I've been to Japan, but haven't been to Tokyo. It was back in 1991, when I spent a semester studying Japanese at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka. While I was there I visited Kyoto, Kobe and Nara, but didn't really have time to see other places. Thanks to your videos, I've been able to explore Japan from the comfort of my little house in Wales. I applied for the JET Program, but wasn’t accepted. Instead I got a scholarship to study Chinese in Taiwan (I did a degree in Chinese and Japanese at Leeds Uni), and ended up working for the British Council in Taipei.
The cups are indeed called "Stanley", though no relation to the hockey. The reason they took off is because of a recent video that showed a woman who's car had burned, and when she went to look at it after it was ruined, the only thing that had "survived" was the Stanley thermos cup in her cup holder. Stanley rode the publicity of the TikTok video by sending a ton of merch and buying the woman a new car, and the internet basically went crazy and started buying them out everywhere.
Additional note, Pete is a bit mixed up in this story. Stanley cups do indeed use lead in their sealing process, but apparently in a safe manner. Hydroflask, a competitor, is the one he is thinking of, that chimed in saying they don't use lead anymore, and haven't years.
So I thought this too, but the car fire incident only happened a few months back, and the cups have been wildly popular for at least a year before that! I'm not 100% on the order of events because I've got no particular impetus to research it properly, but Stanley's marketing department made two big changes a while back: they hired the guy who made Crocs popular, and they started targeting women. But yeah, footage of people going absolutely wild for those things predates the viral TikTok. That's just what got more mainstream attention.
The craze happened way before that but mostly among nurses. As a student nurse, I was surprised to see all these non medical people go ape for them. Theyre the new Starbucks tumblers.
Reason that there are a lot of foreign workers from Southeast Asia is because of the "internship" program. They call it "internship" but in reality it's a foreign worker program. The agencies would train them in the Japanese language at least up to N4 level, Japanese culture, and other skills necessary for the job that they are going to do. Only those who "graduated", those who are up to par, get to go. The jobs are mostly in farms, factories, and nursing, perhaps some in hospitality. I think Filipinos dominated the nursing and hospitality sector, though Indonesia is getting more into nursing. These programs used to be riddled with controversies, but now it has gotten way much better because I think it has now become an actual foreign worker program rather than being in the guise of "internship".
Some background on the "flasks": 1. Yes Pete, they are called Stanley Cups, apparently because its cups/flasks made by a company called Stanley. 2. There was a video of it surviving a car crash, which the company then used as a marketing push. 3. It basically became a status symbol amongst teens/kids/girls/adult women (idk which demographic exactly) to not only own 1 or even 2 cups, but I legit saw videos of people having 20 odd stanleys on their shelves, like people actually queued up overnight outside Target for getting one. 4. A video from like last year about the insides of these cups were found to have lead traces inside them, and then all the people who got them doing the tests and getting positives for traces of lead. That's the last I heard about it, idk they fell off or sumthin. Wild scenes though, there were actual videos of kids crying with joy to get a stanley cup. Consumerism at it's finest
Stanley or Yeti are the brands I think Yeti was the first craze now it seems to be Stanley .... Just another stupid craze for people to spend money on over priced products for a status symbol pushed by marketing .
Last summer in Tokyo, I walked into a random 7-Eleven (near Ueno Station), and the cashier was a 20-something British guy. I had no idea how to react; I was just so surprised. It is still very rare to see foreigners working in shops, but yeah. Happens.
I had a similar reaction while living in Busan, South Korea. Most of the foreigners living in Korea, especially outside of Seoul are English teachers like I was and they’re not gaining as many foreigners as Japan, so imagine my shock when I walk into a convenience store and see an older white guy behind the counter. I told all my friends about it.
I had no preference or expectations when I came on JET. I was placed in Nabari (western Mie prefecture) and I couldn't have been happier. I had an amazing time.
I never let anyone talk to me when I am shopping. Chatty stores will try to talk you into things you won't want to do. I like going to places where people don't talk to me other than taking my order.
My town, Kuji in Iwate had a sister city with Frankin, Indiana, which is where I went to college in the States. Every year two graduates got to live in Kuji as part of the Kuji Exchange. We taught some English at elementary and JHSs but mostly we were cultural ambassadors and assisting with foreign visitors from our other sister cities, taking Japanese kids from my town to America on language learning trips and participating in activities with the Rotary Club and other organizations. I was also an interpreter on NHK TV for the international women's judo tournament that was in Kuji every two years. I got to take six Japanese JHS kids to America (NYC, Washington DC and San Diego). Iwate had several sister cities; there was an ALT (not JET) in the town nearby from Ohio. His college also had a similar program to mine. My foreign friends were JETs, but a lot were a tad jealous I had four months paid vacation every year, free car, free house, free gasoline, free Japanese lessons. Of course, I didn't complain 🙂 I stayed for four years.
Funny coincidence. I almost applied for the JET program some years ago (found new job just before mailing app package in). And two of the places i had requested was Yamagata and Sendai.
I noticed in Tokyo that alot of the fast food chains such as McDonald’s have filipino chashiers. In the Philippines schools, all the lessons are taught in English hence alot of them go oversees to look for work. Its smart to have english speaking workers in popular fast food chains to help serve tourists.
As someone that loves speciality coffee while $30 sounds high, when you compare it to a glass of wine it is line. There are many farms and co-ops that put a lot of work in cultivating the coffee. Then on top of that you got the importers and roaster that has overhead to take care of. Tokyo is a wonderful city to try speciality coffee with shops like Leaves Coffee Roasters, Glitch Coffee and Onibus coming to mind. I'm guessing the story of the week writer went to Glitch Coffee in Osaka.
Being put back in hospital joy thankyou for your video, ❤, also I've been reading your book to kill time whilst learning Japanese on duolingo thanks for saving my sanity ❤
I've been in the Specialty Coffee industry for almost 20 years, coffee can definitely be this expensive and is an amazing thing to experience... obviously not as a daily drink haha. It's just like splurging for a higher quality/rare wine for example.
I'd say even specialty coffee from high-end shops (using the local Wendelboe as reference) doesn't run you that much for a normal V60. Fair value for $25 would have to be very heavily processed from specific farms; the type you'd see in top competitions
@juzzadood4419 I agree. It could be a micro lot that was a cup of excellence winner for example. Or perhaps a Gesha varietal. I'm not saying it's common, but it's very possible. Typically roasters, here in the states at least, will have these very special coffees only available to purchase whole bean, like an 8oz bag for 60 dollars for example. That's because to sell it as a cup it would need to cost that 25 dollars and most people here wouldn't spend that kind of money, but in Japan where quality is more valued, its more common for someone to buy that 25 dollar brew.
With the new work visas being offered, it will continue to rise. My wife and I are debating if we want to take advantage of the 6 month work visa to film content and explore.
Feel the Pete struggle with the century. Currently in the process of shipping my BMW from the US to Saudi Arabia and its been very stressful. The ship is current somewhere around west Africa and I'm not looking forward for the customs/registration process once the car arrives. Love the show, keep up the good work.
It's a surprise that there are so many Vietnamese in Japan, considering their history. Vietnam got hit really hard by the Imperial Japanese during WW2 and there was a lot of resentment from the older folks there. I know because my mom is from Vietnam and fled after the communist takeover. But Vietnam has a massive population, somewhere around 100 million, and a lot of Vietnamese look to emigrate to find work in other countries. Maybe not as much as the Philippines, who's economy is pretty dependent on their people working overseas. But in any case Vietnamese tend to be hard working and ambitious. And maybe it's the fact that Vietnamese people can blend into Japan easier than many other foreigners. Vietnam people have a lot of Chinese blood, so many (particularly from the north) have that distinctly East Asian look look compared to other South East Asian peoples. This is purely speculation, but maybe Vietnamese people appeal more aesthically to the Japanese.
Vietnam has been on the rise as a reliable low-cost manufacturer. They have a reputation for being dependable & hard-working. That's why Japan hires so many. But as Vietnam continues its growth, their wages will become more competitive & workers may choose to work there instead.
Japan still has to improve work/life balance as that is the main reason for low birth rate. Not just take foreigners who are willing to accept the difficult working conditions temporarily.
i LOVE the long hair....rock that 80's Chris! As for the Stanley cups, they are no different than many others....but have mercy Americans LOVE to 'keep up with the jonse's' on the stupidest shit....
Foreigners are probably getting the not-so-desirable jobs that only take basic education. Like cleaning, restaurant staff, and such. I'd imagine Japanese employers to be more likely to hire a Japanese person rather than a foreigner for the more specialized jobs. Maybe software engineers and such are in demand, but I'd imagine they'd still need a certain level of Japanese language proficiency.
Japanese coffee can be a bit meh (for the record my worst coffee ever was in Paris at the Louvre followed closely by the Bunbury Dolphin centre) Vending machine coffee is great for a caffeine & sugar hit but not for actual taste. I found cafe coffee to a be weak and too hot. But, given that my drink of choice is a short or long mac two thirds topped up (regional give away there) when out, or an espresso at home with a dash of milk most coffees are underwhelming. 9:41
If I was in my 20s now, I’d apply to Jet program and probably would go to either Hokkaido or Kyushu somewhere. But I couldn’t because in my 20s, my accent was not English now but more Eastern European. So, never tried to apply but probably should’ve. 😅
Not a really long question, but related to the Jet programme and the girl who left as it wasn’t a party town like Hong Kong. Chris, do you think the abroad in Japan channel would have existed if you were in more of a “party place” like Osaka or Tokyo? Or would you be too busy propping up the bar in the local izakayas?
The coffee must have been some geisha coffee ... it is indeed very expensive and really good. It's more common to find this coffee in a top coffee place in Japan than anywhere else.
I was a US service member in Japan for 8 years. In all those years the same was true for the troopsand their families. The ones who embraced being out there all wanted to stay, those that isolated themselves in self-loathing were all just miserable people to be around, and for wives who were brought out there, it often leads to divorce.
Pete has gone from a "Lumberjack" look in the last show & after hearing his Yorkshire Ripper jibe Chris then I think Pete is pulling off that "Dickie Davis" look from 80's Saturday "World of Sport". Some might say he's more Des Lynham from BBC Grandstand but Im sticking with Dickie Davis myself...🤣
Question: I am a kind of traveller who doesn't like to book things such as rooms in advance but rather decide a day before on the trip as to what city I am going to next and then book the rooms, is japan a country that is easy to do on the spot bookings in? As a solo traveller it would be convenient if I wouldn't have to worry about booking things in advance
It very much depends on the time of year or if there are national holidays - I travelled mostly in Jan/Feb and never really had problems, however if you go Xmas or New Year, Chinese New Year, Sakura season or during Golden Week it will be a nightmare and you may not be able to find anywhere at short notice. Hope this helps!
i travel the same way myself. book the first hotel in advance (because you need to have your first destination address listed on your customs form) but then just wing it from there. the only issue i can see you running into is getting a ryokan last minute like that. but as long as you're shooting for regular hotels/hostels you should be good.
I am all for the long hair. You look good with it, Have you seen I am waiting 1957Japanese film? It was great! Also Kurasawa's last film Madadayo was also amazing! Pete looks more like the Yorkshire Ripper.
I've really fallen behind on the podcast and didn't even realize it! Time to catch up, but I would love to visit Japan in the near future, however I'm not too sure about working in Japan based on the stories of the office culture. On the flip side though, I'd rather pick up a non-office job if I was going to live in a foreign country the sad thing is my unfortunate student loan problem. Yay being an American lmfao
They are called stanleys and yes it is confusing and silly. Still have no idea why they’ve specifically taken off in the reusable drink container market
Not related to this episode but it just happened a couple hours ago and I'm watching now. I had a dream where I was scrolling Twitter and I saw a tweet from Chris about how he is selling "Official Pete Donaldson mini TV's!" like the one that's behind him on his camera angle. I am now sad I won't be getting a Pete mini TV.
I have to disagree with you Pete, coming from Australia where there are coffee shops on nearly literally every corner. I travelled in Japan for 5 weeks in 2018. I only found one good cup of coffee and that was in Nagasaki. Run by and Japanese lady and her Pommy boy friend. They had both been living in Australia for many years and perfected the best flat white coffee ever.. she even made matcha lamingtons and they were so delicious. The remainder of the coffee I experienced in Japan was very ordinary……… and expensive and they don’t even fill the cup up 🤦🏼♀️ I had a cup of coffee in Ginza which was J¥1500 absolutely outrageous, a Japanese friend bought it for me, it was very ordinary and so not worth the money….. Australian coffee is far more superior…..
Here's the thing about foreign workers, from Asia, in Japan (according to a Japanese friend who lives there) : Japan gives "student visas" to young people from those countries, like Vietnam, but in reality, it's poly, by the Japanese government, to get workers for cheap. 😐
Every time Chris looses weight it's always "Nah, it's the camera angle" or "nah my hairs longer and it makes my face look slimmer" Anyone would have thought he was embarrassed. Like he spent too much time with gym bros who laugh "huhuhh 'av you lost weight?! You little wuss!!"
Don't you need a university degree to get a work visa? Why the fuck would anyone want to go through all of that just to work in a fucking konbini lmfao
You dont really need a degree per say for instance graduating from vocational school is enough. Also people who work at conbinis are usualy part time workers like students or dependent visa holders ect.
You're in Tokyo now. No excuse for you now. My two cents: Get a great stylist for your hair. It's lovely hair and it's worth the cost of getting someone who knows what they are doing to style you well.
The population issue in Japan and the rest of the 1st world is due to the cost of living crisis. Immigration (also see “diversity”) as a method to fill jobs with lower paid foreign workers is lowering the bar, not raising it or solving the underlying problem.
Pete getting scammed left, right and centre with this motor. It’s definitely not this difficult to get a Japanese car running in the UK. My dad had a Nissan Highway Star for years, zero issues.
I hope Japan wont make the same mistake as western countries taking lots of low qualified workers and then having subcultures and huge dissatisfaction of Japanese people. Though the language barrier should be a decent filter already.
Japan should open up. There is no future for them if they don't open up their country to immigration. I hope they open up to South, South east and east Asians.
More diversity will mean it will be turned into a crime ridden dumpster fire and displace the Japanese people with more foreigners outnumbering them. The country should help its own people and provide incentives for Japanese who want to have familes.
Migrant workers don't want to stay in Japan anyway cause working conditions are shit and they're paid around minimum wage that's barely enough to live over there. Now that money would still make you rich if you go back home so why stay for long
I've been to Japan, but haven't been to Tokyo. It was back in 1991, when I spent a semester studying Japanese at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka. While I was there I visited Kyoto, Kobe and Nara, but didn't really have time to see other places. Thanks to your videos, I've been able to explore Japan from the comfort of my little house in Wales.
I applied for the JET Program, but wasn’t accepted. Instead I got a scholarship to study Chinese in Taiwan (I did a degree in Chinese and Japanese at Leeds Uni), and ended up working for the British Council in Taipei.
The cups are indeed called "Stanley", though no relation to the hockey. The reason they took off is because of a recent video that showed a woman who's car had burned, and when she went to look at it after it was ruined, the only thing that had "survived" was the Stanley thermos cup in her cup holder. Stanley rode the publicity of the TikTok video by sending a ton of merch and buying the woman a new car, and the internet basically went crazy and started buying them out everywhere.
Additional note, Pete is a bit mixed up in this story. Stanley cups do indeed use lead in their sealing process, but apparently in a safe manner.
Hydroflask, a competitor, is the one he is thinking of, that chimed in saying they don't use lead anymore, and haven't years.
So I thought this too, but the car fire incident only happened a few months back, and the cups have been wildly popular for at least a year before that! I'm not 100% on the order of events because I've got no particular impetus to research it properly, but Stanley's marketing department made two big changes a while back: they hired the guy who made Crocs popular, and they started targeting women. But yeah, footage of people going absolutely wild for those things predates the viral TikTok. That's just what got more mainstream attention.
The craze happened way before that but mostly among nurses. As a student nurse, I was surprised to see all these non medical people go ape for them. Theyre the new Starbucks tumblers.
Om Brazil where that story happened, 99.9% of Brazilian people have one lmao
Isn't that basically the same story that made Yeti famous? I remember the rumor about Yeti was that the Ice hadn't melted after a car fire.
Indonesian here. So far we have sent 120k workers to Japan and 500k is the target number because they needed that many apparently.
Reason that there are a lot of foreign workers from Southeast Asia is because of the "internship" program. They call it "internship" but in reality it's a foreign worker program. The agencies would train them in the Japanese language at least up to N4 level, Japanese culture, and other skills necessary for the job that they are going to do. Only those who "graduated", those who are up to par, get to go. The jobs are mostly in farms, factories, and nursing, perhaps some in hospitality. I think Filipinos dominated the nursing and hospitality sector, though Indonesia is getting more into nursing.
These programs used to be riddled with controversies, but now it has gotten way much better because I think it has now become an actual foreign worker program rather than being in the guise of "internship".
Some background on the "flasks":
1. Yes Pete, they are called Stanley Cups, apparently because its cups/flasks made by a company called Stanley.
2. There was a video of it surviving a car crash, which the company then used as a marketing push.
3. It basically became a status symbol amongst teens/kids/girls/adult women (idk which demographic exactly) to not only own 1 or even 2 cups, but I legit saw videos of people having 20 odd stanleys on their shelves, like people actually queued up overnight outside Target for getting one.
4. A video from like last year about the insides of these cups were found to have lead traces inside them, and then all the people who got them doing the tests and getting positives for traces of lead.
That's the last I heard about it, idk they fell off or sumthin. Wild scenes though, there were actual videos of kids crying with joy to get a stanley cup. Consumerism at it's finest
Argentine people use stanley thermos for decades now as a status symbol lol
Stanley or Yeti are the brands I think Yeti was the first craze now it seems to be Stanley .... Just another stupid craze for people to spend money on over priced products for a status symbol pushed by marketing .
Last summer in Tokyo, I walked into a random 7-Eleven (near Ueno Station), and the cashier was a 20-something British guy. I had no idea how to react; I was just so surprised. It is still very rare to see foreigners working in shops, but yeah. Happens.
I had a similar reaction while living in Busan, South Korea. Most of the foreigners living in Korea, especially outside of Seoul are English teachers like I was and they’re not gaining as many foreigners as Japan, so imagine my shock when I walk into a convenience store and see an older white guy behind the counter. I told all my friends about it.
I had no preference or expectations when I came on JET. I was placed in Nabari (western Mie prefecture) and I couldn't have been happier. I had an amazing time.
I never let anyone talk to me when I am shopping. Chatty stores will try to talk you into things you won't want to do. I like going to places where people don't talk to me other than taking my order.
My town, Kuji in Iwate had a sister city with Frankin, Indiana, which is where I went to college in the States. Every year two graduates got to live in Kuji as part of the Kuji Exchange. We taught some English at elementary and JHSs but mostly we were cultural ambassadors and assisting with foreign visitors from our other sister cities, taking Japanese kids from my town to America on language learning trips and participating in activities with the Rotary Club and other organizations. I was also an interpreter on NHK TV for the international women's judo tournament that was in Kuji every two years. I got to take six Japanese JHS kids to America (NYC, Washington DC and San Diego). Iwate had several sister cities; there was an ALT (not JET) in the town nearby from Ohio. His college also had a similar program to mine. My foreign friends were JETs, but a lot were a tad jealous I had four months paid vacation every year, free car, free house, free gasoline, free Japanese lessons. Of course, I didn't complain 🙂 I stayed for four years.
Funny coincidence. I almost applied for the JET program some years ago (found new job just before mailing app package in). And two of the places i had requested was Yamagata and Sendai.
I would suggest Matsuyama as a destination. Really underrated city.
I noticed in Tokyo that alot of the fast food chains such as McDonald’s have filipino chashiers. In the Philippines schools, all the lessons are taught in English hence alot of them go oversees to look for work. Its smart to have english speaking workers in popular fast food chains to help serve tourists.
As someone that loves speciality coffee while $30 sounds high, when you compare it to a glass of wine it is line. There are many farms and co-ops that put a lot of work in cultivating the coffee. Then on top of that you got the importers and roaster that has overhead to take care of.
Tokyo is a wonderful city to try speciality coffee with shops like Leaves Coffee Roasters, Glitch Coffee and Onibus coming to mind.
I'm guessing the story of the week writer went to Glitch Coffee in Osaka.
Being put back in hospital joy thankyou for your video, ❤, also I've been reading your book to kill time whilst learning Japanese on duolingo thanks for saving my sanity ❤
I've been in the Specialty Coffee industry for almost 20 years, coffee can definitely be this expensive and is an amazing thing to experience... obviously not as a daily drink haha. It's just like splurging for a higher quality/rare wine for example.
I treat my starbucks latte like occasional dessert
I'd say even specialty coffee from high-end shops (using the local Wendelboe as reference) doesn't run you that much for a normal V60.
Fair value for $25 would have to be very heavily processed from specific farms; the type you'd see in top competitions
@juzzadood4419 I agree. It could be a micro lot that was a cup of excellence winner for example. Or perhaps a Gesha varietal. I'm not saying it's common, but it's very possible. Typically roasters, here in the states at least, will have these very special coffees only available to purchase whole bean, like an 8oz bag for 60 dollars for example.
That's because to sell it as a cup it would need to cost that 25 dollars and most people here wouldn't spend that kind of money, but in Japan where quality is more valued, its more common for someone to buy that 25 dollar brew.
"Chris Broad & Jon Daub" are perhaps the two finest examples of Gentlemanly "Brit & Yank" in Japan on YT !
With the new work visas being offered, it will continue to rise. My wife and I are debating if we want to take advantage of the 6 month work visa to film content and explore.
Feel the Pete struggle with the century. Currently in the process of shipping my BMW from the US to Saudi Arabia and its been very stressful. The ship is current somewhere around west Africa and I'm not looking forward for the customs/registration process once the car arrives. Love the show, keep up the good work.
Love the podcasts btw ❤
"How the devil are you doing?"
I'm glad you said it again! It felt so wrong in the previous videos or whenever you don't say it. 😱
It's a surprise that there are so many Vietnamese in Japan, considering their history. Vietnam got hit really hard by the Imperial Japanese during WW2 and there was a lot of resentment from the older folks there. I know because my mom is from Vietnam and fled after the communist takeover.
But Vietnam has a massive population, somewhere around 100 million, and a lot of Vietnamese look to emigrate to find work in other countries. Maybe not as much as the Philippines, who's economy is pretty dependent on their people working overseas. But in any case Vietnamese tend to be hard working and ambitious.
And maybe it's the fact that Vietnamese people can blend into Japan easier than many other foreigners. Vietnam people have a lot of Chinese blood, so many (particularly from the north) have that distinctly East Asian look look compared to other South East Asian peoples. This is purely speculation, but maybe Vietnamese people appeal more aesthically to the Japanese.
Vietnam has been on the rise as a reliable low-cost manufacturer. They have a reputation for being dependable & hard-working. That's why Japan hires so many. But as Vietnam continues its growth, their wages will become more competitive & workers may choose to work there instead.
@@annunakian8054 Agreed. Vietnam could very well become the next manufacturing powerhouse now that companies are moving their factories out of China.
Japan still has to improve work/life balance as that is the main reason for low birth rate. Not just take foreigners who are willing to accept the difficult working conditions temporarily.
Hoshino coffee has great pasta!! Also souffle too
Nah, Pete's right, they were Stanley Cups. Same name as the hockey trophy. No relation.
@@tangelite9968 I know what they are
i LOVE the long hair....rock that 80's Chris! As for the Stanley cups, they are no different than many others....but have mercy Americans LOVE to 'keep up with the jonse's' on the stupidest shit....
Foreigners are probably getting the not-so-desirable jobs that only take basic education. Like cleaning, restaurant staff, and such.
I'd imagine Japanese employers to be more likely to hire a Japanese person rather than a foreigner for the more specialized jobs.
Maybe software engineers and such are in demand, but I'd imagine they'd still need a certain level of Japanese language proficiency.
Think u meant the cable car in Hakone 😊 Great little trip to take.
Make your own coffee if the café is too expensive
I've worked with a Japanese barista before, she did love coffee
Japanese coffee can be a bit meh (for the record my worst coffee ever was in Paris at the Louvre followed closely by the Bunbury Dolphin centre) Vending machine coffee is great for a caffeine & sugar hit but not for actual taste. I found cafe coffee to a be weak and too hot.
But, given that my drink of choice is a short or long mac two thirds topped up (regional give away there) when out, or an espresso at home with a dash of milk most coffees are underwhelming. 9:41
24:11 Sister Cities. Every major city in the West has one in Japan. Weirdly mine's Osaka. 😳
Nashville 's sister city is Kamakura. We also are North American home for Nissan and Bridgestone.
My kei car is from the 90s and the m.o.t was no problem. How odd 🤔
If I was in my 20s now, I’d apply to Jet program and probably would go to either Hokkaido or Kyushu somewhere. But I couldn’t because in my 20s, my accent was not English now but more Eastern European. So, never tried to apply but probably should’ve. 😅
MOT is needed for cars up to 40 years old. That MOT tester is a cowboy
Not a really long question, but related to the Jet programme and the girl who left as it wasn’t a party town like Hong Kong. Chris, do you think the abroad in Japan channel would have existed if you were in more of a “party place” like Osaka or Tokyo? Or would you be too busy propping up the bar in the local izakayas?
The coffee must have been some geisha coffee ... it is indeed very expensive and really good. It's more common to find this coffee in a top coffee place in Japan than anywhere else.
I think the 6month nomad visa is helping. I'm considering it.
I was a US service member in Japan for 8 years. In all those years the same was true for the troopsand their families. The ones who embraced being out there all wanted to stay, those that isolated themselves in self-loathing were all just miserable people to be around, and for wives who were brought out there, it often leads to divorce.
Pete has gone from a "Lumberjack" look in the last show & after hearing his Yorkshire Ripper jibe Chris then I think Pete is pulling off that "Dickie Davis" look from 80's Saturday "World of Sport". Some might say he's more Des Lynham from BBC Grandstand but Im sticking with Dickie Davis myself...🤣
Is Jet program in Okinawa? I think being an English teacher in Naha or on Ishigaki would be fun.
Yes, you could be placed there.
Question: I am a kind of traveller who doesn't like to book things such as rooms in advance but rather decide a day before on the trip as to what city I am going to next and then book the rooms, is japan a country that is easy to do on the spot bookings in? As a solo traveller it would be convenient if I wouldn't have to worry about booking things in advance
It very much depends on the time of year or if there are national holidays - I travelled mostly in Jan/Feb and never really had problems, however if you go Xmas or New Year, Chinese New Year, Sakura season or during Golden Week it will be a nightmare and you may not be able to find anywhere at short notice. Hope this helps!
i travel the same way myself. book the first hotel in advance (because you need to have your first destination address listed on your customs form) but then just wing it from there. the only issue i can see you running into is getting a ryokan last minute like that. but as long as you're shooting for regular hotels/hostels you should be good.
the MOT on the car before 2000 thing might be because its a 'classic'?
Have the JET people ever commented on your channel? Was it positive or negative? Did they have anything interesting to say?
I'll come over if I can work in a conviny
I am all for the long hair. You look good with it, Have you seen I am waiting 1957Japanese film? It was great! Also Kurasawa's last film Madadayo was also amazing! Pete looks more like the Yorkshire Ripper.
I've really fallen behind on the podcast and didn't even realize it! Time to catch up, but I would love to visit Japan in the near future, however I'm not too sure about working in Japan based on the stories of the office culture. On the flip side though, I'd rather pick up a non-office job if I was going to live in a foreign country the sad thing is my unfortunate student loan problem. Yay being an American lmfao
They are called stanleys and yes it is confusing and silly. Still have no idea why they’ve specifically taken off in the reusable drink container market
Not related to this episode but it just happened a couple hours ago and I'm watching now.
I had a dream where I was scrolling Twitter and I saw a tweet from Chris about how he is selling "Official Pete Donaldson mini TV's!" like the one that's behind him on his camera angle. I am now sad I won't be getting a Pete mini TV.
i'd buy one
I have to disagree with you Pete, coming from Australia where there are coffee shops on nearly literally every corner. I travelled in Japan for 5 weeks in 2018. I only found one good cup of coffee and that was in Nagasaki. Run by and Japanese lady and her Pommy boy friend. They had both been living in Australia for many years and perfected the best flat white coffee ever.. she even made matcha lamingtons and they were so delicious. The remainder of the coffee I experienced in Japan was very ordinary……… and expensive and they don’t even fill the cup up 🤦🏼♀️ I had a cup of coffee in Ginza which was J¥1500 absolutely outrageous, a Japanese friend bought it for me, it was very ordinary and so not worth the money….. Australian coffee is far more superior…..
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So not only are there hustle bars in Japan there are hustle coffee shops
Wow new video
Lol, Japan, about to learn the hard lesson that Europe has learned and are poised to fix.
People are explaining it better but indeed they are Stanley cups and they have lead in them
The Stanley cup trend here is embarrassing. Save me.
me literally flying jp at months end to work lol
When I went Japan there were Indonesians all over Tokyo
I saw a white guy working in a family mart at the Osaka airport. He didn’t seem to speak any English, but he might’ve been pretending
Other than the cuisine, I wonder what other thing Japan and Vietnam have in common...
Here's the thing about foreign workers, from Asia, in Japan (according to a Japanese friend who lives there) : Japan gives "student visas" to young people from those countries, like Vietnam, but in reality, it's poly, by the Japanese government, to get workers for cheap. 😐
Every time Chris looses weight it's always "Nah, it's the camera angle" or "nah my hairs longer and it makes my face look slimmer" Anyone would have thought he was embarrassed. Like he spent too much time with gym bros who laugh "huhuhh 'av you lost weight?! You little wuss!!"
Honestly expected Philippines not Vietnam
3000 yen coffee is expensive, but I guess if it's good and a one-off experience, why not?
@AbroadinJapan how did you managed to change Sharla into a meat eater again? or did she change her diet for other reasons :D
Have paid $100 for a cup of coffee!
miho-no-matsubara is a recommended viewing spot for Mt.fuji.
Ride the Cable car
I had my first BIGGA fruit punch last night after your recommendation. It tasted like sucking on a car battery through a sherbet dip. 10/10.
YES REEEECE
Stanley has been around since 1938! No lead.
People from 300 countries around the world asking what the heck is MOT?
Car of Theseus
It is the Stanley cup.
If I ever do the jet program then I'd say Gunma. For the Tonkatsu
That is a damn difficult cup to clean! No more than a show piece, not useful at all.
Pete. An MOT doesn't involve opening the boot or bonnet. This guy was full of shit. I have a 2003 Celica, MOT's no problem.
Don't you need a university degree to get a work visa? Why the fuck would anyone want to go through all of that just to work in a fucking konbini lmfao
You dont really need a degree per say for instance graduating from vocational school is enough. Also people who work at conbinis are usualy part time workers like students or dependent visa holders ect.
Pete should get in touch with autoalex and do a collab, so he can show off the car and hopefully they can help you fix it.
You're in Tokyo now. No excuse for you now. My two cents: Get a great stylist for your hair. It's lovely hair and it's worth the cost of getting someone who knows what they are doing to style you well.
Or get Natsuki to do it next time he is in Tokyo!
I would love to move to Japan from US someday 😊
Lotta Indians or other SEA working the konbinis now
That sounds like home!
*Promosm* 🎉
The population issue in Japan and the rest of the 1st world is due to the cost of living crisis. Immigration (also see “diversity”) as a method to fill jobs with lower paid foreign workers is lowering the bar, not raising it or solving the underlying problem.
Pete getting scammed left, right and centre with this motor. It’s definitely not this difficult to get a Japanese car running in the UK. My dad had a Nissan Highway Star for years, zero issues.
One word for Chris: "Ponytail."
Rich tourists getting milked in Japan
Maybe those pesky foreigners are just staying for longer… Aichi, 13 years..
Please dont drown puppies 😮
Japan should open up more. Every country that colonized others should open up to the countries they colonized in past.
Did they just look up random white guy for the thumbnail (no I’m not talking about Chris lol)
Robot workers.
I hope Japan wont make the same mistake as western countries taking lots of low qualified workers and then having subcultures and huge dissatisfaction of Japanese people. Though the language barrier should be a decent filter already.
Japan should open up. There is no future for them if they don't open up their country to immigration. I hope they open up to South, South east and east Asians.
Nice to hear Japan is getting as diverse as Canada...though hopefully not as racist as some people are over here
Canada is a literal shit show. Forced diversity is not a good thing at all. This will become a issue in japan in the future
They're way worse actually 😂
@@sleepysartorialist damn
More diversity will mean it will be turned into a crime ridden dumpster fire and displace the Japanese people with more foreigners outnumbering them. The country should help its own people and provide incentives for Japanese who want to have familes.
Toronto's kinda gone to 💩tho...wonder why...crime is up overall in Canada as well - goes without saying in the US as well.
next step is give them citizenship and they'll actually stay to repopulate the country.
No thanks. Immigrants also have low birth rates. So the end result is to do it infinitely until your population is replaced.
Migrant workers don't want to stay in Japan anyway cause working conditions are shit and they're paid around minimum wage that's barely enough to live over there. Now that money would still make you rich if you go back home so why stay for long
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