Well guys, we're currently a week into the epic Cyclethon to Tokyo. Thanks to everyone who's watched along and helped us raise an incredible $390,000 so far! Connor and I filmed this episode just before setting off - hence the not so ideal backdrop, haha. Ideally this would've been a discussion for the Abroad in Japan studio! Still hope you enjoy our chat and thanks again to Sakuraco for sponsoring the episode. 🍡Grab your own box of tasty mouthwatering Japanese treats over at team.sakura.co/abroadinjapan-SC2403
@Chris aka Dave with "High Functionality" cracks me up, hes like a grown up silly version of Harry Potter with that sophisticated narrating voice from a History Channel documentary, I cant get enough of his Pizza Sand specials Lmao
I actually experienced a situation similar to the one in number 2. I remember being at a train station in Tokyo trying to get to that island with the Gundam statue that is sadly being removed and I had trouble because I accidently left my Japanese money back at my hotel and the station wouldn't accept cards for tickets. Some Japanese salaryman who didn't even work at the station, all done up in a suit and tie, saw that I was in a pickle and in broken English asked if I needed help. When I explained to him the situation he told me to follow him to a nearby store that had an ATM and showed me how to use it (it didn't have an English option, I think). He gave me more of his time then I would ever expect a complete stranger to. He took like 10 minutes out of his probably busy day to help some idiot gaijin like me and I'll always appreciate that.
Well it could also be that because you gave them a reason they enjoy helping you. If only because it's a bit of a change in what often can be very mondain even boring lifestyle. often the office jobs are very boring and long. the commute home is always exactly the same. To then get a idiot who ask for help give them a reason for once.
As some comments already stated, I can vouch for point 2. 2 weeks ago I was in Osaka with family and we were at the JR Osaka station and we were looking at the station board and our phones. A sweet old lady asked us in broken English (was still good though) if we were lost and it turns out our destination was via underground, not rail. I thought that was the end of it but no, she insisted we follow her. What we didn't know was that the underground station was a good 15 min walk away via a maze like underground mall. I felt guilty as we followed her but she was so insistant on helping us. Really appreciated her help.
I got lost in that exact same maze on my first day in Osaka. It was a terrible 30 minutes trying to find my way outside and getting oriented to were I was. The cities large buildings made it so I didn't have cell service either.
Namba to Osaka station is eaeasy. Then you walk 1.7 km underground to the train to Himeji. That's more than a mile for Medieval people. It's not as bad as Shinjuku, Tokyo or Kyoto station-complex (they got a great sushi train there, Musashi or something)...but don't skip leg day and trust the colors
I had a similar situation like Connor, when I asked our airbnb host for help with a ticket for a rave, after he offered guidance and help after we arrived. He immediately went ahead and called the service hotline of the event host for me and eventually figured out how to print the tickets. Then this absolute giga chad RAN TO A 7/11 to print the tickets for us!!! I didn't even know that he was doing all that, until he came back... Luckily I brought a bunch of candy from Germany in advance, so I could thank him at least with a gift. Will never forget how much he did for us that day and how kind he was!
@@bigboy8766 was a lucky coincidence, one of my favourite djs was playing and posted about it on social media - maybe student ravers united still exists, which is the thing he was playing at. Good luck and hopefully you find something!!😳
@@bigboy8766 I just happened to find an event that a dj I love attended. Was really lucky overall! Maybe check for DJs you like and if they tour in Tokyo/japan. Also I had help from a Chinese exchange student friend. She had to sign up to the event page with my credentials and pay for it for me with her dad's Japanese card, because they only accepted Japanese ones. (To this day I am getting spam mail by the host of that event page tho and it seems impossible to get rid of.🤣) I wish I was of more help, but the whole story is absolute madness.😭
One thing that many foreign residents of Japan don't know is Furusato Nouzei, or hometown tax. You can donate your income or residential tax to a regional area, rather than the area in which you actually reside. And then, these regional areas will provide “gifts” as a show of thanks. You can choose which areas you want to donate your taxes to based on what "gifts" you can get in return. We use our tax money to get high quality fruit and unagi, but there are lots of things you can get. You can actually get something in return for your tax money.
I'm surprised by how many of my local friends don't utilise it at all. Even my Japanese teacher was like 'you know what, I've never used it, but you're right we pay our taxes, why shouldn't we at least get something more out of it?'
#2 has been true for decades. When my dad was in high school his family was stationed in the Philippines at one of the US military bases there. This happened in like the late 70’s. His sports team took a trip to Japan. At some point, he ends up getting separated from his teammates in a station on the way to an important destination, but gets on a train alone anyway. After what seems like forever, he starts to get nervous, thinking he should have arrived at his destination by now. Well, as he’s sitting there sweating, starting to panic, the middle aged salaryman sitting next to him taps him on the shoulder and says, “You lost.” My dad confirms that he is, in fact, lost, and shows him on a map where he’s supposed to go. The man chortles and says, “Two hour, other way.” This man not only got off at the next station with my dad, but also rode the train back with him to make sure he got where he needed to go. It’s one of my favorite stories he tells.
Oh God, the second one. I was once lost in Osaka in Namba station (or trying to get to it, I forget). Some woman tried to help me, out of her own will, I didn't ask. Time was of the essence, because I had a concert to get to in like half an hour. The woman run around the endless underground passages with me and when she was unsure how to proceed she then got ANOTHER person to help us. So some salary man, her and myself spent like 10 minutes in search of my thing. I was mortified. But in the end I made it in time so I was so thankfull for their help.
Yea exits 25 (Dotonbori) or 6, 7, 8 (Mall) are easy but 15a or 13 get messed up in Maps. And you never pass the same shop every time you enter. I did walk from 25 to 6 underground in summer, because aircon and no traffic lights 😂😂
I kind of know the context for that one, it's kind of like when someone new you didn't expect enters your area and he's confused. and you just want them to have a good first impression of the place. Of course, this choice happens in 0.5 seconds. But that's how it is for me.
I actually kept totally forgetting about it at the start of the trip, but once I realised you actually needed it outside of transport for things such as say crane games, yea it became a firmnfixture in my phone case. Also a really good way of offloading any additional coinage you might be weighed down by
it's crazy how quick the IC cards deplete if you don't pay attention. 1000 yen can go quick and i got down to below the 190 minimum on my ICOCA at one point and had to reload fast
@SonicRyan1992 yea I have been making sure to watch the screen everytime I swipe through. At about the 900 mark now I think so sometime in the next 2 days should do me. Perfect timing anyway for going onto the next leg of the trip
I have experienced number 2 a few times when i went to Japan. I was lost in the middle of the street trying to look for my airbnb at 12am because I arrived Tokyo late at night, a kind lady who seems to be just off work came to me and asked if I need help. At that time I wasn’t able to speak Japanese so I showed her the map, she took the map and asked me to stay on the spot, while she go around the neighbourhood looking for it, and came back to bring me to the doorstep of the apartment. Really grateful for what she did ❤
Yeah, this one is definitely Connor's Western culture getting in the way of accepting goodwill. The idea is that being friendly and helpful encourages others to be the same way to others. If people in Japan are willing to help it isn't really social obligation, they genuinely want to be helpful because it feels nice
This video really highlighted how different aspects of living and being in Japan can be equally intriguing yet challenging. The part about point cards really resonated with me. I totally understand the struggle with disposing of large items in Japan too.
no.11 is so true. I went to Japan in 2009 and I remember watching your video about the architecture and when you said that the train station at Harajuku had been upgraded. I was devasted. It was so beautiful before and really showed Japan's charm and now nobody can see it anymore.
They're only okay with napping because their entire lives are based on working and striving to be perfect. It's not a mentally or physically healthy thing. Suicide rates in Japan are super high because of this. Humans aren't meant to work as it is (jobs were created to make rich people even richer off the backs of those doing the actual work but making the least amount of money), let alone base their lives on that. I would much rather have a good work and life balance than have to constantly be working but allowed naps.
@@englishatheart It's less "striving to be perfect" and more an idiotic work culture that values showing devotion to the company over actually being effective. There are social standards like "you can't go home before more senior staff go home", and there's often an expectation to go drinking with your boss after, which all leads to an incredibly screwed up work/life balance, including loss of sleep. Thus, napping at work to compensate. At least it's better than Korea, where, not only is the expectation for long hours just as bad as Japan, if not worse, you're expected to actually be productive (or at least look like you are) the whole time.
With regards to saying English words in a katakana accent: I have a similar experience talking with Spanish-speaking friends living here in the UK; when I'm speaking Spanish with them I end up pronouncing English words like roads and place names etc with a heavy Spanish accent because: A) It's way more natural than awkwardly breaking out of the Spanish pronunciation into English for one word and then straight back to Spanish. B) They do it too in conversation. C) Often if I pronounce it 'correctly', there's a much higher chance of them finding it harder to understand what I said.
I agree with this. I’m living in Spain at the moment and I have found it easier to pronounce English words with an accent to avoid confusion. Plus my own accent would probably be hard to understand if I spoke the words with my normal accent because I don’t have a neutral accent
@@hamsternuggetz yeah you're totally right, regional accents are a big factor too; all my hispanohablante friends learned English in school with either a US or a heavy southern English bent and have real trouble with our northern 'u' sound cause it's very outside of their vowel space. They say things like 'pab'/'pavf'/'poob' (pub) and 'bas'/'boos' (bus). Stuff like this has led to some funny situations where they've said some 'English' word 'X' to me in mid-flow of full-on Spanish and I've been like "sorry I didn't understand what you said there, what's an X?" and they're like "what d'you mean you don't know what X is?? It's an English word! 🤨"
Agreed. This happens when I'm talking with my Vietnamese friends/family. I've gotten pretty good at recognizing their English in the Vietnamese, now if only I could pronounce the Vietnamese in Vietnamese 😂
Four years in Japan taught me to stay until the credits were done in the cinema - took it with me back home to Denmark and now I’m the weird one getting side-eyed by the staff…. I actually never had issues with not having a hanko. Everyone was very accommodating and let me sign instead. Maybe that’s the joy of the Tokyo suburbs? My #1 issue when I moved to Japan was that I needed a phone to open a bank account and I needed a bank account to open a phone…. Fun times…
Number 2 is spot on! When I was visting Kyoto me and my friends were out for karaoke, but I was drunk and tired and wanted to go home early, so I decided to make my way home on my own. I didnt have maps or anything on my phone, so I asked a random guy getting on his moped for the way to the hotel. He offered to give me a ride, which I gladly accepted. We zoomed through the neon-lit traffic at night, and he let me off at a totally different hotel. Turns out two hotels in the city had the same name. So now Im drunk and lost in a completely unknown part of the city, but I didnt have the heart to tell the guy who just took a huge detour to help me that he had the wrong hotel, so I thanked him, waited for him to drive off, then tried to find my way home again. Cool experience though!
I dont like to comment but I had to for the second one: Day 2 arriving in japan and exploring after getting dropped off to our airbnb the previous night. We were in the Shimbashi station probably looking confused on how to get Suica cards. An elderly japanese guy came to our rescue, helped and waited till we got a Suica card through his (broken but perfectly understandable) English. He took way too much of his time to help and we were very grateful just having started our Japan Honeymoon. I would say I had a blast trying to communicate with the locals, whether they knew a lot of English or not.
The idea of Connor being the maverick for leaving the cinemas whilst the credits are still rolling which vigorates others to do the same even if they think it’s wrong is hilarious
Relating to the last point, about the credits. There's a korean drama I watched about a woman who translates films, and when she goes to see her work she stays right until the end to see her name which is the final credited name. After that I started letting the credits roll, it just seems nice to appreciate the language skills that have allowed you to watch this foreign media. I guess that extends further here towards everyone that worked on the production, but same kinda thing.
I've had a very rough week, and I can't tell you how much I need to laugh as hard as I did at the end of this video. Thank you so much for making something that was both informative and joyous. I truly appreciate it.
Concerning Asian people not needing deodorant: "the gene ABCC11 (MRP8), which encodes an apical efflux pump, is crucial for the formation of the characteristic axillary odor and that a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 538G → A, which is prominent among Asian people, leads to a nearly complete loss of the typical odor"
Mansion is actually apartmentbuilding made with concrete. While Apato is steel or wood frame apartmentbuilding. A nugget I gleaned from the channel friend Tokyo Portfolio, in interview at Unpacking Japan.
4:30 as a Silesian, I finally see some connection with Japan! Though to be precise, we use arbajt to refer to any job (not just part time) and also to refer to a work uniform/clothing
@@zockercam8122 He's Polish Silesian. There's just a lot of German loanwords in Slavic Silesian dialects - like said arbajt (ger. Arbeit, pol. praca, eng. work), autobana (ger. Autobahn, pol. autostrada, eng. motorway), fedrować (ger. fördern, pol. wydobywać, eng. to mine), forsztelować (ger. vorstellen, pol. wyobrażać, eng. to imagine). lipsta (ger. liebste, pol. ukochana, eng. beloved [woman]) and so on.
Yeah, someone at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo experienced the Stockholm Grand Hotel "smorgasbord" [smörgåsbord] in Sweden in the early 1950's. And liked it enough to want to import it to Japan. But then there was that name. The name however is genuinely Swedish, not Danish, while in the UK it is for some reason generally assumed "smorgasbord" is Danish. To be fair, the concept of a "smorgas" is a shared Nordic one. Originally it referred to a piece of bread onto which one spread lumps of butter - and these lumps were referred to as "smorgas", literally "butter geese", because when churning the cream these lumps would start rising to the surface of the cream, and float around there looking a bit like geese swimming on the surface. Then in modern Swedish "smorgas" has come to just generally designate "sandwich". (The Danish and Norwegian word for "sandwich" like that is "smørrebød", "butter-bread", so "smorgas/smörgås" is distinctly Swedish.) The concept of "a table of butter geese [sandwiches]" is a Swedish idea of what a buffet should be like. (The Danes are masters of the savory sandwich otoh.) And that is old, 16th c. or more, when inviting people to a feast, given the problems with travel an communication RSVPs tended to be an inexact art, so invitations tended to say something like "between Wednesday this and Thursday next week". Good hosting otoh required the host to be able to immediately offer these guests that tended to drop in over the week something to eat - and the solution was the original cold-buffet "smorgasbord" - bread, butter, some cold pickled herring, lingonberries etc.
Was sure it was a danish thing. In Denmark its just ryebread and cold cuts. Or local stuff like leverpostej or similar. I hate the overdone stuff, it gets way to disgusting, but every danish persons, well most anyway seem to eat ryebread daily for lunch. In general in Denmark we eat to much bread.
22:20 As an American, I WISH we had the ability to actually walk places more often. Most places in our country are so dependent on driving to get ANYWHERE because everything is so spread out, public transportation is limited, and accommodating foot traffic seems like an afterthought in a lot of places. The idea of an actually walkable community feels like a fantasy for a lot of people, it's so frustrating 😞
My God what timeline are we living in where Chris has posted 3 videos in nearly the span of a week AND at the same time is doing a 14 day long Cyclethon!!!
@AbroadinJapan Surely, some well deserved rest! I've been following you guys through the streams and you guys have been absolutely crushing it! Good luck for the remaining 7 days and thank you for your work!
I just wanna take a sec to say that daaaaaaaamn Chris, you are looking great! Your health journey is really showing in your latest videos! As someone also trying to be a bit healthier and fit, thanks for giving me some motivation. Keep it up!
Have been in Shibuya for 2 weeks. Just came back a week ago. Now doing everything to return to Japan asap. Gonna live there for at least a few months in the near future. Tokyo is magical.
i didn't really expect the architecture to come up, but it made me think... id be really interested to see you do a video on the famous Japanese architect, Tadao Ando. i think you've already seen one of his designs, with that Buddha statue thats set down inside a hill.
Yeah an architecture video would be great, there are some really good architectural stories in Japan. Also i want to shout out damilee's video on architectur in Japan and some of Tadao Ando's works because it was really good.
And from what I hear, Japan has a lot of architects per capita. Seeing as homes aren't designed to stay up for a long time and it's expecred when someone buys an "old" home they tear it down and build something else. But what helps is the simplified zoning laws. Your neighbours can't "object" like in the west, all you have to follow is shadow limits. But yeah, Japan is very "grey". But the urbanism makes up for it, the walkability and transit oriented life is just expected. But for how common biking is the lack of bike lanes is kinda odd. Netherlands and Japan top the list for urbanism, but both do it in very different ways.
2:05 Too true. 🍦 I once said "ice cream" to a konbini clerk and she had completely stunned look like she had never heard that word before. Then I clarified by saying "Aisu kureemu" after and she went, "Ah sou ka!" after finally understanding what I said. Probably the funniest example of this happening to me in Japan. 🍦
I lived in Japan before the gas attack in Tokyo. Bins/trash cans were a common sight then. They sometimes had some fun English on them: "Push dust in." 😅
As a person that works on movies doing vfx, we are extremely appreciative of those people that stay for the end credits. Many times we will be under paid for what we do and so the only shining light we get (not always anymore) is our name in the credits. I understand that the credits keep getting longer and harder to sit through, so that makes it even more amazing when people will spend their time watching them.
@@Madhattersinjeans Like how the executive producers and lead actors have some credits during the first few minutes, just keep that going through the whole film! 🤣
That leaving the cinema bit kind of reminds me of the whole leave work late culture in Japan. Its not like they don't want to leave, but they just dont want to be the FIRST to leave.
Love a Japanese point card! When I was in japan there was a Mr Doughnut right next to where i parked my bike at the train station who were giving away ceramic plates, dishes, mugs etc for every 20 (i think) doughnuts purchased. I ate a lot of doughnuts over 6 weeks and went home with 3 dishes as souvenirs
Regarding Connors question if Swedes were Vikings: In my Swedish town we have runestones literallg all over the place, famous viking-king graves just outside town and everytime we construct a road they have to stop for weeks because they stumble upon viking stuff. So it is safe to say that vikings lived here.
@@returnofskurk1633 the fact is that he does in fact NOT realize lmao hopefully he reads the comments and gets so embarrassed he never forgets it ever again
Absolutely relate to 2. It was a big help to be fair but when I first arrived in Japan (COVID times so stressful time at the airport). I had 2 big suitcases and funnily enough, I’m English and didn’t know the word for lift was the wasei eigo version of elevator in Japanese so I tried to ask the train staff for help, didn’t know what the word was. I ended up saying it’s okay and giving up. Some guy saw me struggle to carry 2 suitcases down the stairs, not only did he help my carry one of the cases, he walked me all the way to my hotel and spoke to reception for me to help me check in too. I felt so embarrassed accepting the help and I kept trying to say that he had already helped enough and I’d be okay on my own now but he insisted. If someone did that in England, I’d honestly feel like I was in danger because strangers just aren’t that polite but because it was in Japan, I knew he was just being genuine.
Great video, as always! The Dune mention made me so happy! It's so epic to see my favorite story being talked about by my favorite Japan youtube channel!
the 2nd point brings back memories when i went japan. I accidentally dropped my icoca card at one of the train stations in Tokyo and decided to ask the staff in the booth for help; at least to get another IC card. We were both using translation apps to communicate and he was genuinely trying his best to help me out. He told me that he got his colleague to search at the other station and asked me to wait. Made me feel so bad and it took much longer than I expected. Didn't end up finding it but I appreciated that effort they put in to help like no tomorrow hahaha
We had Swedish vikings too but the Norwegian and Danish ones did a lot more of the traveling far and wide so they left a bigger impression. We have a lot of rune stones and artifacts from the viking age in Sweden and so many burial sites, ships and what not. Right away when I heard the word I immidiately figured out the meaning.
Swedish vikings also went more to, what we call Russian lands and the baltics more than the others and raided and built some settlements along Finland, so My guess is not many English stories of swedish vikings exist and thus is not talked about as much
We have the absolute vast majority of surviving runestones and were the last to convert to christianity. Our mistake of establishing settlements along the volga river and in turn civilizing the eastern slavic lands would also prove to be much more impactful than whatever the Danish or Norwegians did.
That's part of the reason why I love how my grandparents live in the 'countryside'. I always get to the see the un-industrialized buildings :') Tokyo & Osaka have some nice areas but there's nothing like driving through the twists and twirls of the Japanese countryside, through all of the mountain tunnels and mountain sides (Nagano for example) where you see rice fields more often.
I live in Germany and I so wish I could nap without people looking at me strangely in my breaks as an English teacher...I feel so much better after . Japanese are in this way wide ahead!
Paperwork and asking for help go hand in hand sometimes and have to be the two worst. Trash separation sucks. The perfume one is probably what most tourists, myself included Aren't aware of
the biggest joke with the trash. is it gets separated so well. like you could just sell it as a raw material. Only to learn that after that most if not all is brought to the local waste incinerator. like do you really need that much separation of you are going to burn it all?
@@sirBrouwer You think this only happens in Japan? It's the SDG crap they keep forcing onto people. I love to see them focus next on SDG equality in Japan, that will bring up an uprising.
That last point about cinemas. Totally agree. When you're the only non-Japanese person in the cinema, the pressure to conform and sit through the credits is so damn high lol. Japanese anime credits aren't too long but Marvel and other Hollywood Blockbusters credits never end!!!
9:38 hey, just smash up the stool and tie string around it or if it’s metal you can find disposal centers to bring it to (not ideal but better than doing soudaigomi)
Re over-helpful Japanese : On my first trip to Japan last year I was wandering aimlessly round Kanazawa looking for a restaurant and I was accosted by a Japanese lady. Being an uptight British person I immediately assumed this was a scam. It was in fact someone being really kind - she showed me round numerous restaurants and we ended up splitting a meal in a barbecue joint while she practiced her english. A sweet experience
5:35 when I got lost in Shibuya and was trying to find a store, some random salaryman speaking fluent English decided to come along and basically GUIDE ME there. But yeah, they do love to guide people out of obligation, not just "oh yeah it's thatta way", but the entire thing.
I laughed at the image of Connor leaving the cinema during the credits and somebody looking at him and realizing "wait, you can do that?". You expanded somebody's mind that day.
I just wanted to post a general comment to Chris Broad. I just finished reading Abroad in Japan and the book has blown me away. As someone who has long been fascinated by Japan and their culture I found it very entertaining. I’m now working through your back catalogue of videos. Thank you 🙏🏻
Super expensive fruits are a thing in Japan but you can still buy normal fruits at the local supermarket like in any other country, though perhaps still a tad pricier than what you're used to. Those $50+ fruits are only really for special occasions or gifts.
Yeah I don't understand why ytubers always show the fancy-gifting-tier fruits and say fruits are crazy expensive. It's like saying sushi is expensive while showing omakase places - just go for kaiten sushi instead?
6:30 When I was in Osaka I had a terrible cough and my throat was killing me (not covid lol) so I went to the nearest pharmacy to buy some cough syrup. I looked it up online so I know what to look for but unfortunately, the specific thing that I was looking for was not there. So I asked the lady that worked there if there is something similar and she went to the back with a phone thing to translate and she started to ask about all the symptoms and went out of her way to explain each and every product on the shelf to figure out what would be the best. I know it sounds like her job, but I never had this kind of attentive and professional interaction in a pharmacy anywhere. And yes, Japan needs more bins. I remember feeling so embarrassed to throw my trash in the combini, like I'm doing something wrong.
YES!! FINALLY A PLACE TO ASK THIS!!!! Today watching the Cyclethon3 you guys on Himeji Castle we saw a lot of dogs being walked around, and my wife asked right away, worried we might end up moving to Japan in the future for studies.... you walk your dog... your dog poos.... you of course, collect said poo.... then....? I mean... you usually collect your garbage and discard in the combini or take home... so... you have like a poo bag in your bag? Are there any places in the park you can discard that, or you carry the poo home? Or is there any place you can dispose of dog poo? Love, Jessica and Suzana from Brazil
I don’t know about Japan, but in Canada there are specific (and rare) bins for dog poop, or you’re supposed to toss it with your compost or flush the poop down the toilet. I did see people walking their dogs in Tokyo and using a bottle of water to wash wherever their dogs had peed - I’m not sure if that’s an official rule or not, but I saw a few people doing it.
In Germany it's fortunately become common to bring a small (often black) plastic bag that you pick the poo up with, tie a know, and throw it into the next waste bin. Some cities even have bag dispensers mounted to the bins in parks and other places where people go to walk their dogs, and you can buy small containers that clip to the dog's leash so you don't forget the bags.
Japanese dog owners take the poo home! Either keeping the bag in their hand or putting it in their pouch. Once they get home, they either flush the poo down the toilet or put it in the trash. The people who do put it in the trash tend to keep the bin outside, to keep the smell out the house. There are also poo bags that you can flush down the toilet. It dissolves when you flush it I think. Edit: I didn't realize two people had already responded, until I refreshed! I haven't been this early in a while.
I dont recommend bringing a dog with you into japan. First they will have to fly which can be pretty traumatic then they will have to go through a (potentially lenghty) quarantine period. Please do your research well in advance so its less stressful on you and your pet.
When me and a friend visited japan, I had a very nr 2 situation. We were looking for a certain store chain, so we thought, hey lets enter 1 of these stores nearby and ask for directions, like point us in the right way. The dude inside, decide to just go with us, for I think 10min walk, to show us where the store we were looking for is, while his co-worker managed the storefront alone. Also it was raining outside. Was a surreal experience and we felt so bad and did our best to thank him, but wow, that memory is burned into my brain about being careful when asking for help, but also try my best to always be respectful and kind while in Japan.
Wow! I had *no* idea that all of these odd and antiquated things were going on in Japan. Can you imagine hitchhiking in the USA, the person taking you the whole distance, getting out of the car and walking you to your destination, saying "hi" to the guests where you are staying, helping you check-in, and even carrying your luggage up to the room, and not even expecting a tip?!?!?!
Many more things, like NOT needing to count your change from ANYONE Japanese, you could leave your umbrella outside any store, no graffiti/trash anywhere (though I did see some trash at some specific spot). It ain't odd/antiquated. It's their country, their culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans, like NO TIPPING in Japan. You should visit some day.
I was about to say that I would love to know more about Shimonoseki ... and then you started to describe the architecture and that probably explains why I haven't seen a video about it before.
I really like watching the credits of a movie. It gives you some time to take it in and think about the experience. Maybe that shows I don't go the the theater much so it's always a highlight for me
It feels funny that I'm watching your video while literally in japan rn.... As first time visit, live conversationa always surprises me since it feels different from what I learned (prob bcs I'm just a noob)
I have a funny story about number 9. When we went to Japan last September, my sister and brother-in-law went shopping in the fabric district. I went and found a café near the train station. When I walked in, a young Japanese lady looked at me and her eyes got wide. She started to go towards the back until an older Japanese woman literally grabbed her by the arm. She looked at me and said “She needs to practice English. She will take your order.” I felt so sorry for her and I did my best to make sure I was clearly understood. But it was quite humorous in hindsight.
Our teacher Japanese explained to us that if you ask someone for directions, one should not be surprised if they suggest to tag along to get you to your destination rather than give detailed directions.
i have a japanese penpal that i have to use google translate or similar to talk to and its fine but sometimes you do have to go and find a specific word in japanese because google misinterprets the original context you used it in and honestly the amount of times that i look up one of those words and its literally just the english word but said with a japanese accent is kinda amazing
I went to Rio De Janeiro once with a friend and we were sitting in a beach bar where 1 waiter clearly wanted to practice English with us. While everything he said was in English, in every sentence something was off, sometimes a little, sometimes more. A lot what he said was just gibberish, so not wanting to insult him we carefully asked 'where your very good English is from' and he explained that when he heard a new (to him) word, he wrote it down and checked meaning from a dictionary at library. Unfortunately many words have multiple meanings, so that's where the error sneaked in.
I guess everybody who has been in Japan has experienced the number 2( no pun intended) and certainly they are so kind and helpful that I feel in love with the japanese, so kind people. Respect to them and their traditions.
These were very interesting points. I'm American and usually sit through the credits and feel awkward while everyone gets up. I like seeing the credits man.
I live in Italy and they also use some English words but with an Italian accent. “Hamburger” or “amborgooor” as they call it, kills me every time. I really can’t pronounce it that way, it feels wrong 😂
Well guys, we're currently a week into the epic Cyclethon to Tokyo. Thanks to everyone who's watched along and helped us raise an incredible $390,000 so far!
Connor and I filmed this episode just before setting off - hence the not so ideal backdrop, haha. Ideally this would've been a discussion for the Abroad in Japan studio! Still hope you enjoy our chat and thanks again to Sakuraco for sponsoring the episode.
🍡Grab your own box of tasty mouthwatering Japanese treats over at team.sakura.co/abroadinjapan-SC2403
That’s awesome
@Chris aka Dave with "High Functionality" cracks me up, hes like a grown up silly version of Harry Potter with that sophisticated narrating voice from a History Channel documentary, I cant get enough of his Pizza Sand specials Lmao
You uploading this in the middle of cyclathon is impressive
We should get you a Quad Lock setup for your bike too
Well that nice Chris 😀👍
I actually experienced a situation similar to the one in number 2. I remember being at a train station in Tokyo trying to get to that island with the Gundam statue that is sadly being removed and I had trouble because I accidently left my Japanese money back at my hotel and the station wouldn't accept cards for tickets. Some Japanese salaryman who didn't even work at the station, all done up in a suit and tie, saw that I was in a pickle and in broken English asked if I needed help. When I explained to him the situation he told me to follow him to a nearby store that had an ATM and showed me how to use it (it didn't have an English option, I think). He gave me more of his time then I would ever expect a complete stranger to. He took like 10 minutes out of his probably busy day to help some idiot gaijin like me and I'll always appreciate that.
I love how salaryman is a part of this community's vocabulary now 😂 didn't bat an eye.
Aww thanks for sharing that heartwarming… *_*checks username*_* … why were you in Japan? 😨
username kinda sus 💀
Well it could also be that because you gave them a reason they enjoy helping you. If only because it's a bit of a change in what often can be very mondain even boring lifestyle. often the office jobs are very boring and long. the commute home is always exactly the same. To then get a idiot who ask for help give them a reason for once.
@@kabob21 lmao I wouldn't have noticed the nick if it wasn't for you
As some comments already stated, I can vouch for point 2.
2 weeks ago I was in Osaka with family and we were at the JR Osaka station and we were looking at the station board and our phones.
A sweet old lady asked us in broken English (was still good though) if we were lost and it turns out our destination was via underground, not rail. I thought that was the end of it but no, she insisted we follow her.
What we didn't know was that the underground station was a good 15 min walk away via a maze like underground mall.
I felt guilty as we followed her but she was so insistant on helping us.
Really appreciated her help.
I got lost in that exact same maze on my first day in Osaka. It was a terrible 30 minutes trying to find my way outside and getting oriented to were I was. The cities large buildings made it so I didn't have cell service either.
Namba to Osaka station is eaeasy. Then you walk 1.7 km underground to the train to Himeji. That's more than a mile for Medieval people.
It's not as bad as Shinjuku, Tokyo or Kyoto station-complex (they got a great sushi train there, Musashi or something)...but don't skip leg day and trust the colors
@@rapthor666 You mean more than a mile for people who love Freedom™
@@SudoYETI join the metric system. We got cookies. And healthcare
Wonderful stories. Its like a good karma to the max thing ❤️
I had a similar situation like Connor, when I asked our airbnb host for help with a ticket for a rave, after he offered guidance and help after we arrived. He immediately went ahead and called the service hotline of the event host for me and eventually figured out how to print the tickets. Then this absolute giga chad RAN TO A 7/11 to print the tickets for us!!! I didn't even know that he was doing all that, until he came back... Luckily I brought a bunch of candy from Germany in advance, so I could thank him at least with a gift. Will never forget how much he did for us that day and how kind he was!
❤️ wonderful man
How do you find out about local raves in Japan, im going soon and would love to go to one
@@bigboy8766 was a lucky coincidence, one of my favourite djs was playing and posted about it on social media - maybe student ravers united still exists, which is the thing he was playing at. Good luck and hopefully you find something!!😳
@@bigboy8766 I just happened to find an event that a dj I love attended. Was really lucky overall! Maybe check for DJs you like and if they tour in Tokyo/japan. Also I had help from a Chinese exchange student friend. She had to sign up to the event page with my credentials and pay for it for me with her dad's Japanese card, because they only accepted Japanese ones. (To this day I am getting spam mail by the host of that event page tho and it seems impossible to get rid of.🤣) I wish I was of more help, but the whole story is absolute madness.😭
How did you find the one airbnb host in Japan who isn't Chinese?
One thing that many foreign residents of Japan don't know is Furusato Nouzei, or hometown tax. You can donate your income or residential tax to a regional area, rather than the area in which you actually reside. And then, these regional areas will provide “gifts” as a show of thanks. You can choose which areas you want to donate your taxes to based on what "gifts" you can get in return. We use our tax money to get high quality fruit and unagi, but there are lots of things you can get. You can actually get something in return for your tax money.
That's actually really cool!
Finally a tax system you have a say in
Wow! Gonna get that
I'm surprised by how many of my local friends don't utilise it at all. Even my Japanese teacher was like 'you know what, I've never used it, but you're right we pay our taxes, why shouldn't we at least get something more out of it?'
Really cool! This should be introducted in my country.
#2 has been true for decades. When my dad was in high school his family was stationed in the Philippines at one of the US military bases there. This happened in like the late 70’s. His sports team took a trip to Japan. At some point, he ends up getting separated from his teammates in a station on the way to an important destination, but gets on a train alone anyway.
After what seems like forever, he starts to get nervous, thinking he should have arrived at his destination by now. Well, as he’s sitting there sweating, starting to panic, the middle aged salaryman sitting next to him taps him on the shoulder and says, “You lost.” My dad confirms that he is, in fact, lost, and shows him on a map where he’s supposed to go. The man chortles and says, “Two hour, other way.”
This man not only got off at the next station with my dad, but also rode the train back with him to make sure he got where he needed to go. It’s one of my favorite stories he tells.
that is weirdly wholesome.
that is such an interesting story
You couldn’t even pay someone to do that for you in the US
@@LS-ys8nr better yet they'd probably just rob you instead lmao. Or purposefully tell you the wrong directions because they think it'd be funny
@@Just_a_Piano_holy shit i shouldn’t laugh but it makes so much sense, i can’t not
Oh God, the second one. I was once lost in Osaka in Namba station (or trying to get to it, I forget). Some woman tried to help me, out of her own will, I didn't ask. Time was of the essence, because I had a concert to get to in like half an hour. The woman run around the endless underground passages with me and when she was unsure how to proceed she then got ANOTHER person to help us. So some salary man, her and myself spent like 10 minutes in search of my thing. I was mortified. But in the end I made it in time so I was so thankfull for their help.
Yea exits 25 (Dotonbori) or 6, 7, 8 (Mall) are easy but 15a or 13 get messed up in Maps.
And you never pass the same shop every time you enter.
I did walk from 25 to 6 underground in summer, because aircon and no traffic lights 😂😂
Sidequest 100
once I read "Osaka" I knew you were in for a ride
I kind of know the context for that one, it's kind of like when someone new you didn't expect enters your area and he's confused. and you just want them to have a good first impression of the place.
Of course, this choice happens in 0.5 seconds. But that's how it is for me.
That station was the most confusing shit ever lol
One thing I noticed in my limited time there: Keep your suica card loaded! It's hyper convenient to be able to travel with or buy stuff from konbini.
I actually kept totally forgetting about it at the start of the trip, but once I realised you actually needed it outside of transport for things such as say crane games, yea it became a firmnfixture in my phone case. Also a really good way of offloading any additional coinage you might be weighed down by
it's crazy how quick the IC cards deplete if you don't pay attention. 1000 yen can go quick and i got down to below the 190 minimum on my ICOCA at one point and had to reload fast
@SonicRyan1992 yea I have been making sure to watch the screen everytime I swipe through. At about the 900 mark now I think so sometime in the next 2 days should do me. Perfect timing anyway for going onto the next leg of the trip
ICカードは チャージしてれば 駅の周りの自動販売機やお店は大体お金払えるから便利だよー
Love you Chef PK
No such thing as too much Connor. We know how much you enjoy spending time with your boyfriend.
I have experienced number 2 a few times when i went to Japan. I was lost in the middle of the street trying to look for my airbnb at 12am because I arrived Tokyo late at night, a kind lady who seems to be just off work came to me and asked if I need help. At that time I wasn’t able to speak Japanese so I showed her the map, she took the map and asked me to stay on the spot, while she go around the neighbourhood looking for it, and came back to bring me to the doorstep of the apartment. Really grateful for what she did ❤
Thats awesome
Yeah, this one is definitely Connor's Western culture getting in the way of accepting goodwill. The idea is that being friendly and helpful encourages others to be the same way to others. If people in Japan are willing to help it isn't really social obligation, they genuinely want to be helpful because it feels nice
Happy you're posting regularly again with fresh new content!
Happy cycling!
My legs are ruined
But thank you!
@@AbroadinJapanhopefully the Maccas made it slightly better
@@AbroadinJapandaddy long legs
@AbroadinJapan it's still better than Bjorn father legs..
@@AbroadinJapanSooo... too much CDawgVA?
This video really highlighted how different aspects of living and being in Japan can be equally intriguing yet challenging. The part about point cards really resonated with me. I totally understand the struggle with disposing of large items in Japan too.
Connor talking about getting up and leaving the cinema during the credits and people following him got me laughing for an hour! Well done, Connor!
C-man flaunts the rules, and has a following wherever he goes. 🤣🤣🤣
Connor leaves the cinema
Random japanese viewers, getting up to follow: "apes together strong"
And then they all miss the post credit scene
@@rickzane6433 lol
Does anyone know what movie those credits are from?
no.11 is so true. I went to Japan in 2009 and I remember watching your video about the architecture and when you said that the train station at Harajuku had been upgraded. I was devasted. It was so beautiful before and really showed Japan's charm and now nobody can see it anymore.
Keep David on Chris, he did a great job putting this video together! Love the editing
All the videos and clips from this week have been great mate. Can't wait to visit Japan this year.
是非、日本を楽しんで下さい
As a person that naps a lot, I’m glad Japan are ok with napping because I wouldn’t be able to cope on those long shifts without a nap
They're only okay with napping because their entire lives are based on working and striving to be perfect. It's not a mentally or physically healthy thing. Suicide rates in Japan are super high because of this. Humans aren't meant to work as it is (jobs were created to make rich people even richer off the backs of those doing the actual work but making the least amount of money), let alone base their lives on that. I would much rather have a good work and life balance than have to constantly be working but allowed naps.
@@englishatheart Resent years it has go down.
of course the numbers of suicides did go down. The population is declining haha 🌈@@23Lgirl
Maybe have a good nights rest.
@@englishatheart It's less "striving to be perfect" and more an idiotic work culture that values showing devotion to the company over actually being effective. There are social standards like "you can't go home before more senior staff go home", and there's often an expectation to go drinking with your boss after, which all leads to an incredibly screwed up work/life balance, including loss of sleep. Thus, napping at work to compensate.
At least it's better than Korea, where, not only is the expectation for long hours just as bad as Japan, if not worse, you're expected to actually be productive (or at least look like you are) the whole time.
With regards to saying English words in a katakana accent: I have a similar experience talking with Spanish-speaking friends living here in the UK; when I'm speaking Spanish with them I end up pronouncing English words like roads and place names etc with a heavy Spanish accent because:
A) It's way more natural than awkwardly breaking out of the Spanish pronunciation into English for one word and then straight back to Spanish.
B) They do it too in conversation.
C) Often if I pronounce it 'correctly', there's a much higher chance of them finding it harder to understand what I said.
I agree with this. I’m living in Spain at the moment and I have found it easier to pronounce English words with an accent to avoid confusion. Plus my own accent would probably be hard to understand if I spoke the words with my normal accent because I don’t have a neutral accent
@@hamsternuggetz yeah you're totally right, regional accents are a big factor too; all my hispanohablante friends learned English in school with either a US or a heavy southern English bent and have real trouble with our northern 'u' sound cause it's very outside of their vowel space. They say things like 'pab'/'pavf'/'poob' (pub) and 'bas'/'boos' (bus).
Stuff like this has led to some funny situations where they've said some 'English' word 'X' to me in mid-flow of full-on Spanish and I've been like "sorry I didn't understand what you said there, what's an X?" and they're like "what d'you mean you don't know what X is?? It's an English word! 🤨"
Same in French! Like you'd pronounce your name with a French accent when you introduce yourself. I think it happens with most languages.
Agreed. This happens when I'm talking with my Vietnamese friends/family. I've gotten pretty good at recognizing their English in the Vietnamese, now if only I could pronounce the Vietnamese in Vietnamese 😂
That only applies to Spain tho, not in America's spanish-speaking countries
Four years in Japan taught me to stay until the credits were done in the cinema - took it with me back home to Denmark and now I’m the weird one getting side-eyed by the staff….
I actually never had issues with not having a hanko. Everyone was very accommodating and let me sign instead. Maybe that’s the joy of the Tokyo suburbs?
My #1 issue when I moved to Japan was that I needed a phone to open a bank account and I needed a bank account to open a phone…. Fun times…
As a person who signs 100+ documents per day with my full name, the stamp sounds absolutely amazing.
28:30 HOLY MOLEY!!!!
When they waved goodbye the lightning stuck in the background :O !!!!!
I was watching the lightning flash in the background too. It happened multiple times. I love it!
Dr Jelly power
The Earth moved too?
I first noticed at 25:00 exactly
Snore
Number 2 is spot on! When I was visting Kyoto me and my friends were out for karaoke, but I was drunk and tired and wanted to go home early, so I decided to make my way home on my own. I didnt have maps or anything on my phone, so I asked a random guy getting on his moped for the way to the hotel. He offered to give me a ride, which I gladly accepted. We zoomed through the neon-lit traffic at night, and he let me off at a totally different hotel. Turns out two hotels in the city had the same name. So now Im drunk and lost in a completely unknown part of the city, but I didnt have the heart to tell the guy who just took a huge detour to help me that he had the wrong hotel, so I thanked him, waited for him to drive off, then tried to find my way home again.
Cool experience though!
Chris and Connor Fans eating good since last week even until up to next week. Love this duo so much
God bless both of them 😊
i imagine that will also include on the podcasts as I guess that some will be done with Connor and Chris.
I dont like to comment but I had to for the second one:
Day 2 arriving in japan and exploring after getting dropped off to our airbnb the previous night. We were in the Shimbashi station probably looking confused on how to get Suica cards. An elderly japanese guy came to our rescue, helped and waited till we got a Suica card through his (broken but perfectly understandable) English. He took way too much of his time to help and we were very grateful just having started our Japan Honeymoon.
I would say I had a blast trying to communicate with the locals, whether they knew a lot of English or not.
Was a fun watch & I continue to enjoy your edits. That ending XD
The idea of Connor being the maverick for leaving the cinemas whilst the credits are still rolling which vigorates others to do the same even if they think it’s wrong is hilarious
Relating to the last point, about the credits.
There's a korean drama I watched about a woman who translates films, and when she goes to see her work she stays right until the end to see her name which is the final credited name.
After that I started letting the credits roll, it just seems nice to appreciate the language skills that have allowed you to watch this foreign media.
I guess that extends further here towards everyone that worked on the production, but same kinda thing.
My word, I can't believe you're able to post so frequently whilst biking. It is truly a feat capable of only the most affable.
He has a team of editors. He has almost no time to work during this epic cycle journey!
We can only dream to match his affableness. Perhaps in time.
I've had a very rough week, and I can't tell you how much I need to laugh as hard as I did at the end of this video. Thank you so much for making something that was both informative and joyous. I truly appreciate it.
Concerning Asian people not needing deodorant:
"the gene ABCC11 (MRP8), which encodes an apical efflux pump, is crucial for the formation of the characteristic axillary odor and that a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 538G → A, which is prominent among Asian people, leads to a nearly complete loss of the typical odor"
Mansion is actually apartmentbuilding made with concrete.
While Apato is steel or wood frame apartmentbuilding.
A nugget I gleaned from the channel friend Tokyo Portfolio, in interview at Unpacking Japan.
4:30 as a Silesian, I finally see some connection with Japan! Though to be precise, we use arbajt to refer to any job (not just part time) and also to refer to a work uniform/clothing
Are you polish silesian or german silesian?
@@zockercam8122 He's Polish Silesian. There's just a lot of German loanwords in Slavic Silesian dialects - like said arbajt (ger. Arbeit, pol. praca, eng. work), autobana (ger. Autobahn, pol. autostrada, eng. motorway), fedrować (ger. fördern, pol. wydobywać, eng. to mine), forsztelować (ger. vorstellen, pol. wyobrażać, eng. to imagine). lipsta (ger. liebste, pol. ukochana, eng. beloved [woman]) and so on.
@@xaxas94 wow that is interesting. I didn't know about the german influence in polish silesian.
Cool!
Same in sweden but we say Arbete
Yeah, someone at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo experienced the Stockholm Grand Hotel "smorgasbord" [smörgåsbord] in Sweden in the early 1950's. And liked it enough to want to import it to Japan. But then there was that name. The name however is genuinely Swedish, not Danish, while in the UK it is for some reason generally assumed "smorgasbord" is Danish. To be fair, the concept of a "smorgas" is a shared Nordic one. Originally it referred to a piece of bread onto which one spread lumps of butter - and these lumps were referred to as "smorgas", literally "butter geese", because when churning the cream these lumps would start rising to the surface of the cream, and float around there looking a bit like geese swimming on the surface. Then in modern Swedish "smorgas" has come to just generally designate "sandwich". (The Danish and Norwegian word for "sandwich" like that is "smørrebød", "butter-bread", so "smorgas/smörgås" is distinctly Swedish.)
The concept of "a table of butter geese [sandwiches]" is a Swedish idea of what a buffet should be like. (The Danes are masters of the savory sandwich otoh.) And that is old, 16th c. or more, when inviting people to a feast, given the problems with travel an communication RSVPs tended to be an inexact art, so invitations tended to say something like "between Wednesday this and Thursday next week". Good hosting otoh required the host to be able to immediately offer these guests that tended to drop in over the week something to eat - and the solution was the original cold-buffet "smorgasbord" - bread, butter, some cold pickled herring, lingonberries etc.
In Czechia we call it basically Swedish table.
Was sure it was a danish thing. In Denmark its just ryebread and cold cuts. Or local stuff like leverpostej or similar. I hate the overdone stuff, it gets way to disgusting, but every danish persons, well most anyway seem to eat ryebread daily for lunch. In general in Denmark we eat to much bread.
This guy sandwiches
In Croatia we called it Swedish table, same in Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania...
@@Djuntas nah, it's a Swedish thing
Connor may not quite be "Muad'Dib" but he's certainly "Youcan'Leave."
22:20 As an American, I WISH we had the ability to actually walk places more often. Most places in our country are so dependent on driving to get ANYWHERE because everything is so spread out, public transportation is limited, and accommodating foot traffic seems like an afterthought in a lot of places. The idea of an actually walkable community feels like a fantasy for a lot of people, it's so frustrating 😞
Right! The closest department store to me is either an 18 minute drive or a 4.5 hour walk. I ain't spending 9 hours round trip to get shorts and milk.
My God what timeline are we living in where Chris has posted 3 videos in nearly the span of a week AND at the same time is doing a 14 day long Cyclethon!!!
A timeline where I need more rest 😂
@AbroadinJapan Surely, some well deserved rest! I've been following you guys through the streams and you guys have been absolutely crushing it! Good luck for the remaining 7 days and thank you for your work!
Great job on the Cyclethon Chris! Thanks for the uploads mid-journey :)
I just wanna take a sec to say that daaaaaaaamn Chris, you are looking great! Your health journey is really showing in your latest videos! As someone also trying to be a bit healthier and fit, thanks for giving me some motivation. Keep it up!
Have been in Shibuya for 2 weeks.
Just came back a week ago.
Now doing everything to return to Japan asap.
Gonna live there for at least a few months in the near future. Tokyo is magical.
Happy you're posting regularly again with fresh new content!
Happy cycling!
i didn't really expect the architecture to come up, but it made me think... id be really interested to see you do a video on the famous Japanese architect, Tadao Ando. i think you've already seen one of his designs, with that Buddha statue thats set down inside a hill.
Yeah an architecture video would be great, there are some really good architectural stories in Japan. Also i want to shout out damilee's video on architectur in Japan and some of Tadao Ando's works because it was really good.
And from what I hear, Japan has a lot of architects per capita. Seeing as homes aren't designed to stay up for a long time and it's expecred when someone buys an "old" home they tear it down and build something else. But what helps is the simplified zoning laws. Your neighbours can't "object" like in the west, all you have to follow is shadow limits.
But yeah, Japan is very "grey". But the urbanism makes up for it, the walkability and transit oriented life is just expected. But for how common biking is the lack of bike lanes is kinda odd. Netherlands and Japan top the list for urbanism, but both do it in very different ways.
3 Abroad in Japan videos in quick succession we are eating good
Its actually kind of nice watching it slowly turn to night during the course of this video.
I love the idea that Conner is leading a free thinking movement of leaving the theatre before the credits finish rolling xD
2:05 Too true. 🍦 I once said "ice cream" to a konbini clerk and she had completely stunned look like she had never heard that word before.
Then I clarified by saying "Aisu kureemu" after and she went, "Ah sou ka!" after finally understanding what I said.
Probably the funniest example of this happening to me in Japan. 🍦
I lived in Japan before the gas attack in Tokyo. Bins/trash cans were a common sight then. They sometimes had some fun English on them: "Push dust in." 😅
As a person that works on movies doing vfx, we are extremely appreciative of those people that stay for the end credits. Many times we will be under paid for what we do and so the only shining light we get (not always anymore) is our name in the credits. I understand that the credits keep getting longer and harder to sit through, so that makes it even more amazing when people will spend their time watching them.
Just spin them by while the film is airing. Every 5 minutes sneak in a name here or there.
No one will understand.
Then the film just ends suddenly.
@@Madhattersinjeans Like how the executive producers and lead actors have some credits during the first few minutes, just keep that going through the whole film! 🤣
That leaving the cinema bit kind of reminds me of the whole leave work late culture in Japan. Its not like they don't want to leave, but they just dont want to be the FIRST to leave.
I started a sakura co subscription back in december because of your channel! I'm loving it :)
Love a Japanese point card! When I was in japan there was a Mr Doughnut right next to where i parked my bike at the train station who were giving away ceramic plates, dishes, mugs etc for every 20 (i think) doughnuts purchased. I ate a lot of doughnuts over 6 weeks and went home with 3 dishes as souvenirs
Thank you for video, quite relaxing and calming for my torn soul. Greetings from Ukraine.
Regarding Connors question if Swedes were Vikings: In my Swedish town we have runestones literallg all over the place, famous viking-king graves just outside town and everytime we construct a road they have to stop for weeks because they stumble upon viking stuff. So it is safe to say that vikings lived here.
As a Dane I kinda went: Connor, you do realise that not only people from 1 country were Vikings, right?
It is an incredibly dumb loan word usage though. It would be like everyone else calling tea ceremonies "samurai".
@Frinea Uppsala!
@@returnofskurk1633 the fact is that he does in fact NOT realize lmao hopefully he reads the comments and gets so embarrassed he never forgets it ever again
vikings lived in todays sweden but they werent swedish
You two should really have your own dedicated youtube channel. Expand possibilities, concepts, etc.
Absolutely relate to 2. It was a big help to be fair but when I first arrived in Japan (COVID times so stressful time at the airport). I had 2 big suitcases and funnily enough, I’m English and didn’t know the word for lift was the wasei eigo version of elevator in Japanese so I tried to ask the train staff for help, didn’t know what the word was. I ended up saying it’s okay and giving up. Some guy saw me struggle to carry 2 suitcases down the stairs, not only did he help my carry one of the cases, he walked me all the way to my hotel and spoke to reception for me to help me check in too. I felt so embarrassed accepting the help and I kept trying to say that he had already helped enough and I’d be okay on my own now but he insisted. If someone did that in England, I’d honestly feel like I was in danger because strangers just aren’t that polite but because it was in Japan, I knew he was just being genuine.
Great video, as always! The Dune mention made me so happy! It's so epic to see my favorite story being talked about by my favorite Japan youtube channel!
Lisan Al'Ghaib
the 2nd point brings back memories when i went japan. I accidentally dropped my icoca card at one of the train stations in Tokyo and decided to ask the staff in the booth for help; at least to get another IC card. We were both using translation apps to communicate and he was genuinely trying his best to help me out. He told me that he got his colleague to search at the other station and asked me to wait. Made me feel so bad and it took much longer than I expected. Didn't end up finding it but I appreciated that effort they put in to help like no tomorrow hahaha
What app do you use?
@@Nightsisters_Clan i just used google translate, got the main points across so best we could do.
We had Swedish vikings too but the Norwegian and Danish ones did a lot more of the traveling far and wide so they left a bigger impression. We have a lot of rune stones and artifacts from the viking age in Sweden and so many burial sites, ships and what not. Right away when I heard the word I immidiately figured out the meaning.
Swedish vikings also went more to, what we call Russian lands and the baltics more than the others and raided and built some settlements along Finland, so My guess is not many English stories of swedish vikings exist and thus is not talked about as much
We have the absolute vast majority of surviving runestones and were the last to convert to christianity. Our mistake of establishing settlements along the volga river and in turn civilizing the eastern slavic lands would also prove to be much more impactful than whatever the Danish or Norwegians did.
10/10 ending guys 🤣 and good luck for the rest of ride!
🙏
@@RUclips noo wey its yuotoob
I just took your book on holiday to Wales - I've nearly finished it, but I don't want it to end. Absolutely loving it. Thanks!
27:48 Connor stood up and parted the Red Seats in the theater.
Glad to see you are posting regularly again Chris! Best of fun on your bike trip!
12 things they don't tell you about cdawgva
That's part of the reason why I love how my grandparents live in the 'countryside'. I always get to the see the un-industrialized buildings :')
Tokyo & Osaka have some nice areas but there's nothing like driving through the twists and twirls of the Japanese countryside, through all of the mountain tunnels and mountain sides (Nagano for example) where you see rice fields more often.
I live in Germany and I so wish I could nap without people looking at me strangely in my breaks as an English teacher...I feel so much better after . Japanese are in this way wide ahead!
almost 400k raised! Goood work guys
Paperwork and asking for help go hand in hand sometimes and have to be the two worst. Trash separation sucks. The perfume one is probably what most tourists, myself included Aren't aware of
I wonder how japanese tourists find the overuse of perfume in european citys - even I find it hard to bear.
the biggest joke with the trash. is it gets separated so well. like you could just sell it as a raw material. Only to learn that after that most if not all is brought to the local waste incinerator. like do you really need that much separation of you are going to burn it all?
@@sirBrouwerthat's absolutely messed up!
@@sirBrouwer You think this only happens in Japan? It's the SDG crap they keep forcing onto people. I love to see them focus next on SDG equality in Japan, that will bring up an uprising.
@@sirBrouwer
Different materials
Love seeing you two together, so fun.
That last point about cinemas. Totally agree. When you're the only non-Japanese person in the cinema, the pressure to conform and sit through the credits is so damn high lol. Japanese anime credits aren't too long but Marvel and other Hollywood Blockbusters credits never end!!!
As a straight man, Chris be lookin kinda swoll tbh. I said what I said, props to Chris man, keep doing what you’re doing!
I think hes just wearing an extra medium. 😅
28:04 and the lord said "let the children leave the cinema" 😂
Love watching your videos, Mr.Broad. I have watched them for years and even listen to the podcast sometimes. Keep up the good work !
日本好きである貴方を私は好きです
9:38 hey, just smash up the stool and tie string around it or if it’s metal you can find disposal centers to bring it to (not ideal but better than doing soudaigomi)
Re over-helpful Japanese : On my first trip to Japan last year I was wandering aimlessly round Kanazawa looking for a restaurant and I was accosted by a Japanese lady. Being an uptight British person I immediately assumed this was a scam. It was in fact someone being really kind - she showed me round numerous restaurants and we ended up splitting a meal in a barbecue joint while she practiced her english. A sweet experience
iNTERESTING 23:17 lightning strike behind the building in the window.
5:35 when I got lost in Shibuya and was trying to find a store, some random salaryman speaking fluent English decided to come along and basically GUIDE ME there. But yeah, they do love to guide people out of obligation, not just "oh yeah it's thatta way", but the entire thing.
This type of video is always good for a laugh. Brilliant work with the fundraising. Good luck for the rest of ride.
Incredible chemistry, they are so fun together
I laughed at the image of Connor leaving the cinema during the credits and somebody looking at him and realizing "wait, you can do that?". You expanded somebody's mind that day.
I just wanted to post a general comment to Chris Broad. I just finished reading Abroad in Japan and the book has blown me away. As someone who has long been fascinated by Japan and their culture I found it very entertaining. I’m now working through your back catalogue of videos. Thank you 🙏🏻
I’m dying from the sound effects used for the broken trampoline part why was that so funny 😂
The great tragedy of the befallen trampoline
the end credits was the cherry on top
Super expensive fruits are a thing in Japan but you can still buy normal fruits at the local supermarket like in any other country, though perhaps still a tad pricier than what you're used to. Those $50+ fruits are only really for special occasions or gifts.
Yeah I don't understand why ytubers always show the fancy-gifting-tier fruits and say fruits are crazy expensive. It's like saying sushi is expensive while showing omakase places - just go for kaiten sushi instead?
Fruit is still very expensive, at least compared to the UK.
@@Handles_are_garbage Yes, but not $50+ expensive
@faboo2001 yeah, that's fair
@@missplainjane3905 ?
Wow, that was a treat! Didn’t expect a video from Chris until the end of the cyclathone 😊 happy cycling 🚴♂️ and completing the endeavor on time!
6:30 When I was in Osaka I had a terrible cough and my throat was killing me (not covid lol) so I went to the nearest pharmacy to buy some cough syrup. I looked it up online so I know what to look for but unfortunately, the specific thing that I was looking for was not there. So I asked the lady that worked there if there is something similar and she went to the back with a phone thing to translate and she started to ask about all the symptoms and went out of her way to explain each and every product on the shelf to figure out what would be the best. I know it sounds like her job, but I never had this kind of attentive and professional interaction in a pharmacy anywhere. And yes, Japan needs more bins. I remember feeling so embarrassed to throw my trash in the combini, like I'm doing something wrong.
YES!! FINALLY A PLACE TO ASK THIS!!!! Today watching the Cyclethon3 you guys on Himeji Castle we saw a lot of dogs being walked around, and my wife asked right away, worried we might end up moving to Japan in the future for studies.... you walk your dog... your dog poos.... you of course, collect said poo.... then....? I mean... you usually collect your garbage and discard in the combini or take home... so... you have like a poo bag in your bag? Are there any places in the park you can discard that, or you carry the poo home? Or is there any place you can dispose of dog poo? Love, Jessica and Suzana from Brazil
日本には犬のうんちを捨てるゴミ箱はないです
家に持ち帰り 人間用のトイレに流さないといけません
犬専用のバッグはとても大事なものです
I don’t know about Japan, but in Canada there are specific (and rare) bins for dog poop, or you’re supposed to toss it with your compost or flush the poop down the toilet. I did see people walking their dogs in Tokyo and using a bottle of water to wash wherever their dogs had peed - I’m not sure if that’s an official rule or not, but I saw a few people doing it.
In Germany it's fortunately become common to bring a small (often black) plastic bag that you pick the poo up with, tie a know, and throw it into the next waste bin. Some cities even have bag dispensers mounted to the bins in parks and other places where people go to walk their dogs, and you can buy small containers that clip to the dog's leash so you don't forget the bags.
Japanese dog owners take the poo home! Either keeping the bag in their hand or putting it in their pouch.
Once they get home, they either flush the poo down the toilet or put it in the trash. The people who do put it in the trash tend to keep the bin outside, to keep the smell out the house. There are also poo bags that you can flush down the toilet. It dissolves when you flush it I think.
Edit: I didn't realize two people had already responded, until I refreshed! I haven't been this early in a while.
I dont recommend bringing a dog with you into japan. First they will have to fly which can be pretty traumatic then they will have to go through a (potentially lenghty) quarantine period. Please do your research well in advance so its less stressful on you and your pet.
Connor's not the Muad'dib! He's a very naughty boy!
You're both smashing the Cyclethon. Keep it up and stay safe everyone!
He's the Anjin already, can't be both
When me and a friend visited japan, I had a very nr 2 situation.
We were looking for a certain store chain, so we thought, hey lets enter 1 of these stores nearby and ask for directions, like point us in the right way. The dude inside, decide to just go with us, for I think 10min walk, to show us where the store we were looking for is, while his co-worker managed the storefront alone. Also it was raining outside.
Was a surreal experience and we felt so bad and did our best to thank him, but wow, that memory is burned into my brain about being careful when asking for help, but also try my best to always be respectful and kind while in Japan.
"When my friend and I* visited Japan." Ftfy. 😛
Wow! I had *no* idea that all of these odd and antiquated things were going on in Japan. Can you imagine hitchhiking in the USA, the person taking you the whole distance, getting out of the car and walking you to your destination, saying "hi" to the guests where you are staying, helping you check-in, and even carrying your luggage up to the room, and not even expecting a tip?!?!?!
Many more things, like NOT needing to count your change from ANYONE Japanese, you could leave your umbrella outside any store, no graffiti/trash anywhere (though I did see some trash at some specific spot). It ain't odd/antiquated. It's their country, their culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans, like NO TIPPING in Japan. You should visit some day.
I was about to say that I would love to know more about Shimonoseki ... and then you started to describe the architecture and that probably explains why I haven't seen a video about it before.
I really like watching the credits of a movie. It gives you some time to take it in and think about the experience. Maybe that shows I don't go the the theater much so it's always a highlight for me
Only if its a movie I thoroughly enjoyed
It feels funny that I'm watching your video while literally in japan rn....
As first time visit, live conversationa always surprises me since it feels different from what I learned (prob bcs I'm just a noob)
4:27 House in french is "Maison" and a mansion would a "manoir"
アルバイト Arubaito is taken from German "Arbeit" which literally means work
I have a funny story about number 9. When we went to Japan last September, my sister and brother-in-law went shopping in the fabric district. I went and found a café near the train station. When I walked in, a young Japanese lady looked at me and her eyes got wide. She started to go towards the back until an older Japanese woman literally grabbed her by the arm. She looked at me and said “She needs to practice English. She will take your order.”
I felt so sorry for her and I did my best to make sure I was clearly understood. But it was quite humorous in hindsight.
Our teacher Japanese explained to us that if you ask someone for directions, one should not be surprised if they suggest to tag along to get you to your destination rather than give detailed directions.
hah! lightning outside @25:00, was that planned chris?
i have a japanese penpal that i have to use google translate or similar to talk to and its fine but sometimes you do have to go and find a specific word in japanese because google misinterprets the original context you used it in
and honestly the amount of times that i look up one of those words and its literally just the english word but said with a japanese accent is kinda amazing
I went to Rio De Janeiro once with a friend and we were sitting in a beach bar where 1 waiter clearly wanted to practice English with us. While everything he said was in English, in every sentence something was off, sometimes a little, sometimes more. A lot what he said was just gibberish, so not wanting to insult him we carefully asked 'where your very good English is from' and he explained that when he heard a new (to him) word, he wrote it down and checked meaning from a dictionary at library. Unfortunately many words have multiple meanings, so that's where the error sneaked in.
I want to eat a delicious Kitto Katto.
Very cool are yall penpals specifically to practice language?
I guess everybody who has been in Japan has experienced the number 2( no pun intended) and certainly they are so kind and helpful that I feel in love with the japanese, so kind people. Respect to them and their traditions.
What traditions
14:14 "you need a special bag to carry your wallet".... (it's called a purse)... -- LOL
These were very interesting points. I'm American and usually sit through the credits and feel awkward while everyone gets up. I like seeing the credits man.
I live in Italy and they also use some English words but with an Italian accent. “Hamburger” or “amborgooor” as they call it, kills me every time. I really can’t pronounce it that way, it feels wrong 😂
Is the h sound present in the italian language?