1. Japanese food all has the consistency of baby food. 2. You cannot get a decent cheeseburger in Japan. 3. You definitely cannot get a good taco or burrito in Japan.. 4. If you are overweight around the belly, your Japanese friends will poke at your belly or tease you.
How accurate are things like using Google live translate to try to get by with being understood? Are they worth the time to try to use? Or would it be better to avoid those?
Myth: Japanese trains are always on time! The first train that we got on in Japan went from Tokyo to Kyoto, was severely slown down due to strong winds. Our second one train trip, from Kyoto to Hiroshima, fared no better: at one point, we found ourselves standing still for a while, after which the train finally continued towards the destination, but at a much reduced speed. Cause: strong winds. Only the third leg of our journey, from Hiroshima back to Tokyo, was unaffected. So, Japanese trains are always on time? Myth busted! BTW, "strong winds" were also the reason why the observation decks on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building were closed on the night we wanted to visit them. I feel that that is a Japanese topic that needs to be discussed more.
63 years old, currently finishing up my 8th visit. It has always been easy to get around the cities, and now that Google Maps and Google Translate work so well, it's a no-brainer. Take an aimless stroll in a place you don't know, and you'll find things you would *never* find on a guided tour.
I’m glad to see this because I was going to comment this but thought it might just have been me. I like the music but I had a really hard time hearing Emma and Sarah over it.
Please girls don't play such a hectic music soundtrack behind your talking, my poor brain was on sensory overload. It's tooooo much, You two are interesting enough. xxxx Cheers
I wish you touched on some of the popular myths on Instagram that aren’t necessarily true anymore. e.g. PDA in public is more accepted now than before e.g. eating and drinking while walking is common among younger people now e.g. people talk on subways all the time just not loudly
oh that's interesting I wish they touched on these too, I think a lot of them come from Chris' old video about what not to do but id imagine a decent amount of that info is out of date by now.
Japan is affordable, but the fruit is stupid expensive!! 😫 And don’t forget the gothic fashion!! I got into gothic fashion in high school back in 2000 cuz it was popular and awesome in Japan, I tried to recreate that vibe without buying expensive clothes and did the best I can with what was available in the states. I had fun with it. I dressed gothic for about 20 years. Tho my taste in fashion has changed, my heart will forever be dark and spooky. 🖤
@@rottenunicorn2646 Even if we disregards the luxury gift fruits. On avarage fruits are expensive in Japan, due to most of it being import. Like Germany is usually on par or even more expensive than Japan, but fruit (and vegetable) prices is where Japan just blows Germany out of the water
Thanks for #13. Where I live here in Mie Prefecture, most people consider Tokyo like another world almost. Kind of exotic… but not really desirable as far as lifestyle, etc. And the idea of Tokyo representing Japan culturally is seen as almost comical in this half of the country. I mean “real” Japanese culture is originally from Kyoto and Nara, right? And then there’s Osaka… 😆
This idea of what is or is not "real" culture is silly. It's all real culture, just different facets of it. The Tokyo area accounts for over 28% of Japan's population - you can't just discount that many people as not representing "real" Japan. Same goes with middle America vs. coastal cities, rural France vs. Paris, etc. I get that a lot of people who live in, shall we say, overlooked areas are reacting in retaliation to all the attention the big cities get, but it just comes across as petty jealousy. They should be happy that flying under the radar allows their areas to be unspoiled by tourism.
@@jc3drums916 Agreed! (I meant that as a tongue-in-cheek reference to people living near the old capitals feeling superior to those in the new one. Don’t worry, no one actually SAYS that… 😅)
@@mrfroopy 😂 I’m just saying that people in the countryside get irritated about Tokyo being equated with Japan even though it’s like another world to them… and especially people from the old capitals have internalized some kind of pride regarding many aspects of the culture originating in the their area. I’m not making a logical argument or anything. ✌️
Hi ladies, my favorite thing about you both is your wonderful 80’s vintage vibes, I was born in the 80’s so thanks for that, I enjoyed this video, ❤love you ladies,
I loved your video. I'm coming to Japan in 2025 and I'm learning Japanese so that I can get the full experience. Your videos are so helpful and so much fun. Big thanks 👏👏❤️🇬🇧 P.S. I watched 'Spirited Away' on UA-cam (in English). Loved it. Can't wait to watch it in Japanese
We do use sarcasm but only between very close friends or family members. I guess people in Osaka do so more than in Tokyo. But if you’re speaking in a language either you don’t or your counterpart doesn’t fully understand, you’ll be in a awkward situation?
On my last trip I stayed a couple of nights in Izuhara on Tsushima island. You can't get much farther from the tourist spots than that. Almost nobody there knows any english, except one really friendly Japanese guy I met on a hike. Everyone on the island was really nice and I had no trouble communicating with them. Getting around was more difficult because there's very little public transport on the island so I had to rent a car which was a new experience. But that's only because I went somewhere so remote. In the end I had an awesome trip and met some really nice people. Don't be afraid to try something new and explore, especially in Japan.
The Let's Ask Shogo channel (that I also recommend for getting information about life and culture in Japan from the perspective of a Japan native) did an episode on the overwork culture in Japan. According to him, the younger generations started an online shaming campaign against it starting around 2005 IIRC, where they labelled companies that have that constant work pressure as 'Black Companies'. It can be difficult to figure out which companies fall into that or not for someone who doesn't understand Japanese fluently, but his general guideline was that the companies that still have that culture usually mid-to-large in size and also still use the tradition of handing control down through the same family from generation to generation.
Regarding 3:56, I’m not sure who you have in mind as an “older person,” but I suspect you’ll find the older millennial and younger gen-x cohorts - and possibly even the older gen-x cohorts - are really quite eager explorers, who crave spontaneity, authenticity, and adventure, and who wouldn’t necessarily want to be tied down to a tour guide. Not that there’s anything wrong with tours or with tour guides, but I can’t think of anyone I know within the ages of 27 and 58 who, if given the chance, wouldn’t traipse off into the unknown equipped with little more than a phrase book and a rucksack full of clean socks and pants. And for that matter, while some baby boomers got boring as they grew older (or more accurately, were probably boring to begin with, and just jumped onto the hippie bandwagon briefly in their twenties to fit in), I think you’ll find a great many of them have retained their youthful spirit of “Let’s all pile into a V.W. bus and _go_ somewhere!” well into their 60s and 70s. And I know at least one 80-something-year-old member of the so-called silent generation - those born between the baby boomers and the g.i. generation, and who at least in the U.S.A. basically invented hitchhiking and rail-hopping - and over the course of her life she learned seven languages largely so she could travel the world free as a bird … which she did for most of her life, up until about seven years ago. So I’m not sure temperament is really so tied to age. I know people in their late twenties who are incredibly anxious and who won’t set foot into an unfamiliar situation without a lot of reassurance and support and a firm plan in place, and I know a fifty-something guitarist who’s been living out of a suitcase since he was twenty-two and wouldn’t have it any other way. People’s personalities really don’t change so much beyond some point between the ages of 8 and 13 - somewhere in that span of five-ish years (or around its fuzzy edges) for most people a switch goes off and then that’s who you are, more or less, for the rest of your life … barring some life-altering physical or mental trauma. I suspect the whole trope about people getting more staid and conventional or even a little backwards as they get older was wholly invented by propagandists playing the usual divide-and-conquer game: if they can keep us separated not only by nationality, and by creed, and by race, and by class, and by sexuality, and by gender, but also by something as universal and unavoidable as aging, why then … perhaps we can never unite and take over, to more equitably redistribute their ill-gotten holdings, can we? Anyhow, I love your channel and your uploads, and I plan to visit Japan soon … with or without a tour guide! Please do keep uploading, it is much appreciated!!
Yep, Japan is much cheaper than it used to be. 30 years ago, Japan was expensive, but the prices haven't changed much since then, while most of the rest of the world has had inflation of costs, and also income. I remember a friend complaining about buying a coffee at Narita airport back in 1983 for $4 AUD...hasn't changed much since then. I'm just back from Japan, and was able to get good accommodation in apartments for my son and I for about $60 USD per night, including a kitchenette and laundry. That includes both Tokyo and Kyoto. Food was cheaper than in Australia, travel expenses too. Japan is a bargain! English signs were everywhere in Tokyo, and much the same in Kyoto too. I speak a little Japanese, but honestly, you could easily get around Tokyo with no Japanese at all. Increasingly in restaurants there are ordering screens, and they have a button to change to English. Japanese staff in shops really tried to be helpful. Single English words are better than long sentences. Kyoto was far more chill than Tokyo. We stayed in Tofukuji, a single station away from Kyoto station, and it felt like a quiet suburb! Handy area for getting around the sights. Thank you for a great video! Great topic to cover too.
This feels like a promo for japan. I love emma and ive been watching for years and idk what they are on about. I was in japan for 2017 and had a really active social life and always no one could speak english and when they did was extremely rare, but despite what people think japanese people are really fun and friendly but usually at night since they open up more. Renting and property is really expensive, especially if you are a foreigner.
When they talk about "Japan" they mostly mean "Tokyo" tho.. I'm in Fukuoka and although it is a big city - so many things are so diffferent from Tokyo.
I read somewhere, that if you have small cheap gifts, with you from you home country. That you give people who help you in Japan. They will be very happy. I don't know if it is a thing.
Very informative. You're both right, don't assume, experience by visiting. With an open mind & positive attitude & being humble, Japan will be a great place to experience. Thanks again for a great video. Keep up the great work.
All true! Goth/Loli fashion is back (or maybe it didn't go away). I couldn't believe I saw so many girls (and some women) walking around in frilly outfits. Also, I found last month people are even more helpful because in my instances, they were quick to pull out Google Translate. Lastly, yes, that rabbit is too long.
I would love a video where you guys touch upon cosplay and convention etiquette in Japan. I'm sure it's vastly different than it is here in the states and other countries.
To the editors of these videos: Most editing software has some sort of easy, quick, color grading option. If you just start using that, most likely even just the usually single-button white point option, then the video quality would jump up huge for almost no effort.
The "is expensive" and "is a very technologically advanced country" were very true statements in the late 80's and early 90's, but for whatever stuck after all these years afterwards.
Sorry, just catching up on everything TC related and now sub to all of you. My first impression of Tokyo was if I ever find my hotel I will stay in it for 5 days and then go home. However, once I ventured out and took a few trains I got my confidence and covered everything worth seeing without actually going in. I am back again in October ( In Fukuoka for Sakura in April but decided to make it a Birthday year instead as those JR passes or going up big time!) and trying lots of places you guys have been featuring over the years starting in Sapporo and ending up in Okinawa😎. My main agreement is just how cheap hotels in Japan are, even accepting the great exchange rate. My average per night is £27 for 30 nights, all 3 star and above and all near a JR station. And yes the first thing everyone says to me 'isn't Japan expensive! and the second is what about the language, to which I say No and No need. Thanks for all your efforts and keep up the great work.
The Tokyo area has felt like it's got a representative mix of everything else in Japan. You can find basically some of anything there, but unless its specifically shopping, then you'll find a better version of it elsewhere in the country. That being said, it's a great place to visit as the last spot on a trip because you can get one last taste of whatever was your favorite part of you visit to the country.
What about? - no toilet paper in public restrooms? - no soap in public restrooms? - you could get assaulted or killed by Yakuza in the alleys of big cities? - it rains almost every day in Tokyo in the spring time? - nobody takes credit cards, cash only? - stores close early, like 7-8pm? - public transportation ends at midnight, so you are SOL if you stay out late? - punctuality is a big deal in Japan? (which I think is a positive) I'm going to Shinjuku in 2 weeks!
1 & 2. If it's a "modern" restroom (with a washet), you don't need tp or soap, but modern restrooms are rarer than tourists think 3. No 5. While still mostly true, this has been changing a lot (especially because of Covid)
3 was funny, what a hell you get that? 4 false 5 depends 6 depends 7 so obvious, most of stores are closed before late time, so there is no reason to have public transport working in those hours.
I do love the fact that people wear what they want in the streets. However, most people look the same. Very limited colours and below the knee flared skirts etc. We visit often and always end up chatting and drinking with Japanese in bars. Every time. We mostly go to vintage style bars and clubs, where there are many 1940s and 1950s clothes-wearing Japanese. We have made many friends over the years. So friendly.
When we had to wait to check-in in Kyoto, we just went around a corner and, voilà, a classic quiet anime-like residential area. You know, the square ish light colored houses, narrow street, lines running between poles...and i took no pictures!! I just can't do kanji and kana but yes, my broken English helped in big cities (as hangul is easier than kanji, i read that on some trains/metro). Late night train ride with drunk 'salarymen' is such an 180 on train rides during the daytime. I felt like I was back in Netherlands (maybe also why i don't notice crowds, population of Australia packed in a country of 200 by 200km...maybe just Tokyo Station was intense)
With over a decade of living in japan, don’t work for a Japanese company unless you are prepared to get low pay and work long hours. Oh and holidays are only half of Australia and can’t be taken until 6 months not enough for actual exploring. If you don’t take them within 2 years, you lose them too. Also, Tokyo is the capital, but the vast majority of Japanese don’t like Tokyo. Even those from Tokyo. It’s crowded and the people are much ruder than other places. From my experience it’s best to ask the locals. The best places I’ve been were recommended by locals and not books or sites. Accommodation is extremely expensive in Tokyo unless you live 1 hour from the city. All of the other cities are reasonably priced and food is actually quite affordable, except fruit.
Yet another incredible, informative and wonderful video presentation about Japan by two uniquely international individuals--Emma & Sarah of Tokyo Creative.
I found it hard to get around on the trains, and find my way back to my hotel, as i went on my own in 2020. But i got helped by a young man at the airport and two young lady's to find my hotel. I got myself a WiFi connection box with came in handy. To find your way around, and one of the card's can't remember the name to buy things and pay for trains. I would definitely cone back to Japan but id come with my husband next time. I was 55 then. Loved japan i found it cheaper than i thought it would be.
Great video! Your content helped us a lot on our trip to happen. Tokyo is great, but imo overrated compared to what the rest of Japan has to offer. My favourite times in Japan weren’t in Tokyo despite it being a lot of people’s favourites. It has amazing and unique districts, each with their own vibe but it ultimately felt like a big city to me and I would rather be in the country or smaller cities. Also credit cards are far more available to use than anywhere online says. Definitely bring cash because there will be times that you need it but we could use a credit card 60-70% of the time compared to the 10% online claims.
Whenever I tell anyone that many Japanese stores don't take credit cards and even if they do, it may be only Japanese cards not foreign, I hear the EXACT same thing "that's so weird, Japan is such an advanced country" no matter who I'm talking to, I promise it's the EXACT SAME words. One misconception I REALLY hate is that Japan is ONLY anime/manga, like no that's insulting to the country, there's so much more. I love Japan but am not an anime/manga fan and a while ago, I met someone new and we were talking for 5 mins. It came out that I love Japan but not a fan of anime/manga. She said "oh, I thought you're the sort of person who would be" and I'm thinking "lady, you don't even KNOW me, pretty much all you know is that I love Japan". In that same vein, I hate when people assume all Japan is EXACTLY like anime/manga, they've never been to Japan and I mention something and they tell me I don't know anything about Japan, that isn't in x anime/manga. When people say that, I always respond "ok, take a TV show from your country. Now tell me you country irl is 100% as depicted"
You should have specified that Japan is cheap in comparison with US, UK or Australia and similar countries only. I am from Poland where minimum monthly salary is around 3500 PLN which corresponds to around 800 USD. Thus for people from my part of Europe Japan is expensive.
Very good and informative video, thx for that ❤Got back from my Japan Trip 2 days ago and I personally think the food myth was busted pretty good! The variety of food, esp. in Tokyo, is so big and there is so much to explore/taste, can't wait for the next Japan trip 🤩
@@missplainjane3905 I guess this was meant to be a question? I'll take your taste buds on a little tour 😉 Korean traditional- and streetfood, US style diners, loads of vegetarian/vegan restaurants (e.g. Falafel Brothers), variations of basically everything you know, sweets and coffee in... idk... one million variations ^^ Just as a sample: Visit Shibuya Parco Chaos Kitchen: a Spanish Lounge, a Korean Restaurant nyam², a Vegan Izakaya Masaka, Cheese Table, Falafel Brothers, Schmatz, Italian (sry forgot the name), ... and that's just Parco. Not even touched food streets like Ameya Yokocho, which is full of international food options such as Chinese, Turkish, Korean, and Thai. 🥷
@@missplainjane3905 sure thing :) 1) 5:38 covers this pretty good, from my personal experience I'd say yes. 2) If 10 is the best, I'd rate it 10, BUT I only visited Japan as a tourist and I love tech, anime, manga, etc. I've never lived there, so my opinion here is pretty biased. 3) As far as I interacted with japanese people, I'd also go with the content from TC here 7:28. I get a lot of photo/selfie requests because of my natural hair color, that often results in cool/funny conversations. Describing this is pretty hard... A little bit aloof, but also very warm-hearted, sincere and diligent. 4) Uh that's a tough one... I'll go with Enchanting, Serene, Otaku :)
@@missplainjane3905 Hopefully works now Oo Pt1: I don't have that kind of "secret" knowlege, but maybe a few tips :) 1 - 7-eleven has pretty good Melon Pan in its bakery section. Check it out, if they are sold out e.g. in Asakusa. 2 - The hidden shrine in Akihabara is called Hanabusa Inari and sometimes one of the two entries is blocked ^^ 3 - Pizzeria Onda in Kawaguchiko has imho the best pizza. 😍
So,. most are misconceptions, OK, I can see that. Numbers 4, 11, and 13 are essentially true. Number 12 is almost true and a few others, say 2 or 3 have a crumb of truth. So, that is around half of the "myths" range from possible to definite. Every culture has its quirks, Japan is no different. I like these warts and all videos as it sets a good foundation for real expectation.
An ignorant foreigner here, something I wonder about when considering visiting: In many of these traveling videos about Japan it is stated that buying groceries to cook at home tends to be pretty expensive while eating out can be relatively cheap. I don’t quite understand that juxtaposition (how that is economically possible without unfairly squeezing personal home cooks).
I used to follow a blog written by a South American living in Japan, a long time ago, before UA-cam. The thing that surprised me the most about Japan was seeing so much English on shop signs.
Hey, I have a question.. so, I´ve been thinking about traveling to japan and i want to stay atleast one month. other than hostels or hotel prices.. how much would it cost/how much do you recommend to save up to? for those people who wanna do content creation while they are there? I can live cheaply haha i just want to travel and make content for my youtube haha thx for all advice in advance
One of my cousins married a Jaoanese man. They now have 2 children. It is because of then that 9have been to japan over 20 times and I can't wait for my next visit.
I am moving to japan in a few months with work as a transfer, from sydney australia, i have been doing extensive research to ensure that i am not worse off in Japan compared to sydney and holy god tokyo is about 1000x cheaper than sydney now. I pay more in rent each fortnight than you pay in a month, you can barely buy a work lunch for less than $20 in sydney, beers are like $15+ per pint, cocktails can be like $25 each. Utility bills are like nearly $800 a quarter total. Japan is hella cheap, its not 1996 anymore. Unless you want to buy out of season fruit it seems! Edit: They have the same uniqlo self service registers in australia now, every clothing tag has a unique RFID / NFC chip in it, thats how they work basically.
Thank you for a great video. We have invested in properties in Nagano Prefecture and love it. My only real gripe is how short broom & vacuum handles are😂
Japanese really are mostly quiet and polite, this is not a myth. If you walk in Tokyo anywhere nobody will run into you or try to avoid collision courses as muchas possible. I remember returning from Tokyo to Amsterdam airport and it was chaos trying to not hit people.
6:20 Answer In Progress has a good video called "why Japan's internet is weirdly designed" that may help answer that thought of "what year am I in" for japanese websites :)
In terms of the tech, I phrase it as “the Japanese think it through.” From tactile paths to the toilet paper holders, the process was looked at and improved. It stops at forms and faxes though.
Video idea: exploring best hiking spots in the nature spots of greater Tokyo; showing the diversity of them? Like how to get there, tips, time you need
I want to go to Japan, but I'm on a wheelchair so I need to consider many things aside from my medcine and healthcare. How accesible is Japan? Not only Tokyo but Japan in general? Also what japanese people think and intereact with foreigners who have a phisical disability?
Wheelchair is not a issue in big cities. Even public toilets have for disabilited persons. Medicine, you should check with the embassy before reserve you ticket. Some stuff can be forbidden.
My library here in the UK has the thing where you just put a pile of books on the machine and it somehow knows exactly what they are. I'm convinced it's some kind of dark magic 😂
0:40 No Japanese 1:38 Expensive 3:23 Difficult to get around without a guide 4:36 No irony / sarcasm 5:38 Technologically advanced 7:27 Hard to make Japanese friends 10:55 Adults dislike anime / manga 11:47 Japanese only eat sushi and Japanese food 12:50 Japanese are always quiet and polite 14:00 Worklife sucks 15:05 Crowded cities 16:27 Tokyo is not Japan
Japanese humor seems very straight-forward. From there, I think irony/sarcasm is a bit more advanced in the U.S., then highly advanced in the U.K. (just from what I've seen). I appreciate all kinds of humor
@14:30 It depends on the company, it is another undeveloped and brutal capitalist country, like China and the US, but the company culture make a huge difference... again my perspective from a year's experience, and only from declining job offers there, while working for an EU first and then a UK company while there.
Tokyo is by far the most expensive city in Japan, but still it's a lot cheaper than other major international cities such as London, Paris, New York and Sydney. I really like its affordability.
#1 When in the countryside, I had a local just break out their phone and we communicated via google translate. We ended up 'talking' for like half an hour. #2 People who complain about Japan being 'expensive' are the people who expect Thailand level prices. I live in Canada and traveling in Japan is cheaper than traveling here in Canada. #3 All you really need is google maps and google translate. I have been in some areas in Japan that I only found out later were the 'sketchy' parts and it seemed nicer than any 'slums' that I have seen elsewhere in the world. #4 Well, yeah. Your communicating through a language barrier and a different culture. #5 I think it is just the public facing stuff that seems so much more high tech. #6 People who complain about not being able to make friends with '_____' people or in '______' city are everywhere. I think that some people feel like everyone should have to be friendly and interact with them. #7 Maybe people should look at Juggalos* before they judge Japan's fashion. (*no hate. To each their own) #8 Ha! #9 Anyone who thinks that is dumb and probably the same people who were a table over from me in Sumida City complaining about who the restaurant didn't offer California rolls. #10 In public, they are far nicer than a lot of other people. I don't see this as an issue. #11 This is changing and mostly a stereotype. It isn't like companies in North America aren't similar. #12 Well, if you are visiting super touristy locations, it is going to be busy. Duh. #13 It is and it isn't. Tokyo is one aspect of Japan in the same way that Kishigawacho Uenoyama is one aspect of Japan.
What are your thoughts on these myths and are there any we missed? Let us know!
Thank you for another great episode! Love the energy!
1. Japanese food all has the consistency of baby food. 2. You cannot get a decent cheeseburger in Japan. 3. You definitely cannot get a good taco or burrito in Japan.. 4. If you are overweight around the belly, your Japanese friends will poke at your belly or tease you.
How accurate are things like using Google live translate to try to get by with being understood? Are they worth the time to try to use? Or would it be better to avoid those?
Myth: Japanese trains are always on time! The first train that we got on in Japan went from Tokyo to Kyoto, was severely slown down due to strong winds. Our second one train trip, from Kyoto to Hiroshima, fared no better: at one point, we found ourselves standing still for a while, after which the train finally continued towards the destination, but at a much reduced speed. Cause: strong winds. Only the third leg of our journey, from Hiroshima back to Tokyo, was unaffected. So, Japanese trains are always on time? Myth busted! BTW, "strong winds" were also the reason why the observation decks on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building were closed on the night we wanted to visit them. I feel that that is a Japanese topic that needs to be discussed more.
63 years old, currently finishing up my 8th visit. It has always been easy to get around the cities, and now that Google Maps and Google Translate work so well, it's a no-brainer. Take an aimless stroll in a place you don't know, and you'll find things you would *never* find on a guided tour.
The music in this video was loud and annoying. It was competing with their voices and made it difficult to understand them.
Unfortunately another difficult to watch TC video. 20 minutes of distracting music and echoey audio. 😢
I’m glad to see this because I was going to comment this but thought it might just have been me. I like the music but I had a really hard time hearing Emma and Sarah over it.
100%
Please girls don't play such a hectic music soundtrack behind your talking, my poor brain was on sensory overload. It's tooooo much, You two are interesting enough. xxxx Cheers
I made a Japanese friend last weekend. He saw Bokuto on my bag and was so happy to talk about Haikyuu with me and the rest is week old history.
Interesting discussion but oh my, that music is sooooooo distracting! I almost stopped watching because of it....
I love how classy Japanese are dressed all the time. Such a far cry from the North American Walmartian sweatpant look.
This video was interesting and informative HOWEVER ya gotta do something about the music levels please and thank you :3
Would love to see a video of TCs picks for best meals under $10/$15!!
I wish you touched on some of the popular myths on Instagram that aren’t necessarily true anymore.
e.g. PDA in public is more accepted now than before
e.g. eating and drinking while walking is common among younger people now
e.g. people talk on subways all the time just not loudly
oh that's interesting I wish they touched on these too, I think a lot of them come from Chris' old video about what not to do but id imagine a decent amount of that info is out of date by now.
Japan is affordable, but the fruit is stupid expensive!! 😫
And don’t forget the gothic fashion!! I got into gothic fashion in high school back in 2000 cuz it was popular and awesome in Japan, I tried to recreate that vibe without buying expensive clothes and did the best I can with what was available in the states. I had fun with it. I dressed gothic for about 20 years. Tho my taste in fashion has changed, my heart will forever be dark and spooky. 🖤
Fruit isn’t expensive here. If it was, I wouldn’t be eating it… There’s just some stores or a section that sell ridiculously expensive fruit.
@@rottenunicorn2646 Even if we disregards the luxury gift fruits. On avarage fruits are expensive in Japan, due to most of it being import. Like Germany is usually on par or even more expensive than Japan, but fruit (and vegetable) prices is where Japan just blows Germany out of the water
Thanks for #13. Where I live here in Mie Prefecture, most people consider Tokyo like another world almost. Kind of exotic… but not really desirable as far as lifestyle, etc. And the idea of Tokyo representing Japan culturally is seen as almost comical in this half of the country. I mean “real” Japanese culture is originally from Kyoto and Nara, right? And then there’s Osaka… 😆
This idea of what is or is not "real" culture is silly. It's all real culture, just different facets of it. The Tokyo area accounts for over 28% of Japan's population - you can't just discount that many people as not representing "real" Japan. Same goes with middle America vs. coastal cities, rural France vs. Paris, etc. I get that a lot of people who live in, shall we say, overlooked areas are reacting in retaliation to all the attention the big cities get, but it just comes across as petty jealousy. They should be happy that flying under the radar allows their areas to be unspoiled by tourism.
@@jc3drums916 Agreed! (I meant that as a tongue-in-cheek reference to people living near the old capitals feeling superior to those in the new one. Don’t worry, no one actually SAYS that… 😅)
@@missplainjane3905 Yes, that’s right. (Of course, they are ALL real Japan.)
Your post is so problematic on so many levels I can't even start.
@@mrfroopy 😂
I’m just saying that people in the countryside get irritated about Tokyo being equated with Japan even though it’s like another world to them… and especially people from the old capitals have internalized some kind of pride regarding many aspects of the culture originating in the their area. I’m not making a logical argument or anything. ✌️
Hi ladies, my favorite thing about you both is your wonderful 80’s vintage vibes, I was born in the 80’s so thanks for that, I enjoyed this video, ❤love you ladies,
Thanks for the video🗻🗾❤️
I loved your video. I'm coming to Japan in 2025 and I'm learning Japanese so that I can get the full experience. Your videos are so helpful and so much fun. Big thanks 👏👏❤️🇬🇧 P.S. I watched 'Spirited Away' on UA-cam (in English). Loved it. Can't wait to watch it in Japanese
We do use sarcasm but only between very close friends or family members. I guess people in Osaka do so more than in Tokyo. But if you’re speaking in a language either you don’t or your counterpart doesn’t fully understand, you’ll be in a awkward situation?
The background music in the video was too loud.🙉
On my last trip I stayed a couple of nights in Izuhara on Tsushima island. You can't get much farther from the tourist spots than that. Almost nobody there knows any english, except one really friendly Japanese guy I met on a hike. Everyone on the island was really nice and I had no trouble communicating with them. Getting around was more difficult because there's very little public transport on the island so I had to rent a car which was a new experience. But that's only because I went somewhere so remote. In the end I had an awesome trip and met some really nice people. Don't be afraid to try something new and explore, especially in Japan.
The Let's Ask Shogo channel (that I also recommend for getting information about life and culture in Japan from the perspective of a Japan native) did an episode on the overwork culture in Japan. According to him, the younger generations started an online shaming campaign against it starting around 2005 IIRC, where they labelled companies that have that constant work pressure as 'Black Companies'. It can be difficult to figure out which companies fall into that or not for someone who doesn't understand Japanese fluently, but his general guideline was that the companies that still have that culture usually mid-to-large in size and also still use the tradition of handing control down through the same family from generation to generation.
Wow, this background music didn't have to go so hard! lol
Im 60 and i always go seek out the local areas and down alleyways. Dont judge us.
Regarding 3:56, I’m not sure who you have in mind as an “older person,” but I suspect you’ll find the older millennial and younger gen-x cohorts - and possibly even the older gen-x cohorts - are really quite eager explorers, who crave spontaneity, authenticity, and adventure, and who wouldn’t necessarily want to be tied down to a tour guide.
Not that there’s anything wrong with tours or with tour guides, but I can’t think of anyone I know within the ages of 27 and 58 who, if given the chance, wouldn’t traipse off into the unknown equipped with little more than a phrase book and a rucksack full of clean socks and pants.
And for that matter, while some baby boomers got boring as they grew older (or more accurately, were probably boring to begin with, and just jumped onto the hippie bandwagon briefly in their twenties to fit in), I think you’ll find a great many of them have retained their youthful spirit of “Let’s all pile into a V.W. bus and _go_ somewhere!” well into their 60s and 70s.
And I know at least one 80-something-year-old member of the so-called silent generation - those born between the baby boomers and the g.i. generation, and who at least in the U.S.A. basically invented hitchhiking and rail-hopping - and over the course of her life she learned seven languages largely so she could travel the world free as a bird … which she did for most of her life, up until about seven years ago.
So I’m not sure temperament is really so tied to age. I know people in their late twenties who are incredibly anxious and who won’t set foot into an unfamiliar situation without a lot of reassurance and support and a firm plan in place, and I know a fifty-something guitarist who’s been living out of a suitcase since he was twenty-two and wouldn’t have it any other way.
People’s personalities really don’t change so much beyond some point between the ages of 8 and 13 - somewhere in that span of five-ish years (or around its fuzzy edges) for most people a switch goes off and then that’s who you are, more or less, for the rest of your life … barring some life-altering physical or mental trauma.
I suspect the whole trope about people getting more staid and conventional or even a little backwards as they get older was wholly invented by propagandists playing the usual divide-and-conquer game: if they can keep us separated not only by nationality, and by creed, and by race, and by class, and by sexuality, and by gender, but also by something as universal and unavoidable as aging, why then … perhaps we can never unite and take over, to more equitably redistribute their ill-gotten holdings, can we?
Anyhow, I love your channel and your uploads, and I plan to visit Japan soon … with or without a tour guide! Please do keep uploading, it is much appreciated!!
Yep, Japan is much cheaper than it used to be. 30 years ago, Japan was expensive, but the prices haven't changed much since then, while most of the rest of the world has had inflation of costs, and also income. I remember a friend complaining about buying a coffee at Narita airport back in 1983 for $4 AUD...hasn't changed much since then.
I'm just back from Japan, and was able to get good accommodation in apartments for my son and I for about $60 USD per night, including a kitchenette and laundry. That includes both Tokyo and Kyoto. Food was cheaper than in Australia, travel expenses too. Japan is a bargain!
English signs were everywhere in Tokyo, and much the same in Kyoto too. I speak a little Japanese, but honestly, you could easily get around Tokyo with no Japanese at all. Increasingly in restaurants there are ordering screens, and they have a button to change to English. Japanese staff in shops really tried to be helpful. Single English words are better than long sentences.
Kyoto was far more chill than Tokyo. We stayed in Tofukuji, a single station away from Kyoto station, and it felt like a quiet suburb! Handy area for getting around the sights.
Thank you for a great video! Great topic to cover too.
Hello beautiful people. Y'all both have said 'yeah' 189 times in this video. There maybe more, but the background music was a tad too loud :P
This feels like a promo for japan. I love emma and ive been watching for years and idk what they are on about. I was in japan for 2017 and had a really active social life and always no one could speak english and when they did was extremely rare, but despite what people think japanese people are really fun and friendly but usually at night since they open up more. Renting and property is really expensive, especially if you are a foreigner.
When they talk about "Japan" they mostly mean "Tokyo" tho.. I'm in Fukuoka and although it is a big city - so many things are so diffferent from Tokyo.
I read somewhere, that if you have small cheap gifts, with you from you home country. That you give people who help you in Japan. They will be very happy. I don't know if it is a thing.
I hate the music. It really competes with the voice volume and it's rather obnoxious. The music should complement not over whelm.
Here I am stuck in Japan forever wondering what living in Australia is like and dreaming about it…🥺
Very informative. You're both right, don't assume, experience by visiting. With an open mind & positive attitude & being humble, Japan will be a great place to experience. Thanks again for a great video. Keep up the great work.
Guys the background music is kiIIing me. It's really hard to hear them
Having that music while you are talking is really annoying. The volume would have to be lower.
My two fav Tokyo Creative peeps! Great video and I really hope people can overcome myths and stereotypes of any country and just go visit and explore.
All true! Goth/Loli fashion is back (or maybe it didn't go away). I couldn't believe I saw so many girls (and some women) walking around in frilly outfits. Also, I found last month people are even more helpful because in my instances, they were quick to pull out Google Translate. Lastly, yes, that rabbit is too long.
I would love a video where you guys touch upon cosplay and convention etiquette in Japan. I'm sure it's vastly different than it is here in the states and other countries.
To the editors of these videos:
Most editing software has some sort of easy, quick, color grading option. If you just start using that, most likely even just the usually single-button white point option, then the video quality would jump up huge for almost no effort.
Also .. a quick once over with the spell checker wouldn’t hurt either ..
@@jamesleskovar9647 Were there spelling errors? I didn't even notice.
@@Real_LiamOBryan Yes, there's one at 1:59
Watching this on my 3rd day in Tokyo😊❤ it’s been amazing so far❤
They put those same scanners in the flagship Uniqlo in NYC, and when I went to use it, I was like, "What voodoo is this????" So freaking cool.
Love to see Sarah and Emma together 😍🙌🏼🙌🏼
The "is expensive" and "is a very technologically advanced country" were very true statements in the late 80's and early 90's, but for whatever stuck after all these years afterwards.
Sorry, just catching up on everything TC related and now sub to all of you. My first impression of Tokyo was if I ever find my hotel I will stay in it for 5 days and then go home. However, once I ventured out and took a few trains I got my confidence and covered everything worth seeing without actually going in. I am back again in October ( In Fukuoka for Sakura in April but decided to make it a Birthday year instead as those JR passes or going up big time!) and trying lots of places you guys have been featuring over the years starting in Sapporo and ending up in Okinawa😎. My main agreement is just how cheap hotels in Japan are, even accepting the great exchange rate. My average per night is £27 for 30 nights, all 3 star and above and all near a JR station. And yes the first thing everyone says to me 'isn't Japan expensive! and the second is what about the language, to which I say No and No need. Thanks for all your efforts and keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for watching and hope you have a great trip! ❤
The Tokyo area has felt like it's got a representative mix of everything else in Japan. You can find basically some of anything there, but unless its specifically shopping, then you'll find a better version of it elsewhere in the country. That being said, it's a great place to visit as the last spot on a trip because you can get one last taste of whatever was your favorite part of you visit to the country.
You visited, could you give an example of what you were trying to say ?
What about?
- no toilet paper in public restrooms?
- no soap in public restrooms?
- you could get assaulted or killed by Yakuza in the alleys of big cities?
- it rains almost every day in Tokyo in the spring time?
- nobody takes credit cards, cash only?
- stores close early, like 7-8pm?
- public transportation ends at midnight, so you are SOL if you stay out late?
- punctuality is a big deal in Japan? (which I think is a positive)
I'm going to Shinjuku in 2 weeks!
1 & 2. If it's a "modern" restroom (with a washet), you don't need tp or soap, but modern restrooms are rarer than tourists think
3. No
5. While still mostly true, this has been changing a lot (especially because of Covid)
3 was funny, what a hell you get that?
4 false
5 depends
6 depends
7 so obvious, most of stores are closed before late time, so there is no reason to have public transport working in those hours.
The Dynamic Duo! ❤⚡️
Another great TC video from my favorite host duo!!!
I do love the fact that people wear what they want in the streets. However, most people look the same. Very limited colours and below the knee flared skirts etc. We visit often and always end up chatting and drinking with Japanese in bars. Every time. We mostly go to vintage style bars and clubs, where there are many 1940s and 1950s clothes-wearing Japanese. We have made many friends over the years. So friendly.
When we had to wait to check-in in Kyoto, we just went around a corner and, voilà, a classic quiet anime-like residential area. You know, the square ish light colored houses, narrow street, lines running between poles...and i took no pictures!!
I just can't do kanji and kana but yes, my broken English helped in big cities (as hangul is easier than kanji, i read that on some trains/metro).
Late night train ride with drunk 'salarymen' is such an 180 on train rides during the daytime. I felt like I was back in Netherlands (maybe also why i don't notice crowds, population of Australia packed in a country of 200 by 200km...maybe just Tokyo Station was intense)
With over a decade of living in japan, don’t work for a Japanese company unless you are prepared to get low pay and work long hours. Oh and holidays are only half of Australia and can’t be taken until 6 months not enough for actual exploring. If you don’t take them within 2 years, you lose them too. Also, Tokyo is the capital, but the vast majority of Japanese don’t like Tokyo. Even those from Tokyo. It’s crowded and the people are much ruder than other places. From my experience it’s best to ask the locals. The best places I’ve been were recommended by locals and not books or sites. Accommodation is extremely expensive in Tokyo unless you live 1 hour from the city. All of the other cities are reasonably priced and food is actually quite affordable, except fruit.
i'd never do the full guided holiday thing but if i ever go i'd like to try one of those food/bar/history tours you've done videos on
HELLO 2 U BOTH ALWAYS 💘 UR MANY ADVICE & SHARING UR KNOWLEDGE ❤
Japan is so much cheaper than NZ haha
Elongated rabbit, I love your shirt.
My favorite duo! ❤️❤️
Yet another incredible, informative and wonderful video presentation about Japan by two uniquely international individuals--Emma & Sarah of Tokyo Creative.
I found it hard to get around on the trains, and find my way back to my hotel, as i went on my own in 2020. But i got helped by a young man at the airport and two young lady's to find my hotel. I got myself a WiFi connection box with came in handy. To find your way around, and one of the card's can't remember the name to buy things and pay for trains. I would definitely cone back to Japan but id come with my husband next time. I was 55 then. Loved japan i found it cheaper than i thought it would be.
Great video! Your content helped us a lot on our trip to happen.
Tokyo is great, but imo overrated compared to what the rest of Japan has to offer. My favourite times in Japan weren’t in Tokyo despite it being a lot of people’s favourites. It has amazing and unique districts, each with their own vibe but it ultimately felt like a big city to me and I would rather be in the country or smaller cities.
Also credit cards are far more available to use than anywhere online says. Definitely bring cash because there will be times that you need it but we could use a credit card 60-70% of the time compared to the 10% online claims.
Whenever I tell anyone that many Japanese stores don't take credit cards and even if they do, it may be only Japanese cards not foreign, I hear the EXACT same thing "that's so weird, Japan is such an advanced country" no matter who I'm talking to, I promise it's the EXACT SAME words.
One misconception I REALLY hate is that Japan is ONLY anime/manga, like no that's insulting to the country, there's so much more. I love Japan but am not an anime/manga fan and a while ago, I met someone new and we were talking for 5 mins. It came out that I love Japan but not a fan of anime/manga. She said "oh, I thought you're the sort of person who would be" and I'm thinking "lady, you don't even KNOW me, pretty much all you know is that I love Japan". In that same vein, I hate when people assume all Japan is EXACTLY like anime/manga, they've never been to Japan and I mention something and they tell me I don't know anything about Japan, that isn't in x anime/manga. When people say that, I always respond "ok, take a TV show from your country. Now tell me you country irl is 100% as depicted"
You should have specified that Japan is cheap in comparison with US, UK or Australia and similar countries only. I am from Poland where minimum monthly salary is around 3500 PLN which corresponds to around 800 USD. Thus for people from my part of Europe Japan is expensive.
Very good and informative video, thx for that ❤Got back from my Japan Trip 2 days ago and I personally think the food myth was busted pretty good! The variety of food, esp. in Tokyo, is so big and there is so much to explore/taste, can't wait for the next Japan trip 🤩
@@missplainjane3905 I guess this was meant to be a question? I'll take your taste buds on a little tour 😉
Korean traditional- and streetfood, US style diners, loads of vegetarian/vegan restaurants (e.g. Falafel Brothers), variations of basically everything you know, sweets and coffee in... idk... one million variations ^^
Just as a sample: Visit Shibuya Parco Chaos Kitchen: a Spanish Lounge, a Korean Restaurant nyam², a Vegan Izakaya Masaka, Cheese Table, Falafel Brothers, Schmatz, Italian (sry forgot the name), ... and that's just Parco. Not even touched food streets like Ameya Yokocho, which is full of international food options such as Chinese, Turkish, Korean, and Thai. 🥷
@@missplainjane3905 Yes, but ony a few more like Kawaguchiko and Osaka :)
@@missplainjane3905 sure thing :)
1) 5:38 covers this pretty good, from my personal experience I'd say yes.
2) If 10 is the best, I'd rate it 10, BUT I only visited Japan as a tourist and I love tech, anime, manga, etc. I've never lived there, so my opinion here is pretty biased.
3) As far as I interacted with japanese people, I'd also go with the content from TC here 7:28. I get a lot of photo/selfie requests because of my natural hair color, that often results in cool/funny conversations. Describing this is pretty hard... A little bit aloof, but also very warm-hearted, sincere and diligent.
4) Uh that's a tough one... I'll go with Enchanting, Serene, Otaku :)
@@missplainjane3905 I have to apologize beforehand if you're pinged multiple times 😶 YT doesn't save my comments atm. Not sure what's going on here...
@@missplainjane3905 Hopefully works now Oo Pt1: I don't have that kind of "secret" knowlege, but maybe a few tips :)
1 - 7-eleven has pretty good Melon Pan in its bakery section. Check it out, if they are sold out e.g. in Asakusa.
2 - The hidden shrine in Akihabara is called Hanabusa Inari and sometimes one of the two entries is blocked ^^
3 - Pizzeria Onda in Kawaguchiko has imho the best pizza. 😍
I’m 🇯🇵 living in Tokyo, but …
$20 or $30 hotel ? really ?
capsule hotel ? air bnb?
it’s too cheap even in country side…
i cannot wait to be able to travel to Japan :3
So,. most are misconceptions, OK, I can see that. Numbers 4, 11, and 13 are essentially true. Number 12 is almost true and a few others, say 2 or 3 have a crumb of truth. So, that is around half of the "myths" range from possible to definite. Every culture has its quirks, Japan is no different. I like these warts and all videos as it sets a good foundation for real expectation.
An ignorant foreigner here, something I wonder about when considering visiting: In many of these traveling videos about Japan it is stated that buying groceries to cook at home tends to be pretty expensive while eating out can be relatively cheap. I don’t quite understand that juxtaposition (how that is economically possible without unfairly squeezing personal home cooks).
I used to follow a blog written by a South American living in Japan, a long time ago, before UA-cam. The thing that surprised me the most about Japan was seeing so much English on shop signs.
Hey, I have a question.. so, I´ve been thinking about traveling to japan and i want to stay atleast one month. other than hostels or hotel prices.. how much would it cost/how much do you recommend to save up to? for those people who wanna do content creation while they are there? I can live cheaply haha i just want to travel and make content for my youtube haha thx for all advice in advance
One of my cousins married a Jaoanese man. They now have 2 children. It is because of then that 9have been to japan over 20 times and I can't wait for my next visit.
是非、和歌山県の世界遺産高野山にもおこしくださいね😊
きっといい経験ができるでしょう😊
I am moving to japan in a few months with work as a transfer, from sydney australia, i have been doing extensive research to ensure that i am not worse off in Japan compared to sydney and holy god tokyo is about 1000x cheaper than sydney now. I pay more in rent each fortnight than you pay in a month, you can barely buy a work lunch for less than $20 in sydney, beers are like $15+ per pint, cocktails can be like $25 each. Utility bills are like nearly $800 a quarter total.
Japan is hella cheap, its not 1996 anymore. Unless you want to buy out of season fruit it seems!
Edit: They have the same uniqlo self service registers in australia now, every clothing tag has a unique RFID / NFC chip in it, thats how they work basically.
Thank you for a great video. We have invested in properties in Nagano Prefecture and love it. My only real gripe is how short broom & vacuum handles are😂
Japanese really are mostly quiet and polite, this is not a myth. If you walk in Tokyo anywhere nobody will run into you or try to avoid collision courses as muchas possible. I remember returning from Tokyo to Amsterdam airport and it was chaos trying to not hit people.
6:20 Answer In Progress has a good video called "why Japan's internet is weirdly designed" that may help answer that thought of "what year am I in" for japanese websites :)
- in all fairness even native English speakers tend to be awful at sarcasm & dry humor on the internet
- JP toilet's should be the Earth's standard
Visiting Japan is definitely on my bucket list, I would be so blessed for the opportunity..
In terms of the tech, I phrase it as “the Japanese think it through.” From tactile paths to the toilet paper holders, the process was looked at and improved. It stops at forms and faxes though.
Neat-o video, but the background music is ridiculously loud!
When I first went to Japan I thought that I wouldn't need much cash. Oh how wrong I was.
I know I'm coming like 8 months too late but where is Emma's sweater from? I neeeeeeeed it!
a pleasure to hear these 2 lovely ladies going over these myths and busting them!
I felt like the music in this was was particularly FUNKY
Great video! I currently live here and it was nice to listen about what I experienced myself
Video idea: exploring best hiking spots in the nature spots of greater Tokyo; showing the diversity of them? Like how to get there, tips, time you need
I want to go to Japan, but I'm on a wheelchair so I need to consider many things aside from my medcine and healthcare. How accesible is Japan? Not only Tokyo but Japan in general? Also what japanese people think and intereact with foreigners who have a phisical disability?
Wheelchair is not a issue in big cities.
Even public toilets have for disabilited persons.
Medicine, you should check with the embassy before reserve you ticket.
Some stuff can be forbidden.
If you have to do "overtime" at your work, it is not overtime. It's just "time."
I love living in Kanagawa by the beach but suck having to commute to Tokyo for 45-50 minutes.
My library here in the UK has the thing where you just put a pile of books on the machine and it somehow knows exactly what they are. I'm convinced it's some kind of dark magic 😂
SPOILERS: I'd bet its an RFID chip stuck inside the cover
You both look like a chick I dated in my 20s lol
Ink pasta is not a "Japanese twist"
They eat in Italy.
12:57 turned this bit into a sample
Omg thank you SO much for this!!!
Indian, Italian restaurant are popular in Japan
0:40 No Japanese
1:38 Expensive
3:23 Difficult to get around without a guide
4:36 No irony / sarcasm
5:38 Technologically advanced
7:27 Hard to make Japanese friends
10:55 Adults dislike anime / manga
11:47 Japanese only eat sushi and Japanese food
12:50 Japanese are always quiet and polite
14:00 Worklife sucks
15:05 Crowded cities
16:27 Tokyo is not Japan
Yeahhh, yahh, yeaaaaa 😅
Japanese humor seems very straight-forward. From there, I think irony/sarcasm is a bit more advanced in the U.S., then highly advanced in the U.K. (just from what I've seen). I appreciate all kinds of humor
@14:30 It depends on the company, it is another undeveloped and brutal capitalist country, like China and the US, but the company culture make a huge difference... again my perspective from a year's experience, and only from declining job offers there, while working for an EU first and then a UK company while there.
1:40 “Myth #2 - Japan in expensive”
Ironically, the typo kinda works as well
Also 2:00 averarage…
🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘
Tokyo is by far the most expensive city in Japan, but still it's a lot cheaper than other major international cities such as London, Paris, New York and Sydney. I really like its affordability.
Does Sarah have sanpaku eyes?
#1 When in the countryside, I had a local just break out their phone and we communicated via google translate. We ended up 'talking' for like half an hour.
#2 People who complain about Japan being 'expensive' are the people who expect Thailand level prices. I live in Canada and traveling in Japan is cheaper than traveling here in Canada.
#3 All you really need is google maps and google translate. I have been in some areas in Japan that I only found out later were the 'sketchy' parts and it seemed nicer than any 'slums' that I have seen elsewhere in the world.
#4 Well, yeah. Your communicating through a language barrier and a different culture.
#5 I think it is just the public facing stuff that seems so much more high tech.
#6 People who complain about not being able to make friends with '_____' people or in '______' city are everywhere. I think that some people feel like everyone should have to be friendly and interact with them.
#7 Maybe people should look at Juggalos* before they judge Japan's fashion. (*no hate. To each their own)
#8 Ha!
#9 Anyone who thinks that is dumb and probably the same people who were a table over from me in Sumida City complaining about who the restaurant didn't offer California rolls.
#10 In public, they are far nicer than a lot of other people. I don't see this as an issue.
#11 This is changing and mostly a stereotype. It isn't like companies in North America aren't similar.
#12 Well, if you are visiting super touristy locations, it is going to be busy. Duh.
#13 It is and it isn't. Tokyo is one aspect of Japan in the same way that Kishigawacho Uenoyama is one aspect of Japan.