12 Things in Japan That DON'T Make Sense

[@AbroadinJapan]

Ok I'm ready. I'm ready to know what Chucky Cheese is. Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for watching Abroad in Japan in 2024 - looking forward to doing it all over again next year 🍻🎄 Get ANYTHING good from Santa?

[@churchren3899]

you don't wanna know what chucky cheese is. it's best left in the 90s

[@ananasplamenomet]

Merry to you as well!!!

[@BronzedPug]

Merry Christmassss Chris!!!!!!

[@barrettngr]

Holiday in Japan 😊

[@Metal_Maxine]

Chuck E Cheese was a kids' restaurant/arcade chain founded by Nolan Bushnell (who also founded Atari) and its animatronic mascot Chuck probably inspired things like Five Nights At Freddy's.

[@vadimttv]

16:45 - The editor got tired so they decided to drown out Chris' voice-over with music. Edit: Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

[@Iord]

lmao

[@JohnDoe-f7v8s]

I was expecting a joke of some kind... but no. It's just an audio error lol 😂

[@SoyLuciano]

I remember that during my trip to London in February 2024, the ambulance was so loud that IMO it even beats those earrape videos.

[@KiyokaMakibi]

I noticed that too. They must of fallen asleep on the volume button xD

[@davey_davey_dave]

noticed this too. lmao

[@archaeopteryx981]

4:48 Sorry, Chris. You can’t blame Japan for the band name Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. They were named after the song “Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her” by the band XTC, from your own home country.

[@kiryubelmont3222]

I came here to point this out. One of Andys greatest works.

[@falxonPSN]

​@@kiryubelmont3222that name whether it is for a song or a band is breaking my brain

I did not know that, but I do think it is a fine name and I can't understand why he included it with absolute crap like "Maximum the hormone" which sounds even worse pronounced in the Japanese fashion.

[@cjrains6022]

lol 😂 as a song or band name, they got into the good stuff that night didn’t they?

[@programmer489]

Sounds like something from the little mermaid

[@None.ink.4321]

16:45 can you turn up the music here , i can almost hear your voice.

[@IEgOImkAwx]

Was seeing if someone would point this out hahaha

[@eoinoconnell185]

I was expecting 'loud music' to be one of the 12.

[@dbcher2869]

What? What?... Quit trying to talk over the music!

[@davecook8378]

The sound design fits with the theme of cluttered, visually noisy websites.

[@aroalgezion5299]

"There's a commentary in your music" vibe

[@psyOmicron]

I've read somewhere about this non-japanese manager who is obviously not subscribed to the Japanese work culture, he would often feel bad that if he had extra work and needed to stay late, his entire team would stay with him when some of them have family to care for. So if needed to stay late, he won't tell anyone, clock off on time and go to a cafe to chill till everyone is gone, then return to the office

[@freeculture]

Yes, there is a stupid work culture in Japanese companies where you must never leave before your boss. At least that person was being mindful. Another thing is the souvenirs, if you ever tell your co-workers you are taking a vacation in some country, you absolutely must bring a souvenir to every single one of them. So they often lie and say they will stay home instead, to avoid that nightmare...

[@wilburwood8261]

@@freeculture It is a CULTURE after all. Please do not call it stupid.

[@tallulah7243]

​@wilburwood8261 if it's bad for everyone involved, doesn't that make it stupid? Something being culturally standard, doesn't make it good.

[@ARKSAAXX-ys9gz]

@@freeculture It depends on the company. I work for a Japanese company, but it's not an obligation to give souvenirs. It's interesting to see the comments on these videos that many people work for stereotypical old-fashioned Japanese companies from Showa-era.

[@LaoSoftware]

Greetings from Laos. As an American living in Vientiane, I don't mind staying late at my job if I get paid for the overtime. My time is very valuable. Here in Laos, the work culture is very laid-back and relax. Nobody is in a hurry. It is very quiet here.

[@SpareMango]

Imagine having the worst day of your life just to be woken up by a propaganda truck

[@AbroadinJapan]

It's literally happened to me haha

[@Meikitamemo]

I would be like! Omaida , Shingeru :D

[@DJEylisium]

Could be worse..could be having the worst day of your life and then Keir Starmer is the prime minister

[@MVM.7]

Does everyone remember the GTA mission with the propaganda truck

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Japan would be better off having the Japanese protest against the government when the latter made criminal aliens thrive in Japan.

[@ToastAndJellyfish]

The shako shoumei is a brilliant idea. I’m currently stuck living somewhere you have to access your house via a very narrow alley. The garages are also small, so the alley is completely blocked up by people with massive trucks that don’t fit in their garage, or else they already have too many cars to stick the damn things in their driveway. I would LOVE to see them just not be allowed to buy the overage of cars and massive trucks.

[@BlackLionRampant]

The Philippines absolutely needs this.

[@Minastir1]

Maximum the Hormone is the perfect name for the type of music they make

[@benjaminforman8901]

Absolutely. What's Up People and Zetsubou Billy.🤟

[@slyn4ice]

Mr. Children is a right pedo name :D

[@freeculture]

I vote for Judy And Mary, it was only one person 🙂

[@RomanticAtrocity]

Yeah, honestly it's a great metal band name for western standards.

[@ZeroXSEED]

Honestly that sounds like something Natsuki would say offhand.

[@mindmachinepsy]

As a german who lives in the countryside, Nr. 3 would be heaven. We have streets too small, buildings to high (these days) and too many cars per family. It used to be one car per household, now it is 2-3 cars per household. Half of them being stupidly oversized SUVs. Match that with small streets and bigger buildings with little parking space... it is a fucking nightmare. If all of them had to prove they have dedicated parking space... we'd have 1/3 of the cars right now. Man that would be such a dream.

[@georedegerloch1570]

💚

[@tokyotidien]

where in the countryside do you live? in the the German countryside close to my hometown (Saarland), streets are super wide and there is space everywhere

[@EliasFabricius]

I agree!

[@balabanasireti]

I live in a city in Germany but I agree. I can't park my own car because of all the trucks and larger cars here and every family has like 2-3 cars. It also doesn't help that my neighbors get visited by their family members every 3 days and that the visitors also park their cars here.

[@emma_nutella58]

For me the thing that will always cease to never make sense is gambling is illegal in Japan, but everything in Japan has gambling, wanna go to a concert? Good luck it’s gonna be a Gacha pull

[@jeffkleist9679]

Not anymore. It was legalized for the olympics. There's 3 casinos just around Shinjuku station.

[@VulpesInculta-h2b]

Gambling is as immoral as usury fr

[@walker-zero9255]

Why does this not make sense to you? Gambling is a part of being human. Why do you think that when a country bans gambling people just find loopholes in order to gamble?

[@carleoz2039]

@@walker-zero9255 Bro made gambling his personality 💀

[@tyranitararmaldo]

Not to mention the tons of different trading card booster packs, which are all essentially gambling. Hell, even Games Workshop made randomised space marines in booster packs specifically for the Japanese market, because they can't get enough of it.

[@Zagareus]

The car one is actually an incredibly good idea since it makes the roads safer and useable for more things than cars. Urban Japanese roads are very narrow and don't have space for on-street parking. It allows everything to stay mixed-use and keeps everyone from exclusively using cars when one, the public transport is more than good enough, and two, it just makes everything less polluted.

[@laurencefraser]

It certainly beats the idiocy that is American parking minimums.

[@peterww3241]

They don't have room for sidewalks either so pedestrians and their dogs, cyclists and motorists all share the same narrow space. What could possibly go wrong? Add to that the fact that, at intersections, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are all given the green light at the same time and you start to understand why so many in Japan are killed or injured at intersections every year. At night, many streets have zero lighting and, on those that do, the light is barely strong enough to reach the ground, let alone provide a safe environment for pedestrians or anyone else. The Japanese understanding of what constitutes public safety is very, er, strange.

[@JustinPrice-r8j]

But cars are good and public transport is bad.

[@tokyotidien]

yeah but that only applies for major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, so that rule should be adaopted depending on the location

[@peterww3241]

@@JustinPrice-r8j There is zero local public transport where I live.

[@ThroatSore]

I'm registered blind. I was Iin Tokyo and came across road works. A very kind worker guided me safely past. Super.

[@akobitoma7452]

Why would you with the trouble of the registration process just to make yourself blind?

[@amlannanda1581]

How did you watch this video?

[@street1111]

​@@amlannanda1581he can hear

[@XZ1.]

@@amlannanda1581 a very kind worker described the visuals to him

[@amlannanda1581]

@@XZ1. how did he type out that comment?

[@rabbit251]

To lease a parking space at my condo costs 30,000 yen. At a restaurant I asked to have the sauce on my hamburger changed to just ketchup. The waiter had to get the manager and we asked him and he thought for a moment and then agreed. If you go to a bakery they will put each item in its own plastic bag and then put them all together in a plastic bag. Buying a dozen bagels once I told the clerk to not do that and just put them in the one big bag. The look she gave me was like I had asked her to cut off her arm.

[@mrexpatman]

it depends if the staff are use to foreign customers. I think. I went to Sendai, there are lot of tourist there. Before I took the early Shinkansen, I went to queue at a very high-class mall before it opened to get some japanese sweets as a souvenir. When I saw a store that had the most popular local sweet in packs of one, I immediate ask if I could get just the one. She immediately ask if I want to eat it here or take it home. I said eat it here. She handed it to me without any bags or wrapping. I obvious have to leave the premises before consuming, or it could be considered very rude. Another Time, I went to Kyushu, Hakata. I was brought a cat shaped Loaf of Bread, it's already packaged. They ask if I want a bag to go with it. The sales was a young lady, and the other time was a middle age lady. So I think the culture has change quite a bit, especially after the government has introduce more public holidays.

[@emma_nutella58]

Yeah if I was woken up for political propaganda, I would actively choose not to vote for them

[@southcoastinventors6583]

That basically all politics since it not about fixing the social ills its mainly about self interest and tribalism

[@Venicilia]

I've been living in Japan for just over 3 months now, and there were elections coming up not far after I arrived in Yamaguchi for either municipal or prefectural elections, or something, about 3 weeks after I arrived. Honestly I began to just tone it out and barely notice it after about a week, except if the truck passed directly past me. Luckily, in any case, it only lasted for about a week and a half iirc.

[@t00194]

Oral Cigarettes is also an impeccable band name choice. They really do stand out in the sea of other, normal, non-oral cigarettes.

[@DemstarAus]

Well, I don't smoke but if I ever did, I'd choose Oral Cigarettes over the alternatives, any day.

[@wilsonchan9768]

Eh. Wouldn't be surprised if someone already tried smoking through their other 'holes'.

[@RigasUT]

I used to listen to a lot of Japanese metal, here are some of the most interesting band names I can recall: - Imperial Circus Dead Decadence - Ikd-sj - Coaltar of the Deepers - Guerrilla Incendiary Sabotage Mutineer

[@cocoaswann2095]

and don't forget - Baby Metal!

[@XmarkedSpot]

c.s.s.o. comes to mind (clotted symmetric sexual organs)

[@blancange1872]

Love icdd

[@jessevaladez3448]

Japan will always be know for D-Beat,Raw Punk and Crust Punk before metal

[@len1241]

There's also the other band which has members of icdd, vermillion d alice syndrome. Or maybe it was a side project idk

[@mintysingularity]

6:29 American here (white) been sleeping with a buckwheat pillow for about 15 years. When you know how to use them properly, they're really great for your neck.

[@mikanova.]

One thing in Japan that surely doesn't make sense are how some of the english signs are worded I saw one that said "Don't touch anyone except the staff" The japanese one was actually "please don’t touch unless you are the staff" 😭

[@misterwhyte]

I think it's funnier they need to specify the staff is allowed to touch whatever the sign refers to. If it didn't I'm guessing no one would ever touch it ever. 😂

[@sneer0101]

​@misterwhyte Yeah, you've clearly not met Brits, Americans or Chinese people abroad then

[@88porpoise]

That makes perfect sense as to why it happens. Three big reasons I can see: 1) Japan has a fairly small amount of English speakers relative to the rest of the developed world. So many of these translations are just done by some guy at the company with a small amount of English and others don't know any better. 2) Japanese uses a very different sentence structure than English. So when someone with some basic English may translate the words more or less correctly, they often end up in a very wrong order. 3) Japanese cultural aversion to criticism likely means that even when someone does notice they are unlikely to point it out.

[@AnnaMorimoto]

The caveat of 'unless you are staff' probably exists to prevent some entitled Karen from complaining "How dare that staff member touch the 'no-touch' object!" or worse, "If the staff ignore the sign, it's clearly unimportant, so I might as well follow suit and touch it too!" Edit: For context, we have ridiculous Karens in Japan, but signs somehow stop them, so we have ridiculous signs saying "To avoid dehydration, employees will drink water while working at the till per store policy. Please understand." I know, crazy. What monster complained about a poor shop clerk at the cash register drinking water!?

[@sailormoon5760]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@OldMan_PJ]

Speaking of Japanese productivity I worked in IT for a global company centralizing all of its servers, whenever Japan was asked to modify or install anything it would always take a week or two longer to do so. It wasn't that they couldn't figure it out but they levels of management they had to go through for any little change that only would approve the change if it made them look important.

[@mrexpatman]

marketing, I am amazed people in Japan would remember what someone in a 500-2000 people company would have done in 15-20 years ago in time for a competition for the promotion. living a life of so many restrictions and insecurities, make them really crazy on platform or circle which has some kind of anonymity, where they pick apart someone social life for their own enjoyment in an overpowering authoritative manner, which further highlights their insecurities and suppressive nature of their current environment. It does reflect on the culture as a whole with gravure turn to prostitute. gravure are minors, their clients are largely suppressive insecure men wanting some simulation of control in the physical reality not just the psychological realm of Twitter and other SNS platforms. I really hope inflation and increase in wages might increase upward mobility for current workers and help student pay for tuition so that they won't resort to becoming sex workers, because as the yen weakens in 2024 and sex tourism has been on the rise. I wonder what is the current sentiment for Foreigner Go Home, I hope your daily life and holiday travel hasn't returned to normal.

[@PragmaticAntithesis]

I think Shako Shoumei is a great idea. The public space should be for everyone, not just drivers.

[@NeXtdra42]

Right. That rule discourages car use and kei cars instead of normal cars. That's a net benefit for cities.

[@tek87]

I like being able to drive and park anywhere.

[@tcochran312]

@@tek87 and i like being able to exist in urban environments without parked cars taking up inordinate amounts of space

[@buildinasentry1046]

@@tek87 Well that means making movement harder for everyone else. So no

[@nanifa6082]

@@tek87 the rest of the world likes if you never existed

[@JollyTVance]

7:55 Yes! When I went to Japan it seemed like there were 4 people doing a job at the same time which could be done by one person. The funniest moment for me was at the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo. There was no entrance fee, however, there were two people sitting in what appeared to be a ticket booth. Once we approached them, they just waved us through. I couldn't believe that they'd hire two people to sit around and do nothing

[@freeculture]

You are supposed to fill a form online to be able to get in straight away. I think you were just lucky. A bunch of tourists who didn't pre-fill the form had to do a line last time i was there a few months back...

[@orroz1]

When I visited a few years ago, they searched my bag at least.

[@DanielAlejandroFuentesToro]

The Shako Shoumei thing makes a lot of sense to me. That sounds awesome, here in Colombia everybody leaves their damn cars in the fucking street.

[@nothanks3236]

Hell I live in America in a nice suburban neighborhood where every house has at least a two-car garage (and most have three-car garages) and most of these MF'ers leave their cars in the street too, it's maddening. It's like they're all using their garages for storage instead of, you know, the cars.

[@wlodekgoldsztajn662]

same, I would love to have that system in my country as well

[@VorpalSnickerSnack]

16:36 No it's not an editors mistake, Chris' leaked DM said to give the audience a taste of those damed propaganda trucks.

[@MrAnimeAlex1]

3:18 "Maximum The Hormone" is actually goated! They made the Chainsaw Man ED 3 and Death Note OP2😂

[@Jimhearne]

came here to mention this was the first time i heard their name in like, a decade 🤣

[@codeninja100]

idk that one and Crispy Camera club actually makes sense to me lol

[@firenter]

I knew I'd seen that name before!

[@silis_pap8473]

MTH are goated. Probably the best ED of the Chainsaw anime

[@package_hunter]

Today, after i checked this band on Spotify, I realised I know 4 songs, not just the "What's up,people" ...... one time, me and my classmates found a video , where a guy talked about "what is anime,where is it from, etc....", he used some Maximum The Hormone song, but i never checked the credits, I always thought it was some random metal/rock song :D (The video was uploaded 16 years ago....feel old now.... )

[@zed-ex-six-are]

As a side-sleeper with a heavy melon, i do use a buckwheat pillow as once the height is sorted, it doesn't move. Most other pillow stuffing material tends to fuck off to the ends and leave me with a crooked neck. Not trying to dispute your experience Chris, just hoping my experience will help someone, neck pain isnt fun and it worked for me

[@koro-koro-dango]

Yeah, my experience too. Five years living in Japan and many shorter trips while using a sobagara pillow. Also, a side sleeper with broad shoulders and most of the other pillows in Japan are too thin or as you experienced the filling moves to the sides of the pillow and I wake up with a crick in my neck.

[@cyberneticghost755]

I was just in Japan and accidentally stumbled on one of those propaganda vans in Tokyo having no clue what I was witnessing. I explained what I saw to my Japanese friend and he laughed like it was an every day occurrence and called it a "fascist mobile". While I was there I also saw another one of those things driving around Shibuya blaring that "proud to be an American" song from a van with large photos of Donald Trump on it, and when I say "blaring" I mean when it drove past me it genuinely hurt my ears. It made no sense to me that a culture seemingly so centered around being courteous in public would allow those things to drive around harassing the public.

[@AnnaMorimoto]

We don't like it, but freedom of speech, I guess. Noisy motorcycles with customized mufflers and horns that drive around at midnight racing eachother recklessly will get the police on your tail. Buskers can also get in trouble for making too much noise or not having the right permits. Perhaps the political vans (including the imperialistic extreme right-wing black vans) get permits beforehand, like marches, demonstrations, and protests do?

[@cocleum]

Nope we don't 😒

[@TheRamblingSoul]

Permission to be obnoxious and loud within certain societally predefined confines?

[@gmalcolms]

The black vans ("facist mobiles") driven by extreme right-wingers are not the same thing as the vans driven by political candidates. The right-wingers drive around on days that are not usually related to elections and tend to drive around the parliament or cetain countries' embasies, not through ordinary neighborhoods. They don't have people standing on them and in addition to blaring slogans they also play WWII-era facist music. These people are trying to be offensive and intimidating, although they end up looking comical.

[@ClaroKirari]

日本人も理解できませんよ、怖いから近寄らない

[@djled1013]

As far as Bands go, I absolutely love "The Pillows". With that name you would think it's calming music, but no, it's alternative rock and while they are old now, they are still very good.

[@buildinasentry1046]

Fellow pillows fan, my man

[@MiketehTV]

FLCL

[@isekun]

The plastic usage in Japan is actually quite crazy, I was quite shocked to see how much plastic they use to wrap small treats and snacks and even fruits and vegetables. Japan might've a very efficient garbage disposal system but there is no way so much single-time use plastic can be recycled. I hope they make changes to slowly pivot away from plastic to more sustainable alternatives.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Gotta wrap the whales and dolphins in something.

[@evanseifert8858]

*might have

[@MrKoothrappali]

Actually, burning plastic to create energy is categorized as recycling in here. That said, they're actually "recycling" most of it!

[@ragsdale710]

The big reasons for this is there was mass poisoning cases in products as well as stuff being wrapped like that keeps it going bad cos of how humid it is =.

[@nanifa6082]

@@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt FARKER EUW DOLPHEEN, and a FARKER EUW WHALEEEE

[@manu.yt25]

5:30 That's the best idea ever that Japanese got honestly, no more "I buy 10 crappy cars and expect to be able to park them for free on the street", makes people more responsible.

[@EliasFabricius]

I completely agree!!

[@tHaH4x0r]

6:33 Amen my man. When I came to japan to do an internship at a well known company, they provide housing for new employees and interns. One thing I didnt count on was the goddamn bean pillow. I told myself I would be able to 'tough it out' or 'get used to it', but all it did was bring horrible sleep and neck pains until 2 months later I gave up and bought a new pillow (which by the way are ridiculously expensive in japan for some reason). Also 20:20 is extremely familiar. The times I have seen (especially elderly) coworkers just stare at the same email for literally hours, before deciding to press 'send' is mind boggling. Yet they don't dare to open a news website to catch up on news for 2 minutes during work time. It is almost a caricature that pretending to look busy is appreciated over actually being productive. A very skewed perception into what is a good working attitude and what makes for productive workers. On that same note, it is even more ridiculous how lazy older workers can be. You see the young people slaving away as expected of them and not getting a grain of recognition, whilst the older people do literally nothing, yet are praised into the heavens (and im not talking about just managers). Society dictates older/longer at company = more respect, which just leads to hordes of these older workers doing jack shit and young workers kissing their asses. Also (luckily) many of the more progressive, larger multinationals (including the one I worked for), don't allow interns and new hires to do overwork. They even had designated days where nobody was allowed to do overwork. Crazy that that is actually a thing.

[@Venicilia]

I had a sneaking suspicion before hand that the apartment I would be staying in (University exchange for 1 year) would have one of those pillows, and I was correct. So glad that I brought my feather pillow. The futon they gave me is just as bad, like basically non-existant, and even with the duvet on top as a second layer its not much better. Luckily, with my previous work background, I can sleep basically anywhere for extended periods, so I actually found it pretty comfy despite it. My roommate however... took him 3 weeks to start being able to sleep full nights without waking up 7-8 times.

[@mrexpatman]

you should have got it from amazon jp, I've seen people take the hotel pillow. I don't say you should do it, I won't either just saying. desperate people do desperate things. you should read the newer post, someone posted. if you really want to do overwork, you should leave at appointed time, then wait until everyone leaves the office. Then go back to work and do overwork. Sounds insane. I can see it. For me, my work is on my laptop, so wherever I have my laptop I can do work, not a probably for me. There are many solution where you can work from anywhere and connect to your office computer, even if the company is concern with security there is product for that and at many different price points for a peace of mind. For a young person, I say you go live your dream life and not worry with reality too much. They probably never accept you for who you are, they won't even accept their own for who they are either. If you really want to say in Japan, you should stay for 3 years and think what bucket list you got left to do. Redo it after 2 more years. Then think if Japan is right for you to stay for 3 more years. Many people move out of the city into the countryside, either they leave and never comeback or stay 3 months in the year just to keep their passport validity.

[@Birgitc]

Oh Chris! One of the things I have been missing very much since I returned recently from 1 month in Japan are the pillows! All the pillows I tried at different hotels seemed to have beans/buckwheat whatever it was on one side and ordinary pillowstuff on the other. I have never tried so good pillows in my life and have been thinking of where to buy them in Europe. Apart from that :-) you’re really explaining many of the things we wondered about when travelling. We were in Japan around the election 😂

[@Esajas11]

16:59 is that an audio mixing mistake? Why is the bgm so loud

[@アレックス-l7j]

Heard that too, I expected he was going to segue to that as being a problem in some regard

[@HailHydra27]

I think about the parking one almost daily. Every morning i have to squeeze down a packed street of cars from 2 car households that moved into townhouses with no car parks

[@kolinka84_]

HEY CHRIS, I think you didn’t mean to have the music so loud at 16:50 ?

[@Slimetendo_Hub]

What!!!? I can't hear you over this elevator music.

[@SpiritboundNeo]

I was about to say - did you feel like you were droning on and you or your editor was amping up the music to drown you out? 😁😅🙇‍♂️

[@LaoSoftware]

Greetings from Laos. As an American living in Vientiane, the cars are parked all over the sidewalks. The pedestrians have to walk on the roads with traffic. I almost got ran over by semi-truck last week.

[@zuur303]

Natski at the faders I THINK I CAN'T HEAR

[@Naryoril]

Another thing that makes NO sense at all: This autumn during a Japan trip, my phone utterly and completely broke. As that is a huge problem nowadays, i wanted to buy a new one. But i couldn't, i wasn't allowed to. They were not allowed to sell me a new phone without me having a residence card. And that was just the phone, paid in cash right there and then, no SIM card. They were not allowed to sell me a new phone. A second hand phone however, was no problem...

[@DavidCowie2022]

My guess about this: you can't buy a new phone without the right ID because someone was worried about criminals buying "burner" phones. However, the law was carelessly worded, and shops (who want to sell things) realised that the new law only applied to new phones.

[@Naryoril]

@@DavidCowie2022 I get that, it makes sense, and other countries do it too. But that is for the SIM card, not for the phone. There is no burner phone without a SIM card.

[@max3446]

That's interesting. I wonder if you would have been able to order a new phone online from Amazon or whatever?

[@sakaraist]

@@Naryoril E-Sims are VERY common these days, unfortunately sort of makes sense to restrict the hardware instead now.

[@Naryoril]

@@sakaraist It doesn't really make sense, because you could easily import the phone from anywhere. And i doubt there are easily accessible Japanese eSIMs with a phone number.

[@andywarne963]

Speaking of bands: Not seen any KZbinr cover the gig experience in Japan which is different in many ways. Best is the way in which people queue up in ticket number order at gigs without seat allocations, so the early ticket buyers get in first. Also nobody ever chats during gigs or holds up phones for the whole time which is great.

[@freeculture]

Because demand is often above capacity, in many events they raffle the tickets so not everyone willing to buy is able to obtain it. I read nowdays its often done online. Some artists have the same concert two days in a row to split the attendance.

[@PrefireGN]

An abroad in japan video was on the top of my christmas list, thank you

[@TheShrededward]

The only problem are those damned politicians! It's not just that they're noisy, but what they say is stupid. "Taro Suzuki here. Taro Suzuki! Please be kind. Taro Suzuki! Thank you. Taro Suzuki! Taro Suzuki!" repeat for about 20 minutes until they leave my village, and then the next idiots drive by. If I did that, people would think I'm mentally unstable.

[@TravelGeeq]

MERRY CHRISTMAS ABROAD FAM!

[@dbl0fluff]

I agree with you on the buckwheat pillows. I tried them once and I could not sleep comfortably and every time you moved your head you hear that crunch, crunch sound.

[@PowerSynopsis]

I think you _could_ make an argument that the candy is wrapped like a Fabergé egg if it's packaged exceptionally beautifully, but I think what was meant is that it's similar to a matryoshka doll. Matryoshkas are the stacking dolls with a larger doll hiding a smaller doll inside of it and an even smaller doll inside of it and so on.

[@Proverbman]

I've only ever gotten the bean pillows to be comfortable by manipulating the beans to contour my neck and head. You can't just plop the pillow on the ground and then lay on it. Take a minute or two to push the beans where they need to be so it supports your neck and allows a divot for your head. After that, never turn or move your head from that position....you now have a custom fit one-position pillow for your sleep.

[@Turtlpwr]

4:56 honestly though “seagull screaming kiss her kiss her” is a band name that hits hard

[@_hayt_]

I actually got a buckwheat pillow (voluntarily) for years now here in the west. Best pillow ever. There are very few occasions, where I would want a traditional soft pillow back. With "normal" western pillows I usually end up folding or squishing them a lot until they are hard anyways, so I just get a more harder pillow and it keeps your head nice and level with you spine when you are a side sleeper. Though usually you can adjust hard/softness quite a bit by adjusting the amount of buckwheat in it, though I can see that not being the case with hotel room pillows.

[@lemdavefn]

Maximum The Hormone is an awesome band. And to be fair, there are lots of Japanese bands who gained international fame with names that sound unusual - toe, One Ok Rock, The Pillows, buck-tick, mono, or even Radwimps, to name a few.

[@balabanasireti]

They're alright

[@nessa6859]

The whole not wasting food thing is one reason I'm scared to go to Japan. I'm not sure if it's just me, but quite often my stomach won't feel good and I can't finish something I normally can. I also like to experiment with new foods, I won't shy away from trying new things, how ever If I don't like them I won't force myself to finish it. I remember as a kid when my parents would force me to finish my plate when I felt full or disliked something, I'd end up puking. Now a days I struggle to force food down, when say I need to be polite, or I only have food I dislike available. I always end up not eating it.

[@nolowputts]

The nice thing about Japanese food is that much of the time, it comes in small portions (like sushi, for example.) You order as much of it as you want. And even in cases where it's one big serving, like a bowl of ramen, they're sensibly sized, not mega platters like you get in America.

[@ragsdale710]

bro you dont leave here leaving food is no big deal as well as why would you care so much for people that will never see you again. So many people have insane hang ups about Japan. There is a huge difference between the lifestreams and not being able to eat everything.

[@freeculture]

Should not be a problem in a restaurant. I saw an actual Japanese leave the entire dish she ordered untouched. Besides there is a bunch of foreign franchises like McDonalds in almost every block.

[@nessa6859]

​@@ragsdale710 I live & work in a big city with lots of tourism, I also work as a server/bartender. So for me it's more of respecting their countries restaurant etiquette out of mutual understanding, because omg does it drive me up the wall when tourists don't understand my countries restaurant etiquette.

[@nessa6859]

@@freeculture That relieves a bit of stress, maybe it was because he repeatedly did it. I also work as a server/bartender so I always try to respect a countries restaurant etiquette while traveling!

[@SilentGig1]

Old subscriber returning again after long hiatus. Congratulations on everything, just scrolling through your videos and their view counts - youre not a stranger to the 1mill view count mark and i find that incredible! Youve come so far and as a fellow UK 🇬🇧 man with interest in japan, this is amazing! Congratulations again and merry kurisumasu.

[@LinariaFreeze]

I got a little stuffed melon kuma hanging off my bag at all times that I bought in Sapporo Tower. I love him so much 😂 Thanks for the new video

[@gailcrockett9883]

OMG! The buckwheat pillow, political PA vans, parking space identification, asking for a custom burger from McDonald's and no central heating, but kerosene heaters in many homes- not apartments and the PLASTICS galore, etc. made me howl bringing back the 'awful memories' of things in Japan that don't make sense or are totally unnecessary or need drastic improvement or elimination. Spot on Chris.

[@jazznik2]

That Chris Broad campaign truck looked very realistic!

[@NachtAngel]

After I took my Dad to Japan back in 2014 he bought one of the pillows and has used the same style ever since ! I don't mind them when its got a soft one on top they are very supportive for your head :)

[@jayrigger7508]

I absolutely love the buckwheat pillows and can't sleep without them and every guest I've had over loves them too after first experiencing them

[@Softlywool]

I laughed when chris brought it up because ive been thinking of getting one for quite some time hahah 😂 good to hear others who enjoys them

[@SoyLuciano]

13:42 Here in Chile, like in Japan we are also a very seismically active nation (to the point where it was home to the strongest earthquake in the world that even caused a tsunami in Japan, which originated from Valdivia back in 1960, and also felt in Japan is the 2010 earthquake, which damaged my apartment in Viña del Mar, and made me live in Maipú for nearly a year and a half, before moving to Valparaíso), yet we still have radiators. Same thing for Mexico (which also had a strong earthquake back in 1985, which IIRC even impacted the headquarters of Mexican media giant Televisa).

[@freeculture]

Yes, the "1 hour earthquake" (it was a chain) and the infamous human sacrifice some indigenous people did to "stop it"... Chile is the only place on earth with higher seismic activity than Japan.

[@StreetofCrocodiles]

Beyond this, there are plenty of central heating options that don't require hot water being piped through your house.

[@Croz89]

New Zealand doesn't have much in the way of central heating either, or at least it didn't 10 years ago when I visited in winter.

[@XZ1.]

"televisa presenta 🎶 el programa número 1 de la televisión humorística"

[@megangoggans1208]

I actually live in the United States and after experiencing the "bean bag pillow" in Japan I have only slept on that since. It helps with my neck pain TREMENDOUSLY and I'm not as hot at night because of it. :)

[@RazulLD]

As a someone who studied for a tour guide I can tell you from my experience that Chris is right about having a good pillow can make or break your traveling experience, when its time to rest and take a nap, so always when possible carry a comfortable pillow or clothes that are fluffy enough to use as a pillow because good rest is essential when traveling. You may look stupid caring a pillow but you will be the one smiling in the morning compared to those around you, trust me on that.

[@eirinym]

The downside to being inflexible with food customization is that it really screws over people with allergies or food intolerances. What if you go to a place and everything you want to eat they decided to add something you're allergic to? You ask if it can be made without that and they tell you to bugger off. That kinda sucks because that means you can't eat.

[@theasianjaywalker4455]

Much of the world does not have this weird Western white lady obsession with having special allergies 'served and accomodated' by the restaurant. You are not being 'screwed over' but rather 'you screw yourself over' if you are going out to eat other people's cooking like that. It's your responsibility, blame, your right or wrongdoing. not the cooks.

[@TheNekromis]

I absolutely love the japanese buckwheat pillows and use one every night (when my wife doesn't steal it). For me it's the support they provide while being very flexible at the same time. And the buckwheat smell is nice.

[@smokeymchaggis73]

Whats not to get about meatloaf. Its a giant well seasoned hamburger with eggs in it to bind like a cake. My favorite food

[@sletter1100]

Something similar to the band/music artist name thing is somewhat common in germany. For example the bands "Feine Sahne Fischfilet" -> "Fine/delicate cream fish fillet" and "Einstürzende Neubauten" -> "New buildings which are collapsing".

[@ripdeyu]

thank you sir affable! Your content on a christmas eve is truly a miracle

[@lukapogo]

I just spent 2 months in JP and i gotta say, i loved the beanbag pillows.

[@ChaosXTheProject]

A CRISPY CAMERA CLUB MENTION?!?!??! IS THIS HEAVEN?!?!?

[@Dgokuman]

I went to Japan last month for two weeks and it was fantastic. We went to Lost bar and had a blast! The staff was awesome and the snacks were good.

[@techytube7764]

why does the music overtake Chris being audible at about 16:48?

[@hmsverdun]

A small thanks for the content this year and I hope you having/had a good Christmas

[@valdemarsquelch]

'Seagulls screaming kiss her kiss her' is a song by UK band XTC. So maybe that particular artist does have a more global outlook?

[@CrimsonSanX]

Two things struck me about this video: 1) That parking space late in the section on parking is *the* parking space from one of the Yakuza isn't it? XD Instantly recognized it or something like it anyway. 2) The mascot thing is actually kind of ingenious. It means you get to have a figure be the spokesperson for your brand or region without having to tie yourself to one person. You can hire multiple people to be the mascot and have them show up in multiple places if need be, whether that be for television or just regional promotion. And as long as the person in the suit sticks to the style sheet, you're almost never gonna get bad PR from stuff the mascot does unlike what may happen with real people. There's pretty much only upsides for it for businesses.

[@Ibm_xd]

From iraq luv ur videos man , really helping getting through stressful times

[@neilgibbs3880]

Merry Christmas Chris. Thanks for all the hours of entertainment

[@maryking9706]

Honestly, you’re super talented. Keep posting more!

[@HadesPlumsborth]

I was just in Japan for two weeks, and my chronic neck pain was actually eased by the beanbag pillow!!! I need to get one

[@mintysingularity]

They're great, I have mine for the same reason. !5 years now, couldn't use a regular pillow if I wanted to.

[@AbigailBacker-l5j]

Your videos are always on point, never stop!

[@w00zily]

I'm living for these recent vids!! So good!!

[@Lewis_Standing]

Car parking rule is excellent. Pavement parking is a cancer in the UK. People driving at me and my kids on the way to school on the effing pavement. It's crazy.

[@lordcrayzar]

People drive on the sidewalks?

[@lexman7179]

They park on the pavement. I can't walk down my street after about six because cars will be blocking the pavement so I end up doing large chunks in the road of switching sides.

[@blatherama]

My favorite Japanese band names are still "Thee Michelle Gun Elephant" and "Spread Beaver".

[@LtColShingSides]

Bump of Chicken is pretty good lol

[@kristina855]

As having lived in Japan since 1988, I have enjoyed every one of your videos. Spot on! Keep up the good work. I would like to add though that the obsession with plastic in Japan is quite often overkill, I think that it is necessary to keep bugs out. I live in an old house and bugs get into everything so I appreciate the packaging.

[@keiichi8191]

1:39 Knock on your door? ⛔ Scream through your open window with a 500 decibel loudspeaker at 6 in the morning? ✅

[@anaportillo2619]

Now I want to ask if you travel with your own pillow! On silly band names, in Spain in the 90s we had such bands as A Penguin in My Elevator, Dynamite for the Chickens and Don't Step On Me, I'm Wearing Flip-Flops. Yes, really.

[@Madridman]

What a great contrast to the Megaquake documentary. Classic sarcastic Chris in this wonderfully trivial vid. Nice one!!

[@DinkyPattern1]

In my Pension there was a sign which Said: "MUSTN'T!!! Please sort the Garbage"

[@IsraelGutierrez-fv8xo]

Hello dr broad thank you for introducing me to this beautiful country and culture, planning my second trip in 2 years hope to go bi yearly

[@jasoncoleman6820]

My favorite I don’t understand moment was in the gym. I finished my set and sat back on my bench to rest for 60 seconds between sets. I read my next exercise on my phone notes and a staff member approached me. He said you can’t sit down and read your program, you have to do it standing up. I couldn’t believe the logic. But as they say in Japan, Shogani, which means that’s life 😊

[@jeffkleist9679]

Chuck E Cheese is a game center with pizza added aimed at under 10 children

[@AbroadinJapan]

Oh dear

[@jazznik2]

Chuck E Cheese ("real" name Charles Entertainment Cheese) was originally a rat but since 1993 is a mouse (still looks like a rat IMHO).

[@firstnamlastnam2141]

It used to have robot performers, but they culled them.

[@mandalore1089]

​@@AbroadinJapan Its also the basis for Five Nights at Freddy's.

[@charliecharliewhiskey9403]

Happy yule, Chris. Hope you have a wonderful Chris-masu.

[@jazznik2]

Another thing in Japan that doesnt make sense to me is the relatively strong pressure not to litter, yet there are very few receptacles available for you to dispose of your trash in. At a baseball stadium, I remember having to walk practically halfway around the stadium to find somewhere to put my trash. This is generally the opposite in the US, where we have plenty of trash cans but people still throw trash everywhere anyway.

[@southcoastinventors6583]

Just go to the convenient stores pretty much everywhere excepts in the rural areas which foreigners don't really go. Never had a problem it more of people not planning

[@freeculture]

Indeed, they expect you to take your trash with you home. So get ready for that. Some trash can be disposed in like a supermarket or convenience store, but its often only things than can be recycled.

[@athrian]

tried those buckwheat pillows in a traditional ryokan, it's larger than what you have and got told the next day that I didn't snore that night

[@hillppari]

maximum the hormone is a pretty good band tbh

[@balabanasireti]

They're okay

[@p4ttl344]

Have a Merry Christmas Chris, thanks for all the videos over the years

[@Frozty]

I'll have no Brit besmirch the good name of Charles Entertainment Cheese! (Or Chuck E. for short), especially when the Wombles are so beloved and equally unsettling.

[@decusq]

Bump of Chicken might have one of the weirdest band names but my God their music is almost like having a magical experience at times.

[@banditkeithkingofduelmonsters]

Don't change the loud bgm part. It was funny and should stay.

[@19CD91]

I had to check if another tab was auto playing a random video lmao was pretty funny.

[@fyshfysh1281]

4 Videos in 2 weeks?! Its a Christmas miracle. Hope its a good one, and happy new year everyone!

[@cjrains6022]

@5:39 we need this in NYC 😅

[@ZK-sz8vs]

American here nothing mysterious about meatloaf, it is what it sounds like. basically a big loaf of seasoned hamburger, mixed together with a binder to hold it together, bread crumbs and onions to help with shape and flavor. some people like it with gravy and mashed potatoes, some people like it with ketchup, you use a knife to cut it into bread like slices, it can be had on its own with condiments of choice or on sandwich bread. its fantastic. i've also known people to enjoy it the next day cold on some sandwich bread with mustard and onions. but yeah for the most part its just hamburger and breadcrumbs with the odd bit of spice or coating. egg nog is a classic thick sweet cream flavored drink, with occasional cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla added to taste. it can be served alcoholic (i have heard of burboun and/or rum as the alcohols of choice) or non alcoholic, which is how i usually enjoy it. it is very rich, most people dont indulge in more than a single glass or two at most in a single sitting, it is also quite thick, like maybe slightly thinner than a milkshake. chuck'e'cheese is a kids party resteraunt venue and entertainment play place. setups vary by location, but they will often serve pizza or other kids party foods, and has a collection of arcade and carnival games which award tickets to exchange for prizes, some locations will also have the titular character put on some kind of show with a stage or animatronics, though im not sure if those are still in use these days. there were other similar competing chains as well like leaps and bounds, and ceasarland (owned by little ceasars pizza). i havent seen any of them open in some time though.

[@firenter]

17:25 We used to call these "French Toilets" because you could still find these in rest stops in France up until the late 90s or early 2000s I have vivid memories of my mom telling my dad to drive to the next rest stop because it had squat toilets

[@Marangi.jr1]

Funny, ALL Kenyan schools have those type of toilets. In Kenya, we have like this mentality that the squat toilets are more hygenic and easy to clean, and that the bowl seat toilets are for households only. It's so serious that I won't use the bowl seat toilets in a public area, I just can't trust them.😂

[@Koschka128]

They used to be pretty much everywhere, I remember seeing them in the mid 90s in Italian petrol stations.

[@laurencefraser]

@@Marangi.jr1 To be fair, you can't trust the bowl seat toilets in a lot of more public locations... but you'd be hard pressed to convince me that a squat toilet in such a location was meaningfully better (and that's before getting into the issue of how people with various relevant disabilities are supposed to manage).

[@ItsSmittyMC]

During my first trip to Japan, the first few nights using a buckwheat pillow were horrible and it certainly hurt my neck. By the end of the trip, I loved them. I bought myself one when I returned home, and I can barely sleep without it now!

[@logistic5721]

"Much of America remains an enigma to me. Things like, meat loaf, egg nog, Chuck E Cheese" - Chris Abroad 2024

[@clothar23]

Which is hilarious since Egg Nog was a British thing originally.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

Hilarious is a strong word

[@philipwhitecat]

begging peter to convert chris on the eggnog

[@lookfun7886]

Touch my secret sounds more like a song title rather than a band name. Also love how you broke each part up so it is to scroll to my favorite part(s) when re-watching.

[@L0rd_Br0tat0]

Ok but Max the Hormone describes the experience of listening to that band perfectly. Top tier band name imo