There are some things about America that are awesome, and there are some things that are...
And there are some things I grew up with thinking they were normal without ever realizing
THAT'S NOT THE WAY MY LIFE HAD TO BE.
Some of these are Japanese inventions and some of these are just things we have that
America doesn’t, but all of these are things America really needs to step up their game on.
#1 Restaurant call buttons
Are you ready to order?
You want a refill?
Did the waitress forget your side of honey mustard again and you haven't seen her for
10 minutes?
Not a problem in Japan
because they have call buttons RIGHT ON THE TABLE.
Not every restaurant, of course, but a lot of them do.
No more awkward small talk.
No waitress interrupting your conversation multiple times to ask if you need anything
else and then disappearing for 20 minutes when you're finally ready for the check.
If you want something, you press the button,
they come and do the thing, and then they leave.
And then you don't even have to tip.
#2 Food samples
So this is one of the things I really missed when I went to America.
Many restaurants in Japan have food samples like these in front of the entrance.
You can easily tell what kind of meal they have.
It saves a lot of time, and you’ll get pretty much exactly the same thing as you saw.
I also like ordering a meal that has no picture in the menu because I’ll have no idea what
to expect.
But when I become hungry at a mall for example, I just want to quickly pick a restaurant that
I won’t regret eating at.
#3 FULL BATHROOM DOORS
AMERICA.
WHAT.
THE MEOW.
IS THIS?!
WHY DO YOU DO THIS
You know how many times in my life a little kid has bent over and looked under the stall
door while I was doing my business in a public bathroom in America?!
Like once.
BUT THAT WAS ONE TIME TOO MANY.
Japanese stall doors close on every side.
Apparently this isn't even a Japanese thing, apparently a lot of countries have, you know,
NORMAL DOORS on their bathroom stalls.
But America's just like
"nah this is good"
IT'S NOT
#4 Mosquito killer
Japan is a very humid country and we have mosquitos everywhere, especially in summer.
So we have products like this.
This is called アースノーマット and it's going to kill mosquitos.
It sprays a little of an insect killer called a pyrethoid into the air, and the amount is
so small that it’s only enough to kill mosquitos and not harm humans or our cats.
When we stayed in an apartment for the summer that had a lot of gaps under the doors, we
would wake up and there would literally be dozens of dead mosquitos lining the walls.
Before we got one of these we we would get eaten alive.
You may have noticed from our Twitch streams that mosquito season has already started, but since
turning this back on we haven’t had any problems.
AGH Noooo it's a mosquito!
I feel like I have mosquitos everywhere now.
This is going to be my mosquito protective net.
Next time it comes back...
HNNGGGG
#5 Toilet seat covers
Bear with me on this one.
You just gotta trust me, okay?
Fluffy
toilet
seat
covers
Not the ones that go on top of the lid for decoration.
You SIT on these.
I know you're probably thinking right now
"what the meow ew"
but let me tell you something:
you have not
EXPERIENCED
LUXURY
until you have done your business
with your bottom cushioned by the soft caress of a warm, plush cover.
Tired of cold toilet seats?
GONE.
Tired of how the seat cuts into your leg when you spend too much time sitting there on your phone?
GONE.
If you think it's dirty
just detach it and wash it!
This isn't something you'll realize is missing from your life until you try it.
Take then back as souvenirs for everyone.
It's great.
No one expects it.
#6 Remineralizing toothpaste
Here in Japan we have a special toothpaste called Apagard that does the thing that was
supposed to be impossible:
it remineralizes your teeth.
It leaves behind a small layer of hydroxyapatite on your teeth, which is the main ingredient
your teeth are made of.
It fills in small cracks to make your teeth smoother and also plugs up dental tubules
that cause tooth sensitivity.
So I used to have a large scratch down the front of one of my front teeth.
After using this for a while it just disappeared.
They actually sell this toothpaste on Amazon in America now so you can get the Japanese
remineralizing toothpaste if you want.
And it should also help with sensitivity and preventing cavities.
#7 Bed mats
Have you ever had a super fluffy, warm blanket that makes you just kick your legs around
for a while when you get into bed because it's sooo soft and you just want to feel it all over?
Well Japan has this
as a mattress TOPPER.
So now you can sandwich yourself entirely in the luxurious lap of fluff heaven.
No more cold beds in winter.
You just sidle right on in and it's already nice and toasty.
#8 Cat litter
So this is the most common cat litter in America, but it’s not that common here because we
have so many other types of cat litter.
So these are made of recycled wood.
All these.
These are all made of silica balls.
And they absorb smell and they're cleaner.
These are made of okara, which are food product waste.
And these are all made of recycled papers.
#9 Japanese straight perm
So I actually already made a full video about this.
Apparently it’s uncommon in America but you can find it in select salons.
The hair that was permed stays straight forever.
You will have to touch up your new hair growth since obviously that won’t be straight,
but this is the best thing that’s ever happened to my hair.
Japan is so humid, and my hair used to be an insane frizzy mess in the summer.
But not anymore.
I didn’t touch this hair after I got out of the shower.
This is just how my hair looks all the time now.
#10 Japanese toilets
Okay so I know this is a really common topic, but I do miss Japanese toilets a lot when
I visit America.
The seats are automatically heated,
they all have bidets,
and depending on where you go or how advanced you make your toilet
there are other functions as well.
My parent’s toilet lid automatically opens when you open the door.
There are different buttons for different flush levels.
Public toilets can play flushing noises if you’re embarrassed and don’t want anyone
to hear you use the bathroom.
I like my toilet.
I wish I could take it to America.
And if you want to experience all these things yourself but aren’t sure how to get to Japan,
we have an amazing sponsor today that I think will be incredibly helpful for you.
The website TakeMeToJapan.com is FREE and will guide you through the process of applying
to a ton of different language courses depending on what you want out of your visit and where
you want to go.
There are casual language courses that include traditional culture, pop culture, or fashion
tours.
There are intensive language courses of up to two years that are intended to help you
enter a full Japanese university, or enter the Japanese workforce.
There are so many options, and they don’t limit you to what’s on the website.
If you find another course you want to apply for they will still help you get into it for
free.
They’re also extremely open with you about information and share in detail how much you
can expect to spend on a language school, rent, food, transportation, etc.
And they’ll help you figure out your visa, too!
The creator of this website studied abroad in Japan himself and fell in love, and so
now his goal is to share those same experiences with everyone else.
For me personally, studying abroad in Japan was one of the greatest times of my life.
I met this dude there.
The only thing I would have changed if I could is I would have stayed longer.
I was so jealous of everyone else who got to stay a whole year!!
I really think this is a fantastic resource.
So if you’re interested in getting to Japan and studying the language, shoot them an email
and Sayaka will help you get there.
Thanks for watching, guys!
We’ll see you next time!