Regardless of preceding idol culture, with declining birth rate Japan _needs_ to start accepting and even promoting celebrities who get into relationship, marry and have kids, to inspire people to find relationships on their own instead of demanding them as a parasocial escape.
@@TheKingOfBeans tbf that's pretty much every developed country at this point! On a serious note there's plenty of incentive for having a family - good pat/mat leave, cash bonus for each baby born, tax incentive for having dependents etc. I think the real issue is being unable to meet people or make romantic connections in the first place to lead to the next step of having a family
I find it a bit ironic how Japan does do little to regulate or restrict services Hostess/host clubs and idol culture, instead they encourage it, and to them it doesn't count as cheating, but at the same time they beg people to be in relationships and have children. The reason? Its the profit they get from those services. And this doesnt care how much harm or impact it makes in the population as long as the money keeps coming.
My dad left his expensive hiking hat at one of our rental car locations. Our hotel rental in Kyoto helped him call and put an inquiry into the car rental location in Matsuyama. They said they found his hat (2 days later) and offered to mail it to our Kyoto lodging... for. free. I was so incredibly impressed.
Sharla made a video a while back where she (and Ushka I think) made rings. So Anon could watch that video and maybe go there with their SO to make a ring.
For the rings, there's a place called Glanta in Kichijoji where you can choose the ring types, metal, decoration etc. I think it's famous for couples looking for their wedding rings, but they do loads of other types AND it doesn't take long as they make it there and then.
The simple fact is that idol culture means that Idols are exclusive mental prostitutes for the fans. They don't want to share, especially with someone who can get the affection for free.
All the idol fans are delusional. They need idols to be single so that they think they have a chance with them. I know this applies to Korea but not sure about Japan. It’s crazy🤯
Yeah I've watched - and enjoyed - Some Japanese idol stuff, and vtubers I watch lean into an 'idol' aspect fairly heavily as well. My enjoyment is mostly for the singing and dancing - It's concerts/shows to me. I guess my take on idols is they have an intent to be an inspiration, or just something fun for people to cheer on and build a community around - I'd make a strong comparison to cheering on a sports team, which is something I didn't understand the appeal of until I started watching idol stuff. But there's some very messed up aspects in the industry. As stated in the video, mostly related to relationship weirdness or what I would call 'purity' culture - And if people slip up certain groups of fans lose it. I don't think it's universal, that every idol has to worry about that stuff, but it's very common unfortunately. I think some fans just get too obsessed for whatever reason... But some of those folks will spend a lot of money too, so there's a pressure to appeal to folks who want them to appear 'available' but still 'pure'.
Never into idol groups, but I remember finding Saya Hiyama (the "Nerd Weather Girl") on YT compilations about three weeks before her career exploded spectacularly about a year ago. As a "weather girl", she is kind of 'idol-adjacent', and I was flabbergasted by the venom and nastiness and betrayal in the comments after they found out that a cute girl has a *gasp* boyfriend... The parasocial relationship sickness is off the rails with idols and so forth. I guess the USA still holds the gold medal though; we had a president dodge bullets because someone wanted to get Jodie Foster's attention.
She is "idol-adjacent" because she literally is. The weather channel hired attractive girls for the sole purpose of being weather idols so that they get more viewers, merch sales etc. Its designed to target lonely men and get money from them. Acting like its all the fans fault for getting angry when someone is selling parasocial relationship is prime "eat and have cake". Idols are not just singers and dancers, they choose to specifically be idols to exploit incels. Unless you think incels deserve to be exploited, blaming them alone is stupid
@@valhallakombi7239 Unless the weather woman had a clause in her employment contract forbidding relationships that would cause a "scandal" with her employers, yes, blaming otaku is not stupid and of course any grown man (or woman) doesn't "deserve" to be exploited but they seem to take care of that part themselves, self-awareness be damned
I kind of see the idol culture as an off shoot of the geisha concept. Trained singers, dancers, models who dress and act in prescribed ways, no romantic relationships w/ customer but a financial relationship kept going by the perception of single woman virginal appearances.
It is, this type of service is rooted in their culture and ideologies, just like Hostess and Host clubs, mostly the latter, have somewhat of a "Tayu service". Its interesting, some tell me it isn't but the industry openly say "we sell dreams", and host clubs even make you choose a host and you can't ask for another via contract, kind of like soliciting the services of a Tayu. This people are even encouraged to sell themselves in order to keep the costumers. Its really dark if you think about it because none of this services are considered "cheating". But the younger generations are slowly detaching themselves from hat idea.
I have noticed that the Yen is improving against the Australian dollar the last week. Good for Japan. I also lost a credit card in Tokyo and while it didn't turn up it was not used illicitly by anyone. One of the places I checked was the Lawson below our hotel. The shop assistant pulled out about 30 lost cards. Alas mine wasn't one butit showed how honest people are.
The distance of a marathon is based on the run from Marathon to Athens, when a messenger ran to warn of the invading Persians. Sort of referenced in the movie, 300. Was the subject of Time Patrol Bon episode!
yes, the idea is that they want to sell the Idols image as single and available so their fans could fantasize with them and buy their merchandize, it is ridiculous.
The AKB48 shaved head situation is bad....supposedly she wasn't forced to shave her head but would have probably been kicked out had she not made such a public display. I think K-pop has taken over a lot, even in Japan.
Currently on my 7th month living in Japan and I am onto my third cockroach... the first being just a random in the street that my wife freaked out over and I had to guide her past, keeping the roach at bay with my boots... The second was one we saw on the upper floor of our local Seiyu, just hanging around the drinks chillers.. The third was only last weekend in the entrance/smoking area at a live music bar on the 9th floor of a building in Gotanda! I have no idea how it got there, but it was a beast! So I just need one more encounter to be on par with Chris! They really are the most creepy/alien-like of all insects! Although my wife is, I am not that bothered about insects, but there is something about cockroaches that creeps me out a little!
I might misunderstand the straight idol part, but its the same for a lot of female streamers. Most of the time its because this kind of content is targeted towards single guys, you build up a large fanbase based on that then introduce a boyfriend and that part of the fanbase is pissed. I guess maybe Idol fans if its not that give a lot of support in hopes these idols will further their career and go far. But then they get a boyfriend and thats their focus instead of the career. Or maybe Japanese guys who work a lot replace a girlfriend with supporting idols so feel betrayed.
An important distinction is that its not just about attractive females. Any fans who gets pissed because some female streamer has a bf are idiots. But idols and certain famous streamers like Pokimane specifically target lonely men so that they can get money off them. So saying the fans are the only ones wrong in those situations is equally as stupid. Sure, you can definitely argue that exploiting incels is morally right, but make sure you include that part when blaming the fans.
I moved into an apartment, there were roaches in the kitchen the first week. Got some COMBAT roach bait and didn't see another one after that first week.
So, despite being a fan of anime, of Japanese traditional culture, and other things about Japan, the idol culture specifically never jived with me much too... so I decided to do some research on it. Well, it's not really that idol culture doesn't jive with me, but more like celebrity culture and teen pop groups was never my thing. But I decided to look more into it because it's something often brought up, particularly when it comes to people who have active prejudices against Japan, Japanese culture, and whatnot. People trying to "other" Japanese culture, make jokes about it, say it's weird and all that. Here are some stuff for those interested then. It's older than most people might think. Or perhaps more recent than some might think, it depends on perspective. It's one of the post war era phenomena, kinda like anime. The origins comes from... a French-Italian movie, of all things. xD "Cherchez l'idole", literally translates to "in search of an idol", but was translated to The Chase. Contrary to what some may think, it has no connections with traditional Japanese culture such as Geisha, Maiko and whatnot. It really comes from modern global pop culture. Curiously, it has nothing to do with the plot of the movie, but one of it's actresses instead. The movie was huge in Japan in the late 60s. One thing people should consider, particularly those that are appalled by the cases mentioned, is how rare they really are. We tend to judge the thing through the eyes of spicy news and clickbait stuff that comes directly from an international press coverage that seems to only be interested in some cultural aspects of Japan when it shocks people... but if you stop to think about it, it's a culture with well over half a century of history where these major scandals happened in the single digits. That is actually plenty rare for something that has been going on continually for some 70 years. How many teen idol scandals have you heard about in your lifetime in your nation? For most western nations, I bet this would be too many to count. Yes, it has a male gaze, sexist, paternalist, objectification, parasocial based aspect to it... which is likely a part of the reason why certain very strict rules exist. But if you really think about it, most countries also have this, perhaps in a more disguised less obvious manner. But it's there. Perhaps you were never a fan of it, but it's there. Some of this stuff has less to do with Japan being an outlier of sorts, and more to do with the religious influence that brings certain taboos, certain historical sexist and paternalist shame into the mix, puritanism, among others being a major influence in western cultures. Japan doesn't have the Christian backgrounds, so things are more self-declared and open. See, if you want to look at ancient predecessors to such ideals, you need to look no further than Christianity itself. As in the Virgin Mary. Immaculate conception. The history of maidens in the middle ages. Vestal maidens of Greek culture. The forbidden pre-marital sex of most religions. It's a paternalist concept that is spread all over several cultures. Christianity has it, ancient Greek mythology has it, Islam has it plenty, Judaism has it. Strangely enough, it's not a major thing in Buddhism and Shintoism. This is likely why it's a modern post war era phenomena. It joins together in Japanese idol culture because like the name says, originally idols were supposed to be shinning examples of women behavior back when it was created in the 60s-70s Japan. And since Japanese culture is majorly conservative and adverse to change, it remained the way it is to this day. Another thing that people should also consider - this isn't only a male led pressure, condition or rule. It really is a pre-condition imposed on those working in the field, that is thoroughly understood by candidates, as part of the culture - not only by men who are the parasocial fans of the culture, but by all, including women. Girls and women who wants to become an idol, they already know it'll be crazy working hours, that they cannot do anything wrong, and that a boyfriend, relationship, or marriage will result in retirement from the career. The scandals happen when it's hidden from agencies, management and fans alike. People should know that there are plenty of cases of idols who retired from their careers because they decided to marry. It's not like all Japanese fans of idols are men who objectify idols and establish a parasocial behavior where they see boyfriends or a marriage as a personal betrayal of sorts. There are people like that, but much like there are people like that in other nations too in regards to celebrities and whatnot. Scandals also don't only involve having a boyfriend, but also stuff like using illegal drugs, committing minor misdemeanors, being caught on camera in inappropriate situations or with inappropriate behavior, giving controversial statements, among others. Weird specific punishments happen mostly to "save face", like when the idol does not want to give up the career. It's an attempt not to be forcibly retired. It rarely ever works. Now, this absolutely clashes with western recent modern culture and a western feminist ideologies, but it's not like a majority of women in Japan are demanding for this culture to end. You can ask any female idol culture fan in Japan how they see things. This is another thing that might surprise some people... Japanese idols and idol groups have more female fans that most people think. And yes, this does include the girl groups that seems to be male centric to us. These rules about not being able to have romantic relationships is actually not the main thing that people have in mind about idol culture - it's more generally about schedules so packed with all the arts and crafts that they have, training, so much dedication to it, that they don't really have a life outside of it. It's not only boyfriends, it's more generally friends, a normal life, that they sacrifice in order to become idols. So depending on which type of idol we're talking about, it's long hours of dance classes, singing classes, music classes, ad shoots, music videos, concerts, business meetings, marketing planning, interviews, TV shows, etc etc etc. Weird as this might seem, it's about transparency and dedication to the craft. And for those who never really got in contact with this side of Japanese modern culture... when you talk about idol culture in Japan, it's really a huge and varied thing with tons of sub branches, niches and whatnot with works in all sorts of fields that a single piece of news you read about might not cover. Idols can be musicians, entertainers, actresses, work in advertisement campaigns, act as host or hostesses for all sorts of events, be representative figures for all sorts of things in a sort of PR or mediator role, be it single or in groups. And in fact, several of the most famous Japanese celebrities came from idol groups or idol origins. Actresses, comedians, entertainers, models, singers... So it's a fairly complex topic. I'm still not a huge fan, mainly because I've never really been a fan of music pop culture in general, or stuff like boy bands, girl bands, celebrity culture in general, and the general idea of idolizing people. But after knowing more about it, I can say I do appreciate it better and have a better image of it. It's just a different way of doing things, which has it's own problems and issues, but I don't personally consider it above or bellow what other cultures have. All in all, I'll have this to say to people that only have a negative view on this culture. If we're talking about idols as role models, for a community based society such as Japanese culture is, which do you think fits best? Role models that are heavily burdened by limitations and restrictions, that needs to play by the rules or get out, and that have widely understood standards that they have to abide by, or role models that are extremely individualistic and antagonistic, jumping from one relationship to another, doing drugs, wasting money on stupid crap, and having the live fast die young YOLO life? People should be able to infer that Japanese idol culture is not a Japanese culture abnormality, but actually kind of a reflection of it. It needs to be understood in context, not being picked in isolation with selected happenings to be judged in a different cultural perspective.
Idol culture goes very far back as you said. Chances are that if you bring up a Showa Era (let's say 60s - 80s) idol in an izakaya full of older Japanese people, they will immediately be your best friends.
Sharla and Ushka made some handmade rings in Kyoto on one of their episodes a couple months ago I believe. And you could do it in both English or Japanese.
To me I really don't understand why Idols need to hide boyfriends. I get to make sure the fans support them and all but in my opinion it dumb because they are humans after all and need love. But hey just my opinion
A bit positive view of it, **not necessarily true**: They don't want their personal life to be part of their image. Image is what they sell as idol. Kind of don't want to bring personal life to the job. And then there will be gossip around your relationship, especially if it gone bad. Why would you want attention to your personal life instead of your professional life?
I’ve always found it odd when people say that cockroaches are indestructible. When I lived in Thailand I saw people kill them easily with a flip flop, or by pouring beer on them. I’ve even seen them get flipped over on their backs like a tortoise and die from exhaustion trying to turn back over
That poison for cockroaches that they bring back to the nest and wipes them out has existed, at least back in Brazil, for like 25+ years. I wish I was able to buy that thing here in Canada.
I've never even tried to understand the whole "idol" industry. But it's an industry, so there's probably a lot of money involved. And with a lot of money involved, the people in charge are less likely to give the young idols an easier time. The fans can be pretty nasty as well, I guess, but that's not isolated to just the idol fandom.
It's a marketing industry first and foremost. I always tend to view it with a pinch of salt; it occurs to me if you're a moderately attractive young woman then promising to post a 'good night' photo every day for a year is probably a good way of perking up your social media profile. Even better if you can do so in such a way that you have an excuse should someone suggest you might be taking advantage of your fans, or that said fans may be indulging in pervy or weird behaviour by scrutinising said photos closely.
Hi Chris! When I lived in Tokyo we would get cockroaches whenever someone forgot to plug the drain in the bathtub or similar, they come out of the pipes if that makes sense? It happened maybe 3-4 times in the 3 years i lived there. We had a bug spray that killed them in like 2 seconds. I know you didn’t want to kill it but you might want to reconsider if more pops up. 😬
Not sure what's hard to comprehend. Every job has its perks and every job asks for something. If you're a fireman and you refuse to charge into a wall of fire to save a little baby then you're most probably going to get shamed by everybody. If you do put your life on the line to save another person, everyone calls you a hero, you get invited to interviews, you're given financial bonuses and suddenly you're a celebrity. On the other hand if you CHOOSE to become an idol, you're showered with money every day. You gain an army of white knights who are all at your beck and call. You're pretty much guaranteed to become an actor if you play your cards right after you graduate. You're most likely going to get a beautiful/handsome partner who you've met in the entertainment industry and that's a dream for many if not most people. If you think hiding your personal relationships from the public is too much for all of these then just graduate and get a more normal job.
If you're using a great circle "point", things are a little more complicated than just pointing "East". Roaches are not the most impervious, by any means, and there are many lists of their betters. Tardigrades, though, seem to have everyone beat in multi-cellular land.
It's still wild Chris has lucked into seeing so few cockroaches. Living in southern Kanagawa prefecture for 4+ years, I have seen countless giant ones and mukade and all those nasty things. Place I was living actually had a decent yard which I assume is the reason bugs were plentiful, I suppose if you live more in the big city, they don't have a place to really gather easily.
the point isn't that you're enjoying running with your kid in the stroller Pete, the point is that it's the only way busy parents can get their training in. you can't exactly leave a 1 year old home by themselves while you go smash out 20k. also Chris, every marathon is 42.2k
21:22 I didn't notice the scrolling sign in background until Chris said "magic" the word "magic" appeared. Thought I'd discovered something then I realized it's been playing whole time 😂🥲
The idol culture thing is one end of the spectrum, the other end being our own Western overly sexualised and wannabe gangster type popular music entertainment. It would be really nice if we could all find a balance. There's no need to dystopian-like and oppressive of the acts, but also there's no need to promote a false need to sexualise everything to make money. The music should be what is important.
Matt Cariker, famously now of Demolition Ranch, his wife and kids had to withdraw from his channels after an incident. I bring this up because all influencers are at risk from the same dangers as these idols. Just one sad crazy schlep away from a scary situation became they see each video as a date.
Can't believe your editor is Banyabat, that guy's videos are amazing. Dude has mad skills. You should get him to include some wacky cutaways in your videos! Or at least some illustrations
I talked to someone at how awful I thought the idol culture was, obviously I know that to an extent it's only moderately worse than how some other cultures including the US treat people, but still I think they do really take it to the extreme in Japan. But I've people say that 'they know what they are getting into, they signed on the dotted line', I mean, that's not always true quite honestly, most of these people are young girls and boys when they get roped into it and they have a specific idea of what it is and discover it's something else entirely once they or their parents have signed up to it. I know in many cases they get paid a comfortable wage or even a really big wage but still I think they deserve more rights as human beings.
I have also been very curious about residency in Japan. You have been living there for a very long time so has Charlotte is a permanent residency that you have gone through and the pains and endeavors that you have gone through because in the United States of America he has been very and hard and I will continue to tell you more about this if you were curious about this, but I want to know what it’s like in Japan.
Well, 99% of Japanese don't give a damn who gets married. If you look at OnlyFans, etc., there are people everywhere who get upset about other people's relationships, not just Japanese or Asians. I actually checked her social media and hardly any Japanese are mad at her. She's probably just doing it to go viral on social media. In fact, even Western content creators such as Chris have started to take this up, so it's a great success.
I was thinking rings aren't really Japanese tradition? Sure nowadays people probably do wear them like people wear western style wedding dresses, but i can't remember a ring wearing geisha in any Japanese art I have seen, nor any jewellery really in any exhibition - other than for hair, and the netsuke.
The treatment of idols and just the incredibly unrealistic expectations placed on them. Its just madness. These people are literally not allowed to be human. Look in the west we are totally guilty of putting celebrities on pedestals, but the how hard they go with this in Japan, its just beyond all comprehension. They expect these people to be perfection. Utter perfection. And no one can live up to that. We are all just people. Warts and all. Rather than try to hold anyone to the standards that would challenge a deity, can't Japan just let them be people?
Idol culture moved to vtubers now. They are basically replicating everything idols do, from the safety of their home/office, with everything from "concerts" to merch sales and constant livestreams
19:59 Idol culture has been here since forever, but AKB48 basically commercialized the concept to a more solid formula. If there's anyone to blame for modern J-Idol exploitation, it's AKB48. But it brings money so....
Once I had a spider in my garage... I swiped it an caught it and I went outside couple of meters to the left and threw it into some tall grass. After it landed it started running past me directly back to my garage. Apparently cockroaches are more intelligent than that so if it survived its probably plotting revenge
@AbroadInJapanPodcast No matter what direction you point, if you don't point down, it will never point to a place on the other side of Earth but to the Space.
Lol he said "pray to mecca" that actually would work. There are apps that tell you where mecca is from where you are. If they both use the app they could then triangulate where they are from each other
Yup pete is one point of the triangle. Chris is one point and mecca is the 3rd point. So we would know 2 of the 3 angles as well so those 2 angles minus 180 and you got the 3rd angle. I'm also super fun at parties.
@@nomasnomore808 I see what you mean but Pete wanted to face Chris. He could do what you described but since he already knows where Chris is there wouldn't be much point
@@nomasnomore808 If you come to my parties, we would be having a conversation about 'great circle routes' where the shortest route is actually slightly north of north east. Or if we really wanted to be pedantic, instead of pointing around the Earth, we should be pointing through it. This would bring us back to slightly east of southeast but pointing down at an angle of about 8.5 degrees which is about 10cm down from horizontal at the tip of your finger.
Idols being mistreated heavily led to the culture falling off. I can't remember exactly what happened but there was an incident regarding the producers and the group has basically disbanded as far as I know?
Actually a lot of the toxic nature of the idol culture has bled into the Vtuber community. The pandering to lonely men who think they are in a relationship with a cartoon character who extracts money from them to a faceless corporation who keeps egging these young men on. It's a horror show.
There is a reason Hololive girls gradually reduced the idol culture and just became gamers, singers, dancers. If any fan gets mad at hololive girls getting love, its on them. But these recent idol controversies with the weather girl and this girl in the video? They have part of the blame because they are idols, not just "Weather forecast girl, singer, dancer". You can't eat and have the cake. If you want to exploit incels, be ready when they retaliate.
One thing I can say for sure is that the idol Industry is pretty f*cked up. There's a lot of dark stuff that revolves around that type of culture. I think the Anime man did a video about it on his Anime Man RUclips channel. But tbh, Idol culture is pretty weird, as someone who's influenced by music I listen to a few songs, but that's if there bangers. Other than that, I don't find much appeal from this kind of stuff.
I mean I understand why the idol culture is what it is, but it's just abuse of these young girls and guys basically. I was a big fan of Arashi when they were still active 😢. But I never thought they were not allowed to have girlfriends. There were rumours of Nino having to break up with his girlfriend very early on as they became famous. Very sad.
I was in Japan for 10 days and I experienced nothing but kindness. Hope to move there in a few years, but it will be a lot of work to get to that point.
Great podcast as always, but there were one factual mistake in the conversation. When you talk about what survives a nuclear holocaust you mention only cockroaches and forget to mention Keith Richards. With the life that man have lived, he will sure be there right alongside the cockroaches jamming in the shade of a mushroom cloud :)
Chris-chan and Peter Pan is one of the best openers in a letter.
I'd watch that cartoon
Regardless of preceding idol culture, with declining birth rate Japan _needs_ to start accepting and even promoting celebrities who get into relationship, marry and have kids, to inspire people to find relationships on their own instead of demanding them as a parasocial escape.
That's an avenue of thinking I haven't heard before, and I have to agree with you 100%!
Promoting family values in a country where people can’t afford to have a family doesn’t work.
@@TheKingOfBeans tbf that's pretty much every developed country at this point! On a serious note there's plenty of incentive for having a family - good pat/mat leave, cash bonus for each baby born, tax incentive for having dependents etc. I think the real issue is being unable to meet people or make romantic connections in the first place to lead to the next step of having a family
This kind of idol culture actually does not affect the birthrate. Because most idols retire at the age of 25 or so and marry rich guys.
I find it a bit ironic how Japan does do little to regulate or restrict services Hostess/host clubs and idol culture, instead they encourage it, and to them it doesn't count as cheating, but at the same time they beg people to be in relationships and have children.
The reason? Its the profit they get from those services. And this doesnt care how much harm or impact it makes in the population as long as the money keeps coming.
My dad left his expensive hiking hat at one of our rental car locations. Our hotel rental in Kyoto helped him call and put an inquiry into the car rental location in Matsuyama. They said they found his hat (2 days later) and offered to mail it to our Kyoto lodging... for. free. I was so incredibly impressed.
Sharla made a video a while back where she (and Ushka I think) made rings. So Anon could watch that video and maybe go there with their SO to make a ring.
Mom of two here. From my experience babies really do enjoy being pushed around in a stroller endlessly before they can walk. 😊
For the rings, there's a place called Glanta in Kichijoji where you can choose the ring types, metal, decoration etc. I think it's famous for couples looking for their wedding rings, but they do loads of other types AND it doesn't take long as they make it there and then.
I was wondering where all the comments were and then I realized this just came out lol! I NEVER understood the Idol relationship shaming either.
The simple fact is that idol culture means that Idols are exclusive mental prostitutes for the fans. They don't want to share, especially with someone who can get the affection for free.
You'd think they would be happy/stoked for their idols! "Congrats"! But then you'd have to assume modern day otaku are normal...
All the idol fans are delusional. They need idols to be single so that they think they have a chance with them. I know this applies to Korea but not sure about Japan. It’s crazy🤯
Yeah I've watched - and enjoyed - Some Japanese idol stuff, and vtubers I watch lean into an 'idol' aspect fairly heavily as well. My enjoyment is mostly for the singing and dancing - It's concerts/shows to me. I guess my take on idols is they have an intent to be an inspiration, or just something fun for people to cheer on and build a community around - I'd make a strong comparison to cheering on a sports team, which is something I didn't understand the appeal of until I started watching idol stuff.
But there's some very messed up aspects in the industry. As stated in the video, mostly related to relationship weirdness or what I would call 'purity' culture - And if people slip up certain groups of fans lose it. I don't think it's universal, that every idol has to worry about that stuff, but it's very common unfortunately.
I think some fans just get too obsessed for whatever reason... But some of those folks will spend a lot of money too, so there's a pressure to appeal to folks who want them to appear 'available' but still 'pure'.
Never into idol groups, but I remember finding Saya Hiyama (the "Nerd Weather Girl") on YT compilations about three weeks before her career exploded spectacularly about a year ago. As a "weather girl", she is kind of 'idol-adjacent', and I was flabbergasted by the venom and nastiness and betrayal in the comments after they found out that a cute girl has a *gasp* boyfriend...
The parasocial relationship sickness is off the rails with idols and so forth. I guess the USA still holds the gold medal though; we had a president dodge bullets because someone wanted to get Jodie Foster's attention.
She is "idol-adjacent" because she literally is. The weather channel hired attractive girls for the sole purpose of being weather idols so that they get more viewers, merch sales etc. Its designed to target lonely men and get money from them. Acting like its all the fans fault for getting angry when someone is selling parasocial relationship is prime "eat and have cake". Idols are not just singers and dancers, they choose to specifically be idols to exploit incels. Unless you think incels deserve to be exploited, blaming them alone is stupid
@@valhallakombi7239 Unless the weather woman had a clause in her employment contract forbidding relationships that would cause a "scandal" with her employers, yes, blaming otaku is not stupid and of course any grown man (or woman) doesn't "deserve" to be exploited but they seem to take care of that part themselves, self-awareness be damned
Jewellery in Japan is excessively expensive due to luxury taxes. Would be wise to buy it elsewhere before going to Japan to do the proposal.
I kind of see the idol culture as an off shoot of the geisha concept. Trained singers, dancers, models who dress and act in prescribed ways, no romantic relationships w/ customer but a financial relationship kept going by the perception of single woman virginal appearances.
It is, this type of service is rooted in their culture and ideologies, just like Hostess and Host clubs, mostly the latter, have somewhat of a "Tayu service". Its interesting, some tell me it isn't but the industry openly say "we sell dreams", and host clubs even make you choose a host and you can't ask for another via contract, kind of like soliciting the services of a Tayu. This people are even encouraged to sell themselves in order to keep the costumers. Its really dark if you think about it because none of this services are considered "cheating". But the younger generations are slowly detaching themselves from hat idea.
I have noticed that the Yen is improving against the Australian dollar the last week. Good for Japan. I also lost a credit card in Tokyo and while it didn't turn up it was not used illicitly by anyone. One of the places I checked was the Lawson below our hotel. The shop assistant pulled out about 30 lost cards. Alas mine wasn't one butit showed how honest people are.
The distance of a marathon is based on the run from Marathon to Athens, when a messenger ran to warn of the invading Persians. Sort of referenced in the movie, 300. Was the subject of Time Patrol Bon episode!
Apparently they do this in Korea as well. Not allowing dating
yes, the idea is that they want to sell the Idols image as single and available so their fans could fantasize with them and buy their merchandize, it is ridiculous.
The AKB48 shaved head situation is bad....supposedly she wasn't forced to shave her head but would have probably been kicked out had she not made such a public display. I think K-pop has taken over a lot, even in Japan.
Yes, K-pop, which is even more abusive, toxic, and sterilized to industrial level...
Hmm another interesting podcast. It’s great that it essentially gives us another Abroad in Japan weekly.
What
@@TheKingOfBeans it's probably a bot
Currently on my 7th month living in Japan and I am onto my third cockroach... the first being just a random in the street that my wife freaked out over and I had to guide her past, keeping the roach at bay with my boots... The second was one we saw on the upper floor of our local Seiyu, just hanging around the drinks chillers.. The third was only last weekend in the entrance/smoking area at a live music bar on the 9th floor of a building in Gotanda! I have no idea how it got there, but it was a beast!
So I just need one more encounter to be on par with Chris! They really are the most creepy/alien-like of all insects! Although my wife is, I am not that bothered about insects, but there is something about cockroaches that creeps me out a little!
I might misunderstand the straight idol part, but its the same for a lot of female streamers.
Most of the time its because this kind of content is targeted towards single guys, you build up a large fanbase based on that then introduce a boyfriend and that part of the fanbase is pissed.
I guess maybe Idol fans if its not that give a lot of support in hopes these idols will further their career and go far. But then they get a boyfriend and thats their focus instead of the career.
Or maybe Japanese guys who work a lot replace a girlfriend with supporting idols so feel betrayed.
I think it’s because the idols cater their content to target single men then when they get a boyfriend it may feel like cheating. I dunno…
Girl streamers are the western internet equivalent of Japanese idols
An important distinction is that its not just about attractive females. Any fans who gets pissed because some female streamer has a bf are idiots. But idols and certain famous streamers like Pokimane specifically target lonely men so that they can get money off them. So saying the fans are the only ones wrong in those situations is equally as stupid. Sure, you can definitely argue that exploiting incels is morally right, but make sure you include that part when blaming the fans.
cameraman paul mention. lets go tio!
When we showed Chris and Pete the alcohol, they gave us big smile. It was like a magic!
I moved into an apartment, there were roaches in the kitchen the first week. Got some COMBAT roach bait and didn't see another one after that first week.
If you’re in Tokyo, you might want to check out the jewelry district in Okachimachi.
It looks like the Yen bottomed-out vs, the US Dollar a couple of days ago (July 29) and has rebounded a bit.
Sharla had a video where she and Usha went on a trip and the sponsor was a place where you could make your own ring.
Pete makes me feel normal for all of my slightly poor habits :)
Never thought I’d see the day Chris would be called Chris Chan.
I need that image out of my head immediately 😭
Okachimachi is the place to get jewelery in Tokyo. But I think most of it is imported and I don't know of any custom jewelery shops.
With regard to the ring maybe try the Aki-Oka Artisan market under the Yamanote line near Akihabara.
So, despite being a fan of anime, of Japanese traditional culture, and other things about Japan, the idol culture specifically never jived with me much too... so I decided to do some research on it.
Well, it's not really that idol culture doesn't jive with me, but more like celebrity culture and teen pop groups was never my thing.
But I decided to look more into it because it's something often brought up, particularly when it comes to people who have active prejudices against Japan, Japanese culture, and whatnot. People trying to "other" Japanese culture, make jokes about it, say it's weird and all that.
Here are some stuff for those interested then.
It's older than most people might think. Or perhaps more recent than some might think, it depends on perspective.
It's one of the post war era phenomena, kinda like anime.
The origins comes from... a French-Italian movie, of all things. xD "Cherchez l'idole", literally translates to "in search of an idol", but was translated to The Chase.
Contrary to what some may think, it has no connections with traditional Japanese culture such as Geisha, Maiko and whatnot. It really comes from modern global pop culture.
Curiously, it has nothing to do with the plot of the movie, but one of it's actresses instead. The movie was huge in Japan in the late 60s.
One thing people should consider, particularly those that are appalled by the cases mentioned, is how rare they really are. We tend to judge the thing through the eyes of spicy news and clickbait stuff that comes directly from an international press coverage that seems to only be interested in some cultural aspects of Japan when it shocks people... but if you stop to think about it, it's a culture with well over half a century of history where these major scandals happened in the single digits. That is actually plenty rare for something that has been going on continually for some 70 years. How many teen idol scandals have you heard about in your lifetime in your nation? For most western nations, I bet this would be too many to count.
Yes, it has a male gaze, sexist, paternalist, objectification, parasocial based aspect to it... which is likely a part of the reason why certain very strict rules exist. But if you really think about it, most countries also have this, perhaps in a more disguised less obvious manner. But it's there. Perhaps you were never a fan of it, but it's there.
Some of this stuff has less to do with Japan being an outlier of sorts, and more to do with the religious influence that brings certain taboos, certain historical sexist and paternalist shame into the mix, puritanism, among others being a major influence in western cultures. Japan doesn't have the Christian backgrounds, so things are more self-declared and open.
See, if you want to look at ancient predecessors to such ideals, you need to look no further than Christianity itself. As in the Virgin Mary. Immaculate conception. The history of maidens in the middle ages. Vestal maidens of Greek culture. The forbidden pre-marital sex of most religions. It's a paternalist concept that is spread all over several cultures. Christianity has it, ancient Greek mythology has it, Islam has it plenty, Judaism has it. Strangely enough, it's not a major thing in Buddhism and Shintoism. This is likely why it's a modern post war era phenomena.
It joins together in Japanese idol culture because like the name says, originally idols were supposed to be shinning examples of women behavior back when it was created in the 60s-70s Japan. And since Japanese culture is majorly conservative and adverse to change, it remained the way it is to this day.
Another thing that people should also consider - this isn't only a male led pressure, condition or rule. It really is a pre-condition imposed on those working in the field, that is thoroughly understood by candidates, as part of the culture - not only by men who are the parasocial fans of the culture, but by all, including women.
Girls and women who wants to become an idol, they already know it'll be crazy working hours, that they cannot do anything wrong, and that a boyfriend, relationship, or marriage will result in retirement from the career. The scandals happen when it's hidden from agencies, management and fans alike. People should know that there are plenty of cases of idols who retired from their careers because they decided to marry. It's not like all Japanese fans of idols are men who objectify idols and establish a parasocial behavior where they see boyfriends or a marriage as a personal betrayal of sorts. There are people like that, but much like there are people like that in other nations too in regards to celebrities and whatnot.
Scandals also don't only involve having a boyfriend, but also stuff like using illegal drugs, committing minor misdemeanors, being caught on camera in inappropriate situations or with inappropriate behavior, giving controversial statements, among others.
Weird specific punishments happen mostly to "save face", like when the idol does not want to give up the career. It's an attempt not to be forcibly retired. It rarely ever works.
Now, this absolutely clashes with western recent modern culture and a western feminist ideologies, but it's not like a majority of women in Japan are demanding for this culture to end. You can ask any female idol culture fan in Japan how they see things. This is another thing that might surprise some people... Japanese idols and idol groups have more female fans that most people think. And yes, this does include the girl groups that seems to be male centric to us.
These rules about not being able to have romantic relationships is actually not the main thing that people have in mind about idol culture - it's more generally about schedules so packed with all the arts and crafts that they have, training, so much dedication to it, that they don't really have a life outside of it. It's not only boyfriends, it's more generally friends, a normal life, that they sacrifice in order to become idols. So depending on which type of idol we're talking about, it's long hours of dance classes, singing classes, music classes, ad shoots, music videos, concerts, business meetings, marketing planning, interviews, TV shows, etc etc etc.
Weird as this might seem, it's about transparency and dedication to the craft.
And for those who never really got in contact with this side of Japanese modern culture... when you talk about idol culture in Japan, it's really a huge and varied thing with tons of sub branches, niches and whatnot with works in all sorts of fields that a single piece of news you read about might not cover. Idols can be musicians, entertainers, actresses, work in advertisement campaigns, act as host or hostesses for all sorts of events, be representative figures for all sorts of things in a sort of PR or mediator role, be it single or in groups.
And in fact, several of the most famous Japanese celebrities came from idol groups or idol origins. Actresses, comedians, entertainers, models, singers...
So it's a fairly complex topic. I'm still not a huge fan, mainly because I've never really been a fan of music pop culture in general, or stuff like boy bands, girl bands, celebrity culture in general, and the general idea of idolizing people. But after knowing more about it, I can say I do appreciate it better and have a better image of it. It's just a different way of doing things, which has it's own problems and issues, but I don't personally consider it above or bellow what other cultures have.
All in all, I'll have this to say to people that only have a negative view on this culture. If we're talking about idols as role models, for a community based society such as Japanese culture is, which do you think fits best? Role models that are heavily burdened by limitations and restrictions, that needs to play by the rules or get out, and that have widely understood standards that they have to abide by, or role models that are extremely individualistic and antagonistic, jumping from one relationship to another, doing drugs, wasting money on stupid crap, and having the live fast die young YOLO life?
People should be able to infer that Japanese idol culture is not a Japanese culture abnormality, but actually kind of a reflection of it. It needs to be understood in context, not being picked in isolation with selected happenings to be judged in a different cultural perspective.
Bloody hell - what an essay!
good read
Idol culture goes very far back as you said. Chances are that if you bring up a Showa Era (let's say 60s - 80s) idol in an izakaya full of older Japanese people, they will immediately be your best friends.
Sharla and Ushka made some handmade rings in Kyoto on one of their episodes a couple months ago I believe. And you could do it in both English or Japanese.
I think a similar thing happened to a weather girl when she watched her boyfriend play tennis at Wimbledon.
you think or you know.... because you watched the japanalysis video.... ? :)
She isn't some innocent attractive weather girl lol. She knew what she was doing, selling parasocial relationship as a weather girl idol.
To me I really don't understand why Idols need to hide boyfriends. I get to make sure the fans support them and all but in my opinion it dumb because they are humans after all and need love. But hey just my opinion
Think about why they choose and want to be idols instead of just being a "singer and dancer" and you will understand.
A bit positive view of it, **not necessarily true**: They don't want their personal life to be part of their image. Image is what they sell as idol. Kind of don't want to bring personal life to the job.
And then there will be gossip around your relationship, especially if it gone bad. Why would you want attention to your personal life instead of your professional life?
All the talk about cockroaches 🪳 had Pete scratching his head.
There's a company called Ringram that my wife and I went to to make handmade rings. They have a bunch of locations in Japan
I can't wait to hear about the reaction to the yen's appreciation.
I’ve always found it odd when people say that cockroaches are indestructible. When I lived in Thailand I saw people kill them easily with a flip flop, or by pouring beer on them. I’ve even seen them get flipped over on their backs like a tortoise and die from exhaustion trying to turn back over
The Ant product is actually called Nipon in the UK. Do not use if you have small children or pets.
That poison for cockroaches that they bring back to the nest and wipes them out has existed, at least back in Brazil, for like 25+ years. I wish I was able to buy that thing here in Canada.
I've never even tried to understand the whole "idol" industry. But it's an industry, so there's probably a lot of money involved.
And with a lot of money involved, the people in charge are less likely to give the young idols an easier time.
The fans can be pretty nasty as well, I guess, but that's not isolated to just the idol fandom.
It's a marketing industry first and foremost. I always tend to view it with a pinch of salt; it occurs to me if you're a moderately attractive young woman then promising to post a 'good night' photo every day for a year is probably a good way of perking up your social media profile. Even better if you can do so in such a way that you have an excuse should someone suggest you might be taking advantage of your fans, or that said fans may be indulging in pervy or weird behaviour by scrutinising said photos closely.
@@markwatson8714
> if you're a moderately attractive young woman
I just want to remind you that male idols exist and popular.
Lesson learned today: Lost wallet always goes to the ending station 🙂
Hi Chris! When I lived in Tokyo we would get cockroaches whenever someone forgot to plug the drain in the bathtub or similar, they come out of the pipes if that makes sense? It happened maybe 3-4 times in the 3 years i lived there. We had a bug spray that killed them in like 2 seconds. I know you didn’t want to kill it but you might want to reconsider if more pops up. 😬
Don't worry it probably laid eggs in your dyson
Not sure what's hard to comprehend. Every job has its perks and every job asks for something. If you're a fireman and you refuse to charge into a wall of fire to save a little baby then you're most probably going to get shamed by everybody. If you do put your life on the line to save another person, everyone calls you a hero, you get invited to interviews, you're given financial bonuses and suddenly you're a celebrity.
On the other hand if you CHOOSE to become an idol, you're showered with money every day. You gain an army of white knights who are all at your beck and call. You're pretty much guaranteed to become an actor if you play your cards right after you graduate. You're most likely going to get a beautiful/handsome partner who you've met in the entertainment industry and that's a dream for many if not most people. If you think hiding your personal relationships from the public is too much for all of these then just graduate and get a more normal job.
Podcast 19 of asking Christ to speedrun nearly every main temple in Tokyo !!
3am in the morning as opposed to 3am at night tee hee :)
If you're using a great circle "point", things are a little more complicated than just pointing "East".
Roaches are not the most impervious, by any means, and there are many lists of their betters.
Tardigrades, though, seem to have everyone beat in multi-cellular land.
It's still wild Chris has lucked into seeing so few cockroaches. Living in southern Kanagawa prefecture for 4+ years, I have seen countless giant ones and mukade and all those nasty things. Place I was living actually had a decent yard which I assume is the reason bugs were plentiful, I suppose if you live more in the big city, they don't have a place to really gather easily.
okachimachi is the jewellery place off Tokyo
the point isn't that you're enjoying running with your kid in the stroller Pete, the point is that it's the only way busy parents can get their training in. you can't exactly leave a 1 year old home by themselves while you go smash out 20k. also Chris, every marathon is 42.2k
I hope Chris will do balanced documentary of Japanese idol. If you search in RUclips, mostly you only found just the dark side of it.
21:22 I didn't notice the scrolling sign in background until Chris said "magic" the word "magic" appeared. Thought I'd discovered something then I realized it's been playing whole time 😂🥲
Boy we're early!
as a fan of idols and idol culture i am completely okay with idols having relationships outside of work.
The idol culture thing is one end of the spectrum, the other end being our own Western overly sexualised and wannabe gangster type popular music entertainment. It would be really nice if we could all find a balance. There's no need to dystopian-like and oppressive of the acts, but also there's no need to promote a false need to sexualise everything to make money. The music should be what is important.
You can figure out which you are pointing with a compass 😳
Don’t store your passport anywhere near your umbrella, or it will be gone!
What are the things hanging on the wall behind Pete?
Still laughing at katakoto Bank. 😂
What are these things in the Background of Pete on the left on the wall? 🤔
So glad your host is Pete Donaldson and not Davidson
Matt Cariker, famously now of Demolition Ranch, his wife and kids had to withdraw from his channels after an incident. I bring this up because all influencers are at risk from the same dangers as these idols. Just one sad crazy schlep away from a scary situation became they see each video as a date.
Can't believe your editor is Banyabat, that guy's videos are amazing. Dude has mad skills. You should get him to include some wacky cutaways in your videos! Or at least some illustrations
I talked to someone at how awful I thought the idol culture was, obviously I know that to an extent it's only moderately worse than how some other cultures including the US treat people, but still I think they do really take it to the extreme in Japan. But I've people say that 'they know what they are getting into, they signed on the dotted line', I mean, that's not always true quite honestly, most of these people are young girls and boys when they get roped into it and they have a specific idea of what it is and discover it's something else entirely once they or their parents have signed up to it. I know in many cases they get paid a comfortable wage or even a really big wage but still I think they deserve more rights as human beings.
I have also been very curious about residency in Japan. You have been living there for a very long time so has Charlotte is a permanent residency that you have gone through and the pains and endeavors that you have gone through because in the United States of America he has been very and hard and I will continue to tell you more about this if you were curious about this, but I want to know what it’s like in Japan.
Technically Pete you can point anywhere and still reach Chris.
Are you a flat earther? 😂 you can’t point around a globe, you can only point straight ahead, into the horizon and then into space
24:10 When Cody from Ohio tells a Japanese person where they’re from, does the Japanese person respond with “ohaiyou”?
In Japan, a little bit obsessed is an understatement. Its more like manic zombies chasing you in every aapect of your like. Its pretty sad tbh.
Yeah but also they know that going into it and they can quit any time
@@TheKingOfBeans Well, yeah.. but money blinds you most of the time to reality.
Japan is still on this nonsense!?
unfortunately its a entire asian thing. japan, korea, china.
On this nonsense? Speak English please
nonsense jp by joey bazinga
Well, 99% of Japanese don't give a damn who gets married. If you look at OnlyFans, etc., there are people everywhere who get upset about other people's relationships, not just Japanese or Asians. I actually checked her social media and hardly any Japanese are mad at her. She's probably just doing it to go viral on social media. In fact, even Western content creators such as Chris have started to take this up, so it's a great success.
every place has it's own long standing nonsense
You can draw a straight line in Google maps and see what is the nearest point of reference it crosses
marathon is 26.2 miles.
if you merge 2 passport you become a super tourist, and Japan is done with them :D
Imagine having the gall to have a private life away from business these days, lord I'll tell you
I was thinking rings aren't really Japanese tradition? Sure nowadays people probably do wear them like people wear western style wedding dresses, but i can't remember a ring wearing geisha in any Japanese art I have seen, nor any jewellery really in any exhibition - other than for hair, and the netsuke.
The treatment of idols and just the incredibly unrealistic expectations placed on them. Its just madness. These people are literally not allowed to be human. Look in the west we are totally guilty of putting celebrities on pedestals, but the how hard they go with this in Japan, its just beyond all comprehension. They expect these people to be perfection. Utter perfection. And no one can live up to that. We are all just people. Warts and all. Rather than try to hold anyone to the standards that would challenge a deity, can't Japan just let them be people?
The new big idols are all online with Vtubers and the such. From what I can see. And I dont quite get it myself, but hey, I can't judge. lol
Idol culture moved to vtubers now. They are basically replicating everything idols do, from the safety of their home/office, with everything from "concerts" to merch sales and constant livestreams
19:59 Idol culture has been here since forever, but AKB48 basically commercialized the concept to a more solid formula. If there's anyone to blame for modern J-Idol exploitation, it's AKB48.
But it brings money so....
I can do the 1 / 20 marathon.
Once I had a spider in my garage... I swiped it an caught it and I went outside couple of meters to the left and threw it into some tall grass. After it landed it started running past me directly back to my garage. Apparently cockroaches are more intelligent than that so if it survived its probably plotting revenge
If you think Japan's bad as far as idols are concerned, check out the K-Pop scene.
@AbroadInJapanPodcast No matter what direction you point, if you don't point down, it will never point to a place on the other side of Earth but to the Space.
Dyson v7 maybe is coackroach proof but not wasp proof, the bastard kept coming out......I had to send it to push daisies.
The people in Southend, were probably running from the thugs with machetes...
I still remember the drama years ago when mega-idol Aya Hirano got outed for sleeping with her entire band, excluding the bassist.
Brutal
@@trenaceandblackmetal5621brutal for the bass player?
Lol he said "pray to mecca" that actually would work. There are apps that tell you where mecca is from where you are. If they both use the app they could then triangulate where they are from each other
That's wouldn't work they'd need to face each other not Mecca
Yup pete is one point of the triangle. Chris is one point and mecca is the 3rd point. So we would know 2 of the 3 angles as well so those 2 angles minus 180 and you got the 3rd angle. I'm also super fun at parties.
@@nomasnomore808 I see what you mean but Pete wanted to face Chris. He could do what you described but since he already knows where Chris is there wouldn't be much point
What are you even talking about??
@@nomasnomore808 If you come to my parties, we would be having a conversation about 'great circle routes' where the shortest route is actually slightly north of north east. Or if we really wanted to be pedantic, instead of pointing around the Earth, we should be pointing through it. This would bring us back to slightly east of southeast but pointing down at an angle of about 8.5 degrees which is about 10cm down from horizontal at the tip of your finger.
Chris.
We didn't squash cats and dogs but we squash the bloody cockroaches mate.
Idols being mistreated heavily led to the culture falling off. I can't remember exactly what happened but there was an incident regarding the producers and the group has basically disbanded as far as I know?
honestly idol culture freaks me out.
Actually a lot of the toxic nature of the idol culture has bled into the Vtuber community. The pandering to lonely men who think they are in a relationship with a cartoon character who extracts money from them to a faceless corporation who keeps egging these young men on.
It's a horror show.
There is a reason Hololive girls gradually reduced the idol culture and just became gamers, singers, dancers. If any fan gets mad at hololive girls getting love, its on them. But these recent idol controversies with the weather girl and this girl in the video? They have part of the blame because they are idols, not just "Weather forecast girl, singer, dancer". You can't eat and have the cake. If you want to exploit incels, be ready when they retaliate.
One thing I can say for sure is that the idol Industry is pretty f*cked up. There's a lot of dark stuff that revolves around that type of culture. I think the Anime man did a video about it on his Anime Man RUclips channel. But tbh, Idol culture is pretty weird, as someone who's influenced by music I listen to a few songs, but that's if there bangers. Other than that, I don't find much appeal from this kind of stuff.
Apparently cockroaches eat soap and pretty much everything a fly eat too.
Never understood the whole "no romance policy" thing because it doesn't detract from anything.(assuming your not a delusional person.)
I mean I understand why the idol culture is what it is, but it's just abuse of these young girls and guys basically. I was a big fan of Arashi when they were still active 😢. But I never thought they were not allowed to have girlfriends. There were rumours of Nino having to break up with his girlfriend very early on as they became famous. Very sad.
So he is kind of a diva 😂
I dropped the equivalent of 20p in yen coins on the mt Hiei tram and a man stopped to help me pick it up.
I was in Japan for 10 days and I experienced nothing but kindness.
Hope to move there in a few years, but it will be a lot of work to get to that point.
what is a good Japanese energy drink ?
none lol jk but i prefer japanese coffee to energy drinks... havnt found one i like yet
@@EmilyRafferty thx
Japanese idol punished for secret boyfriend? sounds like Rushia from Hololive all over again.
Rushia punished for having secret boyfriend? Punished by who?
Hi Chris how are you doing
Mrbeast in trouble
Great podcast as always, but there were one factual mistake in the conversation. When you talk about what survives a nuclear holocaust you mention only cockroaches and forget to mention Keith Richards. With the life that man have lived, he will sure be there right alongside the cockroaches jamming in the shade of a mushroom cloud :)