Japanese Pop Culture is Saving the Countryside | The HELLO KITTY Plan ★ ONLY in JAPAN

[@WaoryuONLYinJAPAN]

What do you think about this plan to revitalize the countryside here? Will it bring in international tourists and give locals a reason to return home to start a business? Grow the economy. WHAT'S YOUR IDEA? THOUGHTS? Please leave me a comment below and I'll pin the best one and reply in the morning. THANK YOU for watching -John

[@towada1066]

um,... in two words, ' probably not ' . Most of the country towns which need the most help (especially in Tohoku) are too remote and depressed. This looks like boutique farm-tourism which I'm sure will be popular with the nearby Osaka tourists. Anyway, the current problem is a long time in the making; since 1946 the cities have been sucking the countryside dry of people. At any rate, the LDP would need to be involved in any real solution (if one exists at this point).

[@towada1066]

@Otaku Burrito that's already been tried (especially in Nagano Prefecture which was historically a " Western tourist spot " back in Meiji Era) ... I just can't agree with you.

[@isunamitch]

There should be initiatives given/visa given to foreginers who want to settle down and open a small useful business in such remote villages for a set period of time and decide to live there.. Like 5 years visa renewable for another 5 years, and then if you're still there or in any of another remote areas after 10 years, give a permanent visa.. I'm thinking like recycling or fixing things kinda focused business... I fix cars and stuff for a living.... I'd love to do it AND live in rural Japan... be a guest house at the same time for visiting backpacker tourists...

[@towada1066]

@@isunamitch ahem,... thanks,... you said the basic word ... " foreigner " ... there is a limited guest worker program but I'm pretty sure Japan is not going to adopt pre-Trump American immigration policies

[@BeesBugsJapan]

isunamitch not a bad idea, sadly to hard to implement as visas are not controlled by the local authorities.

[@AnkiiC]

I heard that like the sanrio CEO said smthn like "if one of your favorite franchises is dying, just contact us and we'll try" like as in terms of collaborating with others

[@WaoryuONLYinJAPAN]

Anki that is a really inspiring statement. Kitty can give life back to something that is dying, I have a lot of respect for the way they do it then.

[@akmalfikri]

Sadly Hello Kitty land in Malaysia is closing.

[@ChaiTeaFox]

A few months ago this video inspired me to visit! It was very beautiful and not far from where I was living, the people are kind, and a few even offered me tea! There's a grandmother named Hirata and she told me stories of when the village and surrounding areas used to be thriving and I ended up staying an entire week helping to spread their message. You'll be happy to know, they are recovering slowly but surely.

[@1949chefjojo]

Did you know, we are Attracted to traveling 🧭 to JAPAN 🇯🇵 only because you make JAPAN enticing. Your show is what we watch each day. We appreciate the information you give us and especially we want to explore the Countryside. Yes, we will visit Tokyo but we like the Countryside of Japan.

[@pslay9324]

My mother in law just past on Sept 5, 2019 at the age of 92. She left behind alot of her past growing up in Japan. Thanks for sharing alot of her home land and islands which helps me understand some of the things she writes about. She survived the two atomic bombs when she was a young girl. Japan is full of culture, arts, and history.

[@pslay9324]

@49jubilee thank you. I pulled their website . Wonderful things. I had no idea what this machine was that my mother in law had, it was a mochi maker

[@mareecuree]

I think I found a perfect destination for my friend who doesn't like Hello Kitty 😁😁😁

[@Silverjaine]

That'll be a nightmare

[@Tastychronicles]

I am now easily convinced to visit Awaji Island for the many Hello Kitty attractions in an off the beaten path location of Japan. In fact, any Hello Kitty fan would be willing to visit too. I am so glad you reported the Hello Kitty attractions in Awajji Island, because I never knew about them. Seriously, these are not in any of the tour guidebooks that I've read nor have I read about them on the internet. The Hello Kitty theme dining and entertainment are things that I (a long time fan) would enjoy experiencing. Beside Hello Kitty, it is nice to see that only vegan food is served that the restaurant. Those Japanese dishes that you and Mrs. Daub dined on look very gourmet, delicious, and healthy. Thank you for reporting.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

It’s like the Pikachu train where it’s purpose was to help the kids in the 2011 tsunami devastated area and try to boost their economy in the right direction

[@okaringo8718]

金正恩ﾀﾋね カッスやな⤴⤴!!!

[@In.New.York.I.Milly.Rock.]

That sounds baller af tbh

[@georgemitchel23]

But... you hate Japan and the world Kim

[@Rakkidood]

you better stop spying japan KIM !!! we love japan !!!

[@pugiemcrufus6050]

......this is awkward coming from you 🤔

[@GeckoOnTheWall]

What a great idea to bring tourists to rural areas, Hello Kitty has universal appeal and paired with beautiful countryside is sure to be a hit. Great to see Kanae too! Thanks John 👍🏻

[@Kitora_Su]

Really loved the Kitty vibes🐱 The vegan cuisine of Hello Kitty Showbox and the diverge cuisine of Hello Kitty Smile would pave a way for a lot of tourists. I'm a fan of Shinchan and Naruto so, I will definitely visit both of the theme parks. Glad to see Kanae in the video too and there's so much more interesting information packed in the video other than Hello Kitty *-* It'll be a great escape from the busy Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe region and still have unique experiences there. Awaji Island is also known for its various sea-food cuisine and if I'm correct, Hello Kitty Smile might have some of the options. Thanks again John & Kanae for this amazing video^^

[@Kelvin_Foo]

It's official: Hello Kitty can be seen FROM SPACE. Can't wait to see the director's cut livestream. Also on a somewhat related note, not long after the 2011 earthquake, Ooarai in Ibaraki Prefecture had a tourism boom thanks to the popular anime series "Girls und Panzer." So, maybe having these rural towns act as the backdrop for pop culture works might help draw curious visitors to these places.

[@BenjiSun]

agreed! the whole pop culture/anime culture collaboration seems to be working out quite well. Yuru Camp vitalized the western route around Mt. Fuji, Zombie Land Saga for parts of Saga prefecture, the various tv dramas like Amachan or Mare or Sanada Maru respectively brought many tourists to Kuji in Iwate, Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa, and Ueda and Bessho onsen in Nagano... in addition, with the Yumebudai area, Awaji could really do with trying to attract more full weekend conventions or big rock concerts similar to Fuji Rock to be held there, with coaches ferrying people in to stay for the whole weekend... but that would mean better choices in affordable accommodations near the convention and not just the resort hotel and the Westin... Awaji's ability to handle tourists who aren't just passing through on a day trip by car, is still severely lacking. by car, they could even try and absorb some of the guests from the other side of Onaruto bridge in Tokushima when there's major even there... i used to love biking when i lived their for a short while back in the early 90's, maybe they could go a more eco route along the western coastline, built a gorgeous biking path and promote minshukus, hostels, and affordable but approachable little eateries and cafes, in a similar vein to the Michinoku hiking trails or Onomichi bike route, but more casual for less intense biking. (sidenote; it'd be cool to do something similar to the islands east of Kure/west of Onomichi. there's some nice little towns there too but they're also suffering from dwindling population and poor transportation. one of these days i'll go check out "the old townscape of Toilet" or 御手洗の町並み Otearai no machinami)

[@oleksandrzubchenko210]

The power of culture!

[@otemachi4317]

In the mid-2010s Love Live Sunshine helped Numazu's economy.

[@drowningin]

That is too small to see from space. They go up in a helicopter, or maybe that's a drone. At 30k feet(plane cruising altitude) that building will have disappeared

[@mtwhatley3253]

Kana’s smile could melt an iceberg.......so sweet. John you are blessed.

[@NoshAbroad]

Kanae

[@gerardcamphens3578]

The countryside is a different world then the big cities. The countryside is an undiscovered world. I think its nice to meet local people from the countryside, and listen to their stories. And of course the local food. Japan have great food. Thank you for uploading.

[@UFOBobTV]

What a unique and interesting way to attract people - of all ages - to the countryside. And Kanae makes a wonderful co- host.

[@mrs.quills7061]

That little hop and "hello" from Kanae was so fun and cute! I seriously love you two together in these videos. Also, I am from the instagram squad but under a different name (inky_biscuits). Keep up the great work John, I've been enjoying these episodes on small towns and what they're doing to innovate. As someone who is from and lives in a small town, that guy was right about not being able to survive without a car. I think this is a great direction forward and it's cool to see how younger people have been innovating these spaces.

[@tesscook1]

Thanks for the informative and respectful look at the countryside of Japan. I spend most of my time when visiting Japan in the countryside or small towns, so I really appreciate you taking time to share it with other's on your KZbin channel.

[@oleksandrzubchenko210]

Congratulations to the producer of our favorite show ONLY IN JAPAN! Now you got brilliant Japanese native reporter, so the show will be even greater every time! :)

[@tomo_mix]

AWAJI is famous with AWAJI beef and AWAJI onion.i often go to enjoy it and beautiful scenery.

[@RenerDeCastro]

Beautiful content as usual. I love learning about lesser known facts about Japan each episode. It's what distinguishes this channel from most other Japan-related ones.

[@killersushi99]

*Never underestimate the power of the KITTY!*

[@WaoryuONLYinJAPAN]

Never never never never underestimate Kittychan!

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

These videos are a gift to us, thank you

[@GilAsakawa]

Fun! Sanrio is super strict about copyright and licensing, but when the Japanese American National Museum in LA curated the first-ever US Hello Kitty exhibit in 2015 it set attendance records, which still stand.

[@nadinegel]

Great idea to put the Hello Kitty showbox building to boost the economy of the countryside‼️👍🥰 Thanks for featuring this unique video. I love ❤️Hello Kitty‼️👏👏

[@lunabat1911]

Ahh, your videos are always good to come home to, they never fail to relax me after a stressful day! Thank you John!

[@marchiolle]

Kanae is cute. I am happy that she joins you ! You guys are perfect together!

[@gdj11]

My daughter's would love to see this as they love Hello Kitty. I love the the Japanese countryside. It's epically beautiful historic and quiet, a huge contrast to the city. Any reason to get people to visit the countryside will introduce them to the most awesome part of Japan. That's my opinion. I love the countryside!

[@thomasfitz]

Love Japan's obsession with obscure rural 'museums' and mini amusement parks. One of my favorites is Oni Ko Land in Tottori Prefecture.

[@jesparon]

This is a great video. I always enjoy your vlogs. Five stars for you new reporter.

[@mimii3000]

Thank you and your wonderful reporter Kanae, for this episode! Also thank you for listing in the description box on how to get there! Adding this to my wishlist of places to visit! The list is very long thanks to your channel!

[@thepowerstation2702]

It's great that Japan 🇯🇵 is revitalising the rural areas. 🙏 😊

[@the_other_seto_kaiba]

Whoa... thats a getaway paradise from the cities. Nice and clean and away from the city noise. Another one to add on the to do visit list.

[@Tmidiman]

Wow, that was over fast! I don’t post here much, so let me say “Thank You” for all the great content! It is very much appreciated.

[@theresapepanio3819]

Wow what a beautiful place to visit 😻 huge thanks for bringing us to this one of the most stunning place in Japan.

[@SilkyC]

I just watched the history of Hello Kitty and man what a history!!! This was great to watch and to see Japan wanting to revitalize the countryside!

[@shimauma9577]

Drove past those places 3 weeks ago on Awaji, the car park for the 'kitty smile' was packed. We stopped further down the road at 'happy Pancake Cafe', had the same great ocean views. That part of the island certainly is quiet, makes for a nice drive.

[@arleyramos]

One more episode of amazing information. Thanks a lot. Nice to see you both on the show.

[@jadecummings8093]

Hey John, I want you to know that I've never seen this place before in Japan. It's looks so cool and very inspiring, thanks for sharing and just what I mentioned that you're the best KZbinr ever. 😉👍

[@CatalinaCNV]

I loved seeing your wife reporting with you! Big thumps up to Kanae and i adored this episode, makes me want to visit it so badly!

[@armontero91]

45th anniversary of hello kitty. Her birthday is on 1st of November.

[@WaoryuONLYinJAPAN]

Andres Montero WOAH!! She doesn’t look a day over 11 🐱💕

[@notmuch_23]

I'm glad you got Kanae into one of the main channel videos!

[@fernandoquezada9213]

Even though I’m not Japanese I love their comforting and amazing culture with their foods entertainment and people! It looks like a wonderful world and one I want to go to.

[@0dyss3us51]

You and Kanae are awesome together!! and we all know who enjoyed that park most.. John ;))) haha loved it!

[@phd3333]

I enjoy the community spirit where so many come together to take on the task of revitalization. Sometimes I think the world needs the motivation to take on this spirit.

[@firestar1728]

I'm back!!! Fantastic insight into how this region aims to get tourists to visit. Kitty-chan has a huge global following so best of luck to these venues. Wonderful to see Mrs D on the road too!

[@pozzo6828]

I really do hope they succeed there. I am not a hello kitty person myself but many are. These beautiful islands shouldn't fade away. Such pretty towns and villages.

[@hirostvjapan]

Since I live in Kobe I go to Awaji a lot. In the holiday season, it's hard to get a hotel (Onsen Ryokan). But on normal days I don't think that people go there. Even I go to Awaji a lot I did not know about this 2 Hello Kitty area and Naruto area so they need to promote more about it and get people to come to Awaji. I bet that there is so many people does not know anything about these areas. Awaji really has a great Onsen Hotel, you can do camping, small but great amusement park, etc. It is a small island but there is a lot of things you can do so I love Awaji and want people to visit Awaji once.

[@kawainessa]

woke up to a new episode of only in japan what a nice way to wake up

[@MartyDittmar]

Very Kawaii! I love the Japanese countryside and unexpected attractions, it adds to the excitement & enjoyment of travelling around Japan making you want to explore more of the less populated areas. Love Japan 🥰

[@ismene6546]

Someday when I visit Japan I defiantly will stay on this island and take in the beautiful sights and Hello Kitty 🥰

[@okami2670]

Sometimes Japan amazes me at how beautiful the landscape is 6:40 !

[@nocturne8323]

Man... i know right,if i live there i wanna chill around the beach

[@araiguma3267]

I'm a Japanese, and some of my friends live in this island. They all hate this invasion by Pasona group. This video is just showing how beautifully Foreign owned Pasona group is destroying countryside nature + culture.

[@zabrinesabrina4475]

This is a very sad reality that happens all over the world. Some of the business groups do not think of the environmental and social aspects. I really love Japan and I hope that the untouched nature will be preserved for the next generations. By the way, I'm a Filipino and I live in the Philippines. I could relate to your friend since parts of the Rice Fields in our province are now areas of big companies.

[@Hyperbuzz10]

It makes me kinda sad even as a foreigner because there's a ton of history around the creation myth of Japan with Awaji being the first island created. That's the main reason I visited last year and even though I got lost and couldn't visit the Izanami/Izanagi shrines as I intended, I learned even more about the island's culture by roaming the countryside. Awaji island has a lot of personality and a lot of history to offer without being painted over with pop-culture. Anyone who's visiting simply for the pop-culture attractions is missing out on some of the best spring onion and beef in Japan as well as some of the oldest shrines in the country.

[@adrianhawthorn5414]

Woooo new video!!! Great work john!! Always stellar work!

[@bakaichigo]

Awesome! Would totally visit next trip. Also, loved seeing Kanae in this video! She was great too! :D

[@trus8363]

I really enjoy your videos. Very well done. I'm too old to ever get a chance to see Japan in what's left in my time. It's nice to at least see Japan this way. Time goes by so fast, you always think there's plenty of time but then there just wasnt. Keep up the good work.

[@oleksandrzubchenko210]

I heard that Hello Kitty is the second highest-grossing franchise of all time. So it is no surprise that they pick it to bring people's attention to Kansai.

[@alanknuth1671]

I think this is fantastic. If there was a 90 second action packed edit for 10 year olds this topic could have huge numbers.

[@astroboy3507]

Was suprised to see it there in that location!!! Great drone shots!!!

[@jasonhwang2871]

It is very nice to see Kanae in your ONLY IN JAPAN video:)

[@r.c.7711]

It would work for sure. They must bring a lot of shops/retail and other small restaurants though so people can have options when they get there. Very 👍🏼 nice. I would love to visit one day.

[@lunabat1911]

Imagine walking through a farm area and you just find hello kitty chilling in a field XD But really, what a great idea! No need to get rid of everything when you could just improvise? I hope generations old and new enjoy the new addition!

[@leedevlin8260]

Speaking as someone who has visited Japan many times, I'm definitely curious! I think an eco friendly theme and transportation would also help

[@BlackRose85789]

I really love this show. I hope you can continue doing this.

[@onthegovegan2619]

Definitely on my bucket list if I ever get the opportunity to visit Japan, great video.

[@Hazemann]

Many Japanese ikons famous around the world like Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, Doraemon, Digimon, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Crayon Sin Chan, Ultraman, Godzilla, Power Ranger and so many more

[@joeseditamusic]

Another great video!

[@jg2923]

Cool idea and like the vegan menu at the first Hello Kitty spot.

[@KplusJinJapan]

Nice to see Kanae in a main channel episode! Is she a Hello Kitty fan? I don't know that I'd personally travel that far out just to see that... but, although Kitty-chan is cute, I'm not a huge fan. I know that some people are though, so I think it would work. It's an interesting idea. (If it were Totoro, I'd probably make the trek. Haha.)

[@cybeam1]

Definitely a creative attempt to revitalize this rural area. Since it's close to and easy to reach from Kobe it might have a similar appeal like the other theme cafés for families with kids ... and cars. Maybe they can add (more) theme park attractions to increase the appeal over the years. It all looked very empty in the video. Best of luck to them, hopefully it'll get a huge success and will lead to other rural areas develop creative revitalization concepts as well!! Thanks a lot for the episode and your hard work, John and Kanae!!

[@cc-nb8om]

Beautiful place looks peaceful and happy

[@koreatravel2065]

Hello Kitty Showbox is impressive. I think I'll love it if I go with my children. Thank you.

[@ricochandrachan]

IG SQUAD!! As usual, saving this movie for my weekend.

[@Slammer_1970]

This was a very interesting video and I really enjoyed it.

[@WhatsInside]

Man, Japan is so weird. But I love it.

[@scorpioncoreuniverse8981]

Man John you really know how to really put something wonderful together that Hello Kitty idea is really an awesome idea.

[@lerli2050]

This is so new to me. It so cute hello kitty in a ricefield 😍😻❤️👍

[@natefunk1]

This reminds me of the Anime Sakura Quest. Especially the when they said they turned the school into a shopping mall. Hello Kitty is definitely better than a chupacabra that's for sure. :)

[@MageThief]

Love to see an update of this in a few years from now. Good to see more of Kanae as well :)

[@Kikyolover9]

Definitely would visit. Plus I love hello Kitty 😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️💙💙💙

[@Mostly.Travel]

Cool Video! I could definitely see myself visiting the second attraction, Hello Kitty Smile, if I ever make it to that part of the world!

[@vecaarrieta8180]

Hello Kitty fan here! Now i have reason to visit Japan!🥰😍

[@ronaldv101]

always good to have a video from you I G

[@xXdarkdekuXx]

I discovered best ever food review show and I can't stop

[@epi1337]

Great debut for Kanae on main channel ;) We need more ;)

[@TheRealRhinji]

I was on Naruto and Boruto Shinobi Zato a few days ago, I didn´t knew the Hello Kitty, I would like to visit it, but maybe next time :), crossing the bridge was very nice and the island is very beautyful

[@cocacolachy]

Robert Man was the park crowded

[@TheRealRhinji]

@@cocacolachy No it was not, I was there from around 12 and few hours ahead

[@williamrios6976]

A really nice place with a great message.

[@StarlordStavanger]

i love this channel!!!!!

[@a1thelion]

Anybody who has ever played a SimCity computer game, knows that in order to increase population, there needs to be more infrastructure like more roads, more sewage lines, power lines, etc. According to your video description, Awaji Island is mainly farmland, so this begs the question: Will farmers give up their farmland for it to be repurposed for other uses? I don't think so, therefore, I feel not much can be really done about Awaji Island's population problem. Farmers won't give up their land and there's no economic incentive to develop more infrastructure for the island since a couple of farmers don't justify the cost of building train stations that would not get enough passenger use when the Japanese government can build more train stations for more populated areas in Japan that always demand more train stations. As for my thoughts on the Hello Kitty cafe, it's cute, but Hello Kitty fans would probably prefer visiting Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo, which has much more things to do than eating at a Hello Kitty themed cafe on Awaji Island. I think opening an arcade at the same location would have served Awaji Island's population better, especially for the teenagers and adults of Awaji Island. Playing some games on an arcade machine after a hard day's work of farming could help relieve some boredom but that is just my opinion. If I were in charge of Awaji Island and wanted to revitalize the island, I would consider one option: The option would be considering, making the island a college town by creating an Agricultural College on Awaji Island and taking advantage of the surrounding farms in educational partnerships. More students coming to live on Awaji Island in order to attend school would drive more infrastructure demands. We all know student populations are transient though since students will always inevitably graduate and leave the island, but if the Agricultural College on Awaji Island is popular enough, the increased population of Awaji Island after opening an Agricultural College, will always be refilled and maintained every year as graduating students leave the island and incoming students enter the island to attend school. All those new students now living on Awaji Island, will want some entertainment as well even if they are agricultural majors and their demand for entertainment will cause companies in other parts of Japan to invest in Awaji Island since they now see those students as big money to be made. The Japanese government will notice the increased student population on Awaji Island as well and will correspondingly start investing in more infrastructure on Awaji Island, making everybody a winner in the end. However, a word of warning, such an Agricultural College on Awaji Island should not be created with any halfhearted feelings. An Awaji Island Agricultural College needs to be amazing and be able to compete with the best agricultural colleges in the rest of Japan or there would be no point in opening an agricultural college on the island in the first place.

[@thatgirl3757]

This is one very good idea!

[@keshabarretto]

Deep insights! Appreciate this

[@danan9061]

I agree. College towns add lots of money from outside the area

[@TriAtharva]

Who else loved this video?? Cuz I sure did

[@dodgeman6277]

Awesome video John thanks for the early release

[@revanali5813]

I love Japan.l like hello kitty sooo much I wish i could visit that place.❤❤❤❤

[@AdvRajAgrawal]

Best KZbin Channel 🙏😃

[@thumb-ugly7518]

Thank you for a good video. One day I will visit Japan. Then I will return again with my kids. We will definitely visit this island.

[@shirishpanwalkar]

Beautiful episode!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

A luxury Hello Kitty restaurant and hotel is fascinating. If it floats their boat, their plan could work

[@jason_from_canada]

An interesting and unique idea to revitalize the area. The vegan food looked amazing and loved the way you shot the food. Kanae did a great job! 👍

[@krishagarwall6941]

Hello From India Your videos are very good and I have been watching them for years and want to visit someday

[@samreciter]

Kanae - so beautiful !! =)

[@WaoryuONLYinJAPAN]

I think so too!

[@torpedo8384]

It's kind of like what the town on US Route 66 have faced. Worth a try.

[@EG-kk8qd]

Maybe more beach side activities...a getaway from the city 🤔! Noticed the nice shoreline from the above views 😁

[@lizalfaro4596]

I would love to take my kids here.. Definetly gotta save for a trip to this beautiful country and i know both my kids will love it Naruto for my boy and hello kitty for my girl.. So perfect 💕