This is the ONLY in JAPAN 360 Question & Answer video
presented in 4K.
I’ve put a lot of photos and additional video
all around this 360 world
so definitely have a look around.
If you have Google Cardboard or a Virtual Reality headset
use them.
If not, you can use your browser
or your app and look around the world
just make sure they’ve been updated.
Hey everybody!
ONLY in JAPAN
Narrator: Peter von Gomm
This is Nihonbashi
which many consider to be the centre of Tokyo.
It’s a hub for many traditional businesses that have been
operating here for centuries.
A lot of international businesses and start-ups are located here too.
Welcome to Tokyo Station!
This is the ONLY in JAPAN Q&A episode
in 360
so help yourself and look around, you can
move your smart phone around or
if you’re using Google Cardboard or a VR headset
welcome to a brave new world!
Bold, big and beautiful!
So this is Tokyo Station where you pick up the Shinkansen
and the new Nihonbashi entrance which is pretty cool.
I’m going to take you over now to the other side
to the Marunouchi entrance which is
older and traditional
but they’ve renovated it so it’s quite interesting.
I’m going to keep this video moving.
That means I’m not going to try to stay in one spot.
You’ll get a chance to look at the city
and answer some of your questions
while you get a chance to look around
which I think is going to be pretty cool.
Look up!
The north and south Marunouchi ticket gates have
high beautiful ceilings.
The station opening in 1914
and its design is rumoured to have been based on
Amsetrdam Centraal Station.
This is one of my favorite places in all of the city.
This is the 7th floor of the (Shin) Maru Building
which is across the street from Tokyo Station.
You can see the Shinkansen and all the trains whizzing by.
It’s being renovated right now
and should be completed within the next year.
This side is Ginza.
Over there behind this building
you can probably see Tokyo Tower.
And behind us is the Imperial Palace
which is where the emperor lives
and it's flat and green and absolutely beautiful.
And at night, the view from here is spectacular!
I highly recommend coming to the 7th floor of the (Shin) Maru Building.
This is also an appropriate place to start
the questions and answer series.
With this question: Why did I start ONLY in JAPAN?
— and that happened right after the earthquake
on March 11, 2011.
A couple of months after the earthquake happened
tourism died here in this country
and that really broke my heart
because I had been living here for over 15 years at the time.
and know how incredible Japan is.
I just wanted to take what I was doing —
I was already reporting on an Internation TV station (NHK World) —
to take that reporting to another level
because YouTube is a platform that allows me the freedom
to do whatever I want
to go anywhere, to see anything
That’s really exciting to me, and I wanted to do that.
In 2012, I drew up the blueprints for ONLY in JAPAN
and in 2013, I launched the series in February
with the NAKED MAN FESTIVAL
which was a lot of fun.
In 2003 was
also a reason I decided to stay in Japan.
I hitchhiked the whole country from Wakkanai
on the top of Hokkaido to
Kagoshima, the very bottom of Kyushu — the whole country!
In the course of 1 month
and I made a movie about that.
and that experience
is why I stay in Japan
and is also a reason why I really love this country
because while I was hitchhiking
I was picked up by 20 people over the course of the month
who took me from place to place
and just the kindness, sincerety, and the hospitality of strangers —
in this country was so overwhelming to me
that I decided to stay in Japan
I had been in the country for 6 years at that time.
And after that, I said I’m going to stay.
So if you’re wondering why I came to Japan
I don’t even know the reason why, I guess it was curiosity.
The real question is why did I stay?
and I think it’s because this country
is absolutely beautiful. It’s safe.
The food is delicious.
I love being a foreigner
and being an expat.
People look at you different.
It’s sort of exciting in that way.
I feel that the best way I can help my own country in to —
bridge Japan to the rest of the world
not just American but —
other countries in Asia
and to tell the story of Japan
to tell you what’s happening in this country and
I really love that.
TOKYO STATION
I hopped on to the Yamanote line
and traveled to the next spot
The Harajuku/Omotesando area
This way, this way, over here.
So I had a little trouble asking my self these questions
-so I enlisted the help of my friend -Hello
We searched of a quiet place to do an interview
The trip took us to Harajuku's Takeshita Dori
where I learned about fashion in a previous episode
Passing Harajuku station, we walked to Yoyogi Park
and settled in on a bench by the pond
Question and answer in the park
Q&A in the park
Welcome to Yoyogi Park in the center of Tokyo
I take in all the top comments,
and given to Angela over here
who's going to be asking me
these intimate and personal questions
because I can't ask myself. I need someone to ask me
Alright, go ahead
Get this over with
So question 1, from....Wo.....
-What...Wo..? -Oh, Wyatt, Wyatt
Wyatt! Wyat Walker
Why do you like Japan so much
I like Japan because I've been here 18 years
and it's part of who I am now. It's my home
True I see Japan and US both being my home,
but right now I think I'm more..
connected with Japan
But why? Why do you like it?
WHY? Um...
It's so easy to live here. It's so much fun
It's so interesting every day
The food, the people
The fact that I get to speak in a foreign language,
The fact that I'm very different here
People look at me funny sometimes,
Maybe the way I'm dressed, or the way I walk
or whatever
-The way you walk! -I don't know! It's just...
really interesting to live as an expat in another country
and why not Japan
Next question from Konan Kun
What is your ethnicity?
Yeah, this one got asked a lot of me
Um, I'm American. 100% American.
Yeah, my mother is originally from India.
She's born in Mumbai.
My father is American, but his background is German-English.
I think there is Polish, and some New Zealand in the family.
Oh really?
So, I'm mixed.
-International -Internationally Me...
-Internationally You.. -That's her name.
Ok, Konan Kun also asked...
Do you live in Japan?
Yes, yes ...
A lot of people ask me, "Do you live in Japan?"
Yes, I've lived in Japan for ...
18 years. Since 1998.
Once I left Japan for six months
and I came back
and I've been here ever since.
This is my home.
That's an interesting question.
Yes -- we have ...
This is a hard name. Yes-we-Hado-ken
Who is best girl?
Oh, I saw this one! Who is best girl!?
Got 17 likes. Wow!
I don't even know what that means, um ...
best girl
I'm not married.
I'm single.
I'm straight.
-Really? -Yes
What? What does that mean?
I'm joking.
Yeah....yeah...
Denny Lee asked
Can you show us behind the scenes of ONLY in JAPAN?
That's really good. Um ... ok!
So I got this 360 camera about a month ago
and I'm going to be using this
on location shoots just putting it on the side
and creating 360 videos
which will be behind the scenes
and this will be really behind the scenes because
It will open up the world in front of the camera and behind it
and I've created a channel "ONLY in JAPAN 360"
which you will be able to see a lot of 360 content
I'm separating the two because if you don't have goggles,
If you don't have Google Cardboard,
this format can be a little annoying
well you can just press the button, press the arrows on the screen
Yeah, you can do that but it's still annoying
You're always flipping around,
If you say something, you have to go back
to the person to see them again
or you're in a cafe watching like this
and that can be a little strange for people to do
so I think it's good to have a seperate channel
Let's take a break and head to Hachiko Scramble nearby
Here are the top episodes in terms of views of the channel
Thank you all for making these shows popular
Now in the center of the intersection,
a short fan submitted video from Mobile, Alabama
in the USA
We love ONLY in JAPAN
My favorite episode is probably the Spochan one
'cause I like to sword fight
and we have some light sabers,
and I like how you mentioned the
the double sided spochan sword
that looked like the Darth Maul saber
I like your videos a lot. My favorite one was the Gachapon
I really want to do a lot of them when we come up to Japan
I like the strawberry episode because it has strawberries
They are my favorite fruit
I love the ice cream episode because it has ice cream in it
It's my favorite desert
Thank you John for making ONLY in JAPAN
Mata ne~
Rowland family, thank you very much!
Back to the park for some more Q&A.
I talked about show's frequency,
and why I make only two a month.
I think this channel ONLYinJAPAN is going to
right now it's only twice a month
I try to get it out the 1st and the 3rd Thursday.
Sometimes it's a little later, sometimes it's even earlier
but anything more than twice a month is a challenge.
-Because I'm on locations and -- -Hahaha
You know what I mean! We make these videos..
Most YouTube creators, we don't have a camera man
and audio guys and editors,
and producers above us and
people telling us what to do.
We go on location. There was one in Kagoshima --
a volcanic sand bath.
I went to Kagoshima by myself
I set up three cameras on tripods all around
The manager of the place was controlling the camera as a favor
and that's how I operated and I had to move quickly
That's one of the biggest challenges of doing
the format that I do
is that I don't have the cameraman to film all the time
I really would like to have it but ...
Which is amazing, your work. Ah, anyways
Anyways, ah, Papa Franku asks
He asks
Why did you decide to live in Japan?
I sort of answered this in the opening,
I guess I can go a little detailed
I came to Japan in 1998
I just finished college
I graduated from Ohio State in 1997
I worked all through college, I didn't have any debt
or any loans to pay off
I had a little savings and I blew that all in backpacking
in 6 months around the world, and when I got back,
I needed a job
My room mate was a Japanese major
He came to Japan in a JET program
He sent me an email.
We didn't have any chatting or texting back then
He wrote "You got to come to Japan, man. It's so awesome"
He used to say this all through college
Used to sleep on a futon, He was a weirdo
"Yeah, you got to come to Japan, the place is nice."
You make good money.
"It's weird! It's awesome! It's Asia!"
So I hadn't seen (East) Asia yet, I came here.
He left -- I stayed!
And I've been here ever since.
He was one of the big factors why I came
because I had a friend who was here already.
I didn't know any Japanese before I came,
I wasn't interested in manga
and wasn't interested in Martial Arts