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American Reacts to 6 Culture Shocks in the UK as a Japanese Person
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- Published on May 21, 2025
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One of the underappreciated values of this type of reaction is how much you learn about the country of the person doing the reacting, simply by how they compare other places to it.
Interesting video as always Joel. Glad you're enjoying Line Of Duty , it was a superb series. Being from the UK I'm probably biased but I genuinely believe we make some of the best comedy and drama TV in the world , it's real and relatable. Keep up the great work.
Line of Duty - best of the best 🥰 but I tend to love every British police/crime series. Love from Sweden. One thing that shocks me though is how easily some people are shocked with "this and that" 🤣
You DO make some of the best TV shows (movies , comedy, etc) in the World!! Waaay better than American shows!!).
The Highway Code has recently changed in the UK, if a pedestrian is crossing a road at a junction, they now have priority, so road users are supposed to give way and let them cross before carrying on their journey. This is not policed as such. But if a pedestrian was hit be a vehicle at a junction, it would automatically be assumed as the driver’s fault and could lead to prosecution. That Japanese guy’s English was very good. I don’t think I could attempt to speak Japanese. Great informative vlog 😎
What you say has always been the case: pedestrians have always had priority crossing the road at road junctions.
Not the best idea to cross at a junction tbh. Now that car will stop on the main road and no doubt cause the car behind to go into them.
Technically it's always upto the driver to be aware of and to anticipate any potential hazards, including those that might come from pedestrians. Not doing so can potentially result in a charge of "Driving without due care and attention", or in more serious cases "Reckless/Dangerous driving" charges.
@@Obi-J Quite, but there are exceptions, such as if a pedestrian is deliberately attempting suicide.
Personally, I think that's a stupid law. It should be the other way around. It's far easier for a pedestrian to stop than it is for any vehicle.
Its weird how we all collectively as a nation can stand politely in a queue and wait our turn for something ...but some of us can't wait for traffic lights to change 😂
Theres a lot of foxes and squirrels where I am in Scotland too.....foxes sound *eerie* at night....like somebody screaming 😂
'Old stuff' - there's a 14th century castle a 5 minute walk from my house.
It's sometimes viewed as politeness. If you press the button to interrupt traffic and summon the red light. You're slowing traffic.Whereas, if you just cross when it's quiet....
Yup, ditto. For Dean Castle.
Considering the Japanese culture is based on politeness and respect for others, I can imagine the banter aspect of British culture must be a serious shock. 🤣
There have been incidents with Japanese tourists visiting Paris, widely seen as cultured and refined, only to be shocked by the rudeness of Parisians...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome
Joel, a healthy disrespect for authority is very British. Common law is worked out not defined by the authorities. US has this too. It is no coincidence the the Declaration of Independence is written in English and starts with "We the people".
Very true. Hence why Americas independence caused so little outrage in Britain. The colonies were the ones upholding British law. Everyone in Britain could see that
No such thing as Jaywalking in UK.
As a pedestrian in the UK if I come to a pedestrian crossing there is a button to stop traffic, but if there is no imminent traffic I'll just cross. Why stop traffic that is barely in sight?
Hello Joel. Grey squirrels were brought as pets from America and went wild, driving out red ones. People feeding foxes helps to bring them into cities as well as rubbish everywhere.
crossing are signaled for a specific safe crossing time, however pedestrians have right of way and if knocked down by vehicles it would be the driver fault for not paying attention to what is going on around them, red squirrels are british and are smaller and live in remote areas since the greys pushed them out
Yeah, good video. I have been to Japan quite a few times, I love the country but I would also have to say that I feel more 'foreign' there than almost anywhere else. I love the courtesy of Japanese society, the attention to detail and respect given to acquired expertise. Although the video commented on the Japanese love of newness, they also have respect for older things. There is a whole art form, 'kintsugi' devoted to the repair of broken pottery, for example. It is a very old society that has been more isolated than most and is still quite a mono culture. There is a great pressure to conform and offense taken if one contravenes unspoken rules. Emotional maturity is not a strong point from a western point of view. Having a strong point of view can be frowned upon, but because of the respect thing often nobody will explain the offense. I am not a rude person but I have had Japanese acquaintances break-off contact with me for no reason that I have been able to ascertain. But I still love and have great respect for this fascinating community
Homelessness is a societal issue. It reflects how our society feels about other people around them, which is basically to ignore people if you don't know them. Only about 2% of homeless people "want" to be homeless, and 34% are addicts, which means 64% of all homeless people are NOT in that situation of their own volition. So reach out to those 64% that can't help being there.
The 34% don't want to be addicts or homeless either. I'm guessing you don't want to give them money because it will be spent on drugs. I understand that but for one they will otherwise rob the money out of desperation and probably cause collateral damage in doing so. If it is goods rather than cash they will only get a fraction of that value. Also shunning them only reinforces their addiction. You might think "well I have never taken drugs (although you have probably taken alcohol) so it's their fault". Not everyone has the same genetics, upbringing and life experiences. I know addicts are infuriating but please try to have some understanding.
No its not illegal to cross if the lights aren't on red, you can cross whenever you want.
Using common sense as to safety, of course (like when there are no cars coming). Trying this in Germany, even when there are no moving vehicles anywhere in sight does not go down well with the locals. I got a lecture about it setting a bad example for their children...
@@frglee I hope you reminded them who won the war? 😅
@@garlichr I hope your complex gets better soon..........
I actually enjoyed this perspective from a japanese person JPS! good video bud!
I think when hes talking about the old / new thing hes not necessarily talking about things with tradition and cultural significance such as temples, shrines, palaces , castles etc. but more of everyday things and normal domestic/ commercial buildings etc.
Squirrels if possible finding the few rare places where you can see red Squirrels which are endangered,
There are some very particular exceptions to jay walking, Motorways for example.
Its not so much that all Japanese are strict and unfriendly its more that there are contextual social rules regarding how you interact, a private interaction between friends is different from a waiter to a customer even in the UK but there is a lot more of it in Japan.
Crossing the road...
Driving a car is a privilege in the UK, and you are responsible for what happens while you are driving your car, unless you can prove that it was either the other persons fault (i.e. the pedestrian stepped out in front of you and you couldn't avoid the collision, or the other car hit you, or that it was unavoidable (i.e. you skid on black ice)... in any case all the incidents will revolve around the concept that YOU were driving in a vehicle suitable and fit to drive and that YOU were driving in a safe manner and in a way suitable to the road rules and weather conditions.
Minor roads. such as towns and cities have no crossing rules, although crossings are generally available you are free to cross if SAFE to do so... It is a judgement call on the pedestrian, it is on the vehicle driver to slow down and allow the pedestrian to cross if they are already on the road ahead of you.
Dual Carriage ways. generally have barriers down the middle of them and traffic light operated crossing points, it is on the pedestrian to use those crossing points correctly, though of course if you see a pedestrian ahead of you that isn't using the crossing correctly, you still need to slow down and allow them safely to cross.
Motorways. It is illegal for pedestrians to cross motorways on foot, or to even walk along side a motorway, obviously the high speed traffic on motorways is to dangerous for that, so pedestrians must use the foot bridges or main road bridges to cross... If you break down on a motorway you must pull over to the hard shoulder, step over the road side barrier and walk to the nearest emergency call box whilst off the road before returning to your vehicle and waiting for help/recovery... All passengers in the vehicle should also get out of the vehicle and wait on the other side of the barrier with you.
Pedestrians have right of way in the UK on roads, meaning cars have to stop for anyone crossing the road whether the light is on green or red.
Where i live now in a village between Folkestone and Dover, i have never seen a squirrel here. its quite strange. We do have rabbits badgers and hedgehogs though.
In the UK the driver is responsible for the safety of themselves and anyone they effect. You can't get away with mowing down pedestrians in the middle of the street and if they are already crossing the road you have to stop for them but it is also the pedestrians duty to only start crossing if there is a reasonable gap between them and any oncoming vehicles. In the case of an accident there is an examination as to who was mostly at fault. If a driver did not react in time or anticipate the possibility of someone stepping out into the road when they had been visible on approach the driver is generally held liable.
London is NOT the UK it's a small percentage of England and the culture is totally different from the rest of England and UK . It used to annoy me now It's just funny that people go to London and say they Know the British culture .
I was born and brought up in South London. Please explain to me how i do not know British culture!!
@@jasonsmart3482 There is no British culture in London, it's so multi cultural you have no idea how the rest of Englands cultures have remained, It used to be that London was the true England , But not anymore. Londoners under the age of 40 have no idea of true British culture. imo
@@debramceneaney 'it's so multi cultural' LOL! That's one way of putting it. I could think of a lot harsher descriptions.
@ you dont know london very well do you
@@jasonsmart3482 , no. I only lived there for 14 years LOL!
There's now a massive issue in cities with food delivery e-cyclists racing through red lights and through crossings when people are on the crossing. Many e-cyclists don't have lights and disappear into the night. They are bringing their cultural expectations onto British roads and no one seems to be bothered. Now native cyclists on hire bikes routinely cross through red lights meandering into junctions. It's only a matter of time before someone is injured.
Foxes screaming is NOT a sign of distress it's concerned with sex, and is how a female attracts a mate and a male fox wards off other male foxes. No idea how gay foxes go about it 🤔
they use Grinder....
If the screaming is prolonged it is probably a male in pain because they can get 'locked in' after mating in the same way as dogs. Otherwise it is more often a contact call, especially with a vixen with cubs.
My English relative moved to Japan some years ago, and I'd see he's more Japanese in thinking now. I think some English moan too much, coz he's got a skewed view of how we're apparently all on our knees here. We do struggle, but in the main I'm happy here 😊
Excellent video. Great choice of points to discuss.
Probably already stated, but in case not.. in the UK, pedestrians have priority in specific situations, such as on marked crossings, when crossing or waiting to cross at junctions, and during the flashing amber phase at pelican crossings, meaning drivers must give way.
Also, if a pedestrian is already on the road, they have right of way, you wouldn't expect them to stop so a driver can get passed!
Understandably, in Japan with so many earthquakes and tsunamis, their homes and buildings are often destroyed so they don’t expect things to last for hundreds of years, although in certain places there are ancient houses snd restaurants that have survived or avoided the natural disasters. If you saw the tsunami hit Japan in 2011, you would have seen buildings and homes being carried away from their foundations, while we hoped no one was in them, nor in the thousands of cars that were washed away too.
Very polite the Japanese people . They love having there photos with People from western countries , my brother in law got mobbed in London by a load of Japanese tourists wanting a photo with him . He gladly obliged
The car is at fault if it hits you, however there would be an investigation, especially if there's a crossing close by and you blatantly crossed in a dangerous place. Basically you're supposed to use your common sense
I think in some ways Japan has more in common with USA than with Europe. The materialism and image part was mentioned but the work ethic is also similar. I worked for a Japanese company in England and the work environment was similar to that I've seen described for USA. I've never lived in London but I would not agree about people ignoring traffic instructions, apart from some cyclists.
There's the Highway Code (covers all road users including pedestrians) as well as the Green Cross Code (how pedestrians should cross the road properly).
Unless a rule in the Highway Code is a MUST or MUST NOT, it is not backed up by specific legislation (i.e. it is not illegal) however it might potentially be covered under less specific legislation (e.g. driving without undue care or attention).
While most parts of the Highway Code related to pedestrian road users are not MUST NOTs (other than MUST NOT be on motorways or slip roads, MUST NOT get onto or hold onto a moving vehicle, MUST NOT loiter on any type of crossing, MUST NOT cross the stop line at railway crossings on flashing red lights), pedestrians shouldn't for example cross if there is a pedestrian crossing nearby. I might cross the road 100 metres from a signalled crossing if the traffic signal is red and the traffic on my side of the road has stretched back to me if I can see there are no overtaking two-wheeled vehicles and oncoming traffic is stuck at the crossing. Similarly, if I'm waiting at a puffin crossing (car/pedestrian sensors) I might cross when there is a break in traffic to cancel the upcoming pedestrian phase.
It's not much different to me moving over on the pavement when I hear/see emergency vehicles and there's a lot of traffic. While drivers must not drive over the pavement, a driver can potentially argue it was safe to do so as I'd made space for them and blue lights meant the 'in an emergency' exception should apply. Essentially, a combination of following the rules (with stricter observance if children are nearby - the Green Cross Code does apply to all of us), courtesy, and common sense.
Here's an example where a pedestrian and car driver agreed to simultaneously break the rules: The other week a driver signalled with their hand for me to cross as they approached a turn onto a residential road I was about to reach, and after looking behind me I pointed to the opposite side of the road we were both on. They turned without giving way to me and I crossed the road where there wasn't a traffic island.
A driver always has an obligation to give way to a pedestrian in UK. As a driver you are deemed to be in control of a dangerous weapon when driving which can inflict lethal harm. If you choose to walk across on a red light and are hit, there's no hard and fast rule about who would be found to be at fault. All facts would be considered. What if you were colour blind as a pedestrian, or were illiterate? The pedestrian will argue that the motorist should still be aware that this is an authorised crossing place. But any compensation for having hit a pedestrian might be reduced for carelessness. Glad to see the homeless highlighted. A clear sign of a country in severe decline. No ifs, buts, ands or ors, this is a phenomenon that has grown and grown as the UK descends in importance and wealth.
I find it’s Americans who want new builds and they find it very hard to settle for buying a house “as is” without ripping out brand new carpets or tearing down walls, etc.
Thanks Jps ..that was interesting as I did not know about Japanese culture having lived all over the UK and I know there are differences from London to the rest of the UK but they are slight differences ..great video 🤗
We English would do well to adopt the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi - the acceptance of transience and imperfection that is apparent in Japanese art. I think we are half-way there already with the shabby chic aesthetic, which I believe has had a bit of a resurgence.
We have fox families in our gardens behind (& in front of) our flats, (we are in south east London, so near to a lot of open parks, and the countryside, further away from the inner London areas, but foxes have still been seen around the city, as despite the many and varied buildings close together around / along side the River Thames, and major landmarks etc, we still have a heck of a lot of green areas, parks, private and public gardens everywhere which provide ample shelter to all sorts of British wildlife, so _not just_ wild garden birds, but also many hedgehogs, slowworms* (legless lizards*) snakes, amphibians (including frogs and toads), and of course, foxes! 😀
Oh the urban foxes!! Have you seen The Mighty Boosh yet? The crackfox! It's based on the dodgy, very brave and bold urban foxes in the cities roaming around in broad daylight!
Japan houses are not built to last, but this is not because they don't value history! They have to build houses out of flexible materials (mostly wood) to withstand the frequent earthquakes. They also need to be light and airy because most of Japan is very hot and humid. As a result, houses don't really last more than a generation, so you don't buy an old house... you buy the land that the house is on, knock it down, and build your own. Sometimes whole houses are sold as one big IKEA-style flat pack.
Maybe I have misunderstood some of this we do adhere to traffic lights crossings too but if the road is clear and safe we can cross
in most towns pedestrians have right of way, it does not mean you run into the street willy-nilly you only venture out if it's safe to!
If you are already crossing it's the driver in the wrong.
Our traffic laws are very simple: if you hit something, it's your fault. You should be paying enough attention to the road in-front of you to be able to break in time. There are obvious exceptions to this, if you were doing everything correctly and some nut-job decided to top themselves (using your car) by jumping onto the road. 9/10 you are at fault if you hit a car or a person... or anything else.
It is frustrating, I am a driver and I do walk around when shopping, but it is annoying when pedestrians walk in front of your car when you have priority, when I was young you would not do that, you were taught the green Cross code, which taught children to Cross the road safely, today that is not taught by parents or schools?
Cars never 'have priority' except between themselves and other motorised vehicles if they are on a a public highway of anything less than motorway status. There are occasional, isolated instances and special circumstances where this occurs, but in general situations where pedestrians and motorised traffic 'mix', the pededtrian always, in law, has priority - not the car.
Of course, just as human bullies offen use threats to enforce their wishes, so too do the drivers of vehicles often use their vehicles size, weight, sperd and the protection it offers against inclement weather to bully pedestrians to krrp out of their way.
Think the traffic/pedestrian signal thing goes back to ye olde laws about right of way, highways were for people to walk on. So not surprising they can ignore signals, since cars don't have the right of way.
Jaywalking is illegal in Germany isn't it? It's not illegal to cross the road at anytime in the UK. If the road is clear, you can cross the road even if the crossing sign is on red. The pedestrian has right of way over a car in the UK Highway Code.
In the main, we do obey the red/green man signals but it’s true enough, there’s always a few that will attempt to cross but it is mostly frowned on. I don’t recognise London as an example for anything. Don’t forget half the people flouting the unwritten rules aren’t even British, so let’s not make it an English thing.
Make a japan channel, too. Half of europe loves anime and culture and the country. Ask Mr. Nippon.
Grey squirrels are classed as vermin.
Do you know anything about Ado? Many people think that she #1 vocalist in Japan, but I think she is #1 in the entire world. She has wide vocal range over 4 octaves. Can you check her "Show" for the start? I asked it because it is very deep rabbit hole. She only 22, but already has ~150 songs). . ..............
When Im walking my dog, it iritates me when a driver stops and 'signals me to cross the road'. When me/my dog arent ready to cross.
You think these gret squirrels are cute you should see our red squirrels. those grey things are introduced and decimated the real british squirrel.
Red squirrles are rare !!
Never seen one in 55 years in the UK. 🙁
And much prettier than grey squirrels.
'Culture shocks', is a hyper exaggerative word! Surprises is a better word! Culture differences will exist between and within nations/states! I dare say it is far more shocking for British/Western people visiting such a closed culture like Japan, than Japanese people coming to the OPEN CULTURE IN UK!
wow yea must have been a massive change coming from Japanese cuture,with new stuff constantly.
When are you coming to Sydney Australia ?
Dude. There are more foxes in London than you can imagine. They are EVERYWHERE. Can't count the number of times I've been kept up by those furry bastards.
Joel: pedestrians may cross the road, even at pedestrian crossings controlled by lights that show that they should wait (i.e. the red man is showing at the lights). However, vehicles facing a red light at these crossings must stop at red, even if there is nobody actually crossing. Pedestrians have priority over any other type of road user on any part of the highway (including the carriageway). If someone dashes across a road and is hit by a motor vehicle, it is the fault of the driver, not the pedestrian, unless the driver can show otherwise. Not being prepared for someone dashing across the road is not an excuse. This does not apply on sections of highways where pedestrians are prohibited from using the road, and there are signs to this effect.
If the lights are on red, but there is no traffic i will ignore the red and cross the road!!😁🇬🇧🇬🇧
I know what you meant, but your phrase which seemingly separated "the continent of Europe" "and the UK" ... The UK _is_ a part of the European continent, just now (since "Brexit"!) no longer a part of the European Union. I assume (?) That's what you meant. :)
Re walking across roads here in the UK, I believe that in Northern Ireland there are (or may be?) fines applicabke to jaywalkers...but here in England, at least, ws tend to learn in early childhood from our parents / carers how to _safely_ cross roads, usually 'B' roads, in resudential areas, plus how to correctly use crossings including 'zebra' crossings, 'pelican' crossings etc. Motorways are excluded from any pedestrian crossings and obviously jaywalking is discouraged as likely to induce crashes or sone form of fatality and thus there are probably laws to deal with such unnecessary behaviours according to the situation, as at certain times - breakdowns etc - some 'pedestrians' may appear briefly on or beside a motorway.
But in Britain, "the Continent" is often used as a way of talking about mainland Europe. "Fog in the Channel, Continent cut off" is famous.
My only problem with homeless people is that a lot of them are ex armed forces abandoned by the country the loved enough to fight for but a lot also pose as ex armed forces because they know it gets the pity and you don't know which to trust, I always give food/drink when I can, never money because it might go on drugs and I don't want it on my conscience if they OD
If it's a pelican crossing in UK cars have to stop.
I used to work for a Japanese company, and they are a strange people in my opinion. I never once saw my bosses smile or laugh in years working for them. . just weird.
In the USA, pedestrians have the right of way IN A CROSSWALK. Outside the crosswalk I think it's technically jaywalking -- so do it at your own risk!!
How do you get in a crossways?
There is no such thing as 'jaywalking' in English and Welsh law. If you as a pedestrian are using a public highway with the status of a public road (which does NOT include motorways or M-status roads, they are restricted as to their users) , you do so as an absolute right. Other users must give you priority, but all users owe each other due consideration.
In general, there is a hierarchy of users, from pedestrians (and pedestrian-equivalents) right up to HGVs, who must each give way/priority to the ones below them, but this is sadly somewhat held in abeyance.
Tokyo has a very high number of homeless people mostly old people, the difference is the Japanese police chase them so they have to hide,. ruclips.net/video/wGqfg6yVQt4/video.html
We don't need to as pedestrians observe traffic signals, so its not ignoring them. We learnt cross the road as children. It you start to cross the road and its obviuos that no cars are coming we have the right of way, at a road junction if we start to cross and a car is tuning into the road we again have priority. If you see cars coming and do not have time to cross we should wait. My home was built in the late 16th century, can you imagine painting it bright orange or putting a layer of new brick over the outside of it to modernise it.
urban foxes all over in britain. i see a pair of them regularly but its the scream thats the real problem. they really sound like a woman screaming sometimes.
“Some people want to be homeless.” ????????
Yup, some people ( well, I know at least one). Better say at least 1 person wants to.
@ you know 1. 🙄
@sandrahughes8645 Yes, I think I just said that. If we think Joel has at least one reason to say what he did then we are at two now.. On " some" territory.
I know of 2. They prefer to live in a tent in doorways of empty shops or on waste ground, rather than take up the offer of a homeless shelter, because the shelter won't allow them to use drugs there.
@ hardly a life choice. 🙄
Loose? Ah, you mean the Japanese are rigid and unforgiving. That makes your life very stressful and stress causes anxiety. If you bottle that up there will be a price to be paid in the long run. Better be easy going.
I live 3 miles from Barry Island, Wales where Gavin & Stacey was filmed. All my visitors from England clamour to visit that location. I groan inwardly. IMO it’s a dump.
Barrybados! 😏
JP, why would you torture yourself by watching Gavin and Stacy? 😂
Cordon is unfunny and talentless.
I've had more amusing root canal surgery than watching Gavin and Stacey. Each to their own, I guess.
I've just looked it because I questioned your comment on the US vs UK homeless population. UK has a bigger homeless population proportionally. You didn't go to the smaller towns and cities , and different areas, coz most places I've loved there's a large homeless population
There is a difference between homeless and living on the streets, homelessness in the UK includes all those in temporary accommodation not just living on the streets which is what is being referred to in the video, of course because Government has been shifting migrants into welfare through the DWP they are included in these figures, in the USA they have more than 500,000 people living on the streets, California accounts for nearly half of all US citizens living on the streets and these are the conservative numbers.
Wtf are you talking about? Rubbish!
@ What is rubbish? make some sense.
You're not good at research then