NOTIFICATION SQUAD: A lot of effort went into this - special thanks to Natsuki for taking part in the 11 sketches! What did we miss though? What unspoken, unwritten rules did we forget? Let us know below! And thanks to Sakuraco for sponsoring this episode: 🎃🍡 Use Code “ABROAD” to get $5 off your first #Sakuraco box team.sakura.co/abroadinjapan-SC2409 or # TokyoTreat box: team.tokyotreat.com/abroadinjapan-TT2409 and enter to WIN FREE Japanese souvenirs!
I worked for a Japanese bookstore in the US and I always arrived on time for my shift. A supervisor (who was Japanese) told me to show up 5 minutes early and I couldn't understand why and kind of argued with her that I don't get paid to wait around. Now it makes sense lol
Escalators shocked me in Japan, for several reasons: 1) Many of them are incredibly slow. 2) Some have signs saying to only stand on them, not walk, despite them being excruciatingly slow. 3) Despite usually being sticklers for rules, many Japanese people ignore the prohibition against walking on esclators.
You want anarchy in Japan. Ride a bike. There's often strict rules about riding on sidewalks or in roads and people get annoyed about in the west. But in Japan you just ride a bike where ever. In the road, on the sidewalk choose your own adventure.
Japanese people break all the wrttien rules all the time, you are not meant to ride bikes on sidewalks, use your phone, or urbelma, but they all do, but you break an unwrtitten rule that is bad.
I feel many warning signs are calibrated towards the reckless (and eldery, perhaps). But most people are timid enough not to need those extra warning signs. Most people won't die when walking on an escalator. But it probably caused a minor accident 55 years ago and the owner of the property got sued and lost, and now warning signs are there to cover their bottoms from liability.
In London, the the right-hand side of the escalator is for people who want to stand still, the left-hand side is for people walking up or down. You will get told to move quite quickly by people trying to get past if you're in the way.
Same here in Canada. Right side for standing, left side for walking up. If you are standing on the left, people may ask you to move over so they can get by.
For the Taxi door thing, as I understand, it started in the 70s as a kind of novelty in one particular city, maybe Osaka. It was such a hit that it expanded to the rest of the country and became ingrained in Japanese modern culture.
The rice sketch is the best one in this video. Natsuki's reaction is just brilliant. I totally understand that Chris showed it multiple times and kind of broke character while filming. Edit: timestamp 15:40
The American version of this would be to take some nice BBQ and pour ketchup on it. lol. Soy sauce goes on meat or vegetables, typically. Rice is its own thing and almost handled like a bit of a palate cleanser. Some fragrances or spices, sometimes, but basically eaten as-is. The implication of smothering it with sauce ( of any kind ) is that it was made incorrectly - that whole don't critique the chef thing, again. And, yes, good BBQ doesn't need any sauce.
About eating while walking, a little story of my first trip to Japan might shed some light. When walking in Kyoto to meet a colleague, at some point I felt a large thump on my head, as if someone had hit me with a large object. My instinct was, maybe some kids were playing football, and I got hit by a stray ball. But as I looked right, I saw a large raptor (bird of prey) flying off, which then proceed to loop around, stabilize at the height of my head and then proceed to have another go at me. I started running, which luckily discouraged the beast from its attack, but he kept stalking me across the streets of Kyoto. Strangely, no-one seemed phased by this. Eventually, the bird gave up, but when I met my colleague I told him this story. "Oh, that was a black kite. Were you eating something?" Confused I said "Yes, I was eating an apple. How do you know". "Black kites are very common in Japan, but they are unusual among raptors, because they are scavengers. They are also very bold, so they are not shy of trying to take food from your hands. Thats what hapoened to you, a black kite tried to steal your apple. That's why in Japan, we don't eat while walking in the street." 😮 Of course, in places like central Tokyo, there are no black kites, but get out to more rural areas (like Kamakura), and there are plenty. In fact, several temples in Kamakura have written warnings in English advising to look out for them if you are eating outside.
I've had seagulls attack my family at a beach in Florida over a bologna sandwich. They're like a swat team. You had the ground units that had us fully surrounded and then the air units dive-bombing us. My dad threw the sandwich away, and all their unity was gone in a flash. Every seagull for himself.
Are they brutal? I remember that they just rated low, not because it was bad but because it takes a lot to be really good. Like 5 stars is for the most memorable delicious Sushi you've ever eaten, not for a McDonalds that gets your order right.
I think I've read that online Japanese people are the most rude and brutal. Since you're more anonymous and bottling up all your true opinions daily gets onto you.
Also when you buy Omiyage: Make sure you get something that is ONLY from that area. If you go to Yokohama and come back with something you could have got in Tokyo or anywhere else, your co-workers will be disappointed because you didn’t share the experience of being where you actually went lol
But you can buy the omiyage from the more famous places, practically anywhere in Japan - you can buy those Kyoto Yatsuhashi without even leaving Tokyo station!
I loved the taxi doors in Japan. I wasn't expecting it so it was a nice surprise, plus added to the drivers wearing a chauffeurs hat and white gloves it made the journeys feel a bit fancy.
For #2, I have a personal theory that this is the reason why online reviews for restaurants in Japan are usually rated much lower compared to other parts of the world. People can never complain in public but when it's somewhat anonymous then people can be scathing! You can hardly find a place in Japan with higher than a Google 4.5 star and many places with a 3.something are absolutely amazing (well your Lost Bar seems to be the exception, well done mate!)
It's also to do with being correct with a rating scale. 1-10 makes 5 average. So a pretty woman is a 6, she is above average. By that logic 2.5 would be average and 3 would be above and therefore very good. They just use them correctly.
@@EndyBoye Yup. I used to be a Google Guide but there is significant pressure to always review somewhere as a 5 even when they were mediocre. If I got average service and food quality, they got an average score. However, many other reviewers for the same place would give them top marks even when it was clear they had the same experience as I did. Grade inflation is a real problem with online reviews (which is why I usually don't take them too seriously).
@@TheJohn8765well, you should probably be aware that any online review sites are thoroughly corrupted by large numbers if fake reviews. There are entire businesses who are devoted to doing nothing but this for their clients - at least in the USA.
exactly, it doesnt help that when i see negative reviews for japanese restaurants and the owner comes back with an essay cursign them, their family and their descedents for daring to say that the food wasn't good, makes me not want to visit that place lol
One time at Osaka station on my way to Wakayama, I was eating McD on an empty train awaiting departure. One girl walked in, saw me munch, became disgusted and walked right out. lol.😂
God my British soul would have compelled me to flip her off and ask "what are you looking at?" Terrible impression but I can't stand strangers putting their nose where it doesn't belong
@@livinlicious Yeah, you try not to eat or drink in 5-8 hours sitting in a train or if there ain't enough time in between your two trains. The tables are there for other purposes than just your Iphone or laptop 😉
Ok but they come around with little carts with katsu sandos... am I really not supposed to eat that at my seat? They brought it to me at my seat. And are ekibens not supposed to be eaten on the train either?
This is so fun, most of those rules I grew up with. And that was in kinda rural Netherlands. Especially as a young person you would nevere point at anyone older, glasses are rude, you would never be loud in public. Phones were not yet in exhistance (the mobile ones ) but had they been you would never have dared to pick it up in public. A lot of those rules were unspoken but once learned it made life relaxed and easy. You knew where you stood. I liked it to be honest...
The shorts rule is not absolute - foreigners generally get a pass on it, and you do see the occasional Japanese person wearing shorts. However, usually only if they are exercising or otherwise would be perceived as a bit 'lower class'. The reality is that as a foreigner you get judged regardless, so being also seen as a bit lower class, isn't really a big deal and isn't really 'rude' or majorly taboo.
If you have a backpack on crowded trains, it’s best to move said backpack to your front, as to not accidentally bump into somebody without your knowledge. Can also apply to other crowded places like elevators or stores.
I went to Japan once for like 4 days. Absolutely LOVED it. But I wouldn’t want to live there and deal with crazy high taxes and the working culture haha. I much prefer living in South Korea, people are pretty chill here about rules
When I was in Japan as a german I found it very pleasant that so many people actually followed the rules. Since we are pretty stereotypically german me and my partner actually strategically planned our journey and also learned a lot of the rules in advance. I loved how tidy and orderly everything was and I especially loved it that people were quiet on the subway and actually knew how to properly use an escalator. Because as a german its in my genes to feel anger towards people who block an escalator by standing on the wrong side. One side is always reserved for people who are in a hurry. And unlike Japan here in Germany we are very direct so theres a good chance you will be roasted for not obeying the rules. Especially by senior citizens.
Yes, it was really a pleasure to see another country obeying the rules. On the other hand, it seemed beeing German made it a lot easier for me to follow the rules and not be a complete dipshit. And I still belive some Japanese looked happier after the learned that I am not an American, but from Germany
@@whaky6294 but family mart only has cards for deaths and marriage, how do i apologize!?! -oh, wait, that's envelopes -but i imagine you'd put cards into envelopes before delivering them, -so point still stands!
@@johnlowell5905 Sells out quickly? Where are you searching? Lol. I swear every single Family Mart I go into is filled with Fami Chiki. Are you only going at night? Because convenience stores stops making hot food after like 9pm or so.
@@fkoff-c7c I would argue yes and now, it's more a cheap flavour supplement to mimic a quality beef-stock base. But I grew up between Austria and Italy, it's more of a thing in Germany and Austria. Can't remember ever seeing it in other countries to that extend. Also: do you put Maggi on your rice?
A lot of these rules are applicable to the UK too tbf... - It's considered good form to arrive early. There's a UK adage for it - people generally will be nice and polite about food in a restaurant. It's only rude people who aren't. The worst a polite person would say is "there's a bug in this, could you redo it?" - When giving more than £50 cash to friends, it's common to give that in an envelope, but just any cheap one laying around. Just to hide it from random people. - In London the right side of escalator rule is adhered to. The rest of the country is whatever, but it does pop up in busy train stations. - Using a bag to claim a seat or table happens too. Not super common, but it happens.
Yea at some point I was like "am I living in japan, we do a lot of that stuff here too" and I am living in a western country. The japanese just take some of the things up to 11 it seems
I'm not familiar with the elevator thing, is that Japan as well? I've recently started living in a place with an elevator so genuinely asking for myself.
Maybe I'm just too German but I always try to arrive early. And most people I know agree with that. I think it's just a matter of respect to arrive on time so you're not wasting the other person's time.
I agree with you so much, I currently live in a country where half an hour late with no communication it's acceptable because it's expected both parties will arrive half an hour late and it doesn't matter how I communicate it doesn't work for me and I feel disrespected because I am there on time people keep saying it's no big deal and if I could leave this instant I promise I would
I feel that there's something important to point out. Arriving too early is also considered rude. 5-10 minutes early is a good rule of thumb for most occasions. What the Japanese do is to rule out any chance of delays. So instead of taking the train that would be just in time, you take 1 or 2 earlier and wait until it's proper to arrive.
@@SgtPotShot At least at my time in the German army it was only 5 minutes early. After that I went to study where you learn about the "academic quarter (of an hour)". Being late of course.
Regarding how to criticise a chef. I came across an interview with an experienced food show presenter on Japanese TV. The interviewer asked him "How would you say if the restaurant served you something really bad?" He answered "好きな人にはたまらないでしょうね（it must be a delight for someone whose tastebud matches）"
I also heard a talent once say that if she did not like the food she would say, "This reminds me of a homecooked meal". The implication being that the quality was not up to standard for what you would expect from a professional, but at the same time one could take it as complement.
Omg this is so Japanese thing to say 😂😂 they go around the bush to criticise you. Trust me the chef understood what was said, just nobody needs to be outwardly embarrassed that’s all.
I heard that line in Sir John Gielgud's voice. The English upper class uses similar language when perturbed. He had a great number of subtle insults like that, for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Award for the movie "Arthur" (1981), in which he played the butler Hobson. If you've never seen the movie, I'm sure you can find a "Best of Hobson, Arthur movie" video on YT.
12:15 read an article before said it was first implemented on taxi during the first Olympic Games held in Japan to give a sense of modernity to foreign tourists and they found it really useful hence keeping this special function and even all the new cabs manufactured since then
I'm not going to lie, I saw the title and rolled my eyes a little bit but this video actually had some really good and new information. Sorry for doubting you Chris lol
22:25 Nah this is a bit of an unspoken rule too back home in the UK, especially if you ever travel to London, thats how to know you've been away too long brother 😂
as a londoner i would actually disagree with you in the sense that its not an unspoken rule, there's signs and announcements that say to "stand on the right" and "walk on the left", as well as just being encouraged in general
Yeah, the public eating and walking one is actually enforced by the food establishment. In Osaka I was told I must eat my strawberry mochi and tanghulu right there (though it was a tiny kiosk like space) and I guess it was because they had the trash bin there too and wanted to keep the streets clean.
Trash bins or rather their absence is something that can really surprise tourists in Japan. If you don't get rid of the packaging of food (and there's often a lot) then be prepared to carry it around with you until you find a konbini or something. Luckily in many cities there's one around every corner. In the countryside OTOH...
Look up Aum Shinrikyo they used public trash cans to hide sarin packages and hurt a lot of people. I think it's the biggest reason why Japan doesn't have many public trash cans
As someone who wants to visit Japan these kinda videos help alot. I don't wanna be seen as a disrespectful tourist so these kinda ettiquete videos help alot!
That last one, in Singapore we have a word for it. "CHOPE" Also meaning to reserve a table with an item but something of little to no value, like for example a packet of tissues, an umbrella, a thermo flask or a newspaper.
Loved the video but... in the UK we do not stand wherever we want on an escalator! We absolutely stand on the right and walk on the left! It's usually only foreign tourists who block the whole escalator or stand on the wrong side!
My Japanese girlfriend sometimes eats and walks and sometimes says it’s horrible to do. There’s a time and a place and based on what you’re eating and who you’re with and probably based on the phase of the moon or something as well.
OK Chris, what color envelope should I look for? Are there specific envelopes for: "I'm returning the money I borrowed from you."? What color is the: "Happy Birthday! I don't know you well enough to buy a personalized gift, so here's some cash." envelope?
YES THIS! Brings up all the wrong envelopes but fails to provide the right one. Now when im visiting and have to give someone money im just gonna prep one of each and be like "here idk which is right so pick the least offensive".
A regular brown or white envelope with the amount written in smallish numbers is fine for giving money that isn't somewhat ceremonial. For birthdays, nobody really gives money, so there isn't a special birthday money envelope. There are special envelopes for new years money, usually with pictures of anpanman or mickey mouse because only children and students who have yet to graduate are given new years money. You don't write down how much is in new years money envelopes because how much is dependent on how old the child is, and you don't want the younger ones getting jealous. Once you graduate and get a job, it's now your job to give instead of get. Oh, and for funerals, don't forget to wrap your funeral envelope in a special fancy holder that is returned to you (once the funeral envelope has been removed).
@@thany3 It's a complicated subject, but basically so long as you remember that funerals are the strictest, weddings are second, and new years is the least strict, then no problems. If you just borrowed money from a friend or family, no need for an envelope. Equally as important as the envelope is what to wear for funerals and weddings. The good news is that we gaijin have a pass that allows us to make some pretty bad social gaffes, and sorta get away with it temporarily.
I enjoy your video and we learn many things from them. You have documentary, funny, exploration video like the trips in wich you finally saw the mount fujii. The most important thing is when you enjoy what are you doing, others will enjoy it too. The most funny thing about this video is Natsuki's expressions
Walking and eating apparently used to be frowned upon here in the UK, too. I remember the day I bought a sandwich from M&S for lunch, and ate it as I walked along the High Street. At one point I lowered the hand that was holding the sandwich just for a moment, and a passing dog took a bloody great bite out of that egg and bacon-y goodness! I was recounting the story to my mum later that day, expecting an "Aww, there there, dear." style response, but instead I got "What the HELL were you doing walking and eating?? That's SO rude!". Who knew? 🤷♂️
dogs and monkeys, some of the the worst food thieves in the animal kingdom. a dog will steal food off of your kitchen counter, heck, if the owner feeds them off of their plate, it will steal off of your plate if you don't watch it.
@@thany3 If possible, I recommend going with a native Japanese speaker. This isn’t limited to Japanese, but any language can lead to major misunderstandings when mistranslated or translated too literally. For example, I once saw a young Japanese woman wearing a shirt with the English word 'naked' on it. This is advice from my own experience as a Japanese person.
Very nice, entertaining and informative video. I knew a lot of those rules, but some were new to me. Didn’t know about the sunglasses one, but I only wear sunglasses outside or the photo grey glasses and I’ve never had an issue. The rice bowl one I thought you were going to have your chopsticks in the rice sticking up in the bowl, which is a huge no no as you are insulting the host and chef by implying that the food is only fit for a dead person. Another one is never pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks, this is how people pass the bones of their dead relatives. At first from the thumbnail I thought you were breaking some kind of convenience store rule that I didn’t know about lol.
Video summary: 1. Do not eat or drink while walking 2. Do not complain about the food in restaurants 3. Do not be late 4. Do not use the wrong envelope when giving money 5. Do not open / close doors of taxis (they will open for you) 6. Do not add soy sauce or other flavorings to plain rice (add it to the side instead) 7. Do not forget to buy souvenirs for all your family, friends and colleagues when you travel 8. Do not answer your phone inside restaurants / bars / cafes / train compartments 9. Do not wear sunglasses if you don't want to appear rude (also no shorts if you are an adult) 10. Stand to the right /left (depending on the city) of the escalator and leave space for people to walk past you 11. Do not point with your fingers 12. Do not assume unattended items are lost or forgotten (they are used as placeholders to indicate "occupied")
Even a fancy and a poor version of envelope for marrige. Could be funny to put a large amount of money in the cheap envelope and a small amount in the expensive and clame that you were on a budget 😂
Frankly speaking, the condolence envelopes (black/ yellow ribbons) are dying customs in Japan nowadays. When you receive a ribboned envelope full of cash (including marriage ones), you owe a returning gift called okaeshi (payback) to the donor. The return can't be cash but some goods worth half of the donation and recommended to be personalised to each donor. The cumbersomeness around this putting more and more people off from inviting friends and relatives to a funeral or putting a "We don't accept cash gifts" sign on the site. This trend is quickly rising in urban areas like Tokyo. Prob the remaining case of using these envelopes are when a VIP for your business (your CEO, your most important customer) passed away.
A lot of these things remind me about how I felt right at home while visiting Japan as a Finnish person, when it came to this unspoken big collective mindset of taking other people naturally into consideration. Trying to give others their personal space when possible, keeping an eye out for how people are moving on the street while walking and trying to keep subtly out of anyone's way, not embarrassing others for example by trying to get too close or personal or trying to engage them in a forced conversation (God forbid in English too), trying not to inconvenience anyone in any minor way, not being loud etc., and it really just comes automatically. I loved it!
When I was in Kyoto, I ate a nikuman from the 7eleven near the Kyoto station, and could feel the unapproving looks from the locals, but when I stopped at a public bench and continued there, everything calmed.😊 The sunglass rule is new to me, but with photochromic glasses I lost already.
Hold up the escalator thing is basically the same for the UK mainly in train stations, in other words Chris is that one prick in the way when you're heading to the tube.
I've literally never seen this anywhere in the north or South East. London is the only place I've ever seen queuing like that. Maybe in the few major cities, but it definitely doesn't exist outside of them
@@SirProdigle It's only really seen in London in the South East because most stations in the South East don't have the kind of foot traffic to require lanes tbh. But it is what people do in London because of the difference in scale.
@3:26 100% understand not criticizing food to peoples face but Japanese people leave THE HARSHEST reviews on social media for EVERYTHING! Any cafe, restaurant, parks etc very seldom had high reviews when I was in Japan!
I know, right?! I'm planning a Japan trip and was looking at hotels... rarely saw a hotel with a rating over 4.2. At first I was like "Man, is the hospitality industry in Japan that bad?" And then after reading the reviews, a lot of it is "The employee didn't smile at me for .02 seconds which was rude". It seems like many Japanese are passive aggressive by nature. It is "rude" to be negative to someone's face, but as soon as their back is turned all bets are off. I have a close friend who is Japanese and while she's very friendly, I've still caught one or two passive aggressive comments.
Yeah, a Canadian-japanese guide I met on a tour explained to me that same thing! It seems that whenever you find anything above 3,5 stars on Google Maps seems to be fairly good, and above 4 stars for something really astounding 😂
@@tbeth To me 4.2 sounds really good (assuming a 1-5 scale, obviously). 3 is an average hotel. 5 would be a place where absolutely everything is the best you could could expect at that price point. 4.2 in practice means that most people have voted it great and some have voted it perfect. Depending, of course, on the culture in the country. In some countries it's impossible to trust even a 4.9 score, because of friend and family (or even click farms) giving upvotes, or because everything thinks that anything short of having to fight with rats is a 5-star stay.
Here in Norway there is no written or unwritten rule to not walk while eating, it is just something you don`t do because eating is something you do while you relax and rest, normally you sit down to eat. Also many places it is considered rude to walk and eat, not just Japan.
It isn't considered polite in the UK either. I have to ask serious questions about Chris' upbringing. What have Mrs and Mrs Broad got to say about this?
@@Splozy I presume mince is some regional slang for bullshit. Walking down the street eating is not considered polite in the UK. There may be a more relaxed attitude to it in working class culture, but in "polite society" it has always been frowned upon.
I love Natuski's and your expressions with each unwritten rule sketch! If I ever make it to Japan, definitely going to try to keep these in mind, especially the Sunglasses and the escalators. Thank you for another informative, yet incredibly entertaining video!
I’ve actually found that there is no one side of the escalator to stand on. It seems like people always just follow the person in front of them. I’ve seen both ways within minutes of each other in the same city.
Yeah that point he made about standing anywhere was mad and absolute nonsense. It is considered rude to block the escalator, tourists often get growls and asked to step aside by locals, or explained politely please here we stand on one side, right and walk on the other left. I can only think this is another expat forgotten the rules at home like the Taxi thing.
@@tb6303 The escalator was patented in 1892. The first escalator was installed in 1893, in New York City. In 1900 the escalator had been commercialized.
I have a question about a few things. 1. I’m legally blind and and am sensitive to light, so I get eye headaches and wear sunglasses sometimes when the light causes too much pain. Would it still be considered rude to wear sunglasses? 2. How are people with disabilities treated in Japan? My sensei in Japanese 2 explained how accessible Japan is for people with visual impairments/blindness, but overall how are they treated? 3. Do you know any resources for me to try to learn Japanese braille/Tenji? I’m taking Japanese in high school right now, and I really enjoy it, however, as a legally blind individual, the characters kind of hurting my eyes because of all of the detail. One thing I do like about them though is that it seems like on most packaging they are in large print.
This is probably not the respons you are looking for but I would like to share my observations. I just came back from 16 days Japan. Where I come from people with disabilities are generally in public treated well and often people will offer help if they think its needed (which is not always the case). One of the thing that surprised me in Japan was the amount of people with disabilities engaging in activities. I saw multiple visually impared people navigating the city on their own (locals). I have seen parents/grandparents bring their grandson/daughter with down syndrome to museums. We ended up visiting a random event where people with downs were performing. Although net super crowded there were enough people cheering them on. In universal studios I saw many families bringing people with all kinds of disabilities (which made me happy as I find that very important as a healthcare worker). Lastly I saw multiple tourist in wheelchairs or other visible disabilities where they struggled walking due to maybe abnormal growth of limbs (to give an idea) but many attractions are very difficult (physically) to explore even without disabilities so do your research! Lots of stair climbing and uphill walking! Lastly not a disability but I have dark skin and had no problems in that regard. Didn't encounter a 'Butsukariya' :) Based on this I think you would be absolutely fine/safe.
@@nj472Thanks for the insight! I plan on visiting after graduating high school. If you don’t mind sharing, what was your favorite part of visiting Japanese?
At this point, when I watch these videos, I make a game for myself on how many rules I don't already know. It's usually no more than 3. You've taught me a lot over the years Chris ♥️
Yay! Been looking forward very much to a special. Of all the people we know in Japan, I'd put my money on Chris really knowing the truth of such matters! Thank you so much for putting such great efforts into producing this matey-chops 👍😎
I agree, when in Japan we didn't walk and eat. We stood still and ate, then walked around after. We took our trash back to the hotel. Learn how to say thank you and bow. Don't grab and hug them.
There's a thing called 食べ歩き which literally means "walking and eating" but it means walking to many places and eating at each of them, not walking WHILE eating. Maybe that could cause some confusion
I always look forward to your videos, my dude. You and your friends make Japan seem so much more enjoyable, welcoming, and relatable. Thanks for being a bro and providing this service to the world. I know, you make your money with it, it's not altruistic, but I'm glad you do well by it and it is a valuable thing that you do, I believe. Cheers! 🍻
the food critic part is only half true. It is okay to point out the bad part of the food such as undercooked or irregular smell or dead body of fly and usually the shop will offer an exchange . Under one rule, please check if the food is working as intended. What if you don’t know that the food is working as intended or something bad happened ? Just ask the chef or waiter if the taste is like what you are tasting.
Love the escalator rule. I spent about 6 months in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore last year where they queue on the left. Got back to London, went on the underground and genuinely got in everyones way at Waterloo as i forgot they went on the right. Despite me living in London for 34 years of my life 😂
OMG the clips of you from the first video take me BACK! You were just a baby! But I love the updated video and as always - look forward to your next video!
4:35 If a chef takes their job seriously, then they will want reasonable criticism when necessary. A proper chef is always honing their craft. It seems less like theyre "taking their job seriously" and more like they feel like it's rude so they dont say anything. Which is fine too, im usually not one to complain when my food is wrong unless it's inedible myself, but still.
Yes you want people say something, and compensate if its reasonable to do so. I wouldnt complain about wrong food either it waited a bit and i still like it. But still, if ther is wrong its good to say that.
in my experience japanese people do sometimes criticize just in a more indirect way. when they answer something along the lines of "the food was so good! the vegetables were really delicious and there was so much rice!" they might actually be saying the meat tasted bad and there wasn't enough of it (but they could also be genuine, it really depends on the nuance and context. but other natives will pick up on it). this kind of indirect criticism is pretty common and considered polite. also when there's something actually wrong with the food (ie. you know for sure the chef didn't intend the food to come out that way) i don't think it's impolite to point that out directly.
As a Taiwanese person, our culture is very similar to Japanese culture. Everything you mentioned in Japan is accurate, except for one thing I wasn't sure about…whether soy sauce should be added to rice. Other than that, I guarantee it's all true 😄
The only exception that comes to mind might be TKG (tamago kake gohan). It’s a traditional homemade dish where a raw egg is placed on top of rice, and soy sauce is added before eating. However, strictly speaking, the soy sauce is poured over the egg on the rice, so I don't think it’s common to add soy sauce directly to the rice. Similarly, in dishes like the 'kaisendon' that Chris introduced, the soy sauce is poured over the sashimi on top of the rice.
Thank you for this, Chris. It's been 20 years since I was there often. An idea for a video may be one around getting medical attention. IT used to be once under the care of a doctor, you followed every instruction and may be kept in a hospital if they thought you could not do to circumstances, even for non life threatening things. Another was the hospitals had open and closed hours.
I hate to say this Chris, but eating in the street was considered very bad form in the UK too prior to the 1980s to the extent that I remember getting the "Look of Death" from many of the older generation myself as a kid (I am 60 now), AND it was literally a fully written down and enforced rule of my school not to ever eat or drink in the street in our uniforms which would bring the school into disrepute and reflect badly on it, so yes, its a point of bad etiquette at the very least here too, or at least was, within living memory> Actually most of these rules also applied in the UK in the past, pointing a finger, leaving an item to reserve a spot, shorts and sunglasses being too casual for eg visiting a church, The thing with the rice is similar to how we dont dunk biscuits "in polite company" Just straightforward table manners. The Japanese etiquette seems very like how I was raised to behave. My grandparents were all born when Queen Victoria was on the throne , and good manners were very important, Our manners were expected to be exemplary
Eating while walking around outside is definitely bad manners. It's just that these days there's much more fast food so the younger people don't really care about it that much, but for older generations everywhere around the world pretty much it's considered impolite.
Just returned from a 10 day trip to Japan. Has to be the best country I've ever visited. Food is spectacular and Japanese service is unparalleled. And matcha. Matcha, matcha, matcha. Already looking at another trip.
Things must have changed in England since the 1980s regarding escalators. I visited London when I just graduated highschool (Texas, US) with a lot of students from various schools around the country, and as soon as we got off the plane at Gatwick we were scolded repeatedly for standing on the left on the escalators and moving walkways. I hadn't ever even considered walking while on an escalator before that as we lazy Americans NEVER walk when we can ride. Since then, I walk on escalators every chance I get, when it's not clogged with other people. It's like a thrill ride, "look how fast I can walk! 😮".
Australia has the left hand side escalator thing too... depending on how large the crowd is. It is really complicated as to whether you should be on left or not and you have to read the room. There is even a bit of a argument amongst Australians as to whether you are on left or right depending on your city, the rule is thus generally: "if someone cant get past in a rush, then you doing it wrong, but if everyone is in a rush, no one cares."
Damn Chris, your timing on this video couldn't be any more perfect as I'm about ready to pack for my Japan trip tomorrow. Looks like I'll be packing nothing but long pants for the trip.
Something that I was corrected on a lot in Japan was how you present money. Largest to smallest, facing same direction, don’t fold, coins on top. If I didn’t do one of these things I would often get (very nicely) corrected, which I appreciated.
No way.. Does this apply to paying at cashiers too? I heard some Japanese emigrate due to the stifling societal rules, and this is probably another 1 in 10,000.
Isn't this just... normal? How do you even keep your money? I do this automatically because that's how my money is sorted in my wallet already... (Well, we don't use coins here in Argentina anymore because they are completely worthless (you'd need a stack of coins the size of my finger to buy a bit of candy), but besides that...)
@@therealax6 I'm from the U.S. and here people don't use cash much anymore. When we do, we never think more about it than just hand them the correct amount. There's no expectation of how you're presenting it to the cashier.
@@Cascadian I the U.S. it's still considered improper to have many bills over with them facing different directions. Almost every cashier will arrange them properly ( and look a little annoyed at the extra work )
I imagine Chris is running these skits like the micro-aggression guy from south park, warning everyone around him he's about to commit a major taboo but only for educational purposes
The escalator thing is prevalent in Australia too... Not extreme as Japan but usually only during the morning and evening work rush. Sometimes happens in shopping centres too.
Japanese summer isn't really hot as much as it is humid It gets hotter here in Austin, TX, but it's rarely over 50% humidity while the temperature is over 100f 80% humidity while it's 95f would feel awful lol
Dude... your videos are the best. I travel to Japan a lot and I totally "get" what you're talking about. Your channel is the best about Japan - BAR NONE
NOTIFICATION SQUAD: A lot of effort went into this - special thanks to Natsuki for taking part in the 11 sketches!
What did we miss though? What unspoken, unwritten rules did we forget? Let us know below!
And thanks to Sakuraco for sponsoring this episode: 🎃🍡 Use Code “ABROAD” to get $5 off your first #Sakuraco box team.sakura.co/abroadinjapan-SC2409 or # TokyoTreat box: team.tokyotreat.com/abroadinjapan-TT2409 and enter to WIN FREE Japanese souvenirs!
Hi Chris!
Hi Chris
Natsuki is a pretty decent actor. And obviously a good friend. What a hero!
Natsuki deserves an Oscar award for his performance.
finger guns with the knuckles rolled up like revolvers.
Natsuki's acting skills are great in this! 😃
Sure 🤭
Natsuki has become more elderly and somehow more like a wiser elder with the brow of a wrinkly scrotum,! 😂
@@harryrambler That's a weird way of saying he looks old.
So far the rice-spit at 14:50 is my favorite. His first Cameo was already excellent with the haha...
'money shot'
...haha
Maybe a little too much Aso
Not one spoken word the whole video 😅
"Early is on-time, on-time is late, and late is unacceptable."
This piece of advice has served me well.
So by the transitive property, early is unacceptable?
I worked for a Japanese bookstore in the US and I always arrived on time for my shift. A supervisor (who was Japanese) told me to show up 5 minutes early and I couldn't understand why and kind of argued with her that I don't get paid to wait around. Now it makes sense lol
I went like 30 minutes earlier and they told me that is also rude 😅
@@OperationJackHammer As long as they encourage you to leave "on-time" as well seems fine enough.
especially if someone is paying you to be there… got to meet John Malkovich because I got to the theater he was acting at early,
Escalators shocked me in Japan, for several reasons:
1) Many of them are incredibly slow.
2) Some have signs saying to only stand on them, not walk, despite them being excruciatingly slow.
3) Despite usually being sticklers for rules, many Japanese people ignore the prohibition against walking on esclators.
Because it kinda counters the point of being early.
You want anarchy in Japan. Ride a bike. There's often strict rules about riding on sidewalks or in roads and people get annoyed about in the west. But in Japan you just ride a bike where ever. In the road, on the sidewalk choose your own adventure.
Japanese people break all the wrttien rules all the time, you are not meant to ride bikes on sidewalks, use your phone, or urbelma, but they all do, but you break an unwrtitten rule that is bad.
The slow escalators was one of the things that surprised me on my first trip (along with the " 4 times thinner' toilet paper)
I feel many warning signs are calibrated towards the reckless (and eldery, perhaps). But most people are timid enough not to need those extra warning signs. Most people won't die when walking on an escalator. But it probably caused a minor accident 55 years ago and the owner of the property got sued and lost, and now warning signs are there to cover their bottoms from liability.
In London, the the right-hand side of the escalator is for people who want to stand still, the left-hand side is for people walking up or down. You will get told to move quite quickly by people trying to get past if you're in the way.
That's an outdated view of London you have sadly. Nowadays people will just stand/walk wherever they want and woe to anybody who speaks up about it..
@@PeaceDweller It's still very common. The same applies in most places but less likely to have people asking you to move outside of London
@@PeaceDweller you don't live in london
Same here in Canada. Right side for standing, left side for walking up. If you are standing on the left, people may ask you to move over so they can get by.
Even in my UK town, not London, people generally stand on the right side of the escalator.
For the Taxi door thing, as I understand, it started in the 70s as a kind of novelty in one particular city, maybe Osaka. It was such a hit that it expanded to the rest of the country and became ingrained in Japanese modern culture.
The rice sketch is the best one in this video. Natsuki's reaction is just brilliant. I totally understand that Chris showed it multiple times and kind of broke character while filming.
Edit: timestamp 15:40
Ohmigosh I *LOVED* his reaction in the rice sketch, also.
Chris slightly braking character with the grin / smile is the cherry on top :D Hilarious bit and I love that other people appreciate it as well.
The American version of this would be to take some nice BBQ and pour ketchup on it. lol. Soy sauce goes on meat or vegetables, typically. Rice is its own thing and almost handled like a bit of a palate cleanser. Some fragrances or spices, sometimes, but basically eaten as-is. The implication of smothering it with sauce ( of any kind ) is that it was made incorrectly - that whole don't critique the chef thing, again. And, yes, good BBQ doesn't need any sauce.
About eating while walking, a little story of my first trip to Japan might shed some light. When walking in Kyoto to meet a colleague, at some point I felt a large thump on my head, as if someone had hit me with a large object. My instinct was, maybe some kids were playing football, and I got hit by a stray ball. But as I looked right, I saw a large raptor (bird of prey) flying off, which then proceed to loop around, stabilize at the height of my head and then proceed to have another go at me. I started running, which luckily discouraged the beast from its attack, but he kept stalking me across the streets of Kyoto. Strangely, no-one seemed phased by this. Eventually, the bird gave up, but when I met my colleague I told him this story. "Oh, that was a black kite. Were you eating something?" Confused I said "Yes, I was eating an apple. How do you know". "Black kites are very common in Japan, but they are unusual among raptors, because they are scavengers. They are also very bold, so they are not shy of trying to take food from your hands. Thats what hapoened to you, a black kite tried to steal your apple. That's why in Japan, we don't eat while walking in the street." 😮 Of course, in places like central Tokyo, there are no black kites, but get out to more rural areas (like Kamakura), and there are plenty. In fact, several temples in Kamakura have written warnings in English advising to look out for them if you are eating outside.
What so it's like a healthier version of the British seagulls that spawn camp chippys 😂
Im visiting Kamakura and some other more rural parts of Japan on my trip. I will definitely keep this in mind lol.
*the offering must be sacrificed to the birds*
Or slap the bird
I've had seagulls attack my family at a beach in Florida over a bologna sandwich.
They're like a swat team. You had the ground units that had us fully surrounded and then the air units dive-bombing us. My dad threw the sandwich away, and all their unity was gone in a flash. Every seagull for himself.
lol, what a story... Ignoring the odd bit about a bird of prey going for a piece of fruit or nobody bleeding from their head after an encounter.
Funny how Japan has some of the more brutal online reviews of restaurants. The polar opposite of how it is face-to-face.
Are they brutal? I remember that they just rated low, not because it was bad but because it takes a lot to be really good. Like 5 stars is for the most memorable delicious Sushi you've ever eaten, not for a McDonalds that gets your order right.
Japanese reviews are hilarious, they will pick on things that are rediculously silly, like the staff are ugly, etc really fun read on google reviews.
@@TheDirtysouthfan Nah, they're savage. Like they don't use swear words and such but a lot of very demeaning metaphors.
I think I've read that online Japanese people are the most rude and brutal. Since you're more anonymous and bottling up all your true opinions daily gets onto you.
@@TheDirtysouthfan they say about how the staff should be fired and that they are ugly alot.
Also when you buy Omiyage: Make sure you get something that is ONLY from that area. If you go to Yokohama and come back with something you could have got in Tokyo or anywhere else, your co-workers will be disappointed because you didn’t share the experience of being where you actually went lol
Just don't say sh**
I'd just buy kitkats, because that would probably be the closest to a similar experience I'd have
But you can buy the omiyage from the more famous places, practically anywhere in Japan - you can buy those Kyoto Yatsuhashi without even leaving Tokyo station!
Envelopes:
red: marriage
yellow: dead
black: dead
gold: marriage
Got it!
I wonder which one would have been the right one for returning the money to the coworker though
@@officialnicknameobviously they’re all wrong!
So, using a blank envelope isn't an option, is it? Because if it was that would be too easy.
I loved the taxi doors in Japan. I wasn't expecting it so it was a nice surprise, plus added to the drivers wearing a chauffeurs hat and white gloves it made the journeys feel a bit fancy.
Oh 🎃🎃🎃 Halloween are you guys going to do...obake party 🥳🥳🥳 or 🎤🎤🎤🎤 karaoke
It's also nice the driver opens it for you, as they generally know better if it's safe to exit.
I love the white covers on the head rests!
@@swish043 yes the bulgarian-granny-blankets
For #2, I have a personal theory that this is the reason why online reviews for restaurants in Japan are usually rated much lower compared to other parts of the world. People can never complain in public but when it's somewhat anonymous then people can be scathing! You can hardly find a place in Japan with higher than a Google 4.5 star and many places with a 3.something are absolutely amazing (well your Lost Bar seems to be the exception, well done mate!)
It's also to do with being correct with a rating scale. 1-10 makes 5 average. So a pretty woman is a 6, she is above average. By that logic 2.5 would be average and 3 would be above and therefore very good. They just use them correctly.
@@EndyBoye Yup. I used to be a Google Guide but there is significant pressure to always review somewhere as a 5 even when they were mediocre. If I got average service and food quality, they got an average score. However, many other reviewers for the same place would give them top marks even when it was clear they had the same experience as I did. Grade inflation is a real problem with online reviews (which is why I usually don't take them too seriously).
Interesting. Reading your reviews in Japan must be an especially painful experience.
@@TheJohn8765well, you should probably be aware that any online review sites are thoroughly corrupted by large numbers if fake reviews. There are entire businesses who are devoted to doing nothing but this for their clients - at least in the USA.
exactly, it doesnt help that when i see negative reviews for japanese restaurants and the owner comes back with an essay cursign them, their family and their descedents for daring to say that the food wasn't good, makes me not want to visit that place lol
One time at Osaka station on my way to Wakayama, I was eating McD on an empty train awaiting departure. One girl walked in, saw me munch, became disgusted and walked right out. lol.😂
God my British soul would have compelled me to flip her off and ask "what are you looking at?" Terrible impression but I can't stand strangers putting their nose where it doesn't belong
Eating in train is disgusting.
@@livinlicious Yeah, you try not to eat or drink in 5-8 hours sitting in a train or if there ain't enough time in between your two trains. The tables are there for other purposes than just your Iphone or laptop 😉
@@livinliciousI probably wouldn't go as far as that but I've seen that some people leave chicken bones on the seat for others to enjoy ... Yuk!
Ok but they come around with little carts with katsu sandos... am I really not supposed to eat that at my seat? They brought it to me at my seat. And are ekibens not supposed to be eaten on the train either?
This is so fun, most of those rules I grew up with. And that was in kinda rural Netherlands.
Especially as a young person you would nevere point at anyone older, glasses are rude, you would never be loud in public. Phones were not yet in exhistance (the mobile ones ) but had they been you would never have dared to pick it up in public. A lot of those rules were unspoken but once learned it made life relaxed and easy. You knew where you stood. I liked it to be honest...
Oh I first thought you grew up in Ukraine
The shorts rule is not absolute - foreigners generally get a pass on it, and you do see the occasional Japanese person wearing shorts. However, usually only if they are exercising or otherwise would be perceived as a bit 'lower class'. The reality is that as a foreigner you get judged regardless, so being also seen as a bit lower class, isn't really a big deal and isn't really 'rude' or majorly taboo.
I love how Chris still uses pictures of Boris Johnson whenever he's describing British people even though he's been out of office for two years now.
Johnson is coming back, he is the only capble british politition. The only, since he left is just down hill for GB.
@@kinimodcinham1752 🤦♀🤣
Keir Starmer would probably have Chris arrested upon entering the UK if he starts using his picture instead.
@@kinimodcinham1752 Are you high?
@@birdup6663 Somehow I doubt Keir Starmer has the budget for that.
I can't get over how each of Natsuki's face of indignation are legendary. 20:01 my favorite
If you have a backpack on crowded trains, it’s best to move said backpack to your front, as to not accidentally bump into somebody without your knowledge. Can also apply to other crowded places like elevators or stores.
That's actualy a good piece of advice for my trip there.
Thank you.
Yeah I was gonna write this. Basically whenever you are about to get on a train take your bag off in case you have to put it on your chest on at feet
I went to Japan once for like 4 days. Absolutely LOVED it.
But I wouldn’t want to live there and deal with crazy high taxes and the working culture haha.
I much prefer living in South Korea, people are pretty chill here about rules
When I was in Japan as a german I found it very pleasant that so many people actually followed the rules. Since we are pretty stereotypically german me and my partner actually strategically planned our journey and also learned a lot of the rules in advance. I loved how tidy and orderly everything was and I especially loved it that people were quiet on the subway and actually knew how to properly use an escalator. Because as a german its in my genes to feel anger towards people who block an escalator by standing on the wrong side. One side is always reserved for people who are in a hurry. And unlike Japan here in Germany we are very direct so theres a good chance you will be roasted for not obeying the rules. Especially by senior citizens.
You must be really happy to see trains being on time, in Japan.
@@aakashnaik1576 We are not used to that in Germany anymore.
Try Austria. I've seen an elderly man kick someone for entering a tram before letting others leave.
@@aakashnaik1576 as a german its a dream lol
Yes, it was really a pleasure to see another country obeying the rules. On the other hand, it seemed beeing German made it a lot easier for me to follow the rules and not be a complete dipshit. And I still belive some Japanese looked happier after the learned that I am not an American, but from Germany
"The first rule of Japan is you do not talk about Japan."
- Tairaa Dāden
Tairuu Durduu
Chuck Polinik will be frustrated you stole that from him.
@@burhanbudak6041 Why is the second or third comment always a much worse version of the original comment?
I’m Black I talk about and do whatever I want
Now get that imprinted on a bar of soap
That was one really solid, almost Oscar worthy, spit take.
What do you mean "almost"?! Go buy an apology card and apologize in front of that Japanese gentleman immediately!
Done in one take thank god 😂
@@whaky6294 but family mart only has cards for deaths and marriage, how do i apologize!?!
-oh, wait, that's envelopes
-but i imagine you'd put cards into envelopes before delivering them,
-so point still stands!
The best unspoken Rule is "Never leave Family Mart without a FamiChicki"
But it sells out so quickly when I've looked for it.
I whole heartedly agree
@@johnlowell5905 Sells out quickly? Where are you searching? Lol. I swear every single Family Mart I go into is filled with Fami Chiki. Are you only going at night? Because convenience stores stops making hot food after like 9pm or so.
the one about soy sauce is basically the same as if "we" drenched our rice in ketchup XD
is it far to say that maggi is basically western soy sauce?
@@fkoff-c7c I would argue yes and now, it's more a cheap flavour supplement to mimic a quality beef-stock base.
But I grew up between Austria and Italy, it's more of a thing in Germany and Austria. Can't remember ever seeing it in other countries to that extend.
Also: do you put Maggi on your rice?
The intro bits with Natsuki are pure gold 😂
A lot of these rules are applicable to the UK too tbf...
- It's considered good form to arrive early. There's a UK adage for it
- people generally will be nice and polite about food in a restaurant. It's only rude people who aren't. The worst a polite person would say is "there's a bug in this, could you redo it?"
- When giving more than £50 cash to friends, it's common to give that in an envelope, but just any cheap one laying around. Just to hide it from random people.
- In London the right side of escalator rule is adhered to. The rest of the country is whatever, but it does pop up in busy train stations.
- Using a bag to claim a seat or table happens too. Not super common, but it happens.
Yea at some point I was like "am I living in japan, we do a lot of that stuff here too" and I am living in a western country. The japanese just take some of the things up to 11 it seems
I'm not familiar with the elevator thing, is that Japan as well? I've recently started living in a place with an elevator so genuinely asking for myself.
@@S1RLANC3 I think they meant escalator
My first time in London I got practically yelled at for standing in the middle of the escalator. It's very strict there, surprised he said it wasn't.
@@pastSpider4979 I meant to say escalator, not elevator. My bad, I've edited it now :)
Maybe I'm just too German but I always try to arrive early. And most people I know agree with that. I think it's just a matter of respect to arrive on time so you're not wasting the other person's time.
yeah the ~10min early rule. Though I got used to tell my friend who are always late a meeting time ~30min early so they arrive somewhat in time XD
The US military drills into you that you should always be 15 minutes early to anything, and I always went by that.
I agree with you so much, I currently live in a country where half an hour late with no communication it's acceptable because it's expected both parties will arrive half an hour late and it doesn't matter how I communicate it doesn't work for me and I feel disrespected because I am there on time people keep saying it's no big deal and if I could leave this instant I promise I would
I feel that there's something important to point out.
Arriving too early is also considered rude. 5-10 minutes early is a good rule of thumb for most occasions.
What the Japanese do is to rule out any chance of delays. So instead of taking the train that would be just in time, you take 1 or 2 earlier and wait until it's proper to arrive.
@@SgtPotShot At least at my time in the German army it was only 5 minutes early. After that I went to study where you learn about the "academic quarter (of an hour)". Being late of course.
Regarding how to criticise a chef. I came across an interview with an experienced food show presenter on Japanese TV. The interviewer asked him "How would you say if the restaurant served you something really bad?"
He answered "好きな人にはたまらないでしょうね（it must be a delight for someone whose tastebud matches）"
I also heard a talent once say that if she did not like the food she would say, "This reminds me of a homecooked meal". The implication being that the quality was not up to standard for what you would expect from a professional, but at the same time one could take it as complement.
Omg this is so Japanese thing to say 😂😂 they go around the bush to criticise you. Trust me the chef understood what was said, just nobody needs to be outwardly embarrassed that’s all.
Suki na hito ni wa tamaranai deshou ne
"It's irresistible for those who like it."
The Japanese line says nothing about tastebuds or matching.
I heard that line in Sir John Gielgud's voice. The English upper class uses similar language when perturbed.
He had a great number of subtle insults like that, for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Award for the movie "Arthur" (1981), in which he played the butler Hobson. If you've never seen the movie, I'm sure you can find a "Best of Hobson, Arthur movie" video on YT.
That is the most polite way of saying "I hated it" I've ever heard 😂
God bless Japan lol.
12:15 read an article before said it was first implemented on taxi during the first Olympic Games held in Japan to give a sense of modernity to foreign tourists and they found it really useful hence keeping this special function and even all the new cabs manufactured since then
I'm not sure why, but watching Abroad in Japan on the television is just better. I recommend everyone try watching it both on TV and on the computer.
The country is beautiful and the videos are high quality
@@davianoinglesias5030 true!
I'm not going to lie, I saw the title and rolled my eyes a little bit but this video actually had some really good and new information. Sorry for doubting you Chris lol
All is forgiven
22:25 Nah this is a bit of an unspoken rule too back home in the UK, especially if you ever travel to London, thats how to know you've been away too long brother 😂
Came here to say this, there’s definitely a rule in London
He's rich now, when he goes to London he doesn't take the tube, just gets into taxis expecting the doors to open by themselves. 🤣
Definitely a rule everywhere I've been in the UK, or else the Quiet Tutting of Judgement will befall you
It's OK to urinate in phone boxes and alleyways, though.
as a londoner i would actually disagree with you in the sense that its not an unspoken rule, there's signs and announcements that say to "stand on the right" and "walk on the left", as well as just being encouraged in general
Yeah, the public eating and walking one is actually enforced by the food establishment. In Osaka I was told I must eat my strawberry mochi and tanghulu right there (though it was a tiny kiosk like space) and I guess it was because they had the trash bin there too and wanted to keep the streets clean.
Trash bins or rather their absence is something that can really surprise tourists in Japan. If you don't get rid of the packaging of food (and there's often a lot) then be prepared to carry it around with you until you find a konbini or something. Luckily in many cities there's one around every corner. In the countryside OTOH...
This is the reason why. The Japanese are very proud of their cleanliness and want to keep it that way.
@@CarbonNut There is a caveat to that. "Where it can be seen."
Japan does have the occasional wild dump in the forests or abandoned cars rotting away.
Look up Aum Shinrikyo they used public trash cans to hide sarin packages and hurt a lot of people. I think it's the biggest reason why Japan doesn't have many public trash cans
@@kaltaron1284
日本人も善人ばかりではないので、悪い人もいます。ただ、不法投棄は罰則が厳しく、『5年以下の懲役もしくは1,000万円以下の罰金またはその両方』となっており、昔に比べるとだいぶ減ったと思います。
As someone who wants to visit Japan these kinda videos help alot. I don't wanna be seen as a disrespectful tourist so these kinda ettiquete videos help alot!
Leaving your personal items on a table is astonishing, the US could never, I've actually been mugged before when I went to Las Vegas.
I don't have enough faith in humanity to just leave my belongings somewhere unattended. The fact they do that in Japan astonishes me.
Chris doesn’t upload often but when he does it’s “like a magic”!
I'd much rather enjoy a few High Quality Videos rather than a bunch of tripe !
@@nicholausbuthmann1421 Both, both is good.
I'm all for "when it's ready". A strict upload schedule doesn't make any sense on an on-demand video platform.
Only occasionally too much volcano. But always extra salami!
That last one, in Singapore we have a word for it.
"CHOPE"
Also meaning to reserve a table with an item but something of little to no value, like for example a packet of tissues, an umbrella, a thermo flask or a newspaper.
Haha yea very common trend in Singapore. Also nice to see a fellow Singaporean in the comments.
Was gonna say, a lot of the rules here are just common SG things too
or even business card
8:53 - As a chicken leg sporting individual, I’m forever entranced by those calves
Loved the video but... in the UK we do not stand wherever we want on an escalator! We absolutely stand on the right and walk on the left! It's usually only foreign tourists who block the whole escalator or stand on the wrong side!
You're being too polite. By 'foreign tourists' you mean 'the Dutch', right?
This is mostly just a London thing, sadly.
I can assure you, if anyone blocks the escalator in London, they will be punched in the face.
Stand on the right! This isn't bloomin Tokyo!
Why can't every country just treat it like driving? The slow lane should be the same side as it is on the road.
id thought it be pushed down the escalators
Harsh but fair
In Osaka they will push and shove you, and some spit, they really are Uchuujin.
My Japanese girlfriend sometimes eats and walks and sometimes says it’s horrible to do. There’s a time and a place and based on what you’re eating and who you’re with and probably based on the phase of the moon or something as well.
perhaps she does it only when her period comes
In my opinion if there isnt a lot of people around and what you are eating/drinking isnt messy then who cares if you eat/drink walking
And how hungry you are I guess
I think the funniest way it was explained to me is if you see other people doing it its ok to do it(literally something a japanese friend told me)
There's another unspoken rule not to bother others by smoking in public, isn't there? Apparently in Osaka it s quite common though.
OK Chris, what color envelope should I look for?
Are there specific envelopes for: "I'm returning the money I borrowed from you."?
What color is the: "Happy Birthday! I don't know you well enough to buy a personalized gift, so here's some cash." envelope?
YES THIS! Brings up all the wrong envelopes but fails to provide the right one. Now when im visiting and have to give someone money im just gonna prep one of each and be like "here idk which is right so pick the least offensive".
A regular brown or white envelope with the amount written in smallish numbers is fine for giving money that isn't somewhat ceremonial. For birthdays, nobody really gives money, so there isn't a special birthday money envelope. There are special envelopes for new years money, usually with pictures of anpanman or mickey mouse because only children and students who have yet to graduate are given new years money. You don't write down how much is in new years money envelopes because how much is dependent on how old the child is, and you don't want the younger ones getting jealous. Once you graduate and get a job, it's now your job to give instead of get. Oh, and for funerals, don't forget to wrap your funeral envelope in a special fancy holder that is returned to you (once the funeral envelope has been removed).
And then also wouldn't you go "here's the money I borrowed from you, minus the price of the envelope you demanded"
@@thany3 It's a complicated subject, but basically so long as you remember that funerals are the strictest, weddings are second, and new years is the least strict, then no problems. If you just borrowed money from a friend or family, no need for an envelope. Equally as important as the envelope is what to wear for funerals and weddings.
The good news is that we gaijin have a pass that allows us to make some pretty bad social gaffes, and sorta get away with it temporarily.
Just plain is fine! Some ATMs even have them for free.
This is abroad in Japan at its best. These are the sort of videos I love, keep them coming…😊
I enjoy your video and we learn many things from them. You have documentary, funny, exploration video like the trips in wich you finally saw the mount fujii. The most important thing is when you enjoy what are you doing, others will enjoy it too. The most funny thing about this video is Natsuki's expressions
Walking and eating apparently used to be frowned upon here in the UK, too. I remember the day I bought a sandwich from M&S for lunch, and ate it as I walked along the High Street. At one point I lowered the hand that was holding the sandwich just for a moment, and a passing dog took a bloody great bite out of that egg and bacon-y goodness! I was recounting the story to my mum later that day, expecting an "Aww, there there, dear." style response, but instead I got "What the HELL were you doing walking and eating?? That's SO rude!". Who knew? 🤷♂️
Sounds like busybody nonsense!
dogs and monkeys, some of the the worst food thieves in the animal kingdom. a dog will steal food off of your kitchen counter, heck, if the owner feeds them off of their plate, it will steal off of your plate if you don't watch it.
The real unspoken rule: get an article of clothing with broken english on it if you spot one, those always get me pounding my rocks
Rule number 13. Don't pound your rocks in public!
Haha, we Japanese also often see 'broken Japanese' on clothing when we travel abroad. lol
It's a real gamble if you buy a shirt in Japan with Japanese on it. Will it say something weird?
@@thany3 If possible, I recommend going with a native Japanese speaker. This isn’t limited to Japanese, but any language can lead to major misunderstandings when mistranslated or translated too literally. For example, I once saw a young Japanese woman wearing a shirt with the English word 'naked' on it. This is advice from my own experience as a Japanese person.
Like
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Magic!
As a London tube user, the escalator rule is expected. Differing between cities though? Wouldn't have expected that!
Very nice, entertaining and informative video. I knew a lot of those rules, but some were new to me. Didn’t know about the sunglasses one, but I only wear sunglasses outside or the photo grey glasses and I’ve never had an issue. The rice bowl one I thought you were going to have your chopsticks in the rice sticking up in the bowl, which is a huge no no as you are insulting the host and chef by implying that the food is only fit for a dead person. Another one is never pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks, this is how people pass the bones of their dead relatives. At first from the thumbnail I thought you were breaking some kind of convenience store rule that I didn’t know about lol.
Video summary:
1. Do not eat or drink while walking
2. Do not complain about the food in restaurants
3. Do not be late
4. Do not use the wrong envelope when giving money
5. Do not open / close doors of taxis (they will open for you)
6. Do not add soy sauce or other flavorings to plain rice (add it to the side instead)
7. Do not forget to buy souvenirs for all your family, friends and colleagues when you travel
8. Do not answer your phone inside restaurants / bars / cafes / train compartments
9. Do not wear sunglasses if you don't want to appear rude (also no shorts if you are an adult)
10. Stand to the right /left (depending on the city) of the escalator and leave space for people to walk past you
11. Do not point with your fingers
12. Do not assume unattended items are lost or forgotten (they are used as placeholders to indicate "occupied")
That original video years ago is what made me find your channel. Still enjoy your videos after all these years.
"Congratulations on the anniversary of your dead family member". Damn, they have one for everything, don't they?!
Even a fancy and a poor version of envelope for marrige. Could be funny to put a large amount of money in the cheap envelope and a small amount in the expensive and clame that you were on a budget 😂
More of a condolence thing at a Buddhist ritual thing but yeah
Frankly speaking, the condolence envelopes (black/ yellow ribbons) are dying customs in Japan nowadays. When you receive a ribboned envelope full of cash (including marriage ones), you owe a returning gift called okaeshi (payback) to the donor. The return can't be cash but some goods worth half of the donation and recommended to be personalised to each donor.
The cumbersomeness around this putting more and more people off from inviting friends and relatives to a funeral or putting a "We don't accept cash gifts" sign on the site. This trend is quickly rising in urban areas like Tokyo. Prob the remaining case of using these envelopes are when a VIP for your business (your CEO, your most important customer) passed away.
"It's like whipping out a chainsaw in a petting zoo" - That killed me 🤣
A lot of these things remind me about how I felt right at home while visiting Japan as a Finnish person, when it came to this unspoken big collective mindset of taking other people naturally into consideration. Trying to give others their personal space when possible, keeping an eye out for how people are moving on the street while walking and trying to keep subtly out of anyone's way, not embarrassing others for example by trying to get too close or personal or trying to engage them in a forced conversation (God forbid in English too), trying not to inconvenience anyone in any minor way, not being loud etc., and it really just comes automatically. I loved it!
When I was in Kyoto, I ate a nikuman from the 7eleven near the Kyoto station, and could feel the unapproving looks from the locals, but when I stopped at a public bench and continued there, everything calmed.😊
The sunglass rule is new to me, but with photochromic glasses I lost already.
Hold up the escalator thing is basically the same for the UK mainly in train stations, in other words Chris is that one prick in the way when you're heading to the tube.
I've literally never seen this anywhere in the north or South East. London is the only place I've ever seen queuing like that. Maybe in the few major cities, but it definitely doesn't exist outside of them
Reading train station most definitely. If you don't stay on the side you will be literally walked over😂
@@SirProdigle
It's only really seen in London in the South East because most stations in the South East don't have the kind of foot traffic to require lanes tbh.
But it is what people do in London because of the difference in scale.
The Escalator thing is rule plastered on the Indian Metro as well but nobody follows it except me :(
Its the same in germany, though thankfully i have seen people actually sticking to it a lot more often here than in the UK
@3:26 100% understand not criticizing food to peoples face but Japanese people leave THE HARSHEST reviews on social media for EVERYTHING! Any cafe, restaurant, parks etc very seldom had high reviews when I was in Japan!
I know, right?! I'm planning a Japan trip and was looking at hotels... rarely saw a hotel with a rating over 4.2. At first I was like "Man, is the hospitality industry in Japan that bad?" And then after reading the reviews, a lot of it is "The employee didn't smile at me for .02 seconds which was rude".
It seems like many Japanese are passive aggressive by nature. It is "rude" to be negative to someone's face, but as soon as their back is turned all bets are off. I have a close friend who is Japanese and while she's very friendly, I've still caught one or two passive aggressive comments.
@@tbeth Nation of PAASIVE AGGRESSIVES 💯💥
That's the thing with Japanese people, they will often do negative things indirectly
Yeah, a Canadian-japanese guide I met on a tour explained to me that same thing! It seems that whenever you find anything above 3,5 stars on Google Maps seems to be fairly good, and above 4 stars for something really astounding 😂
@@tbeth To me 4.2 sounds really good (assuming a 1-5 scale, obviously). 3 is an average hotel. 5 would be a place where absolutely everything is the best you could could expect at that price point. 4.2 in practice means that most people have voted it great and some have voted it perfect. Depending, of course, on the culture in the country. In some countries it's impossible to trust even a 4.9 score, because of friend and family (or even click farms) giving upvotes, or because everything thinks that anything short of having to fight with rats is a 5-star stay.
Here in Norway there is no written or unwritten rule to not walk while eating, it is just something you don`t do because eating is something you do while you relax and rest, normally you sit down to eat. Also many places it is considered rude to walk and eat, not just Japan.
It is probably a sign that you do not respect the food someone has made for you.
It isn't considered polite in the UK either. I have to ask serious questions about Chris' upbringing. What have Mrs and Mrs Broad got to say about this?
@@capitalb5889 Never heard such mince in my life.
@@Splozy I presume mince is some regional slang for bullshit.
Walking down the street eating is not considered polite in the UK. There may be a more relaxed attitude to it in working class culture, but in "polite society" it has always been frowned upon.
@@capitalb5889 Polite? Ha! Have a day off, You don't know you're born.
You seem to have had so much fun filming this video and the sketches! The little "hoho" at the end of the envelope explanation is great aha
I love Natuski's and your expressions with each unwritten rule sketch! If I ever make it to Japan, definitely going to try to keep these in mind, especially the Sunglasses and the escalators. Thank you for another informative, yet incredibly entertaining video!
Blessed with another Broad in japan
If Chris was a woman, the naming would be hilarious
The Ryotaro bashing gave me a really nostalgic feeling for some reason.Keep it up.
I’ve actually found that there is no one side of the escalator to stand on. It seems like people always just follow the person in front of them. I’ve seen both ways within minutes of each other in the same city.
I think right, but because there usually are some people who want to go over, and yeah leave some place. (especially in the subway)
this
I really enjoy your storytelling. It’s so engaging. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
In London you queue on the right and walk on the left on an escalator. It has been that way for more than 100 years.
Escalators have been around for a hundred years? I had no idea they were that old.
It really shouldn't be done though as it wears the escalator down. People should stand in the middle and walk up.
Yeah that point he made about standing anywhere was mad and absolute nonsense. It is considered rude to block the escalator, tourists often get growls and asked to step aside by locals, or explained politely please here we stand on one side, right and walk on the other left.
I can only think this is another expat forgotten the rules at home like the Taxi thing.
@@tb6303 The escalator was patented in 1892. The first escalator was installed in 1893, in New York City. In 1900 the escalator had been commercialized.
Natsuki's reactions 😂, good acting 👍
I was thinking, it’s OK to spit rice at the table?
Natsuki acting was PEAK
I have a question about a few things. 1. I’m legally blind and and am sensitive to light, so I get eye headaches and wear sunglasses sometimes when the light causes too much pain. Would it still be considered rude to wear sunglasses?
2. How are people with disabilities treated in Japan? My sensei in Japanese 2 explained how accessible Japan is for people with visual impairments/blindness, but overall how are they treated? 3. Do you know any resources for me to try to learn Japanese braille/Tenji? I’m taking Japanese in high school right now, and I really enjoy it, however, as a legally blind individual, the characters kind of hurting my eyes because of all of the detail. One thing I do like about them though is that it seems like on most packaging they are in large print.
This is probably not the respons you are looking for but I would like to share my observations. I just came back from 16 days Japan. Where I come from people with disabilities are generally in public treated well and often people will offer help if they think its needed (which is not always the case).
One of the thing that surprised me in Japan was the amount of people with disabilities engaging in activities. I saw multiple visually impared people navigating the city on their own (locals).
I have seen parents/grandparents bring their grandson/daughter with down syndrome to museums. We ended up visiting a random event where people with downs were performing. Although net super crowded there were enough people cheering them on.
In universal studios I saw many families bringing people with all kinds of disabilities (which made me happy as I find that very important as a healthcare worker).
Lastly I saw multiple tourist in wheelchairs or other visible disabilities where they struggled walking due to maybe abnormal growth of limbs (to give an idea) but many attractions are very difficult (physically) to explore even without disabilities so do your research! Lots of stair climbing and uphill walking!
Lastly not a disability but I have dark skin and had no problems in that regard. Didn't encounter a 'Butsukariya' :)
Based on this I think you would be absolutely fine/safe.
@@nj472Thanks for the insight! I plan on visiting after graduating high school. If you don’t mind sharing, what was your favorite part of visiting Japanese?
I’m planning my first trip to Japan this winter with some family, and I’m sending this to the family members.
At this point, when I watch these videos, I make a game for myself on how many rules I don't already know. It's usually no more than 3. You've taught me a lot over the years Chris ♥️
Yay! Been looking forward very much to a special. Of all the people we know in Japan, I'd put my money on Chris really knowing the truth of such matters! Thank you so much for putting such great efforts into producing this matey-chops 👍😎
I agree, when in Japan we didn't walk and eat. We stood still and ate, then walked around after. We took our trash back to the hotel. Learn how to say thank you and bow. Don't grab and hug them.
Also: No mooning!
💀💀💀 Eve's perspective was amazing, and that purse footage was pure gold. 😂 I think having guest perspectives should become a more regular thing. 🙌🏻
There's a thing called 食べ歩き which literally means "walking and eating" but it means walking to many places and eating at each of them, not walking WHILE eating. Maybe that could cause some confusion
Hubby and I are going to Japan next month for the first time, it’s always great watching your videos on what & what not to do in Japan. 😊❤
I always look forward to your videos, my dude. You and your friends make Japan seem so much more enjoyable, welcoming, and relatable. Thanks for being a bro and providing this service to the world. I know, you make your money with it, it's not altruistic, but I'm glad you do well by it and it is a valuable thing that you do, I believe. Cheers! 🍻
the food critic part is only half true. It is okay to point out the bad part of the food such as undercooked or irregular smell or dead body of fly and usually the shop will offer an exchange . Under one rule, please check if the food is working as intended. What if you don’t know that the food is working as intended or something bad happened ? Just ask the chef or waiter if the taste is like what you are tasting.
Love the escalator rule. I spent about 6 months in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore last year where they queue on the left. Got back to London, went on the underground and genuinely got in everyones way at Waterloo as i forgot they went on the right. Despite me living in London for 34 years of my life 😂
OMG the clips of you from the first video take me BACK! You were just a baby! But I love the updated video and as always - look forward to your next video!
4:35 If a chef takes their job seriously, then they will want reasonable criticism when necessary. A proper chef is always honing their craft. It seems less like theyre "taking their job seriously" and more like they feel like it's rude so they dont say anything. Which is fine too, im usually not one to complain when my food is wrong unless it's inedible myself, but still.
Yes you want people say something, and compensate if its reasonable to do so.
I wouldnt complain about wrong food either it waited a bit and i still like it. But still, if ther is wrong its good to say that.
in my experience japanese people do sometimes criticize just in a more indirect way. when they answer something along the lines of "the food was so good! the vegetables were really delicious and there was so much rice!" they might actually be saying the meat tasted bad and there wasn't enough of it (but they could also be genuine, it really depends on the nuance and context. but other natives will pick up on it). this kind of indirect criticism is pretty common and considered polite.
also when there's something actually wrong with the food (ie. you know for sure the chef didn't intend the food to come out that way) i don't think it's impolite to point that out directly.
As a Taiwanese person, our culture is very similar to Japanese culture. Everything you mentioned in Japan is accurate, except for one thing I wasn't sure about…whether soy sauce should be added to rice. Other than that, I guarantee it's all true 😄
I lived in Korea and a lot of these are the same there too
The only exception that comes to mind might be TKG (tamago kake gohan). It’s a traditional homemade dish where a raw egg is placed on top of rice, and soy sauce is added before eating. However, strictly speaking, the soy sauce is poured over the egg on the rice, so I don't think it’s common to add soy sauce directly to the rice. Similarly, in dishes like the 'kaisendon' that Chris introduced, the soy sauce is poured over the sashimi on top of the rice.
That rice sketch was funny you can tell allot of effort went into this. Also i love how you diss the british and the japanese culture 😂
What was the British culture?
Thank you for this, Chris. It's been 20 years since I was there often. An idea for a video may be one around getting medical attention. IT used to be once under the care of a doctor, you followed every instruction and may be kept in a hospital if they thought you could not do to circumstances, even for non life threatening things. Another was the hospitals had open and closed hours.
Natsuki truly made this revisit as good as it is. Nice stuff!
I hate to say this Chris, but eating in the street was considered very bad form in the UK too prior to the 1980s to the extent that I remember getting the "Look of Death" from many of the older generation myself as a kid (I am 60 now), AND it was literally a fully written down and enforced rule of my school not to ever eat or drink in the street in our uniforms which would bring the school into disrepute and reflect badly on it, so yes, its a point of bad etiquette at the very least here too, or at least was, within living memory>
Actually most of these rules also applied in the UK in the past, pointing a finger, leaving an item to reserve a spot, shorts and sunglasses being too casual for eg visiting a church, The thing with the rice is similar to how we dont dunk biscuits "in polite company" Just straightforward table manners. The Japanese etiquette seems very like how I was raised to behave. My grandparents were all born when Queen Victoria was on the throne , and good manners were very important, Our manners were expected to be exemplary
It means ‘eating in the street’ = ‘scumbag’.
Eating while walking around outside is definitely bad manners. It's just that these days there's much more fast food so the younger people don't really care about it that much, but for older generations everywhere around the world pretty much it's considered impolite.
Shorts and sunglasses too, if you go back another generation or three.
Wow that’s interesting
@@Toropetskii agree!!
This is funny as hell. The ‘snorting a Greggs sausage roll’ made me choke laughing.
Just returned from a 10 day trip to Japan.
Has to be the best country I've ever visited.
Food is spectacular and Japanese service is unparalleled.
And matcha.
Matcha, matcha, matcha.
Already looking at another trip.
Please save more money for more days! We have been there exactly 22 days and it was still not enough 🙈❤
Things must have changed in England since the 1980s regarding escalators. I visited London when I just graduated highschool (Texas, US) with a lot of students from various schools around the country, and as soon as we got off the plane at Gatwick we were scolded repeatedly for standing on the left on the escalators and moving walkways. I hadn't ever even considered walking while on an escalator before that as we lazy Americans NEVER walk when we can ride. Since then, I walk on escalators every chance I get, when it's not clogged with other people. It's like a thrill ride, "look how fast I can walk! 😮".
Australia has the left hand side escalator thing too... depending on how large the crowd is. It is really complicated as to whether you should be on left or not and you have to read the room. There is even a bit of a argument amongst Australians as to whether you are on left or right depending on your city, the rule is thus generally:
"if someone cant get past in a rush, then you doing it wrong, but if everyone is in a rush, no one cares."
These sketches were sooooo funny! Especially Natsuki’s rice spit take 😂😂😂
Damn Chris, your timing on this video couldn't be any more perfect as I'm about ready to pack for my Japan trip tomorrow. Looks like I'll be packing nothing but long pants for the trip.
Something that I was corrected on a lot in Japan was how you present money. Largest to smallest, facing same direction, don’t fold, coins on top. If I didn’t do one of these things I would often get (very nicely) corrected, which I appreciated.
No way.. Does this apply to paying at cashiers too? I heard some Japanese emigrate due to the stifling societal rules, and this is probably another 1 in 10,000.
Isn't this just... normal? How do you even keep your money? I do this automatically because that's how my money is sorted in my wallet already...
(Well, we don't use coins here in Argentina anymore because they are completely worthless (you'd need a stack of coins the size of my finger to buy a bit of candy), but besides that...)
@@therealax6 I'm from the U.S. and here people don't use cash much anymore. When we do, we never think more about it than just hand them the correct amount. There's no expectation of how you're presenting it to the cashier.
@@Cascadian Yeah, I'm aware we're very cash-heavy. (But for what I know, so is Japan.)
@@Cascadian I the U.S. it's still considered improper to have many bills over with them facing different directions. Almost every cashier will arrange them properly ( and look a little annoyed at the extra work )
Natsuki had me dying on this part 😂 14:49
Great video! Very entertaining and love the concept of recreating the old - but better
Chris, your from England. That escalator thing is true in England too
Only in posh areas of London though
Only really in London
The rule-breaking demonstrations are fucking hilarious. I lost it when Natsuki spat out that rice
I imagine Chris is running these skits like the micro-aggression guy from south park, warning everyone around him he's about to commit a major taboo but only for educational purposes
The escalator thing is prevalent in Australia too... Not extreme as Japan but usually only during the morning and evening work rush. Sometimes happens in shopping centres too.
Japanese summer isn't really hot as much as it is humid
It gets hotter here in Austin, TX, but it's rarely over 50% humidity while the temperature is over 100f
80% humidity while it's 95f would feel awful lol
Dude... your videos are the best. I travel to Japan a lot and I totally "get" what you're talking about. Your channel is the best about Japan - BAR NONE
The escalator rule is a thing in the UK too. Definitely London.
the tube is famous for it.