TOUGHER than diamonds and STRONGER than steel - Abroad in Japan is back! But what do you hate the most in Japan and what did I miss guys? Sorry for the long absence - I've been trying to get fit. Also been filming a ton of videos that'll be out over the Christmas season. Should be a fun month!
We walked, attracted by the crazy noise, into a Pachinko parlour in Kyoto and the security guy at the door told us emphatically that this is not for tourists and literally kicked us out. My hero.
While I was in Tokyo, I also wondered into a Pachinko parlour as I was actually tempted to play. Was loud and I could not stand the cigarette smoke (I am a non-smoker), so I quickly left. When I was a kid, we used to have a Pachinko machine down in the basement game room so I at least was familiar with it. Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing any pinball machines as we know them here in the west while I was in Japan (was there for a month at the beginning of 2020, right before all the COVID shit).
I was threatened to get arrested for taking a picture of the machines as I tried to avoid the security guard and wander about. He followed me through every corner until I left as he kept saying police… 😂😂😂😂😂
I was interviewed on Japanese TV a few weeks ago. They asked me a lot about covid and what measures are up in my country compared to Japan. When the interview was on TV, they just cut out everything about covid and the only thing they left on was me saying that I like dango...
@@medicusofthedamned I assume you're speaking of hostess clubs? As a Yankee, yeah, thats freaking weird. If I want to pay for female attention, just go to a strip club. I don't want what is essentially a spam email advertiser sending me texts about how I should come back to spend more money next week. That is exactly what I don't want if I have a boy's night out where I can barely remember what the girl looked like the next morning.
I LOVE Germany but absolutely hate the Government and the German egoism. Does that count, too 😀? Oh, wait... when i drop things like "I LOVE germany" most of the times, there are people that are opening their eyes wide enough so they nearly fall out and getting onto me like "Na...z...i" (was on purpose. Don't know if that word triggers anything for the YT AI that filters comments). 😀
Wow... the fact that Chris has turned even a simple list video into a full on, brilliant production is incredible. It really shows how far the channel has come and how much he has refined his craft.
Genuinely felt it had been ages since Chris' last "classic" abroad in japan video. Really shows how much the content quality has improved compared to earlier works in the same format.
Gotta admit Chris, best "list" video you made yet. Not just sitting in a room , but strong editing, going out and filming the subjects, well build arguments. Great quality work Mr. Broad!
There are a lot of foreigners in Taiwan as well. I'd never tell them "oh your Mandarin is so good." when they try to speak Mandarin to me. Your understanding to what they're saying is already a validation to their speaking skill.
People do like to hear that they're doing something well... I only speak English, & don't even do that very well, Lol! But if I did speak another language, I'd appreciate native speakers telling me I did it correctly & my pronunciation & grammar was good... that would be pretty cool...
@@Road_Rash The difference is that you get complimented after saying two Japanese words, so even an absolute beginner would get that comment (because it feels insincere). And it does feel patronising when your Japanese is advanced and you still get that comment.
Chris was so dedicated to making this video feel immersive, he grew a detached extra limb to give him things from off-screen, and I really respect that.
@@Cotfi2 I think my toppers would be drivers who come to a complete stop at a green light, and those who insist on driving 5-10 miles under the posted speed limit. Granted, the green light issue might be from color-blindness, but they are always oriented in the same way to mitigate that issue.
Four seasons is for amateurs. In Canada, we have 11: - Winter - Fool's spring - Second winter - Spring of deception - Third winter - Mud season - Actual spring - Summer - False fall - Second summer (1 week) - Actual fall I can attest that those are an accurate depiction of how the seasons feel in Canada.
As someone in the US who has lived in cities that can't bother to have a supermarket but will damn sure have a liquor store in close proximity I feel that Pachinko hatred.
Poorer cities and areas in Germany are also usually riddled with places where you can gamble (less fancy than real casinos though), places where you can bet on Sports, pawn shops for jewelry, and small shops for liquor and cigarettes. I also hate how these people who don't have a lot anyway are just being exploited for the gains of some greedy assholes. It's really depressing.
As a Japanese living in the US, I've seen both of these in person and damn is it depressing to watch people (either family or friends) lose their money and time to gambling and vices. I get gambling to a degree (I go to Vegas from time to time, but i don't lose myself at the tables), but don't make these places ubiquitous as actual important places like clinics or grocery stores.
The better analogy in the U.S. is going by some reservation where everyone is poorer than dirt, but the casino there is thriving. So much for the "money going to the community" B.S.
Honestly Chris, this is more entertaining than anything on TV. Keep the sarcastic, sardonic image and keep producing gems like this. What is great that most TH-camrs don't do is sneak in a lot of good information and positive information into a I Hate list. Best thing on YT
Man they really, really should have left Harujuku station alone. It was one of the last Meji era buildings in Tokyo, a beautiful part of the neighborhood that, with its more subtle and cottage like architecture really was a good balance to the *other* Harujuku. As someone who is in historical preservation it just kills me to see that they demolished an architectural gem and replaced it with a crappy glass box!
Yes, to me this frustrated me the most of all points Chris made in the video. It was such a beautiful building with historical value, just destroyed for an utterly generic station. It annoys me even more because here in the Netherlands they do it too.
Something had to be done, since the old building couldn't hand a tenth of the current passenger load, but it's too bad the new building couldn't have had a design that recalled the old one. At least there's a lot more space and more exits.
About modern japanese architecture: What shocked me when coming back to Japan after basically being exiled for 2,5 years, was the amount of cheap looking, plastic family houses that popped up everywhere. There used to be a pretty traditional house next to our apartment. They tore it down and replaced it with 4 generic plastic cubes that could be standing anywhere on the world. Super sad.
its called globalism and is not only a issue in japan. the whole world will become a post globalist hellhole with a few themeparks for wealthy tourists left. But even there will be a mc donalds in walking distance. It is what the us military industrial complex is fighting for.
I'd like to offer a different perspective though. We know that Japan has a traditionally xenophobic culture. As outsiders, one of the things we admire is how strongly the Japanese people have held onto their culture and architecture. Thus, when we see traditional looking Japanese architecture torn down to become a typical modern glass box we feel like the appeal is lost. To a Japanese person, that traditional styled building is just a normal everyday building though. There's no excitement, no mysticism, no fantasy, it's just the shop next door. To someone who was born and raised in Japan, modernism is something different that stands out; meanwhile to a foreigner it's just like any other city downtown (note: a city that the majority of Japanese people will never visit and have only seen in movies). So in a way, we should stand with the Japanese government in rejecting Western influence?
@cyrussmlee I see what you’re saying, but I think people from any culture value some of the traditional aspects of it. I’m American and am always disappointed when I see an older home with a more traditional style torn down to be replaced by a cookie cutter town home or bland apartment.
While that's also true (I'm Japanese), the example Chris brings up of Harajuku Station is simply not true. Although it's tough to tell from the pictures, those are different angles, different parts of the building. They very much DID bring an old part of the station to the new, in fact created an entire exact replica in its place, while simultaneously adding the glass structure to expand space. He's mentioned it a few times on his channel now, and I hope he realizes his mistake sooner rather than later.
Your face is positively glowing with health, Chris! As a long time subscriber I am aware you stepped up your health game recently and it is really showing with this video. Everything is improved as a consequence. Your demeanor, your vibe, and the freshness of your video skills are all at a much higher level. You always make great videos, but this one shows your rededication to your craft and yourself. I'm feeling inspired to walk more and find my passion!
as someone who have lived there while in the military I can concur with the hostess club opinion. I had a military buddy that is always going to them saying he will get lucky but after 4 month of losing all his money it finally hit him like an Isekai delivery truck.
Damn Chris did not have to go this hard for a simple list video but I'm glad he did. I expected the typical TH-camr droning-on-to-the-camera sort of video, only to be surprised that we've got scene re-enactments, Chris actually heading to the locations he talks about, along with him sacrificing his body by eating Fruit Sandwiches. Love the dedication to the craft.
There are many Japanese people who don't like hostess clubs, and only a few people go there. Pachinko is also hated by many people. Some people don't go there for the rest of their lives, and losing money at pachinko is one of the most ridiculous things.
In UK and Poland there's a lot of betting shops as well. They don't do Pachinko, they bet on everything. Starting from football, to things like who is going to win the Eurovision song contest... And slots, I know some people who blow their weekly salary on slots, then to do it again next week. Lottery tickets, Lotto, Euro Jackpot, scratchcards... All of it is gambling and a lot of people lose a lot of money on them. It's just the form of gambling is different.
Strictly speaking, pachinko in Japan is not gambling. Pachinko is a gentleman's game where money is wasted and exchanged for trivial prizes such as candy and cigarettes. However, there happens to be a facility at the back of a pachinko parlor parking lot where you can exchange your points for money, and many users go home after redeeming their points there. It is all coincidental. It is not inevitabre.
I have to say that I totally agree with Chris about the Architecture. I am an Architectural photographer and I am going to Japan in May for 3 weeks to photograph architecture for a personal project. What he said about Harajuku station is accurate. They took something unique with historical value and put something boring in its place. I personally love when architects take something old and add something new to it. You still keep the familiar old qualities while modernizing it at the same time. Its the best of both worlds and still has meaning. There are still architects and projects in Japan that design projects that feel new but also reflect traditional Japanese qualities thankfully, it just doesn't seem to happen on a large scale building. Kengo Kuma did a good update to Japans National Stadium for the Olympics that reflects traditional Japanese aesthetic. The initial bid was going to go to Zaha Hadid architects but it didn't reflect Japan at all so I am glad it went to Kengo Kuma.
I love all the different forms and shapes of houses you can find. Took a walk yesterday during lunch and there is so many interesting shapes and forms, except the new built areas which are just so insanely boring. Now this I just private single family houses, so nothing big like a station. :) But I hate with a passion how badly maintained all the house and buildings are. Seeing all the peeling paint, moisture damaged wood and overall abandoned buildings.. breaks my heart.
Harajuku station needed to be renovated frankly, it was borderline non-functional for one of the more high traffic destinations in Tokyo. As someone who lives in the city and uses the trains every day, it was a big improvement. But that being said they absolutely didn't have to make it so ugly, why not at least make the new facade look nice? Especially for such a popular tourist destination you would think the Shibuya city council would ask that it retain its style at least. But honestly I think a lot of the shit architecture lately a result of the fact that the Japanese economy has been in a sorry state for like 3 decades now and in many ways it's a country in decline, so there is no forward-thinking vision to anything anymore, just a general oppressive atmosphere of stagnation and everyone trying to cut costs as much as possible.
Edit: rereading this after five months (got a notif) and wow I used to write like such a nerd 😂 Point still stands though! TLDR; Harajuku Station is a terrible example, or not even a valid example at all, as they did replicate it. Traditional Japanese architecture was always made to be rebuilt, unlike in Europe, mostly due to seismic activity and the rest due to the humid climate. But, when they did rebuild it, the architects made sure to pay their respects. As a Japanese person who has grown up near Harajuku, Harajuku Station is such a flawed example of tearing down beautiful traditional architecture and replacing it with bland, cookie cutter cuboids and it's unfortunate that Chris has brought it up multiple times throughout his content. (This is around the third time as far as I know.) This trend in favor of sleek boring glass rectangles over beautifully detailed structures that Chris points out has actually been around for a while, but the poor example undermines this point. What they did with the station is exactly what you said, they replaced the old building with a replica, but also expanded the building, i.e. added the glass part, in the process. This is something that happens quite often. Case in point, my university building was also rebuilt to look the same from the street but have a glass structure augmented behind and above, obscured from view. I don't know if this is purposeful or he just missed it, but even though it is very deliberately an exact replica, it's always been hidden in the angles he presents. (Okay he probably missed it since he even says "Why not borrow a part of the old design and integrate it into the new?") If you want to know why they rebuilt it then to begin with, one issue surrounding traditional Japanese architecture is that you simply cannot make durable buildings out of bricks or stone in such an earthquake prone environment. That is why the traditional building material is wood. That is also what makes it so hard to just preserve buildings as they are, what with the humidity in the summer and the fact that the city was bombed to near oblivion mid 20th century. Part of what made people value Harajuku Station as the classic monument it was was the fact that it was last rebuilt in 1924 (the one shown in the old picture is actually still not the original) and survived the bombings. That is why it had such a distinct, iconic aesthetic, because while the rest of the city had to scramble to rebuild their infrastructure with critically limited resources, to hastily get it back up and running, Harajuku Station was an exception. A true remnant of a bygone era. But, all wooden things must come to an end, and a 100 year old wooden structure could not serve as a modern station any longer without major reconstruction. So they had to rebuild the whole thing from scratch, but to say the people behind the project neglected to pay their respects to the original architecture and the cultural hub that it came to manifest is an egregious misrepresentation of their work. That was a rant, but I'm just so deeply saddened that this is what people who've never even seen the station for themselves think of the new station and the incredible thought and effort that was put into restoring the quaint look. Easy W in my book. Edit: adding a preemptive disclaimer about the use of the word "traditional" since some hardcore architecture nerds might disagree with my usage of the term to refer to something built in the 20th century with heavy western influence.
The four season thing confused me when I lived in Korea too, especially because...most places do have four seasons. Like, they might not be the same four seasons you're used to, but the planet we all live on turns the same everywhere in the world.
@@DsiakMondala lol - yeah.. I live in the UK.. here we have damp and warm, and damp and cold - and there's a few weeks in-between those two seasons where all the leaves fall - that's called "leaves on the track" season, I'm from Canada though, so winter is -40, summer is +35 (and lately smoky) - spring and autumn are the mercy seasons.. one of them has leaves.
To be fair near the equator you often have a dry season and wet season, or four seasons but less distinct with temperature differences and not much else. But yeah anywhere with a similar temperate climate (ie much of Europe and the northern US) also has similar seasons.
The pachinko problem in rural areas of Japan, is very similar to Slot halls here in Italy. You can literally go through little empty villages with maybe only a Bar and a little market, and suddenly the best building in the city is one of those awful places. That's just sad.
Similarly here in the US, casinos and gambling facilities often are a core part of rural areas and are sold as economic development, often promising tax revenue that often doesn't materialize or isn't worth the burdens that casinos bring. Most cities outside of Vegas and a few others don't have casinos within them, and there's a good reason for that.
I lived in Venice for a year, and often played video games in an arcade. A Venetian friend asked how I could stand it, since he considered it part of the "malavita." Yes, I was consorting with the criminal underworld by playing video games. Of course he thought Doris Day was a good actress, so what did he know?
Ancora peggio dalle mie parti non c'è un bar senza video poker, E sinceramente se sei così poco accorto da farti acchiappare e giocarti anche le mutande sono problemi tuoi, non sono un santo esente da vizi ma fino ad ora ancora non ho perso la casa a causa di birra e sigarette.
I have lived in the US for years and have yet to find a half decent sandwich. Soggy sweet 'bread', no butter, with a fistful of tasteless pulverised ham rammed in the middle. I dream of those delicate Japanese egg sarnies you can get at every conbini.
Creepy Nuts is honestly such a great duo, their music checks every vibe. Some songs fit perfectly for a summer day and some fit perfectly for a cold fall/winter night
@@NICHOLSON7777 I started following their music after reading a manga called "call of the night" and the author said the manga got its name from their song
@@magmarr8304 and they made an anime recently of "call of the night", and it's not only using Creepy Nuts for the opening AND ending songs, but they also have a small cameo, even voiced by the guys themselves. such a great circle of appreciation
Creepy Nuts is unironically one of my favorite Japanese bands. I've been listening to them for years since 2016 when they were still small and now they have a whole ass anime intro and outro. The anime Call Of The Night 【よふかしのうた】was actually inspired by a song they made by the same name。 I'm so proud to see how far they've come over the years. I'm really glad you're discovering them now and i hope you at least try out their music. They have a very unique style. R-指定's voice and flow is unique and unmistakable and 松永's production immediately sets them apart from any rap/pop band and he incorporates any genre into his unique style. I never saw them live but i hope to do so next year. Thanks for discovering them.
I came back from my vacation in Japan a week ago and I LOVED it, but one thing I will always hate is the amount of plastic waste that is generated. So many tiny snacks, cutlery, and products are layered in needless plastic and most of it ends up in the garbage. Although I love myself some Japanese snacks, I can't help but wince every time I open a bag to find a bag within a bag containing a single piece of candy.
They are over the top on cleanliness and contamination. Extremely clean country, but they go overboard lol. Probably one of the only countries where you can lick a public toilet's seat though.
I remember shopping in Japan and them wrapping and then bagging a tiny money clip which was already in a box. Basically creating 3x the waste then if I just put it in my pocket when I bought it.
14:52 can also be attributed by the how often the word "gaikokujin"/Foreigner is used. I've lived in Japan, and also Australia, USA and Singapore. The word foreigner is so seldom used in those countries. Whenever, we talk about someone foreign in those countries we refer to their nationality specifically. "Oh he's Columbian, she's Italian, etc." This is ingrained in the culture and it reminds everyone whilst we may be Australians, there are 200 plus nationalities across the world and we are just a small spec of the world population. In comparison, in Japan, they quite rarely refer to a foreigners nationality and just call them foreigners. This creates a cultural divide where people in Japan are either, "nihonjin"/Japanese OR "gaikokujin"/foreigner. Essentially, what I'm trying to say, in Japan you're grouped in one of two nationalities, youre a foreigner or youre Japanese In most other countries, you will be referred to as your actual nationality (200 plus countries) On a side note, the only times I hear the word "foreigner" used in Western countries is when we are talking about administrative things. For example in university, we might group people as local students or international students as international students usually have to pay higher fees to the university (local students fees are subsidised by the Government)
@@23Lgirl That's a great observation. Thanks for cluing us in. However, neither are Australia or Singapore, so his point stands. The bigger thing to note is that Aus and the US, in particular, are very diverse countries with large immigrant populations and colonial roots. By nature these countries will be less likely to use the term "foreigner" because being Australian or American isn't necessarily tied to one's genetics or cultural heritage. In Japan, it is purely tied to these factors.
I think that's fine if they just met you and don't know you personally.. like I've seen many videos in different social media platforms, where half Japanese people are offended if they are not seen as a Japanese person when meeting someone new in Japan (due to different physical characteristics: hair, skin, eye color, eye shape,etc.), and foreigners, who also get offended when they were thought of as Japanese lmao Idk what to think of this world anymore, people are just so sensitive and get offended in every little thing. Like for instance, do you see any blasian in every Japanese neighborhood everyday? Even if they look mixed Asian, how do you know if they're Japanese? They could be a mix of other Asian nationalities too. Also, East Asians and SEAsians gets mixed up a lot and can blend in with the Japanese. So is it rude to think they were Japanese if they look similar, can speak fluent Japanese, and live in Japan? Like you can be proud of your country/culture, but nobody can guess what you belong to at first glance... I'm not Japanese, but I meet foreigners of different nationalities a lot due to my work, and I always treat them the Japanese way, which is to not assume other people's nationality and just treat them as a "foreigner". And until they tell me what nationality they have, I will always refer to them as Foreigners...
@@23Lgirl What an incredibly useful response! I would add: "comparing countries does not mean you think all countries should be the same." Since you seem confused on this point. For example, I could say, "I've read Jacob Smith's and V's replies, and I think 23Lgirl's comment is useless compared to theirs," but that doesn't mean I think you should become those people! :)
Lived in Japan for a decade and re: Microaggressions -- you nailed it. 10 years of the same boring ass questions from everybody, and if you ever try to steer the conversation to something different (in Japanese, mind you, there are no language issues limiting the conversation topics), they often push it back to basically "yeah yeah, back to you being a gaijin tho." Always gaijin first, person second. That's fine working as an ESL teacher where your conversation is paid for, but dealing with that on a personal level wears on the soul after awhile.
I don’t think that’s exclusive to Japan. Even for me, as an American living in Canada, I get those little micro aggressions whenever I tell someone I’m American, and it’s always the same questions. And people are really passive aggressive about it too. They just wanna hear me say how much I love Canada and how much better it is than America. Which I don’t even necessarily think, but that’s just the answer everyone’s looking for
I found that it’s really hard to make real friends in Japan. Like way harder than in other countries. Idk why but Japanese are reluctant to show you who they really are or what they really think. It takes a long time for them really warm up to you. So I give up before that
@@FransceneJK98 For me it was the opposite. I made a handful of friends on my first time visiting over the course of a single month, many are still in contact. It's going to be hard to make friends just on the street or something (even here in America), but if you're in a nice work environment, or playing sports or something it's not hard at all imo. My closest Japanese friend I met while playing football in some random field lol
There’s like 3 TH-camrs that I come back to and binge every few months, Chris is one of them and I’m doing it now(I’ve watched every single abroad in Japan video till now)
Going to Japan as an outsider, eating an ekiben and a fruit sandwich on a train, having fun driving a go-kart around, taking pictures with your friends in a purikura, losing money on a pachinko, having karaoke in a hostess bar, ending your night eating a Moss Burger half drunk, and washing your creepy nuts with the bidet in your modern hotel room while watching Japanese television. I don't know, Chris. It sounds like a fun time to me.
Seeing this video made me realise how much I missed the ‘sit down in a room’ format, not that actual ambitious videos aren’t as good, but there’s something nice and cozy about just listening to Chris rant about random things (and ofc as per every Chris video the production is still insanely well done lol)
@@sirBrouwer I think he's referring to Chris' old videos, where he sits in his apartment and it just feels like he's chatting with friends. Perhaps Chris can put a tatami room set in this studio?
@@GigiLowe I know those. this was just a literal observation of this video. in other videos he more often is sitting at the barstool. for the tatami like room he could use the other part of the studio the office part. that already has most there.
What I hate about Japan is that I am not there 😭😭 my first trip there was so good and me and my boyfriend actually felt little to no culture shock in the sens that it was pretty easy to adapt as a tourist that is.❤️❤️ can't wait to go back
The first time I went to Japan we landed at the Narita Airport in Tokyo, and my teacher so excitedly told us to try the bathroom, and let me tell you. That was the first toilet I used in Japan and I just. I had been violated by a toilet. That shit just goes straight up, no warning. My teacher, and classmates were dying laughing. She decided to remind the whole class towards the end of our study abroad. It was an experience I'll never forget.
I’m from Honolulu, HI and I COMPLETELY agree with those touristy Mario cart things being an nuisance. We have become over run with scooters and go-carts all over Waikiki. It’s irritating but because this area is basically all business and there’s already so much traffic to begin with 😩😩😩
Hi Ashley, really bad place to put this but me and my Japanese girlfriend are taking her parents to hawaii and some places are so insanely expensive. Do you know anywhere that might be good but not the most expensive touristy spot?
Chris, I moved to Japan (studying abroad at university) about two months ago, at least in part due to your "glowing" coverage of the place. If I were to take a shot for every time I heard "nihongo jouzu" or "why did you come to Japan" in one day, I'd be even worse of an alcoholic than the cheap Gekkeikan carton sake has made me. Thanks.
@@seregruin At this point, my standard answer for why I came is that it was just to study, which is only maybe 5% of the real answer - it's just not worth trying to explain the whole thing. What really sucks is what I call "Gaijin English Training," in which you're automatically targeted by people who have 0 interest in you except as a practice dummy for conversation - especially at bars. Sadly, GET doesn't have the payroll or benefits of JET. When I'm knee-deep in my fifth pint, I'm not exactly looking to give an English lesson - or even capable of it!
Even after 12 years, my in-laws STILL say "Nihongo Jyozu!" and complement my chopstick usage every single time we visit. TWELVE YEARS. Even when we lived next to them for 3 years they complemented me daily like somehow I forgot when I was asleep.
I appreciate the honesty in this video. The "nihongo jouzu" thing got tiresome after a while, but I learned to stop faking self deprecation (Ehhhh really? No, no, no.), and just started answering with "Thank you, I've studied hard." That usually nipped that conversation in the bud. All in all, I think the irritations are outweighed by the advantages. There were things that drove me up a wall when I lived there, but I'd move back in a heartbeat.
@@ChrysusTV I suppose at the end of the day, it's harmless small talk and people mean well, but it's a bit...eh...when it's after two or three basic words.
Thank you is never the answer if someone gives a complement. it should be "iie iie.." (no no not so much). else the speaker will think you are full of yourself.
@@ChathushkaPeiris I'm not really concerned with what someone I don't know thinks of me in conversation honestly. Like I said in the comment above, I appreciate that it's harmless small talk, but sometimes it does come off as patronizing. My response to people are on a case by case basis.
I haven't watched Chris in a while, his healthy transformation is almost as remarkable as David Mitchell's transition from a man who had completely given up on himself to a happily married father.
I’m Mexican and today I reached 20 years living in the UK and I still feel very much a foreigner/outsider. My daughter born here is serious about going to Japan next year to learn Japanese after college, she is doing the basics now but we love your videos which are funny and informative please keep doing them.
I am of Mexican decent and can't imagine not being able to get the best Mexican food. I'm on the west coast. I thought the British would be more welcoming. Wow😒
@@janboomstam1727 Brits are made up of 4 distinct nations and there is a strong regional component too. It's actually hard to define a British identity and now even more an English one. Once you can participate in British humour and banter you're probably safe.
One thing that somewhat annoys me about Japan is how indirect they are. Like many Asian cultures, Japanese etiquette values politeness so much to the point that people don’t tell you things directly…. This means you encounter a lot of passive aggressive behavior in Japan. For people who grew up in the culture this kind of thing is a norm and learning to read between the line is a part of becoming adults . But for foreigners who are not used to that type of culture and language, passive aggressive behavior really puzzled them. Honestly it can really triggered you when you deal with them so often and don’t understand why people just don’t say things directly/clearly. It also one of the reason why japan is such an emotionally repressed country.
Holding grudges seems to be very common and a motivation for suddenly violent but meticuleously planned outbursts like the assassination of Shinzo Abe or attacking Idols with a hacksaw (althought that might be of sexism and general consumerism and generally bad working conditions and contracts for idols).
Yep....I have had so many similar experiences in SEA...particularly in the Phils...but, I have learned to blow of things that don't matter...my more aggresive Westerner side exhibits itself when things do matter (such as money)...it is actually entertaining to watch a Filipino's reaction when you point out the absurdity of their propositions when make assumptions about your Western ignorance
This is why one of my closest friends I made in Japan was super direct. She will always state her opinion very clearly. It made conversation much easier and more fun, and as a result we got much closer than we probably would have otherwise!
If I didn't grow up dealing with haughty Southerners in the US, people notorious for passive aggressiveness(see "bless your heart") and backhanded compliments, I don't think I would have been able to get my head around that aspect of Japan so easily. It's particularly similar to dealing with certain parts of Tokyo
I lived and worked in Japan for 12 years. I have a Japanese wife and children (who now prefer the US). I took myself and my family out of Japan because despite being a Japanese American with fairly old fashioned values, I did not like the demand for conformity in Japan. Expecting people to obey the law and have good manners is fine. People around the world should learn to be considerate of others and avoid conflict. However, corporate Japan expects men to work themselves sometimes to death without complaint, women are expected to devote themselves to being wives and mothers regardless of their talents, and children and people in general are supposed to accept authority without question. I worked in Japanese public schools. Japanese public schools can be like (not as bad as) Japanese prison. Children whose hair is not naturally black may be required to dye their hair black to conform with rules about NOT coloring their Japanese black hair. Children may not be allowed to possess snacks or money at school. Children may not be allowed in certain parts of town, or forbidden from having relationships, lest it "interfere" with their studies or damage the school's image (if the students don't progress into schools with a sufficient reputation). That is the kind of thing I hated about Japan, and in the end could not deal with. Issues of how people spend their money or time are personal choices. If a man wants to devote himself to his career, or women want to be wives and mothers (without the complaints we see online), that's their business.
The modern, "universal style" architecture one really bothers me. I am an art student and this semester I'm writing a large analysis on the Nakagin Capsule tower (credit to your videos for introducing it to me 🫡). The tower was such a great representation of the Japanese Metabolist movement, which was known for architects treating buildings as living, breathing structures and more than tall glass boxes. I'm sad to see it all getting wiped away and even sadder that the Capsule Tower won't be in Tokyo when I visit for the first time next year. I absolutely loved the production in this video, cheers!
@@FusionKush It's a waste. We produce enough food to feed three times the global population without any starvation. Yet here we are with such a vast food surplus yet mass starvation.
@@Inucroft that's the problem you care to much about nothing. Just because someone paid for there food and doesn't finish it doesn't mean it's the end of the world. What if they didn't like it? I know if bought food and it tastes gross or it didn't meet my taste buds then I might as well throw it away. After I paid for it. Yes I know it will be disrespectful if some else paid for it but to be fair I won't eat anything I don't like even if someone else paid for it.
Carbon footprint. I do care about it. Buying and not consuming, generates a big carbon footprint, the food that arrives to table took many steps: logistics, transportation, packaging, etc.
@@FusionKush Waste of food - and a lot of other things - is a huge problem in this world. We use up more ressources from poor countries than we need, our way of life currently is too much for the planet. It would even be too much for two planets.
I was in Japan in 1968 when I was in the US Navy. Over all I had a good time and enjoyed seeing everything I could when I had the time. Now as an old man I think back fondly and remember my visit and wish I could have seen and done more. One thing the visit did was open my love for Japanese food. I love the flavors and how simple and complicated it is at the same time. Hard to find that here in the US. The Finns have a game almost like Pochinko.
it's got some very cool stuff and some terrible stuff, I think the best way to experience it would be a few months at a time. I'd love to stay there for a while and still be able to come back home to the creature comforts that I grew up with
As a rather large and long-haired white guy with a beard, it annoys me sometimes that it's kind of hard to get a taxi at night time in large centers if my partner isn't with me. One time in kytoto I ended up trying for over an hour, before giving up and walking the 45 minutes in the rain back to our accommodation. The taxi will be parked there, rear door open, waiting in the cold with nobody around. I walk up, indicate I want to get in, the door slams shut and the thing speeds off into the night. And trying to flag a taxi down is almost impossible (yes, I know what the signs in the windscreen mean). This has happened to me a lot over the years. to the point that tended to just walk for however long it took to get home. I've eventually learned that to get a taxi at night by myself I have to walk up to a taxi from behind, act Like I'm just going to walk past, and just as I get to the open door jump in and start speaking japanese at the driver before he has a chance to leg it. If I'm trying to wave down a cab in a more remote area, I just stand in the middle of the road as it approaches, forcing it to stop. Weirdly, I don't have to do this shit if my partner is with me. She's small, has very long dark hair, and can easily be mistaken for a japanese woman, until you look at her eyes. By which time we are already in the car and telling the driver in detail where we need to go. Is that a micro-aggression? It pisses me off either way.
Chris, 4 year subscriber here. This is the performance I fell in love with, with the best production quality i've ever seen in your videos. 10/10 deserves it's spot on trending. Edit: I just checked and i've been here 6 years. wow.
#8. I have a cousin-in-law who emigrated from Chile to Sweden 40+ years ago. He's been a Swedish citizen for 30+ years. He speaks fluent Swedish. He still, to this day, is treated like an outsider.
@@9.5.9.5 not most of the U.S. Thats one of the reason why i like it here. Almost anywhere in America, usually in or near the city i can meet people from another country. Ive met hundreds and i always ask them how is it living here? Do you feel alone? Treated as out of place? Or something along those lines. And the answer in overwhelming "yeah there are a few people but most people are nice/don't care." It doesnt matter in the U.S because of the large foreign population, especially in and near cities but even in rural areas. Its crazy the amount of people you can meet. I love it.
@@9.5.9.5 Not in North American cities PAL! Go to a Toronto mall and it is like a rainbow. I assume nearly every brown, black, and East Asian is born here.
Japan is far less multicultural than Western countries and that is the reason people that visit Japan walk away saying their culture is so different and unique from Western countries and the day that they decide multiculturalism and immigration is a strength is the day Japan becomes another multicultural shithole!
And then there is FriendlyJordies who just dips into whatever accent he pleases for the punchlines. It ranges from the most Australian accents ever to a smooth cool radio broadcaster.
One thing my partner and I agree on (me especially) is the view toward mental health in Japan. The idea that a person is not strong enough because they cannot handle it, and just meant to be treated as a personal struggle that no one else should be involved with. Also the shame that is perceived when the discussion comes up regarding seeking said help for their mental health. Japan can really make important, necessary strides to review this matter and help its citizens that are most vulnerable on this subject.
@@amh9494 Very true it wouldn't be a surprise. Their feeling of not wanting to be a burden rather than seek help. Definitely a mindset which needs to change.
I remember seeing a Japanese psychologist express this same thing. He said people like him, that is people who understand people need help some times to deal with shit, are very rare and that the negative stigma around has led to Japan having serious problems with peoples' mental health.
I have a friend in Tokyo. One day she wrote to me asking my opinion related to mental health. It was one of the most awkward questions I've been asked. Do I give the American answer or something more Japanese? I no longer have any acquaintances from Japan to ask what I should do. Finally I decided to go with an American answer because it's the honest one. I still am not really sure if it actually helped or if she was being polite.
big reason why the suicide rate in japan is alarming considering no one sees it as mental health but instead it's you being weak. it's sad because the culture there is reserve and shy so even if they can get help they're embarrassed to do so.
To be fair: the architecture thing is applicable nearly everywhere. Yes, rectangular glass and concrete buildings are very efficient in using space and money/materials, but they are also damn boring (and often ugly). Also, I loved the bonus karaoke at the end. You actually sounded like a text-to-speech in some lines xD
since there are several earthquakes that happen there, do the buildings that are copy pasted at least build with that in mind....cause isn't all that glass just going to break if things get crazy, the cities will have some glass showers if it ever were to happen. Also the glass like mentioned previously...would that not just become an oven and freezer during seasonal changes e.e what is da logic wea
I've never lived in Japan but I had to conduct business there quite frequently. One thing I was warned about, by a Japanese friend of mine in HK, was Japanese delaying tactics. I would be wined and dined with absolute courtesy, yet any business matter was delayed until the very last moment when your Japanese counterparts knew you had to make a deal but time was not on your side. I'm not knocking it - good business practice - but it pays to be aware.
The architecture point is absolutely spot on, not just for Japan but the rest of the world outside of the extravagance of UAE and Saudi etc. When i travel i try at all costs to avoid capital cities as you know it's just going to be glass skyscrapers, glass fronted shops with sandstone columns between boutiques and unfinished builds on riverbanks because no one in any capital city seems to be able to finish a riverside build! Manchester > London, Hamburg > Berlin, Barcelona > Madrid.
As a Japanese myself I've been waiting for the videos like this. Enjoyed watching this. I totally agree with your hates. I also hate pachinko, kyabakura, stereotyped view of foreign people etc.. I really hate strawberry sandwiches, too!! There were no that kind of sandwiches sold previously at convini. Actually, foods sold at convini are getting worse. Much better in 90s.
Can’t agree with you more regarding the architecture! So many structures I fell in love with have slowly disappeared over the past 40 years. I understand the need to upgrade or rebuild for safety and financial reasons, but just wish Tokyo would follow Yokohama’s approach by at least saving the facade or ground floor and build the new structure on the upper floors.
My grandmas friend got a Japanese bidet toilet for the cost of a car down payment. Gotta admit I tried it once for the expirence and fell in love with it and went out of my way to use it every chance I could. I swear it’s the best invention of all time
Exactly! Hating on bidets is what separates humans from animals.. Only a uncivilized monster would defend a poop-smeared cyclops over the sanctity of a fresh peanutbutter-free knuckle...
@@MysticJabulon well it cleans way better than toilet paper and heated toilet seat ring winter is a whole new world of comfort you didn’t know was possible until you have it.
Early to mid 2000s I had hopes to work in Japan in the music industry, like MTV Japan. I was working in College radio doing a show featuring Japanese artists and Anime soundtracks. I ended up getting a CD from a band called... Bathtub Shitter. I still have that CD today.
One thing i know about Japan though. Is that if they build or fix roads, they do it at night with all the equipment needed to do it overnight, with the man power too. Unlike anywhere else, where road works start at 12:00 so that everyone can enjoy the road work show, and it will not be a one day thing most likely, it will propably be a 4 days min, maybe few weeks.
Favourite Japanese band name is "Mass of the Fermenting Dregs". Went to a Metal/Rock festival in the UK earlier this year. Saw a band called "Mass of The Fermenting Dregs" on the schedule and was fairly intrigued. I was expecting some brutal heavy metal with lots of pained screaming. Cue my surprise when I get to the tent at the start of their set and see these two little Japanese women setting up their guitars. Definitely not a brutal metal band, but energetic and extremely entertaining all the same.
There's that type of sake that has a sort of ... mass ... of what I guess are ... fermenting dregs ... sort of sitting in the bottom of the bottle. If you've been in a Japanese market you know the kind. I wonder if that was their inspiration?
Masu Dore are great! I've really been enjoying their work throughout the years, and I'm really happy to see them producing new stuff and tour a little outside of Asia
Your rants bring me back to some of your earlier content - I absolutely love them! I love your new content as well, but its also nice when you go back to some of the throwback formats you have
The modern japanese architecture bit really applies everywhere. its the same thing here where i live. while only one of our skyscrapers was trully unique and cool, most modern skyscrapers are generic premodeled glass buildings similar to those in Tokyo today
I enjoyed this video. As a fellow Brit (who now lives in the US) I appreciate the sense of humor. When I was around 8 years old, we went to some friend of my parents and Dad's mate had a pachinko machine. I played if for about an hour before I ran out of balls. Fast forward many years later, I scored on from a local auction. As a Japanophile, I've always kind of liked them for sort of mindless entertainment. Plus I can open the back up an reload for free. As for Japanese architecture, a subject close to my heart as I study traditional structures and carpentry. I'm also an architect. Tadao Ando is my favourite Japanese architect but I like the works of Shin Takamatsu as well. One of his buildings i really liked was the Kirin Plaza in Osaka which featured in one of my top ten lists of films, Black Rain. I love Osaka and I generally prefer western Japan to eastern Japan. I asked a Japanese friend a few years ago about the building and he replied that they demolished it. I was gutted. Subb'd
The “Japan has four seasons” thing baffles me. When I studied in Tokyo, I blew someone’s mind when I responded, asking if they thought other countries didn’t have seasons.
Hey Chris, I doubt you look at these comments too often, but I've seen your videos for years on and off. I really followed your content a lot back when i planned on visiting Japan, and while I was learning Japanese. It's more on and off now, but this video popped into my feed and I figured I'd watch it while working. You haven't changed a bit mate! Only difference is how absolutely stunning your video quality is now! from dinky videos on learning Japanese to being a hugely successful man talking about a culture you live and breathe, congrats to you, and thanks for staying the same even though you're so successful mate :)
I lived in Japan for about 7 months in '99, and I also got the nihongo jouzu, which was fine. It's the chopsticks that got me, cuz I'm ethnic Chinese 🤨. When I told people that I'm American, I could see their brains trying to reconcile the fact that I'm not blond haired and blue eyed, yet I still called myself American.
I went out to eat in the US with a friend of mine from Japan. When I asked for chopsticks, the lady brought them to him. I asked for another set and started using them in front of her. Blew her mind that this american girl was using chopsticks in america.
@@octogonSmuggler lol, that probably shouldn't be too surprising. I personally would be a little surprised but not too much. Did you hold them correctly tho?? 😬😛
@@octogonSmuggler This is such a great example of why professional discretion is so valuable. We often make slightly embarassing mistakes like that when we rely on intuition, but if the server instead brings chopsticks for both guests they got all bases covered.
I was in Japan in September and tried Mos Burger in Kyoto and Matsumoto. I honestly really liked it! The vegetarian burger (my gf is vegetarian) and the onion rings were pretty solid. Oh and the Tsukimi burger with sausage was fucking amazing.
I have been watching your videos for several years now. My 7 year daughter came by & I asked what I was watching and who you are. I gave a brief synopsis. She wishes she could be in Japan with you because she loves rice, sushi, trains, and pokemon. I know you do not make pokemon content, but be aware you've been making excellent videos long enough to get second generation of fans.👍
From a Japanese perspective, I agree with almost all of them. It's interesting to hear about fruit sandwich, currently it's popular among young women. I feel your thought is quite similar what I see Sushi outside of Japan 😂 I wanna say it's not sushi at all! but sometimes it's pretty good.
@@PatrickDaviswimiwamwamwazzle Sushi means just like this ⇒🍣 for me, just simple raw fish and rice, but I like the other sushi rolls or something like that too.
I felt like those smalltalk questions almost stopped for the period of time Japan borders were closed for tourism. I think people just realised all foreigner looking person was a resident after a while without international travelers. But now it's back to how it was before. I got my bunch of smalltalk on my last trip.
Nah - plenty of locals didn't realise the borders were closed to non-Japanese. I still got my fair share of standard small talk when going round Japan in 2020.
The situation was a lot better but not completely. At least when I'd go into shops and stuff people would actually have a conversation with me in Japanese without their brains completely shorting out so much from the panic of having to speak to a foreigner in English that they couldn't process that the words coming out of my mouth are in fact their native language. As much as I'm happy the borders are open I'm not happy about going back to everyone assuming I'm a tourist and treating me like a 2 year old.
As an addon; pachinko parlors are also LOUD. Like, inside it's deafening, but that sound leaks out. Don't ever get an apartment near one, if you don't want to hear go crazy. Personally I would rather live next to a station with trains screeching to a halt every five minutes than next to a pachinko parlor to be honest. Also, the go carts are back? I thought COVID-19 killed them off. It's been a while since I last used non-train transportation, so I haven't actually been in Akihabara for a while. The microagressions; yeah, can confirm. Lived here for ten years, those questions. never. stop. ever. Back in the university this was a running joke with the other foreign students. Never got told the season thing though in all my years in Tokyo. Perhaps because lately Japanese winter is just an extended autumn? Or perhaps I just got lucky. And finally, the TV thing? I couldn't agree more. It's basically 90% talkshow to make it worse. The thing that irks me the most, are the food reactions. Think Shokugeki no Souma, but without the fun, without the advantage of animation being over the top. Instead, just a bunch of adults trying to outdo each other with the HOOOOOO!s and the HIIIIIIII!s when they take a sip of beer while embarrassing themselves.
I think karaoke with your friends is loads of fun, especially if you don't worry about doing it Japanese style (ie. Only the person who picked the song may sing) and just all sing your favorite songs together.
I met my in-laws in 2019, I've been married with their daughter for three years now, and they know I-ve been visiting Japan regularly since the '00s. They still compliment me on my use of chopsticks.
I live in Korea and they say the same things to foreign-looking people too. I literally just say hello and they’re like “wow your Korean is so good!” They say the four seasons thing too 😅
I find it pretty baffling that while generally considered smarter than most of the world, they apparently don't understand anything about seasons around the world. Not like you need to know what it's like everywhere, but kinda weird that even Americans know more places than not have the "full set" of seasons, some are more just rainy and dry, some just one extreme or the other. Like wtf do they actually think is in Europe and North America?
Really love how you style these full of talking theme videos into a magnificent journey while you explore and even demonstrated some of your points. Keep it up Chris!
I am a local that came back after living in the States and in Europe for 17 years, and I agree with you on everything apart from the toilet. What struck me the hardest from your list was the feel of being an outsider. I guess inherently or not, we are still a bit of a closed society. That is probably why we still get fixated on becoming more ‘westernised’ in our lives, but at the same time, try to over sell our culture because deep down we still feel the need to feel a sense of pride in being a Japanese national.
I've lived in Peru for 13 years and I really empathised with your point about repeated conversations. But I also found it really useful for practicing the language at first. And then I just learned to kind of lean hard into it, really push back. Yes, I speak Spanish just as well as you. Yes, your food is good, but have you been to this spot? No? You're missing out. No, I didn't come here for some chick but if you're free can I have your number? I think every culture tends to do this in its own way. It's up to you to take control and change things up.
@@gisellemarisolmoraSería un gusto me falta conocer Argentina, algún día pronto espero. En verdad me divierto demasiado con la gente porque asume que por ser gringo no se nada y me gusta fingirlo un rato y de ahí revelar todo lo que entiendo y se decir y las reacciones son un cague de risa literal
@@steelerfaninperu Igual yo con el ingles!! Pero trato de no demostrarlo mucho, porque me gusta tener ese "green pass" que te da el ser extranjero.. si te equivocas en algo, si no entendes algo, o si metiste la pata siempre podes usar "the foreign card" jajaja
@@denyssealferez8676 I don't think that's true though. In the US, I have never once felt the need to say "your English is good". Either it's good, or it's not, and if they're tourists, I really don't care because it doesn't matter at all. I guess that's just sort of what happens when your country has actual diversity, as opposed to Japan or Brazil?
This was my first time hearing about Harajuku Station and my jaw dropped. As a lover of vintage architecture and ESPECIALLY Meiji and Taisho Roman style, that was horrific.
When I think of things that I don't like about Japan, 3 things come to mind immediately: no washcloths, no grounded plug sockets, and that godforsaken bird tweeting that I heard over the loud speaker at every single train station. Next time I go to Japan, I will make sure to bring washcloths, a plug adapter, and a sack full of earplugs. However, like Chris said, there are a lot of things to like about Japan....the train culture, convenience stores, Hard Offs, restaurant food, the scenery, older architecture, safe environment, being able to leave an item on a table to go to the bathroom and finding it still there when I come back, friendly people that were eager to help, cash is still embraced, and perversely...even the fact that I stood out since I look so different from everyone else. All of these things make me want to go back and a slew of other things. I plan to go back next year and I am looking forward to it.
18:47 Man this entire rant resonanted with me SO much, this is happening everywhere too. The genre "modernism" and it's subgenre "functionalism" is literally ruining cities all over the world EXACTLY the way you put it, in japan it has completely taken over and it's honestly such a shame :/
Indeed, dull glass corporate office towers lack authenticity and character. However, Modern architecture also led to the creation of the capsule tower. A lot of architects around the world wanted the capsule tower to be preserved as well. So, I blame corporate greed rather than the architectural community.
Man. I'm a fan of any form of visual art, an seeing the world just basically foregoing any aesthetic artistic look and going all in on JUST function is kinda boring and kills the soul of the city. Cuz its suppose to be a part of the identity of each place, if you take that out and just conform and imitate the majority then it just feels like a soulless concrete jungle
Bro you realise japan is the home of natural disaster mostly earthquakes, tsunami, torrential rains and flashfloods right? They built those same looking structures to adapt on that natural disasters, if you want arts and ancient culture of japan go to rural areas of japan there you will see their preserved traditional samurai house which is by the why sucks if thres a typhoon and in the time of winter.
Why was this the most action packed and immersive episode ever?😂 we were in a bar, karaoke, train, Tokyo streets, Tokyo balcony, photo booth, studio, you name it😁 Great episode and I strongly agree on the architecture point, as you can see this happen almost everywhere nowadays:/
I can see how a lonely man with nothing to lose besides money could enjoy attention from someone even if it is only because he pays. Japan is filled with lonely people as are most countries.
In some ways it's sadness or loneliness. They really want to have connections without any work or any risks of commitment attracts them there. The girls who are employed are just earning money and care only so much as it's a paycheck. Other girls who are fully employed in office jobs work such brutal schedules that they don't want to flirt and waste time endlessly just for sex. Mastrubation is up in all population groups for good and bad reasons and the social hesitance,imperminance and lack of work life balance in my opinion is one of the bad ones. People making meaningful connections with the expectation of money exchange for the privilege doesn't strike me as particularly healthy. I'm not against sex work but I am against cultures who so flagrantly dismiss the importance of deep human conversation and relationships. Hopefully, people who have grown up in healthy households feel loved and appreciated without an expectation of sex or emotional or physical extreme servitude for that love or acceptance. Selfless friendships and marriages or long term parterships are essential to good mental health. We are a social species despite many of the permutations which assume people can survive alone. No man is an island. The base of many relationships exists WITHOUT the expectation of payment but simply because you enjoy each others company. Japan's suicide rate seems to indicate that for the many good things about Japanese culture this is not one of them.
Haven't been in Japan in a while, it's sad to see that those iconic buildings are not there anymore. I agree with that point and its happening everywhere, cities neglect their traditional architecture in favor of the modern generic look
I replied the same thing to someone else, but Harajuku Station is a terrible example of this, and it's beyond unfair to the workers behind the replication project and the viewers of the video to present it like this. They didn't replace the old traditional building, they replicated exactly it and added a glass structure next to it, expanding the space while clearly showing which part is replica and which part is new. This is something that happens quite often in Japan; my university building was also rebuilt to look the same from the ground but have a glass structure augmented behind and above, obscured from view. As a Japanese person who grew up near Harajuku, it really is unfortunate that Chris has brought it up multiple times. (This is around the third time as far as I know.) How they rebuilt Harajuku Station is simply the opposite of of tearing down traditional, detailed architecture and replacing it with bland, cookie cutter cuboids (which definitely has been a trend for a while, a point Chris has undermined here by bringing up such a poor example). I don't know if it's on purpose or he just missed it, but even though it is very deliberately an exact replica, it's always been hidden in the angles he presents in videos. If you want to know why they rebuilt it then to begin with, one issue surrounding traditional Japanese architecture is that you simply can't make durable buildings out of bricks or stone in such an earthquake prone environment. That is why the traditional building material is wood. That is also what makes it so hard to just preserve buildings as they are, what with the humidity in the summer and the fact that the city was bombed to near oblivion mid 20th century. Part of what made people value Harajuku Station as a classic beauty was the fact that it was built in 1924 and survived the bombings. That is why it had such a distinct, iconic aesthetic, because while after the bombings the city had to scramble to rebuild infrastructure all over with the critically limited resources at the time, to hastily get it back up and running, Harajuku Station was a stark exception. But, all wooden things must come to an end, and a 100 year old wooden building could not serve as a modern station any longer without major reconstruction. So they had to rebuild the whole thing from scratch, but to say the people behind the project neglected to pay their respects to the original architecture and the cultural hub that it came to manifest is an egregious misrepresentation of their work. That was a rant, but I'm just so deeply saddened that this is what people who've never even seen the station for themselves think of the new station and the incredible thought and effort that was put into restoring the past look. Easy W in my book. Edit: adding a preemptive disclaimer about the use of the word "traditional" since some hardcore architecture nerds might disagree with my usage of the term to refer to something built in the 20th century with heavy western influence.
@@tamhuy10 I think you misunderstood, it's not a matter of opinion. He's just made a mistake in what the building is now. They didn't replace the old building with the glass thing, they are literally different angles taken from different places. If you take pictures from the same angle they would look the same because the current station building is an exact replica. It just has the glass structure built next to it to expand the space.
@@destituteanddecadent9106 i saw the pictures, its just not the same, you barely notice the old building, and i think thats his point, and the skyline and view is different bc of modernisation
@@tamhuy10 i get that the skyline is different, but I don't think you realize what I mean by different angles. I meant that even if the old building was there, you still wouldn't see it from that angle because the building in front would obstruct the view.
Been living in Japan for 20 years now, and the only reason I've ever stepped into a Pachinko parlor is to use the toilet. They are usually really nice and decked out with faux luxurious decor !
Just wanna say Chris looks great man! You can really see he dedicated himself to training at it's amazing! Happy for you man! As always an amazing video both in content and production. All the best from Bosnia!
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but Chris you look amazing, I’m really happy to see you being healthy and enjoying life, even though it’s through “critiques” hahaha. Cheers mate, keep up the good work with the channel and with yourself! We love to see it.
TOUGHER than diamonds and STRONGER than steel - Abroad in Japan is back!
But what do you hate the most in Japan and what did I miss guys?
Sorry for the long absence - I've been trying to get fit. Also been filming a ton of videos that'll be out over the Christmas season. Should be a fun month!
don't
Its like you're just waiting for the Japan gatekeepers to comment🤣
Hello
You missed putting Connor on the list
One thing british hate about japan...
Everything
We walked, attracted by the crazy noise, into a Pachinko parlour in Kyoto and the security guy at the door told us emphatically that this is not for tourists and literally kicked us out. My hero.
Not all heroes wear capes.
I wonder why he didn't mention the noise in the video. A big, two story pachinko parlour in Tokyio was probably the loudest place I have ever been in.
Man had to pretend to kick you out just to save your wallet from the pachinko overlords
While I was in Tokyo, I also wondered into a Pachinko parlour as I was actually tempted to play. Was loud and I could not stand the cigarette smoke (I am a non-smoker), so I quickly left. When I was a kid, we used to have a Pachinko machine down in the basement game room so I at least was familiar with it. Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing any pinball machines as we know them here in the west while I was in Japan (was there for a month at the beginning of 2020, right before all the COVID shit).
I was threatened to get arrested for taking a picture of the machines as I tried to avoid the security guard and wander about. He followed me through every corner until I left as he kept saying police… 😂😂😂😂😂
I was interviewed on Japanese TV a few weeks ago. They asked me a lot about covid and what measures are up in my country compared to Japan. When the interview was on TV, they just cut out everything about covid and the only thing they left on was me saying that I like dango...
🤣
Can’t have the Japanese knowing that they’re the only ones in the world still forever masking.
Who doesn't like dango?
It's pretty common with all TV networks to do that, though they likely cut out your Covid comments for ulterior motives.
lmao
The number of times Chris complains about Connor makes it clear this can only be love.
Better love story than twilight!
And twilight was really good!
It's oficial, isn't it?
@@frecuenciasoniricas2867 yeah, Chris called Connor his boyfriend once
Still daydreaming about Chris being gay? Talk about sexual harassment.... Calm down Francis!
Chris himself said that Mouse is Connor's wife, which basically mean....
So many people do not understand that you can love something but still hate little parts of it too.
名言でた
A lot of unmarried people out there.
@@medicusofthedamned I assume you're speaking of hostess clubs? As a Yankee, yeah, thats freaking weird. If I want to pay for female attention, just go to a strip club. I don't want what is essentially a spam email advertiser sending me texts about how I should come back to spend more money next week. That is exactly what I don't want if I have a boy's night out where I can barely remember what the girl looked like the next morning.
I LOVE Germany but absolutely hate the Government and the German egoism. Does that count, too 😀? Oh, wait... when i drop things like "I LOVE germany" most of the times, there are people that are opening their eyes wide enough so they nearly fall out and getting onto me like "Na...z...i" (was on purpose. Don't know if that word triggers anything for the YT AI that filters comments). 😀
@nickdubil90 pretty sure he mans that you love your wife but hate a few things about her
Wow... the fact that Chris has turned even a simple list video into a full on, brilliant production is incredible. It really shows how far the channel has come and how much he has refined his craft.
Genuinely felt it had been ages since Chris' last "classic" abroad in japan video. Really shows how much the content quality has improved compared to earlier works in the same format.
This is a very classic chris video you can tell that he is enjoying youtube more than ever
When I saw this pop up in my feed I was almost shocked to see it was a new video and not something from 2 years ago or so. Instant click
No bike or complaining about being and/or getting fat?! What is this tomfoolery??
@@NationX exactly. i was like is this a reupload, but then i was like it has too many views for a reupload.
@@NationX Same haha
Gotta admit Chris, best "list" video you made yet. Not just sitting in a room , but strong editing, going out and filming the subjects, well build arguments. Great quality work Mr. Broad!
The days of Chris just sitting in a tiny room are over.
There are a lot of foreigners in Taiwan as well. I'd never tell them "oh your Mandarin is so good." when they try to speak Mandarin to me. Your understanding to what they're saying is already a validation to their speaking skill.
what if their mandarin was surprisingly good ?
People do like to hear that they're doing something well... I only speak English, & don't even do that very well, Lol! But if I did speak another language, I'd appreciate native speakers telling me I did it correctly & my pronunciation & grammar was good... that would be pretty cool...
I think it's a compliment, everyone is different, we shouldnt assume everything to be offensive...that is a very american thing.
@hoboeyjobi7020
Then you would assume they aren't actually a foreigner and just someone who lives there who's a different race?
@@Road_Rash The difference is that you get complimented after saying two Japanese words, so even an absolute beginner would get that comment (because it feels insincere). And it does feel patronising when your Japanese is advanced and you still get that comment.
Chris was so dedicated to making this video feel immersive, he grew a detached extra limb to give him things from off-screen, and I really respect that.
The daughter in school photo. 😂👍
himeno's ghost :)
You look great Chris. So proud of you for taking the initiative to improve your overall health
Many thanks! It’s been a long journey these last few months and it’s awesome to finally be slimmed down and able to work out properly! 🎉
@@AbroadinJapan KFC Christmas Chris !! 😂
@@AbroadinJapan What are the gyms in Japan like? same as any other, or is there more of a "keep slim" mantra behind fitness over there?
Its all the camera angle like in the hobbit
Looks the the same.
I'd love to see you making a "12 things I hate about the UK" some day, that'd be hilarious
Gonna need a bigger list
That'd be at a minimum a 3 hour opus, the Dr Zhivago of crankiness and bitter sarcasm.
The "Things I hate about the US" list is an open-ended project due for a spin-off channel...
@@Cotfi2 I think my toppers would be drivers who come to a complete stop at a green light, and those who insist on driving 5-10 miles under the posted speed limit. Granted, the green light issue might be from color-blindness, but they are always oriented in the same way to mitigate that issue.
so a Top 12 CDawg list then LMAO
Four seasons is for amateurs. In Canada, we have 11:
- Winter
- Fool's spring
- Second winter
- Spring of deception
- Third winter
- Mud season
- Actual spring
- Summer
- False fall
- Second summer (1 week)
- Actual fall
I can attest that those are an accurate depiction of how the seasons feel in Canada.
Ahaha I am in tears over Fool's Spring. This list is accurate.
The production of this episode is stunning! You just never stop, do you? The Chris that keeps on giving!
THAT’S THE POWER OF LOVE
Creepy nuts for life ✌️
@@AbroadinJapan Now that's what I call being affable
ah yes creepy nuts thats going on my discord bio
I love that tired singing xD
As someone in the US who has lived in cities that can't bother to have a supermarket but will damn sure have a liquor store in close proximity I feel that Pachinko hatred.
My favorite in the US are liquor stores near homeless shelters and day shelters. Never fails.
Poorer cities and areas in Germany are also usually riddled with places where you can gamble (less fancy than real casinos though), places where you can bet on Sports, pawn shops for jewelry, and small shops for liquor and cigarettes.
I also hate how these people who don't have a lot anyway are just being exploited for the gains of some greedy assholes. It's really depressing.
As a Japanese living in the US, I've seen both of these in person and damn is it depressing to watch people (either family or friends) lose their money and time to gambling and vices. I get gambling to a degree (I go to Vegas from time to time, but i don't lose myself at the tables), but don't make these places ubiquitous as actual important places like clinics or grocery stores.
The better analogy in the U.S. is going by some reservation where everyone is poorer than dirt, but the casino there is thriving. So much for the "money going to the community" B.S.
@@phoenix72999 It may be that people that have a weakness for alcohol, smoke and gambling are generally poorer ,, No ??
Honestly Chris, this is more entertaining than anything on TV. Keep the sarcastic, sardonic image and keep producing gems like this.
What is great that most TH-camrs don't do is sneak in a lot of good information and positive information into a I Hate list. Best thing on YT
He’s also someone who should do sweet kissing & rubbing & being wet to the friends & friendship.
@KDW whats it about this specific video that you find funny? bc he has loads of videos like this
Man they really, really should have left Harujuku station alone. It was one of the last Meji era buildings in Tokyo, a beautiful part of the neighborhood that, with its more subtle and cottage like architecture really was a good balance to the *other* Harujuku. As someone who is in historical preservation it just kills me to see that they demolished an architectural gem and replaced it with a crappy glass box!
Yes, to me this frustrated me the most of all points Chris made in the video. It was such a beautiful building with historical value, just destroyed for an utterly generic station. It annoys me even more because here in the Netherlands they do it too.
Very sad to see timeless architecture replaced by functional crap ( sorry about my language).
That happens a lot in Japan. There does seem to be more of an appreciation for retro architecture, fashion, and cars lately, though.
Something had to be done, since the old building couldn't hand a tenth of the current passenger load, but it's too bad the new building couldn't have had a design that recalled the old one. At least there's a lot more space and more exits.
About modern japanese architecture: What shocked me when coming back to Japan after basically being exiled for 2,5 years, was the amount of cheap looking, plastic family houses that popped up everywhere. There used to be a pretty traditional house next to our apartment. They tore it down and replaced it with 4 generic plastic cubes that could be standing anywhere on the world. Super sad.
plastic houses? tell me more about it
its called globalism and is not only a issue in japan. the whole world will become a post globalist hellhole with a few themeparks for wealthy tourists left. But even there will be a mc donalds in walking distance. It is what the us military industrial complex is fighting for.
I'd like to offer a different perspective though. We know that Japan has a traditionally xenophobic culture. As outsiders, one of the things we admire is how strongly the Japanese people have held onto their culture and architecture. Thus, when we see traditional looking Japanese architecture torn down to become a typical modern glass box we feel like the appeal is lost.
To a Japanese person, that traditional styled building is just a normal everyday building though. There's no excitement, no mysticism, no fantasy, it's just the shop next door. To someone who was born and raised in Japan, modernism is something different that stands out; meanwhile to a foreigner it's just like any other city downtown (note: a city that the majority of Japanese people will never visit and have only seen in movies).
So in a way, we should stand with the Japanese government in rejecting Western influence?
@cyrussmlee I see what you’re saying, but I think people from any culture value some of the traditional aspects of it. I’m American and am always disappointed when I see an older home with a more traditional style torn down to be replaced by a cookie cutter town home or bland apartment.
While that's also true (I'm Japanese), the example Chris brings up of Harajuku Station is simply not true. Although it's tough to tell from the pictures, those are different angles, different parts of the building. They very much DID bring an old part of the station to the new, in fact created an entire exact replica in its place, while simultaneously adding the glass structure to expand space. He's mentioned it a few times on his channel now, and I hope he realizes his mistake sooner rather than later.
Your face is positively glowing with health, Chris! As a long time subscriber I am aware you stepped up your health game recently and it is really showing with this video. Everything is improved as a consequence. Your demeanor, your vibe, and the freshness of your video skills are all at a much higher level. You always make great videos, but this one shows your rededication to your craft and yourself. I'm feeling inspired to walk more and find my passion!
Waiting for Chris vs Natsuki six pack battle
@Jamesquarebush
You forgot to count the most important thing - Chris' girl friend 🤣😂😅
Kiss those other boys on this video show
I absolutely agree. Chris looks really healthy now and acts with really cool and fresh energy.
as someone who have lived there while in the military I can concur with the hostess club opinion. I had a military buddy that is always going to them saying he will get lucky but after 4 month of losing all his money it finally hit him like an Isekai delivery truck.
Should have just gotten a soapie for $100 and guaranteed happy ending. Girls aren’t bad either.
@@FormerGovernmentHuman A soapie is a one and done experience. hell with the clubs and bars at all, hit up the shops. That's where shit is awesome.
Four months it took him??? Dang, that man had some confidence... probably unwarranted but still!
@@solitarelee6200 Military men are dumb creatures. Source: was one.
Mos burger, “the best thing to come in a basket since Moses” I’m dead 😂😂😂😂
Damn Chris did not have to go this hard for a simple list video but I'm glad he did.
I expected the typical TH-camr droning-on-to-the-camera sort of video, only to be surprised that we've got scene re-enactments, Chris actually heading to the locations he talks about, along with him sacrificing his body by eating Fruit Sandwiches. Love the dedication to the craft.
There are many Japanese people who don't like hostess clubs, and only a few people go there. Pachinko is also hated by many people. Some people don't go there for the rest of their lives, and losing money at pachinko is one of the most ridiculous things.
In UK and Poland there's a lot of betting shops as well. They don't do Pachinko, they bet on everything. Starting from football, to things like who is going to win the Eurovision song contest... And slots, I know some people who blow their weekly salary on slots, then to do it again next week. Lottery tickets, Lotto, Euro Jackpot, scratchcards... All of it is gambling and a lot of people lose a lot of money on them. It's just the form of gambling is different.
Strictly speaking, pachinko in Japan is not gambling. Pachinko is a gentleman's game where money is wasted and exchanged for trivial prizes such as candy and cigarettes. However, there happens to be a facility at the back of a pachinko parlor parking lot where you can exchange your points for money, and many users go home after redeeming their points there. It is all coincidental. It is not inevitabre.
@@善悪の基準は人それぞれ Yep, that's gambling with loopholes 😐😐
@@JackassikYep, Germans also have a problem with betting on sport (especially people from the Middle East)
@@Jackassikyes that's the joke genius
I have to say that I totally agree with Chris about the Architecture. I am an Architectural photographer and I am going to Japan in May for 3 weeks to photograph architecture for a personal project. What he said about Harajuku station is accurate. They took something unique with historical value and put something boring in its place. I personally love when architects take something old and add something new to it. You still keep the familiar old qualities while modernizing it at the same time. Its the best of both worlds and still has meaning. There are still architects and projects in Japan that design projects that feel new but also reflect traditional Japanese qualities thankfully, it just doesn't seem to happen on a large scale building. Kengo Kuma did a good update to Japans National Stadium for the Olympics that reflects traditional Japanese aesthetic. The initial bid was going to go to Zaha Hadid architects but it didn't reflect Japan at all so I am glad it went to Kengo Kuma.
I love all the different forms and shapes of houses you can find. Took a walk yesterday during lunch and there is so many interesting shapes and forms, except the new built areas which are just so insanely boring. Now this I just private single family houses, so nothing big like a station. :)
But I hate with a passion how badly maintained all the house and buildings are. Seeing all the peeling paint, moisture damaged wood and overall abandoned buildings.. breaks my heart.
Harajuku station needed to be renovated frankly, it was borderline non-functional for one of the more high traffic destinations in Tokyo. As someone who lives in the city and uses the trains every day, it was a big improvement. But that being said they absolutely didn't have to make it so ugly, why not at least make the new facade look nice? Especially for such a popular tourist destination you would think the Shibuya city council would ask that it retain its style at least. But honestly I think a lot of the shit architecture lately a result of the fact that the Japanese economy has been in a sorry state for like 3 decades now and in many ways it's a country in decline, so there is no forward-thinking vision to anything anymore, just a general oppressive atmosphere of stagnation and everyone trying to cut costs as much as possible.
Yeah. That was a crime.
Zaha Hadid architects would have been epic though
Edit: rereading this after five months (got a notif) and wow I used to write like such a nerd 😂 Point still stands though!
TLDR; Harajuku Station is a terrible example, or not even a valid example at all, as they did replicate it. Traditional Japanese architecture was always made to be rebuilt, unlike in Europe, mostly due to seismic activity and the rest due to the humid climate. But, when they did rebuild it, the architects made sure to pay their respects.
As a Japanese person who has grown up near Harajuku, Harajuku Station is such a flawed example of tearing down beautiful traditional architecture and replacing it with bland, cookie cutter cuboids and it's unfortunate that Chris has brought it up multiple times throughout his content. (This is around the third time as far as I know.)
This trend in favor of sleek boring glass rectangles over beautifully detailed structures that Chris points out has actually been around for a while, but the poor example undermines this point. What they did with the station is exactly what you said, they replaced the old building with a replica, but also expanded the building, i.e. added the glass part, in the process. This is something that happens quite often. Case in point, my university building was also rebuilt to look the same from the street but have a glass structure augmented behind and above, obscured from view.
I don't know if this is purposeful or he just missed it, but even though it is very deliberately an exact replica, it's always been hidden in the angles he presents. (Okay he probably missed it since he even says "Why not borrow a part of the old design and integrate it into the new?")
If you want to know why they rebuilt it then to begin with, one issue surrounding traditional Japanese architecture is that you simply cannot make durable buildings out of bricks or stone in such an earthquake prone environment. That is why the traditional building material is wood. That is also what makes it so hard to just preserve buildings as they are, what with the humidity in the summer and the fact that the city was bombed to near oblivion mid 20th century. Part of what made people value Harajuku Station as the classic monument it was was the fact that it was last rebuilt in 1924 (the one shown in the old picture is actually still not the original) and survived the bombings. That is why it had such a distinct, iconic aesthetic, because while the rest of the city had to scramble to rebuild their infrastructure with critically limited resources, to hastily get it back up and running, Harajuku Station was an exception. A true remnant of a bygone era. But, all wooden things must come to an end, and a 100 year old wooden structure could not serve as a modern station any longer without major reconstruction. So they had to rebuild the whole thing from scratch, but to say the people behind the project neglected to pay their respects to the original architecture and the cultural hub that it came to manifest is an egregious misrepresentation of their work.
That was a rant, but I'm just so deeply saddened that this is what people who've never even seen the station for themselves think of the new station and the incredible thought and effort that was put into restoring the quaint look. Easy W in my book.
Edit: adding a preemptive disclaimer about the use of the word "traditional" since some hardcore architecture nerds might disagree with my usage of the term to refer to something built in the 20th century with heavy western influence.
The four season thing confused me when I lived in Korea too, especially because...most places do have four seasons. Like, they might not be the same four seasons you're used to, but the planet we all live on turns the same everywhere in the world.
Ya I don't understand how they go from you're Japanese is good and can you use chopsticks to we have four seasons yano? 😅
Some places only have 9 months summer , 1.5 spring and autumnn
Some places high up north have 10 months of winter and 2 months of mercy
@@DsiakMondala lol - yeah.. I live in the UK.. here we have damp and warm, and damp and cold - and there's a few weeks in-between those two seasons where all the leaves fall - that's called "leaves on the track" season, I'm from Canada though, so winter is -40, summer is +35 (and lately smoky) - spring and autumn are the mercy seasons.. one of them has leaves.
To be fair near the equator you often have a dry season and wet season, or four seasons but less distinct with temperature differences and not much else.
But yeah anywhere with a similar temperate climate (ie much of Europe and the northern US) also has similar seasons.
Seasons come from the Earth's tilt. There are no seasons at the Equator.
The pachinko problem in rural areas of Japan, is very similar to Slot halls here in Italy. You can literally go through little empty villages with maybe only a Bar and a little market, and suddenly the best building in the city is one of those awful places. That's just sad.
Similarly here in the US, casinos and gambling facilities often are a core part of rural areas and are sold as economic development, often promising tax revenue that often doesn't materialize or isn't worth the burdens that casinos bring. Most cities outside of Vegas and a few others don't have casinos within them, and there's a good reason for that.
I lived in Venice for a year, and often played video games in an arcade. A Venetian friend asked how I could stand it, since he considered it part of the "malavita." Yes, I was consorting with the criminal underworld by playing video games. Of course he thought Doris Day was a good actress, so what did he know?
Ancora peggio dalle mie parti non c'è un bar senza video poker, E sinceramente se sei così poco accorto da farti acchiappare e giocarti anche le mutande sono problemi tuoi, non sono un santo esente da vizi ma fino ad ora ancora non ho perso la casa a causa di birra e sigarette.
"Britain invented it, America ate it, and Japan completely fucked it" love this line, made me laugh my head off!
Same here LOL
@@Njsjdjdjdj Stop chatting BS.
The best part is he eats that dessert sandwich right after and actually praises it.
"Sandwiches should be savory"
US and their overly sweet sliced bread: Uh....
I have lived in the US for years and have yet to find a half decent sandwich. Soggy sweet 'bread', no butter, with a fistful of tasteless pulverised ham rammed in the middle. I dream of those delicate Japanese egg sarnies you can get at every conbini.
Creepy Nuts is honestly such a great duo, their music checks every vibe. Some songs fit perfectly for a summer day and some fit perfectly for a cold fall/winter night
@messagemeontelegramam_abro1311 explosives
8 years ago they randomly showed up in my youtube feed. They were the gateway to japanese hip-hop for me.
@@NICHOLSON7777 I started following their music after reading a manga called "call of the night" and the author said the manga got its name from their song
Welp, screw it. Gonna have to check them out.
@@magmarr8304 and they made an anime recently of "call of the night", and it's not only using Creepy Nuts for the opening AND ending songs, but they also have a small cameo, even voiced by the guys themselves. such a great circle of appreciation
Creepy Nuts is unironically one of my favorite Japanese bands. I've been listening to them for years since 2016 when they were still small and now they have a whole ass anime intro and outro. The anime Call Of The Night 【よふかしのうた】was actually inspired by a song they made by the same name。 I'm so proud to see how far they've come over the years. I'm really glad you're discovering them now and i hope you at least try out their music. They have a very unique style. R-指定's voice and flow is unique and unmistakable and 松永's production immediately sets them apart from any rap/pop band and he incorporates any genre into his unique style. I never saw them live but i hope to do so next year. Thanks for discovering them.
I came back from my vacation in Japan a week ago and I LOVED it, but one thing I will always hate is the amount of plastic waste that is generated. So many tiny snacks, cutlery, and products are layered in needless plastic and most of it ends up in the garbage. Although I love myself some Japanese snacks, I can't help but wince every time I open a bag to find a bag within a bag containing a single piece of candy.
They are over the top on cleanliness and contamination. Extremely clean country, but they go overboard lol. Probably one of the only countries where you can lick a public toilet's seat though.
I remember shopping in Japan and them wrapping and then bagging a tiny money clip which was already in a box. Basically creating 3x the waste then if I just put it in my pocket when I bought it.
Yeah, when I went there we went to a restaurant with plastic napkins. Like why???
Japan is infinitely better and more effective at recycling than the US, so it’s not as much of a problem as you’d think
Brazil has this same issue...
14:52 can also be attributed by the how often the word "gaikokujin"/Foreigner is used. I've lived in Japan, and also Australia, USA and Singapore. The word foreigner is so seldom used in those countries. Whenever, we talk about someone foreign in those countries we refer to their nationality specifically. "Oh he's Columbian, she's Italian, etc."
This is ingrained in the culture and it reminds everyone whilst we may be Australians, there are 200 plus nationalities across the world and we are just a small spec of the world population.
In comparison, in Japan, they quite rarely refer to a foreigners nationality and just call them foreigners. This creates a cultural divide where people in Japan are either, "nihonjin"/Japanese OR "gaikokujin"/foreigner.
Essentially, what I'm trying to say, in Japan you're grouped in one of two nationalities, youre a foreigner or youre Japanese
In most other countries, you will be referred to as your actual nationality (200 plus countries)
On a side note, the only times I hear the word "foreigner" used in Western countries is when we are talking about administrative things. For example in university, we might group people as local students or international students as international students usually have to pay higher fees to the university (local students fees are subsidised by the Government)
Japan is not America.
@@23Lgirl That's a great observation. Thanks for cluing us in. However, neither are Australia or Singapore, so his point stands. The bigger thing to note is that Aus and the US, in particular, are very diverse countries with large immigrant populations and colonial roots. By nature these countries will be less likely to use the term "foreigner" because being Australian or American isn't necessarily tied to one's genetics or cultural heritage. In Japan, it is purely tied to these factors.
I think that's fine if they just met you and don't know you personally.. like I've seen many videos in different social media platforms, where half Japanese people are offended if they are not seen as a Japanese person when meeting someone new in Japan (due to different physical characteristics: hair, skin, eye color, eye shape,etc.), and foreigners, who also get offended when they were thought of as Japanese lmao Idk what to think of this world anymore, people are just so sensitive and get offended in every little thing.
Like for instance, do you see any blasian in every Japanese neighborhood everyday? Even if they look mixed Asian, how do you know if they're Japanese? They could be a mix of other Asian nationalities too. Also, East Asians and SEAsians gets mixed up a lot and can blend in with the Japanese. So is it rude to think they were Japanese if they look similar, can speak fluent Japanese, and live in Japan? Like you can be proud of your country/culture, but nobody can guess what you belong to at first glance...
I'm not Japanese, but I meet foreigners of different nationalities a lot due to my work, and I always treat them the Japanese way, which is to not assume other people's nationality and just treat them as a "foreigner". And until they tell me what nationality they have, I will always refer to them as Foreigners...
@@23Lgirl What an incredibly useful response! I would add: "comparing countries does not mean you think all countries should be the same." Since you seem confused on this point. For example, I could say, "I've read Jacob Smith's and V's replies, and I think 23Lgirl's comment is useless compared to theirs," but that doesn't mean I think you should become those people! :)
@@23Lgirl a 28Mboy is not a 23Lgirl
Lived in Japan for a decade and re: Microaggressions -- you nailed it. 10 years of the same boring ass questions from everybody, and if you ever try to steer the conversation to something different (in Japanese, mind you, there are no language issues limiting the conversation topics), they often push it back to basically "yeah yeah, back to you being a gaijin tho." Always gaijin first, person second. That's fine working as an ESL teacher where your conversation is paid for, but dealing with that on a personal level wears on the soul after awhile.
I don’t think that’s exclusive to Japan. Even for me, as an American living in Canada, I get those little micro aggressions whenever I tell someone I’m American, and it’s always the same questions. And people are really passive aggressive about it too. They just wanna hear me say how much I love Canada and how much better it is than America. Which I don’t even necessarily think, but that’s just the answer everyone’s looking for
I found that it’s really hard to make real friends in Japan. Like way harder than in other countries. Idk why but Japanese are reluctant to show you who they really are or what they really think. It takes a long time for them really warm up to you. So I give up before that
@@FransceneJK98 For me it was the opposite. I made a handful of friends on my first time visiting over the course of a single month, many are still in contact.
It's going to be hard to make friends just on the street or something (even here in America), but if you're in a nice work environment, or playing sports or something it's not hard at all imo. My closest Japanese friend I met while playing football in some random field lol
@@FransceneJK98 Japanese are genetically hypocrites.
You Gaijin!!!
There’s like 3 TH-camrs that I come back to and binge every few months, Chris is one of them and I’m doing it now(I’ve watched every single abroad in Japan video till now)
Going to Japan as an outsider, eating an ekiben and a fruit sandwich on a train, having fun driving a go-kart around, taking pictures with your friends in a purikura, losing money on a pachinko, having karaoke in a hostess bar, ending your night eating a Moss Burger half drunk, and washing your creepy nuts with the bidet in your modern hotel room while watching Japanese television. I don't know, Chris. It sounds like a fun time to me.
He gave us a crash course for experiencing all the funkiest Japanjank in a day 🤙
Until the Groundhog Day effect kicks in after a month or three of it.
What makes those nuts creepy? But the Bidet is exactly for that to wash your intimate area clean after using the toilet or whenever.
How much this comment made me laugh omg ahahhaah
It's fun to do as a visit. Not month after month year after year. Believe me, all that gets old FAST
Seeing this video made me realise how much I missed the ‘sit down in a room’ format, not that actual ambitious videos aren’t as good, but there’s something nice and cozy about just listening to Chris rant about random things (and ofc as per every Chris video the production is still insanely well done lol)
siting in a room? but he was clearly at a ramen shop. behind the counter.
@@sirBrouwer I think he's referring to Chris' old videos, where he sits in his apartment and it just feels like he's chatting with friends.
Perhaps Chris can put a tatami room set in this studio?
@@GigiLowe I know those. this was just a literal observation of this video. in other videos he more often is sitting at the barstool.
for the tatami like room he could use the other part of the studio the office part.
that already has most there.
100% this.
Damn
Chris is looking great
I was in Japan for 4 months in 1995 and almost every conversation was exactly as you describe. Good to know some things haven't changed!
*_N I H O N G O J O U Z U_*
I was also in japan in 8 years I’m still here
Why do you 2 assume every japanese is the same person?... Quite uttery insane aint it...
@@insiainutorrt259 they lived there longer than you.
Yeah, can't mess with the classics
What I hate about Japan is that I am not there 😭😭 my first trip there was so good and me and my boyfriend actually felt little to no culture shock in the sens that it was pretty easy to adapt as a tourist that is.❤️❤️ can't wait to go back
The first time I went to Japan we landed at the Narita Airport in Tokyo, and my teacher so excitedly told us to try the bathroom, and let me tell you. That was the first toilet I used in Japan and I just. I had been violated by a toilet. That shit just goes straight up, no warning. My teacher, and classmates were dying laughing. She decided to remind the whole class towards the end of our study abroad. It was an experience I'll never forget.
"Violated by a toilet" made me laugh really hard! Cheers!
I’m from Honolulu, HI and I COMPLETELY agree with those touristy Mario cart things being an nuisance. We have become over run with scooters and go-carts all over Waikiki. It’s irritating but because this area is basically all business and there’s already so much traffic to begin with 😩😩😩
sounds terrible! I can only imagine... and its already painful. Hope your government(?) wises up and closes down all of them
Yeesh. I visited Honolulu in 2007, and traffic was a fustercluck then. I couldn't imagine it now with the go carts.
Hi Ashley, really bad place to put this but me and my Japanese girlfriend are taking her parents to hawaii and some places are so insanely expensive. Do you know anywhere that might be good but not the most expensive touristy spot?
Chris,
I moved to Japan (studying abroad at university) about two months ago, at least in part due to your "glowing" coverage of the place.
If I were to take a shot for every time I heard "nihongo jouzu" or "why did you come to Japan" in one day, I'd be even worse of an alcoholic than the cheap Gekkeikan carton sake has made me.
Thanks.
Have you come up with any good standard answers, though? There should be a self-help group out there about this.
@@seregruin
At this point, my standard answer for why I came is that it was just to study, which is only maybe 5% of the real answer - it's just not worth trying to explain the whole thing.
What really sucks is what I call "Gaijin English Training," in which you're automatically targeted by people who have 0 interest in you except as a practice dummy for conversation - especially at bars. Sadly, GET doesn't have the payroll or benefits of JET.
When I'm knee-deep in my fifth pint, I'm not exactly looking to give an English lesson - or even capable of it!
I just always answer women. If men they leave me alone and if women they show if interested
Fuck. I said Nihongo Jozu to an Indian chap I meat the other day. He must have thought I was a right condescending tosser.
I love the fruit cream sandwiches lol!! So much that once I left Japan I kept making them for myself.
Even after 12 years, my in-laws STILL say "Nihongo Jyozu!" and complement my chopstick usage every single time we visit. TWELVE YEARS. Even when we lived next to them for 3 years they complemented me daily like somehow I forgot when I was asleep.
Just out of curiosity you ever ask them to stop saying it, because it causing EMOTIONAL DAMAGE.
You should have just started butchering the pronunciation to watch them still attempt to painfully say "Nihongo Jyozu" anyhow.
Since i am married to a Japanese i don't get complement about eating with chopsticks anymore... It helped 😂
Did you ever ask why they do this? This really intrest me. Politness is one thing, but this seems more like a passiv aggressive act to torture you xD.
i never got either from my in laws, maybe because they only speak japanese and we couldn't communicate otherwise?
I appreciate the honesty in this video. The "nihongo jouzu" thing got tiresome after a while, but I learned to stop faking self deprecation (Ehhhh really? No, no, no.), and just started answering with "Thank you, I've studied hard." That usually nipped that conversation in the bud. All in all, I think the irritations are outweighed by the advantages. There were things that drove me up a wall when I lived there, but I'd move back in a heartbeat.
Nowadays I just ignore the compliment, especially if it comes from someone I have just met and hasn't really heard me speak Japanese.
Got told this yesterday by the radiologist at the hospital because I was able to say my name and birthday in Japanese. Wow, imagine!
@@ChrysusTV I suppose at the end of the day, it's harmless small talk and people mean well, but it's a bit...eh...when it's after two or three basic words.
Thank you is never the answer if someone gives a complement. it should be "iie iie.." (no no not so much). else the speaker will think you are full of yourself.
@@ChathushkaPeiris I'm not really concerned with what someone I don't know thinks of me in conversation honestly. Like I said in the comment above, I appreciate that it's harmless small talk, but sometimes it does come off as patronizing. My response to people are on a case by case basis.
I haven't watched Chris in a while, his healthy transformation is almost as remarkable as David Mitchell's transition from a man who had completely given up on himself to a happily married father.
For real though Chris is lookin like a snack.
He gotta do if he's gonna dominate at chess and boxing.
Happy he was able to pull himself away from crack cocaine and prostitution
Realizing that you are the baddy is the first step towards positive change!
@@STINKFISTBOBCAT he's participating in a ChessBoxing Match soo
I’m Mexican and today I reached 20 years living in the UK and I still feel very much a foreigner/outsider. My daughter born here is serious about going to Japan next year to learn Japanese after college, she is doing the basics now but we love your videos which are funny and informative please keep doing them.
Oh god the Brits always have a way to make you feel you're not one of them ... I can't really explain how they do it. It's really weird.
I am of Mexican decent and can't imagine not being able to get the best Mexican food. I'm on the west coast. I thought the British would be more welcoming. Wow😒
@@janboomstam1727 Brits are made up of 4 distinct nations and there is a strong regional component too. It's actually hard to define a British identity and now even more an English one. Once you can participate in British humour and banter you're probably safe.
I loved how Chris changed locations as he went through the list, his videos are so entertaining!
Its like he was walking around and said “oh yeah, add that shit to the list so i can rant real quick”
You can tell he enjoys doing this because he hasn't gotten lazy. I'm often struck by how verbally and visualizing interesting his videos are.
One thing that somewhat annoys me about Japan is how indirect they are. Like many Asian cultures, Japanese etiquette values politeness so much to the point that people don’t tell you things directly…. This means you encounter a lot of passive aggressive behavior in Japan. For people who grew up in the culture this kind of thing is a norm and learning to read between the line is a part of becoming adults . But for foreigners who are not used to that type of culture and language, passive aggressive behavior really puzzled them. Honestly it can really triggered you when you deal with them so often and don’t understand why people just don’t say things directly/clearly. It also one of the reason why japan is such an emotionally repressed country.
Holding grudges seems to be very common and a motivation for suddenly violent but meticuleously planned outbursts like the assassination of Shinzo Abe or attacking Idols with a hacksaw (althought that might be of sexism and general consumerism and generally bad working conditions and contracts for idols).
I imagine it is a problem from cultures like Germany and the Nordic countries, where being very open and direct is the norm.
Yep....I have had so many similar experiences in SEA...particularly in the Phils...but, I have learned to blow of things that don't matter...my more aggresive Westerner side exhibits itself when things do matter (such as money)...it is actually entertaining to watch a Filipino's reaction when you point out the absurdity of their propositions when make assumptions about your Western ignorance
This is why one of my closest friends I made in Japan was super direct. She will always state her opinion very clearly. It made conversation much easier and more fun, and as a result we got much closer than we probably would have otherwise!
If I didn't grow up dealing with haughty Southerners in the US, people notorious for passive aggressiveness(see "bless your heart") and backhanded compliments, I don't think I would have been able to get my head around that aspect of Japan so easily. It's particularly similar to dealing with certain parts of Tokyo
I lived and worked in Japan for 12 years. I have a Japanese wife and children (who now prefer the US). I took myself and my family out of Japan because despite being a Japanese American with fairly old fashioned values, I did not like the demand for conformity in Japan. Expecting people to obey the law and have good manners is fine. People around the world should learn to be considerate of others and avoid conflict.
However, corporate Japan expects men to work themselves sometimes to death without complaint, women are expected to devote themselves to being wives and mothers regardless of their talents, and children and people in general are supposed to accept authority without question. I worked in Japanese public schools. Japanese public schools can be like (not as bad as) Japanese prison. Children whose hair is not naturally black may be required to dye their hair black to conform with rules about NOT coloring their Japanese black hair. Children may not be allowed to possess snacks or money at school. Children may not be allowed in certain parts of town, or forbidden from having relationships, lest it "interfere" with their studies or damage the school's image (if the students don't progress into schools with a sufficient reputation).
That is the kind of thing I hated about Japan, and in the end could not deal with. Issues of how people spend their money or time are personal choices. If a man wants to devote himself to his career, or women want to be wives and mothers (without the complaints we see online), that's their business.
The modern, "universal style" architecture one really bothers me. I am an art student and this semester I'm writing a large analysis on the Nakagin Capsule tower (credit to your videos for introducing it to me 🫡). The tower was such a great representation of the Japanese Metabolist movement, which was known for architects treating buildings as living, breathing structures and more than tall glass boxes. I'm sad to see it all getting wiped away and even sadder that the Capsule Tower won't be in Tokyo when I visit for the first time next year.
I absolutely loved the production in this video, cheers!
❤️
I appreciate that Chris doesn't waste any of the food. It always annoys me when influence buys big bowls of food and then never eat it
Why if they bought it with their money. I could careless about another person's meal that they paid for them selves.
@@FusionKush It's a waste.
We produce enough food to feed three times the global population without any starvation.
Yet here we are with such a vast food surplus yet mass starvation.
@@Inucroft that's the problem you care to much about nothing. Just because someone paid for there food and doesn't finish it doesn't mean it's the end of the world. What if they didn't like it? I know if bought food and it tastes gross or it didn't meet my taste buds then I might as well throw it away. After I paid for it.
Yes I know it will be disrespectful if some else paid for it but to be fair I won't eat anything I don't like even if someone else paid for it.
Carbon footprint. I do care about it. Buying and not consuming, generates a big carbon footprint, the food that arrives to table took many steps: logistics, transportation, packaging, etc.
@@FusionKush Waste of food - and a lot of other things - is a huge problem in this world. We use up more ressources from poor countries than we need, our way of life currently is too much for the planet. It would even be too much for two planets.
I was in Japan in 1968 when I was in the US Navy. Over all I had a good time and enjoyed seeing everything I could when I had the time. Now as an old man I think back fondly and remember my visit and wish I could have seen and done more. One thing the visit did was open my love for Japanese food. I love the flavors and how simple and complicated it is at the same time. Hard to find that here in the US. The Finns have a game almost like Pochinko.
it's got some very cool stuff and some terrible stuff, I think the best way to experience it would be a few months at a time. I'd love to stay there for a while and still be able to come back home to the creature comforts that I grew up with
US military, in Japan, during the postwar?
Boy must have been fun.
There's no pride in anything Americans do. Our service sector is a joke
@@Heidegaff If I remember correctly the US military has a bit of a rape problem.
Good Japanese food can be found on the west coast of the US mostly. Proximity and historical populations. NYC has good Japanese food too.
As a rather large and long-haired white guy with a beard, it annoys me sometimes that it's kind of hard to get a taxi at night time in large centers if my partner isn't with me. One time in kytoto I ended up trying for over an hour, before giving up and walking the 45 minutes in the rain back to our accommodation.
The taxi will be parked there, rear door open, waiting in the cold with nobody around. I walk up, indicate I want to get in, the door slams shut and the thing speeds off into the night. And trying to flag a taxi down is almost impossible (yes, I know what the signs in the windscreen mean). This has happened to me a lot over the years. to the point that tended to just walk for however long it took to get home.
I've eventually learned that to get a taxi at night by myself I have to walk up to a taxi from behind, act Like I'm just going to walk past, and just as I get to the open door jump in and start speaking japanese at the driver before he has a chance to leg it. If I'm trying to wave down a cab in a more remote area, I just stand in the middle of the road as it approaches, forcing it to stop.
Weirdly, I don't have to do this shit if my partner is with me. She's small, has very long dark hair, and can easily be mistaken for a japanese woman, until you look at her eyes. By which time we are already in the car and telling the driver in detail where we need to go.
Is that a micro-aggression? It pisses me off either way.
Chris, 4 year subscriber here. This is the performance I fell in love with, with the best production quality i've ever seen in your videos. 10/10 deserves it's spot on trending.
Edit: I just checked and i've been here 6 years. wow.
#8. I have a cousin-in-law who emigrated from Chile to Sweden 40+ years ago. He's been a Swedish citizen for 30+ years. He speaks fluent Swedish. He still, to this day, is treated like an outsider.
Really? You must live in a smaller town? As long as someone speaks fluent Swedish they usually are treated normally where I live/have grown up
If you move to another country, you are an outsider
@@9.5.9.5 not most of the U.S. Thats one of the reason why i like it here. Almost anywhere in America, usually in or near the city i can meet people from another country. Ive met hundreds and i always ask them how is it living here? Do you feel alone? Treated as out of place? Or something along those lines. And the answer in overwhelming "yeah there are a few people but most people are nice/don't care." It doesnt matter in the U.S because of the large foreign population, especially in and near cities but even in rural areas. Its crazy the amount of people you can meet. I love it.
@@9.5.9.5 Not in North American cities PAL! Go to a Toronto mall and it is like a rainbow. I assume nearly every brown, black, and East Asian is born here.
Japan is far less multicultural than Western countries and that is the reason people that visit Japan walk away saying their culture is so different and unique from Western countries and the day that they decide multiculturalism and immigration is a strength is the day Japan becomes another multicultural shithole!
I love that Chris dips in and out of an American accent for a punchline the same way Americans do the exact same thing with British accents
I wonder if Japanese people do the same but with a Chinese accent 🤔🤣
Except Americans are usually absolutely awful at British accents, or merge them, or just do an Irish accent...
@@beepboop5491 That might start a war!😂
This is my first time seeing this channel and I thought he sounded a lot like Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow.
And then there is FriendlyJordies who just dips into whatever accent he pleases for the punchlines. It ranges from the most Australian accents ever to a smooth cool radio broadcaster.
Creepy nuts is actually getting tons of fame now for their new anime opening for mashle. It’s very popular among people who know anime.
One thing my partner and I agree on (me especially) is the view toward mental health in Japan. The idea that a person is not strong enough because they cannot handle it, and just meant to be treated as a personal struggle that no one else should be involved with. Also the shame that is perceived when the discussion comes up regarding seeking said help for their mental health. Japan can really make important, necessary strides to review this matter and help its citizens that are most vulnerable on this subject.
The high suicide rates aren't a surprise in that context.
@@amh9494 Very true it wouldn't be a surprise. Their feeling of not wanting to be a burden rather than seek help. Definitely a mindset which needs to change.
I remember seeing a Japanese psychologist express this same thing. He said people like him, that is people who understand people need help some times to deal with shit, are very rare and that the negative stigma around has led to Japan having serious problems with peoples' mental health.
I have a friend in Tokyo. One day she wrote to me asking my opinion related to mental health. It was one of the most awkward questions I've been asked. Do I give the American answer or something more Japanese? I no longer have any acquaintances from Japan to ask what I should do. Finally I decided to go with an American answer because it's the honest one. I still am not really sure if it actually helped or if she was being polite.
big reason why the suicide rate in japan is alarming considering no one sees it as mental health but instead it's you being weak. it's sad because the culture there is reserve and shy so even if they can get help they're embarrassed to do so.
To be fair: the architecture thing is applicable nearly everywhere. Yes, rectangular glass and concrete buildings are very efficient in using space and money/materials, but they are also damn boring (and often ugly).
Also, I loved the bonus karaoke at the end. You actually sounded like a text-to-speech in some lines xD
Fun facts: glass buildings are like greenhouses and require a shit ton of AC, resulting in an absurd waste of energy and money....
@@LG-te4vh Sure thats in the summer, but being a greenhouse is efficient in the winter?
@Zonka There's no good way to put that many people in a single block and not look like a dystopia.
they got great architect like 伊東豊雄, 安藤忠雄, 隈研吾...etc, yup i like them but unluckily not all the others built like them cause of budget or anything else
since there are several earthquakes that happen there, do the buildings that are copy pasted at least build with that in mind....cause isn't all that glass just going to break if things get crazy, the cities will have some glass showers if it ever were to happen. Also the glass like mentioned previously...would that not just become an oven and freezer during seasonal changes e.e what is da logic wea
I've never lived in Japan but I had to conduct business there quite frequently. One thing I was warned about, by a Japanese friend of mine in HK, was Japanese delaying tactics. I would be wined and dined with absolute courtesy, yet any business matter was delayed until the very last moment when your Japanese counterparts knew you had to make a deal but time was not on your side. I'm not knocking it - good business practice - but it pays to be aware.
The architecture point is absolutely spot on, not just for Japan but the rest of the world outside of the extravagance of UAE and Saudi etc. When i travel i try at all costs to avoid capital cities as you know it's just going to be glass skyscrapers, glass fronted shops with sandstone columns between boutiques and unfinished builds on riverbanks because no one in any capital city seems to be able to finish a riverside build! Manchester > London, Hamburg > Berlin, Barcelona > Madrid.
This is literally the best edited, written and acted video you’ve done. It’s like you took the quality to the next level! Congrats!
🎉🎉right
I thought the same. But it is a Hate Video so... I hope He will create more Videos like this one without Hate.
As a Japanese myself I've been waiting for the videos like this.
Enjoyed watching this. I totally agree with your hates.
I also hate pachinko, kyabakura, stereotyped view of foreign people etc..
I really hate strawberry sandwiches, too!! There were no that kind of sandwiches sold previously at convini. Actually, foods sold at convini are getting worse. Much better in 90s.
Sounds like a business idea. Retro 90s convini serving the 90s food with loads of 90s pop culture inside to see.
Your willingness to get sprayed by a bidet to illustrate your story shows an amazing work ethic and dedication to your cause! Bravo Chris!!
Can’t agree with you more regarding the architecture! So many structures I fell in love with have slowly disappeared over the past 40 years. I understand the need to upgrade or rebuild for safety and financial reasons, but just wish Tokyo would follow Yokohama’s approach by at least saving the facade or ground floor and build the new structure on the upper floors.
The spoon breaking really shows how sturdy the rice is and the reaction from Chris is priceless XD
My grandmas friend got a Japanese bidet toilet for the cost of a car down payment. Gotta admit I tried it once for the expirence and fell in love with it and went out of my way to use it every chance I could. I swear it’s the best invention of all time
Exactly! Hating on bidets is what separates humans from animals.. Only a uncivilized monster would defend a poop-smeared cyclops over the sanctity of a fresh peanutbutter-free knuckle...
I agree. A toilet that 's simultaneously an entertainment center, what's not to love?
@@MysticJabulon well it cleans way better than toilet paper and heated toilet seat ring winter is a whole new world of comfort you didn’t know was possible until you have it.
@@Watcher413 I completely agree. I had one in a hotel in Seoul and wanted one in my home ever since.
@@MysticJabulon if I was home more often (I travel 10 months out of a year for work) I’d buy myself one in a heartbeat.
Early to mid 2000s I had hopes to work in Japan in the music industry, like MTV Japan. I was working in College radio doing a show featuring Japanese artists and Anime soundtracks. I ended up getting a CD from a band called... Bathtub Shitter. I still have that CD today.
Wow, I thought Bump of Chicken was weird, but apparently I know nothing.
Grindcore is cheating!
One thing i know about Japan though. Is that if they build or fix roads, they do it at night with all the equipment needed to do it overnight, with the man power too. Unlike anywhere else, where road works start at 12:00 so that everyone can enjoy the road work show, and it will not be a one day thing most likely, it will propably be a 4 days min, maybe few weeks.
Favourite Japanese band name is "Mass of the Fermenting Dregs".
Went to a Metal/Rock festival in the UK earlier this year. Saw a band called "Mass of The Fermenting Dregs" on the schedule and was fairly intrigued. I was expecting some brutal heavy metal with lots of pained screaming.
Cue my surprise when I get to the tent at the start of their set and see these two little Japanese women setting up their guitars.
Definitely not a brutal metal band, but energetic and extremely entertaining all the same.
There's that type of sake that has a sort of ... mass ... of what I guess are ... fermenting dregs ... sort of sitting in the bottom of the bottle. If you've been in a Japanese market you know the kind. I wonder if that was their inspiration?
Love that band, also love BUMP OF CHICKEN
I love that band!!
Masu Dore are great! I've really been enjoying their work throughout the years, and I'm really happy to see them producing new stuff and tour a little outside of Asia
OGRE YOU ASSHOLE. current favourite...
Your rants bring me back to some of your earlier content - I absolutely love them! I love your new content as well, but its also nice when you go back to some of the throwback formats you have
his early stuff was gold. I've watched them all over and over and I hope he has more coming in this style
The modern japanese architecture bit really applies everywhere. its the same thing here where i live. while only one of our skyscrapers was trully unique and cool, most modern skyscrapers are generic premodeled glass buildings similar to those in Tokyo today
Ya building cheep 20 year structures for rental space is the new way for construction nobody wants the responsibility of owning things anymore.
My favorite skyscrapers are trees. I'm never visiting these cities for tourism.
I enjoyed this video. As a fellow Brit (who now lives in the US) I appreciate the sense of humor.
When I was around 8 years old, we went to some friend of my parents and Dad's mate had a pachinko machine. I played if for about an hour before I ran out of balls. Fast forward many years later, I scored on from a local auction. As a Japanophile, I've always kind of liked them for sort of mindless entertainment. Plus I can open the back up an reload for free.
As for Japanese architecture, a subject close to my heart as I study traditional structures and carpentry. I'm also an architect.
Tadao Ando is my favourite Japanese architect but I like the works of Shin Takamatsu as well. One of his buildings i really liked was the Kirin Plaza in Osaka which featured in one of my top ten lists of films, Black Rain. I love Osaka and I generally prefer western Japan to eastern Japan. I asked a Japanese friend a few years ago about the building and he replied that they demolished it. I was gutted.
Subb'd
The “Japan has four seasons” thing baffles me. When I studied in Tokyo, I blew someone’s mind when I responded, asking if they thought other countries didn’t have seasons.
My country, for instance, only have 2 seasons, the dry and wet season lmao😭💀
Weirdest flex ever...
Sometimes I feel some places have like 8 seasons
🏴 can have all the seasons in one day
@@annierutter5398 Same in Texas
Hey Chris, I doubt you look at these comments too often, but I've seen your videos for years on and off. I really followed your content a lot back when i planned on visiting Japan, and while I was learning Japanese. It's more on and off now, but this video popped into my feed and I figured I'd watch it while working.
You haven't changed a bit mate! Only difference is how absolutely stunning your video quality is now! from dinky videos on learning Japanese to being a hugely successful man talking about a culture you live and breathe, congrats to you, and thanks for staying the same even though you're so successful mate :)
I lived in Japan for about 7 months in '99, and I also got the nihongo jouzu, which was fine. It's the chopsticks that got me, cuz I'm ethnic Chinese 🤨. When I told people that I'm American, I could see their brains trying to reconcile the fact that I'm not blond haired and blue eyed, yet I still called myself American.
I went out to eat in the US with a friend of mine from Japan. When I asked for chopsticks, the lady brought them to him. I asked for another set and started using them in front of her. Blew her mind that this american girl was using chopsticks in america.
@@octogonSmuggler lol, that probably shouldn't be too surprising. I personally would be a little surprised but not too much. Did you hold them correctly tho?? 😬😛
@@yuletak Yes! Yes I did. I think that's the part that supprised the waitress so much.
@@octogonSmuggler This is such a great example of why professional discretion is so valuable. We often make slightly embarassing mistakes like that when we rely on intuition, but if the server instead brings chopsticks for both guests they got all bases covered.
99, yeah still cherishing their beloved old racial stereotypes about who looks "American" (Schwartznegger versus Wesley Snipes etc)
I was in Japan in September and tried Mos Burger in Kyoto and Matsumoto. I honestly really liked it! The vegetarian burger (my gf is vegetarian) and the onion rings were pretty solid. Oh and the Tsukimi burger with sausage was fucking amazing.
I have been watching your videos for several years now. My 7 year daughter came by & I asked what I was watching and who you are. I gave a brief synopsis. She wishes she could be in Japan with you because she loves rice, sushi, trains, and pokemon. I know you do not make pokemon content, but be aware you've been making excellent videos long enough to get second generation of fans.👍
From a Japanese perspective, I agree with almost all of them. It's interesting to hear about fruit sandwich, currently it's popular among young women. I feel your thought is quite similar what I see Sushi outside of Japan 😂 I wanna say it's not sushi at all! but sometimes it's pretty good.
I personally love fruit sandwhich!
Wait you don't think cream cheese on a sushi roll is legit? Surely it's not an affront to all life.
パチンコとキャバはいいカルチャーだろ！
@@メロンパンあ-n4k ダメ男が好きなものTOP2で笑う
@@PatrickDaviswimiwamwamwazzle Sushi means just like this ⇒🍣 for me, just simple raw fish and rice, but I like the other sushi rolls or something like that too.
I felt like those smalltalk questions almost stopped for the period of time Japan borders were closed for tourism. I think people just realised all foreigner looking person was a resident after a while without international travelers.
But now it's back to how it was before. I got my bunch of smalltalk on my last trip.
Nah - plenty of locals didn't realise the borders were closed to non-Japanese. I still got my fair share of standard small talk when going round Japan in 2020.
The situation was a lot better but not completely. At least when I'd go into shops and stuff people would actually have a conversation with me in Japanese without their brains completely shorting out so much from the panic of having to speak to a foreigner in English that they couldn't process that the words coming out of my mouth are in fact their native language. As much as I'm happy the borders are open I'm not happy about going back to everyone assuming I'm a tourist and treating me like a 2 year old.
Those were the days!! The only thing I miss about the pandemmy.
As an addon; pachinko parlors are also LOUD. Like, inside it's deafening, but that sound leaks out. Don't ever get an apartment near one, if you don't want to hear go crazy. Personally I would rather live next to a station with trains screeching to a halt every five minutes than next to a pachinko parlor to be honest.
Also, the go carts are back? I thought COVID-19 killed them off. It's been a while since I last used non-train transportation, so I haven't actually been in Akihabara for a while.
The microagressions; yeah, can confirm. Lived here for ten years, those questions. never. stop. ever. Back in the university this was a running joke with the other foreign students. Never got told the season thing though in all my years in Tokyo. Perhaps because lately Japanese winter is just an extended autumn? Or perhaps I just got lucky.
And finally, the TV thing? I couldn't agree more. It's basically 90% talkshow to make it worse. The thing that irks me the most, are the food reactions. Think Shokugeki no Souma, but without the fun, without the advantage of animation being over the top. Instead, just a bunch of adults trying to outdo each other with the HOOOOOO!s and the HIIIIIIII!s when they take a sip of beer while embarrassing themselves.
I think karaoke with your friends is loads of fun, especially if you don't worry about doing it Japanese style (ie. Only the person who picked the song may sing) and just all sing your favorite songs together.
I think he means drunk karaoke with colleagues or at the hostess clubs
I met my in-laws in 2019, I've been married with their daughter for three years now, and they know I-ve been visiting Japan regularly since the '00s. They still compliment me on my use of chopsticks.
lol
Honestly I would just snap and tell them that they are acting like a cliche.
@@kermit8173 Easy, bud...
@@CleverGirlAAH Snap: To speak abruptly or sharply. I'm not dropping the third nuke bud. Also, you aren't my bud, pal.
I live in Korea and they say the same things to foreign-looking people too. I literally just say hello and they’re like “wow your Korean is so good!” They say the four seasons thing too 😅
Makes me wonder what they learn in school sometimes. Most people don’t seem to know the sun and moon cause the tide
I find it pretty baffling that while generally considered smarter than most of the world, they apparently don't understand anything about seasons around the world. Not like you need to know what it's like everywhere, but kinda weird that even Americans know more places than not have the "full set" of seasons, some are more just rainy and dry, some just one extreme or the other. Like wtf do they actually think is in Europe and North America?
What's up with that? Do they think all Americans come from Florida?
Really love how you style these full of talking theme videos into a magnificent journey while you explore and even demonstrated some of your points. Keep it up Chris!
I am a local that came back after living in the States and in Europe for 17 years, and I agree with you on everything apart from the toilet. What struck me the hardest from your list was the feel of being an outsider. I guess inherently or not, we are still a bit of a closed society. That is probably why we still get fixated on becoming more ‘westernised’ in our lives, but at the same time, try to over sell our culture because deep down we still feel the need to feel a sense of pride in being a Japanese national.
do you know how to use chopsticks? ha, ha!
there is a pride of having your history. That should be a path for Japanese people. Having so much to offer than follow a race with West
We Japanese
"oversell the culture" this is an important point I think.
Each country has its flaws 😊.
I am learning about Japan, and have to smile at his videos.
I've lived in Peru for 13 years and I really empathised with your point about repeated conversations. But I also found it really useful for practicing the language at first. And then I just learned to kind of lean hard into it, really push back. Yes, I speak Spanish just as well as you. Yes, your food is good, but have you been to this spot? No? You're missing out. No, I didn't come here for some chick but if you're free can I have your number?
I think every culture tends to do this in its own way. It's up to you to take control and change things up.
I moved to Brazil almost 4 years ago, I still get “Your portuguese is good”. Is something from every country honestly.
Me hiciste reir mucho andrew, No vengas a argentina esperando algo distinto porque somos iguales jajajajajajjajaa
@@gisellemarisolmoraSería un gusto me falta conocer Argentina, algún día pronto espero. En verdad me divierto demasiado con la gente porque asume que por ser gringo no se nada y me gusta fingirlo un rato y de ahí revelar todo lo que entiendo y se decir y las reacciones son un cague de risa literal
@@steelerfaninperu Igual yo con el ingles!! Pero trato de no demostrarlo mucho, porque me gusta tener ese "green pass" que te da el ser extranjero.. si te equivocas en algo, si no entendes algo, o si metiste la pata siempre podes usar "the foreign card" jajaja
@@denyssealferez8676 I don't think that's true though. In the US, I have never once felt the need to say "your English is good". Either it's good, or it's not, and if they're tourists, I really don't care because it doesn't matter at all. I guess that's just sort of what happens when your country has actual diversity, as opposed to Japan or Brazil?
This was my first time hearing about Harajuku Station and my jaw dropped. As a lover of vintage architecture and ESPECIALLY Meiji and Taisho Roman style, that was horrific.
When I think of things that I don't like about Japan, 3 things come to mind immediately: no washcloths, no grounded plug sockets, and that godforsaken bird tweeting that I heard over the loud speaker at every single train station. Next time I go to Japan, I will make sure to bring washcloths, a plug adapter, and a sack full of earplugs. However, like Chris said, there are a lot of things to like about Japan....the train culture, convenience stores, Hard Offs, restaurant food, the scenery, older architecture, safe environment, being able to leave an item on a table to go to the bathroom and finding it still there when I come back, friendly people that were eager to help, cash is still embraced, and perversely...even the fact that I stood out since I look so different from everyone else. All of these things make me want to go back and a slew of other things. I plan to go back next year and I am looking forward to it.
18:47 Man this entire rant resonanted with me SO much, this is happening everywhere too. The genre "modernism" and it's subgenre "functionalism" is literally ruining cities all over the world EXACTLY the way you put it, in japan it has completely taken over and it's honestly such a shame :/
I completely agree. It's sterilizing the nearby culture. I'd rather want a building with character and just a glass building
Indeed, dull glass corporate office towers lack authenticity and character. However, Modern architecture also led to the creation of the capsule tower. A lot of architects around the world wanted the capsule tower to be preserved as well. So, I blame corporate greed rather than the architectural community.
Man. I'm a fan of any form of visual art, an seeing the world just basically foregoing any aesthetic artistic look and going all in on JUST function is kinda boring and kills the soul of the city. Cuz its suppose to be a part of the identity of each place, if you take that out and just conform and imitate the majority then it just feels like a soulless concrete jungle
Efficiency and quake-proofing drive modern design and you can see why. Those will trump people’s need to satisfy their Instagram urges
Bro you realise japan is the home of natural disaster mostly earthquakes, tsunami, torrential rains and flashfloods right? They built those same looking structures to adapt on that natural disasters, if you want arts and ancient culture of japan go to rural areas of japan there you will see their preserved traditional samurai house which is by the why sucks if thres a typhoon and in the time of winter.
Why was this the most action packed and immersive episode ever?😂 we were in a bar, karaoke, train, Tokyo streets, Tokyo balcony, photo booth, studio, you name it😁 Great episode and I strongly agree on the architecture point, as you can see this happen almost everywhere nowadays:/
I cannot fathom ever enjoying a host club experience.
I can see how a lonely man with nothing to lose besides money could enjoy attention from someone even if it is only because he pays. Japan is filled with lonely people as are most countries.
Looks like Japanese Hooters
In some ways it's sadness or loneliness. They really want to have connections without any work or any risks of commitment attracts them there. The girls who are employed are just earning money and care only so much as it's a paycheck. Other girls who are fully employed in office jobs work such brutal schedules that they don't want to flirt and waste time endlessly just for sex. Mastrubation is up in all population groups for good and bad reasons and the social hesitance,imperminance and lack of work life balance in my opinion is one of the bad ones. People making meaningful connections with the expectation of money exchange for the privilege doesn't strike me as particularly healthy. I'm not against sex work but I am against cultures who so flagrantly dismiss the importance of deep human conversation and relationships. Hopefully, people who have grown up in healthy households feel loved and appreciated without an expectation of sex or emotional or physical extreme servitude for that love or acceptance. Selfless friendships and marriages or long term parterships are essential to good mental health. We are a social species despite many of the permutations which assume people can survive alone. No man is an island. The base of many relationships exists WITHOUT the expectation of payment but simply because you enjoy each others company. Japan's suicide rate seems to indicate that for the many good things about Japanese culture this is not one of them.
@@rootfish2671 Hooters is a family restaurant.
Same here. It takes too long to earn money to blow on an experience like that
Seeing Chris talking about creepy nuts a year ago for them to be all over the place now is great
Chris! You are looking GREAT my dude! It is amazing to see your health journey and you can definitely see it is paying off!
Most affable
Haven't been in Japan in a while, it's sad to see that those iconic buildings are not there anymore. I agree with that point and its happening everywhere, cities neglect their traditional architecture in favor of the modern generic look
I replied the same thing to someone else, but Harajuku Station is a terrible example of this, and it's beyond unfair to the workers behind the replication project and the viewers of the video to present it like this. They didn't replace the old traditional building, they replicated exactly it and added a glass structure next to it, expanding the space while clearly showing which part is replica and which part is new. This is something that happens quite often in Japan; my university building was also rebuilt to look the same from the ground but have a glass structure augmented behind and above, obscured from view.
As a Japanese person who grew up near Harajuku, it really is unfortunate that Chris has brought it up multiple times. (This is around the third time as far as I know.)
How they rebuilt Harajuku Station is simply the opposite of of tearing down traditional, detailed architecture and replacing it with bland, cookie cutter cuboids (which definitely has been a trend for a while, a point Chris has undermined here by bringing up such a poor example). I don't know if it's on purpose or he just missed it, but even though it is very deliberately an exact replica, it's always been hidden in the angles he presents in videos.
If you want to know why they rebuilt it then to begin with, one issue surrounding traditional Japanese architecture is that you simply can't make durable buildings out of bricks or stone in such an earthquake prone environment. That is why the traditional building material is wood. That is also what makes it so hard to just preserve buildings as they are, what with the humidity in the summer and the fact that the city was bombed to near oblivion mid 20th century. Part of what made people value Harajuku Station as a classic beauty was the fact that it was built in 1924 and survived the bombings. That is why it had such a distinct, iconic aesthetic, because while after the bombings the city had to scramble to rebuild infrastructure all over with the critically limited resources at the time, to hastily get it back up and running, Harajuku Station was a stark exception. But, all wooden things must come to an end, and a 100 year old wooden building could not serve as a modern station any longer without major reconstruction. So they had to rebuild the whole thing from scratch, but to say the people behind the project neglected to pay their respects to the original architecture and the cultural hub that it came to manifest is an egregious misrepresentation of their work.
That was a rant, but I'm just so deeply saddened that this is what people who've never even seen the station for themselves think of the new station and the incredible thought and effort that was put into restoring the past look. Easy W in my book.
Edit: adding a preemptive disclaimer about the use of the word "traditional" since some hardcore architecture nerds might disagree with my usage of the term to refer to something built in the 20th century with heavy western influence.
@@destituteanddecadent9106 as he said, taste in architecture is just opinion, he just doesnt like it and you do
@@tamhuy10 I think you misunderstood, it's not a matter of opinion. He's just made a mistake in what the building is now.
They didn't replace the old building with the glass thing, they are literally different angles taken from different places. If you take pictures from the same angle they would look the same because the current station building is an exact replica. It just has the glass structure built next to it to expand the space.
@@destituteanddecadent9106 i saw the pictures, its just not the same, you barely notice the old building, and i think thats his point, and the skyline and view is different bc of modernisation
@@tamhuy10 i get that the skyline is different, but I don't think you realize what I mean by different angles. I meant that even if the old building was there, you still wouldn't see it from that angle because the building in front would obstruct the view.
Chris looks better than ever before. All his hard work and pain were a great success.
Ya gotta respect Chris going into a Mos Burger only to order food and loudly complain about it IN the Mos Burger; absolute legend!
Been living in Japan for 20 years now, and the only reason I've ever stepped into a Pachinko parlor is to use the toilet. They are usually really nice and decked out with faux luxurious decor !
Just wanna say Chris looks great man! You can really see he dedicated himself to training at it's amazing! Happy for you man! As always an amazing video both in content and production. All the best from Bosnia!
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but Chris you look amazing, I’m really happy to see you being healthy and enjoying life, even though it’s through “critiques” hahaha. Cheers mate, keep up the good work with the channel and with yourself! We love to see it.
The thing about ekiben is not the actual food most of the time for me, it's about the fun container I can reuse ad infinitum!