A tattooed gaijin tourist going to a tattoo friendly onsen filled with yakuza sounds like the start of a fish out of water comedy.

@lesp315

Жыл бұрын

Yakuza can be nice too. I'm sure that many of them will tell you interesting stories. I would give it a try.

You and Paolo from Tokyo should collaborate on a KZread video together 😀

@RainartXIII

Жыл бұрын

I would love this! They could do some amazing videos together.

@turtleboy991

Жыл бұрын

I second that

@alisah-pronouncedalyssa4022

Жыл бұрын

I agree

@carlrodalegrado4104

Жыл бұрын

A day in the life of shogo

@redsofaanimation

Жыл бұрын

Yes!! That be awesome!!!

Here in Germany you can buy beer, wine and other "weak" stuff from age 16, and harder stuff like vodka from age 18. Also it's totally normal to drink alcohol outside. If you're ever in a train here on a Saturday evening or night you'll see a loooot of drunk or drinking people.

@futurelink1638

Жыл бұрын

schönen feierabend kollege✌🏻

@R3DSHlFT

Жыл бұрын

Meanwhile in Russia: "laughing 10 year olds"

@xXSingMusic4everXx

Жыл бұрын

Wollte gerade dasselbe schreiben xD also, in Germany it's normal to pay per person at hotels, I think. Or if you have a double room it's more expensive etc.

@joannadevis6096

Жыл бұрын

@@R3DSHlFT well, legally in Russia you are still allowed to drink alcohol at 18 and older. Plus you are not allowed to drink alcohol or be drunk in public places, you will get arrested

@adenkyramud5005

Жыл бұрын

@@futurelink1638 bissl späte Antwort jetzt aber danke 😂👍

I am so happy that Japan changed the smoking laws. And society as a whole has adjusted so much to these new rules, so much that I honestly find myself bothered by smoke way less in Japan than in Sweden where we have had a similar law longer. Japan has these little huts everywhere where smokers can go and it's such a blessing for me who has asthma. Thank you Japan!

The only issue I ever had when I visited was forgetting how informal "okay" is. I didn't speak a lot of English, so I didn't have a problem. That was until I got lost and had to ask a police officer for directions. He asked if I spoke English, I said yes, so he switched to English. While he's giving me directions, I keep nodding and saying, "Okay, okay. I gotcha." After thanking him, as I was walking off, I heard his fellow officer laugh and say in a mocking tone "okay, okay." I speak Japanese, sir. I heard what else you said afterwards. 😑

I HAVE A REALLY IMPORTANT TIP FOR FOREIGNERS LIVING IN JAPAN! You only have to show your residence card to police and immigration. So if a hotel asks you for it, use another form of identification, such as My Number card,, or Driver's license. That way, you won't be discriminated on based on how long you are staying (as shown on the residence card/zairyo card)

@girigiri6929

Жыл бұрын

Nice

On a family trip to Japan my sister bought her young children fruity drinks that turned out to be alcoholic, and fruity jello that turned out to be alcoholic. She got odd looks from the server but otherwise no warnings or comments. I still wonder what those servers thought about their parenting or underage drinking.

One topic that was missed was how it can be difficult for fathers to be out and about with young children. The attitude that only mothers take care of children still persists here in Japan. Men’s bathrooms often may not have baby changing tables, while the baby nursery rooms may be located within the women’s restrooms or may prohibit men from entering. Fathers will have to look for the handicap accessible bathroom, which may be far away. (Lack of handicap accessibility is a whole another major issue to discuss!)

@Meli1380

Жыл бұрын

It's not that different in bathrooms in other places tbh. Here in Ireland it is still rare to find anything baby-related in men's bathrooms.

@MrWizardjr9

Жыл бұрын

@@Meli1380 yep same here in the US but a father entering the woman's restroom to use the changing table is generally accepted

@lzh4950

11 ай бұрын

Here in Singapore buildings built/renovated after the late-2000s tend to put the baby nursery & changing rooms just outside the toilets instead, probably to make it easier for fathers to care for babies too. & some buildings put the child's toilet in the handicapped toilet, which is usually gender-neutral nowadays here

Regarding wifi access in Japan, one way to deal with the issue is to get temporary international roaming added to your phone. This will allow you to use your phone for calls and text as well as internet access just like you would at home. This is what I did when I went to Japan a few years ago and had no problems. It's also worth noting that some hotels will also provide you with a room phone that's basically a cel phone that you can take with you during your stay. So that's something to look into when looking for a hotel to stay in. If you plan on taking the train a lot on a trip to Japan I recommend getting your tickets ahead of time. I forget the name of it but there's a form of travel pass that you can buy ahead of time that will allow you to take the trains on nearly every line, including the bullet trains. You order the pass online or over the phone, forget which, you pick it up at the designated location, and you take it with you when you go to Japan. It saves a lot of time and effort and it also allows you to skip the lines getting into the boarding area since there's a special lane for pass holders and all you have to do is flash your pass at the attendant in the booth alongside the lane.

@HAJIMEDJ

Жыл бұрын

I checked for roaming Japan on my Belgian provider, and it was actually a quite poor offer. Only 250MB free data for internet, which is used up before you know it. In that case it would be better to just take a temporary SIM card, or use the WiFi in designated areas.

@QuickQuips

Жыл бұрын

JR Pass! Love that one.

@Riceball01

Жыл бұрын

@@QuickQuips Japan Rail Pass, thanks for remding me of the name.

@elchavode6479

Жыл бұрын

I dont recommend roaming cell service the internet speed are slow and they have small data limits the i recommend sim card or hotspot

@kiy2347

Жыл бұрын

I recommend renting mobile wifi even if it's just 2-3 days stay. It costs around $20 per day as I remember.

I subscribe to your channel as well as Paolo's channel here on YT. You both are VERY INFORMATIVE and interesting, always. 😃😉😊 I live in the states and been making a study of Japan for the last 2years. This is because of my love for a Japanese band called THE GAZETTE. I hope someday to visit the great land of Japan.

Coming to Kyoto next month. This will be my third visit to Kyoto as I love it there. Will be in Tokyo for one month visiting my son. I will be glad when you start back doing your cultural experiences!

I’ve been staying in hotels even from outside Tokyo and most of those hotels are allowed to have two people without extra charges with some including breakfast. If there breakfast option for a fee per person, I would recommend to avoid those as they are really expensive.

I am happy to see two of my favorite Japan vloggers in one video! Thanks for this video, Shogo! Maybe you two should do a collab in the future.

This was highly insightful. I love being able to see both sides of these instances. Especially from two of my favorite KZreadrs.

This is great information. So happy I saw this.

Love this vid. Both you and Paolo are great

I would say that Wi-Fi towers would also have trouble because of mountains. Mountains and tall hillsides (sometimes called knobs in KY and IN, USA) block radio waves. That could account for weak signals and narrow bandwidth.

I love watching both these channels❤️🇯🇵

Great as always Shogo!

Love the videos, Shogo. Keep it up!!!

Oooh great reaction! things have changed so much in 3 years though huh!! I have so many thoughts!

Your smile brightens my day. Thank you for your most helpful tips. 😊

This is one of my absolute favorite channels.

Alcohol where I live has to be in a brown bag, and you can't be publicly drunk. But you can drink in a restaurant setting (either outdoors or indoors) or while you're eating (usually). Also, in festivals, that's ok for drinking in public. As far as the public internet section, do check your phone plan. Some phone plans do offer international data that you can use at specific speeds, sometimes at high-speed or slow speeds.

Loved this !

I learned from both of you. Thanks.

Okay, if you do a cultural experience in Kyoto im soo in!! My ideal vacation would be to study japanese etiquette and culture.

Thank you for this!!🌈

Wow I didn’t know a few of these. I want to travel to Japan once I’m done learning Japanese and it’s great to know social ques like this so thank you! 🙏🏽

@LukasVokrinek

Жыл бұрын

Just a side note, you're never done learning Japanese 😇

@guillaumejacques-pouliot8088

Жыл бұрын

@@LukasVokrinek wanted to comment on that haha

@AdamOwenBrowning

Жыл бұрын

@@missplainjane3905 He doesn't need to be, I'm only N4 but I know that you never "finish learning" Japanese, or any language for that matter!

FUN FACT... To consume alcohol in Danish bars, restaurants, or cafes, customers must be 18 or older. There are no restrictions on children 17 and under who drink at home or, for example, from a bottle in a public park. Also just a question. Are simcards not normal in japan? Here in Denmark we can pay each month for having a simcard which then gives us phone number and Data for internet (and some other things).

@Luffy-su1ho

Жыл бұрын

Wait, really?!

Drinking alcohol in Canada is governed by each province or territory. Most jurisdictions here have a legal drinking age set at either 18 or 19 years old. In my province (Saskatchewan) legal drinking age is 19, while next door in Alberta the legal drinking age is 18, I believe.

hello 👋 new content viewer from USA 🇺🇸 I’m so happy my youtube algorithm recommended this channel to me recently. My brother who is 12 years younger than me, has always been saying he wants to travel to Japan 🇯🇵 Next year we are planning to travel with our significant others (his fiancé and my husband) + Kyoto is first on our list then we will go to Tokyo. Since I’ve been binge watching this channel, I will have to become a new subscriber 😅

@HAJIMEDJ

Жыл бұрын

It will only be a matter of time before the algorithm recommends the Abroad In Japan channel, with the very affable Chris Broad 😄

Excellent video. Also I love seeing what's normal for ppl in Japan. "You guys don't get smiles in McDonald's???" Was my favourite one hehe

You would be great at leading cultural tours in Kyoto! You MUST do that!

Waiting for Paolo’s reaction to this!

I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR CHANNEL😆😆😆

Being a movie nerd, I really want to go to the Toei Studios Park. The old commercial for AMEX in the US said "Don't leave home without it" outside the US it's bloody useless most places.

We LOVE Paolo!!

We are looking forward to visiting too. We are currently planning to arrive in July 23. Please do host an cultural experience .

I got a suica card on my first visit to Japan. Used it on my 2nd - 5th visit as well. I still have it in my wallet.

@missplainjane3905

Жыл бұрын

Btw, don't mind me asking your perspective on Japan. 1) Do you consider Japan as a highly developed and advanced country ? 2) How would you personally rate Japan (from culture to technology, architecture, food, local products, scenery/landscape, standard of living/quality of life, etc.) on a scale level of 1 to 10 ? 3) How would you overall describe the characteristics of Japanese people ? 4) If you have 3 or more words to describe Japan, what would it be ?

I’ve been watching a lot of videos like this because I’m planning on a trip to Japan next year and I’m wanting to hike thru Kochi Prefecture

I would so love a travel or cultural thing if you do it. We are planning on coming to Kyoto in the next 3 years.

This is interesting, I have never really encountered the rush hour train squeeze in all the 3 times I've been to Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto.

Shogo, I love your channel!!

Thank you Shogo!

Hello Shogo I went to Germany and was surprised at 16 you can buy beer and wine. It's also customary younger family member will drink beer in Germany if ordered by their parents, so like a 10yo could drink a beer as well. Love your shows, thank you friend.

As a Japanese swords restorer and collector, I am traveling to Japan sometimes. I know all this, but I like your videos and enjoed to wach this one as well. Thank you very much. Warm regards from London UK !

One important note that I don't see brought up often. If you have T-Mobile, many of their unlimited plans have coverage in Japan and you don't even need to change anything on your phone

Hi Shogo, Thank you for making this video. It was very helpful. I have always been interested in Japanese culture. In the future I would like to visit your beautiful city of Kyoto. Do you have any travel recommendations that would make my trip more enjoyable? I also have a medical condition, which I have to carry my medications with me. Would it be best to carry an extra bottle with the prescription label on it, like in other countries? What time of year would you recommend for my trip?

I experienced being sardined onto trains in Kyoto as well as Tokyo. In fact I think it was worse in Kyoto because of the time and it was on the subway

About drinking age, in Finland it is 18 for "weaker alcohol" like beer etc and 21 for stronger stuff like Vodka and Koskenkorva.

my pasmo worked not just in Tokyo but everywhere between there and Kobe. Haneda has special tourist version of Pasmo you can buy there.

Here in Denmark theres no age restriction on drinking alcohol. They just cant buy it themselves before I think 16 and 18 for stronger things. This actually shocked me when I moved here from the US.

@Moi_81

Жыл бұрын

This is by state but minors can drink if with their parents. But there is an age restriction.

When we went in 2018 we found portable hotspot super convenient, and online you can get info on which have the highest bandwidth. Something different in Japan is that you won’t lose cell connection almost anywhere, the cell coverage is much better than the USA.

Taking a guess, but table fees are the establishments way of covering that table if you do end up staying longer. They wouldn’t be able to seat another party until you leave, so it’s an added “service fee”. Makes sense to me.

Can you made a video explaining how to walk around kyoto?

32:50 - I never knew about this hotel charge too, In my town they are charging a room for 2 persons in standard, extra bed get cost more or looking for the suite for 3 and family for 4 ... ... Thank you for the information.

I tipped in a taxi and hotel in Japan… they were super stoked haha

In the UK its 5 years old in private prems, 16 outside but u can not buy it yourself and 18 u can buy and drink anywhere

As someone who's lived in Japan for over 8 years now, the idea of needing cash for almost everything is a bit overblown. The only things I consistently need cash for is paying bills and topping up my Suica card. And for the latter, you can actually do it if you have a phone that is Suica compatible and also has some way to store your credit card on your phone. I've found that "bulk" stores that have cheap prices are often cash-only though, probably part of the reason they're cheap. But whenever I go to the supermarket or pharmacy, I'm able to use my credit card, no problem. Daiso used to be cash-only, but a lot of them take credit cards now.

Thanks.

I've seen his video before on this. Quite commonsense stuff to do at times sometimes before hand.

So, here in Denmark it is 16 years for alcohol under 16.5% and 18 for above. But there is no age for consuming it. So a lot of people will start at home at 14-15 years old.

in my country u can smoke anywhere outside , but not inside which makes more sense 2 me. the thing that nobody talks about is smoking in your own apartment or house.

Alkohol in Germany: Beer is OK from age 16. EVERYTHING else (wodka, weapons, driving alone with a car, flying a plane - when you have the licences) is OK from age 18. But, in my opinion, the alkohol should be not so easially available. it causes many problems.

In the Bahamas we can drink at 18yrs old

For the smoking rule about being able to smoke indoors, but not on the street; I figured it was mostly because the people entering the restaurant or building know that it allows smoking, so they opt into it willingly. People on the street didn't opt into it, plus it might be an extra issue with people wearing masks while walking around.

In Canada the drinking age is 18 or 19 depending on the province. However there is a law that says places need to check if you look under 25, only certain stores can carry alcohol, and you can only drink outside in certain places.

Hi Shogo! Wonderful video again. I am planning on studying abroad in Tokyo next summer 2033, so I am planning my itinerary! In Tokyo, where are any private onsen I can go to that you recommend? Thank you!

In Québec, Canada, you can only buy alcohol from 18 years old, but there's no limitation of age to drink it. I was given a glass of wine with a meal for family parties since I was 13 years old, so once I get to middle school roughly. And there was no problem to drink alcohol with my teenage friends at home from the house storage (be it my house or my friends' house).

In the US, in Wisconsin, you can drink at 18 if your folks are present. I don't know if any other states are like this though.

Shogo and Paolo crossover!!

Stores not accepting Amex is something you run into all over the world. Most major stores/chains will accept them but but regional chains and local shops won't because Amex charges a much higher processing fee compared to Visa or Master card. If I recall correctly Visa/Mastercard charge around 1.5 percent per transaction while Amex charges closer to 3 percent per transaction.

The only thing I did eat while I am walking is Pretzels when I was on my way to school. I am from bavaria and when they are fresh its kinda like a soft bread and it doesnt crumble.

in the states you can drink in some places in trains as well

16:11 I was in Osaka, there was a radium onsen that allows people with tattoos.

In Germany, where I lived, the first point is really normal, in some restaurants you still can’t pay with credit card.

Interesting, regarding hotels, at least here in parts of the US, hotels will charge what is called a resort fee, which could double plus the rate, much like the table charge and various hotel fees Paolo speaks of. Best to research everything ahead of arrival. I speak from my experience, having worked at one of the 7 Wonders, Grand Canyon, and the resorts there.

Same in Taiwan - smoking laws were very lax here until a few years ago. Now it is completely forbidden to smoke indoors.

Here in Hungary you can drink from age 18. Back then when i was a small child, my parents sent me at the weekend to a small shop to buy some bread, cigarettes and 2-3 beers and nobody said a single word. The stuff knew that it was probably not for me. ID for buying alcohol? Happened a few times in my whole life.

I gotta know where to get that guys T-shirt! XD

33:06 There are SOME hotels that will charge more if you have more people in your room than what you said or reserved the room for in the US but that's only if you reserve it for 2 and end up having like 6 people. That's due to, for example, anime conventions I've been to will have people room sharing. A person books a 4 person room but has 6 people staying in it to make it cheaper and kinda cheat the hotel. In general though, if you don't exceed the capacity of the room, they don't charge extra for more people. Regardless of the amount of people you have in the room, they assume that you'd be using the amenities of the capacity of the room.

for drinking alcohol we have 18 for low alcohol content drinks (been and such), but 20 for high content like whiskey and such

11:50 I am from Germany and the drinking age is 16 for weak stuff and 18 for strong alcohol once I was in a restaurant with my class when I was 14 and some just ordered vodka and the waiters just didn’t ask how old they were(14)

I was warned about people impersonating cops targeting foreigners just to run away with their information. So what I was recommended to do was suggest to be escorted to the police box and show your identification there with another officer present. Im not sure how common this is but its interesting

I'm not sure that it would be a problem in Japan, but elsewhere, smoking outside inevitably leads to cigarette butts all over the ground.

@emancebo13

Жыл бұрын

I live in the US and that’s the first thing that came to mind. I saw a deposit for the cigarette butts in one of the recorded smoking areas

@shpeen8835

Жыл бұрын

I've seen signs imbedded in the sidewalk telling you not to smoke. If you want to smoke, it's in a designated area, or go inside an izakaya, which blows my mind.

The drinking at 16 or earlier your usual with family, and it is the lower alcohol percentage type. Usually wines.

About tipping: I like this non-tipping culture. Tipping is against my understanding of factual correctness. It used to be the same in at least the eastern part of Germany. But this changed quite qucikly after reunification. About table charges: in Naha the table charge is usually about 300 yen, if they even have a table charge.

In Croatia the age for buying and smoking cigarettes, as well as buying and drinking alcohol is eighteen. In Britain it's 16 for cigarettes and 18 for alcohol.

I am so surprised with the strict, proper culture and not wanting to offend other people they have a major problem with women being groped on trains. You wouldn't think those two things would be very compatible.

@jgw5491

Жыл бұрын

The kind of people who do such things probably don't consider women "people". :-(

@nooplizzz

Жыл бұрын

It makes perfect sense to me in a way. When people are put under a lot of social pressure in society to conform there needs to be some release for that pressure and primal urges are usually the first pick. The unfortunate fact is that the overcrowding of the trains during rush hour gives the perfect opportunity for many to give in since they can get away with it anonymously among the mass of the other people.

@sirlancegeo

Жыл бұрын

Perhaps it’s the difference between being offensive directly to someone in public as opposed to believing they can violate someone’s physical boundaries anonymously in a packed space where people cannot move around or even tell whose hand was responsible. It may be similar to how people behave in public spaces speaking to strangers and how people speak rudely or attack verbally online when they feel they are anonymous.

The only exception to the "no eating while walking"-rule is if you're an anime highschooler and you're late for your first day of school, then one (1) single piece of toast is acceptable. xD

A long time ago some hotels used to charge you per person and how they got you was asking how many keys you wanted.

What you must have to visit Japan next?

Why should it be better if you can pay with a credit card? Except for large sums, which I hope doesn’t occur too often.

For me, Japan is often my vacation destination. I first went 10 years ago on an exchange program and I always love going back. I suppose it is because of my experience there, but I largely paid by cash in Japan and a decent amount back home in Canada. But this past summer I went to the UK for the first time and took out a fair bit of cash for travelling, but I was surprised that some payments were limited strictly to digital payments over cash. I think this was may have been a change from Covid measures though to reduce contact.

@DavidCruickshank

Жыл бұрын

Brit here, It's not Covid. Paying by card, especially contactless, is huge here. Even little popup stalls almost always offer card and contactless. I literally can not remember the last time i used physical money, i never need it.

@Yokokazuo

Жыл бұрын

@@DavidCruickshank I see, thank you for letting me know! It is a lot more handy to use contactless most of the time and I have often been moving towards it in Canada too. I suppose it just seemed like a large surprise due to travelling at the time and just being used to mostly using cash when travelling in Japan. I still have some British Pounds I need to exchange back for Canadian dollars after my trip since I didn’t use a fair bit of it.

In Brazil you can drink "anywhere" like in Japan, the minim age here is 18 though.

@Moi_81

Жыл бұрын

I love Brazil

@jonatasfaustinomoraes

Жыл бұрын

@@Moi_81 Thanks! That's nice of you

Hi Shogo-san, do you have any tips for more shy, introverted people, who are looking to visit Japan? What places should I avoid? What places should I visit? What activities do you think one can do, while it’s relatively quiet and there are few people around? Should I rather visit major cities, smaller towns or the quiet countryside?

@shawnbell6392

Жыл бұрын

I hope he responds to your question. I am similar and have found what time of year you go to a place helps as there are times of the year when there are fewer visitors and less going on that brings crowds. For historic places it can help to go early before a lot of other people. Going for walks and seeing areas not on busy streets is one I have liked.

I'm glad they changed the smoking laws. I am way more bothered by a person smoking while I'm trying to eat than a person eating while I'm trying to walk around outside. People who did not grow up around smokers find the smell very offensive and headache inducing.

Amex is mot always accepted in the USA & Canada as well. They have higher fees.

Yeah I'm in New Zealand and the drinking age is 18 over here, it confuses me that in the states you have to wait till your 21.

@KarmaFlight

Жыл бұрын

It was 18 when I was a young man. It began to change when we cracked down on drinking and driving.