NOTIFICATION SQUAD: Natsuki and Ryotaro united at last! What more could you want from a video? For the next few weeks Abroad in Japan videos are going old school; which basically means it's just me in a room eating cup noodles. But do any of you share my childhood fear? And do you want to see Natsuki quit smoking?! Let me know in the comments. And don't forget to check out the new Abroad in Japan website and steal some soundbites from the soundboard! Enjoy! (www.abroadinjapan.com/) Stay safe guys
Natsuki quitting smoking is a good idea. It took my Mum several attempts. She finally quit when my eldest was born. She managed it cold turkey as well.
You are not alone in thinking that ET is scary as hell. When I was 5 years old my parents took the family to universal studios, this was the early 90s so there weren't as many rides there as there are now, the main two rides were the studio tour and the ET experience. On your way into the ride everyone's first name is taken down, and at the end of the ride there is an animatronic ET telling everyone by name goodbye, when ET said my name I freaked out and tried to jump out of the ride, that wrinkled toe of a face still haunts my dreams.
I'm with you!!! I used to get so mad at that scene when E.T. is hiding amongst the plush toys. I was screaming as a kid!! "How do you NOT see the DEMON????" 😆😆
Couldn't agree more about E.T. I always found him scary and creepy. The part where Elliot is wandering around the field at night with a flashlight and suddenly shines it on a frightened, screaming E.T.'s face was one of the most chilling moments of my childhood. And the way you can see his glowing heart thumping in his chest like the ghost bride from the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland? That's supposed to be cute? **Shudder**
I can relate to the dumpling. My last day working somewhere my boss convinced me to order food with the others but made a "joke" that I couldn't go back to work till I was done. I got a single calzone and fries and was thinking easy so I ordered my food and right before it came my boss tapped my shoulder and said "BTW the menu I gave u was the catering menu" Next think I know a calzone that was bugging out of a full sized pizza box was sitting in front of me and I had to eat it all before going back to work for the last few hours. Also right when I went back to work someone slapped my stomach and I almost puked XD
I actually know a little something about the history of squat toilets. I lived in Japan for a total of 25 years out of my life and learned around the time I was leaving the country that squat toilets were preferred once at some point because they make people’s legs stronger. Also, they’re actually a bit more sanitary ( even though they don’t look it) because you’re not sitting directly down and making contact with a toilet seat that someone else previously sat on. Btw, I love your collection of hats and T-shirts and pencil cases with messed up English written on it. There are way too many of them to remember but I will never forget a strange quote from middle school. I think it was on a tshirt and it said; “love, and peace, and funky” lmfao
I lived in Shibuya for about three years and totally fell in love with Japan and the Japanese people. I’ve enjoyed binge-watching your witty and entertaining videos, which bring back great memories. Thanks and hope you’re doing well.
My favorite crazy Engrish in Japan is from when I went to a mountain in Kobe, and there was a sign for some kind of show. There was a note that was trying to say that when there is bad weather, the show will be canceled. But the sign just said "The weather stops."
Just discovered your channel! You're a journalist, comedian and storyteller all in one. The videos are amazing..... insightful and amusing. I don't see myself ever visiting Japan, but you make an endearing case for it. Thanks again for your time. P.S Is Godzilla/giant monster attack insurance a real thing over there? I read somewhere it is. Just curious.
I used to smoke for 17 years, and I was addicted to it. That breakfast that Natsuki enjoys is called a "Fisherman's Breakfast", and it is every smoker's breakfast. Smoking suppresses hunger, so it would obviously replace actual food for breakfast. I also used to smoke as much as Natsuki, roughly. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I just woke up one day and said that I'm done smoking. However, you can't force a person to quit, because they will get pissed off, and they will resist quitting more. I certainly did. It is tough, man, but it's a decision that needs to be made by Natsuki. A couple of things that helped me: - Don't drink coffee or alcohol for about a month (both lead to temptation of smoking) - Replace smoking with another activity (I replaced smoking with exercise) - Keep your hands busy. Half of the anxiety that comes with quitting is that you need something to do with your hands. - Don't make a big deal out of quitting (the more you focus on it, the more you crave). I had actually forgotten how long ago I had quit, but apparently I'm on my 8th month. Woohoo! - Never say "I'll just have one". We all know what that means with booze, so it's obviously the same with smoking. One is never just one. - And, lastly, avoid social gatherings for a while. They generally tempt you into smoking, as well. Natsuki, if you want to quit, these are some things that helped me overcome an addiction that I thought I never would. I know that you can beat it, bud :) (if you want to, of course)
@Abroad in Japan hope your able to read this. Try doing research on how to HELP some one QUIT smoking and Start by asking Him why he should quit smoking and have him bring out the reasons why he should and that it wouldn't sound condescending and states all the reason he already knows. then go to which ones does he believe are good reasons then which ones he BELIEVES are Good/Great reasons. be prepared to be the Support person to be called like AA need someone to lean on when craving hits. and you have to talk him down.
I stopped for 3 years and wanted to smoke everyday and if i saw it somewhere the desire grew so much and when i broke up with a girl of 3 years i started again and now been smoking for 2 years again
A bit late to the posting here, but I just watched this and it hit home! My name is also Chris and I was afraid of ET all of my very early childhood. When I was very young my Mom hung a poster of ET on the wall near the entrance to my room...Every night for 2 years I slept in fear, frozen in place, scared to look away from the wall.. I can still remember it vividly... damn ET. One random beautiful day I came to the realization that I had the power to take the poster down... so I ripped that sucker down and life drastically changed (not even exaggerating!). So, ET is an evil ugly bastard... but I owe his demon-looking ass for helping realize I have the power to make changes in my life lol.
I started watching this channel before covid, forgot about it and today it came back up. I’m happy that you are healthy and doing well. Super excited to go back to your content and after over a year of being indoors to reinvigorate my desire to one day travel to japan. Thank you for all the insightful info and entertaining content 👍🏼💯.
Natsuki is a mugen style, spinning around and bouncing off stuff, throwing improvised weapons and always keeping his secret weapon, a stashed haircomb, as a last resort. Risottoro-san is a noble gentlemen ronin, who stands his ground and moves gracefully between the forms of his traditional school upon the ocean. Their battle will be legendary, but until then, they'd rather sit in a tub and write music about volocanos and roadside inns together. That's my guess at 8:00 in at least. I hope I am not disappointed!
As a child, I was terrified of ET as well - I still am. My mother, thinking it would be hilarious, too me to Universal Studios when I was around 6 or 7 and thought it would be funny to but me on the ET ride. I never recovered. I have never forgiven her.
On the subject of cheating, Japanese people seem to put more importance on trying to save someone's honor or dignity by being polite or trying not to offend them rather than honesty or being blunt. Obviously this includes lying because you don't want to hurt the other person. I can see this being a big problem in relationships.
Those transitions into comment and hate mail of the week are so nostalgic. Its crazy to me that I was watching your videos and dreaming of Japan almost 5 years ago. Now I'm living in Japan myself. Thanks bruv.
Embarassing moment in Japan #546 : I went to the toilet before taking the train and I had no choice but to use the traditional one and I went to flush after I was done BUT I COULDN'T FIND WHERE THE BUTTON/HANDLE WAS. I had to leave but I knew I couldn't leave without flusing so I got out and try to ask in Japanese to the people waiting and staring at me but I never thought I would need to know the words for toilet parts and I ended up trying to mimic my question while saying "flush flush flush" but people looked at me like I was crazy. I looked at the toilet one last time desperately and realised there was nothing I could do but leave and accept that they would think I was SUPER DISGUSTING. Which reminds me of the Embarassing moment in Japan #98 that also happened with a toilet. I was distracted and didn't flush because the constant sound of flushing I used told my brain "Oh yeah you already flushed you can leave". That teacher went in, looked at my pee and got out, probably to tell everyone about dirty foreigners, and there I was, washing my hands, petrified. I still cringe to this day.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who was terrified of ET as a kid jfc, like I genuinely had re-occurring nightmares of him for YEARS. He still freaks me tf out as an adult and I'm not ashamed to admit that
Watching your channel brings up such a strange mix of emotions for me. I love your channel, the quality is fantastic, your humour is on point, and you teach me about a place that I have always been curious about. However, it's bittersweet because you remind me of one of the best friends I've ever had, a British dude from London, who now lives in Singapore and for the most part we have lost touch. Maybe this series will inspire me to make my way to Asia and reunite with my long lost friend. Love from Canada, Zach
OMG THANK YOU! As a kid I was scared as hell about ET, for me it was him under the bed instead of monsters or whatever. I feel you mate. Have a good time in Japan, がんばって!
I am absolutely, genuinely petrified of Edward Scissorhands. In high school my friends loved him, but I was positively haunted by the character, even in my dreams. To this day I haven’t met another person that finds him scary. While I was most scared of Edward Scissorhands I, was also thoroughly freaked out by E.T.
I actually specifically did *not* see ET as a kid because I saw some promotional material and that scared me enough for me to stay the heck away from that trainwreck (or bicycle wreck I suppose). But yeah, ET was so freaky I did not even have to watch the movie to find out he was scary. So you are not alone.
I somehow knew that you'd say E.T. and I had to minimize the video. Still scared of him. Years later I learned that basically a horror/sci-fi script called "Night Skies" was floating around Hollywood. And it eventually served as the basis for E.T. and Poltergeist. Since then I'm no longer ashamed about finding E.T. scary.
You are not alone. I was terrified of the dark up until midway through high-school, all because I watched et as a young child. I had frequent nightmares about it for years, it made it hard to get a good night of sleep in.
I haven't watched Natsuki: The Movie, but seeing his face in the clip you showed of him talking about his breakfast of coffee and cigarettes, he did not look happy about it, and I honestly felt sadness for him. I think if you did your documentary and it helped him with his addiction, it could be the greatest thing anyone could do for a friend. So I vote DO IT!
I wanna throw this out there as somebody who chainsmoked and had even other worse addictions - maybe start with Nautsuki cutting down gradually. It's simple, but less traumatic.
You're not alone. ET was terrifying. We lived in communist Czechoslovakia at the time and my dad spent his hard earned money to go and see an American movie, which was rare in those days. I was screaming my head of in there, ruining the American experience for the whole cinema.
When I was a kid and spent my holiday in a kind of rural area of Turkey, hundreds of miles away from any touristic stronghold, I came across such holes in the ground used as toilets. That in combintaion with a very bad bout of diarrhea, caused by me not being able to cope with the local food... Well let's just say it wasn't one on my best remembered experiences abroad.
You are NOT alone, the moment you started saying you felt weird people didn't think he was scary I knew what you were going to say. I had proper night terrors about him... I remember vividly, waking up one day, suffocating as I was crawling under the well tucked covers, in an escape to run away from him in my nightmare.... hahaha You are not alone, and , what a relief, neither am I, thank god, I felt like a legitimate weirdo, I was traumatised for years x) !
Half the time I think the insanely huge amount of mis-translated items from Japan are done on purpose just because their funny. I like to hope that’s the case anyways lol
I'm glad I'm not alone with being afraid as a kid of ET.. When my mother took me to watch it in the theater I was soon petrified of it she had to physically carry me out of there cuse I was frozen in fear.
I can definitely understand the smoking situation, seeing as I am one myself, but want to stop. For my situation is severe mental illness that when I attempt to quit, I become extremely depressed, suicidal, and go manic. I've slowed down to having one pack last about 3 days, but ultimately quitting I don't think is possible for me. However, I don't smoke inside. I'd like to gear Natsuki's story of why he first began smoking and situations that lead him to keep smoking.
You aren’t the only one who was scared of e.t. ! My mum had to take me out of the cinema because I was scared so much at the beginning of the film ( remember when et is yelling like a dying pig while running in the woods or smth). The first time I accepted to see the movie entirely I was 14 and sadly I had eaten bad food that morning so I ended hurling and being sick … so ofc in my young teenage mind it was all e.t.’s fault. Fun facts: while I was scared of e.t. my favorite sci fi movie was aliens 2 ( prolly because of the guns 🤔which means dead aliens).
LMAO, I didn't even realise Chris had the chopsticks backwards until he mentioned it, which makes the previous clips involving it even more hilarious. 4:51 Specifically this part had me dying of laughter, more than I should have lol.
I've been terrified of ET since a young child also. It was made even worse when I was made go on the ET ride in Florida universal studios 4 years ago. I had a full blown panic attack and remain traumatized. You are not alone Chris. God help us.
I watched ET as a tiny child. It was late and only my dad and I were home. I straight up dissociated from reality out of fear. I couldn’t sleep at night and was frozen in fear under my blankets. My dad came sneaking into my room super late to ask if I had brushed my teeth. Because I was half asleep he tired to wake me up by putting his hand on my back HIS SPINDLY LONG FINGERS SLOWLY GRABBING ME. Literally never been more scared in my entire life
I still don’t like E.T much. I feel similarly about Ghostbusters, mainly because of that claymation/puppetry thing. As Mable from _Gravity Falls_ said “HIS FACE IS MADE OUT OF NIGHTMARES”. I felt validated. Still scarred by the diner scene from _SpaceBalls_ *_shivers_* I was probably around 10 when I saw that. Just no
I watched Nightmare on Elm Street as a kid,and thought it was scary-funny.I saw ET and that was NOT FUNNY,legitimately scary,didn't even watched whole thing,and i was couple years older!
I stayed at a hotel in Shinjuku and the breakfast consisted of Seaweed soup and Onigiri, I had no idea what was in the Onigiri but i ate it anyway along with the soup all the while craving for a bowl of Cornflakes for practically the whole week! lol Then when I got home to start eating Cornflakes again for breakfast I craved the Onigiri and Seaweed soup! XD
You are not alone.... I was terrified of ET since i saw it in the movie way back when i was a kid... and just seen the movie again, not long ago, and still the horror was stuck in me..
I know this video is a year old, but I just needed to comment and show you a bit of solidarity in that both my dad and I absolutely hate E.T and I were both terrified of him as children. We still don't like E.T, but no longer fear him. You are not alone.
I have been traumatized by E.T. as a child as well. My mum who absolutely loved the movie couldn't understand why I didn't share her love for E.T. at the age of 5 and thought it would be the right thing to do, to walk into my dark room right before bedtime, pretending she was E.T., pointing her finger at me and saying "phone home".. .I absolutely understand, Chris.
Yeah I agree with the last segment 100%, I've only been to Japan once for about a month, and every day was amazing, but there are only 2 things that actually sucked about it, the first, I was in a station in Tokyo, and my stomach was upset, like really upset, and like any reasonable person, I go into the stations bathrooms thinking I'll find a toilet, and nope, that particular side of the station only had squat toilets, terrible experience. Next is the food, every single meal I had was delicious, except 1, a traditional breakfast at a hotel we stayed at. Up until then all hotels either had a buffet style breakfast area or we just skipped breakfast altogether, so we were not expecting that or prepared for it.
I don't know, a Ryotaro movie might be interesting. He's seems well dressed, well connected, and introduces you to new cuisine all the time. If I was going to Japan I would definitely want a friend or a guide like him.
I can see the title "Ryotaro: Assassin." The plot being how he schemes to kill Chris in a variety of ways, while being a historian on legs about Japan.
It might be that he never had any true struggles in his life, and I think Chris wants to focus on more gritty issues. But I also think Ryotaro movie would be funny as hell.
The hate mail/ comment of the week earned you a sub- thank you for this and your whole channel. The interesting and informative content presented with dry self deprecating humor is just 😘👌
If Natsuki is still struggling with smoking I suggest he try Swedish snus! (Smokeless tobacco) it has nicotine, and tobacco with no cancer risk. It be hard to explain why this is in the comments. But it is easily looked up. Swedish Snus is sold in Japan at various shops. And there is a Swedish snus brand made specifically for the Japanese market that is sold in Japan.
Glad I'm not the only one who was TERRIFIED of ET. My parents got me a stuffed ET and I was so afraid of it I threw it behind my dresser so I wouldn't ever have to see it. 😅
Ah reminds me of the good old days when breakfast was a cigarette and a coffee. Breakfast of champions (when you can't get the actual breakfast of champions). Natsuki is a legend.
My parents used to force me to watch ET because every other kid loved it so I was supposed to love it too. It made me physically ill, nauseous, vomitive even. I spent my life thinking the exact same thing "Am I the only doofus who was scared of the walking turd?" Cant belive Im not. My best regards from Argentina.
I'd like to see two new segments: 1. Chris saves Natsuki from lung cancer: Journey across addiction. 2. Jun saves Chris from high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke: Journey across learning a basic skill everyone should know.
HAHAHAHAHA... totally agree with you with the things you don't understand after living in Japan for years. The squat toilets, I avoid them at all cost. I just can't use them, especially that I have OCD. The proofreading, hahahah that is also so true. I guess they simply don't have anyone that can proofread it for them. But then again, there's Google. The breakfast one though, I haven't really noticed. I always eat food that I buy from the konbinis from the night before, but I'll check that one when I come back to Japan.
I was scared of E.T. too and was bullied by my family for it for a while, because somehow finding this wrinkly short alien with long fingers creepy af and not in the least cute made me the weird one.
Before I quit smoking, my breakfast was the same as Natsuki's. (More coffee, knitting, and a little after-hours ganja smoking is what I eventually used to successfully quit the cigarettes until I was able to rewrite my identity as a nonsmoker within my mind).
I was absolutely _TERRIFIED_ of E.T. as a kid. I was scared of aliens in general, but E.T. just looked extra creepy to me for some reason. I get that he was designed to look cute, and I can kind of see it as an adult, but I'm surprised most kids weren't afraid of him.
My 6th grade teacher was deathly afraid of ET and me and some friends built an ET snowman for him and he saw it and made us write him an apology letter during recess lmao
OMG I was scared of ET too! Even jumped at this video 😅 my mother had to seek professional advice as to why I was so scared of him. Didn't help that my sister was obsessed with him 🙃
I’ve stayed in Japan from Tokyo to Okinawa on six separate occasions since 1999 to 2015 for up to 16 weeks on one occasion. I totally get the proofreading bit. I mean, for such a meticulous minded people in a hyper fastidious culture, at least on the surface there is definitely a Different attention to detail than would be found say in Finland another meticulous minded environ. No disrespect, that side of the world beginning with the Middle East (so-called) Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tibet, the subcontinent of India, China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, et cetera written languages stem from pictograms and hieroglyphic type characters. The head is already full of so much stored visual information that the complex diverse arrangement of 26 letters is just another kind of headache whereby the old adage no one is perfect or everybody makes mistakes takes care of any sloppiness intended or otherwise. Also how the hell is your boss or your end user going to really spot any missing consonant every here and there on a product that is kind of optional more than necessary? I don’t know if you’ve covered it but please point out the idiosyncrasy of music at dawn and sunset at just about every beach you might stay on overnight in Japan. I swear in Naha ,Okinawa a tune leftover from US occupation still blasts out twice a day. Having lived with Japanese for short stints from time to time and travelled extensively from north to south if not East to West and spent more time in onsens and sentos over almost a year in total than the average person in Japan has spent in their entire life (how was I supposed to master spontaneous basic conversation without being a pest?) I might just be qualified to have observed that Japan is to democracy what China is to communism. The degree to which people bow or don’t bow dependent on status stands testimony to a feudal hierarchy that has transitioned smoothly into the post industrial era and beyond almost imperceptibly to all but the most observant and or seasoned sojourner. Nevertheless by and large Japanese people are a lot more psycho emotionally mature apart from Kogaru etc! To end my ramble in time honoured fashion “やっぱり それは人生だ。しょうがないよな！
I love how, in spite of Yamamoto-san clearly working through a tenuous grasp of the English language, he still managed to get "it's" and "you're" correct. He is officially a better English writer than 90% of the people in my social circle.
@ハムスターの日常 Hamster’s Daily Life Yeah, the "could ofs" are irritating, but I think what annoys me more, is when people make up nonsense words. The one that really grinds my gears is "Irregardless". WTF does that even mean?!? The prefix "Ir" changes the root word to mean "not" or "the opposite of", and the suffix "Less" means "without". So, if it were a word, it would mean "not without regard" or.... "to regard", you know, like the word "Regarding". However, when people use "Irregardless" they actually mean "without regard"... so why not just use "Regardless"? It's not like they haven't heard of the word "regardless" since they are still using it in a way. Fuck, it irritates me even thinking about it.
@Itz_Pascal110 I did some other, comparable error in german when growing up (i grew up with finnish + german, hence spoke both before writing): I was unable to guess when to write an "ei", (for e.g. Nein vs Hain, Hühnerei) so i'd often just write "ai" and not get why sometimes you use an 'e 'that is spoken as an 'a' instead of just using an a. Same for s, ss, ß. (I remember once when the teacher was really fucking annoyed after I wrote "Ai" instead of "Ei", meaning egg, and asking me if I am serious or something - it sucked for me to learn to write german). For english it was much easier, since the speech was learned at the same time as the writing, and I guess the teacher probably hammered the point home when having to write stupid sentences with you're/your and so on. (The easiest to learn to write was finnish in my opinion, since you kind of just write what you say)
Only just got around to watching this video (new fan) and I just wanted to say that I am also terrified of E.T. So much in fact that the images of E.T in this video legitimately scared the shit out of me. So thanks for that 😂
Chris, how can Ryssotoro not have a good story to tell? The man left Japan to attend high school in Seattle when he was a teenager, and later traveled all across Europe! He speaks four languages! And he even steals accents!!
ET is terrifying. My mom had a small stuffed ET on her dresser when I was a child. We only had a TV in the living room or her room. So when I wanted to watch something that my family didn't I'd watch in her room. I stuck that thing in a drawer so many times that she finally relocated it 🤣
I've been afraid of ET forever also! I never thought anybody else was afraid of him either. I am so glad that you had the courage to admit that thank you Chris!!!
Everyone has their talents. Two siblings of mine can’t really work their way around a kitchen. However they have patience and understanding in areas I do not.
This might be the perfect opportunity for him to learn. One day, he'll get so bored and so out of cup noodles and fried chicken (the fried chicken shop will be closed by then), that he just might start cooking. I'm rooting for you, Chris! :D
Don't feel bad about the ET in the closet thing, I thought Big Bird lived in my great grandmothers closet and I was super scared of Big Bird. Also I thought vampires lived in my personal closet and that I had an octopus under my bed that would grab me if i tried to leave the bed at night
Finally someone else who gets it. For a long long time after I watched E.T. I had to check in all the cabinets every time I went to the bathroom at night to check if E.T. was hiding in there and would jump scare me. It was so scaryyy!
Have u ever tried that fish Carl Pilkington had in jp? Also weirdest thing I've seen in Taipei was what we called Dino Bar, it was a completely dinosaur themed restaurant, mini kegs at the table, huge log style tables, handmade paintings decorated the place with like stone age men hunting dinosaurs (wtf) and bathrooms were equally weird with like cave style holes to piss in.
I WAS TERRIFIED OF ET!!! And no one understood this about me! My sister gave me an ET doll thinking I’d love it cause who doesn’t love ET? I locked that thing in a cupboard and had nightmares about it popping out
My Dad found the perfect apartment in Tokyo, but they would not rent it to him because he was a foreigner. We ended up living in another one that worked out well.
I enjoy your vids...a nice balance of intelligence, information, and humor. I will also say I've been a huge Monty Python fan for most of my life and your appearance and humor makes me think of Terry Jones.
That's so true about the proofing. I see expensive billboards and ads by big car makers and electronic companies with these misspelled or phrases that make no sense and would have taken a few seconds to ask an English speaker to correct. They simply don't really give a rats arse if correct or not. Ignorance is bliss in Japan.
14:37 That image is one reason the squat toilets are used! The door is capable opening 90 degrees inwards without hitting the bowl itself. (Opening outward may hit other people passing by) Also "Charming Bowels" by Giulia Enders will uncover the health benefits of the squat style! However, I definitely prefer the usual toilet seats. The washiki style is when I'm going through an emergency. Haha
i'd like to see the three of you do a series where you drive across the US. From LA to Boston. could end it At America's oldest eatery "Ye Olde Oyster House".
Should atleast get him to swap over to vape. No reason to keep sucking on cancer sticks current year that coats everything in tar --someone who quit smoking for 10yrs after 8 yrs of addiction. Not to mention the major health detriments
Introduce Natsuki to Scandinavian snus. Stronger than cigarettes without any real health hazards. Takes like two weeks to get used to. Made quitting cigarettes a breeze.
That grose little bastard finally seems to be doing some good: it made everyone of us who fucking hate its guts realize we are not alone. It has to be the worse children movie character created so far.
Yup, terrified of him as a kid. Never even seen the film, there was an advert running at around the time the film came out for Wettabix for some stickers or such of him that came in the box. Ran out of the room every time, peering through the crack between door and wall until the advert ended.
we had a localized version of ET sort of character/story (idk the plot, because i chose not to watch it lol. it was named 'Kokey') here in the PH and it was scary (the same feeling i had with ET). this vid relived those memories... just sayin that u r not alone
Oh.. i LOVE Japanese breakfast. My entire family must have Japanese breakfast every morning while traveling through Japan. We are half Japanese and live in California. So, its such a treat every morning while we're there visiting family.
Have never watched your videos before and think it’s incredible that you also hated E.T. Had a “dream” a wind up toy of him starting of its own volition and walking off my desk when I was little. I’m pretty sure I had the dying version of him blocked from memory. 😂 Great stuff.
Can relate on the ET. I was gifted an ET doll as a child one Christmas with a voice box that played his famous quotes from the movie. Complete with red cape and everything. The voice box would just never die, there was no visible off button either if I remember, or battery bit. I developed such a fear of this doll that my parents put it in the cupboard where it would wake me up a few times with a muffled ‘eeee....teeeee phone home’. I don’t know where it went - I was six at the time but I hope it stays away..
I 100% share your fear of E.T. My older brother once bought a 'cuddly' E.T from a car boot sale and that very night peeped it through the doorframe to my bedroom. I actually shat myself.
I totally agree about E.T he terrified me as a child and through him I knew my mother hated me! For my birthday she got me a E.T toy that when you pulled it's string on the back it talked,knowing he terrified me! Even now over 35yrs later whenever I see E.T I shudder!! His noise and running through the fields, Nope!! Wonder if I'll have a nightmare soon??
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NOTIFICATION SQUAD: Natsuki and Ryotaro united at last! What more could you want from a video? For the next few weeks Abroad in Japan videos are going old school; which basically means it's just me in a room eating cup noodles. But do any of you share my childhood fear? And do you want to see Natsuki quit smoking?! Let me know in the comments.
And don't forget to check out the new Abroad in Japan website and steal some soundbites from the soundboard! Enjoy! (www.abroadinjapan.com/)
Stay safe guys
omg ET is so scary :(
Natsuki quitting smoking is a good idea. It took my Mum several attempts. She finally quit when my eldest was born. She managed it cold turkey as well.
some about et
What do you think about having a visiter from Texas come stay a weekend? I'd love to check out the video games and the underground pot clubs
You can put them in hypnosis to get him to quit smoking
When I visited Japan, my hotel room had a soap dispenser labelled "Soup"
Suffice to say, it did not taste like soup.
But did it smell like soup?
Should of ate the soap.
have you tried to dilute that and heat em?
Although after sampling their soup I can now blow bubbles on demand :) 🤣
Yum
You're not alone. E.T. was scary as fuq to me growing up. That scene in the field, where he is screaming at the kid wrecked my sleep for years.
E.T. and Michael Jackson's Thriller TERRORIZED my childhood
You are not alone in thinking that ET is scary as hell. When I was 5 years old my parents took the family to universal studios, this was the early 90s so there weren't as many rides there as there are now, the main two rides were the studio tour and the ET experience. On your way into the ride everyone's first name is taken down, and at the end of the ride there is an animatronic ET telling everyone by name goodbye, when ET said my name I freaked out and tried to jump out of the ride, that wrinkled toe of a face still haunts my dreams.
I'm with you!!! I used to get so mad at that scene when E.T. is hiding amongst the plush toys. I was screaming as a kid!! "How do you NOT see the DEMON????" 😆😆
Couldn't agree more about E.T. I always found him scary and creepy. The part where Elliot is wandering around the field at night with a flashlight and suddenly shines it on a frightened, screaming E.T.'s face was one of the most chilling moments of my childhood. And the way you can see his glowing heart thumping in his chest like the ghost bride from the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland? That's supposed to be cute? **Shudder**
I'm absolutely dying reading all of the E.T comments 😂😂😂
I can relate to the dumpling. My last day working somewhere my boss convinced me to order food with the others but made a "joke" that I couldn't go back to work till I was done.
I got a single calzone and fries and was thinking easy so I ordered my food and right before it came my boss tapped my shoulder and said
"BTW the menu I gave u was the catering menu"
Next think I know a calzone that was bugging out of a full sized pizza box was sitting in front of me and I had to eat it all before going back to work for the last few hours.
Also right when I went back to work someone slapped my stomach and I almost puked XD
I actually know a little something about the history of squat toilets. I lived in Japan for a total of 25 years out of my life and learned around the time I was leaving the country that squat toilets were preferred once at some point because they make people’s legs stronger. Also, they’re actually a bit more sanitary ( even though they don’t look it) because you’re not sitting directly down and making contact with a toilet seat that someone else previously sat on. Btw, I love your collection of hats and T-shirts and pencil cases with messed up English written on it. There are way too many of them to remember but I will never forget a strange quote from middle school. I think it was on a tshirt and it said; “love, and peace, and funky” lmfao
I lived in Shibuya for about three years and totally fell in love with Japan and the Japanese people. I’ve enjoyed binge-watching your witty and entertaining videos, which bring back great memories. Thanks and hope you’re doing well.
@Cybersify I definitely wanted to stay but had to return to Los Angeles because of important job opportunity…
@JeffTownUSA Ah, but did you want to stay?
@Cybersify I returned to Los Angeles for work
I'm assuming you left Japan then. Why?
My favorite crazy Engrish in Japan is from when I went to a mountain in Kobe, and there was a sign for some kind of show. There was a note that was trying to say that when there is bad weather, the show will be canceled. But the sign just said "The weather stops."
Just discovered your channel! You're a journalist, comedian and storyteller all in one. The videos are amazing..... insightful and amusing. I don't see myself ever visiting Japan, but you make an endearing case for it. Thanks again for your time.
P.S Is Godzilla/giant monster attack insurance a real thing over there? I read somewhere it is. Just curious.
Thank you so much for highlighting Deathmatch in Hell. I was there in 2019 and the guy who runs it is just lovely. He deserves all of the patrons
If I ever go to Japan Im dropping in DMiH for sure
Helping Natsuki to defeat his addiction is the greatest thing a friend could ask for...
"The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr
I used to smoke for 17 years, and I was addicted to it. That breakfast that Natsuki enjoys is called a "Fisherman's Breakfast", and it is every smoker's breakfast. Smoking suppresses hunger, so it would obviously replace actual food for breakfast. I also used to smoke as much as Natsuki, roughly.
But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I just woke up one day and said that I'm done smoking. However, you can't force a person to quit, because they will get pissed off, and they will resist quitting more. I certainly did. It is tough, man, but it's a decision that needs to be made by Natsuki.
A couple of things that helped me:
- Don't drink coffee or alcohol for about a month (both lead to temptation of smoking)
- Replace smoking with another activity (I replaced smoking with exercise)
- Keep your hands busy. Half of the anxiety that comes with quitting is that you need something to do with your hands.
- Don't make a big deal out of quitting (the more you focus on it, the more you crave). I had actually forgotten how long ago I had quit, but apparently I'm on my 8th month. Woohoo!
- Never say "I'll just have one". We all know what that means with booze, so it's obviously the same with smoking. One is never just one.
- And, lastly, avoid social gatherings for a while. They generally tempt you into smoking, as well.
Natsuki, if you want to quit, these are some things that helped me overcome an addiction that I thought I never would. I know that you can beat it, bud :) (if you want to, of course)
Quitting taco bell was all it took for me to quit.
"The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr. No need to quit or use any willpower. Used by millions.
@Abroad in Japan hope your able to read this. Try doing research on how to HELP some one QUIT smoking and Start by asking Him why he should quit smoking and have him bring out the reasons why he should and that it wouldn't sound condescending and states all the reason he already knows. then go to which ones does he believe are good reasons then which ones he BELIEVES are Good/Great reasons. be prepared to be the Support person to be called like AA need someone to lean on when craving hits. and you have to talk him down.
I stopped for 3 years and wanted to smoke everyday and if i saw it somewhere the desire grew so much and when i broke up with a girl of 3 years i started again and now been smoking for 2 years again
That's very wholesome, I hope my friend can also learn from this.
A bit late to the posting here, but I just watched this and it hit home! My name is also Chris and I was afraid of ET all of my very early childhood.
When I was very young my Mom hung a poster of ET on the wall near the entrance to my room...Every night for 2 years I slept in fear, frozen in place, scared to look away from the wall.. I can still remember it vividly... damn ET.
One random beautiful day I came to the realization that I had the power to take the poster down... so I ripped that sucker down and life drastically changed (not even exaggerating!). So, ET is an evil ugly bastard... but I owe his demon-looking ass for helping realize I have the power to make changes in my life lol.
😂😂😂
ET ruined my dreams as a child. This is so nice to hear.
@mikiex Bwa-ha-haaaa!
When you ripped it down, there was a hole behind the poster where E.T. lived!!
I started watching this channel before covid, forgot about it and today it came back up. I’m happy that you are healthy and doing well.
Super excited to go back to your content and after over a year of being indoors to reinvigorate my desire to one day travel to japan.
Thank you for all the insightful info and entertaining content 👍🏼💯.
Natsuki is a mugen style, spinning around and bouncing off stuff, throwing improvised weapons and always keeping his secret weapon, a stashed haircomb, as a last resort. Risottoro-san is a noble gentlemen ronin, who stands his ground and moves gracefully between the forms of his traditional school upon the ocean. Their battle will be legendary, but until then, they'd rather sit in a tub and write music about volocanos and roadside inns together.
That's my guess at 8:00 in at least. I hope I am not disappointed!
I knew it. What I didn't expect was Ryotaro-root knowing the secret forbidden jutsu of ballowa-no-mo-jutsu!
As a child, I was terrified of ET as well - I still am.
My mother, thinking it would be hilarious, too me to Universal Studios when I was around 6 or 7 and thought it would be funny to but me on the ET ride.
I never recovered.
I have never forgiven her.
On the subject of cheating, Japanese people seem to put more importance on trying to save someone's honor or dignity by being polite or trying not to offend them rather than honesty or being blunt. Obviously this includes lying because you don't want to hurt the other person. I can see this being a big problem in relationships.
Those transitions into comment and hate mail of the week are so nostalgic. Its crazy to me that I was watching your videos and dreaming of Japan almost 5 years ago. Now I'm living in Japan myself. Thanks bruv.
E.T. is so gross, I can't stand looking at it.
Thanks for still watching! I hope Japan's treating you well!
Embarassing moment in Japan #546 : I went to the toilet before taking the train and I had no choice but to use the traditional one and I went to flush after I was done BUT I COULDN'T FIND WHERE THE BUTTON/HANDLE WAS. I had to leave but I knew I couldn't leave without flusing so I got out and try to ask in Japanese to the people waiting and staring at me but I never thought I would need to know the words for toilet parts and I ended up trying to mimic my question while saying "flush flush flush" but people looked at me like I was crazy. I looked at the toilet one last time desperately and realised there was nothing I could do but leave and accept that they would think I was SUPER DISGUSTING.
Which reminds me of the Embarassing moment in Japan #98 that also happened with a toilet. I was distracted and didn't flush because the constant sound of flushing I used told my brain "Oh yeah you already flushed you can leave". That teacher went in, looked at my pee and got out, probably to tell everyone about dirty foreigners, and there I was, washing my hands, petrified. I still cringe to this day.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who was terrified of ET as a kid jfc, like I genuinely had re-occurring nightmares of him for YEARS. He still freaks me tf out as an adult and I'm not ashamed to admit that
Watching your channel brings up such a strange mix of emotions for me. I love your channel, the quality is fantastic, your humour is on point, and you teach me about a place that I have always been curious about. However, it's bittersweet because you remind me of one of the best friends I've ever had, a British dude from London, who now lives in Singapore and for the most part we have lost touch. Maybe this series will inspire me to make my way to Asia and reunite with my long lost friend. Love from Canada, Zach
Glad to finally see Risottoro and Natsuki in the same video, sadly it had to be a fight where evil wins
OMG THANK YOU! As a kid I was scared as hell about ET, for me it was him under the bed instead of monsters or whatever. I feel you mate.
Have a good time in Japan, がんばって!
You could start a "Chris Learns to Cook" Channel. Could be quite entertaining.
@Abroad in Japan dont be so pessimistic, it might become a nice series. Also people love food videos, beside vlogs.....
Omg haha
Abroad in a Pan!
@Albdruck
For Chris? A maximum of three, for the first year at least! 🥴
@Nigs Balchin MAXIMUM of five ingredients! :DD
Golden Gai is actually what the Champion District of Kamurocho is based on in the Yakuza series. Kamurocho itself is based on Kabukicho.
I am absolutely, genuinely petrified of Edward Scissorhands. In high school my friends loved him, but I was positively haunted by the character, even in my dreams. To this day I haven’t met another person that finds him scary. While I was most scared of Edward Scissorhands I, was also thoroughly freaked out by E.T.
I actually specifically did *not* see ET as a kid because I saw some promotional material and that scared me enough for me to stay the heck away from that trainwreck (or bicycle wreck I suppose). But yeah, ET was so freaky I did not even have to watch the movie to find out he was scary. So you are not alone.
I somehow knew that you'd say E.T. and I had to minimize the video. Still scared of him. Years later I learned that basically a horror/sci-fi script called "Night Skies" was floating around Hollywood. And it eventually served as the basis for E.T. and Poltergeist. Since then I'm no longer ashamed about finding E.T. scary.
You are not alone. I was terrified of the dark up until midway through high-school, all because I watched et as a young child. I had frequent nightmares about it for years, it made it hard to get a good night of sleep in.
I haven't watched Natsuki: The Movie, but seeing his face in the clip you showed of him talking about his breakfast of coffee and cigarettes, he did not look happy about it, and I honestly felt sadness for him. I think if you did your documentary and it helped him with his addiction, it could be the greatest thing anyone could do for a friend. So I vote DO IT!
I wanna throw this out there as somebody who chainsmoked and had even other worse addictions - maybe start with Nautsuki cutting down gradually. It's simple, but less traumatic.
You should watch it. It's great. Plus I totally agree. It would be amazing if Chris could get him to stop smoking.
You're not alone. ET was terrifying. We lived in communist Czechoslovakia at the time and my dad spent his hard earned money to go and see an American movie, which was rare in those days. I was screaming my head of in there, ruining the American experience for the whole cinema.
During my childhood I was absolutely terrified of puppets especially the howdy doody puppet. Still gives me shivers
When I was a kid and spent my holiday in a kind of rural area of Turkey, hundreds of miles away from any touristic stronghold, I came across such holes in the ground used as toilets. That in combintaion with a very bad bout of diarrhea, caused by me not being able to cope with the local food... Well let's just say it wasn't one on my best remembered experiences abroad.
You are NOT alone,
the moment you started saying you felt weird people didn't think he was scary I knew what you were going to say.
I had proper night terrors about him...
I remember vividly, waking up one day, suffocating as I was crawling under the well tucked covers, in an escape to run away from him in my nightmare.... hahaha You are not alone, and , what a relief, neither am I, thank god, I felt like a legitimate weirdo, I was traumatised for years x) !
Me too that was a scary movie and how is that for kids?
Half the time I think the insanely huge amount of mis-translated items from Japan are done on purpose just because their funny. I like to hope that’s the case anyways lol
I was actually scared of ET as a kid. There was this toy my parents had got us that was creepy as hell. You're not alone!
ET is scary as fuck, I didn't like that movie at all as a kid. And then my parents dare to say pokemon is trash???
Finally people who share this feeling
I'm glad I'm not alone with being afraid as a kid of ET.. When my mother took me to watch it in the theater I was soon petrified of it she had to physically carry me out of there cuse I was frozen in fear.
HunterTehGamer when i first watched it as a kid i thought it was a horror movie
I too get the scareds...
I can definitely understand the smoking situation, seeing as I am one myself, but want to stop. For my situation is severe mental illness that when I attempt to quit, I become extremely depressed, suicidal, and go manic. I've slowed down to having one pack last about 3 days, but ultimately quitting I don't think is possible for me. However, I don't smoke inside.
I'd like to gear Natsuki's story of why he first began smoking and situations that lead him to keep smoking.
I think bupropion is prescribed for those trying to quit. It's also prescribed as an anti-depressant...just a thought.
A year late but i saw this comment and it felt weird scrolling past it. I know i don’t know you but i hope you’re okay ❤️
I mean, my dad had a sticker of ET on his guitar case and it creeped me out so much.
I'm still a bit scared of him now and I'm a 35 year old FIREMAN 😂
I never got the appeal of E.T. The way it looks. I know the movie is iconic, but why do people think this thing is... cute. ugh
You aren’t the only one who was scared of e.t. !
My mum had to take me out of the cinema because I was scared so much at the beginning of the film ( remember when et is yelling like a dying pig while running in the woods or smth).
The first time I accepted to see the movie entirely I was 14 and sadly I had eaten bad food that morning so I ended hurling and being sick … so ofc in my young teenage mind it was all e.t.’s fault.
Fun facts: while I was scared of e.t. my favorite sci fi movie was aliens 2 ( prolly because of the guns 🤔which means dead aliens).
LMAO, I didn't even realise Chris had the chopsticks backwards until he mentioned it, which makes the previous clips involving it even more hilarious. 4:51 Specifically this part had me dying of laughter, more than I should have lol.
I just found out that huntsman spiders exist in Japan, and was wondering if Chris ever saw one in person.
I've been terrified of ET since a young child also. It was made even worse when I was made go on the ET ride in Florida universal studios 4 years ago. I had a full blown panic attack and remain traumatized.
You are not alone Chris.
God help us.
I watched ET as a tiny child. It was late and only my dad and I were home. I straight up dissociated from reality out of fear. I couldn’t sleep at night and was frozen in fear under my blankets. My dad came sneaking into my room super late to ask if I had brushed my teeth. Because I was half asleep he tired to wake me up by putting his hand on my back HIS SPINDLY LONG FINGERS SLOWLY GRABBING ME. Literally never been more scared in my entire life
I still don’t like E.T much. I feel similarly about Ghostbusters, mainly because of that claymation/puppetry thing. As Mable from _Gravity Falls_ said “HIS FACE IS MADE OUT OF NIGHTMARES”. I felt validated. Still scarred by the diner scene from _SpaceBalls_ *_shivers_* I was probably around 10 when I saw that.
Just no
I pretended I was not scared of ET but when my grandmother got me the movie as a gift. I started crying.
I watched Nightmare on Elm Street as a kid,and thought it was scary-funny.I saw ET and that was NOT FUNNY,legitimately scary,didn't even watched whole thing,and i was couple years older!
I'm so glad there are other people who don't like ET. My family can't understand how I don't find his earthworm like characteristics "cute".
I stayed at a hotel in Shinjuku and the breakfast consisted of Seaweed soup and Onigiri, I had no idea what was in the Onigiri but i ate it anyway along with the soup all the while craving for a bowl of Cornflakes for practically the whole week! lol Then when I got home to start eating Cornflakes again for breakfast I craved the Onigiri and Seaweed soup! XD
How could you go to Japan and not even know what onigiri are? Thats like going to France and having no idea what a crossaint is.
You are not alone.... I was terrified of ET since i saw it in the movie way back when i was a kid... and just seen the movie again, not long ago, and still the horror was stuck in me..
I know this video is a year old, but I just needed to comment and show you a bit of solidarity in that both my dad and I absolutely hate E.T and I were both terrified of him as children. We still don't like E.T, but no longer fear him. You are not alone.
I have been traumatized by E.T. as a child as well. My mum who absolutely loved the movie couldn't understand why I didn't share her love for E.T. at the age of 5 and thought it would be the right thing to do, to walk into my dark room right before bedtime, pretending she was E.T., pointing her finger at me and saying "phone home".. .I absolutely understand, Chris.
Yeah I agree with the last segment 100%, I've only been to Japan once for about a month, and every day was amazing, but there are only 2 things that actually sucked about it, the first, I was in a station in Tokyo, and my stomach was upset, like really upset, and like any reasonable person, I go into the stations bathrooms thinking I'll find a toilet, and nope, that particular side of the station only had squat toilets, terrible experience. Next is the food, every single meal I had was delicious, except 1, a traditional breakfast at a hotel we stayed at. Up until then all hotels either had a buffet style breakfast area or we just skipped breakfast altogether, so we were not expecting that or prepared for it.
I don't know, a Ryotaro movie might be interesting. He's seems well dressed, well connected, and introduces you to new cuisine all the time. If I was going to Japan I would definitely want a friend or a guide like him.
I can see the title "Ryotaro: Assassin." The plot being how he schemes to kill Chris in a variety of ways, while being a historian on legs about Japan.
He is also a Masco... He also KNOWS a Mascot Expert
Chris mentioned in an earlier video that Ryotaro is completely different when speaking in Japanese. Would like to see that.
It might be that he never had any true struggles in his life, and I think Chris wants to focus on more gritty issues. But I also think Ryotaro movie would be funny as hell.
I was the 69th like.
The hate mail/ comment of the week earned you a sub- thank you for this and your whole channel. The interesting and informative content presented with dry self deprecating humor is just 😘👌
If Natsuki is still struggling with smoking I suggest he try Swedish snus! (Smokeless tobacco) it has nicotine, and tobacco with no cancer risk. It be hard to explain why this is in the comments. But it is easily looked up. Swedish Snus is sold in Japan at various shops. And there is a Swedish snus brand made specifically for the Japanese market that is sold in Japan.
Glad I'm not the only one who was TERRIFIED of ET. My parents got me a stuffed ET and I was so afraid of it I threw it behind my dresser so I wouldn't ever have to see it. 😅
Ah reminds me of the good old days when breakfast was a cigarette and a coffee. Breakfast of champions (when you can't get the actual breakfast of champions). Natsuki is a legend.
My parents used to force me to watch ET because every other kid loved it so I was supposed to love it too. It made me physically ill, nauseous, vomitive even. I spent my life thinking the exact same thing "Am I the only doofus who was scared of the walking turd?" Cant belive Im not. My best regards from Argentina.
I'd like to see two new segments:
1. Chris saves Natsuki from lung cancer: Journey across addiction.
2. Jun saves Chris from high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke: Journey across learning a basic skill everyone should know.
hireshi-azu rachel and jun are a vlogging couple :)
Aine Kellan this. This this this YES PLEASE
@OnyxPantherRight, I know him! I love his cooking videos his cats make them even better! Just making sure you were talking about him!
Jun teaching Chris how to cook... I'd watch the hell out of that.
Zing.
HAHAHAHAHA... totally agree with you with the things you don't understand after living in Japan for years. The squat toilets, I avoid them at all cost. I just can't use them, especially that I have OCD. The proofreading, hahahah that is also so true. I guess they simply don't have anyone that can proofread it for them. But then again, there's Google. The breakfast one though, I haven't really noticed. I always eat food that I buy from the konbinis from the night before, but I'll check that one when I come back to Japan.
I was scared of E.T. too and was bullied by my family for it for a while, because somehow finding this wrinkly short alien with long fingers creepy af and not in the least cute made me the weird one.
Only Chris can make normal videos that are disguised as horror movies
Before I quit smoking, my breakfast was the same as Natsuki's. (More coffee, knitting, and a little after-hours ganja smoking is what I eventually used to successfully quit the cigarettes until I was able to rewrite my identity as a nonsmoker within my mind).
I was absolutely _TERRIFIED_ of E.T. as a kid. I was scared of aliens in general, but E.T. just looked extra creepy to me for some reason. I get that he was designed to look cute, and I can kind of see it as an adult, but I'm surprised most kids weren't afraid of him.
"No one could ever bring himself to kill Natsuki" 2 minutes later, Natsuki dies.
*Us*
He let ryotoro win as compensation cuz natsuki is everybody's favorite.
Ryotaro isn't really a person though
Justice Delicious!
Love your channel! Your candid humorous information is the best.
My 6th grade teacher was deathly afraid of ET and me and some friends built an ET snowman for him and he saw it and made us write him an apology letter during recess lmao
OMG I was scared of ET too! Even jumped at this video 😅 my mother had to seek professional advice as to why I was so scared of him. Didn't help that my sister was obsessed with him 🙃
I love how he said that Q&A vids don't do well and this one did insanely well.
I’ve stayed in Japan from Tokyo to Okinawa on six separate occasions since 1999 to 2015 for up to 16 weeks on one occasion. I totally get the proofreading bit. I mean, for such a meticulous minded people in a hyper fastidious culture, at least on the surface there is definitely a Different attention to detail than would be found say in Finland another meticulous minded environ.
No disrespect, that side of the world beginning with the Middle East (so-called) Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tibet, the subcontinent of India, China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, et cetera written languages stem from pictograms and hieroglyphic type characters. The head is already full of so much stored visual information that the complex diverse arrangement of 26 letters is just another kind of headache whereby the old adage no one is perfect or everybody makes mistakes takes care of any sloppiness intended or otherwise. Also how the hell is your boss or your end user going to really spot any missing consonant every here and there on a product that is kind of optional more than necessary?
I don’t know if you’ve covered it but please point out the idiosyncrasy of music at dawn and sunset at just about every beach you might stay on overnight in Japan. I swear in Naha ,Okinawa a tune leftover from US occupation still blasts out twice a day.
Having lived with Japanese for short stints from time to time and travelled extensively from north to south if not East to West and spent more time in onsens and sentos over almost a year in total than the average person in Japan has spent in their entire life (how was I supposed to master spontaneous basic conversation without being a pest?) I might just be qualified to have observed that Japan is to democracy what China is to communism.
The degree to which people bow or don’t bow dependent on status stands testimony to a feudal hierarchy that has transitioned smoothly into the post industrial era and beyond almost imperceptibly to all but the most observant and or seasoned sojourner. Nevertheless by and large Japanese people are a lot more psycho emotionally mature apart from Kogaru etc!
To end my ramble in time honoured fashion “やっぱり それは人生だ。しょうがないよな！
I love how, in spite of Yamamoto-san clearly working through a tenuous grasp of the English language, he still managed to get "it's" and "you're" correct. He is officially a better English writer than 90% of the people in my social circle.
@Tenshi Chan maybe "irregardless" intended to mean "With regard"? 🤪
@ハムスターの日常 Hamster’s Daily Life Yeah, the "could ofs" are irritating, but I think what annoys me more, is when people make up nonsense words. The one that really grinds my gears is "Irregardless". WTF does that even mean?!? The prefix "Ir" changes the root word to mean "not" or "the opposite of", and the suffix "Less" means "without". So, if it were a word, it would mean "not without regard" or.... "to regard", you know, like the word "Regarding". However, when people use "Irregardless" they actually mean "without regard"... so why not just use "Regardless"? It's not like they haven't heard of the word "regardless" since they are still using it in a way.
Fuck, it irritates me even thinking about it.
pretty sure he wrote it in Japanese and used google translate.
@Itz_Pascal110 I did some other, comparable error in german when growing up (i grew up with finnish + german, hence spoke both before writing): I was unable to guess when to write an "ei", (for e.g. Nein vs Hain, Hühnerei) so i'd often just write "ai" and not get why sometimes you use an 'e 'that is spoken as an 'a' instead of just using an a. Same for s, ss, ß. (I remember once when the teacher was really fucking annoyed after I wrote "Ai" instead of "Ei", meaning egg, and asking me if I am serious or something - it sucked for me to learn to write german).
For english it was much easier, since the speech was learned at the same time as the writing, and I guess the teacher probably hammered the point home when having to write stupid sentences with you're/your and so on.
(The easiest to learn to write was finnish in my opinion, since you kind of just write what you say)
As a Japanese, the you’re and it’s don’t bother me as much as the could ofs. What’s up with those?
Only just got around to watching this video (new fan) and I just wanted to say that I am also terrified of E.T. So much in fact that the images of E.T in this video legitimately scared the shit out of me. So thanks for that 😂
Chris, how can Ryssotoro not have a good story to tell? The man left Japan to attend high school in Seattle when he was a teenager, and later traveled all across Europe! He speaks four languages! And he even steals accents!!
I tried natto when I went to japan, and the words "fermented monstrosity" hit the nail on the head.
ET is terrifying. My mom had a small stuffed ET on her dresser when I was a child. We only had a TV in the living room or her room. So when I wanted to watch something that my family didn't I'd watch in her room. I stuck that thing in a drawer so many times that she finally relocated it 🤣
I've been afraid of ET forever also! I never thought anybody else was afraid of him either. I am so glad that you had the courage to admit that thank you Chris!!!
I never really thought Chris didn't know how to cook, I've always seen him as a high functionality person
Everyone has their talents. Two siblings of mine can’t really work their way around a kitchen. However they have patience and understanding in areas I do not.
This might be the perfect opportunity for him to learn. One day, he'll get so bored and so out of cup noodles and fried chicken (the fried chicken shop will be closed by then), that he just might start cooking. I'm rooting for you, Chris! :D
Well, highly functional doesn't always suggest completely functional :P
Don't feel bad about the ET in the closet thing, I thought Big Bird lived in my great grandmothers closet and I was super scared of Big Bird. Also I thought vampires lived in my personal closet and that I had an octopus under my bed that would grab me if i tried to leave the bed at night
I actually did find ET scary as a kid, kind of a memory that only resurfaced after you brought it up.
Finally someone else who gets it. For a long long time after I watched E.T. I had to check in all the cabinets every time I went to the bathroom at night to check if E.T. was hiding in there and would jump scare me. It was so scaryyy!
Have u ever tried that fish Carl Pilkington had in jp?
Also weirdest thing I've seen in Taipei was what we called Dino Bar, it was a completely dinosaur themed restaurant, mini kegs at the table, huge log style tables, handmade paintings decorated the place with like stone age men hunting dinosaurs (wtf) and bathrooms were equally weird with like cave style holes to piss in.
I WAS TERRIFIED OF ET!!! And no one understood this about me! My sister gave me an ET doll thinking I’d love it cause who doesn’t love ET? I locked that thing in a cupboard and had nightmares about it popping out
My Dad found the perfect apartment in Tokyo, but they would not rent it to him because he was a foreigner. We ended up living in another one that worked out well.
I enjoy your vids...a nice balance of intelligence, information, and humor. I will also say I've been a huge Monty Python fan for most of my life and your appearance and humor makes me think of Terry Jones.
That's so true about the proofing. I see expensive billboards and ads by big car makers and electronic companies with these misspelled or phrases that make no sense and would have taken a few seconds to ask an English speaker to correct. They simply don't really give a rats arse if correct or not. Ignorance is bliss in Japan.
This had me laughing so hard!!! Thanks for the great videos!!
14:37
That image is one reason the squat toilets are used!
The door is capable opening 90 degrees inwards without hitting the bowl itself. (Opening outward may hit other people passing by)
Also "Charming Bowels"
by Giulia Enders will uncover the health benefits of the squat style!
However, I definitely prefer the usual toilet seats.
The washiki style is when I'm going through an emergency. Haha
i'd like to see the three of you do a series where you drive across the US. From LA to Boston. could end it At America's oldest eatery "Ye Olde Oyster House".
I would love to see a movie on Natsuki's struggle with smoking, especially if there's some real educational value.
Should atleast get him to swap over to vape. No reason to keep sucking on cancer sticks current year that coats everything in tar --someone who quit smoking for 10yrs after 8 yrs of addiction. Not to mention the major health detriments
Most hilarious I have ever came across was all the mis translations when i visited korea and checked out their street style stores. It’s so sad lol!
Been to Japan a zillion times. Really enjoying your videos. Sweet cleamy dreams. Dericious.
Make the movie, Chris! Natsuki: Marlboro-man! In all seriousness, thanks for your channel and it’s content. Always uplifting and entertaining.
Introduce Natsuki to Scandinavian snus. Stronger than cigarettes without any real health hazards. Takes like two weeks to get used to. Made quitting cigarettes a breeze.
Id take a week vacation to Japan just to get plastered drunk with Chris, Ryotaro, Natsuki and Joey. I know for a fact I will have the time of my life.
My girlfriend just screamed with joy when she realised she is not the only one terrified of ET, you are the first person who has ever mentioned it.
That grose little bastard finally seems to be doing some good: it made everyone of us who fucking hate its guts realize we are not alone. It has to be the worse children movie character created so far.
Yup, terrified of him as a kid. Never even seen the film, there was an advert running at around the time the film came out for Wettabix for some stickers or such of him that came in the box. Ran out of the room every time, peering through the crack between door and wall until the advert ended.
I too hate ET
@Fade I really liked the bike scene towards the end.
@Susan E You ever seen that movie April Fools Day?
we had a localized version of ET sort of character/story (idk the plot, because i chose not to watch it lol. it was named 'Kokey') here in the PH and it was scary (the same feeling i had with ET). this vid relived those memories... just sayin that u r not alone
Oh.. i LOVE Japanese breakfast. My entire family must have Japanese breakfast every morning while traveling through Japan. We are half Japanese and live in California. So, its such a treat every morning while we're there visiting family.
Do more on Japanese breakfast. Many hotels on Orbitzt offer it.
Have never watched your videos before and think it’s incredible that you also hated E.T. Had a “dream” a wind up toy of him starting of its own volition and walking off my desk when I was little. I’m pretty sure I had the dying version of him blocked from memory. 😂 Great stuff.
I'm in pain from laughing. Your videos are hilarious!
Can relate on the ET. I was gifted an ET doll as a child one Christmas with a voice box that played his famous quotes from the movie. Complete with red cape and everything. The voice box would just never die, there was no visible off button either if I remember, or battery bit. I developed such a fear of this doll that my parents put it in the cupboard where it would wake me up a few times with a muffled ‘eeee....teeeee phone home’. I don’t know where it went - I was six at the time but I hope it stays away..
I 100% share your fear of E.T. My older brother once bought a 'cuddly' E.T from a car boot sale and that very night peeped it through the doorframe to my bedroom. I actually shat myself.
I had nightmares as a kid about ET-like mud monsters. Thanks for finally helping me piece together what the fuck that actually was.
I totally agree about E.T he terrified me as a child and through him I knew my mother hated me! For my birthday she got me a E.T toy that when you pulled it's string on the back it talked,knowing he terrified me! Even now over 35yrs later whenever I see E.T I shudder!! His noise and running through the fields, Nope!! Wonder if I'll have a nightmare soon??