- Hey guys, it's Kim Dao here. Welcome back to my channel.
I hope you all have been well and staying safe.
So obviously, because of what's been going on this year,
plans have changed for a lot of people.
So for me, my original plan was to travel
to Japan multiple times,
and I was actually planning on spending multiple months
in Japan to film bulk content for the 2020 Olympics.
But obviously, because of what happened this year, (sighs)
plans have changed, and yeah,
pretty much when Australia closed their borders,
I was like, "Well, nope, I am not traveling
'cause I don't wanna be stuck overseas."
So because of all that, I have been finding myself
going through a lot of my old footages,
and you know what, I've been traveling to Japan
for 10 years and I have a lot of footage.
So it was really nice going through all the old videos
and just remembering all the good times I had.
So whilst I was going through all the old footages,
I was picking out stuff that really made me happy.
So I decided to make a video
on 50 things that I miss about Japan.
Some of the things are kind of random,
but I really hope that you guys enjoy this video.
So, let's just start! (screen whooshes)
(relaxed electronic music)
So in this video, I'm going to be focusing
on things I miss in Tokyo, and of course, the views.
I just love going up to high buildings
and just looking at the amazing views
that Tokyo has to offer.
(relaxed electronic music continues)
What I love about the Tokyo neighborhoods
is that there is always something really unique
and different about them, for example,
we have a book town, we have shopping districts,
we've got places with lots of nature,
temples and shrines, it's amazing.
Of course, if you've been to Japan,
you would know what I'm talking about.
Convenience stores are just amazing.
I love eating the food.
It's just so quick and easy, also really cheap,
and plus, it's tasty!
I also love going in and buying lots of snacks
in the middle of the night, as well.
That's pretty bad, but it's good.
I have not been to another country
where trains arrive on the dot, on time.
Japanese trains are so efficient, so fast,
they come very often, and just very convenient.
I just love walking around Tokyo in general,
because there is just so much to see!
Every single time I visit Japan
and walk around a random neighborhood,
I always discover some hidden gems,
and yeah, it's just really fun.
I actually really miss the safety in Japan.
I've never been to another country where I felt safe
walking around alone at nighttime,
but in Japan, I did this very often,
and yeah, nothing ever happened!
Cherry blossoms are just so beautiful.
I was so lucky to catch the cherry blossoms
one year when they were in full bloom.
The whole city was pink. It was amazing.
I really miss that.
I actually really love autumn in Japan,
just as much as spring.
The autumn leaves are just so beautiful.
If you go to Japanese parks,
you will have these beautiful serene views,
and, oh, (sighs) I wanna go back!
I just love how in Japan, they have different hotels.
And capsule hotels, they are just so convenient.
So I usually stay in one of these
if I have an early flight the next morning,
or if I have to go somewhere close by
and I just want a quick, cheap hotel to stay at.
This is perfect.
Cute theme cafes in Japan.
Honestly, oh, the Pokemon Cafe, it was just so fun.
I went here like five times. It was so expensive.
But it was just so nice to just sit and eat in a cafe
that has all the characters that you love.
Speaking of cute cafes, there is a cafe in Tokyo
that sells Totoro cream puffs, aw, look at this!
Isn't that so adorable? And it tasted really good, as well!
I just miss adventuring out and discovering these places.
Another thing I miss, themed restaurants.
There's a Sailor-Moon-themed restaurant in Tokyo,
and whilst you eat, you can also enjoy
an awesome performance at the same time.
Yeah, it was just really cool
to relive my anime memories. (laughs)
If you've been to Japan you would know
that you will find vending machines
literally on every single corner.
It's just so convenient if you just
ever wanna grab a quick drink.
Yeah, I loved getting the hot milk tea very often.
And also, there's Pikachu ones too. Isn't that so cool?
Oh, and I just love BOSS Coffee so much,
I needed to give this one its own number.
This was a coffee that I would drink every single day.
Of course, I really miss Japanese food.
I actually don't eat seafood,
but there are so many other food options.
Hotpot is one of my favorites.
I loved tempura, and of course, ramen.
And because this place was my favorite,
I had to include it as well.
Ichiran Ramen, guys,
I could eat this every single day. (chuckles)
Oh, it's so good. I miss this, I want it!
Damn, I'm so hungry now,
watching all of these old clips, regrets.
Sushi trains were just really cool.
And guys, I just miss how cheap it was
to have sushi in Japan.
For one plate of sushi, it's only like a dollar,
which you know, is really cool.
In Australia, if you wanna get the cheapest plate,
it's usually like, I don't know, $3 or $4.
I loved how there were so many Kit Kat flavors.
Every single time I go back to Japan,
I always discover new ones.
And I just don't know how they come up
with all of these new flavors so often,
but some are really good, actually.
Some are bad, but it's just fun to try new things.
I usually avoid Starbucks around the world,
but in Japan, it was a place I loved going to.
Tokyo opened up a Starbucks Reserve, and oh my gosh, guys,
it's like the most fanciest Starbucks you will ever see.
The drinks are really awesome, as well.
So yeah, wish I could go back here.
Of course, Japanese street foods are on another level.
I just love going to these shopping arcades and you know,
just trying out different foods they have.
It's really cheap, and also it's delicious,
so (sighs) oh, yum!
(funky electronic music)
Of course, anime shopping is the best in Japan.
I mean, I don't really watch that much anime.
The only characters I really like are Pokemon. (chuckles)
So whenever I go to these anime stores,
I go straight to the Pokemon section,
but the selection they have is just amazing.
I loved going to game centers in Japan
because first of all, they were huge,
and they always had the best games,
and they were all updated.
We have game centers in Australia, but you know,
the songs that you play on these machines are all old
and you just wanna play new stuff sometimes,
so I really miss that.
Claw machines in Japan had the best stuff ever,
even though they were rigged as hell.
I mean, I would play it
if I really wanted one of the items.
And yeah, I mean, when you do eventually get one,
it feels good!
Daiso, the 100 Yen Store. I can spend hours in here!
There's just so much, and also,
I mean, we have Daiso in Australia,
but it's a lot more expensive
and there's not that much selection.
But in Japan, oh boy, this one had, I think,
four stories, it's so big!
Don Quijote, of course, is one of my favorite stores.
It's like a variety store, and they just stock everything.
Every single time (chuckles) I make a trip to Japan,
I always have to visit just so I can
pick up some souvenirs to bring home.
They have everything, snacks, skincare, makeup,
toys, suitcases, food, yeah.
(bright music)
I just love the variety of things
they have in drugstores in Japan.
I really do like Japanese skincare.
So whenever I go back, I always go into a drugstore
to pick up some of my favorite products.
I always try my best to be in Japan
during the fukubukuro season, which is the lucky bags.
They only sell these during New Year's,
and what it is is that you get a bag
and what you've paid for the bag,
you usually get like five times the amount
in products inside.
And the thing is, you don't know what is inside these bags.
So it's a surprise when you open them up.
Oh, gachapons, I miss these.
If you guys haven't yet, I made a video of myself
opening up 100 of these gachapons
when I visited Japan last year.
It's just so fun, you have so many different varieties,
and best of all, it's not that expensive.
It's around like $2 for a try,
and generally, you can get a character that you want,
I mean, if you have good luck.
I actually love buying my glasses in Japan,
because okay, compared to Australia,
it is so much more faster and convenient.
You can get a pair of glasses plus an eye test
for as little as $50,
and you get the glasses within an hour.
In Australia, usually it's like, I don't know,
$200 for a pair of glasses,
and you have to pay for the eye test.
Plus you have to wait two weeks to get your glasses.
So yeah, it's a lot more convenient in Japan.
I love souvenir shops in Japan.
Like look at this, Cup Noodle candles,
and you've got beer, you've got ramen,
oh, there's just so many cute souvenirs.
It's so hard not to buy everything,
every time (chuckles) you go into one of these stores.
I really have to hold myself back every time.
(relaxed electronic music)
I loved Japanese fashion just because
it was so unique and different.
I mean, these days,
I'm not so much into Japanese fashion anymore,
but I do miss going into Shibuya109,
and just walking around and shopping for unique clothes.
I mean, when I was younger, I spent most of my time
(chuckles) when I was in Japan in Shibuya109.
How cool is this?
Japan has a Pikachu Festival every year.
This was one of the years that I was lucky enough to go to.
I managed to watch the Pikachu Parade.
Oh, (sighs) it was just the best thing ever.
They turned the whole city into Pikachu.
And of course, I mean,
I've been showing this a lot in this video already.
Yeah, you guys know me. I love my Pokemon.
So of course, I love the Pokemon Center.
Every single time I fly to Japan,
I have to make a quick stop just to visit,
check out new merch, see if I need to get anything,
and yeah, I really miss that.
(relaxed electronic music)
Okay, I'm not huge into Disney,
but I do miss Disney Sea a lot.
Every single time I'd go with my friends,
we'd always have a lot of fun.
Also, it's so beautiful.
There are so many places where you can take
some really nice pictures at.
Stationary, oh, guys, this is dangerous.
If you love stationary,
you will spend so much time and money in these stores,
like I think I spent a couple of hundred dollars
when I filmed this video at that time, oof!
But I just love the variety of different colors they have.
Plus, I loved how cute all the stationary was, as well.
Super Potato is honestly one of my favorite stores in Tokyo.
Honestly, if you were playing games in the '90s,
you would love this store, as well.
It just brings back all of the old memories,
it's very nostalgic, and if you want,
you can also have to purchase these games and play, as well.
They also have some cool merch,
which they update pretty often.
One area I loved in Tokyo was Shimokitazawa.
I just love the thrift stores here.
Honestly, in Japan, I find that the stuff they sell
in the stores are very good quality,
and you can often pick up really good pieces for a bargain.
So yeah, I think I found these shoes for like $5.
That's pretty cool.
Bars with views.
Honestly, I don't go to many bars,
but this bar was one I really loved.
This was actually where "Lost in Translation" was filmed,
and yeah, it's one of my favorite bars.
It's so beautiful and I just love the atmosphere.
Christmas illuminations.
If you ever visit Japan during Christmas,
honestly, like in Tokyo,
the whole place is lit up with illuminations
and they often have shows as well, which you can attend.
I love the atmosphere during this time.
It's so beautiful.
Of course, these days, when you visit Japan,
there are so many places where you can take
some awesome Instagram pictures.
I mean, every single time I visit Japan,
I spam my feed with pictures,
just because, seriously, how can you not?
It's so cool! (relaxed electronic music)
I really miss Japanese festivals,
like just walking around, wearing the yukatas,
eating street food, seeing performances,
just hanging out with people.
Oh, hanging out with people, that's (chuckles) something
I haven't done in a long time, but yeah,
there's fireworks, as well.
I just really miss these vibes.
Japanese parks are so beautiful.
This is one of my favorite parks in Tokyo.
And especially during the sakura season,
oh my gosh, guys, the whole place is just pink!
If you go during summer, it's all lush and green.
If you go during autumn, everything is red.
Oh, it's so beautiful, and very well-maintained.
This is kind of weird, but I really miss Japanese toilets.
Have you ever been to Japan
during winter when it's really cold,
you sit down on one of these toilets and it's so warm,
it's the best feeling ever, seriously! (chuckles)
I really miss being able to go to one of these places
and being able to rent a kimono.
They do your hair for you and you can just walk around,
and take really pretty pictures
wearing these amazing outfits.
Oh boy, onsen.
I miss this so, so much.
Hot springs are the best thing ever.
You sit inside a hot spring
once you are done with a long day,
and you just feel so relaxed!
Shinkansen, the bullet train,
oh, it's just so convenient!
I just loved how I was able to get on a train,
and then 2 1/2 hours later,
I'm in a completely different city.
It just makes you feel like you're in an airplane,
(chuckles) sitting in one of these.
It's just so fast, very clean,
and of course, convenient.
I love the food that you can get on there, as well.
Of course, shrines and temples
are just so beautiful in Tokyo.
There are so many. This is one of my favorites.
Just look at these gates. Isn't that stunning?
I also loved how they had lots of unique temples, as well.
This is a cat temple, and as you can see,
they have a bunch of cat figurines around.
It's so cool, right?
(funky electronic music)
I actually really miss the Sky Tree.
I've been a couple of times and I know it's touristy,
but it's just really beautiful,
and I just loved looking out and seeing Tokyo
in all different directions.
At the time I went, they had this "Attack on Titan" special,
which was really cool.
Oh, Team Planets, guys, if you wanna take
some cool Instagram photos, go to this place.
I loved this so much, it was just so fun,
so interesting, and the displays were just so beautiful.
Yeah, to go in, you have to book tickets in advance,
but they're pretty easy to get.
And the last thing I miss about Japan, of course,
is the ability to actually fly there.
Oh, I took this for granted!
I did not think that we would not be able to travel anymore,
but you know, hopefully soon we can go back!
Wait for me, Japan. I'll be back.
That is the end of today's video.
Thank you so much, guys, for watching.
Please thumbs-up this video if you enjoyed it.
Subscribe to my channel if you haven't done so yet.
(sighs) It was really nice making that video,
'cause I definitely took traveling for granted.
Never would I have thought last year that in 2020,
that I would not be able to travel.
And it just feels really weird,
because I do travel to Japan so often,
and not being able to go there for over a year,
yeah, it just feels really strange.
But hopefully you all stay safe.
Hopefully we can get through this together
and we will be able to travel again next year.
Once again, if you guys have any requests for videos,
please let me know in the comment box down below,
and also follow my vlog channel if you wanna see
what I get up to in my everyday life in Australia.
If we are able to travel next year,
I will be spending a lot of time in Japan,
so definitely will be doing Japan vlogs again,
if that happens.
I also have a gaming channel
if you wanna see Animal Crossing videos.
And also follow me on my social media,
which is all linked down below, as well,
and I'll see you guys in the next video.
Bye, guys! (gentle acoustic music)