*intro*
S: how many of you are feeling that nostalgia swimming up you plums-
M: looking at us standing in our kitchen
S: I know, standing beside each other
we're gonna talk about culture today, ladies and gentleman
M: if you're new to our channel, we used to do this segment in Korea called TL;DR
which meant 'Too Long; Didn't Read'
S: what we're gonna be talking about today are some common mispreceptions (misconceptions) we've seen about Japan
so we wanna kinda talk about those and dispel them as much as we can
(M and S: dispel them~) (S: David Blaine~)
M: Also, big ups to my Torontonians! Raptors! #1
S: I like how you got Lowry because he's the short one
M: ok well I didn't get him because he is a short one
S: It's because he puts his body on the line for the Raptors and I love watching him play
M: second of all- S: we are talking about Japan and not Toronto
/////////
S: Kowai ( ?) , we don't say that name in this household anymore
first misconception that we need to dispel is this idea that "you need to learn Japanese when you come to Japan"
M: we just don't believe that at all
S: in the least bit
M: yeah, recently we came back from visiting Spain, and before that, last year we went to Italy
and we did not take a crash course on suddenly learning Italian and Spanish just to go visit a country for vacation
S: it's an unreasonable expectation
Japan has like 30 million visitors in a year
I think it's the 11th most visited country in the world
M: the world-- S: you're expecing 30 million people to have a working knowledge of the language before coming here?
that's unreasonable
M: I really wish I was a genius and could learn the language-- S: if I could, I would
M: if I was a vampire, I would spend so much time learning languages
S: if I was a vampire, I'd learn how to DJ
M: huh that would be amazing S: right?
M: DJ of the night
S: DJ Suck Your Blood (SYB)
M: haha DEMONITISE
so just to ease your mind a little bit more about this
because Japan is such a visited country
especially like you know Tokyo and Kyoto, like they know that visitors are coming
we've sen a million different types of menus available
there are ones with Japanese, they have English, they have Chinese
we've seen Russian, we've seen just tons of languages S: Many!
S: Back around the year of 2008 when we lived in Korea
it wasn't really that used to accomondating foreigners yet
it was still pretty new at the time, the tourism boom hasn't really kicked off
a lot of people were like "what were you doing here, why are you here?"
kind of like if someone walked into your house and like "hey, you're... why? wait why are you here?"
M: I remember the first few times that we would start riding the bus
the buses were completely in Korean
so they didn't tell you like the stop name in English nor did they show the signs
so you had to learn Korean so fast and when you saw another foreigner on the street
you would literally go like this (⊙＿⊙)
and you'd like run at each other and you'd always like greet them
and say "hi, like I'm Martina--"
yeah but you know it changes is the point
it's that big cities grow and they change
and so Korea now can definitely handle a lot more tourism coming in
I'm sure if you go to a shop, they're no longer like "I can't speak English"
they're just kind of like "so what, it's a foreigner"
and we see that comfort here you know?
S: yeah in Japan, especially in Tokyo, there is not that discomfort with foreigners, there's none of that fear
none of that shock, you can definitely get by without speaking Japanese here
M: and one rule of thumb is that this rule never applies to any countryside anywhere in the world
M: if you go to the Korean countryside, have fun, if you go to the Japanese countryside, they're gonna be like "what the heck"
S: but if your in the major tourist destination of the city like Tokyo is a really big city
you're definitely gonna be fine
M: that being said, we always think it's great to learn a little bit of the language
especially if you're trying to like unlock something a little bit special
like you guys have heard us talk a lot about us going to ramen shops like on our podcast
and these ramen shops don't have a lick of English to them
and the vending machines were all in kanji
so in that case it can be a bit more of like a fun gamble
like "what I'm I ordering?"
and we did that a lot when we visited Japan when we lived in Korea
S: but even you don't know what you're reading, there's a--
even if you picked something from a vending machine around the shop
it's gonna be amazing
so you don't hav to worry about messing up
but if you're like "ooh, I really feel like having a little bit of this or feel like having a little bit of that"
then learnin some of the language is gonna help out
we're not trying to discourage you from learning Japanese before coming here
if you want to, by all means go right ahead
but don't feel like you have to
don't put that pressure on yourself, don't feel like you can't come here unlesss--
no it's gonna accomondating for you
so be a little bit kinder to yourself
you're gonna have a good time
M: it's gonna be a great vacation
S: now apart from trying to ease these exaggerated expectations you have for yourself
we wanna address people crushing certian expectations before you come to Japan
M: falsely at that
S: we see some people say "oh Japan isn't all anime and manga and Pikachu and Pokemon"
M:. don't expect to come here and find people dressed weird and now--
of course, Japanese bussinessmen and women aren't walking around wearing anime costumes and throwing chains at each other
tossing Pokeballs
S: throwing chains?? M: like if you're in like some kind of anime
S: you should have said ninja stars or swords M: no, well I read mangas , I don't know
they have different kinds of--
S: they beat people with chains?? M: YES
S: I want to see, I'm calling you out on this shit M: no you don't!
S: alright, what manga do they beat each other with chains? M: write it down below in the comment section
S: oh you're expecting them to bail you out M: they are gonna bail me out, they know
the point is, everybody knows even if you haven't visited Japan
that Japanese bussinessmen and women wear normal clothing and grandmothers wearing normal clothing
like people aren't running around actually cosplaying all the time
the reason why people feel excited to visit Japan for pop cultures, because it's something they had in their country
but it wasn't on a full scale, it was imported into their country
S: and only in small speciatlty shops
M: for us, when we were growing up at least, like managa was not as available as it is now
I had to go to like a specific mall all the way in Brampton
because it was the only comic book store that imported manga
S: driving all the way to Marcompf for the Pacific Mall to get some of that stuff
that was a journey
M: it was a journey and so pardon me, if when I come to Japan
there's just a bookstore loaded with all of these kind of stuff that I enjoy reading
and it's not like they made that shop up for tourists
it's a Japanese store because people really do love manga here
S: people really dig Sailor Moon
there's Sailor Moon fanclubs and concerts
S: why are you wearing that wig?
M: I'm not wearing a wig, I came this way
I'm modern Sailor Moon
S: what are you doing as modern Sailor Moon
M: I'm going to the Sailor Moon 20th anniversary and club party
...by myself
I am Sailor Moon No. 1789
I got my single serving ticket to the venue
I opened up everything and touched everything
I have like an hour to kill before the event starts
S: you will find it here in Japan a lot easier than you will outside of Japan
M: which makes just so much sense
imagine going to a country to get stuff from a coutnry that makes it
like why is this such an offensive thing to people
S: I mean there are people who travel to France because they want to learn how to be chefs
does that mean that every single person in France is walking around with a baguette and a chef's knife?
no obviously not, we're not setting up that strumming and you shouldn't think that about Japan as well
but it is really commonly available
it's a lot easier to get here
so if you do want to come here for anime or for manga or for Sailor Moon or for whatever the hell you wanna come here for
don't let aybody shame you for that alright?
M: you got this nerd so mad, he's like literally yelling at the camera right now
S: LOOk HeRE SONY 873, I'M SICK OF YOUr SH@@ OKay?
M: ThErE's NoThIng WrOnG WiTH LikING FINAL FAntasy
S: not the only reason but one of the things that really drew me to Japan is I love FF
it's my sh@@
M: what's this Simon?
this is an old FF noodle cup set with Sephiroth on it because he was like, we'll just keep one or two
S: what's this? M: it's a tiny bowl of ramen
we always wanted to get those when I was in Japan
what's this?
it's Pikachu, he's wearing a very small beret because this is a special limited edition feature with the beret
S: oh wait we got this in Japan didn't we because it's so easily available here
M: oh Godzilla S: omg no there can't be Godzilla stuff
you go to that theater in Shinjuku and there's a huge Godzilla there!
M: HOT TIPS for those that want to nerd out the way that we do when we came here
S: just to be clear because it is easily available here doesn't mean that it's equally distributed
there are some pockets in which it's a lot easier for you to find if you're really totally wanna geek out
M: our number 1 choice is actually Nakano Broadwway
and that's actually west side Tokyo like where we are
so a lot of people don't go there because it's out of their hotel area
because they're used to staying downtown in the core
a lot of people go to Akihabara instead which I'm sure you've heard of that
but for us Nakano Broadway has a lot more of like vintage things and
you can like find collectibles and plastic toys
and there's like a really dope camera section, that's where you go to get your stuff
whenever you walk in, they're like "this guy again"
S: I go to Nakano Broadway for the camera stuff
M: now Akihabara is the one that you've undoubtedly heard of before
it actually has a lot more new and modern stuff so if you're really into like manga and anime culture
and you're up to date on it like you're not like me who's like "I'm gonna look at stuff from the 80s"
if you're actually looking for something modern, Akihabara is gonna have it
MEEMS
S: ay you shut it
MEEMS
M: just like olden days when Meemers would meow through our whole TL;DRs
hopefully you can't hear him from now since our microphones have gotten better
MEEMS
S: it's hard to focus with a meowing cat
MEEEMS
S: b@@@ if you want your own youtube channel then get your own camera
there are many different things you could do here
Japan is very very diverse with lots of different subcultures in it
M: huuh arcades~
like towers in Akihabara has just like old fashioned arcades
S: we met a guy in one of our favourite coffee shops because he wanted to come to Japan just for a coffee experience
he had his little map and he went to a whole bunch of different coffee shops
sure not everybody in Japan is as into coffee as he was
but that is his little pilgrimage
so whatever you wanna do in Japan
you follow your vision, there's not one right way to experience it
there's not one right version of Japan
find the things that you like and pursue that
and Japan's a great place for you
M: and it's time for the S&M nerdy quiz
what is something Simon, about Japan that is really nerdy that you absolutely love?
S: I love how much they love jeans here
M: what??
S: like there's some shops that realllllyyy take denim super duper seriously
M: I know what you're speaking about
S: I'm not that into jeans myself but
I love seeing that passion that they have and I'm amazed at how expensive some of them are
M: another misconception bout Japan is that people only eat Japanese food here
for example I might meet somebody at a store in Canada and they say to me
you know "oh what's it like, do you eat sushi for breakfast?"
like they don't really understand the types of foods available in Japan
and that's fair I suppose because they did not subscribe to our youtube videos *busted*
where if they had smashed and like that subscribe button
they would have learned a lot about Japanese food S: they'd be so much better informed
M: now we're not mad or annoyed or anything that people think that people in Japan eat Japanese food
that's totally fine
what we're mad about is that you guys might miss out on some really foreign food
now this sounds very weird but Japanese people make different cultures' food
some of them are quite accurate like we've had some really good high end French food
like it tastes like food that we've had in France or better
S: very good high end Italian food that was even better than some of the stuff that we had in Italy
M: ooh dare we say
but they also make their own version of things
like for example, I recently did that video on purin
which is pudding and everybody was like "so you're saying it's flan"
the comment section is like "is it flan????"
S: NO IT's Not FLaN
it's PURIN
M: it doesn't taste the same
I know that it looks the same, I know that it seems similar
but when you come here, if you go to a convenience store
and you see it, try it, it's gonna be so different
and that goes for a lot of other foods as well
S: another great example is Coco Curry
whenever people think about curry, their first thought is usually India
"it's Indian food, I don't wanna have Indian food in Japan, I wanna have Japanese food"
but Japan makes their own version of curry that's very distinctive from Indian curry
and if you were to skip out on Coco Curry then there's just no point of you coming to Japan
because it's just the most important thing to do here
number 1 rule, Coco Curry!
Coco Curry, why haven't we worked together yet
what do I have-- why won't you answer your phone??
I'm calling, I'm leaving messages, faxes', we're leaving faxes
M: this is Coco Curry "new fax number"
S: but that's Japan taking something not originating from their culture and making something amazing out of it
M: it's brand new, it's difficult to explain, it's not Indonesian, it's not Indian, it's not Thai
it's Japanese
other things you should try, we really recommend trying a bakery
the bakeries in Japan are really great and are very different
I especially love the quiche
so even if you go to like a small bakery, they have some real good quiche
S: really juicy and 'cause they make them with Japanese eggs, which are just divine
defintely try the quiche
M: we've done an entire livestream on Italian food from convenience stores
so if you see the convenience store pasta and you're like going to an Airbnb
or like some rental place and you wanted--
S: we'll tell you the best one in that livestream if you haven't seen it
go check it out!
if you love ice cream, I don't think you can get any better than Japan's cremiere
I dare you to try, honestly try some cremiere here and tll me if you've had any ice cream that's better
and then let's fight it out in the parking lot
M: and then I'll meet you out there and hug you really hard
S: 'cause you obviously been deeply hurt
if you don't appreciate how good this is
the point is no culture exists in a vacuum
every culture influences each other and that's good
try some of the other kind of foods here in Japan
I don't think you're gonna be disappointed
they're really fun M: yeah and um like mayonnaise
something that you think that you have back home, you haven't
just please don't do it Simon, please don't do it!
S & M: HOT TIP
M: the next point is gonna be controversial for some of the more angry foreigners living here
Hub, we're saying the word Hub right now
which means nothing to a lot of you and some of you just got like--
S: some of you have cringed on the inside M: that might have unsubbed from our channel
S: just open your mind for a little bit here, okay?
M: so Hub is a chain in Japan, thiknk of it like an Applebee's
or a Jackass (??) or something
it's just a pub and it has typical like french fries and wings and chicken nuggets and also like a British flag outside
and it has a stained glass kind of design
it's basically what I imagine Japanese people who have never left Japan
have imagined what a pub would look like
but they have only put it together from TV shows
S: now we're not saying that Hub is an amazing plae
we're not even saying that it's a great place
it's arguable if it's even a good place
but the point is we know some people that have travelled here from Japan
and they have extended vacations
and sometimes they get a little fatigued, liked it's overwhelming
and sometimes, you need to feel like you want something familiar
something from back home
there's nothing wrong with wanting a little bit of a break
M: yeah and when you go to Hub, they usually have sports games on
you can watch football (not the American kind)
you can watch the actual kind, you can watch rugby and other things
so it kind of gives you that feeling and the only reason why we chose Hub is because it's a chain
and I feel like you'll b able to find it anywhere
but we're extending this idea of resting yourself a bit
so for any kind of foreign place, like it you go to Roponggi
you can go into a really good beer place where foreigners hangout
go to a coffee shop that's maybe more familiar
give your brain a bit of a break by reading, eating something that you find familiar
you're charged and head on out to tackle Japan
S: don't be ashamed to try the foreigner stuff here alright?
be kind to yourself~
easy there, ah come on you angry foreigner I see you
step away from Reddit for a bit, go outside and talk to some real people
M: go meet Pikachu on the street S: you'll be a lot better alright?
hey, I hope that this video has ease some of your anxieties before you come here
okay these are some misconceptions about Japan M: Simon was nervous about this video because we haven't done this in a while
S: thank you for listening to our Ted Talk
come to Japan, have a good time and be chill
it's alright Weinstein(?)
M: also Raptors NO.1!!
this video is actually a lot longer
but we ended up chopping it to make it a bit shorter so there's two bonus videos
one's on "is Japan actually quiet as everyone thinks it is" and "are the Japanese people constantly offended"
what other burning questions you have about life in Japan?
let us know down in the comment section below to give us inspiration on what to do next!
byE!