Hey Everyone!! Took SUUUPER long to upload this one!! (for some reason, a total of 8 hours for the upload.........) Sorry it took this long to get this weeks Tokyo Tuesday out!! Any cool culture shocks or reverse culture shocks you have had? Leave them below!
Tokyo Lens After coming back from Japan (did an exchange year), I immediately noticed the attitude of the shop clerks here, not smiling bright and not being polite the whole time (like in Japan) haha But what I really missed while being in Japan, was hearing other languages while being outside! In Japan you mostly hear Japanese but here in Luxembourg you are surrounded by so many languages in your daily life!:) Made me realize how lucky one is to be born in a multicultural country!🙈
I'm Portuguese and moved to Australia. Back In September I went back for 2 weeks. It's almost two years since I've been there. It's not much time BUT European culture and Australian culture are very VERY different. The streets, the buildings, food, people, transportation, the cobblestone, the cafe culture, the air, the language.. how you go somewhere and you know everyone from the cashier to the baristas.. so many different things. But when I posted about being a reverse culture shock, I was attacked by ppl I thought to be my friends accusing me of not being patriotic and that I moved away and was now complaining. I only said i was experiencing reverse culture shock, nothing else.
Tokyo Lens Is it 10 degrees C or 10 degrees Fahrenheit? It was 28 below zero Fahrenheit here last night! Was in Japan in 1977, very clean, pretty and homogeneous! Was so glad to be back in the good old U.S of A, slightly dirty, sometimes ugly, but definitely more variety of races and nationalities! Oh, yes I love Canada too!!!
Nice video, but you are in a small town somewhere which means of course people are going to be more stereotypically "Canadian" and nice. A better comparison would probably be Toronto vs. Tokyo, and Toronto people are not chill and nice. I'm very cautious about Canadians being stereotypically nice because I think it's pretty bullshit.
@motomusiq Totally a fair point. I've long believed that the single biggest cultural difference on earth is between "country" and city, rather than between countries. Example: I live in a small town in Massachusetts, and I have no doubt I'd have more in common, just in every sense of the word -- pace of life, things I gravitate towards, how I prefer to spend my free time -- with a fellow smalltown dweller from Europe, on a different continent, than I would with someone from the (somewhat) big city of Boston, which is located less than 50 miles away from me. Boston is closeby and it's like a different UNIVERSE there! And that's to say nothing of going just a bit farther afield to New York City, which is a legitimate megacity on par with Tokyo, still close enough to my home to be considered part of the same region, and doubtless we share some mannerisms, but...my god, the difference between my home and NYC is so vast as to be ludicrous, lol. A man from Mars might be forgiven for thinking that New Yorkers are members of a different species. Though, in fairness, he did acknowledge in the video that it's probably more of an urban-versus-rural thing than a Canada-versus-Japan thing, so it's not a knock against that.
I haven’t been back to Canada 🇨🇦 in over 10 years now. Living in the countryside of Japan. Miss so many of the things you mentioned. Planning to return within a few years.
I also didn’t go back for three years and went back this summer !! Some reverse culture shock I felt was: I bowed to people instead of saying thank you lol.. secondly, I did the X gesture to my mom instead of saying “no” and she didn’t get it !! Thirdly, people freaking out after waiting for 5 minutes in lineup .. And lastly.. I had a cab driver tell me “lady you speak funny” because I was listening to my friend tell me a story in the back seat and I was like “ehhhhhhhh!!!??!” And “Uh, Uh!” Which are common Japanese conversational nuances (I’m sure you know what I mean 😂) And don’t forget the Canadian word for sofa (Chesterfield) & napkins (serviettes) Have fun back home ❤️❤️
I came back to the US from Argentina for the holidays and I can relate to a lot of this! Turning on red, big stores, big food, sweet foods... Even savory food here is still so sweet! Crazy, haha.
I totally agree to this! It's been a year since I moved back to my country but I still miss a lot of the things in Japan. Especially stepping up on the left side of an escalator .
My husband's cousin married a Japanese woman. When her family and friends came to the states for the wedding they were definitely overwhelmed with how friendly people were. We just said if they think we're friendly they should visit Canada. 😂 I'm pretty sure you guys are the nicest people in earth.
From my experience Newfoundland Canada comes close to the nicest possible people. Imagine someone loaning a car to a complete stranger who just flew in, someone they do not know a thing about. Also imagine offering a room to stay in to a complete stranger you just met at the airport, or inviting them to come stay for dinner with your family at your place any time. This is the insanely shocking level of friendliness that is awaiting visitors to Newfoundland Canada. Truly one of the friendliest places on the planet.
That's different from being friendly People around the world say that the friendliness of Americans and Canadians is superficial. Talking to strangers has nothing to do with being friendly. Not talking to stranger is just a cultural difference and has nothing to do with being friendly. Once you make friends with Japanese people, they remain friends for life.
I've had reverse culture shock once. I once spent some time in Zambia, Africa and when I came home I noticed right away: everyone around me speaking English (some people where I was did speak it, but it was usually one of the village languages and the 'brightness' of colors (where I was was very muted...the dirt, homes, soot, landscape etc) and the variety of plants/trees. Everything seemed so GREEN back at home!!)
My husband and I were stationed in Korea for a year. It was over 10 years ago but I will never forget how foreign it felt coming back home. Thanks for the video 👍🏻
My first time visiting Japan in 2010. I was asleep on my flight and was woken up by the announcement that we were getting ready to land in Narita. I needed to use the restroom, but during this time, you are not allowed to get up, so I held it in. After landing, it took forever to get to our gate and I am doing the dance in my seat, like, I need to go. We finally get to our gate and I get off the plane and head to the first restroom I can find. The restroom was so clean and bright. I actually stood there in awe for like a second or two before doing my business. Same trip, on my way back home. Same thing. I'm asleep and woken up by the announcement that we were getting ready to land at LAX. I need to use the restroom but have to wait after we land. Back in 2010, before LAX got its current makeover, you had to walk all the way to the immigration line area before you could even spot a bathroom. So I am dashing through people looking for the first bathroom so I can go. I get to it and walk in and half the lights were out, the floor was dirty. I go into a stall with the door barely staying on, like if the doors is on its last leg before just falling off. There is urine all over the toilet seat and in the surrounding floor... Yeah. That's a sure way for me to know that I was back home. LOL
Even though being overseas is something nice (even though sometimes can be lonely), going back home is always something that would warm you heart and feeling the air and the voices that you are familiar with is just so nice. ❤️
When I come back from Japan to the US, I am always disappointed by the 7-Elevens and other convenience stores in the US when compared to the ones in Japan. Japan's versions have so much more variety and better products, especially food! Enjoy your time at home!
I have never left the US but I still am shocked at the bathroom stall gaps. They drive me crazy! Is it so hard to make a stall door that people can't see you through?
That'd be nice, but I'd rather have them make better locks if I could only choose one of the two. Almost every other public washroom I've been to had a busted lock, and the door not being able to even close properly without it opening on it's own. If I really had to poop without any other options, I'd be between a rock and a hard place because the door is unlocked, and anybody can come in without realizing it's occupied. I'd also really wish people would take better care of using the public restrooms, because most of them are absolutely disgusting, graffiti and wet everywhere, soap dispenser and paper towel rolls always empty...etc.
This topic is something that we never hear about and is SO interesting to me. I’d love to be able to leave the US for long enough to come back and be surprised by things I once thought were normal. I love being able to think about things in a different way; I’m sure it helps keep things interesting in the long run. Definitely glad you enjoyed your time in Canada all these years ago :)
Interesting video! I can relate to the language thing... I have verrrry basic Japanese proficiency being born in and growing up as Nisei in Canada. When I went on vacation to Japan, I had culture shock with only hearing & reading Japanese all around me. I felt drained each day because it didn't come naturally to me & I wasn't used to it. Two weeks later, the moment I landed home, just hearing English again put me at ease instantly!
Comment trail! I found this video really comforting. 2010's trip to Japan, I couldn't understand why coming back to Canada felt like its own ... adaptation period. From language slips, to a different personal bubble, to remembering how to breathe in a higher elevation city again lol. Oh, and 7-eleven has been ruined for me since lol.
I loved this video! Thank you for sharing this with us. After learning about Japan everything you said makes so much sense. I can't wait to hear more about your adventures in Canada!
It’s so interesting how we get accustom to our environment and how much we change and notice things when going into a new environment! The toilet seat thing would be weird!
I LOVE that crunchy snow sound! ❄💜 It was so interesting to hear what stood out to you most coming back West... And in so doing I think you've convinced me all the more that I would love Japan's quiet, subtle, polite, traditional culture. Can't wait to be able to visit. And btw, please wish me luck with resuming my Japanese studies! Hopefully I'll be able to string together a basic sentence by spring. 😁
Not gonna lie I've been having a pretty bad day with my depression being a lot worse but your video made me happy while I was watching it it's engaging enough so that I don't think about the bad stuff and I focus on just on the video and I wanna say thanks norm for making my day (well night now really) better. Your videos are amazing and always keep my attention somewhere good so yeah thank you
Zach Thank you so much for taking the time to share and comment~ I think a lot more people that you can imagine can relate to where you are at with that. Thank you honestly for sharing the love here. It is literally 100%, THIS that pushes me to keep grinding forward no matter what. I always thought that If I can make even ONE video that makes even ONE persons day better, then it will be worth every second I put into the channel. Zach, thank YOU for being so strong! So much more content to come~
After living in Japan for about a year, the first big shock, other then language, was driving up the 400 and seeing how much SPACE there was. I was like "this is what it feels like not to be crowded by people or buildings?!"
People around the world say that the friendliness of Americans and Canadians is superficial. Talking to strangers has nothing to do with being friendly. Not talking to stranger is just a cultural difference and has nothing to do with being friendly. Once you make friends with Japanese people, they remain friends for life.
@@novrinkov0053 did you mean to respond to me like 4 times, and to a comment that has nothing to do with what you are talking about, posted 6 years ago??
That is such a sweet and candid video ❤️ In Quebec we do say “Bon appétit” before eating, so I’m sure you would’ve felt right at home :) I hope you’ll enjoy every minute of your time back in Canada!
You briefly indicated the culture shock in the last video. It’s nice to see you made a full video about it! It would be weird to have to get used to your own country again. But I think it would be fun too!
Great vlog, Canada looks amazing. I think its one of your honest and best vlogs to date, not as the others are bad, this was just about you. Looking forward to more Tokyo vlogs. Happy new year to you and all your family.
Been there,done that:)I'm romanian but I currently reside in China and let me tell You that here is absolutely crazy:))toilets are squating style,food either sweet or spicy,never salty,and OMG the language:)))).there are many weird ones like cutting the line,yelling,etc but it's still an interesting place to live from my point of view.Enjoy the rest of your Holiday!:)
I found the same thing about food and drinks being sweet. In Japan, flavours are more subtle and less sweet than the UK, even when I've bought the same products, like Dr Pepper or Cadburys chocolate (hard to find in Japan). I haven't been to Canada, but the USA is much stronger and sweeter than the UK (with bigger bottles and portion sizes!).
Thank you Norm! Awesome take on all this .... it is the differences that make both places precious. Personally looking forward to the dialed-back, less sugar laden and more real food I will find in Japan. The snow slowly flocking your hair was amazing 😉 💜☯️
Welcome back to the country (I know I've said it in the other video). Lol! Well, I hope you count Quebec province in Canada lol! When you are talking about "itadakimasu", yes, in Canada we say it too but let say only in Quebec (and you said it good Bon appétit). Yeah, I agree with you with how we are friendly. But big cities are big cities. I use to live with my parents on a north shore city from Montreal and now, I'm in Montreal. Wow! Customers service sucks when you are use to where I was before lol! You miss almost 3 winters with no snow. It was all waiting for you (last year, Christmas was green, very sad) Have fun in TO ^.^
I know this is old video but when we came back from Okinawa Japan the biggest culture shock was driving the speed limit on U.S highways! We were scared to death! the second culture shock was I was so use to have automatic doors at shops in Okinawa then when I got to the states I would often would be standing at the entrance to a store waiting for them to slide open before I realized I need to open the door manually! lol
Sharla's videos about weird boxes with weird stories brings me here to you, I'm happy and subscribing right away! Anyway, welcome back home! Oh! And, nice to meet you, Norm! :)
oh my god i love reverse culture shock as a discussion. when i came back to the u.s. after visiting canada i had way more culture shock than when i entered canada for the first time ever. returning home felt even more foreign to me somehow?
Yes! All of these! Especially the overwhelming English. For me the biggest one was a loss for words. I was so used to the meal phrases, and being in a dojo and around teachers and meeting people in Japan, I got so used to the phrases that don't translate. When I would get in someone's car or entering a home, 失礼します. Not doing a 自己紹介 was weird hahah.
7:13 at big family meals (I'm Canadian btw) we always pray before we eat and once the prayer is over it's our cue that we can eat. I'm never sure when to eat when nobody prays either.
In America we have both sleds AND tabagons. Sleds are usually a plastic affair that you get from WalMart, or other cheap ass stores. Tabagons however are made of wood, have metal sleigh legs/skis on the bottom of it, and the front like curls up for you to tie your string too and stuff. No, Canadians are SOOOO friendly. So Husband and I have never been to Canada, but once for work we were so far North in North Dakota, we were only a few miles from the border so we decided to drive up to the border and check out Canada. The Mounties on patrol at the border were SO NICE. Even let me put a foot over the border. So my left foot has been to Canada. Lolol
Danielle Boulanger That is really cool! We were always just taught that it's the best tool for Ice Sledding. And that if we wanted to keep fingers, to use a sled. Haha.
I live in Michigan and have never made it up to Toronto, but recently have been thinking about making a trip. I'll be taking notes from your upcoming vids!
When I first moved to Ontario from BC I found everything so weird but familiar. Coffee prices at Tims was a little more, the stores I usually shopped for every-day items didn't exist and some fast-casual chains, like White Spot, had never been heard of. There was such a mix of people in Ottawa too, that it was weird that I thought I had lived somewhere so multicultural and diverse before. I lived in Ottawa for almost 8 years, and now living in Toronto I still find it weird that the buses/subway/streetcar aren't bi-lingual, that no one waits until 11am on Remembrance day to start their day, that distance - just 4 klicks away- can mean the difference between adventure and disappointment (spoiler alert - it could be two blocks away but it's still too far). I love it more than any city I've lived in though.
It was -29 degrees here in Alberta today :/ I'm glad that it's still warm enough where you are that you can go out and do stuff! I miss the weather in Ontario lol. Great Video!
Enjoyed your nice cultural shock there :) The last time I went to Japan (only for 1 month), when I came back to Canada, my brain was still trying to see Kanji on billboard and ads outside. It was so weird!! Even though the sign were in English, my brain was trying to form kanji with the letters! did you had something like this? Enjoy your holidays!!
When I came back from living in Japan, my brain was still working in Japanese. I went to the bakery the day after I arrived and the lady asked me "Is that all?" and I was like "hai" and she was super shocked, because why would I be greeting her? :D
I can relate to this on a deep level! xD I get the "cultural shock" every time I go home for the holidays from Portugal to Romania, every 2, 3 years, and it's just old Europe, not much of a cultural differences one would say, oh but there are.
totally thought snowmobiles instead of toboggans when you were talking about the conversation between the 2 guys, since thats also a thing in canada. calling snowmobiles "sleds"
Hey Norm brand new subscriber here...I found your Channel, and Sherry's Channel too, via Sharla. It's interesting you posted the culture shock video as I'm an American who works in Tokyo and Seoul a lot and going back and forth between those places and the states, even though I've been doing it for over 10 years, there's definitely culture shock and that never goes away. I enjoy your's and the other people's I mentioned videos because it helps me feel a little less shocked in a little more connected to the places that I work in but aren't in at the moment. Been enjoying catching up on your earlier videos. Keep up the good work!
I will go back to Germany next June after a year in Japan, I’m really curious what kind of reverse culture shock I will experience. Tokyo is also getting colder, I filmed some illuminations last night and my hands were frozen at the end. ☃️
Hey! If you live in Vancouver, people are a bit more colder than rest of Canada. Like people are too cliquey and it's hard to make friends or date. I've had friends from Ontario say it's hard to make friends here. You get used to it. But if leave the lower mainland rest of BC seems quite friendly which I thought was a bit weird haha.
Loved the video Norm! You have such good energy :) Very interesting to hear about these reverse culture shocks! And wauw, you guys have so much snow there. England just got some snow again todya, but it is all very wet 😂
Oh. The language! I was recently in France. I thought in French, dreamed in French, read everything in French. Coming home I was actually confused by the English for a bit! I also learned that in France I could do so much more physically than what I thought I could do.
About 'itadakimasu'... I guess the closest Western equivalent would either be to say grace, or else to thank whoever cooked the meal and compliment them on the food. I think it's a lovely custom actually.
I hear you on the cold toilets seats... I don’t know about French Canadians but, in France you don’t usually say “Bon appétit” right before eating. Bon appétit is mostly used as a salutation to someone who’s about to eat, in Spanish there’s an equivalent to bon appétit which is “buen provecho”, but I don’t think there’s an equivalent to “itadakimasu” in any of the most popular western languages
🇨🇦 Being a Canadian, I appreciate that you're a Canadian content creator - so that combined with my interest in Japan has made me into one of your subscribers. 😉
Hi Norm / 2022 ! 😄 As decided to watch 1 video a day ( in random order) during g your Context " One ticket to Japan!", I found this little gem. As a girl living in Montreal, Quebec, everything you said made me smile!😁 ... I onced was " outside normal life" for 11 months, in a complete closed therapy- no, It was NOT in jail! 😂, "just" therapy, even if when I did it, I though it was almost jail! , I can relate to this feeling of " coming home" where a lot of things changed, some others we forgot, etc...You actually expressed it very well, because it's all those little everyday details that are telling us where or when we are living! So your video made me be grateful for my actual " normal Canadian life"! Thank you for that 🤗
That "dollar store" in particular sells pieces of furniture for over a hundred dollars, its so large because it used to be a Zellers, and then a Target.
I'm so jealous of all that snow. I'm in Finland , we only have like couple hours light this time of year (and I sleep those because my body is in NA time apparently! Hah.) and the lack of snow is really depressing, it's so dark and grey and wet :( Enjoy all the snow while you're there! Build me a snowman or make a snow angel! :D
I was in Japan for one month before returning to the states and had some reverse culture shock haha. I noticed random strangers are always talking to other random strangers, being friendly and it's just completely normal! I was like, "Whoa! I never noticed how people here are so friendly and talkative!" I also noticed how loud people are and how much space there is lol it's so weird.
i lived in japan for a year on exchange and oh man. my first day back to australia was FULL of little culture shocks and blunders. i had grown so used to speaking japanese that when i ordered a sandwich they asked if i wanted it wrapped, i responded "あ、大丈夫です” and the poor girl just stared at me 😅 i also (still) bow when people hold a door open for me, still use little japanese sentence fillers etc. probably my biggest culture shock though was our shopping centres. i had to avoid going shopping a week ahead of christmas because it was chaos! even in tokyo, when there are crowds, it's generally organised chaos, people being mindful of others while going about their day. australia is just mayhem, no sense of order or anything, people just stopping in the middle of the corridor with no regard to people behind them!
i'm fascinated that there's japanese ang german subs for this video. and I felt a slight reverse culture shock when we went back from my choir's 2-month tour.
Canadian's are soo friendly I find myself apologizing for stuff that isn't even my fault, someone could bump into me and I will apologize. Plus I always hold the door for the person behind me which I heard isn't very common in Japan. Going to cuba there was alot of culture shocks, they use recycled newspaper for toilet paper and if you go to the beach people will come up to tourists and asks them for money to give you a tour, I even had a woman offer me a paso for my necklace.
Oh, in my city in Canada you can't turn right on red so it REALLY makes me panic whenever we go out the city and family or friends start turning when it's red LOL I completely forget!
Can't wait for more videos from Canada. Looking forward to your Walmart visit. The Walmart where I am from gets super crazy busy with a few weirdos lol. You might have a sugar detox spell when you get home.
When I went to France I was shocked at the fact you had to pay to use a lot of the bathrooms! But it makes sense I guess to help keep it clean. When I went to the notre dame they also had armed gun men just walking around! It made me nervous even though I know I wasn't doing anything wrong haha
When I went back to Oz 5 or 6 years ago, after having been in the UK for 15, I had some culture shock. It was all subtle stuff, hard to put your finger on, but it was all so weird. It was kind of a relief to get back to the UK
Hi Norm! Hope you are well I can relate a little to this video. When I spent a month in South Korea basically not seeing or hearing much if any English at all, and then traveling back home to England was a minor culture shock. Hearing and seeing a language I know so well and hearing English, it was a weird sensation. Super weird to hear that pennies basically dont exist, its just pocket change that we collect in England but still hitting that direct £10.27 is a sweet feeling.
Great video. I’m moving back to Canada after living in Japan for 25 years. I visited Canada many times during that time but I’m not sure what I have to do to do live in Canada again. I understand the toilet situation. I’ll miss that for sure. But I think relaxing back home will be the best. Strange this is all my best friends still live in Canada. Same hometown. Crazy eh!!!
Thank you for still uploading on your vacation, your awesome! Let see moving from the North to the South in the US I hard to learn that ice tea does not exist in the south and sweet tea is life. Then going back home (up north) relearning I cant ask for sweet tea without a "Duuuuh what?"
Welcome back to Canada. A temperature of -10C isn't that bad. I'm not sure what part you are in but I've never seen those varieties of Diet Coke in the Toronto area. I didn't even know such varieties existed. BTW, the titles near the beginning of the video were on screen for too short a period of time (about a second?). The ones towards towards the end were better at about 2 seconds on screen.
THERE was a small boy of Quebec, Who was buried in snow to his neck; When they said. “Are you friz?” He replied, “Yes, I is- But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.” ~Rudyard Kipling
Awesome can't wait to see it Norm. We still use pennys in the US. I always wanted to visit Canada. Do you any recommendations where to visit in Canada? Hope you enjoy your visit though.
hmmmmmmm tough choice such a wide country... everything is so different from place to place the extremes are the most beautiful in my opinion East Coast West Coast Prairies !
Aloha Norm, Love watching your Vlog in Canada, Japan or where ever you are! We moved around Northern Nevada, Northern California, Southern Oregon, North Bay in California, & then to Hawaii Island, Hawaii. We used to live in the Lake Tahoe, California area for over 20 years. Moving to Hawaii was a culture change. Every place we have been is different. I'm noticing the Japanese influence in Hawaii from your Vlog. You are awesome and I'm learning so much! I am inspired to try to Vlog! My nephew and I are getting the equipment together. I loved learning how to buy equipment and Q & A with you and Sharla! So far though we got a GH4 to use. We love your drone work too! Enjoy family! Take care, Kai Bolton Strom
Thomas Favre- Hi- Actually in both California and Hawaii there are cheaper and very expensive areas. There is both rural and urban areas. We also got snow this week in Hawaii on the Volcano. I had way more snow in Tahoe though. So, I live in a more rural family area in Hilo. In Puna District on Hawaii is one of the poorest places. It is often off the grid, with no running water. They use catchment water. It isn't good for drinking because we have Rat Lung Worm here. It was too hard for us to live near there. We moved to the small town of Hilo. Some foods you would find in California cheaply are expensive here. You have to adapt to what locals eat and shop only stuff with local coupons. House renting from the Bay area in California and Hilo, Hawaii is nearly the same. Both are pricey to start. Finding housing is limited in both places. I enjoyed the diversity in the Bay area and conveniences. I prefer the friendliness of some people we connected with in Hawaii. My adult kids Dad was from Kauai, Hawaii. There isn't a lot of choices to do for work and activities. It is kind of you enjoy it or you get Island fever. I'm used to being snowed in, so lots of rainy days doesn't bother me. They always need Doctors and medical staff. Hawaii Island has many microclimates. I have my own fb groups. If you want to ask questions, feel free. Take care, Kai Bolton Strom
Kai, thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I don't know much about Hawaii island, but I have been following a few people on instagram who live in Kauai island. I must say it's beautiful, makes you wanna travel there, or maybe even live there. But yes, I'm always wondering about the job market. It must be a good place if you're a doctor or if you work online, from your laptop. I had never pictured Hawaii with snow, but now that I think about it, of course! I live on the east coast (Washington DC) and I've been looking for some place else to move to. Hawaii would be one option, but I have to do more research, about your island and the other ones. Housing cost and space is something that often comes up when talking about Hawaii. Thanks again!
Thomas Favre I have a couple of groups. You can ask questions anytime. We did a lot of research & decided to move by family in Hawaii. The University of Hawaii at Hilo is very good for my daughters too! Kauai is beautiful, elegant and more groomed. I feel Hawaii Island is more rugged, old style and it's about 8 times larger! We have the brightest night sky here too! They keep the lights low here and view the sky on Beautiful Mauna Kea. The Volcanos are sacred Mountains and Kilauea is erupting beautifully! Maybe on a trip you should check it out? I hope to visit Japan & possibly New Zealand. I lived in the area of the fictional show Bonanza. I enjoyed checking out all the areas of the Gold Rush, Mark Twain's stomping grounds and working with the Indigenous peoples in Northern California and Northern Nevada. It's beautiful, but cold! Take care!
Didn't know you were from canada, Norm! Where are you from? I grew up in southern Ontario and live in Vancouver now and seeing that cold snow made me glad to be away lol. Hope you are keeping warm!!
Hey Everyone!!
Took SUUUPER long to upload this one!! (for some reason, a total of 8 hours for the upload.........)
Sorry it took this long to get this weeks Tokyo Tuesday out!!
Any cool culture shocks or reverse culture shocks you have had? Leave them below!
Tokyo Lens After coming back from Japan (did an exchange year), I immediately noticed the attitude of the shop clerks here, not smiling bright and not being polite the whole time (like in Japan) haha But what I really missed while being in Japan, was hearing other languages while being outside! In Japan you mostly hear Japanese but here in Luxembourg you are surrounded by so many languages in your daily life!:) Made me realize how lucky one is to be born in a multicultural country!🙈
I'm Portuguese and moved to Australia. Back In September I went back for 2 weeks. It's almost two years since I've been there. It's not much time BUT European culture and Australian culture are very VERY different. The streets, the buildings, food, people, transportation, the cobblestone, the cafe culture, the air, the language.. how you go somewhere and you know everyone from the cashier to the baristas.. so many different things. But when I posted about being a reverse culture shock, I was attacked by ppl I thought to be my friends accusing me of not being patriotic and that I moved away and was now complaining. I only said i was experiencing reverse culture shock, nothing else.
Tokyo Lens Is it 10 degrees C or 10 degrees Fahrenheit? It was 28 below zero Fahrenheit here last night! Was in Japan in 1977, very clean, pretty and homogeneous! Was so glad to be back in the good old U.S of A, slightly dirty, sometimes ugly, but definitely more variety of races and nationalities! Oh, yes I love Canada too!!!
Nice video, but you are in a small town somewhere which means of course people are going to be more stereotypically "Canadian" and nice. A better comparison would probably be Toronto vs. Tokyo, and Toronto people are not chill and nice. I'm very cautious about Canadians being stereotypically nice because I think it's pretty bullshit.
@motomusiq
Totally a fair point. I've long believed that the single biggest cultural difference on earth is between "country" and city, rather than between countries.
Example: I live in a small town in Massachusetts, and I have no doubt I'd have more in common, just in every sense of the word -- pace of life, things I gravitate towards, how I prefer to spend my free time -- with a fellow smalltown dweller from Europe, on a different continent, than I would with someone from the (somewhat) big city of Boston, which is located less than 50 miles away from me. Boston is closeby and it's like a different UNIVERSE there!
And that's to say nothing of going just a bit farther afield to New York City, which is a legitimate megacity on par with Tokyo, still close enough to my home to be considered part of the same region, and doubtless we share some mannerisms, but...my god, the difference between my home and NYC is so vast as to be ludicrous, lol. A man from Mars might be forgiven for thinking that New Yorkers are members of a different species.
Though, in fairness, he did acknowledge in the video that it's probably more of an urban-versus-rural thing than a Canada-versus-Japan thing, so it's not a knock against that.
I haven’t been back to Canada 🇨🇦 in over 10 years now. Living in the countryside of Japan. Miss so many of the things you mentioned. Planning to return within a few years.
I also didn’t go back for three years and went back this summer !!
Some reverse culture shock I felt was:
I bowed to people instead of saying thank you lol.. secondly, I did the X gesture to my mom instead of saying “no” and she didn’t get it !!
Thirdly, people freaking out after waiting for 5 minutes in lineup .. And lastly.. I had a cab driver tell me “lady you speak funny” because I was listening to my friend tell me a story in the back seat and I was like “ehhhhhhhh!!!??!” And “Uh, Uh!” Which are common Japanese conversational nuances (I’m sure you know what I mean 😂)
And don’t forget the Canadian word for sofa (Chesterfield) & napkins (serviettes)
Have fun back home ❤️❤️
sup homeslice!
hahaha yea, I threw in a few "ne!" instead of "eh" here and there lol
Japans culture is the main reason I want to visit and ultimately live in Japan. I want to experience every culture out there first hand
I came back to the US from Argentina for the holidays and I can relate to a lot of this! Turning on red, big stores, big food, sweet foods... Even savory food here is still so sweet! Crazy, haha.
I totally agree to this! It's been a year since I moved back to my country but I still miss a lot of the things in Japan. Especially stepping up on the left side of an escalator .
Glad to hear you had Christmas dinner with your family. Thank you,for filming outdoors, I miss the snow and cold weather since I relocated to Florida.
My husband's cousin married a Japanese woman. When her family and friends came to the states for the wedding they were definitely overwhelmed with how friendly people were. We just said if they think we're friendly they should visit Canada. 😂 I'm pretty sure you guys are the nicest people in earth.
From my experience Newfoundland Canada comes close to the nicest possible people. Imagine someone loaning a car to a complete stranger who just flew in, someone they do not know a thing about. Also imagine offering a room to stay in to a complete stranger you just met at the airport, or inviting them to come stay for dinner with your family at your place any time. This is the insanely shocking level of friendliness that is awaiting visitors to Newfoundland Canada. Truly one of the friendliest places on the planet.
That's different from being friendly
People around the world say that the friendliness of Americans and Canadians is superficial. Talking to strangers has nothing to do with being friendly. Not talking to stranger is just a cultural difference and has nothing to do with being friendly. Once you make friends with Japanese people, they remain friends for life.
I've had reverse culture shock once. I once spent some time in Zambia, Africa and when I came home I noticed right away: everyone around me speaking English (some people where I was did speak it, but it was usually one of the village languages and the 'brightness' of colors (where I was was very muted...the dirt, homes, soot, landscape etc) and the variety of plants/trees. Everything seemed so GREEN back at home!!)
Canada sounds such a great place with lovely people.
My husband and I were stationed in Korea for a year. It was over 10 years ago but I will never forget how foreign it felt coming back home. Thanks for the video 👍🏻
My first time visiting Japan in 2010. I was asleep on my flight and was woken up by the announcement that we were getting ready to land in Narita. I needed to use the restroom, but during this time, you are not allowed to get up, so I held it in. After landing, it took forever to get to our gate and I am doing the dance in my seat, like, I need to go. We finally get to our gate and I get off the plane and head to the first restroom I can find. The restroom was so clean and bright. I actually stood there in awe for like a second or two before doing my business.
Same trip, on my way back home. Same thing. I'm asleep and woken up by the announcement that we were getting ready to land at LAX. I need to use the restroom but have to wait after we land. Back in 2010, before LAX got its current makeover, you had to walk all the way to the immigration line area before you could even spot a bathroom. So I am dashing through people looking for the first bathroom so I can go. I get to it and walk in and half the lights were out, the floor was dirty. I go into a stall with the door barely staying on, like if the doors is on its last leg before just falling off. There is urine all over the toilet seat and in the surrounding floor... Yeah. That's a sure way for me to know that I was back home. LOL
Even though being overseas is something nice (even though sometimes can be lonely), going back home is always something that would warm you heart and feeling the air and the voices that you are familiar with is just so nice. ❤️
When I come back from Japan to the US, I am always disappointed by the 7-Elevens and other convenience stores in the US when compared to the ones in Japan. Japan's versions have so much more variety and better products, especially food! Enjoy your time at home!
Hi Norm!
❄️
This is such a fun video! The differences are outstanding
I have never left the US but I still am shocked at the bathroom stall gaps. They drive me crazy! Is it so hard to make a stall door that people can't see you through?
That'd be nice, but I'd rather have them make better locks if I could only choose one of the two. Almost every other public washroom I've been to had a busted lock, and the door not being able to even close properly without it opening on it's own. If I really had to poop without any other options, I'd be between a rock and a hard place because the door is unlocked, and anybody can come in without realizing it's occupied. I'd also really wish people would take better care of using the public restrooms, because most of them are absolutely disgusting, graffiti and wet everywhere, soap dispenser and paper towel rolls always empty...etc.
Shit or get off the pot! Why are you so focused on people outside your stall?...
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I'm American and have always avoid public bathrooms for this reason. I used to always wonder how people feel comfortable with the large gaps
This topic is something that we never hear about and is SO interesting to me. I’d love to be able to leave the US for long enough to come back and be surprised by things I once thought were normal. I love being able to think about things in a different way; I’m sure it helps keep things interesting in the long run. Definitely glad you enjoyed your time in Canada all these years ago :)
Interesting video! I can relate to the language thing... I have verrrry basic Japanese proficiency being born in and growing up as Nisei in Canada. When I went on vacation to Japan, I had culture shock with only hearing & reading Japanese all around me. I felt drained each day because it didn't come naturally to me & I wasn't used to it. Two weeks later, the moment I landed home, just hearing English again put me at ease instantly!
Comment trail!
I found this video really comforting. 2010's trip to Japan, I couldn't understand why coming back to Canada felt like its own ... adaptation period. From language slips, to a different personal bubble, to remembering how to breathe in a higher elevation city again lol. Oh, and 7-eleven has been ruined for me since lol.
I loved this video! Thank you for sharing this with us. After learning about Japan everything you said makes so much sense. I can't wait to hear more about your adventures in Canada!
It’s so interesting how we get accustom to our environment and how much we change and notice things when going into a new environment! The toilet seat thing would be weird!
I'm a new subscriber but have been enjoying your vids so much 😀 glad i found you through Sharla
Abby~ thank you so much for joining!
really happy to have you here!
Tokyo Lens thanks for being so welcoming :)
I LOVE that crunchy snow sound! ❄💜
It was so interesting to hear what stood out to you most coming back West... And in so doing I think you've convinced me all the more that I would love Japan's quiet, subtle, polite, traditional culture. Can't wait to be able to visit. And btw, please wish me luck with resuming my Japanese studies! Hopefully I'll be able to string together a basic sentence by spring. 😁
Not gonna lie I've been having a pretty bad day with my depression being a lot worse but your video made me happy while I was watching it it's engaging enough so that I don't think about the bad stuff and I focus on just on the video and I wanna say thanks norm for making my day (well night now really) better. Your videos are amazing and always keep my attention somewhere good so yeah thank you
Zach
Thank you so much for taking the time to share and comment~
I think a lot more people that you can imagine can relate to where you are at with that.
Thank you honestly for sharing the love here.
It is literally 100%, THIS that pushes me to keep grinding forward no matter what.
I always thought that If I can make even ONE video that makes even ONE persons day better, then it will be worth every second I put into the channel.
Zach, thank YOU for being so strong!
So much more content to come~
Tokyo Lens and thank you for making me smile
glad to see you're having fun and getting back to your roots. must be a nice break from the daily routine of Japan.
definitely is!
I really appreciate how things taste in Japan, It's so simple...
After living in Japan for about a year, the first big shock, other then language, was driving up the 400 and seeing how much SPACE there was. I was like "this is what it feels like not to be crowded by people or buildings?!"
People around the world say that the friendliness of Americans and Canadians is superficial. Talking to strangers has nothing to do with being friendly. Not talking to stranger is just a cultural difference and has nothing to do with being friendly. Once you make friends with Japanese people, they remain friends for life.
@@novrinkov0053 did you mean to respond to me like 4 times, and to a comment that has nothing to do with what you are talking about, posted 6 years ago??
Your videos are always super enjoyable and this was no exception.
That is such a sweet and candid video ❤️ In Quebec we do say “Bon appétit” before eating, so I’m sure you would’ve felt right at home :) I hope you’ll enjoy every minute of your time back in Canada!
You briefly indicated the culture shock in the last video. It’s nice to see you made a full video about it! It would be weird to have to get used to your own country again. But I think it would be fun too!
Great vlog, Canada looks amazing. I think its one of your honest and best vlogs to date, not as the others are bad, this was just about you. Looking forward to more Tokyo vlogs. Happy new year to you and all your family.
Been there,done that:)I'm romanian but I currently reside in China and let me tell You that here is absolutely crazy:))toilets are squating style,food either sweet or spicy,never salty,and OMG the language:)))).there are many weird ones like cutting the line,yelling,etc but it's still an interesting place to live from my point of view.Enjoy the rest of your Holiday!:)
Nice ending!! I love the sound walking on snow.. ♡
As a Torontonian, welcome back! I hope you're enjoying your stay despite the -20C chill 😅
haha thanks~
I found the same thing about food and drinks being sweet. In Japan, flavours are more subtle and less sweet than the UK, even when I've bought the same products, like Dr Pepper or Cadburys chocolate (hard to find in Japan). I haven't been to Canada, but the USA is much stronger and sweeter than the UK (with bigger bottles and portion sizes!).
Thank you Norm!
Awesome take on all this .... it is the differences that make both places precious. Personally looking forward to the dialed-back, less sugar laden and more real food I will find in Japan.
The snow slowly flocking your hair was amazing 😉 💜☯️
Hope you're having fun at home! I'm flying from Japan to the US today, and watching this video helped me turn from nervous to excited. xD Stay warm!
Welcome back to the country (I know I've said it in the other video). Lol! Well, I hope you count Quebec province in Canada lol! When you are talking about "itadakimasu", yes, in Canada we say it too but let say only in Quebec (and you said it good Bon appétit). Yeah, I agree with you with how we are friendly. But big cities are big cities. I use to live with my parents on a north shore city from Montreal and now, I'm in Montreal. Wow! Customers service sucks when you are use to where I was before lol! You miss almost 3 winters with no snow. It was all waiting for you (last year, Christmas was green, very sad) Have fun in TO ^.^
I felt like this coming back to Canada from Japan after 3 months! I cant imagine how much more intense it would he after 3 years!!
I know this is old video but when we came back from Okinawa Japan the biggest culture shock was driving the speed limit on U.S highways! We were scared to death! the second culture shock was I was so use to have automatic doors at shops in Okinawa then when I got to the states I would often would be standing at the entrance to a store waiting for them to slide open before I realized I need to open the door manually! lol
Sharla's videos about weird boxes with weird stories brings me here to you, I'm happy and subscribing right away!
Anyway, welcome back home!
Oh! And, nice to meet you, Norm! :)
Thank you and super nice to meet you too!
oh my god i love reverse culture shock as a discussion. when i came back to the u.s. after visiting canada i had way more culture shock than when i entered canada for the first time ever. returning home felt even more foreign to me somehow?
Yes! All of these! Especially the overwhelming English. For me the biggest one was a loss for words. I was so used to the meal phrases, and being in a dojo and around teachers and meeting people in Japan, I got so used to the phrases that don't translate. When I would get in someone's car or entering a home, 失礼します. Not doing a 自己紹介 was weird hahah.
7:13 at big family meals (I'm Canadian btw) we always pray before we eat and once the prayer is over it's our cue that we can eat. I'm never sure when to eat when nobody prays either.
In America we have both sleds AND tabagons. Sleds are usually a plastic affair that you get from WalMart, or other cheap ass stores. Tabagons however are made of wood, have metal sleigh legs/skis on the bottom of it, and the front like curls up for you to tie your string too and stuff. No, Canadians are SOOOO friendly. So Husband and I have never been to Canada, but once for work we were so far North in North Dakota, we were only a few miles from the border so we decided to drive up to the border and check out Canada. The Mounties on patrol at the border were SO NICE. Even let me put a foot over the border. So my left foot has been to Canada. Lolol
Danielle Boulanger That is really cool! We were always just taught that it's the best tool for Ice Sledding. And that if we wanted to keep fingers, to use a sled. Haha.
I live in Michigan and have never made it up to Toronto, but recently have been thinking about making a trip. I'll be taking notes from your upcoming vids!
This was really interesting to hear. it was great to hear your experiences and feelings after going back home
When I first moved to Ontario from BC I found everything so weird but familiar. Coffee prices at Tims was a little more, the stores I usually shopped for every-day items didn't exist and some fast-casual chains, like White Spot, had never been heard of. There was such a mix of people in Ottawa too, that it was weird that I thought I had lived somewhere so multicultural and diverse before. I lived in Ottawa for almost 8 years, and now living in Toronto I still find it weird that the buses/subway/streetcar aren't bi-lingual, that no one waits until 11am on Remembrance day to start their day, that distance - just 4 klicks away- can mean the difference between adventure and disappointment (spoiler alert - it could be two blocks away but it's still too far). I love it more than any city I've lived in though.
so much detail! LOVE it!
thank you so much for sharing (^_^)
Glad to see you appreciate the differences, Norm. The gaps in the stall doors of the restrooms is just rude.
It was -29 degrees here in Alberta today :/
I'm glad that it's still warm enough where you are that you can go out and do stuff! I miss the weather in Ontario lol. Great Video!
Enjoyed your nice cultural shock there :) The last time I went to Japan (only for 1 month), when I came back to Canada, my brain was still trying to see Kanji on billboard and ads outside. It was so weird!! Even though the sign were in English, my brain was trying to form kanji with the letters! did you had something like this? Enjoy your holidays!!
When I came back from living in Japan, my brain was still working in Japanese. I went to the bakery the day after I arrived and the lady asked me "Is that all?" and I was like "hai" and she was super shocked, because why would I be greeting her? :D
Hi Norm! Canada is gorgeous! More Canada vlog please! Hopefully I can visit Canada one day :)
more coming soon!
I can relate to this on a deep level! xD
I get the "cultural shock" every time I go home for the holidays from Portugal to Romania, every 2, 3 years, and it's just old Europe, not much of a cultural differences one would say, oh but there are.
The snow looks beautiful, I wish it was snowing in the Netherlands!
Hehehe =) so many little differences
Love how animated you were when you talked about the differences between Japan's restroom vs Canada's 😀😄😀
totally thought snowmobiles instead of toboggans when you were talking about the conversation between the 2 guys, since thats also a thing in canada. calling snowmobiles "sleds"
Hey Norm brand new subscriber here...I found your Channel, and Sherry's Channel too, via Sharla. It's interesting you posted the culture shock video as I'm an American who works in Tokyo and Seoul a lot and going back and forth between those places and the states, even though I've been doing it for over 10 years, there's definitely culture shock and that never goes away. I enjoy your's and the other people's I mentioned videos because it helps me feel a little less shocked in a little more connected to the places that I work in but aren't in at the moment. Been enjoying catching up on your earlier videos. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much!
Super glad to have you here!
I feel you on the reverse culture shock, except with me it's like "why is everyone rude and hates each other" when I come back to Poland 😄
I will go back to Germany next June after a year in Japan, I’m really curious what kind of reverse culture shock I will experience. Tokyo is also getting colder, I filmed some illuminations last night and my hands were frozen at the end. ☃️
Hey! If you live in Vancouver, people are a bit more colder than rest of Canada. Like people are too cliquey and it's hard to make friends or date. I've had friends from Ontario say it's hard to make friends here. You get used to it. But if leave the lower mainland rest of BC seems quite friendly which I thought was a bit weird haha.
Come to the Fraser valley friends. We try a bit harder
Also I agree 100%
Loved the video Norm! You have such good energy :) Very interesting to hear about these reverse culture shocks! And wauw, you guys have so much snow there. England just got some snow again todya, but it is all very wet 😂
Thank you so much!
Oh. The language! I was recently in France. I thought in French, dreamed in French, read everything in French. Coming home I was actually confused by the English for a bit! I also learned that in France I could do so much more physically than what I thought I could do.
About 'itadakimasu'... I guess the closest Western equivalent would either be to say grace, or else to thank whoever cooked the meal and compliment them on the food. I think it's a lovely custom actually.
yeah grace is well established, I can't believe he said what he said
Alice Wilde well, not everyone grows up saying grace....if you're not all that religious to begin with, you might not think of it.
I hear you on the cold toilets seats... I don’t know about French Canadians but, in France you don’t usually say “Bon appétit” right before eating. Bon appétit is mostly used as a salutation to someone who’s about to eat, in Spanish there’s an equivalent to bon appétit which is “buen provecho”, but I don’t think there’s an equivalent to “itadakimasu” in any of the most popular western languages
🇨🇦 Being a Canadian, I appreciate that you're a Canadian content creator - so that combined with my interest in Japan has made me into one of your subscribers. 😉
Hi Norm / 2022 ! 😄 As decided to watch 1 video a day ( in random order) during g your Context " One ticket to Japan!", I found this little gem. As a girl living in Montreal, Quebec, everything you said made me smile!😁 ... I onced was " outside normal life" for 11 months, in a complete closed therapy- no, It was NOT in jail! 😂, "just" therapy, even if when I did it, I though it was almost jail! , I can relate to this feeling of " coming home" where a lot of things changed, some others we forgot, etc...You actually expressed it very well, because it's all those little everyday details that are telling us where or when we are living! So your video made me be grateful for my actual " normal Canadian life"! Thank you for that 🤗
That "dollar store" in particular sells pieces of furniture for over a hundred dollars, its so large because it used to be a Zellers, and then a Target.
lol I love how well you know the area~
I'm so jealous of all that snow.
I'm in Finland , we only have like couple hours light this time of year (and I sleep those because my body is in NA time apparently! Hah.) and the lack of snow is really depressing, it's so dark and grey and wet :(
Enjoy all the snow while you're there! Build me a snowman or make a snow angel! :D
I was in Japan for one month before returning to the states and had some reverse culture shock haha. I noticed random strangers are always talking to other random strangers, being friendly and it's just completely normal! I was like, "Whoa! I never noticed how people here are so friendly and talkative!" I also noticed how loud people are and how much space there is lol it's so weird.
haha yea its super weird coming back to such an open culture lol
and the open space took a while to get used to for me too~
In Japan it's the same as open, depending on where you live, if it's Osaka, they're open to you
We are expecting snow today I’m not too far south of Canada, so....I can relate!
Congrats on the 10k sub 👍 can't wait to see what you will do with youtube space 😊
i lived in japan for a year on exchange and oh man. my first day back to australia was FULL of little culture shocks and blunders. i had grown so used to speaking japanese that when i ordered a sandwich they asked if i wanted it wrapped, i responded "あ、大丈夫です” and the poor girl just stared at me 😅 i also (still) bow when people hold a door open for me, still use little japanese sentence fillers etc. probably my biggest culture shock though was our shopping centres. i had to avoid going shopping a week ahead of christmas because it was chaos! even in tokyo, when there are crowds, it's generally organised chaos, people being mindful of others while going about their day. australia is just mayhem, no sense of order or anything, people just stopping in the middle of the corridor with no regard to people behind them!
i'm fascinated that there's japanese ang german subs for this video. and I felt a slight reverse culture shock when we went back from my choir's 2-month tour.
I love the Tokyo Tuesday from Canada.
Canadian's are soo friendly I find myself apologizing for stuff that isn't even my fault, someone could bump into me and I will apologize. Plus I always hold the door for the person behind me which I heard isn't very common in Japan. Going to cuba there was alot of culture shocks, they use recycled newspaper for toilet paper and if you go to the beach people will come up to tourists and asks them for money to give you a tour, I even had a woman offer me a paso for my necklace.
Oh, in my city in Canada you can't turn right on red so it REALLY makes me panic whenever we go out the city and family or friends start turning when it's red LOL I completely forget!
Can't wait for more videos from Canada. Looking forward to your Walmart visit. The Walmart where I am from gets super crazy busy with a few weirdos lol. You might have a sugar detox spell when you get home.
so much coming soon!
When I went to France I was shocked at the fact you had to pay to use a lot of the bathrooms! But it makes sense I guess to help keep it clean. When I went to the notre dame they also had armed gun men just walking around! It made me nervous even though I know I wasn't doing anything wrong haha
When I went back to Oz 5 or 6 years ago, after having been in the UK for 15, I had some culture shock. It was all subtle stuff, hard to put your finger on, but it was all so weird. It was kind of a relief to get back to the UK
Penny rounding is the pride and joy of Canada
Yay! Tokyo Tuesdays! (Canada Tuesday, eh? :D)
SOOOOO Interesting! I know I'm late, but so glad I found you, this is fascinating! You are so adorable! Subscribed!!
aww thank you so much~ Glad you commented so I cam personally say welcome to the channel!!
Hi Norm! Hope you are well
I can relate a little to this video. When I spent a month in South Korea basically not seeing or hearing much if any English at all, and then traveling back home to England was a minor culture shock. Hearing and seeing a language I know so well and hearing English, it was a weird sensation.
Super weird to hear that pennies basically dont exist, its just pocket change that we collect in England but still hitting that direct £10.27 is a sweet feeling.
Looks beautiful there, but the Snow can stay haha. It's amazing how being away to another country changes how you feel when back home at first.
hey 226 likes and no dislikes not bad .. loved this video man! It's cold here in Wisconsin too... i feel your pain. merry christmas!
Great video. I’m moving back to Canada after living in Japan for 25 years. I visited Canada many times during that time but I’m not sure what I have to do to do live in Canada again. I understand the toilet situation. I’ll miss that for sure. But I think relaxing back home will be the best. Strange this is all my best friends still live in Canada. Same hometown. Crazy eh!!!
I hear that English overload man. Pretty funny.
Thank you for still uploading on your vacation, your awesome! Let see moving from the North to the South in the US I hard to learn that ice tea does not exist in the south and sweet tea is life. Then going back home (up north) relearning I cant ask for sweet tea without a "Duuuuh what?"
haha ahhhhh the tea dilemma.
Spent some time in Georgia, and had the same thing coming back lol
Tokyo Lens they give you this "Are you an Alien" gaze then have to ask someone what your talking about lol.
Welcome back to Canada. A temperature of -10C isn't that bad. I'm not sure what part you are in but I've never seen those varieties of Diet Coke in the Toronto area. I didn't even know such varieties existed. BTW, the titles near the beginning of the video were on screen for too short a period of time (about a second?). The ones towards towards the end were better at about 2 seconds on screen.
THERE was a small boy of Quebec,
Who was buried in snow to his neck;
When they said. “Are you friz?”
He replied, “Yes, I is-
But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.” ~Rudyard Kipling
Gotta love Canada! Haven’t been back in a year and a half. I’ve been wondering what it’ll be like when I go back.
Sooooo much snoooooow!!! I can't believe it!
Canada Tuesday!!
-11 in Green Bay wi love your videos!!
Awesome can't wait to see it Norm. We still use pennys in the US. I always wanted to visit Canada. Do you any recommendations where to visit in Canada? Hope you enjoy your visit though.
hmmmmmmm
tough choice
such a wide country... everything is so different from place to place
the extremes are the most beautiful in my opinion
East Coast
West Coast
Prairies !
Hi there! Was it taken in regina SK?? the scenery looks surprisingly familiar when youre talking about the traffic and tunn right
Awesome video!! :D Stay warm!
Aloha Norm, Love watching your Vlog in Canada, Japan or where ever you are! We moved around Northern Nevada, Northern California, Southern Oregon, North Bay in California, & then to Hawaii Island, Hawaii. We used to live in the Lake Tahoe, California area for over 20 years. Moving to Hawaii was a culture change. Every place we have been is different. I'm noticing the Japanese influence in Hawaii from your Vlog. You are awesome
and I'm learning so much! I am inspired to try to Vlog! My nephew and I are getting the equipment together. I loved learning how to buy equipment and Q & A with you and Sharla! So far though we got a GH4 to use. We love your drone work too!
Enjoy family!
Take care, Kai Bolton Strom
How's Hawaii compared to California? Other than the cost of living, which I presume is higher.
Thomas Favre- Hi-
Actually in both California and Hawaii there are cheaper and very expensive areas. There is both rural and urban areas. We also got snow this week in Hawaii on the Volcano. I had way more snow in Tahoe though. So, I live in a more rural family area in Hilo. In Puna District on Hawaii is one of the poorest places. It is often off the grid, with no running water. They use catchment water. It isn't good for drinking because we have Rat Lung Worm here. It was too hard for us to live near there. We moved to the small town of Hilo. Some foods you would find in California cheaply are expensive here. You have to adapt to what locals eat and shop only stuff with local coupons. House renting from the Bay area in California and Hilo, Hawaii is nearly the same. Both are pricey to start. Finding housing is limited in both places. I enjoyed the diversity in the Bay area and conveniences. I prefer the friendliness of some people we connected with in Hawaii. My adult kids Dad was from Kauai, Hawaii. There isn't a lot of choices to do for work and activities. It is kind of you enjoy it or you get Island fever. I'm used to being snowed in, so lots of rainy days doesn't bother me. They always need Doctors and medical staff. Hawaii Island has many microclimates. I have my own fb groups. If you want to ask questions, feel free. Take care, Kai Bolton Strom
Kai, thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I don't know much about Hawaii island, but I have been following a few people on instagram who live in Kauai island. I must say it's beautiful, makes you wanna travel there, or maybe even live there. But yes, I'm always wondering about the job market. It must be a good place if you're a doctor or if you work online, from your laptop. I had never pictured Hawaii with snow, but now that I think about it, of course! I live on the east coast (Washington DC) and I've been looking for some place else to move to. Hawaii would be one option, but I have to do more research, about your island and the other ones. Housing cost and space is something that often comes up when talking about Hawaii. Thanks again!
Thomas Favre
I have a couple of groups. You can ask questions anytime. We did a lot of research & decided to move by family in Hawaii. The University of Hawaii at Hilo is very good for my daughters too! Kauai is beautiful, elegant and more groomed. I feel Hawaii Island is more rugged, old style and it's about 8 times larger! We have the brightest night sky here too! They keep the lights low here and view the sky on Beautiful Mauna Kea. The Volcanos are sacred Mountains and Kilauea is erupting beautifully! Maybe on a trip you should check it out? I hope to visit Japan & possibly New Zealand. I lived in the area of the fictional show Bonanza. I enjoyed checking out all the areas of the Gold Rush, Mark Twain's stomping grounds and working with the Indigenous peoples in Northern California and Northern Nevada. It's beautiful, but cold! Take care!
Thanks so much!!
Super glad to have you here~
Didn't know you were from canada, Norm! Where are you from? I grew up in southern Ontario and live in Vancouver now and seeing that cold snow made me glad to be away lol. Hope you are keeping warm!!
Southern Ontario!!! Me too!
Thanks so much!
Stay warm and see you soon!