Check out War Thunder and use my link for a free large bonus back with boosters, vehicles, and more: playwt.link/stellarjay "日本語上手" count currently at 8 million and counting.
Dear Stellar Jay how about you start another Channel where u post about your travel experience and other languages as well as countries u could make it a bit less effort then the gaming channel videos so you will still enjoy the time u have over there Name of that channel could be star Jay (like hotel stars and shi)
In an age of RUclips where everyone strives to be so damn professional. Your structured, high quality unprofessionalism is a fucking joy to watch. Take my damn sub.
I did a year of graduate school in New Zealand and I 100% agree with you saying that if you have the opportunity you have to study abroad. It was genuinely one of the best years of my life and I seriously miss it every day.
Bruh I can only go to Pantheon Paris if I want to have a year or two outside, but why would I ever do it😂? Paris is so shitty, hobo ridden and dirty, not to mention expensive. I was there in person, most of France also. @funkybassmqn6012
He was lucky not living on a JR line. They are late and stop for any minimal bad weather all the time. Somehow the other lines in the same area are always fine under the same conditions. One exception is when the trains are stopped because of "personal injury".
@@leviathan52076 months is nothing. Especially if he spend it with some family of kind ojiichan and obaachan playing doll house drinking tea every day like in those family exchange vlogs. But Japanese people never engage in a conflict or start a fight in the open like americans always do. They often do it passively aggressively behind your back instead while keeping up the mask of politeness (tatemae). They have to, because most businesses in Japan are client-centric and client is considered God. So they have to smile and be polite out necessity. There are times when the service person who just treated a Japanese guy in line before you politely and happily suddenly switches to a dull unimpressed character when it comes to your turn. Instead of direct confrontation you're simply snitched on to the higher ups like boss/police for thinking you were suspicious (ie, didn't look or behave like a Japanese person). You're viewed as a suspicious outsider alien and sometimes even an eyesore. They feel wary around foreigners as if you're about to paunce them or something because you're an outsider (literally gaijin, a person from outside) and they don't know what to expect from you. It causes people refusing to sit next to you in crowded trains or stand up and move to another seat or even car (sometimes mumbling grumpy while at it), people crossing to other side of the road just so they don't walk towards you on the sidewalk, people silently running away scared like hell when trying to ask the way in Japanese, talking shet about you standing right next to you (especially in Tokyo) thinking you don't understand them. Go anywhere where 2 or 3 people out of 10 are foreigners an you start hearing vocal complaints like "gaijin ooi naa" (there's too many foreigners, huh) from people around. They feel uncomfortable just by being around us, especially if they become the minority. At one of my previous part time jobs we had different ratio of foreigners and Japanese working together every day due to shifts, but one day we had a shift with mostly foreigners and only 2 Japanese (one being the boss but he was too busy being around). That other Japanese guy being the only one among foreigners kept repeating whole day how he's scared and uncomfortable for being "alone". As if they don't even view foreigners as humans but some low sub-human organisms. Try such fun time shenanigans like trying to find an apartment to live that doesn't allow any foreigners even if you have a Japanese guarantor. You're mostly limited to those companies who actually openly rent to foreigners like UR. The agencies themselves may take you in but it's when they call the actual home owners is when you start being rejected. It's becomes even funnier when you naturalize (become Japanese by jurisdiction, but not by face). During that famous global event foreigners who briefly left Japan for various reasons weren't allowed back for several months, even those who had permanent residency and families here. Just because they were foreigners and apparently only foreigners spread the virus. Japan has quickly shown its real face and that foreigners aren't welcomed here. That in difficult times like Japan just can easily shun us away, despite us being actual tax payers and contributors to the society. They left the ban only thanks to all the bad press and pressure the outside world to let at least the residents in. This attitude is even backed up by the state TV who made a ridiculous report about foreigners spreading more virus simply because they speak foreign languages so virus flows out of their mouths with more force due to sounds like P. While such divine language as Japanese doesn't do that. I wish I was joking. Google "Japan this is a pen" video. There are also nationalist groups who drive their trucks blasting their nationalistic slogans and music through megaphones. You can sometimes find them parked in public places like around metro stations where they are vocal against foreigners, especially local koreans (zainichi, residents who came before war or their descendants). You don't see all that when you're a freshly arrived lightheaded westerner on his holidays gawking at all the colorful store signs like in his Japanese anime.
@@archithroughthe worst part would be allowing your child to go through the same horrible education system that crushes any semblance of individuality and critical thinking, and raises slave robots who throw away their lives for the sake of work and who can only butter up to bosses.
This video couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I’m graduating college in a few months and have been looking for a teaching position, when I stumbled into a job in Alaska. Mind you, Japan and the Alaskan bush are hardly comparable. But hearing you gush about your own experience definitely makes going to Alaska seem like less of an abstract.
Yo, same here. I'm almost done with my master's in computer science, and I was thinking about doing my PhD in Japan. BirdPerson made it sound really easy!
I tried to study abroad twice, and both times I was smited by divine powers to stop me. Well okay not really, but i did land critical injuries that required surgury and months of physical therapy which forced me to cancel both programs. I've wanted to travel and study abroad so badly and it sucked to be accepted into two programs and still been unable to make it. Thanks for posting the video. Maybe this is the kick in the pants I need to try again. Third times the charm?
Same thing happened to me. I tried to study abroad twice, and now I am finally studying abroad after my 3rd try. My 1st try I got accepted in Fall 2019 and was supposed to study abroad in Fall 2020, but covid happened. So travel was shut down. My 2nd try was in Fall 2022 for 2023. I had to reapply through my uni's study abroad office. They required letters of recommendation, but the same professors I had didn't work there anymore. So I tried different professors, but one professor gave me a bad recommendation without telling me, so I was denied to study abroad. I even tried to appeal it for months. My 3rd try was in Spring 2023. I applied to a foreign university directly and got accepted. I finally studied abroad in Europe and I am here for almost 1 year now. Now matter how difficult or out of control life may be, never give up on your dreams. I finally reached my goal, even though it took time. Be patient. I definitely recommend studying abroad in a country that is not your native language. It will open your eyes. It will look good on your record/resume too. Keep trying! You are not alone. As long as you follow your heart, you will reach your dreams eventually! :)
Holy shit this is exactly what I needed, thank you RUclips. I went study abroad in Tokyo at around the same time as you, you get used to all the people after like a months lol. One thing I would say is that you missed Sapporo! I went there during the snow festival in feb and had an amazing time there -spending all my money on snow miku merchs-
Really loved this video. Loved seeing what the experience was like in Japan itself (not a bunch of edits, or over-the-top optimism but literal personal opinion). As a person that really wants to experience Japan & loves and respects Japanese culture, looks like learning the language is definitely necessary to experience Japan to the best it can be. I've actually tried learning JP a few times but ....yea....consistency....is literally the one word that encapsulates language learning. I'll put in an order for a calendar now. Having a calendar in front of me, and ticking it is actually a really good way of showing how consistent I've been at it. And then when I'm ready I'll go over those tips perhaps. Thanks again, enjoyed this video :)
So happy that you had a amazing time in Japan! And I agree that studying abroad opens up to so many cool experiences! Hope you'll stay in touch with the friends you made in Japan!
DUUUUDE TOKINI ANDY'S THE GOOAT, glad that channel got some rep, literally my only source of consistent Japanese study (except anki and mining) for 1.5 years. I actually cannot recommend his n5 grammar playlist enough to people who want to start learning japanese, and its also great for intermediate grammar as well as he goes up to n2.
I lived in Tokyo 4 years for university, and I didn't know Kyoto had that little public transport going, despite the amount of tourists coming in I also relate the part of being close to students from outside of Japan it also made me wanna learn their languages cool video 👍 it made me reminisce the fun times I had studying abroad there were a lot of downs, but I had a lot of irreplacable moments there I might go back to work there one day
Happy to hear you had a great experience over there-- especially with meeting new people and quickly being able to make friends with them. Being able to live in another culture like that sounds dope and is an awesome thing to have under your belt as a life accomplishment.
I’m studying in Tokyo rn, but me and my friends are planning to visit Osaka this summer, cause it seems like a chill place. I admit that Tokyo is only a “big city” but I met so many cool people here and there’s always some new club/cafe/store/place to discover in here that it never feels boring.
Sorry but TOKYO has waaaay more to offer than OSAKA. Just saying. and btw TOKYO is the largest and richest city on earth. The highest buildings are in tokyo AKIHABARA is in TOKYO and SHIBUYA is in TOKYO and so on... OSAKA is ok... but if you wish long time fun. TOKYO ALL THE FU WAY !!
@@flynmai1369 OMG Japan is such a fun place. I had been in Japan for some time, but sadly came back after that. Japan is such a nice place only if we know the language. My language learning ability is just too bad, I thought it would be easy, but after 2 years' of learning, I'm still not even at N3 level, with quite some difficulty even in daily life communications.😭😭😭I have to go back to my safety zone for some safe life now. I hope I can re-visit Japan someday after I really get some confidence in Japanese. It is really well said that we need to know the language before going to anywhere we want to live abroad.
The only bad (and the worst at the same time)part about studying and living abroad as a students is that you have to accept that one day, it's over, it's never going to happen again and it's up to you to be happy. I struggled with that for an entire year after coming home from my exchange year in the USA. My parents even started to think that it might have been a bad idea that they sent me there, because I was really depressed for a long time. Then I accepted it and I feel happy ever since then. It's hard, but it was amazing and now it can only be as amazing as I make it be...
The worst part for me is that me and my floormates were all super close and now we'll never live together again. We can visit eachother sure but it'll never be the same again. Especially because we were from all across the world. We had 2 australians, a Dane, Thai, Korean. Japanese, and me and we hung out like every day. Meeting up with all of us is basically impossible and even if we do it it'll be temporary... depression af
Reverse culture shock is awful. It makes you want to hang in the past and unable to cope with the present. It takes a lot of acceptance and reality checking to come to terms with it.
I'm going to study abroad for four months next October, to Osaka Gakuin University in Suita. I was in Osaka for 18 or so days back in 2019 just before COVID, which was also my first ever trip to Japan. I'm heckin' hyped, but filing all the paperwork can be a hassle and a half. A wonderful video, it reminded me how much fun I had back in 2019, and how convenient and fun Osaka is in comparison to many other locales. Even though the crime rate is high, it's still Japan's crime rates, so yeah. I do hope everything goes well and I get to Japan without issue!
Dont skip Meiji factory, Asahi Factory, Cup noodle Factory, Panasonic escalator factory, Suntory Whiskey factory on the wayyyyyyy :( Btw Takatsuki is where i live ;D its in the middle; it's very convenient and cheap. Like a mini Osaka and prostitutes ;D
I had a study abroad in korea last year and while there are some differences, It was a very similar experience to you. Honestly, if I was better with foreign language and actually learned Korean, I could see myself wanting to live there. The public transit and amazing food was hard to say goodbye too
@@kunai9809 You dont think I hear or talked to people about that while I was there? I 100% see the reasons why people want to leave, like bad gender roles, mandatory military time, crazy low fertility rates, etc. The biggest reason why it's hell especially for young kids is, crazy education expectations, long work weeks, low opportunities. If I was remoting working there, alot of the big downsides are reduced. But you are right, I would probably sooner move to japan or Germany
Traveling and living are different. In that respect, I don't think there is any country that is as different as South Korea. The older Koreans get, the less happy they become. It is said that the breaking point is around 50 years old. Japan is currently a society where more than 1.5 million people are dying, but we are holding on. South Korea will probably be overwhelmed by an aging population.
@@AbimaelLopez-hz3qq most countries isn't diverse, homogeneous is the norm, diversity isn't, diversity bring a lot of issue but provide no real benefit.
Being a typical westerner from a rich privileged country who litters foreign currency left and right while local economy tanks and spends each day being stuck in honey moon phase kinda helps.
I studied abroad/was an international student in the US during my uni time. First in California then moved to ohio. That shit was the loneliest time for me. Couldn't make any friends because all students already had their own friend group before joining uni and non were interested in making friendships with classmates. Didn't help that I never owned a car, so I was stuck on campus for most of my years. Maybe I should have went to Japan or somewhere in Europe with a good public transportation system.
Im studying in Japan rightn now but since I'm in highschool and have a host family the experience is very different. Me and my family's personality is quite dofferent, which has resulted in a lot of hard times. Also, I can't really hang out with other's than my family that much, since all of my callsmates ar usually busy. Still, there are a lot of great stuff I've learned from living here etc. While I think that this maybe I had more fun while I lived in Finland, the things I've learned here are very important and will help me on the long run. I've also had many experience that while not fun perse, are still important to me and make me more happy and fulfilled. I hope to be able to come back here to stufy while im university.
Now imagine experiencing tens of other countries instead of just returning to japan 8 times. You know, see the world. learn cultures. Not just go "im not a weeb but im a weeb"
@@Pendji You really shouldn't just assume that type of stuff about other without enough information. I've travelled to tens of countries and experienced their culture in different amounts. Also my plan is to take transfer years to different countries one of which I'd like to be Japan. Also wouldn't it be kinda stupid to try and learn a country's culture, language, and way of life yet never go back to said country. Also I don't get your weeb point. Wouldn't living in Japan for a long time make someone not a weeb (if by weeb you mean the negative meaning, like weeaboo or japanophile). If you mean to just say that I like anime and manga, then yeah that's true. Not saying it ain't and also it isn't a bad thing. I just really don't get the point of your comment, like are you saying it's bad to be especially interested in one country over others? Aren't most people like that? Most people are mainly just interested in their home country and live there their whole lives. What's with you being so passive agressive towards me for being interested in Japan? It sounds like you just have a problem with people liking Japan especially. Maybe try being more chill next time.
Currently on my study abroad exchange in Sweden and I wholeheartedly agree that this is one of the single best decision I made in my life, I learn to operate independently and every day felt amazing to experience. It is like time has slowed down compared to when I live back in my home country studying (these last six months felt so long compared to six months back home). I get to easily visit other countries and Swedish cities, and I met a lot of amazing people from around the world (almost died from excessive drinking my god). Of course, not every day is as exciting, somedays I like to take a break and just focus on myself but this opportunity has been absolutely fantastic, and I am already dreading the day I am going back.
@@outofreach714 I'm from Hong Kong, so the differences between Sweden and where I'm from is like night and day. Hong Kong is cramped and filled with skyscrapers everywhere, exact opposite of Sweden with so much space and smaller buildings around. Plus weather in HK is atrocious, humid and hot with clouds every day, Sweden during summer you get to see blue skies and while hot, it is not humid so it doesn't feel as bad.
I went last June for 3 weeks and I agree,the best part is the friends you and conversations you have from people willing to talk to you. I only speak a little Japanese to get me by but I still had tonnes of fun. ALSO idk if anyone cares but the Cafe Leblanc from Persona 5 exist in Tokyo and the guy who owns is really cool and I love him and if you ever go there because of me…say an Irish RUclipsr sent u
The only reasons anyone wants ot talk to you in Japan are: 1) To practice their English for free (or lose any interest in you immediately if you tell them you're not from US) 2) Spit out common stereotypes about other countries if you're not from US ("what, you're from Russia? Putin, matroshka, vodka"? Every damn single time, from many different people across the country) 3) Ask you when your leaving. 4) To keep you as a pet/accessory to boast to their friends (ie "check out token foreigner friend!"). After couple conversations when they've squeezed all the info they wanted from you your existence is erased from their memory. You'll never become the "uchi" (inside circle, like family and sometimes very close friends), sometimes even to the family after you've married to a Japanese person and entered the koseki family register. Meaning you'll never become a real friend, just some one time acquaintance. You'll always stay as "soto" (outside circle, anyone else) and be kept at a distance, communicated with by using forced politeness. So don't misunderstand people being nice to you as friendship. Especially in a country where the whole society is sheerly built on and operates by keeping the facade of politeness.
@@HaohmaruHL ....did...did you read what I said about the Persona guy? He doesn't fall under any of your points. We talked for like 4 hours,he watches and comments under my youtube videos and gave me his vr chat username. That's a lot for somoene who's faking being nice. I completely understand the fake politeness,but its not all of them,I made a lot genuine connections over there. Buy ay man.....maybe I'm just naive
@@Mayorski well yeah, there are different weird or shunned minorities anywhere basically. You can easily become an exile here for non conforming to societal norms so maybe he has finally found someone to talk to.
Woah I was in Japan at the same time as you were lol! I actually felt the earthquake, I was in the Nagano prefecture. This video really captures the vibe of the experience lmaooo
I got to spend a year living in Kansai in 2022, also for studying abroad. And let me tell you it was a once in a lifetime blessing to be able to see all of Kyoto's beauty without a single tourist in sight. All in all, we had the same experience and I will 100% go to live there again, just not in Tokyo.
4:47 EXACTLYYYY!!! I also went to japan and the fact that i spoke japanese made my expirience 20000x better!! My japanese is of the most basics or basics, i could bearly keep up a convo, but that made it so that i would be treated like a KING! In this small city named Shirakawa--go, which is a UNESCO cultural treasure (i don't remeber the full name tag that the city earned) and full of turist, because i could speak japanese, they made me skip lines some locals shop owners even gave me gifts! Plus, i loved going there, it was super duper beautiful! Really! If you plan on going to japan, please do learn some japanese, even to the most basics of levels. Oh, make sure to also visit Shirakawa-go, they have old edo period houses.
I lived in Japan for 4 years, moving back. Honestly the universal red flag that people are going to have a bad time is not knowing the language. It’s true in any country, but especially in a culture like Japan, your ability to integrate is going to be directly correlated with your happiness. And your ability to integrate is going to be directly correlated with your language ability first and foremost. It’s fine not to “buy into” every cultural idiosyncrasy, but “when it Rome” is something people need to live by. Most miserable foreigners I’ve met in Japan were nigh illiterate, made no effort to integrate, and were always looking at how Japan was doing this or that “wrong.” No country is perfect, but it’s just a recipe for a bad time to live like this. The other thing is a lot of people stereotype hard… they assume all Japanese people are nice or racist and seem to willingly ignore examples that don’t fit their very specific conception of the country. This is also much easier to upkeep when you don’t have any language skills. Tl;Dr fucking study language if you’re studying or living abroad anywhere
100% agree with everything you said. Especially the stereotyping of japanese people... so many people talk about them like they're some sort of hive mind it's weird
@@TheStellarJayWell, they're really pretty much in a hive mind. I've met plenty of Japanese. They don't seem to think outside the square. Only a few, very few ones I've met really think outside the square.
@@eigelgregossweisse9563 Same and the ones who do think different ended up living in Canada for many many reasons. This goes for South Koreans as well. I worked in a Japanese Sushi Restaurant as their Tempura fryer as well as some of the head chef duties for 4 years. I got to learn many words and foods, but I was mostly the one teaching english and telling folks where to find some good food, and places to visit. I was a tour guide essentially for like 4 years. There's just so much going on that a foreigner doesn't get and most likely will never get because they are guests, but if you talk to the ones who know, who grew up and experienced things for a good 2 decades. Then you'll know. It's like people thinking Canadians are nice. We are, just not in the way you think and not all of are anymore.
I went to Japan recently, and the worst part of my trip was that my flight got delayed and I landed at like 10 pm, but hanging out with my brother in Japan was cool
I have done the exact same thing just a year ago :D Lived in Osaka, hated tokyo, love nara (Shame on your for not putting it in A!) and mate some awesome people. Just living there was so much more interesting and fun than living in my home country. Though the one key difference why I was so happy when I finally got back: I failed at learning japanese (the fifth language was just to much for mah tiny brain). So, ye peeps, what he said was absolutely correct: if you go there and can't speak japanese, the amount of people you genuinly connect can be counted on one hand.
In the United States, even if you can speak English fluently, the amount of people you genuinely connect can be counted on one hand. At least, that's been my experience.
as a tourist who recently visited Japan, i enjoyed it from an outsiders perspective, but when the thought of living there occured to me, it felt so suffocating, this is especially evident if you visit the parks after work, use their public transports etc... it felt so suffocating. Japanese people are screaming from the inside, but societal and traditional pressure keeps them in line.
Yeah i regret not studying abroad. Also, i just listened to Hollow Knight OST before this video, so you opening up with some HK music was hella weird but also based.
Wait did you study abroad in Japan during the fall semester? because if so there is genuinely a chance the Danish dude was one of my classmates. I'm doing Japanese Studies and we had our mandatory exchange to Japan this fall semester
What are your thoughts on Japanese Studies? I live in denmark as well and I am starting Pharmacy, but I'm also interested in Japanese Studies (a huge reason being Japan itself as I dream of living there one day).
@@alibalibi595 I can only speak for the KU one but I doubt Aarhus would be much different. I quite enjoy it but it is a very intense language course. You are expected to do a lot of language learning in your free time so that's one thing to keep in mind. If you can handle that then it is quite good. Pharmacy and Japanese studies are a very good combo since both Denmark and Japan have strong pharmaceutical industries. Also, Takeda Pharma is one of the biggest in the world and has a Danish subsidiary so they would definitely want someone who can bridge between them
As a fellow person studying in Kansai (Kyoto) i really appretiate the vid :D Especially calling out people that dont speak Japanese and complain about social life. I was afraid of Japan for it, but I can do Japanese pretty well so I ended up having many friends in and outside of Uni. It was just a great experience. Also, if you can use appsm, websites, or maps and street signs in Japanese, its really convinient and travel friendly country. ちなみに、もしかしたら留学は関西学院大学に？そこ素敵なのよね、キャンパスとか綺麗やし。。。。日本の大学もどりてぇ～ Also, i love the study kanji by studying words advice. I also struggeled for too long for no reason there.
way to go to keep up anki even when you were in Japan. Since i went in October I broke my 3+ year streak. Getting back into it now. Really does help, even thought I've been reading every day and talking once a week. Way to go dude!
I studied a year abroad in the Netherlands against my families wishes and it was the best year of my life for all the same reasons. Ended up becoming fluent in Dutch after only a couple of months without even trying (just listening to conversations on the train/bus). I really enjoyed hearing your enthusiasm, reminded me a lot of my own experience!
Yamagata City is very underrated. Yamagata City is a rural area, so you don't see many foreign tourists outside of tourist spots. However, the food, magnificent nature, and hot springs are comparable to other prefectures. If you want to relax in Japan, we recommend that travelers visit Yamagata City by new Yamagata Shinkansen（bullet train）.
Honestly these problems aren't exclusive to Tokyo, any metropol is like that, Paris, Madrid, Istanbul, if it has many skyscrapers it is a telltale sign of the city being business oriented. If you wanna live in another country, avoid highly populated cities
Tokyo is by far the largest Metropolis in the world by population with 40 million people by 2023. The second most populous city has 10 million people less. But honestly it was fine without the tourists
Nah, different strokes for different folks my guy. I've been all over Japan and Tokyo is still my favourite place but that's because so much of the media I adore is based on it. If I was a diehard Yakuza fanboy I would probably love Osaka and if I actually ever went outside to touch grass I'd prefer the countryside or one of the more historic cities (actually, Kyoto is my second favourite but that's because cycling there is a dream). Same goes for London - I've spent way too much time in that dirty gross city but it has so much more going on than anywhere else in the UK. Can't say much about Paris but Madrid is kinda mid tho, ngl.
Pleeeeaaaseeee make more Japan videos. I’m going abroad to Kansai Gaidai in 2 semester and am so excited. Loved this video it really helped me scope out japan
I got back from japan about 3 weeks ago, and god I have the same feeling of needing to go back. I was just travelling, but now I'm very motivated to start learning and really grow so I can study abroad or potentailly get a job there. This video rocks
Absolutely abhorrent. Like, we should cover that in history class almost as much as the holocaust level of abhorrent. All I got was a passing mention of Nanking. No details, nothing about Korra, nothing about their internal sex slave industry, nada. We got a few documentaries on WWII germany's actions, and that was it.
More like the “Japanese army” not Japan. A country’s government and military does not represent its people. It’s the people with money and power who are at fault. Civilians from both sides suffered because of them. The army had too much power. Never a good thing. More people need to know the difference to avoid misunderstandings and stop the cycle of war.
@@RasupubegasuI think it’s better to say a country can change, not that it defined its people. The Japanese mindset was widespread, which is why civilians would sign up to be kamikaze pilots. There are horror stories of Japanese women pushing their kids off cliffs than jumping just so they wouldn’t get captured. But most of that was the governments fault tbh.
I studied abroad in Japan for 6 months back when I was in college, and just like you i wish i could have stayed. Its been 9 years and rhe feeling still hasn't changed.
Never raise your kids in Japan. They won’t talk to you when they get older. Probably only once or twice a year. Talking to parents regularly is considered embarrassing things in Japan. That’s why there is high rate of loneliness death. Japan is cool only for visiting as a tourist, but not for living.
@@canberrabob8064 That’s part of it. I was born and raised in Japan and this is my observation. There are many people who don’t talk to their parents for a year, especially those who live part. People are grown to be indifferent to their family.
I'm a military kid so I've been to a lot of places in this world. Spent 9 years in Japan and graduated by hiroshima. Just returned home to Texas. Miss Japan, especially Tokyo and Osaka. Was there when all the sega arcades weren't gigo. Loved dotonbori and the retro arcades at sinsekai. Hondori street will always have a special place in my heart since its where I spent my final day in Japan with my friends.
Two advices no matter where you go. One is that you got to be rich as money speaks louder than anything no matter where you go to live. Second is you have to realize you are not them and never will be, so you have to abide to their culture and rules,not the other way around. You yourself have to learn their language and learn to adapt their way of life. As long these two condition are met, any place will be paradise.
absolutely love the video and agree with a lot of points... except for the public transport part, let me clarify i stayed in both kyoto and osaka for several days and man was it amazing. in kyoto (while i was there) the bus was a standard fare of around 290 yen (less than $2). if you took the bus for an hour, you paid 290 yen, if you took the bus for one stop, you paid 290 yen. it was absolutely incredible. the lines were clear, the people were super friendly and overall it was a great experience. great video tho! :D
This is a youtuber's perspective and not of a foreigner who actually has to work a real job to survive there. >doesn't ride the morning train >doesn't get randomly searched by police at least once a week >doesn't get to work overtime for free >doesn't get to pay Japanese taxes on top of American taxes what the youtuber gets to do: >make a video about Japan and collect a decent paycheck >spend it all on fun things in Japan because they have uber free time >positive feedback loop
I just returned from a semester in Barcelona and I totally feel you lol. Being back SUCKS, it was such an incredible experience. Worst part is that everyone gets tired of hearing you talk about it after 5 minutes haha.
I have nothing against the japanese for not wanting a lot of immigrants. As a Swede, while there are absolutely great people among them and I know some for the most part our crime rates and drug abuse rate has just gone up way too much. What happened to my safe country? I'm all for legal immigrants but most of these illegal ones is ruining so much. We never used to have any shootings but what happened now?
(I am Japanese) I saw this message and learned about the fear of illegal immigrants. The older the Japanese age group, the narrower the field of vision, and the lower the age group, the less they know the world. I'm the only one, but I'm rooting for Sweden.
I tend to vote left wing in my country (netherlands) as I'm disabled, but hot damn we have too many immigrants. When you prioritize housing the illegal immigrants over your own citizens i get a little peeved
@@nerida3347 That is one of the things I am most annoyed about. We pay high taxes in Sweden for it just to go to illegals that mooch off the government and move back once the war in their area is over.
You can learn it for your own good like for the input of your favorite shows/games. Because learning it for working in Japan would mean you'd simply have to get better at Japanese just to get better at worshipping your boss and butter up to him as polite as possible. Not really a motiving final goal for learning a language, huh. I remember my first year and a half in Japan, attending the language school. Being so positive and naive. Finally getting some peace after finally being free from my piece of sh country. Every day felt like an adventure with so much to explore, just like the guy in this video. Little did I know, lol. No wonder there are so many foreigners living here looking for mental health professionals..
@@HaohmaruHL You hate Japan, yet you're using a character designed by a Japanese person as your icon? You're probably a psychopath. Let me give you some advice. You will be hated by people not only in Japan but wherever you go in the world. In fact, right now you are being ridiculed and laughed at by the people around you. Isn't that a fact?
The more videos come out saying how "bad" Japan is, the more I want to move there. Of course if you don't do some research before moving, it'll be a shock. Heck, it doesn't even have to be moving, it can just be visiting. Many people go thru the infamous "Paris Syndrome", they arrive with an idealized version of the place to discover that is... just a city where people live... Here's my advice: watch a lot of videos, testimonies, interviews, articles, etc. about the country, the do's and don't's, how hospitals/doctors work there, how the trash and recycling is done, how work culture is and many other things. I've been doing this for years and yes, my conclusion is that there's way more pros than cons (at least for me personally).
Great learning advice in your video, very based. I would be careful of doing listening with Japanese subtitles though as reading tends to improve faster for people from what i’ve seen and their listening can get left behind if they start to rely on the subs. But it is really great advice.
True, I had this problem at a certain point and forced myself to turn off subs on simpler shows/movies. Plus the regular classes taught in japanese were REALLY hard and obviously no subtitles so I had to get a lot better at listening comp
I did two trips to Japan this year, 1st was to Kyoto took the train once and all other time opted to just use Taxi, with the Go app, favorite part was going to Uji which was a short train ride from Kyoto. Second time was Tokyo and used train everywhere, Shinjuku was disgusting, I did like the Tokyo tower area and Shibuya. Would definitely like to go back and explore more or figure out how to live there. I speak very little Japanese but found it not very difficult to meet people, it was definitely easier to meet people in Tokyo than Kyoto, just need a lil Sake :P Great video!
🤩😭OMG Japan is such a fun place. I had been in Japan for some time, but sadly I came back after that. Japan is such a nice place only if we know the language. My language learning ability is just too bad, I thought it would be easy, but after 2 years' of learning, I'm still not even at N3 level, with quite some difficulty even in daily life communications.😭😭😭I have to go back to my safety zone for some safe life now. I hope I can re-visit Japan someday after I really get some confidence in Japanese. It is really well said that we need to know the language before going to anywhere we want to live abroad.💖
Bruhhhh me and my wife are sitting up here laughing our asses off watching and listening to your video. We've been living in Yamaguchi Prefecture Iwakuni for about a year now and we definitely relate to everything you're saying. I just subscribed lol
I bought the entire Oshi No Ko series while I was in japan as an excuse to help learn/practice and I've been putting off learning but have now given me enough resources and advice to start up again
I agree on the region, I want to live in Japan where I'm like 30min - 1hr from a major city, but I have my peaceful town to stroll around in normally and enjoy nature. Somewhere like the outskirts of Nara, Niigata or Okayama. The best of both worlds imo
I used to live in Japan as a kid and I wish I could go back to appreciate it more. I lived in Yokosuka but I was just too young to know where to want to go or appreciate but i remember one thing. The food was amazing I loved every sushi go round place, every yakitoori place, and even the places that weren’t Japanese. I had the best Indian food I’ve ever had there in a restaurant called Delicious. This video really reinsured my want to go back there.
Love Osaka, such an underrated place, lived there for 3 years during covid it was absolutely incredible, literally close by nara/kyoto/kobe, can get anywhere within 30 mins, the GOAT
There are westerners who live here for like 20 years and can only say konnichiwa and arigato because they live in a blissful English bubble and probably have their wife do all the japan-side stuff. It's like being an eternal tourist.
It's a real shame my university course doesn't have a study abroad option. From what I hear from anyone who has done one, if you really prepare and try your best it can be one of the best experiences of your life. I've also heard lots of people absolutely hate it but nothing is perfect of course. Glad to hear you had such a positive experience!
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Check out War Thunder and use my link for a free large bonus back with boosters, vehicles, and more: playwt.link/stellarjay
"日本語上手" count currently at 8 million and counting.
LET'S GOOO UPLOAD!
BELL RING GANG WHERE U AT!
ええぇぇ、すげえぇ。日本語上手だよね！
that's exactly what I clicked on this video for!
@@BF1_enthusiastRIGHT HERE
Dear Stellar Jay how about you start another Channel where u post about your travel experience and other languages as well as countries u could make it a bit less effort then the gaming channel videos so you will still enjoy the time u have over there
Name of that channel could be star Jay (like hotel stars and shi)
In an age of RUclips where everyone strives to be so damn professional. Your structured, high quality unprofessionalism is a fucking joy to watch. Take my damn sub.
Idk about you but timeline is filled with RUclipsrs with an unprofessional tone.
Bros glazing like crazy 😭
@@fvai8203 likewise, also op is glazing hard
The expression "glazing" gets me everytime 🤣🤣@@tomdcsupercat8111
what professional youtubers are you watching dawg 😭
I did a year of graduate school in New Zealand and I 100% agree with you saying that if you have the opportunity you have to study abroad. It was genuinely one of the best years of my life and I seriously miss it every day.
as a kiwi im glad to hear you loved our country that much
Whereabouts did u study if I may ask
Bruh I can only go to Pantheon Paris if I want to have a year or two outside, but why would I ever do it😂? Paris is so shitty, hobo ridden and dirty, not to mention expensive. I was there in person, most of France also.
@funkybassmqn6012
Nice I want to move there one day
Nice I want to move there one day
I like how, in a video about Japan, your gameplay strategy for the sponsored game is the kamikaze. Nice.
Spicy.
no chill xD
Works every time ;P
Safe edgy moment
HE HEARTED IT HE KNOWS.
"Walking from one end of Tokyo station to the other is like crossing the Maginotline" is a wild quote💀
Tokyo Station doesn't even end it just connects to the next station... then the next one...
Germans: *Heavy breathing*
Sorry you didn't go to Japan and become Japanese bro.
@@jtho8937Germans: Easy, gg no re
😂😂
1:50 "my train was late one time"
germans laughing and crying in the corner: look what the need to mimic a fraction of our power
He was lucky not living on a JR line. They are late and stop for any minimal bad weather all the time. Somehow the other lines in the same area are always fine under the same conditions. One exception is when the trains are stopped because of "personal injury".
Same here in Belgium,its getting ridiculous nowadays. All that while they spike up the prices. Tempting to get my driver license.
@@noobgam6331ikr
aussie trains sitting in the corner:
Power? Having shitty public transport isn't powerful lol.
Japanese people treat you like guests, but they constantly remind you that you are a guest.
Mate of mine went to rural Japan for 6 months, before university started. He told me that he had never experienced such open hostility and racism.
@@leviathan5207yeah that checks out from what I've heard...
A total red flag for raising a child there
@@leviathan52076 months is nothing. Especially if he spend it with some family of kind ojiichan and obaachan playing doll house drinking tea every day like in those family exchange vlogs.
But Japanese people never engage in a conflict or start a fight in the open like americans always do. They often do it passively aggressively behind your back instead while keeping up the mask of politeness (tatemae). They have to, because most businesses in Japan are client-centric and client is considered God. So they have to smile and be polite out necessity. There are times when the service person who just treated a Japanese guy in line before you politely and happily suddenly switches to a dull unimpressed character when it comes to your turn.
Instead of direct confrontation you're simply snitched on to the higher ups like boss/police for thinking you were suspicious (ie, didn't look or behave like a Japanese person). You're viewed as a suspicious outsider alien and sometimes even an eyesore. They feel wary around foreigners as if you're about to paunce them or something because you're an outsider (literally gaijin, a person from outside) and they don't know what to expect from you. It causes people refusing to sit next to you in crowded trains or stand up and move to another seat or even car (sometimes mumbling grumpy while at it), people crossing to other side of the road just so they don't walk towards you on the sidewalk, people silently running away scared like hell when trying to ask the way in Japanese, talking shet about you standing right next to you (especially in Tokyo) thinking you don't understand them. Go anywhere where 2 or 3 people out of 10 are foreigners an you start hearing vocal complaints like "gaijin ooi naa" (there's too many foreigners, huh) from people around. They feel uncomfortable just by being around us, especially if they become the minority. At one of my previous part time jobs we had different ratio of foreigners and Japanese working together every day due to shifts, but one day we had a shift with mostly foreigners and only 2 Japanese (one being the boss but he was too busy being around). That other Japanese guy being the only one among foreigners kept repeating whole day how he's scared and uncomfortable for being "alone". As if they don't even view foreigners as humans but some low sub-human organisms.
Try such fun time shenanigans like trying to find an apartment to live that doesn't allow any foreigners even if you have a Japanese guarantor. You're mostly limited to those companies who actually openly rent to foreigners like UR. The agencies themselves may take you in but it's when they call the actual home owners is when you start being rejected. It's becomes even funnier when you naturalize (become Japanese by jurisdiction, but not by face).
During that famous global event foreigners who briefly left Japan for various reasons weren't allowed back for several months, even those who had permanent residency and families here. Just because they were foreigners and apparently only foreigners spread the virus. Japan has quickly shown its real face and that foreigners aren't welcomed here. That in difficult times like Japan just can easily shun us away, despite us being actual tax payers and contributors to the society. They left the ban only thanks to all the bad press and pressure the outside world to let at least the residents in. This attitude is even backed up by the state TV who made a ridiculous report about foreigners spreading more virus simply because they speak foreign languages so virus flows out of their mouths with more force due to sounds like P. While such divine language as Japanese doesn't do that. I wish I was joking. Google "Japan this is a pen" video.
There are also nationalist groups who drive their trucks blasting their nationalistic slogans and music through megaphones. You can sometimes find them parked in public places like around metro stations where they are vocal against foreigners, especially local koreans (zainichi, residents who came before war or their descendants).
You don't see all that when you're a freshly arrived lightheaded westerner on his holidays gawking at all the colorful store signs like in his Japanese anime.
@@archithroughthe worst part would be allowing your child to go through the same horrible education system that crushes any semblance of individuality and critical thinking, and raises slave robots who throw away their lives for the sake of work and who can only butter up to bosses.
This video couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I’m graduating college in a few months and have been looking for a teaching position, when I stumbled into a job in Alaska. Mind you, Japan and the Alaskan bush are hardly comparable. But hearing you gush about your own experience definitely makes going to Alaska seem like less of an abstract.
Hope you have fun over in Alaska, I think you should bring a fishing pole
Yo, same here. I'm almost done with my master's in computer science, and I was thinking about doing my PhD in Japan. BirdPerson made it sound really easy!
I watched the video in 2x speed so I could finish it before everyone
hustling everyday
Get your head in the game bud, install the youtube enhancer extension and next time watch it at 16x
@@Popotato7777that’s a thing? Is there 0.61x?
@@Popotato7777bro we need a 0.69x😅
@@alex.g7317 Out there probably, but the enhancer only goes up and down by decimals, minimun is 0.1
i love your bg music choices, especially from monogatari and sonny boy, youre real for that
I tried to study abroad twice, and both times I was smited by divine powers to stop me.
Well okay not really, but i did land critical injuries that required surgury and months of physical therapy which forced me to cancel both programs. I've wanted to travel and study abroad so badly and it sucked to be accepted into two programs and still been unable to make it.
Thanks for posting the video. Maybe this is the kick in the pants I need to try again. Third times the charm?
Keep us updated as to which bone breaks on you this time.
I cast mega aids
Take good care of your health brother
@@lonestarr1490 crazy 💀😭😭
Same thing happened to me. I tried to study abroad twice, and now I am finally studying abroad after my 3rd try.
My 1st try I got accepted in Fall 2019 and was supposed to study abroad in Fall 2020, but covid happened.
So travel was shut down.
My 2nd try was in Fall 2022 for 2023.
I had to reapply through my uni's study abroad office.
They required letters of recommendation, but the same professors I had didn't work there anymore.
So I tried different professors, but one professor gave me a bad recommendation without telling me, so I was denied to study abroad.
I even tried to appeal it for months.
My 3rd try was in Spring 2023.
I applied to a foreign university directly and got accepted.
I finally studied abroad in Europe and I am here for almost 1 year now.
Now matter how difficult or out of control life may be, never give up on your dreams.
I finally reached my goal, even though it took time.
Be patient.
I definitely recommend studying abroad in a country that is not your native language.
It will open your eyes.
It will look good on your record/resume too.
Keep trying! You are not alone. As long as you follow your heart, you will reach your dreams eventually! :)
Holy shit this is exactly what I needed, thank you RUclips. I went study abroad in Tokyo at around the same time as you, you get used to all the people after like a months lol. One thing I would say is that you missed Sapporo! I went there during the snow festival in feb and had an amazing time there -spending all my money on snow miku merchs-
Im sorry that you had to interact with a Danish person, hope you can recover mentally soon
My liver may never recover
@@TheStellarJay Denmark mention LETS GOOO
@@thehalf-dane4907My condolences...
At least it wasn't Swedish
@@TheStellarJay Good to know you were exposed to some Danish culture
Really loved this video. Loved seeing what the experience was like in Japan itself (not a bunch of edits, or over-the-top optimism but literal personal opinion). As a person that really wants to experience Japan & loves and respects Japanese culture, looks like learning the language is definitely necessary to experience Japan to the best it can be. I've actually tried learning JP a few times but ....yea....consistency....is literally the one word that encapsulates language learning. I'll put in an order for a calendar now. Having a calendar in front of me, and ticking it is actually a really good way of showing how consistent I've been at it. And then when I'm ready I'll go over those tips perhaps. Thanks again, enjoyed this video :)
Glad you liked it thanks for the tip!
Finally I found a person that respects it and doesn't just want an anime utopia these are the ppl we need going to Japan to show them who we are
@@KOMBO- exactly! thats my mindset too and i hope there are even more who agree.
So happy that you had a amazing time in Japan! And I agree that studying abroad opens up to so many cool experiences! Hope you'll stay in touch with the friends you made in Japan!
Great video, thanks for real advice from real experience! I'm studying Japanese as well, Anki is really helpful, but the best thing is consistency!
Dude thank you so much! It has been YEARS since ive seen a Japan video with info that wasnt already in a hundred other youtube Japan videos.
This video was very enjoyable!! I also love the fact that you put Toe over the last few seconds, incredible band with incredible music
DUUUUDE TOKINI ANDY'S THE GOOAT, glad that channel got some rep, literally my only source of consistent Japanese study (except anki and mining) for 1.5 years.
I actually cannot recommend his n5 grammar playlist enough to people who want to start learning japanese, and its also great for intermediate grammar as well as he goes up to n2.
Really cool to hear. I'm actually going to study japanese in Japan the next academic year ( if everything goes well that is...) i can't wait !
I hope everything works out!
Greets from Japan
I wanna do that too, is it expensive?? What are the procedures, PLEASE TELL ME
I lived in Tokyo 4 years for university, and I didn't know Kyoto had that little public transport going, despite the amount of tourists coming in
I also relate the part of being close to students from outside of Japan
it also made me wanna learn their languages
cool video 👍 it made me reminisce the fun times I had studying abroad
there were a lot of downs, but I had a lot of irreplacable moments there
I might go back to work there one day
Happy to hear you had a great experience over there-- especially with meeting new people and quickly being able to make friends with them. Being able to live in another culture like that sounds dope and is an awesome thing to have under your belt as a life accomplishment.
3:14
A man has fallen into the river in Lego city
I’m studying in Tokyo rn, but me and my friends are planning to visit Osaka this summer, cause it seems like a chill place. I admit that Tokyo is only a “big city” but I met so many cool people here and there’s always some new club/cafe/store/place to discover in here that it never feels boring.
Sorry but TOKYO has waaaay more to offer than OSAKA. Just saying. and btw TOKYO is the largest and richest city on earth.
The highest buildings are in tokyo AKIHABARA is in TOKYO and SHIBUYA is in TOKYO and so on... OSAKA is ok... but if you wish long time fun. TOKYO ALL THE FU WAY !!
@@flynmai1369 OMG Japan is such a fun place. I had been in Japan for some time, but sadly came back after that. Japan is such a nice place only if we know the language. My language learning ability is just too bad, I thought it would be easy, but after 2 years' of learning, I'm still not even at N3 level, with quite some difficulty even in daily life communications.😭😭😭I have to go back to my safety zone for some safe life now. I hope I can re-visit Japan someday after I really get some confidence in Japanese. It is really well said that we need to know the language before going to anywhere we want to live abroad.
The only bad (and the worst at the same time)part about studying and living abroad as a students is that you have to accept that one day, it's over, it's never going to happen again and it's up to you to be happy. I struggled with that for an entire year after coming home from my exchange year in the USA. My parents even started to think that it might have been a bad idea that they sent me there, because I was really depressed for a long time. Then I accepted it and I feel happy ever since then. It's hard, but it was amazing and now it can only be as amazing as I make it be...
The worst part for me is that me and my floormates were all super close and now we'll never live together again. We can visit eachother sure but it'll never be the same again. Especially because we were from all across the world. We had 2 australians, a Dane, Thai, Korean. Japanese, and me and we hung out like every day. Meeting up with all of us is basically impossible and even if we do it it'll be temporary... depression af
Reverse culture shock is awful. It makes you want to hang in the past and unable to cope with the present. It takes a lot of acceptance and reality checking to come to terms with it.
If you want to you can plan to live here in the future. Long term goals are healthy.
@@TheStellarJay All you can do is smile because it happened, man :)
Acceptance is a sad way to get over something
Thanks a lot, this will help me pick where I go after I finish schooling in the marines
I'm going to study abroad for four months next October, to Osaka Gakuin University in Suita. I was in Osaka for 18 or so days back in 2019 just before COVID, which was also my first ever trip to Japan. I'm heckin' hyped, but filing all the paperwork can be a hassle and a half.
A wonderful video, it reminded me how much fun I had back in 2019, and how convenient and fun Osaka is in comparison to many other locales. Even though the crime rate is high, it's still Japan's crime rates, so yeah. I do hope everything goes well and I get to Japan without issue!
4:27 the doki doki music in the background 🥹
I remember...
i got ptsd from the song
Osaka is such a great place! I Loved the quick train ride over to Kyoto too for the shrines
Dont skip Meiji factory, Asahi Factory, Cup noodle Factory, Panasonic escalator factory, Suntory Whiskey factory on the wayyyyyyy :(
Btw Takatsuki is where i live ;D its in the middle; it's very convenient and cheap. Like a mini Osaka and prostitutes ;D
Ngl never disapointed when the bird uploads happy you had an amazing time my man!
I had a study abroad in korea last year and while there are some differences, It was a very similar experience to you. Honestly, if I was better with foreign language and actually learned Korean, I could see myself wanting to live there. The public transit and amazing food was hard to say goodbye too
visiting is different from living there. Many describe it as hell.
just google "75% of young want to escape South Korean ‘Hell’"
@@kunai9809 You dont think I hear or talked to people about that while I was there? I 100% see the reasons why people want to leave, like bad gender roles, mandatory military time, crazy low fertility rates, etc. The biggest reason why it's hell especially for young kids is, crazy education expectations, long work weeks, low opportunities. If I was remoting working there, alot of the big downsides are reduced. But you are right, I would probably sooner move to japan or Germany
@@RamenEnjoyer404Japanese and Koreans are not having kids. You might have helped them.
@@RamenEnjoyer404Japanese and Koreans too having no kids.you might have also helped them by saying how relaxed western culture is.
Traveling and living are different.
In that respect, I don't think there is any country that is as different as South Korea.
The older Koreans get, the less happy they become.
It is said that the breaking point is around 50 years old.
Japan is currently a society where more than 1.5 million people are dying, but we are holding on.
South Korea will probably be overwhelmed by an aging population.
I'm guessing not
Agreed
My Japanese friends left Japan it’s not a diverse country
@@AbimaelLopez-hz3qq most countries isn't diverse, homogeneous is the norm, diversity isn't, diversity bring a lot of issue but provide no real benefit.
@DccAnh last part of that comment is crazy
@@keatonfuller7287 crazy ? What benefit does diversity bring to the table ?
How did you manage to last without subtitles
Being a typical westerner from a rich privileged country who litters foreign currency left and right while local economy tanks and spends each day being stuck in honey moon phase kinda helps.
@@HaohmaruHL lmao what, most overseas students are not privileged, they save just enough money to make the trip over
@@MateoC-f4n
You mean Vietnamese who keep working here illegally 3 jobs at the same time 400 hours a month and then get problems with immigration?
@@HaohmaruHL hes studying abroad lmao, and he had a really good time ur literally hating for no reason stay broke
@@Spudster203
I first came to Japan as a study abroad myself. Tell me about it..
I studied abroad/was an international student in the US during my uni time. First in California then moved to ohio. That shit was the loneliest time for me. Couldn't make any friends because all students already had their own friend group before joining uni and non were interested in making friendships with classmates. Didn't help that I never owned a car, so I was stuck on campus for most of my years. Maybe I should have went to Japan or somewhere in Europe with a good public transportation system.
Im studying in Japan rightn now but since I'm in highschool and have a host family the experience is very different. Me and my family's personality is quite dofferent, which has resulted in a lot of hard times. Also, I can't really hang out with other's than my family that much, since all of my callsmates ar usually busy. Still, there are a lot of great stuff I've learned from living here etc. While I think that this maybe I had more fun while I lived in Finland, the things I've learned here are very important and will help me on the long run. I've also had many experience that while not fun perse, are still important to me and make me more happy and fulfilled. I hope to be able to come back here to stufy while im university.
Now imagine experiencing tens of other countries instead of just returning to japan 8 times. You know, see the world. learn cultures. Not just go "im not a weeb but im a weeb"
@@Pendji You really shouldn't just assume that type of stuff about other without enough information. I've travelled to tens of countries and experienced their culture in different amounts.
Also my plan is to take transfer years to different countries one of which I'd like to be Japan. Also wouldn't it be kinda stupid to try and learn a country's culture, language, and way of life yet never go back to said country.
Also I don't get your weeb point. Wouldn't living in Japan for a long time make someone not a weeb (if by weeb you mean the negative meaning, like weeaboo or japanophile). If you mean to just say that I like anime and manga, then yeah that's true. Not saying it ain't and also it isn't a bad thing.
I just really don't get the point of your comment, like are you saying it's bad to be especially interested in one country over others? Aren't most people like that? Most people are mainly just interested in their home country and live there their whole lives. What's with you being so passive agressive towards me for being interested in Japan? It sounds like you just have a problem with people liking Japan especially.
Maybe try being more chill next time.
Thanks a ton for the Japanese learning tips, they are stellar! Also, Steven Krashen's philosophy is amazing
Not studying abroad while I was in college is definitely a regret. Highly recommend it to anyone that can make it work financially.
Currently on my study abroad exchange in Sweden and I wholeheartedly agree that this is one of the single best decision I made in my life, I learn to operate independently and every day felt amazing to experience. It is like time has slowed down compared to when I live back in my home country studying (these last six months felt so long compared to six months back home). I get to easily visit other countries and Swedish cities, and I met a lot of amazing people from around the world (almost died from excessive drinking my god). Of course, not every day is as exciting, somedays I like to take a break and just focus on myself but this opportunity has been absolutely fantastic, and I am already dreading the day I am going back.
Where are you from?
@@outofreach714 I'm from Hong Kong, so the differences between Sweden and where I'm from is like night and day. Hong Kong is cramped and filled with skyscrapers everywhere, exact opposite of Sweden with so much space and smaller buildings around. Plus weather in HK is atrocious, humid and hot with clouds every day, Sweden during summer you get to see blue skies and while hot, it is not humid so it doesn't feel as bad.
I went last June for 3 weeks and I agree,the best part is the friends you and conversations you have from people willing to talk to you. I only speak a little Japanese to get me by but I still had tonnes of fun. ALSO idk if anyone cares but the Cafe Leblanc from Persona 5 exist in Tokyo and the guy who owns is really cool and I love him and if you ever go there because of me…say an Irish RUclipsr sent u
what if I said an Irish youtuber said never to go here and that the owner is a bitch?
The only reasons anyone wants ot talk to you in Japan are:
1) To practice their English for free
(or lose any interest in you immediately if you tell them you're not from US)
2) Spit out common stereotypes about other countries if you're not from US ("what, you're from Russia? Putin, matroshka, vodka"? Every damn single time, from many different people across the country)
3) Ask you when your leaving.
4) To keep you as a pet/accessory to boast to their friends (ie "check out token foreigner friend!").
After couple conversations when they've squeezed all the info they wanted from you your existence is erased from their memory.
You'll never become the "uchi" (inside circle, like family and sometimes very close friends), sometimes even to the family after you've married to a Japanese person and entered the koseki family register. Meaning you'll never become a real friend, just some one time acquaintance. You'll always stay as "soto" (outside circle, anyone else) and be kept at a distance, communicated with by using forced politeness.
So don't misunderstand people being nice to you as friendship. Especially in a country where the whole society is sheerly built on and operates by keeping the facade of politeness.
@@HaohmaruHL ....did...did you read what I said about the Persona guy? He doesn't fall under any of your points. We talked for like 4 hours,he watches and comments under my youtube videos and gave me his vr chat username. That's a lot for somoene who's faking being nice. I completely understand the fake politeness,but its not all of them,I made a lot genuine connections over there. Buy ay man.....maybe I'm just naive
@@Mayorski well yeah, there are different weird or shunned minorities anywhere basically. You can easily become an exile here for non conforming to societal norms so maybe he has finally found someone to talk to.
@@HaohmaruHL Sounds like you've had bad experiences
Woah I was in Japan at the same time as you were lol! I actually felt the earthquake, I was in the Nagano prefecture.
This video really captures the vibe of the experience lmaooo
Felt that one too in Hakuba, Nagano
I was exactly thinking about doing a 2nd degree of electrical engineering there. this video timing couldn't be better!❤❤❤
I got to spend a year living in Kansai in 2022, also for studying abroad. And let me tell you it was a once in a lifetime blessing to be able to see all of Kyoto's beauty without a single tourist in sight.
All in all, we had the same experience and I will 100% go to live there again, just not in Tokyo.
4:47
EXACTLYYYY!!!
I also went to japan and the fact that i spoke japanese made my expirience 20000x better!! My japanese is of the most basics or basics, i could bearly keep up a convo, but that made it so that i would be treated like a KING! In this small city named Shirakawa--go, which is a UNESCO cultural treasure (i don't remeber the full name tag that the city earned) and full of turist, because i could speak japanese, they made me skip lines some locals shop owners even gave me gifts! Plus, i loved going there, it was super duper beautiful! Really!
If you plan on going to japan, please do learn some japanese, even to the most basics of levels. Oh, make sure to also visit Shirakawa-go, they have old edo period houses.
0:03 Yo, it's the Finding Nemo chase song from the Crash Bandicoot Wrath of Cortex composers!
Half Japanese from Kansai (Osaka), this video made me really happy! :D
I lived in Japan for 4 years, moving back. Honestly the universal red flag that people are going to have a bad time is not knowing the language.
It’s true in any country, but especially in a culture like Japan, your ability to integrate is going to be directly correlated with your happiness. And your ability to integrate is going to be directly correlated with your language ability first and foremost.
It’s fine not to “buy into” every cultural idiosyncrasy, but “when it Rome” is something people need to live by. Most miserable foreigners I’ve met in Japan were nigh illiterate, made no effort to integrate, and were always looking at how Japan was doing this or that “wrong.”
No country is perfect, but it’s just a recipe for a bad time to live like this. The other thing is a lot of people stereotype hard… they assume all Japanese people are nice or racist and seem to willingly ignore examples that don’t fit their very specific conception of the country. This is also much easier to upkeep when you don’t have any language skills.
Tl;Dr fucking study language if you’re studying or living abroad anywhere
100% agree with everything you said. Especially the stereotyping of japanese people... so many people talk about them like they're some sort of hive mind it's weird
@@TheStellarJayI think foreigners saw those interviews about dating in Japan and some Japanese people in the interview think cheating is normal
@@TheStellarJayWell, they're really pretty much in a hive mind. I've met plenty of Japanese. They don't seem to think outside the square. Only a few, very few ones I've met really think outside the square.
@@eigelgregossweisse9563 Same and the ones who do think different ended up living in Canada for many many reasons. This goes for South Koreans as well. I worked in a Japanese Sushi Restaurant as their Tempura fryer as well as some of the head chef duties for 4 years. I got to learn many words and foods, but I was mostly the one teaching english and telling folks where to find some good food, and places to visit. I was a tour guide essentially for like 4 years. There's just so much going on that a foreigner doesn't get and most likely will never get because they are guests, but if you talk to the ones who know, who grew up and experienced things for a good 2 decades. Then you'll know.
It's like people thinking Canadians are nice. We are, just not in the way you think and not all of are anymore.
what a stupid idea.
I stayed in the Nishinomiya area back in 1991 and 1994. Nostalgia :) . Thanks for sharing. The deer in Nara also headbutted me in my rear LOL
Damn, i knew i heard this song before. damn you for making me find this again
1:52 - ロマンス宣言 - Kaneko Ayano
great song though
THANK YOU. WAS SEARCHING FOR THIS COMMENT
7:40 litereally the best Japanese learning advice i've seen in a while! thank you a lot!
I went to Japan recently, and the worst part of my trip was that my flight got delayed and I landed at like 10 pm, but hanging out with my brother in Japan was cool
I have done the exact same thing just a year ago :D Lived in Osaka, hated tokyo, love nara (Shame on your for not putting it in A!) and mate some awesome people. Just living there was so much more interesting and fun than living in my home country.
Though the one key difference why I was so happy when I finally got back: I failed at learning japanese (the fifth language was just to much for mah tiny brain).
So, ye peeps, what he said was absolutely correct: if you go there and can't speak japanese, the amount of people you genuinly connect can be counted on one hand.
It’s the same thing when immigrants move to another country
I don't see how someone could hate Tokyo. I lived in Kyoto, but Tokyo was better.
That said, I'm going to visit Osaka sometime soon-ish I think.
In the United States, even if you can speak English fluently, the amount of people you genuinely connect can be counted on one hand. At least, that's been my experience.
as a tourist who recently visited Japan, i enjoyed it from an outsiders perspective, but when the thought of living there occured to me, it felt so suffocating, this is especially evident if you visit the parks after work, use their public transports etc... it felt so suffocating. Japanese people are screaming from the inside, but societal and traditional pressure keeps them in line.
Yeah i regret not studying abroad. Also, i just listened to Hollow Knight OST before this video, so you opening up with some HK music was hella weird but also based.
As a student graduating High school and planning to study in Japan for University. I am grateful for this, it is very insightful❤
Wait did you study abroad in Japan during the fall semester? because if so there is genuinely a chance the Danish dude was one of my classmates. I'm doing Japanese Studies and we had our mandatory exchange to Japan this fall semester
@TheStellarJay
@TheStellarJay
What are your thoughts on Japanese Studies? I live in denmark as well and I am starting Pharmacy, but I'm also interested in Japanese Studies (a huge reason being Japan itself as I dream of living there one day).
@@alibalibi595 I can only speak for the KU one but I doubt Aarhus would be much different. I quite enjoy it but it is a very intense language course. You are expected to do a lot of language learning in your free time so that's one thing to keep in mind. If you can handle that then it is quite good. Pharmacy and Japanese studies are a very good combo since both Denmark and Japan have strong pharmaceutical industries. Also, Takeda Pharma is one of the biggest in the world and has a Danish subsidiary so they would definitely want someone who can bridge between them
@@ratoh1710 wait you say a good combo as if i can take them together ? is that even possible ?
As a fellow person studying in Kansai (Kyoto) i really appretiate the vid :D Especially calling out people that dont speak Japanese and complain about social life. I was afraid of Japan for it, but I can do Japanese pretty well so I ended up having many friends in and outside of Uni. It was just a great experience. Also, if you can use appsm, websites, or maps and street signs in Japanese, its really convinient and travel friendly country.
ちなみに、もしかしたら留学は関西学院大学に？そこ素敵なのよね、キャンパスとか綺麗やし。。。。日本の大学もどりてぇ～
Also, i love the study kanji by studying words advice. I also struggeled for too long for no reason there.
そう！関学やった笑笑。バレた
7:43 I think you got the wrong Oshi there, but if not I will make sure to read Child's Push
You right
way to go to keep up anki even when you were in Japan. Since i went in October I broke my 3+ year streak. Getting back into it now. Really does help, even thought I've been reading every day and talking once a week. Way to go dude!
This is why I'm moving to Japan. I like being an American, but hot damn am I ready to experience something different.
I don’t think you should move . You can just visit Japan so you don’t get tired of Japan so soon
I studied a year abroad in the Netherlands against my families wishes and it was the best year of my life for all the same reasons. Ended up becoming fluent in Dutch after only a couple of months without even trying (just listening to conversations on the train/bus). I really enjoyed hearing your enthusiasm, reminded me a lot of my own experience!
The glazing is insane
Yamagata City is very underrated.
Yamagata City is a rural area, so you don't see many foreign tourists outside of tourist spots.
However, the food, magnificent nature, and hot springs are comparable to other prefectures. If you want to relax in Japan, we recommend that travelers visit Yamagata City by new Yamagata Shinkansen（bullet train）.
Honestly these problems aren't exclusive to Tokyo, any metropol is like that, Paris, Madrid, Istanbul, if it has many skyscrapers it is a telltale sign of the city being business oriented. If you wanna live in another country, avoid highly populated cities
I disagree. Osaka is awesome
Tokyo is by far the largest Metropolis in the world by population with 40 million people by 2023. The second most populous city has 10 million people less. But honestly it was fine without the tourists
Nah, different strokes for different folks my guy. I've been all over Japan and Tokyo is still my favourite place but that's because so much of the media I adore is based on it. If I was a diehard Yakuza fanboy I would probably love Osaka and if I actually ever went outside to touch grass I'd prefer the countryside or one of the more historic cities (actually, Kyoto is my second favourite but that's because cycling there is a dream). Same goes for London - I've spent way too much time in that dirty gross city but it has so much more going on than anywhere else in the UK. Can't say much about Paris but Madrid is kinda mid tho, ngl.
Pleeeeaaaseeee make more Japan videos. I’m going abroad to Kansai Gaidai in 2 semester and am so excited. Loved this video it really helped me scope out japan
Man thats my favorite channel on youtube rn
I think it’s becoming mine too
Unfortunate you didn't go to sapporo, sapporo is easily s tier
I got back from japan about 3 weeks ago, and god I have the same feeling of needing to go back. I was just travelling, but now I'm very motivated to start learning and really grow so I can study abroad or potentailly get a job there. This video rocks
The shit that the Japanese military used to do to civilians back in World War II was terrifying!!!
the shit the usa did to japan inww2 was imeasurably inhumane
Absolutely abhorrent. Like, we should cover that in history class almost as much as the holocaust level of abhorrent.
All I got was a passing mention of Nanking. No details, nothing about Korra, nothing about their internal sex slave industry, nada. We got a few documentaries on WWII germany's actions, and that was it.
More like the “Japanese army” not Japan.
A country’s government and military does not represent its people.
It’s the people with money and power who are at fault.
Civilians from both sides suffered because of them.
The army had too much power.
Never a good thing.
More people need to know the difference to avoid misunderstandings and stop the cycle of war.
Yeah, and what the west did in most wars, including WWII, was also bad. Everyone sucks when you look at history.
@@RasupubegasuI think it’s better to say a country can change, not that it defined its people. The Japanese mindset was widespread, which is why civilians would sign up to be kamikaze pilots. There are horror stories of Japanese women pushing their kids off cliffs than jumping just so they wouldn’t get captured. But most of that was the governments fault tbh.
I studied abroad in Japan for 6 months back when I was in college, and just like you i wish i could have stayed. Its been 9 years and rhe feeling still hasn't changed.
Never raise your kids in Japan. They won’t talk to you when they get older. Probably only once or twice a year. Talking to parents regularly is considered embarrassing things in Japan. That’s why there is high rate of loneliness death. Japan is cool only for visiting as a tourist, but not for living.
I'm Japanese, but what you say is wrong.
Certainly, there are many lonely deaths, but it is caused by the declining birthrate and aging population.
@@canberrabob8064 That’s part of it. I was born and raised in Japan and this is my observation. There are many people who don’t talk to their parents for a year, especially those who live part. People are grown to be indifferent to their family.
I'm a military kid so I've been to a lot of places in this world. Spent 9 years in Japan and graduated by hiroshima. Just returned home to Texas. Miss Japan, especially Tokyo and Osaka. Was there when all the sega arcades weren't gigo. Loved dotonbori and the retro arcades at sinsekai. Hondori street will always have a special place in my heart since its where I spent my final day in Japan with my friends.
Two advices no matter where you go.
One is that you got to be rich as money speaks louder than anything no matter where you go to live. Second is you have to realize you are not them and never will be, so you have to abide to their culture and rules,not the other way around. You yourself have to learn their language and learn to adapt their way of life.
As long these two condition are met, any place will be paradise.
absolutely love the video and agree with a lot of points... except for the public transport part, let me clarify
i stayed in both kyoto and osaka for several days and man was it amazing. in kyoto (while i was there) the bus was a standard fare of around 290 yen (less than $2). if you took the bus for an hour, you paid 290 yen, if you took the bus for one stop, you paid 290 yen. it was absolutely incredible. the lines were clear, the people were super friendly and overall it was a great experience.
great video tho! :D
This is a youtuber's perspective and not of a foreigner who actually has to work a real job to survive there.
>doesn't ride the morning train
>doesn't get randomly searched by police at least once a week
>doesn't get to work overtime for free
>doesn't get to pay Japanese taxes on top of American taxes
what the youtuber gets to do:
>make a video about Japan and collect a decent paycheck
>spend it all on fun things in Japan because they have uber free time
>positive feedback loop
Ironic coming from you
Interesting seeing the heatmap on Anki, thanks for showing that. Discovered a new cool feature for my deck!
3:37 Did he say "digga"
They got*
I just returned from a semester in Barcelona and I totally feel you lol. Being back SUCKS, it was such an incredible experience. Worst part is that everyone gets tired of hearing you talk about it after 5 minutes haha.
My friend worked in Barcelona my friend didn’t like it and left I think studying is different
I have nothing against the japanese for not wanting a lot of immigrants. As a Swede, while there are absolutely great people among them and I know some for the most part our crime rates and drug abuse rate has just gone up way too much. What happened to my safe country? I'm all for legal immigrants but most of these illegal ones is ruining so much. We never used to have any shootings but what happened now?
(I am Japanese) I saw this message and learned about the fear of illegal immigrants. The older the Japanese age group, the narrower the field of vision, and the lower the age group, the less they know the world. I'm the only one, but I'm rooting for Sweden.
I tend to vote left wing in my country (netherlands) as I'm disabled, but hot damn we have too many immigrants. When you prioritize housing the illegal immigrants over your own citizens i get a little peeved
@@nerida3347 That is one of the things I am most annoyed about. We pay high taxes in Sweden for it just to go to illegals that mooch off the government and move back once the war in their area is over.
am learning german, can’t wait to visit soon, korean definitely my next language and if i can conquer that i might decide to start learning japanese
Korean writing system will cripple your willpower to learn any other language because it's so good
Beautiful country, but I'm too lazy to learn Japanese and I'm not sure that I'm ready to be made a victim of xenophobia at this stage in my life.
You can learn it for your own good like for the input of your favorite shows/games.
Because learning it for working in Japan would mean you'd simply have to get better at Japanese just to get better at worshipping your boss and butter up to him as polite as possible. Not really a motiving final goal for learning a language, huh.
I remember my first year and a half in Japan, attending the language school. Being so positive and naive. Finally getting some peace after finally being free from my piece of sh country. Every day felt like an adventure with so much to explore, just like the guy in this video. Little did I know, lol. No wonder there are so many foreigners living here looking for mental health professionals..
@@HaohmaruHL You hate Japan, yet you're using a character designed by a Japanese person as your icon?
You're probably a psychopath.
Let me give you some advice.
You will be hated by people not only in Japan but wherever you go in the world.
In fact, right now you are being ridiculed and laughed at by the people around you.
Isn't that a fact?
Wow, kyoto is a must visit place. My friends and I wanna visit that place in a year 🙏
Americans when they visit a country with culture and tradition:
?
@@kimmylee-hw6tu America has no identity anymore, kinda obvious.
The world when they see an American having critical thinking :
The more videos come out saying how "bad" Japan is, the more I want to move there. Of course if you don't do some research before moving, it'll be a shock. Heck, it doesn't even have to be moving, it can just be visiting. Many people go thru the infamous "Paris Syndrome", they arrive with an idealized version of the place to discover that is... just a city where people live...
Here's my advice: watch a lot of videos, testimonies, interviews, articles, etc. about the country, the do's and don't's, how hospitals/doctors work there, how the trash and recycling is done, how work culture is and many other things. I've been doing this for years and yes, my conclusion is that there's way more pros than cons (at least for me personally).
Ur overrated boom roasted
Jk love you bbb
Big black bird
A rooster is a bird, and we all know what's the other name for it.
@@chukyuniqul 😳😏
Great learning advice in your video, very based. I would be careful of doing listening with Japanese subtitles though as reading tends to improve faster for people from what i’ve seen and their listening can get left behind if they start to rely on the subs.
But it is really great advice.
True, I had this problem at a certain point and forced myself to turn off subs on simpler shows/movies. Plus the regular classes taught in japanese were REALLY hard and obviously no subtitles so I had to get a lot better at listening comp
68 views in a minute, fell up.
I subscribed because I live in Japan and understand this to the max
This seems a bit self-serving.
I’m glad you got to enjoy studying abroad as much as you did, that must have been an amazing experience.
This video in one word: annoying
Ikr. it has to be the most insufferable I've ever watched
Why he is literally just saying that he enjoyed his time in japan
I did two trips to Japan this year, 1st was to Kyoto took the train once and all other time opted to just use Taxi, with the Go app, favorite part was going to Uji which was a short train ride from Kyoto. Second time was Tokyo and used train everywhere, Shinjuku was disgusting, I did like the Tokyo tower area and Shibuya. Would definitely like to go back and explore more or figure out how to live there. I speak very little Japanese but found it not very difficult to meet people, it was definitely easier to meet people in Tokyo than Kyoto, just need a lil Sake :P Great video!
Jesus Christ, slow down. Why are you talking so rapidly like you're desperately trying to keep the attention of Tiktokers?
🤩😭OMG Japan is such a fun place. I had been in Japan for some time, but sadly I came back after that. Japan is such a nice place only if we know the language. My language learning ability is just too bad, I thought it would be easy, but after 2 years' of learning, I'm still not even at N3 level, with quite some difficulty even in daily life communications.😭😭😭I have to go back to my safety zone for some safe life now. I hope I can re-visit Japan someday after I really get some confidence in Japanese. It is really well said that we need to know the language before going to anywhere we want to live abroad.💖
Bruhhhh me and my wife are sitting up here laughing our asses off watching and listening to your video. We've been living in Yamaguchi Prefecture Iwakuni for about a year now and we definitely relate to everything you're saying. I just subscribed lol
I bought the entire Oshi No Ko series while I was in japan as an excuse to help learn/practice and I've been putting off learning but have now given me enough resources and advice to start up again
I agree on the region, I want to live in Japan where I'm like 30min - 1hr from a major city, but I have my peaceful town to stroll around in normally and enjoy nature. Somewhere like the outskirts of Nara, Niigata or Okayama. The best of both worlds imo
I used to live in Japan as a kid and I wish I could go back to appreciate it more. I lived in Yokosuka but I was just too young to know where to want to go or appreciate but i remember one thing. The food was amazing I loved every sushi go round place, every yakitoori place, and even the places that weren’t Japanese. I had the best Indian food I’ve ever had there in a restaurant called Delicious. This video really reinsured my want to go back there.
Love Osaka, such an underrated place, lived there for 3 years during covid it was absolutely incredible, literally close by nara/kyoto/kobe, can get anywhere within 30 mins, the GOAT
Yo speaking the language will change the experience you'll have in Japan SO MUCH bro
There are westerners who live here for like 20 years and can only say konnichiwa and arigato because they live in a blissful English bubble and probably have their wife do all the japan-side stuff. It's like being an eternal tourist.
It's a real shame my university course doesn't have a study abroad option. From what I hear from anyone who has done one, if you really prepare and try your best it can be one of the best experiences of your life. I've also heard lots of people absolutely hate it but nothing is perfect of course. Glad to hear you had such a positive experience!