
Bananas, nuts and tofu is the breakfast of champions. Also lunch. And also dinner. Can’t wait to see your next video to make sure you didn’t die from protein deficiency.
What? Nuts and tofu are loaded with protein.
Edit: I realize now that I missed the sarcasm.
Misery!!
Hey you're the guy!
Pun car guy!
Haha being vegan in Japan is a fucking nightmare! Especially when the word isn’t even in their dictionary
They seem to not understand vegetarian either as, vegetarian meals contained chicken and bacon quite a lot haha.
Tokyo has a few good vegan restaurants though!
The quality in this video is so mindblowing, and Kurashiki goes beyond picturesque with the cinematography, color grading, and your quality content. Haven't even finished the video yet as I'm writing this
I just can’t seem to stop watching your videos. Instead of binging on Netflix, I have been binging on Abroad in Japan for few hours now. Keep it up, love your videos.
Also I must visit that Venice Japan town if am ever there, and ll definitely stop by the kind woman who offered you food at her restaurant.
here’s an anecdote for you! i got the notification for this video whilst taking a walk through a snowy park with my family; i clicked on the notification and promptly stumbled forward into a small snow bank. thankfully, i’m still alive to be able to watch this!
May you enjoy the rest of your stroll through the snowy park!
Abroad in Japan thank you! but unfortunately we had to go home because my little sister neglected to bring proper headwear... lol
What is this... 2 videos in half a week!? My prayers are paying off...
The old lady from the first shop was so nice! Hopefully there are more people like her!
(At 2:33) just 2 Japanese Granny's taking about having been to Uzbekistan while MHA OP5 okays in the background ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Made my day
Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union.
After World War II, 1 million Japanese soldiers were forced to work in the Soviet Union and died
Maybe the old woman is bereaved.
I was looking for a comment like this!
I went back 3 times just to be sure i really did hear the opening haha. Glad its not just me
RIGHT!!!
Make My Story
wow nice! 2 episodes of "man complains in japan" in just 1 week :D
This isn't the hidinginmyroom channel lol
Yeah, I didnt imagine it would be easy to be vegan. Especially the remote places anywhere in the world don't tend to have vegan options unless it's some tourist hot-spot.
Honestly, I'd usually ask the waiter to leave out some of the ingredients. Sushi and onigiri can be made with vegetables and bean paste and still be interesting. There's also vegetable tempura (though I'm not sure about the oil they fry it in). And potatoes in various types of execution, if that makes sense.
Yeah, theres not alot of vegan options that i know of where I live. (Rual America)
In my country i have probably eaten vegan for some days without even realizing it, so it's pretty interesting to see this
It is easy to be vegan but it’s always hard when you’re just starting. Also if you just cook for yourself alot there is no problem.
I seriously think this is my favourite series on RUclips. Thank you for doing this! I want to travel around Japan 😅
Hi Chris just so you know there been genuine stories where even if you hum a song it still gets a copyright strike but maybe that’s only pewdiepie and you get lucky
TO BE FAIR if my rendition of Sitting on a Dock of a Bay by Otis Redding gets a copyright strike, that'd make my life complete
Oh yeah, it happens. I was just watching a Fallout 76 stream by a youtuber named Oxhorn, and he mentions that he got a strike and had an entire 9 hour stream demonetized because of an in-game radio playing 14 seconds of a barely audible song from the 50s.
Not bloody likely!
It's all about skill. If you sing a song without hitting the correct notes you won't get a copyright strike. That's what Chris did. Not because he couldn't sing, obviously, but to deceive the system like a genius embodiment of sarcasm and bad jokes.
@@tyynymyy7770 What a genius, I need to think ahead more like Chris ^_-
In my experience in Japan, people tend to be cold in Tokyo but in Kyoto and Osaka, people were much friendlier and likelier to talk to you. I had a nice little conversation with an old guy on a bus in Kyoto after he was watching the videos in my phone. I never has those experiences in Tokyo. I'm Latino so I was like an alien to most I'm sure but once I started speaking Japanese, people became way more comfortable.
It just repeats the usual issue of busy, big city life. People tend to ignore you or just act like assholes in NYC or Boston.
Hey, hey, hey....Boston isn’t a big city! Also, I think it depends on who you talk to in Boston. Then again, I’m from the area and honestly don’t notice. I try to be as gracious and nice to everyone working at places I go, but so long as they aren’t straight up assholes, I don’t notice the lack of return in it.
As for random folks on the street, I think they just don’t want to get pulled into anything that can snowball out of control, so they just keep their head down and move along. I have never had an issue when I have approached someone, but again, I try to be super polite because I hate being a bother to anyone doing their own thing.
In any case, I still think it largely depends on who you interact with. I’ve had plenty of pleasant interactions with people all over the city, but it does seem more likely to happen when you go out to the suburbs rather than right in the middle of the city itself.
食感
Noun
1. food texture; mouthfeel
Wikipedia definition
2. MouthfeelMouthfeel is a product's physical and chemical interaction in the mouth, an aspect of food rheology. It is a concept used in many areas related to the testing and evaluating of foodstuffs, such as wine-tasting and rheology. It is evaluated from initial perception on the palate, to first bite, through mastication to swallowing and aftertaste. In wine-tasting, for example, mouthfeel is usually used with a modifier (big, sweet, tannic, chewy, etc.
I found the people waving at the camera so cute! And the really nice women at the shop too 😄
those old ladies were so nice I want to cry
i spent 3 weeks as a vegan in japan and in some ways it was as difficult as anticipated and in other ways much easier than expected. the main thing for me was convenience and price... in the uk every major supermarket and even fast food chains are all trying to tap into the vegan market so it's very easy to eat cheaply on-the-go without much thought or effort. in japan i would say even being vegetarian, let alone vegan, is difficult in terms of cheap convenience; most snacks and lunch items in shops are fish-based, and even instant noodles with "VEGETABLES!" written on them in massive letters will have fish or even beef seasoning/stock in them. in dire times we found ourselves just getting fries from mcdonalds; an easier vegan choice than attempting to decipher supermarket products. the only fast-food vegan option i ever found was coco ichibanya's vegetable curry which, as is the case in japan, was really nice for cheap fast-food. not something i'd want to eat every single day though. and i'm not even 100% certain if these things are vegan tbh.
that said, if you're on holiday and can afford to eat in cafes/restaurants 2 or even 3 times a day, japan is fantastic in any major town/city. easily some of the best vegan food i've ever had, be it based on traditional japanese cooking or otherwise.
i'd love to know if anyone has any tips for cheap/convenient vegan eating while in japan. even on a lavish budget it can really stack up eating in restaurants so often. tbh i can't imagine how awkward and difficult it would be to live as a vegan in japan. is fresh produce easy enough to come by? i rarely saw any in the inner-city shops i went to
neither McDonalds fries nor Cocoichi's vegetable curry are vegan. Oops!
@@chysamere the fries are in some countries. I just know that they aren't here in the US but even if they were there is still no way inwould ever go there.
I really hate hearing this about Japan. I would love to go some day but i dont wanna starve when im there. But ueahbthe US is the same way with our stores. Its pretty easy to eat vegan on the go. You just might have to eat the same few things frpm places bit besides that its not that bad.
I'm vegetarian and was just back in Tokyo this past Nov. I stayed at an Airbnb with a small kitchen so I was able to buy vegs and tofu and such and survive. But, yeh, eating out is challenging. Plus vegetables are pretty expensive in Japan. As a Californian we're pretty spoiled for good affordable organic produce...
Fo vegetarians it's easy I think 'cause there are a lot of options without meat (especially in restaurants you can just ask them to leave the meat out). But as a vegan it was very hard to find something on the go... When I was alone, I could just take my time to check onigiri ingredients in convenience stores or supermarkets, but when I was with my friends, it was a lot harder. I'd suggest to look up vegan restaurants for every city before going there (if it's just vacation) and to pack some vegan snacks with you, just in case. You can also find a lot of vegan-friendly stuff at "Natural Lawson" :) And as I said, checking ingredients of to-go-food in supermarkets. They sometimes have sushi-rolls with only vegetables or you could get a portion of rice there and try to find something to top it with. And some supermarkets and food-areas in malls also have a corner with fresh salads and else! (price depends on the weight)
As someone who’s been vegan for 11+ years, I’d like to thank you Chris for making by far the least offensive/discriminatory/presumptuous video by a non-vegan about veganism I’ve seen. I feel bad the challenge was just sprung on you. If you’d had time to prepare, I think you would have had an easier time eating out of convenience stores. You also couldn’t cook and that’s tough. I appreciate your efforts on this challenge! (Also, I’ve spent over six weeks in Japan and fried potatoes were my friend, too. Luckily, I’m American and never get tired of potatoes! 😂)
I felt he was very respectful aand didn't talk down about veganism. He gave it an honest try, I appreciate that. He gave the facts indiscriminately and I appreciate that. Basically he said, its difficult to be a vegan on the go but if u have time u can shop at grocery stores and prepare your food at home
If I travel through Japan I will try to stay at places with kitchens in them
Agreed, I was hoping Chris would do a vegan in Japan challenge, although it is a shame that this wasn’t of his own idea. I love seeing the beautiful bento boxes and other amazingly presented dishes, even though it’s not something I would personally prefer to eat in regards to the ingredients used.
"Seems like foregin tourists haven't discovered here yet"
6:39 Turkish Flag at the background
Yeah seing Turkish flag in Japan is interesting, but we are everyhwhere.
@@RaptoHs
"Oh snap!" *starts looking around (is alone on a mountain)* "Hello?"
@@britters220 Hello, hello, hello... (Echoes)
Yeah we already occupied the area, sorry to disappoint :(
@@placeholder_yt_en is it halal?
Canals eh? The Birmingham of Japan!
FISHY FACE Exactly what i was thinking!
What a way to honour Otis Redding!
I currently live a few cities away from Kurashiki. It feels wild watching an AIJ video and immediately recognizing the location.
Wow those ladies were so nice! I better see them in another video!! :3
Jesus Christ that's Tony Stark
Right? It's like he's going to speak some Japanese and then fly off in an Ironman suit.
Was literally going to comment this XD
Tony Stark that's Jesus Christ
Tell me the location of nearest McD Jarvis
Haha totally what I was thinking!
Thanks Chris, for adhering to the task. And for genuinely trying not be too negative about it. Respect.
The timing of RUclips suggesting this video was good, because I have seen you eat so many extravagant types of meat that I was about to ask you if you ever tried vegan food and if yes, what your favourite dish was. Redundant question for a number of reasons, I now realise.
On a side note: great footage. Great editing too.
As a side side note: love the scenery around that area (I've been in those three cities once as well). Found the old town of Kurashiki a bit tourist trap-ish tbh, but if I recall correctly there was a really tiny Japanese garden in someone's back garden a few blocks away from there, which was cool.
So I remember you were planning to take it easy on editing during the cycle, especially after Natsuki the movie, but you can't help wanting all your videos to be of top quality, can you? Thank you so much for the wonderful content! Also, I really love the two (that I've noticed) new songs you've added to the mix in this video and the last one. Don't want to know how much time you spend finding the ideal song for each scene. Thanks again!
I'm a vegan currently in Japan with my Japanese girlfriend. It is quite tricky to find vegan food, but all the food I have had so far has been lovely. Even if it's snacks from a 7-11, it's not bad. I need to find a shojin ryori restaurant! I was also shocked at how good the prices are here for tofu, it's 4x less than in Canada!
Is vegan terminal
I spy with my little eye a SEGA arcade out in the middle of nowhere! D:
That's neat~
I was wondering what they had there..maybe arcade games.
Sega might make cars too. After all, Mitsubishi owns grocery stores. Conglomerates are fun.
I was just binge watching journey across japan and then this comes out 😁
Should have downloaded the HappyCow app! One look and I found a place in Kurashiki called Café Nature, they have a bunch of vegan options that looked amazing.
Yeah that's what I was thinking as well :) Without that app it's almost impossible to find restaurants in a new city in Japan :)
Vegan food is so bad
Cadam2019 you eat vegan food everyday my friend
@@1234Cheesus Yes with a nice steak
One of my favorite mangas happens to be “Pastel” which takes place in onomichi and seeing you end of the video there kinda Lowkey sums up the dream I’ve been wanting to accomplish since middle school (I’m almost done with college now). Loving the series man it’s beautiful to ride around Japan with you.
I'm glad you're back to uploading regularly, I was worried when you vanished for the past month
1 Abroad in Japan video a day, Keeps the depression away.
The mention of Otis' song near the end of this video was fantastic. That song has such a cozy sound to it.
Everytime you say *mouthfeel* I can't help but think of Natalie Wynn's videos on her channel Contrapoints 😇 😅
2:35 - I could be wrong but I think the music in the background is Boku no Hero Academia Season 3 opening 2 Full『Lenny code fiction - Make my story』
yep i watch the vid and first thing i notice "isn't that the My hero academia op"
Shit, I didn't notice until you pointed it out.
Yeah it definitely is, i also recognized it.
You are really inspiring us. Thanks for that . Wow.. that's so amazing that you made Japan as your hometown. I had watched one of your real old video which is like 8 years back. Your sarcasm never had changed though. Lots of love from India
It's such a shame you weren't in Osaka or Kyoto when you were given your vegan challenge. I am a vegan living in Osaka and there are plenty of places to eat. Kyoto is absolutely overflowing with vegan restaurants! To be honest, in the two years I've been living here, veganism has been growing HUGELY in Japan, with new vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants opening all the time and even local vegan festivals taking place.
It's also a shame you didn't know about HappyCow (website and app). You can put any city in the world into their search bar and they'll show you where all the vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants and shops are. Looking on HappyCow I see that Okayama has two vegan restaurants, one vegetarian restaurant and thirteen omni restaurants that have veg options. Even Onomichi has four omni restaurants that have veg options, so you could've had a proper meal instead of those minging cold potatoes!
Nice to hear it's growing in Japan too. Seems to be growing in a lot of countries in general!
I’m trying to learn Japanese. If I can’t find a vegan restaurant, would it be okay to ask to have a dish without milk/eggs/meat in a non-vegan restaurant?
@@linerys1567 you can just be careful that you've made yourself clear enough! And expect that you'll get meals with it at least once if not more times. Although it's growing in popularity it's still difficult for Japanese people to understand. A lot of broth is made with bone or seafood and for a lot of family restaurants with older owners they don't really understand taking meat/dairy/eggs out of it. That was just my experience anyway, even saying bluntly 'I cannot eat meat' every now and then my dishes would come with fish or mystery meat stuff in the meal
Hayley Thank you for your comment! Seems like I have to be careful. Thank you! :)
Linn Emilia Olsen Yeah, like Hayley says, some places might not really ‘get’ what you mean. Also, they may just not be able to make you anything vegan, depending on the restaurant. Indian and Nepalese restaurants are fairly common here though and they’ll usually be able to do you something vegan.
Next time try the happy cow app for vegan food, makes life a lot simpler...first time I went to Japan I ate a lot of onigiri, tofu and miso...By my second visit, I realised it isn't so difficult to be vegan in Japan.
Happycow is a life saver
@@AdrienPyke literally :)
On my vacation I lived almost exclusively on onigiri.
Maybe not difficult if you're always eating by yourself. It's another thing entirely when it comes to social eating. Your social life will suffer greatly in Japan unless all of your friends are vegan as well. Even then, you'll still mostly only find vegan restaurants in larger cities. And eating nothing but rice, nuts and fruit will eventually make you ill.
@@isviewer I never had a problem and i was there two months. In fact when I stayed in Obuse, which is a small town in Nagano, there was an abundance of fresh produce and homemade tofu
Just wanted to say how slick those camera shots were ♥️ Absolutely perfect
Chris, why didn’t you go into that Sega store and see if they can outfit your bike with BLAST PROCESSING?!!!!!!!!
I see you've been watching AVGN. 😊
the absence of sarcasm in the last video was more than compensated in this one. I like it!
I'd glad you made this video, it's certainly a bit of a challenge there - having done this myself. I would say more so thank in China, since in Japan they really put fish into virtually everything - but, there are still options if you know where to look. Would be nice if you did another of these
Any other Contrapoints fans enjoying the mouthfeel?
はい！
I am a somelier of sorts
God I hope one of the next videos involves a sign advertising the inherent eroticism of the sea.
Natalie's influence is spreading far and wide
I went into the comments specifically to make sure people were finally talking about the mouthfeel
I came for Chris and his witty humor as he goes across Japan, but whether he knows it or not... I did not expect to get ContraPoints in this video. :p THE MOUTHFEEL, EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT NOW.
It’s so wild to see Chris in Onomichi and even in my neighborhood no less! I lived there for two years and used that same grocery store and Lawson regularly. And the wonderful U2 by the seaside. I’m glad he always praises the Shimanami Kaido as well.
If you're trying to eat out as a vegan in Japan, download the Happy Cow app! It has listings for restaurants and stores with vegan options all over the world. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Happy Cow would be all that helpful in Okayama, though. I just checked and only 6 places popped up for all of Okayama. In Tokyo, however, there are over 300 restaurants with vegan options! Something Chris could have gotten from the Lawson is the microwavable rice. You can top it with natto and maybe some of the little vegetable packets they have might be vegan (though I'm sure a lot of the sauces they come with contain bonito or some other animal product so you have to be careful... I've found that they often have allergen labels though so you can see if they have milk, eggs, or meat at least).
I'm sure Chris would enjoy that - we all know how much he loves natto... ;-)
Only 300 with vegan options in a city with over 9 million people... That's not a lot.
You just make everything sound so epic when you do your narration. 😂🙌🏻🌸
When my wife went to Japan, specially Fukuoka, people were always glad to help making the meals vegan, and she speaks almost no Japanese. It was funny how in Korea it was actually harder because they thought the idea of removing meat from the dish was outlandish, but in Japan they were happy to prepare it for you.
you seem so uplifted by the music xD
also love the BNHA opening music in the shop
I love the cute little old woman who clearly thinks it’s fascinating to meet someone who is from the UK that she easily can speak with
Okayama is such an underrated prefecture! Art lovers will particulary adore it for its museums and Naoshima Island. It also has the biggest Aeon Mall in West Japan. Food is less expensive but amazing nonetheless (esp the sushi I had there).
Chris: "I don't know anyone in Japan who's vegan..."
Also Chris: "Most vegans I know, who live in Japan, buy food in supermarkets..."
*suspicious look*
Nah, he said he doesn't know any Japanese people who are vegan. The vegan friends he has are probably not native
@@wellshit.9284 Definitely in UK and basically EU for example the percentage number of vegans is way higher
My heart melted seeing those ladies all best friends
That little shop where they gave you free breakfast was so lovely! And it was hot when you talk to the local in Japanese 😝
I would love to visit that canal village some day, it’s so beautiful 💖 Thanks for the video!
“I’m vegan now” - Logan Paul, 2018
😂😂😂
I saw you on the LTT vid I just watched.
Viagra in 2018 LP... Limp Peter!
Ecuador and Belgium major exporters of Bananas! Thank goodness ur ancestors stayed off the boats. Idiot. Racist!
Just kidding 🤗
Don't promote that guy, please.
OMG ITS KURASHIKI!!!! I love kurashiki! It’s my favourite city in japan! I may be biased because I went there on student exchange lol. I’m hoping to go back again and visit my friends and hopefully go to school.
I really enjoy your vids I watch them before going to bed and before going to work. It's very relaxing and interesting please keep making them. From Norway
2:34 anyone notice the 'my hero academia' op being played?
Glad I wasn't the only one. Do you think those women were watching the show?
@@veronicaaragon8610 or it was just on the radio maybe heh the OPs songs aren't like, exclusive to anime, it's normal bands and singers too ^u^ .... i mean i say "normal" but Peace Sign is from a guy anything but "normal" (basically top musical artist in Japan at the moment)