@@meg..meg.Uh No, there's a reason, "ICHIGO KURASAKI" was created to look the way he does. Same with the Protagonist in "Food Wars"...... What the rareer part is said Boys n' Girls ABSOLUTELY REFUSING TO DYE THEIR HAIR BLACK TO FIT IN. God Bless the real life "Ichigo's" by giving Conservative Folks the Middle Finger by refusing to do such ! One of the Hero's of the Fukushima Earthquake is the Air Traffic Controller. Whose a real life looking "Ichigo Bro" from an Airport that could see the Tsunami coming and ordered everyone onto the roof of the Air Terminal Building.
@AbroadInJapanPodcast Hello Commendable Chris and Peachy Pete! Mark from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. My funniest experience in Japan when I was a heavy smoker maybe 20 years old. I was at at a smoking area outside of a station and wanted to trade a Canadian cigarette with a local to try a Japanese cigarette. One older gentleman agreed! Cigarettes can kind of be like Pokémon trading cards, trade them to try them all! As some may know Canadian cigarette packs have many health warnings covering most of not all of the package now and sometimes a frightening photo on them. His facial expressions changed and he started to get squeamish as he saw a needle pointed at an eyeball on my pack of darts. He quickly said no thank you! Quickly finished his cigarette then disappeared into the station. I laughed it off because I forgot that in Japan & USA they have limited warnings usually only written labels on the packages with no scary images on them. On a more serious note I’m now tobacco/nicotine free myself for nearly 2 years now and plan to stay that way. I’m happy that I quit. Generally feeling healthier, and more content, best part is food tastes way better as a non smoker. To the smokers and vapers out there it’s possible to quit. It’s extremely difficult but very possible to do. Never give up on yourself, even in the face of adversity.
I speak Japanese and I've been turned away from a bar in Tokyo. This was 2019, my husband and I walked in and we got told 'no' and waved out before we could say anything. It was a bit surprising and it happened on the last day of our trip, haven't forgotten it. I wonder if I had to tried to speak they would have let us in? Went back to Japan this year and didn't have any issues anywhere though, we travelled to far more rural places too and had amazing experiences :) Love the book Chris! And love the podcast guys!
I live in an area of the US that has unfortunately become an oversaturated tourist area in the past 10 years, and a lot of local shops and businesses are doing this same thing in a roundabout way to be able to continue to serve our community without being ruined by the tourists and everything that comes with it. There's no blatant signage, but they regulate hours, parking, entrances etc in a way that discourages anyone who isn't a local from attempting it.
@@RT-qd8ylthat’s not right though. I was born in Japan, I speak Japanese, my father Is Japanese, I live in shinjuku, you shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush, that’s just arrogance on another level.
@@dottieland7061your statement sounds rather sus. It’s ok if it’s true but in this economy most businesses will take what they can. …writing from the tourist paradise of central Florida.
I was in Fujinomiya in August where the weather was 10 degrees or more color than the 95 at Tokyo. I went to a restaurant that had some of the best seasonal veggies I have ever had with some delicious tempura in a 4 set course. As I finished the wonderful meal and headed to the register, the humble shop shop keeper who ran the whole restaurant himself seemingly asked if I was full. I then said yes very full and rubbed my belly. He walked close to me and tapped my tummy twice open hand and laughed hardily and said very good! lol...
My husband and I just returned from two weeks in Japan a few days ago, and we got shot down multiple times upon entering bars and izakayas even though I can speak a tiny bit of Japanese. This happened in Shimbashi, where we were met with the X sign and told "reserve only" even though it was late and there was clearly seating available. When we did find a place in that area, we were given a menu that did have English on it but less options as we saw other folks eating nicer options that weren't on our menu. In Kyoto, this happened a few times as we approached bars in Gion, as well as in Shinjuku when we tried to access a building filled with small locals bars. We were very happy at the places we did make it into and felt welcome at them, so it wasn't a big deal, but it does sting a little to be rejected with the X symbol before you even have a chance to say hello and ask for a seat.
Kyoto/Gion is well known to reject tourists and even regular Japanese people because the places are only for invited/ regular guests. You have to be connected with someone that’s already a regular customer to be allowed to enter. Kyoto is known in Japan to be… to put it bluntly… snobby😅 if you stick to the main roads in Gion you should be let in fine.
@@TierHarribelJapan in general just isn't worth visiting. It's horribly racist, sexist, transphobic, and xenophobic. The only good thing about Japan is it's declining birthrate.
Last year, I went into a restaurant in Kyoto with my wife and entered with "futari desu" (for 2). My Japanese is very basic. They realized we were foreigners (despite being Asian), and ask if Japanese menu was okay. I replied with "mondainai desu" (no problem). And we were able to be seated and order using google translate. About 5 minutes later, a European couple walks in and the waitress almost immediately says that they were full. They were not. Being Asian does seem to help. But on another night, we were turned away at the door saying they were full trying to enter a yakitori shop (also in Kyoto).
Singaporean Chinese here and same experience with my family this year. They were fine as long as we could order in basic japanese and we were okay with only Japanese menu. Only issue we had with mostly at Kyoto was weekend where unless you had reservations, most of the popular restaurants were fully prebooked so even if it was 8.30pm there were little chance to enter as the shop owners would explain that guests would usually stay until last order so very little chance to enter.
Ken Tanaka had an amazing video tackling this subject. It's called, "But We're Speaking Japanese!" Basically, there's a bunch of foreigners sitting at a table, and the waitress was looking anxious until she saw an Asian lady at the table. From then on, even though the other foreigners were speaking perfect, eloquent Japanese, the waitress only spoke to the Asian lady, even though she's Asian American and only spoke English. Really highlights the subtle racism. What sells it is the waitress's transformation from the refusal to listen the foreigners' perfect Japanese to the first-class omotenashi to the Asian lady who only spoke English. Even when the video was shown to Japanese on the street, none of them understood the point the video was making.
I lived in Vietnam teaching a few years ago. I was a 60 year old woman on my own . I went into a local restaurant for dinner and the owner came running screaming at me from the back somewhere , hand up to my face saying "No English" it gave me a bit of a fright, I had barely stepped into the door I thought I was being attacked . But giving him the benefit of the doubt I tried again a week later with the same result. Was there a secret telegraph going on in the street telling him I was coming. I don't know. Anyway I sat opposite his restaurant ordered a nice meal and drank a beer with some locals.
I loved the last episode! TY for being brave Chris and taking on the topic. Discussing current events in japan is important and interesting. Even if the topic is not so nice.
Hi Chris, I am a Japanese and I love your UA-cam Channel. I just finished your audio book. It was very good. I laughed so much. Funniest part was そば枕 (buckwheat pillow) Your British humor is very entertaining. Also I usually don’t like when author reads audiobook but you are talented as narrator as well. クリスさん とても笑わせてくれた。また頑張ってください。
After 5 years living in the same area in Osaka, i find it a wonderful place to live and die. All my neighbours knows my presence already ( they got used to me), bars know me so well that i feel more than welcome , sometimes we end up hugin eachother, it I think thats one of the BIG keys as a foreinger, time and respect. Eventually, your area get used to your presence.
I had interesting experience in Japan this August. It happened a couple of times. I'd been in bars in touristy areas of Kyoto and had been allowed in without issue, but multiple times when foreign people tried to come in, the bar owner denied them entry saying no space/no room, even though there was plenty. I think it was probably due to my attempt at speaking Japanese as well as being dressed a little less touristy than others that tried to enter. It was surprising though. I also had an experience in Kyoto where an old man at the back of a very traditional old couple-owned place had started shouting at me/his wife when i couldn't respond or understand the Japanese she was speaking to me. She told him off and apologised to me. The food was lovely and thankfully another foreign couple came in towards the end of my meal so it wasn't as awkward. The old geezer also shunned himself away out the back half way through my meal so I didn't have to stare down the restaurant at his disgruntled face while he read his newspaper! Overall it was super welcoming and people were lovely. Other patrons at bars often paid for my drinks before I could even realise they'd done it. Got to be the most welcoming country I've been to. I love Japan for that and it's amazing social responsibility.
Just about to have a listen but firstly I wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to Chris! I found your channels about 8 months ago and binged watched, as you are great at making videos and as a result I just finished my first week in Japan with my wife. All your videos helped us plan our trip and I am sitting here in Kamakura with my Calpis and Lawson's fired chicken red, I also recommend the Punch Spice kaarage- kun, my wife has LOVED every second and it is all down to you my man so a million thank you!!! We are here for the next 4 weeks, if you have anything planed like your bar nights please let me know and we will try to be there, I owe you a drink :-) We are off to the Nakasendo trail on Monday, Thank you again!! BTW, any tips of finding places to stay on the trail, it's proving difficult!
I'll be visiting Japan for the first time this November and I'm absolutely dreading the flight but it does give me the perfect opportunity, I think, to listen to the audiobook. Hopefully it'll make the 14 hours a bit more bearable.
I get tired of looking at my Kindle Paperwhite screen for a 4-hour flight, make sure you have movies or a physical book as backup entertainment. I hope your trip to Japan is wonderful!
I was in Ameyoko a few weeks ago and I was initially denied entry to a standing counter bar. I asked in Japanese if they were closed. They said, no problems and showed me a place to stand. It's a language issue and many tourists walk in and take all the air out of the room. 21:18 exactly.
8:42 Most certainly I have the audiobook (and the hardcover :D ) Been enjoying it during my travel to and from work. And I got my coworker to buy the book as well for a relative who is planning to go to Japan and try to be a teacher.
We visited Okinawa 2 weeks ago, the locals we interacted with were very friendly and welcoming, we went to Araha beach and teenagers on a college/uni trip were asking what we thought of their island in better English than our Japanese for sure! No place said Japanese only there or on Honshu, but plenty of signs about charging extra to non-Japanese. One place in Nagoya left us alone until attempting to order in Japanese, but they were friendly after maling the effort. We loved the experience though and can't wait to go back and explore other areas! Congrats on the audio book, I have the hardback version to take inspiration from for our next visit!
Another comment pointed out the change in menu for tourists compared to locals, this also happened in the same restaurant, but the Japanese menu was on the back still, so we just ordered from that anyway 😅
I’m half Japanese but look a lot more western. I’ve also encountered such situations where they almost turned me away at bars but the attitide changed 100% when I proofed my ”Japaneseness” with my Japanese passport.. Like bruh I speak native Japanese and they still treat me like a foreigner
The same here, but i feel it has become much better than before.... but i think it depend on what the shop is restaurants and ryokans all taking foreigners in because it makes sense business wise, but i get that small bars with 5-8 seats depends on there 100 more or less fixed customers going there. These customers come there to see there mates and the 100 others are all theire mates, and when a group of judt 2-3 foreigners coming in destroys this dynamic.
I can understand the "Japanese only" signs at these small bars where they have a group of regulars or something like that but sometimes it really does seem to be for the sake of excluding foreigners lol. It happens a lot less these days, especially in the major cities as tourism became more and more common over the years and they figured out how much money tourists have to spend. The last time I remember being really discriminated against was chatting outside to the doorman of a bar with a bunch of Japanese friends, even speaking in Japanese and when we tried to actually go in he refused me just because that's the rule the have, there was no issue with communication and I was with a group of Japanese people who could go in but they wouldn't let me in no matter what lol. At that point it's better to just find somewhere else than argue the toss at a place I won't feel welcome. You get used to the look of sheer panic when you walk in and then the look of relief when they figure out you have enough Japanese to read a menu and communicate your preferences of how soft you want your noodles or something XD. I like visiting the really hole in the wall type ramen places because they tend to be quiet and have their own recipe outside of the mass produced stuff, in one case the guy asked me and my American friend why we'd visit this place that had no English anywhere or no English menu and my friend is like "Because I hate white people" in Japanese, the owner laughed so much he gave us a free beer each just for amusing him.
Oh man, I just realised something after watching this episode. I was in Ikebukuro some years back getting some Isomaru Suisan for lunch, and they welcomed me inside and sat me down at a table. I didn't really go through the menu as I knew what I wanted already, (the Kaisendon obviously), so I waited for the staff to take my order. As I waited, other Japanese groups arrived...and their order was taken. 5 minutes pass, some people's food comes out who arrived after me...10 minutes pass, 15, 20, 25 then finally I was going to draw the line and walk out at 30mins. I could see the whole time I was waiting other Japanese people were looking at me wondering why no one was coming over to take my order. A woman who was getting her order taken actually looked over at me and said to the waitress I'm assuming "I think he was before me?" I think my face showed with frustration and just as I was about to get up and walk out after 30mins, someone comes over and takes my order. I was so hungry, but annoyed so I stayed and ate it as I really wanted it but I was so puzzled as to why they waited 30mins to take my order and everyone else had theirs taken almost immediately. I think now it was staff were nervous to try and communicate with me, but at the same time, Kaisendon and Coca Cola isn't a rough time. It is the only time in Japan that it has happened. Maybe they were hoping I'd get up and leave after 15mins, but no, I WANTED THAT KAISENDON.
Sounds like what happened to me at Softbank in Yokosuka. I was the 2nd person in line, I waited 30 minutes and saw every single Japanese person after me be helped and not a single other foreigner was helped. I was told it was because they didn't have an English speaker. They never once asked if I could speak Japanese. I cancelled their service immediately.
A lot of Japanese people have zero confidence in their English ability, and would rather swallow broken glass then potentially embarrass themselves by speaking it in public to a native English speaker. And yes, it often doesn't occur to them that people can learn to speak a new language. Though I guess they're not too far off-base. Japanese isn't exactly as widely taught as English is, and there's so few of us foreigners who live in Japan. Chances are if a foreigner comes into the restaurant, they're likely a tourist (especially if they're located in a touristy area) and they probably don't speak Japanese. Still, they should be open to the possibility.
@@fireaza As a Japanese, I agree with what you said. Japanese in general don't like to be embarrassed or incompetent in public. Based on the original comment, I think that he didn't know how to order in a Japanese way. In western countries, you wait and an assigned server comes to take your order. In Japan, however, you need to call a server by saying "Sumimasen" or by pressing a call button. That's why he was left not being helped for a long time and the staff got nervous when they realized what happened.
@@shink287 This particular Isomaru Suisan didn't have a call button as this was many years ago. Now, I've noticed they have a more prominent English menu and call buttons. I didn't get offended by it, I thought there must have been some reason and maybe was I supposed to say Sumimasen, but the thing was no one else had call buttons or had to yell out, someone came after a few mins to take the order.
I just finished the Audible book, Chris. Congratulations, it was the perfect combination of dry sarcastic humor and vivid descriptions of your life that let me see t thorough your eyes Hearing you read it made it worth the wait. l almost bought a hard copy but I knew I wanted to hear you set the scene. Thanks for a great read/listen. All the best! Let me know when your book is coming out Pete, that would be a WILD read! You can trump Chris and get Ken Watanabe to read it! He would leave Japan for sure, at that point. 🤣🤣🤣
Actually Nagoya has a very lively pop culture, different different than the one you will come across in Akihabara or den den town. Apart from the maid cafes and speciality stores, you see young people dressed in j-fashion accessories all over the city. The vibe there is unique! Unfortunately l had some trouble with my accomodation and lost so many hours trying to figure it out, so l wasn't able to annoy the city... still l got the vibes and defenetelly going back
Had two strange confrontation in Japan recently with restaurants. The first time we went into this restaurant/“izakaya” and the host or whoever was at the front turned his head and rolled his eyes while making an “ugh” sound as we walked in. It wasn’t busy or anything. The second time was a week later. We go into this smaller real izakaya and the guy behind the bar automatically gave us the huge “X” with his arms and said “gomenasai” repeatedly and that he was closed (it was still 2 hours before his actual closing time) we replied back to him in Japanese since we speak it and as we left he proceeded to turn off the lights to his front shop. Not sure what that interaction was about but never had encounters like that in other countries. Only in Japan it seems.
Glad Pete said Osaka is like Brighton first. The people there are definitely more like the kind of people you find in Brighton, having lived in Brighton, when I’ve been to Osaka I always introduced myself as being from England’s equivalent.
as far as i know and it may well be outdated info but when its comes to vaping in japan you can not buy e liquid that contains nicotine in japan since apparently that is illegal and vape shops are few and far between and only carry nicotine free e liquid but you can as a tourist bring e liquid containing nicotine for personal use but I'm not sure about what the limit of how much e liquid you can bring is
Dear Crabby Chrish and Prawny Pete, This episode, as always, has been incredibly insightful and enthrallingly entertaining. Although it was just a man called 'Kuma-san' or ' Mr.Bear', We have finally gotten a mention of the forbidden 'bear' on this podcast. I hope we can soon hear about a non-human bear too. And Pete, don't worry about showing your pulchritudinous nipples on camera. Don't let this oppressive society hinder the' free the nipples' movement because you are our male representative for the reform. Thank you, Sayantan
Realistically, the anti-foreigner policy is to attract locals and more "traditional" older japanese citizens. The kind that put out media showcasing "This is a PEN". Personally, i don't see it as a big issue. In the end if they choose to get less business and their business fails then that's on them. Plenty of other places to go to in Japan. ┐(´ー｀)┌
First time in Japan was early nineties and many times since. In a rare moment of truth, I was told by a bar owner in Tokyo that they banned foreigners because of our violent tendencies after one too many cocktails.
At this point, half a year later, my only review I've left of Japanese restaurant was one in central tokyo that just chased me out when I wanted to eat. It's most popular piece of media I've ever created as it was marked as helpful by 500+ people at this point. Nothing like a way to chase away pretty rich clients that came into Japan for vacation.
Never been refused but I don't go to smaller izakaya. I did work at one though, with hand written menu and all. Nagoya isn't the greatest city I feel, but there's a few nice places nearby that you can visit for culture and vibes. Like Inuyama and Okazaki.
The weirdest encounter I ever had was in my hometown in Germany. A random woman walked up to me and wanted me to squeeze her thumbs. The weird part is that she actually wanted to get her thumbs squeezed. "Ich drücke dir die Daumen." means "Good luck.", but nobody actually asks for that. In the end, it's just an idiom, not an action.
German friends of mine went to Kyushu. Pretty rural place. They found only one restaurant and they said "we are full" but were completely empty. That sucks. In Tokyo you have plenty of choices. But if you have only one restaurant... They are not really speaking Japanese, but pretty experienced in travelling Japan. So i guess they would have found a way. Especially in Google translater times...
Wouldnt it be funny if someone opens a shop right beside a "no Foreigners" shop with a sign that says "No japanese - Foreigners only" , but that is probably against their law XP
Last April my wife and I were walking around Kawaramachi Street in Kyoto in the morning when a local lady in her 40's/50's walked up to us. We were surprised as up until that point nobody really approached us to talk to us during the entire trip. She motioned to her to touch my wife's hair, which was admittedly dyed pink on the ends. Not wanting to offend the lady my wife said "Sure, why not." and she let her. Nothing particularly bad happened but it didn't take very long to tell that this strange lady had been day-drinking a bit. We tired to have a conversation with her to be friendly but she didn't understand any of our English and my Japanese was very, very basic. It was a very unusual experience.
I think one factor that should be considerd is that Japan has large American military bases and housing areas scattered around it. Seems like this would cause a certain amount of resentment due to foreign troops constantly being present. Ameican soldiers raping locals has been a source of tension.
For those vapers - a lot of Japanese smokers smoke those heat not burn cigarettes like iQos which are also available in UK. They would need one the iQos machines. iQos cigarettes are available in all convenience stores like 7/11 and Lawsons etc.
There's a podcast pair who went to Korea a few weeks ago, and they've reported being turned away from restaurants, or literally put in a corner "out of sight". It's weird.
Chris, listen to Pete - stay out of canyons with Connor! I think the reason they have you cross your arms like that is because wetsuits are extremely buoyant and it’s to keep your arms from being pulled up too quickly and causing injury… although it sounds as if that’s what happened to you regardless. Feel better soon! Edited to add: I posted before I heard the Brian from Mississippi story - Brian, if you’re reading this, I’d love to follow you. I’m a fellow Mississippian and would enjoy hearing your stories!
Happened to me once. I had walked a lot, was tired. I went in anyway. I told them to either serve me a drink or call the police. Got my drink, paid, n left. Was i wrong?
I watched a video during my first degree of an anthropologist from I think the 90s. He went to bars that didn't allow foreigners and started fucking with the staff. He was a resident (or married citizen) and had a Japanese name, so he kept challenging the whole thing. He was like, "Oh, I see. No, I'm Japanese. I'll show you my license." The door guy besides he's not paid enough to deal with this and gets his boss. The boss goes through the whole thing and tells the anthropologist that he can't come in because they've had problems with foreigners. He again pressed the issue, to the point where the manager just relented and said he could come in because he's Japanese, but that no other foreigners were allowed. It was so funny and a great example of how Japanese people don't like confrontation and can't justify behind their prejudices.
Yeah, Japan annoyed me quite a bit during the height of Covid-19. All this "Japanese are superior human beings" kind of mentality really showed. I wouldn't even say Japan did that well during the pandemic, but often they still put the blame on foreigners for Corona. It was a bit sad to see and read about. Oh, and Cannabis is an interesting one, too. I find it quite hypocritical how many people are smoking and drinking, but if it's Cannabis... they're like "no, that's a dangerous drug!" and it's big on the news when there are trace amounts found in someone's pockets... Maybe that's what you get when the country is controlled by 60+ year olds.
The "no foreigner" in Okinawa is often a response to the US occupation of the island. Even though the occupation was officially ended in the 1970s, the huge amount of real estate still owned by the US is a huge political issue, especially with some of the older people that didn't survive WWII. Younger people are leaving the prefecture in droves and selling their family lands to developers. No small number of them are shell companies for the CCP.
I heard of certain stores in Japan being able to get completely Unreleased, unpublished, shelved, technically non existent anime straight from the production company themselves (stolen of course/inside job) and sell them at hush hush stores (kaitou shops). Are these a thing and does anime really have this type of blackmarket? Hollywood has the same underground market for films the public doesn't know about. Usually in the hands of private collectors who are usually rich.
Coming from an Indy Wrestler here- If you haven't bled on at least one baby during a match in your wrestling career, you haven't been wrestling long enough. WOOOOOOO!
I honestly doubt it's got anything to do with language. It most likely has to do with the atmosphere they're trying to pitch... there are still many Japanese people who feel uneasy around foreigners, especially those who LOOK very foreign (IE: beards, tattoos, etc). I'd expect many businesses that cater to "dating", be it of the adult kind, or simply a bar that has that reputation, would prefer to keep their customers relaxed, happy, drunk, and spending money, which they fear might not happen if scary gaijin are hulking in the corners of the room. It's utter nonsense in a big city like Tokyo, of course... but it's very hard to change people's minds other than when decades of experience. But then again, I'm also of the mindset that a shop owner should have to freedom to serve (or not serve) anyone they like as it's their shop. Freedom has to apply to everyone or it's pointless. You, as a customer, can find another shop. They, as a shopkeep, can't just move away because you walked in.
In a country that gets so praised for their customers service and so on, it surprises me how acceptable it is for everybody to be denied services just because you are a foreigner. In so many other countries that would be named racism, but in this case so many ahh japanese aren't racists they just afraid. Sounds like a thin excuse
Many things called racism in Japan are foreigners' misunderstandings. For example, many bars in Japan are members only so if you are not a member of the bar, you are not allowed to enter, regardless of whether you are Japanese or foreigner. And in Japan it is quite common to reserve a seat by phone or online so some foreigners are furious that they are not allowed to enter the Izakaya even though there are seats available, but in reality, those seats are reserved seats. Many foreigners don't understand Japanese, so they go into such stores and are rejected, but in reality, it's nothing racism.
I used to attend sittings of commons remotely and I kept getting introduced to the Mayor of Leeds, just randomly and I did not know who this woman was or why she kept being introduced... so, I'm not always that quick on the uptick but then again, I haven't attended my office, practically ever... I mean, the Duke of Normandy for many years was much the same... but fun fact, Leeds is the second biggest city after London, or so, I have read, in England... so, yeah, again...🤷♂
one issue there is (im in the food and beverage industry here), is that there is a difference in drinking culture here in Japan compared to other countries (meaning to say, each country has its own culture). Of course, you will find Japanese idiots that cause troubles or discomfort for other customers, but it is frequently seen that there are foreign tourists that will go to a local bar or restaurant, get intoxicated, and perhaps out of excitement of holiday start getting out of control (loud voices, trying to mingle with other customers, flirting, etc), which then causes troubles for the establishment and other customers. And in many cases if such customer is asked to tone it down or asked to leave, they tend to cause a scene. Of course, I have met many many tourists or other foreigners living in Japan that are very respectable of the culture and the people (and these people are a pleasure to meet), but on the other hand there are many whom behave in such ways that I find it hard to believe thats how they would behave in their home country. perhaps such things may perhaps also push establishments to restrict foreigners....?
I personally think it’s really sad, that they feel they have to not allow foreigners in their business. I wouldn’t be offended. I just be sad if I got shown out of one of those places, or saw a sign. This is my first time viewing one of these podcast videos though, so good job!😊👍🏻
Vaping causes small inflammation across the lungs. That’s why it hurts. Be careful with vaping too much/all day. Lots people ending up in hospital with scarred lung.
This is not rare at all, I know you want to paint an idyllic image of Japan, but this type of discrimination happens all the time here, mostly implicit but sometimes the brazen ones don’t care to hide it and do as that bar did
I found the unofficial "Japanese Only" issue was particularly bad in Sapporo, at both restaurants, bars and izakaya, and I wasn't even there during the ski season. At least Golden Gai has signs so you don't have to embarrass yourself and waste your time.
I know this would happen in Okinawa a lot beucase they assumed you were USA military, which for many reasons I will not go into here are not always looked fondly upon, however with tourism expanding in Okinawa these days they tend to not always assume that if you are a foreigner, even asking where you are from.
In 2017 I was turned away from a restaurant in the Ueno neighborhood of Tokyo, the staff walked quickly at me with their arms crossed in front of them and shooed me out the door.
Okinawa in particular has had a foreigner problem for a very long time, so long that it is difficult to talk about it in a few words. There is a U.S. military base nearby, and even if they vandalize stores, they are protected by U.S. law, not Japanese law. There have been many cases of drunken driving and homicides that have been very damaging. Unlike other prefectures, this one dates back to WW2 and was a lawless area for the Americans at that time. It is a bit different to talk about these in the same way.
Sadly I’ve been turned away from izakayas 5 different times in Kyoto. Never anywhere else in Japan. The first time I visited Japan, it really didn’t surprise me as I spoke very little Japanese. But this Spring it happened again and I speak decent Japanese now. Guess I give off a bad vibe. 😈
Did you know that Kyoto has a culture of "一言さんお断り"? This refers to stores that only allow customers to enter through acquaintances. This is a culture unique to Kyoto that applies not only to foreigners but also to Japanese people. If you want to go in, you can take someone you know who can get into the store first, so that they can get to know the store. Next time, you can bring your own acquaintance into the store.
Hi, I'm Japanese. Old or exclusive restaurants in some areas of Kyoto refuse first-time customers. When I visited Kyoto with my family, we were asked at a restaurant "Have you come here before?" Luckily, we were allowed to dine in after waiting some time, but this is a norm in Kyoto. Kyoto is a popular tourist destination, so some restaurants distinguish regular customers from tourists so that the restaurants provide the best service to loyal customers. Those customers can feel special and they don't have to deal with unpleasant customers. It's kind of similar to member-only restaurants in your country. Those restaurants can maintain high standards of service by choosing customers. If you want to go to such restaurants in Kyoto, bring someone who has been there before or ask the person to make a reservation for you.
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Easily one of the most insane travel stories we have ever had 😂
I'm guessing red hair is especially rarely seen in Japan
@@meg..meg.Uh No, there's a reason, "ICHIGO KURASAKI" was created to look the way he does. Same with the Protagonist in "Food Wars"...... What the rareer part is said Boys n' Girls ABSOLUTELY REFUSING TO DYE THEIR HAIR BLACK TO FIT IN. God Bless the real life "Ichigo's" by giving Conservative Folks the Middle Finger by refusing to do such ! One of the Hero's of the Fukushima Earthquake is the Air Traffic Controller. Whose a real life looking "Ichigo Bro" from an Airport that could see the Tsunami coming and ordered everyone onto the roof of the Air Terminal Building.
@AbroadInJapanPodcast Hello Commendable Chris and Peachy Pete! Mark from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. My funniest experience in Japan when I was a heavy smoker maybe 20 years old. I was at at a smoking area outside of a station and wanted to trade a Canadian cigarette with a local to try a Japanese cigarette. One older gentleman agreed! Cigarettes can kind of be like Pokémon trading cards, trade them to try them all! As some may know Canadian cigarette packs have many health warnings covering most of not all of the package now and sometimes a frightening photo on them. His facial expressions changed and he started to get squeamish as he saw a needle pointed at an eyeball on my pack of darts. He quickly said no thank you! Quickly finished his cigarette then disappeared into the station. I laughed it off because I forgot that in Japan & USA they have limited warnings usually only written labels on the packages with no scary images on them.
On a more serious note I’m now tobacco/nicotine free myself for nearly 2 years now and plan to stay that way. I’m happy that I quit. Generally feeling healthier, and more content, best part is food tastes way better as a non smoker. To the smokers and vapers out there it’s possible to quit. It’s extremely difficult but very possible to do. Never give up on yourself, even in the face of adversity.
@nicholausbuthmann1421
Oh dear! The Abroad in Japan fanbase is being infiltrated 15-year-old weebs! The demise has started.
Vape juice never contains any nicotine.
You have to buy that separateley.
I speak Japanese and I've been turned away from a bar in Tokyo. This was 2019, my husband and I walked in and we got told 'no' and waved out before we could say anything. It was a bit surprising and it happened on the last day of our trip, haven't forgotten it. I wonder if I had to tried to speak they would have let us in? Went back to Japan this year and didn't have any issues anywhere though, we travelled to far more rural places too and had amazing experiences :) Love the book Chris! And love the podcast guys!
I live in an area of the US that has unfortunately become an oversaturated tourist area in the past 10 years, and a lot of local shops and businesses are doing this same thing in a roundabout way to be able to continue to serve our community without being ruined by the tourists and everything that comes with it. There's no blatant signage, but they regulate hours, parking, entrances etc in a way that discourages anyone who isn't a local from attempting it.
@@RT-qd8ylinteresting
@@RT-qd8ylthat’s not right though. I was born in Japan, I speak Japanese, my father Is Japanese, I live in shinjuku, you shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush, that’s just arrogance on another level.
There are many members-only bars in Japan. Maybe you've been in one of those bars.
@@dottieland7061your statement sounds rather sus. It’s ok if it’s true but in this economy most businesses will take what they can. …writing from the tourist paradise of central Florida.
Future foreigner Tinder accounts in Japan: "Cuddling with me will improve your immune system"
My husband and I have been enjoying your audiobook so far! Having you read it makes it 100% better! Thanks for making our transit enjoyable!
I was in Fujinomiya in August where the weather was 10 degrees or more color than the 95 at Tokyo. I went to a restaurant that had some of the best seasonal veggies I have ever had with some delicious tempura in a 4 set course. As I finished the wonderful meal and headed to the register, the humble shop shop keeper who ran the whole restaurant himself seemingly asked if I was full. I then said yes very full and rubbed my belly. He walked close to me and tapped my tummy twice open hand and laughed hardily and said very good! lol...
My husband and I just returned from two weeks in Japan a few days ago, and we got shot down multiple times upon entering bars and izakayas even though I can speak a tiny bit of Japanese. This happened in Shimbashi, where we were met with the X sign and told "reserve only" even though it was late and there was clearly seating available. When we did find a place in that area, we were given a menu that did have English on it but less options as we saw other folks eating nicer options that weren't on our menu. In Kyoto, this happened a few times as we approached bars in Gion, as well as in Shinjuku when we tried to access a building filled with small locals bars. We were very happy at the places we did make it into and felt welcome at them, so it wasn't a big deal, but it does sting a little to be rejected with the X symbol before you even have a chance to say hello and ask for a seat.
Stories like this just make me not want to visit Japan tbh, it seems like these types of encounters have increased a lot since COVID
Kyoto/Gion is well known to reject tourists and even regular Japanese people because the places are only for invited/ regular guests. You have to be connected with someone that’s already a regular customer to be allowed to enter. Kyoto is known in Japan to be… to put it bluntly… snobby😅 if you stick to the main roads in Gion you should be let in fine.
@@TierHarribelJapan in general just isn't worth visiting. It's horribly racist, sexist, transphobic, and xenophobic. The only good thing about Japan is it's declining birthrate.
@@TierHarribel Please don’t let it disuade you. Japan is an awesome place to visit, and these experiences were exceptions and not the norm.
Are u sure u weren't trying to drink in hostess bars? They usually turn foreigners away.
Last year, I went into a restaurant in Kyoto with my wife and entered with "futari desu" (for 2). My Japanese is very basic. They realized we were foreigners (despite being Asian), and ask if Japanese menu was okay. I replied with "mondainai desu" (no problem). And we were able to be seated and order using google translate. About 5 minutes later, a European couple walks in and the waitress almost immediately says that they were full. They were not. Being Asian does seem to help. But on another night, we were turned away at the door saying they were full trying to enter a yakitori shop (also in Kyoto).
Singaporean Chinese here and same experience with my family this year. They were fine as long as we could order in basic japanese and we were okay with only Japanese menu.
Only issue we had with mostly at Kyoto was weekend where unless you had reservations, most of the popular restaurants were fully prebooked so even if it was 8.30pm there were little chance to enter as the shop owners would explain that guests would usually stay until last order so very little chance to enter.
Ken Tanaka had an amazing video tackling this subject. It's called, "But We're Speaking Japanese!"
Basically, there's a bunch of foreigners sitting at a table, and the waitress was looking anxious until she saw an Asian lady at the table. From then on, even though the other foreigners were speaking perfect, eloquent Japanese, the waitress only spoke to the Asian lady, even though she's Asian American and only spoke English. Really highlights the subtle racism.
What sells it is the waitress's transformation from the refusal to listen the foreigners' perfect Japanese to the first-class omotenashi to the Asian lady who only spoke English. Even when the video was shown to Japanese on the street, none of them understood the point the video was making.
I lived in Vietnam teaching a few years ago. I was a 60 year old woman on my own . I went into a local restaurant for dinner and the owner came running screaming at me from the back somewhere , hand up to my face saying "No English" it gave me a bit of a fright, I had barely stepped into the door I thought I was being attacked . But giving him the benefit of the doubt I tried again a week later with the same result. Was there a secret telegraph going on in the street telling him I was coming. I don't know. Anyway I sat opposite his restaurant ordered a nice meal and drank a beer with some locals.
12:00 This has to be one of the top 10 strangest stories in the history of Abroad In Japan's Fax machine, and that's a high benchmark to reach.
Absolutely bonkers
I loved the last episode! TY for being brave Chris and taking on the topic. Discussing current events in japan is important and interesting. Even if the topic is not so nice.
Hi Chris, I am a Japanese and I love your UA-cam Channel. I just finished your audio book. It was very good. I laughed so much. Funniest part was そば枕 (buckwheat pillow) Your British humor is very entertaining. Also I usually don’t like when author reads audiobook but you are talented as narrator as well.
クリスさん とても笑わせてくれた。また頑張ってください。
After 5 years living in the same area in Osaka, i find it a wonderful place to live and die. All my neighbours knows my presence already ( they got used to me), bars know me so well that i feel more than welcome , sometimes we end up hugin eachother, it I think thats one of the BIG keys as a foreinger, time and respect. Eventually, your area get used to your presence.
You did a great job narrating the Audio Book - I had a great time listening to it.
I had interesting experience in Japan this August. It happened a couple of times. I'd been in bars in touristy areas of Kyoto and had been allowed in without issue, but multiple times when foreign people tried to come in, the bar owner denied them entry saying no space/no room, even though there was plenty. I think it was probably due to my attempt at speaking Japanese as well as being dressed a little less touristy than others that tried to enter. It was surprising though.
I also had an experience in Kyoto where an old man at the back of a very traditional old couple-owned place had started shouting at me/his wife when i couldn't respond or understand the Japanese she was speaking to me. She told him off and apologised to me. The food was lovely and thankfully another foreign couple came in towards the end of my meal so it wasn't as awkward. The old geezer also shunned himself away out the back half way through my meal so I didn't have to stare down the restaurant at his disgruntled face while he read his newspaper!
Overall it was super welcoming and people were lovely. Other patrons at bars often paid for my drinks before I could even realise they'd done it. Got to be the most welcoming country I've been to. I love Japan for that and it's amazing social responsibility.
Just about to have a listen but firstly I wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to Chris! I found your channels about 8 months ago and binged watched, as you are great at making videos and as a result I just finished my first week in Japan with my wife. All your videos helped us plan our trip and I am sitting here in Kamakura with my Calpis and Lawson's fired chicken red, I also recommend the Punch Spice kaarage- kun, my wife has LOVED every second and it is all down to you my man so a million thank you!!!
We are here for the next 4 weeks, if you have anything planed like your bar nights please let me know and we will try to be there, I owe you a drink :-)
We are off to the Nakasendo trail on Monday, Thank you again!!
BTW, any tips of finding places to stay on the trail, it's proving difficult!
I'll be visiting Japan for the first time this November and I'm absolutely dreading the flight but it does give me the perfect opportunity, I think, to listen to the audiobook. Hopefully it'll make the 14 hours a bit more bearable.
I get tired of looking at my Kindle Paperwhite screen for a 4-hour flight, make sure you have movies or a physical book as backup entertainment. I hope your trip to Japan is wonderful!
I'll be doing the same.
The flight isn't that bad just sleep
I was in Ameyoko a few weeks ago and I was initially denied entry to a standing counter bar. I asked in Japanese if they were closed. They said, no problems and showed me a place to stand. It's a language issue and many tourists walk in and take all the air out of the room. 21:18 exactly.
A lot of tourists make no effort except speaking louder and louder in English as if they were deaf.
My daughter speaks Japanese and is married to a Japanese guy but they weren’t able to rent one flat they looked because she’s a foreigner.
8:42 Most certainly I have the audiobook (and the hardcover :D )
Been enjoying it during my travel to and from work. And I got my coworker to buy the book as well for a relative who is planning to go to Japan and try to be a teacher.
We visited Okinawa 2 weeks ago, the locals we interacted with were very friendly and welcoming, we went to Araha beach and teenagers on a college/uni trip were asking what we thought of their island in better English than our Japanese for sure! No place said Japanese only there or on Honshu, but plenty of signs about charging extra to non-Japanese. One place in Nagoya left us alone until attempting to order in Japanese, but they were friendly after maling the effort. We loved the experience though and can't wait to go back and explore other areas! Congrats on the audio book, I have the hardback version to take inspiration from for our next visit!
Another comment pointed out the change in menu for tourists compared to locals, this also happened in the same restaurant, but the Japanese menu was on the back still, so we just ordered from that anyway 😅
Okinawa is Little America. The US military and expats outnumber the locals in Okinawa.
I’m half Japanese but look a lot more western. I’ve also encountered such situations where they almost turned me away at bars but the attitide changed 100% when I proofed my ”Japaneseness” with my Japanese passport.. Like bruh I speak native Japanese and they still treat me like a foreigner
The same here, but i feel it has become much better than before.... but i think it depend on what the shop is restaurants and ryokans all taking foreigners in because it makes sense business wise, but i get that small bars with 5-8 seats depends on there 100 more or less fixed customers going there. These customers come there to see there mates and the 100 others are all theire mates, and when a group of judt 2-3 foreigners coming in destroys this dynamic.
I might be petty but if I was you and this happened to me, I would not want to eat at their bar, even if they did let me in
Love the audiobook - puts a smile on my face and makes me dream of Japan - good fun.
Just came here to say the sets you’ve built and your cinematic usage of the world around you is incredible!
I can understand the "Japanese only" signs at these small bars where they have a group of regulars or something like that but sometimes it really does seem to be for the sake of excluding foreigners lol. It happens a lot less these days, especially in the major cities as tourism became more and more common over the years and they figured out how much money tourists have to spend. The last time I remember being really discriminated against was chatting outside to the doorman of a bar with a bunch of Japanese friends, even speaking in Japanese and when we tried to actually go in he refused me just because that's the rule the have, there was no issue with communication and I was with a group of Japanese people who could go in but they wouldn't let me in no matter what lol. At that point it's better to just find somewhere else than argue the toss at a place I won't feel welcome.
You get used to the look of sheer panic when you walk in and then the look of relief when they figure out you have enough Japanese to read a menu and communicate your preferences of how soft you want your noodles or something XD. I like visiting the really hole in the wall type ramen places because they tend to be quiet and have their own recipe outside of the mass produced stuff, in one case the guy asked me and my American friend why we'd visit this place that had no English anywhere or no English menu and my friend is like "Because I hate white people" in Japanese, the owner laughed so much he gave us a free beer each just for amusing him.
That's a great story 😂
My favorite experiences are when someone from another culture can share some humor together.
The only bars I have ever been BANNED from entering were the Host Bars.
We encountered a similar sign on a restaurant in Kyoto 3 weeks ago.
Oh man, I just realised something after watching this episode. I was in Ikebukuro some years back getting some Isomaru Suisan for lunch, and they welcomed me inside and sat me down at a table. I didn't really go through the menu as I knew what I wanted already, (the Kaisendon obviously), so I waited for the staff to take my order. As I waited, other Japanese groups arrived...and their order was taken. 5 minutes pass, some people's food comes out who arrived after me...10 minutes pass, 15, 20, 25 then finally I was going to draw the line and walk out at 30mins. I could see the whole time I was waiting other Japanese people were looking at me wondering why no one was coming over to take my order. A woman who was getting her order taken actually looked over at me and said to the waitress I'm assuming "I think he was before me?" I think my face showed with frustration and just as I was about to get up and walk out after 30mins, someone comes over and takes my order. I was so hungry, but annoyed so I stayed and ate it as I really wanted it but I was so puzzled as to why they waited 30mins to take my order and everyone else had theirs taken almost immediately. I think now it was staff were nervous to try and communicate with me, but at the same time, Kaisendon and Coca Cola isn't a rough time. It is the only time in Japan that it has happened. Maybe they were hoping I'd get up and leave after 15mins, but no, I WANTED THAT KAISENDON.
Sounds like what happened to me at Softbank in Yokosuka. I was the 2nd person in line, I waited 30 minutes and saw every single Japanese person after me be helped and not a single other foreigner was helped. I was told it was because they didn't have an English speaker. They never once asked if I could speak Japanese. I cancelled their service immediately.
A lot of Japanese people have zero confidence in their English ability, and would rather swallow broken glass then potentially embarrass themselves by speaking it in public to a native English speaker. And yes, it often doesn't occur to them that people can learn to speak a new language. Though I guess they're not too far off-base. Japanese isn't exactly as widely taught as English is, and there's so few of us foreigners who live in Japan. Chances are if a foreigner comes into the restaurant, they're likely a tourist (especially if they're located in a touristy area) and they probably don't speak Japanese. Still, they should be open to the possibility.
@@fireazasomeone should tell them its more embarassing to ignore a customer than speak bad english or whayätever language 😂
@@fireaza As a Japanese, I agree with what you said. Japanese in general don't like to be embarrassed or incompetent in public. Based on the original comment, I think that he didn't know how to order in a Japanese way. In western countries, you wait and an assigned server comes to take your order. In Japan, however, you need to call a server by saying "Sumimasen" or by pressing a call button. That's why he was left not being helped for a long time and the staff got nervous when they realized what happened.
@@shink287 This particular Isomaru Suisan didn't have a call button as this was many years ago. Now, I've noticed they have a more prominent English menu and call buttons. I didn't get offended by it, I thought there must have been some reason and maybe was I supposed to say Sumimasen, but the thing was no one else had call buttons or had to yell out, someone came after a few mins to take the order.
Chris, about the shoulder sprain, same thing happened to me some years ago, there are some exercises to make the pain go away in a couple of days.
I just finished the Audible book, Chris. Congratulations, it was the perfect combination of dry sarcastic humor and vivid descriptions of your life that let me see t thorough your eyes Hearing you read it made it worth the wait. l almost bought a hard copy but I knew I wanted to hear you set the scene. Thanks for a great read/listen. All the best! Let me know when your book is coming out Pete, that would be a WILD read! You can trump Chris and get Ken Watanabe to read it! He would leave Japan for sure, at that point. 🤣🤣🤣
Actually Nagoya has a very lively pop culture, different different than the one you will come across in Akihabara or den den town. Apart from the maid cafes and speciality stores, you see young people dressed in j-fashion accessories all over the city. The vibe there is unique! Unfortunately l had some trouble with my accomodation and lost so many hours trying to figure it out, so l wasn't able to annoy the city... still l got the vibes and defenetelly going back
Had two strange confrontation in Japan recently with restaurants. The first time we went into this restaurant/“izakaya” and the host or whoever was at the front turned his head and rolled his eyes while making an “ugh” sound as we walked in. It wasn’t busy or anything. The second time was a week later. We go into this smaller real izakaya and the guy behind the bar automatically gave us the huge “X” with his arms and said “gomenasai” repeatedly and that he was closed (it was still 2 hours before his actual closing time) we replied back to him in Japanese since we speak it and as we left he proceeded to turn off the lights to his front shop. Not sure what that interaction was about but never had encounters like that in other countries. Only in Japan it seems.
I love 'Kansai hair' Pete, it's an at least, 23% improvement on the whole show.
Glad Pete said Osaka is like Brighton first. The people there are definitely more like the kind of people you find in Brighton, having lived in Brighton, when I’ve been to Osaka I always introduced myself as being from England’s equivalent.
as far as i know and it may well be outdated info but when its comes to vaping in japan you can not buy e liquid that contains nicotine in japan since apparently that is illegal and vape shops are few and far between and only carry nicotine free e liquid but you can as a tourist bring e liquid containing nicotine for personal use but I'm not sure about what the limit of how much e liquid you can bring is
Dear Crabby Chrish and Prawny Pete,
This episode, as always, has been incredibly insightful and enthrallingly entertaining. Although it was just a man called 'Kuma-san' or ' Mr.Bear', We have finally gotten a mention of the forbidden 'bear' on this podcast. I hope we can soon hear about a non-human bear too.
And Pete, don't worry about showing your pulchritudinous nipples on camera. Don't let this oppressive society hinder the' free the nipples' movement because you are our male representative for the reform.
Thank you,
Sayantan
noooooooooo,, didn't even know you made a podcast!!!!! ...oh wait,!!!! yes!!! i can listen to more.🤣🤣🤣🤣😎
Listening to the audio book, so so good
Watched all the RV stream an chris was hilarious with his comments
28:45 that cheeky comment though... :D I wonder how far should I read into it.
I saw one of those signs in downtown Tokyo. When I saw the owner come outside, I chucked a brown eye his way.
where is the best place to get the audiobook in terms of supporting chris? which vendor gives the largest cut to the author?
Realistically, the anti-foreigner policy is to attract locals and more "traditional" older japanese citizens. The kind that put out media showcasing "This is a PEN".
Personally, i don't see it as a big issue. In the end if they choose to get less business and their business fails then that's on them. Plenty of other places to go to in Japan. ┐(´ー｀)┌
Love this podcast! Keep it up Chris and Pete
I've listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend it! It was a very enjoyable experience.
I preordered the book on Audible, really looking forward to it!
First time in Japan was early nineties and many times since. In a rare moment of truth, I was told by a bar owner in Tokyo that they banned foreigners because of our violent tendencies after one too many cocktails.
loved the audio book chris when number 2 coming out ?
At this point, half a year later, my only review I've left of Japanese restaurant was one in central tokyo that just chased me out when I wanted to eat. It's most popular piece of media I've ever created as it was marked as helpful by 500+ people at this point.
Nothing like a way to chase away pretty rich clients that came into Japan for vacation.
Never been refused but I don't go to smaller izakaya. I did work at one though, with hand written menu and all.
Nagoya isn't the greatest city I feel, but there's a few nice places nearby that you can visit for culture and vibes. Like Inuyama and Okazaki.
I can say from very recent experience that going around Okazaki, especially Higashi Okazaki was just so much fun 🍻
Watched the stream from the road trip seriously I agree with Pete stop listening to CDawg 😂😂
The weirdest encounter I ever had was in my hometown in Germany. A random woman walked up to me and wanted me to squeeze her thumbs. The weird part is that she actually wanted to get her thumbs squeezed. "Ich drücke dir die Daumen." means "Good luck.", but nobody actually asks for that. In the end, it's just an idiom, not an action.
"I'm from the Birmingham of Japan." My brain is breaking at the idea of a city of brummies in Japan 😅
German friends of mine went to Kyushu. Pretty rural place. They found only one restaurant and they said "we are full" but were completely empty. That sucks. In Tokyo you have plenty of choices. But if you have only one restaurant...
They are not really speaking Japanese, but pretty experienced in travelling Japan. So i guess they would have found a way. Especially in Google translater times...
Love me the sound of silence for 33 mins straight
Wouldnt it be funny if someone opens a shop right beside a "no Foreigners" shop with a sign that says "No japanese - Foreigners only" , but that is probably against their law XP
Love Pete's brave unwavering stance on canyoning.
Last April my wife and I were walking around Kawaramachi Street in Kyoto in the morning when a local lady in her 40's/50's walked up to us. We were surprised as up until that point nobody really approached us to talk to us during the entire trip. She motioned to her to touch my wife's hair, which was admittedly dyed pink on the ends. Not wanting to offend the lady my wife said "Sure, why not." and she let her. Nothing particularly bad happened but it didn't take very long to tell that this strange lady had been day-drinking a bit. We tired to have a conversation with her to be friendly but she didn't understand any of our English and my Japanese was very, very basic. It was a very unusual experience.
🖤 every time Chris says *asbestos* 🖤 LEADASBESTOS
My Japanese teacher is from Osaka and says Glasgow and Osaka are very similar cities, due to the friendliness and strange accent.
Just got back from Japan, what I found: People who vapes are tourists and there is a Cannabis candy sold in Mega Donki in Shibuya
I think one factor that should be considerd is that Japan has large American military bases and housing areas scattered around it. Seems like this would cause a certain amount of resentment due to foreign troops constantly being present. Ameican soldiers raping locals has been a source of tension.
For those vapers - a lot of Japanese smokers smoke those heat not burn cigarettes like iQos which are also available in UK. They would need one the iQos machines. iQos cigarettes are available in all convenience stores like 7/11 and Lawsons etc.
There's a podcast pair who went to Korea a few weeks ago, and they've reported being turned away from restaurants, or literally put in a corner "out of sight". It's weird.
Can't wait to listen to the audiobook after I have read the physical copy
Chris, listen to Pete - stay out of canyons with Connor!
I think the reason they have you cross your arms like that is because wetsuits are extremely buoyant and it’s to keep your arms from being pulled up too quickly and causing injury… although it sounds as if that’s what happened to you regardless. Feel better soon!
Edited to add: I posted before I heard the Brian from Mississippi story - Brian, if you’re reading this, I’d love to follow you. I’m a fellow Mississippian and would enjoy hearing your stories!
Happened to me once. I had walked a lot, was tired. I went in anyway. I told them to either serve me a drink or call the police. Got my drink, paid, n left. Was i wrong?
Rarely this early, hope everyone is doing well best regards from Ireland! :)
I am interested, what is in that Cup of Noodles? Not the noodles that weird thing that's emitting smoke?
I watched a video during my first degree of an anthropologist from I think the 90s. He went to bars that didn't allow foreigners and started fucking with the staff. He was a resident (or married citizen) and had a Japanese name, so he kept challenging the whole thing. He was like, "Oh, I see. No, I'm Japanese. I'll show you my license." The door guy besides he's not paid enough to deal with this and gets his boss. The boss goes through the whole thing and tells the anthropologist that he can't come in because they've had problems with foreigners. He again pressed the issue, to the point where the manager just relented and said he could come in because he's Japanese, but that no other foreigners were allowed. It was so funny and a great example of how Japanese people don't like confrontation and can't justify behind their prejudices.
21:18 LOL
Is this the new format. We have video now so we will take away the audio 😂😂
I would love to have a podcast where Chris reviews movies from a filmmaker’s perspective!
Just got back from Japan and there were many many many people vapping
Wah tah full 😁😁
In terms of vaping, eliquid with nicotine in is banned in Japan I believe. You can vape, but without nicotine
Yeah, Japan annoyed me quite a bit during the height of Covid-19. All this "Japanese are superior human beings" kind of mentality really showed. I wouldn't even say Japan did that well during the pandemic, but often they still put the blame on foreigners for Corona. It was a bit sad to see and read about.
Oh, and Cannabis is an interesting one, too. I find it quite hypocritical how many people are smoking and drinking, but if it's Cannabis... they're like "no, that's a dangerous drug!" and it's big on the news when there are trace amounts found in someone's pockets...
Maybe that's what you get when the country is controlled by 60+ year olds.
The "no foreigner" in Okinawa is often a response to the US occupation of the island. Even though the occupation was officially ended in the 1970s, the huge amount of real estate still owned by the US is a huge political issue, especially with some of the older people that didn't survive WWII. Younger people are leaving the prefecture in droves and selling their family lands to developers. No small number of them are shell companies for the CCP.
Some hostess bars have a no gaijin policy. I’ve heard that the bouncer tells you that none of your kind is admitted.
I heard of certain stores in Japan being able to get completely Unreleased, unpublished, shelved, technically non existent anime straight from the production company themselves (stolen of course/inside job) and sell them at hush hush stores (kaitou shops). Are these a thing and does anime really have this type of blackmarket?
Hollywood has the same underground market for films the public doesn't know about.
Usually in the hands of private collectors who are usually rich.
Coming from an Indy Wrestler here-
If you haven't bled on at least one baby during a match in your wrestling career, you haven't been wrestling long enough.
WOOOOOOO!
I honestly doubt it's got anything to do with language. It most likely has to do with the atmosphere they're trying to pitch... there are still many Japanese people who feel uneasy around foreigners, especially those who LOOK very foreign (IE: beards, tattoos, etc). I'd expect many businesses that cater to "dating", be it of the adult kind, or simply a bar that has that reputation, would prefer to keep their customers relaxed, happy, drunk, and spending money, which they fear might not happen if scary gaijin are hulking in the corners of the room.
It's utter nonsense in a big city like Tokyo, of course... but it's very hard to change people's minds other than when decades of experience. But then again, I'm also of the mindset that a shop owner should have to freedom to serve (or not serve) anyone they like as it's their shop. Freedom has to apply to everyone or it's pointless. You, as a customer, can find another shop. They, as a shopkeep, can't just move away because you walked in.
In a country that gets so praised for their customers service and so on, it surprises me how acceptable it is for everybody to be denied services just because you are a foreigner. In so many other countries that would be named racism, but in this case so many ahh japanese aren't racists they just afraid. Sounds like a thin excuse
Many things called racism in Japan are foreigners' misunderstandings. For example, many bars in Japan are members only so if you are not a member of the bar, you are not allowed to enter, regardless of whether you are Japanese or foreigner. And in Japan it is quite common to reserve a seat by phone or online so some foreigners are furious that they are not allowed to enter the Izakaya even though there are seats available, but in reality, those seats are reserved seats. Many foreigners don't understand Japanese, so they go into such stores and are rejected, but in reality, it's nothing racism.
It is racism, or at least xenophobia. Their excuses, including the one below, are not thin; they're dishonest.
I used to attend sittings of commons remotely and I kept getting introduced to the Mayor of Leeds, just randomly and I did not know who this woman was or why she kept being introduced... so, I'm not always that quick on the uptick but then again, I haven't attended my office, practically ever... I mean, the Duke of Normandy for many years was much the same... but fun fact, Leeds is the second biggest city after London, or so, I have read, in England... so, yeah, again...🤷♂
Last episode wasn't demonetized ??? I'll get right onto it!!
Pete, I think it was Nico Rosberg. If it was Kimi he just wouldn't say anything or say that Stadia is shit. 😂
That's the fella! 😂
one issue there is (im in the food and beverage industry here), is that there is a difference in drinking culture here in Japan compared to other countries (meaning to say, each country has its own culture). Of course, you will find Japanese idiots that cause troubles or discomfort for other customers, but it is frequently seen that there are foreign tourists that will go to a local bar or restaurant, get intoxicated, and perhaps out of excitement of holiday start getting out of control (loud voices, trying to mingle with other customers, flirting, etc), which then causes troubles for the establishment and other customers. And in many cases if such customer is asked to tone it down or asked to leave, they tend to cause a scene.
Of course, I have met many many tourists or other foreigners living in Japan that are very respectable of the culture and the people (and these people are a pleasure to meet), but on the other hand there are many whom behave in such ways that I find it hard to believe thats how they would behave in their home country.
perhaps such things may perhaps also push establishments to restrict foreigners....?
I'm surprised that Chris doesn't like Nagoya considering that Furaibo, the best fried chicken wings in Japan, is there.
I personally think it’s really sad, that they feel they have to not allow foreigners in their business. I wouldn’t be offended. I just be sad if I got shown out of one of those places, or saw a sign. This is my first time viewing one of these podcast videos though, so good job!😊👍🏻
Vaping causes small inflammation across the lungs. That’s why it hurts.
Be careful with vaping too much/all day. Lots people ending up in hospital with scarred lung.
Tom Scott: "There i- uh-ugh-"
"Be careful with vaping too much"-- hold on! People shouldn't smoke at all! 😅
Is it just me that can't hear the audio?
It’s working for me.
I have good audio for UA-cam on my mobile phone but it is like it is muted when I use my laptop (only UA-cam is affected).
An air of racism but nobody seems to call it out as such
This is not rare at all, I know you want to paint an idyllic image of Japan, but this type of discrimination happens all the time here, mostly implicit but sometimes the brazen ones don’t care to hide it and do as that bar did
From the stuff I've read and bearing in mind I'm from Scotland. Osaka gives Glasgow Vibes, Kyoto gives Edinburgh vibes, Tokyo gives London vibes.
I think Hiroshima might be the best parallel for Glasgow, even native Japanese people find people from Hiroshima to be intimidating.
I found the unofficial "Japanese Only" issue was particularly bad in Sapporo, at both restaurants, bars and izakaya, and I wasn't even there during the ski season. At least Golden Gai has signs so you don't have to embarrass yourself and waste your time.
I know this would happen in Okinawa a lot beucase they assumed you were USA military, which for many reasons I will not go into here are not always looked fondly upon, however with tourism expanding in Okinawa these days they tend to not always assume that if you are a foreigner, even asking where you are from.
In 2017 I was turned away from a restaurant in the Ueno neighborhood of Tokyo, the staff walked quickly at me with their arms crossed in front of them and shooed me out the door.
Sign should've said "Sumimasen no Karen's allowed"!
Okinawa in particular has had a foreigner problem for a very long time, so long that it is difficult to talk about it in a few words.
There is a U.S. military base nearby, and even if they vandalize stores, they are protected by U.S. law, not Japanese law.
There have been many cases of drunken driving and homicides that have been very damaging.
Unlike other prefectures, this one dates back to WW2 and was a lawless area for the Americans at that time.
It is a bit different to talk about these in the same way.
Sadly I’ve been turned away from izakayas 5 different times in Kyoto. Never anywhere else in Japan. The first time I visited Japan, it really didn’t surprise me as I spoke very little Japanese. But this Spring it happened again and I speak decent Japanese now. Guess I give off a bad vibe. 😈
Did you know that Kyoto has a culture of "一言さんお断り"?
This refers to stores that only allow customers to enter through acquaintances.
This is a culture unique to Kyoto that applies not only to foreigners but also to Japanese people.
If you want to go in, you can take someone you know who can get into the store first, so that they can get to know the store.
Next time, you can bring your own acquaintance into the store.
Ah man! Kyoto has a bit of a rep for the uppity nature of the locals (relative to the rest of Japan).
Hi, I'm Japanese. Old or exclusive restaurants in some areas of Kyoto refuse first-time customers. When I visited Kyoto with my family, we were asked at a restaurant "Have you come here before?" Luckily, we were allowed to dine in after waiting some time, but this is a norm in Kyoto.
Kyoto is a popular tourist destination, so some restaurants distinguish regular customers from tourists so that the restaurants provide the best service to loyal customers. Those customers can feel special and they don't have to deal with unpleasant customers. It's kind of similar to member-only restaurants in your country. Those restaurants can maintain high standards of service by choosing customers. If you want to go to such restaurants in Kyoto, bring someone who has been there before or ask the person to make a reservation for you.
"If you're in a canyon or a valley, something's gone wrong!" - And this is why I moved out of Wales!
Me to Mr. Affable's Cup Noodles: "We get it, you vape."
Set needs a tidying. XD