The politeness of the two of you blows my mind. I know some people say it’s a Canadian thing but I think it’s a person to person thing. We will miss you Alexander!
I can't be the only one who got a tear in his eye when they're talking about seeing each other again, and he goes "maybe I'll go to Canada before that" and Alexander goes "I hope so". HE'S GOING TO MISS HIS BROTHER! IT'S SO SWEET.
@@TokyoLens Hi Norm, Alexander will be missed because you seem so close. Happy, energy, Cool. Culture shocks...kids being independent young and the intensity of education. Hearing about shut ins, and the attitude about. Is it true? Have you met any people who are hikikomori? What do they do for the disabled? Physically and mentally handicapped, are there any integrations or adaptations for challenged?
Southern Ontario is lousy with cicadas during the summer. You don't see them very much but you sure as hell can hear them. One of the weirder things I notice about Japan was how similar it felt to places in Canada. On one trip up to Niseko in Hokkaido I could swear I was walking in little town Quebec. Even the multiligual signage which just swaps out French for Japanese.
This is a pretty good list and sums up my experience in Japan as well. I would make a few small additions. 1. Going back to beer in Japan. One of the biggest shocks that impacts me every trip is sitting down at a restaurant and NOT getting a big tall glass of ice water. Having to ask for water and they always bring it in the smallest glass possible. Asking for a soda will result in a ridiculously overpriced 10 oz of sugar water. Ah home i'm not a beer drinker. I really don't drink much at all. But they only way to get a reasonable sized cold drink to wash your meal down is to ask for a beer! (a few exceptions like ramen shops that have a pitcher of water or tea on the counter) 2. Where are the darn benches!? Sometimes i need to take a load off from all the darn walking, or maybe just adjust my laces. Why are benches so few and far between? 3. Recycling is incredibly complex. Sure you can toss your bottle at a konbini or near the vending machine... but back at home is a different story. Wash it, separate it. remove the labels.... there were no less than 10 piles to sort things into! 4. Do you think the loves of bread are small because most people in Tokyo would be buying bread for a single person? I did notice the bakery offered a box that held two small loaves of bread that was similar to a standard North American loaf. 5. To be fair a few of the items in Daiso may be marked 300 or 500 yen. But thats only a few special items. I too was impressed. I would say I brought home about $100 worth of Daiso merchandise. 6. I have photos of Ice Cream vending machines from my first trip to Japan in 2015 so they also caught me off guard.
I'm so glad your brother visited you! So wonderful to see this side of you, rediscovering things in Japan with the help of your brother :) Thank you for taking the time to film all of this for yourselves (and us, of course, as well)! You're such an inspiration... and your brother... is too adorable for words (not in a negative way)! The wonderment in his face when he is astounded is awesome! Much Love :D
3:10 Well, that makes me feel old. I can remember when EVERY bank in Edmonton closed at 3:00 PM. No ATM's, no Saturday hours, no online banking. Everyone tried to get their banking done on their lunch hour, or left work early to try to get to the bank before closing. The big deal was when "extended hours" were introduced. Thursday closing was 4:30 PM! Wow! Really enjoying all of the videos from Alexander's visit. It's just so great to see you guys hanging out and having fun. I hope you can hook up in less than "2 or 3 years"!
Even just going from America to Canada, I had culture shock so I love finding videos relating to (what I consider to be) such different countries like Canada and Japan and culture shock from that . What an awesome video!
This is great! I can relate to so many of these. I remember when my husband and I were searching Kyoto for a garbage can (which is a culture shock of its own because there are very little of them in public). When we found one and realized that the cans and bottles go in the same bin, I felt like everything I knew was a lie. 😂I tried to get myself prepared for some of the culture shock before we came here, but there were a few I didn't know about so here they are: 1. The size of water glasses at most restaurants. My husband and I arrived in southern Japan in the sweltering heat last July. With no car, we were walking everywhere we wanted to go, so when we went out to eat for the first time, we were ready for a nice, tall, ice cold glass of water... right? WRONG. We got a mouth wash cup filled with water. 2. The vast amount of seasonal or limited time only merchandise and foods and konbinis. I was really excited to find hamburg curry and strawberry mochi the first time we went to Seven Eleven, but I haven't seen them again since! Since then, I've learned about and tried all the seasonal things while I can. 3. Clear drinks. Japan really has so many clear drinks. Clear coke, clear tea, clear lattes.. if you don't check the label, you might be surprised. Just last night I accidentally bought a coconut yogurt drink instead of water. 4. Dressing very conservatively. It is so rare to see people showing much skin at all, or at least that's how it is way down here in Sasebo. If I ever wear shorts or a sleeveless top, I feel like everyone is staring at me. 5. People rarely wear sunglasses. I have photophobia, which sounds like a fear, but it just means my eyes are abnormally sensitive to light. Because of that, I wear sunglasses occasionally. I really don't like to, so sometimes I just suffer, but when I wear them here I get weird looks. In America, people wear sunglasses all the time, but I've noticed that people in Japan opt to wear hats that shade their face rather than just sunglasses. I'm sure there are many more that I can't think of right now. Anyway, you should definitely make the 10 year culture shock video! I would love to hear about it from that perspective! Looking forward to it!
Some culture shocks for me, I was there 10 years ago. - Umbrellas to protect women from sun - the face masks - they thank you in shops even if you don’t buy anything - all elevators were talking - giving you handkerchief for advertisement - they were shouting very loud with speakers in the akihabara big shops - vending machines everywhere - they were bumping to you in street or train station without saying sorry
My Last Culture Shock Vid (Reverse Clture Shock) ua-cam.com/video/85T4uyRx60g/v-deo.html Anyone interested in the 10 years: Culture shocks that remain video?
Hello from Australia! Thank you for another awesome video! Have really enjoyed watching all of the videos with Alexander in them. Can't wait to return to Tokyo!
It was nice getting to see you spend time with your brother and getting to see him enjoy Japan and photography ! Being part Japanese and growing up in Hawaii I didn’t have many culture shocks when I went to Japan cause most things I was already used to from family and lifestyle here in Hawaii . My biggest culture shock would have to be the indoor smoking areas and lack of trash cans
One of the culture shocks I went through was how polite everyone was and especially staff at the hotel that cleaned your room. Every time I took the elevator and they entered they would say "Sumimasen" and when they exited the elevator they would also go "Sumimasen" and it felt like I was a king or like an upperclass citizen and it was just strange to behold. Same thing with the taxi driver on my first trip. I didnt know where to go to find my hotel and I decided that I should take the cab to my hotel, he pointed in a direction and told me 10minutes, and I knew that it would take 10minutes to walk to my hotel earlier before I went to Japan I just didnt know in what direction, he politely showed me in what direction and off I went saying thank you, in Sweden the taxi driver would have driven you to the hotel regardless of how short amount of distance it was to the hotel.
Really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet Alexander and experience a little of Japan through his eyes. Hope to see him again soon, whether it's in Canada or Japan. Safe travels, Alexander!
The closing times of shops in Japan is crazy. Especially when you compare it to Seoul where a lot of shops remain open to 10pm. Especially in the Myeongdong area when it can be past 9pm at night and there are still hundreds and hundreds of people walking around eating street food or going into the shops.
In Spain, banks also close ridiculously early. They also open kinda early too, though, so you can usually manage to go before work starts.... I'd totally be interested in that other culture shocks video! One of the things that shocked me when I visited Japan was the lack of street names for every single street. I'm used to using those as a frame of reference, whether they are inconveniently long or not.
Love the vending machines!! When I go I'm definitely going to try and find the ones that you and Sharla found with the stories on them! Much love from Arizona ❤️ ❤️
I'm from the Netherlands and the standard time that shops are open here is from 8.00 till 18.00. Sometimes we have a special night when the shops are open till 21.00, but as I said these are special nights. If you want a snack or drink after 6, you have to go to a petrol station (most of them have little shops). Also, sad to see Alexander go! Thank you for sharing your adventures and impressions with us!
Here in Pennsylvania, at least where I'm at, I get to hear the cicadas every year. They're so loud! I feel like banks close kinda early here, around 5pm (and closed on sundays). A lot of other stores and such here have the short hours on sundays (usually 11 or 12 to 5 or 6) but other days are much longer hours. I also don't know if I've seen icecream vending machines here except the dippin' dots ones. Our dollar stores definitely aren't as nice though.
For the record - here in southern Alberta (Canada!) we *DO* have cicadas in the summer. Granted, you can only hear them on hot days - but they are definitely here - and we heard them quite a bit this year. But - yes, I agree, further north, they are not as common. We lived about 6 hours north of here most of my life and - I don't think I ever heard them before we moved here. Or if we did - it was rare. So northern Ontario - yeah. I can see they aren't there.
Honestly Japan just seems like an alternate universe and I’m here for it. Also, I’m gonna miss Alexander 😩 his calm and positive demeanor was really soothing 😂. Anyways really living for season 2 of Tokyo Lens: the content, the intro, the editing, you can just have my wig cause it’s permanently snatched when I watch your vids. K this is too long bye, love you guys 😂
The videos with your brother were lots of fun and I'm sure he enjoyed being shown around and being exposed to all the culture shocks by his bro. I hope he can return soon.
these were cool little detailed culture shocks you don't usually hear, I liked this a lot!! also Alexander going "we found Dr Pepper" and the "n-noo" made me laugh for way longer than it should've 😂
The Taiwanese bank teller also close early. Mostly at 3:30PM. However, the bankers are still working inside. They use the remaining work hours for the accounting/settlements(sorry I am not sure about the terms).
I live in Montreal and the stores here have really short hours too. I'm amazed when I go anywhere and it's still open. Regular hours are usually from 9-5 or 6, thursdays and friday until 9pm and weekends are like 9-5PM. It's hard to get your shopping done sometimes because you have to wait until the right day
Daiso is actually one of my first destinations when I visit Tokyo hahaha I heard so much about it, so I really wanna visit it. I hope Alexander had a nice time and had a nice flight back home, really like him in the videos :)
Oh man, try having one on your commute. Haha. When I first discovered it I was sort of like a kid in a candy store. I get snacks, office supplies/stationary type stuff, household stuff, beauty products, even got socks. But not everything is the same price. Most of the stuff is $1.50 but there's stuff that's like $7.
Rewatching this is 2023 and I feel like Alexander is probably more used to masks on the street now. I love this video, it’s so calming and you can see how connected you are as brothers.
I love having these little nuggets popping up in my recommended videos! The recycling bin made me laugh - I'm hoping it's an old shell from a split bin
In my town food stores open between 06.00 and 08.00 and they close between 21.00 and 23.00. Clothe stores and stores like that open at 10.00 and close around 18.00. In the bigger citys the stores close later but they all usually open at 10.00.
are there still smoking & non smoking sections in restaurants? Culture shock - the after work eating & drinking with work mates instead of going home to your family.. was a big culture shock for me...
I'm not ready for Alexander to go! I've gotten so attached to him throughout your recent videos. I hope you guys can see each other again soon! Also, that awkward ending was super cute. I loved it.
We also have ice cream vending machines here in the USA. (Though mostly at places like amusement parks and zoos, at least where I live.) The machines usually have things like popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, Nestlé Drumsticks, and so forth, though I did find a Dipping Dots one once. Also I really like your new intro, super fun to watch! 🙂
When I was in Yokohama, I saw a crane game for cakes/desserts. I thought it was pretty interesting. Also in some restaurants, you can order food through a ticket machine (like the one in Ichiban ramen). You don't see that here in Canada.
So sad to see Alexander go. It was a blast watching your brotherly adventures. I really miss the vending machines. Where did you find that onigiri at in Asakusa ?
i miss the convenience of vending machines so much! 😭💜 i remember coming down from mount nokogiriyama and needing some water, and at the base of the mountain there was...a vending machine 😍
Kid's beer?! Does Japan have an alcohol problem? That would be shocking to me. This was a great video. I've never been to Japan, but your videos make me feel like I've experienced some of it. I love you guys because you are great shoppers! Plus, I love your impressions and reactions. They are the best. Thanks so much!
I'm from Chile and banks close at 2 PM, from Monday to Friday! Here in Canada I can go to the bank on Saturdays to some branches. I don't get used to it.
The 3pm bank thing exists here in Singapore too! It’s real cool seeing how you and Alexander have an unspoken bond. Hope my daughters grow up and love one that way too. Love your videos!
Interesting insight! Nice to see Alexander on the Vlog. I found Tokyo suprisingly peaceful and quiet, despite being really busy and crowded. e.g. no cars honking
A couple things for me, I love vending machine hot coffee (and vending machine hot chocolate). That's just not a thing here in Canada and it really is the perfect thing when you're taking a walk on a chilly morning. And it's actually really good too. Second, the garbage cans (or lack thereof). I've spent a decent amount of time in Japan now over the course of several trips and it always trips me up. In urban Canada, there are garbage cans literally on every corner. When I'm in Japan, I've found myself having to memorize which convenience stores have them outside and just end up carrying my garbage around with me.. and the more annoying part is that, despite the lack of public garbage cans, Japan uses just as much packaging if not more than in Canada so you're always stuck with garbage.
My University campus has (or had? I haven't been back in a long time) coffee and hot chocolate vending machines but they're for when you're desperate and on campus at like 9pm and everything is closed.
I think Alexander needs to consider a move to Japan. Then we can get the occasional “Brothers Adventures!” videos more frequently than every two years! So much fun to have watched the trip!
like number 901 yay! loved this video. one of my culture shocks was also the rubbish, no bins anywhere (well hardly) i thought its great but slightly inconvenient. also the trash policy in Tokyo is different to Osaka like for general rubbish and recycling from your house or place you are staying. but loved every second i spent in Japan. cant wait to go back again. by the way i live in New Zealand.
In Canada, gas station (at least in cities) are not officially rest areas. I mean sure, you can park your car nearby and take a break from driving. However about the gas station being convenient store...that's because in Japan, those are called vending machine and they are everywhere (including on Mount Fuji). I've been to Japan 7 times in the last 6 years. Next time i'm in Tokyo (probably next spring), would love to chat with you, Norm, in person.
I'd like to see your culture shock video. I enjoyed the insight on this one. I'd love to hear cicadas first hand as I'm from the UK and we don't have them here. The 2 times I've been to Japan were in autumn, so I've never heard them there either! The first time I went to Japan was 10 years ago and the biggest culture shock I had was the floor toilets and how many there were! I didnt see as many this time (thankfully). Also the trains being so quiet and the fact you can't eat in them (I was eating a bun out of the paper bag I had it in and an older Japanese lady did not look impressed...then I remembered 😅). I don't think they sell paracetamol in shops either? In the UK you can get a pack of 12 for as little as 19p!
So interesting hearing his culture shocks. I think those would surprise me too. Daiso does look good quality. Dollar stores here don't have anything close to that quality. Plus opening late and closing early would shock me. Stores in the U.S. usually open decently early and stay open until about 10 or 11.
One thing that shocked me is about the trust. they are places in Japan that they have a stall with produce in which you leave it unattended. The produce has the price and a box next to it, where people take what the want and deposit the money in that box. Another is the schools where students are the ones cleaning and serving the food.
watching from hong kong, shops normally close at 10:00pm some 11:00, and some supermarket open 24/7, supermarkets always open around 08:00 to 08:30, and for banks, they close at 17:00 BYE ALEXANDER, MISS U
so i live in brisbane, australia and the stores open typically around 9am and will close about 9pm at the latest on late night shopping. Also we have Daiso here and it's $2.80 for everything as a starting point and the most expensive is $8. But that's for the bigger more luxury items. There is also a big Asian community here in the Northern areas of Australia and so we have people wearing masks, and i've grown up around parts of it. Not everyone experiences it but i have so i'm always amazed by things that people don't know and like learning about extra things i don't know about.
Concerning the Kids-Beer: My Dad grew up in northern Bavaria. When Grandpa took him to the village pub as a kid/teen, he'd always get some "Bronte" (known today as Club-Mate) as his kids-beer. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club-Mate So having a kind of kids-beer so the young ones could drink along with their parents seems to have been a Showa-era /coldwar era thing also outside Japan. Whats it like in other countries?
You never heard ciccadas in your area??? Wow! Quite surprising cause everywhere in Quebec you can hear them (yep, even big cities like Montreal). It's just not that loud like in Japan or Korea. I love ciccadas since I'm a kid, love the sound, super relaxing (and you have many different types of ciccadas too). When I heard first time the one in Korea and Japan, it reminds me of my trip in Italy cause they are huge there too and very loud. I'm happy Alex enjoyed his trip ^.^
One day I really hope I can visit Japan. And it was so great to see Alexander in your videos! So much fun! (Cicadas are widespread in the southeastern US during summer. I've experienced ice cream vending machines here too but not frequently. But goodness at the bank and store times! VERY similar in the small town in the southern plains where I live now.)
Until convenience store ATMs, bank ATMs closed at 8 PM, still do but we can go to the convenience store. Cicadas are in Montreal but not in Quebec city probably in southern Ontario but I have never seen them in BC
Well that was interesting! Most of the things Alexander mentioned wouldnt be on my list because i didnt even notice them. I really need to try the ice cream machine when i'm there again! xD I'd love a video about the culture shocks that are still there even after 10 years :) We'll miss Alexander, the videos and streams with him were awesome!
Thanks for sharing your trip to Japan with us, Alexander! It was really fun seeing the experiences you had :) I think a big shock for me was all of a sudden being illiterate as an adult while I was there. Another thing was just how many people went out of their way to help us when we looked lost 😂 One older gentleman saw us at the station trying to figure out which way to go to find a park. He waved us to follow him and I thought he was going to take us to the street and point us in the right direction but he actually walked us to a park about 20 minutes away! It was fun talking to him on the way and the park was pretty! (it just wasn't the park that we were trying to go to 😂) My favourite vending machine was one that held farm fresh eggs. PS. Norm, you're a dork and it's great :)
Lol cicadas would be the least culture shock-y thing for me. I think there are like 19-23 species of cicadas in florida. I even hear them at 11 am, sometimes, but they're definitely out every night. Every time I've traveled (granted, never outside of the US because I have terrible anxiety and no passport) I've noticed that the culture shock I experienced wasn't nearly as extreme as I thought it would be. Like, New York is more like Atlanta than people think. The drivers are terrible, the metro/marta stations are crowded and kinda smelly and old. tbh the only really bad thing in NYC was the garbage bags lining the streets every night waiting for pickup.
We have broods of cicadas in the Northeast US (New York); probably the same for Ontario. They only hatch at 13 and 17 year intervals, so we can go for a decade and never hear/see one, especially if the brood was small.
That 100yen store anecdote cracked me up! I'm going to miss Alexander, you guys made some fun videos together. Looking forwrd to more vending machines!
Here in Michigan USA you hear cicadas all the time around July and August. We have dollar stores in Michigan but not everything is a dollar like they advertise but nothing goes over 10 dollars usually.
The politeness of the two of you blows my mind. I know some people say it’s a Canadian thing but I think it’s a person to person thing. We will miss you Alexander!
I can't be the only one who got a tear in his eye when they're talking about seeing each other again, and he goes "maybe I'll go to Canada before that" and Alexander goes "I hope so".
HE'S GOING TO MISS HIS BROTHER! IT'S SO SWEET.
Rewatching in 2020 and I feel like Alexander no longer is in awe about everyone wearing masks 😷
Yup. This is the comment I came for 😁
True haha
I was coming to say this in 2023. :D
Those are rookie numbers
I'm gonna miss Alexander
Norm is going to miss him too
Me too...
@@TokyoLens Hi Norm, Alexander will be missed because you seem so close. Happy, energy, Cool.
Culture shocks...kids being independent young and the intensity of education. Hearing about shut ins, and the attitude about. Is it true? Have you met any people who are hikikomori? What do they do for the disabled? Physically and mentally handicapped, are there any integrations or adaptations for challenged?
Southern Ontario is lousy with cicadas during the summer. You don't see them very much but you sure as hell can hear them.
One of the weirder things I notice about Japan was how similar it felt to places in Canada. On one trip up to Niseko in Hokkaido I could swear I was walking in little town Quebec. Even the multiligual signage which just swaps out French for Japanese.
This is a pretty good list and sums up my experience in Japan as well. I would make a few small additions. 1. Going back to beer in Japan. One of the biggest shocks that impacts me every trip is sitting down at a restaurant and NOT getting a big tall glass of ice water. Having to ask for water and they always bring it in the smallest glass possible. Asking for a soda will result in a ridiculously overpriced 10 oz of sugar water. Ah home i'm not a beer drinker. I really don't drink much at all. But they only way to get a reasonable sized cold drink to wash your meal down is to ask for a beer! (a few exceptions like ramen shops that have a pitcher of water or tea on the counter) 2. Where are the darn benches!? Sometimes i need to take a load off from all the darn walking, or maybe just adjust my laces. Why are benches so few and far between? 3. Recycling is incredibly complex. Sure you can toss your bottle at a konbini or near the vending machine... but back at home is a different story. Wash it, separate it. remove the labels.... there were no less than 10 piles to sort things into! 4. Do you think the loves of bread are small because most people in Tokyo would be buying bread for a single person? I did notice the bakery offered a box that held two small loaves of bread that was similar to a standard North American loaf. 5. To be fair a few of the items in Daiso may be marked 300 or 500 yen. But thats only a few special items. I too was impressed. I would say I brought home about $100 worth of Daiso merchandise. 6. I have photos of Ice Cream vending machines from my first trip to Japan in 2015 so they also caught me off guard.
I'm so glad your brother visited you! So wonderful to see this side of you, rediscovering things in Japan with the help of your brother :) Thank you for taking the time to film all of this for yourselves (and us, of course, as well)! You're such an inspiration... and your brother... is too adorable for words (not in a negative way)! The wonderment in his face when he is astounded is awesome! Much Love :D
I can just tell from your videos alone how unique and different Japan is, I can't wait to see it first hand
3:10 Well, that makes me feel old. I can remember when EVERY bank in Edmonton closed at 3:00 PM. No ATM's, no Saturday hours, no online banking. Everyone tried to get their banking done on their lunch hour, or left work early to try to get to the bank before closing. The big deal was when "extended hours" were introduced. Thursday closing was 4:30 PM! Wow!
Really enjoying all of the videos from Alexander's visit. It's just so great to see you guys hanging out and having fun. I hope you can hook up in less than "2 or 3 years"!
Even just going from America to Canada, I had culture shock so I love finding videos relating to (what I consider to be) such different countries like Canada and Japan and culture shock from that . What an awesome video!
This is great! I can relate to so many of these. I remember when my husband and I were searching Kyoto for a garbage can (which is a culture shock of its own because there are very little of them in public). When we found one and realized that the cans and bottles go in the same bin, I felt like everything I knew was a lie. 😂I tried to get myself prepared for some of the culture shock before we came here, but there were a few I didn't know about so here they are:
1. The size of water glasses at most restaurants. My husband and I arrived in southern Japan in the sweltering heat last July. With no car, we were walking everywhere we wanted to go, so when we went out to eat for the first time, we were ready for a nice, tall, ice cold glass of water... right? WRONG. We got a mouth wash cup filled with water.
2. The vast amount of seasonal or limited time only merchandise and foods and konbinis. I was really excited to find hamburg curry and strawberry mochi the first time we went to Seven Eleven, but I haven't seen them again since! Since then, I've learned about and tried all the seasonal things while I can.
3. Clear drinks. Japan really has so many clear drinks. Clear coke, clear tea, clear lattes.. if you don't check the label, you might be surprised. Just last night I accidentally bought a coconut yogurt drink instead of water.
4. Dressing very conservatively. It is so rare to see people showing much skin at all, or at least that's how it is way down here in Sasebo. If I ever wear shorts or a sleeveless top, I feel like everyone is staring at me.
5. People rarely wear sunglasses. I have photophobia, which sounds like a fear, but it just means my eyes are abnormally sensitive to light. Because of that, I wear sunglasses occasionally. I really don't like to, so sometimes I just suffer, but when I wear them here I get weird looks. In America, people wear sunglasses all the time, but I've noticed that people in Japan opt to wear hats that shade their face rather than just sunglasses.
I'm sure there are many more that I can't think of right now. Anyway, you should definitely make the 10 year culture shock video! I would love to hear about it from that perspective! Looking forward to it!
Some culture shocks for me, I was there 10 years ago.
- Umbrellas to protect women from sun
- the face masks
- they thank you in shops even if you don’t buy anything
- all elevators were talking
- giving you handkerchief for advertisement
- they were shouting very loud with speakers in the akihabara big shops
- vending machines everywhere
- they were bumping to you in street or train station without saying sorry
Keep it up Norm. You always make my day. 8k subs gain since I subbed. I say 50k before 2019!
Thanks so much~
My Last Culture Shock Vid (Reverse Clture Shock) ua-cam.com/video/85T4uyRx60g/v-deo.html
Anyone interested in the 10 years: Culture shocks that remain video?
Thank you so much for having just one more Alexander video!!! I just have to say, I really love your channel!! 💖
Thank you so much, Tami~
In Germany ( Bavaria) most stores, like supermarkets, close at 8pm.
Closed on Sundays.
Thank you Norm and Alexander for sharing! Great content as always!
Hello from Australia! Thank you for another awesome video! Have really enjoyed watching all of the videos with Alexander in them. Can't wait to return to Tokyo!
It was nice getting to see you spend time with your brother and getting to see him enjoy Japan and photography ! Being part Japanese and growing up in Hawaii I didn’t have many culture shocks when I went to Japan cause most things I was already used to from family and lifestyle here in Hawaii . My biggest culture shock would have to be the indoor smoking areas and lack of trash cans
germany banks close at 6 in the evening / Friday at 3
shops close at 8
groceries stores at 10, but used to close at 8 few years back
Beautiful cinematography as always, Norm! This is my first comment on a video of yours so I’d also like to say THANK YOU for sharing your stories!
One of the culture shocks I went through was how polite everyone was and especially staff at the hotel that cleaned your room.
Every time I took the elevator and they entered they would say "Sumimasen" and when they exited the elevator they would also go "Sumimasen" and it felt like I was a king or like an upperclass citizen and it was just strange to behold.
Same thing with the taxi driver on my first trip.
I didnt know where to go to find my hotel and I decided that I should take the cab to my hotel, he pointed in a direction and told me 10minutes, and I knew that it would take 10minutes to walk to my hotel earlier before I went to Japan I just didnt know in what direction, he politely showed me in what direction and off I went saying thank you, in Sweden the taxi driver would have driven you to the hotel regardless of how short amount of distance it was to the hotel.
Alexander has a very nice friendly smile. He looks so happy in Japan.
"We found Dr. Pepper!!" really made my day lol The best reaction tbh
When I went to Tokyo the biggest shock for me was how clean the city was! I live in Los Angeles and I’ve never seen a city as clean as Tokyo. 😩
Really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet Alexander and experience a little of Japan through his eyes. Hope to see him again soon, whether it's in Canada or Japan. Safe travels, Alexander!
The closing times of shops in Japan is crazy. Especially when you compare it to Seoul where a lot of shops remain open to 10pm. Especially in the Myeongdong area when it can be past 9pm at night and there are still hundreds and hundreds of people walking around eating street food or going into the shops.
I miss your old introduction " if you are regular viewer welcome back " :D
My boyfriend is coming to Japan from Canada today :D
Your videos helped me a lot hahaha
You know about Japan more than me lool
Thanks man !
In Spain, banks also close ridiculously early. They also open kinda early too, though, so you can usually manage to go before work starts....
I'd totally be interested in that other culture shocks video!
One of the things that shocked me when I visited Japan was the lack of street names for every single street. I'm used to using those as a frame of reference, whether they are inconveniently long or not.
Love the vending machines!! When I go I'm definitely going to try and find the ones that you and Sharla found with the stories on them!
Much love from Arizona ❤️ ❤️
I'm from the Netherlands and the standard time that shops are open here is from 8.00 till 18.00. Sometimes we have a special night when the shops are open till 21.00, but as I said these are special nights. If you want a snack or drink after 6, you have to go to a petrol station (most of them have little shops).
Also, sad to see Alexander go! Thank you for sharing your adventures and impressions with us!
Here in Pennsylvania, at least where I'm at, I get to hear the cicadas every year. They're so loud! I feel like banks close kinda early here, around 5pm (and closed on sundays). A lot of other stores and such here have the short hours on sundays (usually 11 or 12 to 5 or 6) but other days are much longer hours. I also don't know if I've seen icecream vending machines here except the dippin' dots ones. Our dollar stores definitely aren't as nice though.
For the record - here in southern Alberta (Canada!) we *DO* have cicadas in the summer. Granted, you can only hear them on hot days - but they are definitely here - and we heard them quite a bit this year. But - yes, I agree, further north, they are not as common. We lived about 6 hours north of here most of my life and - I don't think I ever heard them before we moved here. Or if we did - it was rare. So northern Ontario - yeah. I can see they aren't there.
glad you and Alexander had a great time, and he had a fun visit!
Culture shock: a construction worker stopped hammering until I passed by, not to disturb my walk.
Honestly Japan just seems like an alternate universe and I’m here for it. Also, I’m gonna miss Alexander 😩 his calm and positive demeanor was really soothing 😂. Anyways really living for season 2 of Tokyo Lens: the content, the intro, the editing, you can just have my wig cause it’s permanently snatched when I watch your vids. K this is too long bye, love you guys 😂
Happy that you had a great time with Alexander! Definitely got great videos out of it.
Alexander, upon learning banks close at 3pm: That’s wildly inconvenient!!
The man took the words right out of my mouth tbh
The videos with your brother were lots of fun and I'm sure he enjoyed being shown around and being exposed to all the culture shocks by his bro. I hope he can return soon.
these were cool little detailed culture shocks you don't usually hear, I liked this a lot!! also Alexander going "we found Dr Pepper" and the "n-noo" made me laugh for way longer than it should've 😂
Hope to see you soon Alexander! Glad you shared your trip with us
The Taiwanese bank teller also close early. Mostly at 3:30PM. However, the bankers are still working inside. They use the remaining work hours for the accounting/settlements(sorry I am not sure about the terms).
Many stores here in Quebec will close at 5 or 6pm. We have malls that close at 5pm on a Saturday!
I live in Montreal and the stores here have really short hours too. I'm amazed when I go anywhere and it's still open. Regular hours are usually from 9-5 or 6, thursdays and friday until 9pm and weekends are like 9-5PM. It's hard to get your shopping done sometimes because you have to wait until the right day
In Portugal, our banks close at 3pm. You can still use the ATM's tho.
Daiso is actually one of my first destinations when I visit Tokyo hahaha I heard so much about it, so I really wanna visit it.
I hope Alexander had a nice time and had a nice flight back home, really like him in the videos :)
Oh man, try having one on your commute. Haha. When I first discovered it I was sort of like a kid in a candy store. I get snacks, office supplies/stationary type stuff, household stuff, beauty products, even got socks. But not everything is the same price. Most of the stuff is $1.50 but there's stuff that's like $7.
We do have cicadas in southern Manitoba, but only in the heat of the summer.
I do wish we had a Daiso chain in Canada.
Rewatching this is 2023 and I feel like Alexander is probably more used to masks on the street now.
I love this video, it’s so calming and you can see how connected you are as brothers.
I love having these little nuggets popping up in my recommended videos! The recycling bin made me laugh - I'm hoping it's an old shell from a split bin
In my town food stores open between 06.00 and 08.00 and they close between 21.00 and 23.00. Clothe stores and stores like that open at 10.00 and close around 18.00.
In the bigger citys the stores close later but they all usually open at 10.00.
So sweet
Really fun video! I really loved this video
are there still smoking & non smoking sections in restaurants? Culture shock - the after work eating & drinking with work mates instead of going home to your family.. was a big culture shock for me...
I'm not ready for Alexander to go! I've gotten so attached to him throughout your recent videos. I hope you guys can see each other again soon! Also, that awkward ending was super cute. I loved it.
Cicadas are the sound of late summer in Toronto!
We also have ice cream vending machines here in the USA. (Though mostly at places like amusement parks and zoos, at least where I live.) The machines usually have things like popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, Nestlé Drumsticks, and so forth, though I did find a Dipping Dots one once. Also I really like your new intro, super fun to watch! 🙂
When I was in Yokohama, I saw a crane game for cakes/desserts. I thought it was pretty interesting. Also in some restaurants, you can order food through a ticket machine (like the one in Ichiban ramen). You don't see that here in Canada.
That’s amazing....
So sad to see Alexander go. It was a blast watching your brotherly adventures. I really miss the vending machines. Where did you find that onigiri at in Asakusa ?
i miss the convenience of vending machines so much! 😭💜 i remember coming down from mount nokogiriyama and needing some water, and at the base of the mountain there was...a vending machine 😍
Kid's beer?! Does Japan have an alcohol problem? That would be shocking to me. This was a great video. I've never been to Japan, but your videos make me feel like I've experienced some of it. I love you guys because you are great shoppers! Plus, I love your impressions and reactions. They are the best. Thanks so much!
Im watching from okinawa japan and have recently just fallen in love with your channel!❤
im from south africa our banks close at 4pm during the week and 1pm on a saterday and shops close at 6pm
Such a nice video, just watching it made me feel good :) thanks for that Norm and Alexander
I'm from Chile and banks close at 2 PM, from Monday to Friday! Here in Canada I can go to the bank on Saturdays to some branches. I don't get used to it.
The 3pm bank thing exists here in Singapore too!
It’s real cool seeing how you and Alexander have an unspoken bond. Hope my daughters grow up and love one that way too.
Love your videos!
Bye Alexandria hope to see you again soon. Safe trip.
Interesting insight! Nice to see Alexander on the Vlog.
I found Tokyo suprisingly peaceful and quiet, despite being really busy and crowded. e.g. no cars honking
A couple things for me, I love vending machine hot coffee (and vending machine hot chocolate). That's just not a thing here in Canada and it really is the perfect thing when you're taking a walk on a chilly morning. And it's actually really good too. Second, the garbage cans (or lack thereof). I've spent a decent amount of time in Japan now over the course of several trips and it always trips me up. In urban Canada, there are garbage cans literally on every corner. When I'm in Japan, I've found myself having to memorize which convenience stores have them outside and just end up carrying my garbage around with me.. and the more annoying part is that, despite the lack of public garbage cans, Japan uses just as much packaging if not more than in Canada so you're always stuck with garbage.
My University campus has (or had? I haven't been back in a long time) coffee and hot chocolate vending machines but they're for when you're desperate and on campus at like 9pm and everything is closed.
I think Alexander needs to consider a move to Japan. Then we can get the occasional “Brothers Adventures!” videos more frequently than every two years! So much fun to have watched the trip!
like number 901 yay! loved this video. one of my culture shocks was also the rubbish, no bins anywhere (well hardly) i thought its great but slightly inconvenient. also the trash policy in Tokyo is different to Osaka like for general rubbish and recycling from your house or place you are staying. but loved every second i spent in Japan. cant wait to go back again. by the way i live in New Zealand.
The way you guys described Akihabara shops just makes me want to go there even more. But I'll never be able to get the money to go!
Cool brothers! And cool Japan!
i live an hour north of toronto and we have cicadas like crazy the constant buzzing
In Canada, gas station (at least in cities) are not officially rest areas. I mean sure, you can park your car nearby and take a break from driving. However about the gas station being convenient store...that's because in Japan, those are called vending machine and they are everywhere (including on Mount Fuji). I've been to Japan 7 times in the last 6 years. Next time i'm in Tokyo (probably next spring), would love to chat with you, Norm, in person.
4:27 go west to Manitoba... you'll hear cicadas all summer, they go pretty far north too.
I'd like to see your culture shock video. I enjoyed the insight on this one. I'd love to hear cicadas first hand as I'm from the UK and we don't have them here. The 2 times I've been to Japan were in autumn, so I've never heard them there either!
The first time I went to Japan was 10 years ago and the biggest culture shock I had was the floor toilets and how many there were! I didnt see as many this time (thankfully). Also the trains being so quiet and the fact you can't eat in them (I was eating a bun out of the paper bag I had it in and an older Japanese lady did not look impressed...then I remembered 😅). I don't think they sell paracetamol in shops either? In the UK you can get a pack of 12 for as little as 19p!
So interesting hearing his culture shocks. I think those would surprise me too. Daiso does look good quality. Dollar stores here don't have anything close to that quality. Plus opening late and closing early would shock me. Stores in the U.S. usually open decently early and stay open until about 10 or 11.
One thing that shocked me is about the trust. they are places in Japan that they have a stall with produce in which you leave it unattended. The produce has the price and a box next to it, where people take what the want and deposit the money in that box. Another is the schools where students are the ones cleaning and serving the food.
watching from hong kong, shops normally close at 10:00pm some 11:00, and some supermarket open 24/7, supermarkets always open around 08:00 to 08:30, and for banks, they close at 17:00
BYE ALEXANDER, MISS U
Aw. Bye Alexander! Safe travels. I enjoyed your stay! 😸
so i live in brisbane, australia and the stores open typically around 9am and will close about 9pm at the latest on late night shopping.
Also we have Daiso here and it's $2.80 for everything as a starting point and the most expensive is $8. But that's for the bigger more luxury items.
There is also a big Asian community here in the Northern areas of Australia and so we have people wearing masks, and i've grown up around parts of it. Not everyone experiences it but i have so i'm always amazed by things that people don't know and like learning about extra things i don't know about.
Concerning the Kids-Beer: My Dad grew up in northern Bavaria. When Grandpa took him to the village pub as a kid/teen, he'd always get some "Bronte" (known today as Club-Mate) as his kids-beer. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club-Mate So having a kind of kids-beer so the young ones could drink along with their parents seems to have been a Showa-era /coldwar era thing also outside Japan. Whats it like in other countries?
You never heard ciccadas in your area??? Wow! Quite surprising cause everywhere in Quebec you can hear them (yep, even big cities like Montreal). It's just not that loud like in Japan or Korea. I love ciccadas since I'm a kid, love the sound, super relaxing (and you have many different types of ciccadas too). When I heard first time the one in Korea and Japan, it reminds me of my trip in Italy cause they are huge there too and very loud. I'm happy Alex enjoyed his trip ^.^
You should do the 10 years of culture shock video! That would be awesome!
One day I really hope I can visit Japan. And it was so great to see Alexander in your videos! So much fun!
(Cicadas are widespread in the southeastern US during summer. I've experienced ice cream vending machines here too but not frequently. But goodness at the bank and store times! VERY similar in the small town in the southern plains where I live now.)
Until convenience store ATMs, bank ATMs closed at 8 PM, still do but we can go to the convenience store. Cicadas are in Montreal but not in Quebec city probably in southern Ontario but I have never seen them in BC
you guys are so amazing!
Hi from New Zealand. Loving the vids
I've never seen a cicada, they sound nice tho.
In Australia things usually close around 5-5:30. The latest they're open is 9pm on Thursdays/Fridays for late night shopping 😂
Noooo I just binge watched all of the Alexander videos and this made me tear up at the end... I want more Alexander
We all do lol
Well that was interesting! Most of the things Alexander mentioned wouldnt be on my list because i didnt even notice them. I really need to try the ice cream machine when i'm there again! xD I'd love a video about the culture shocks that are still there even after 10 years :) We'll miss Alexander, the videos and streams with him were awesome!
Thanks for sharing your trip to Japan with us, Alexander! It was really fun seeing the experiences you had :)
I think a big shock for me was all of a sudden being illiterate as an adult while I was there. Another thing was just how many people went out of their way to help us when we looked lost 😂 One older gentleman saw us at the station trying to figure out which way to go to find a park. He waved us to follow him and I thought he was going to take us to the street and point us in the right direction but he actually walked us to a park about 20 minutes away! It was fun talking to him on the way and the park was pretty! (it just wasn't the park that we were trying to go to 😂)
My favourite vending machine was one that held farm fresh eggs.
PS. Norm, you're a dork and it's great :)
That was a great video and your 10 culture shocks would be nice to see. In any case, i hope your brother had a safe flight home. :)
If I were Alexander I'd want to come back every year lol. As far as the ten year video, I'll definitely watch it if you post it. I never miss a video!
Lol cicadas would be the least culture shock-y thing for me. I think there are like 19-23 species of cicadas in florida. I even hear them at 11 am, sometimes, but they're definitely out every night. Every time I've traveled (granted, never outside of the US because I have terrible anxiety and no passport) I've noticed that the culture shock I experienced wasn't nearly as extreme as I thought it would be. Like, New York is more like Atlanta than people think. The drivers are terrible, the metro/marta stations are crowded and kinda smelly and old. tbh the only really bad thing in NYC was the garbage bags lining the streets every night waiting for pickup.
Cicadas at 11pm? Probably not cicada, but crickets.
William Miles La Mont no. We have both and they sound very different. And I said 11 am
We have broods of cicadas in the Northeast US (New York); probably the same for Ontario. They only hatch at 13 and 17 year intervals, so we can go for a decade and never hear/see one, especially if the brood was small.
That 100yen store anecdote cracked me up! I'm going to miss Alexander, you guys made some fun videos together. Looking forwrd to more vending machines!
Here in Michigan USA you hear cicadas all the time around July and August. We have dollar stores in Michigan but not everything is a dollar like they advertise but nothing goes over 10 dollars usually.