"They Never Believe I'm Japanese" British Born in Japan

What's it like to feel like a foreigner in a country you were born and raised in? I interviewed a family in Japan so rare, we don't even know what to call them. Alecia and Joshua are 3rd generation British immigrants to Japan who have never felt like a normal part of Japanese society.
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[@OrientalPearl]

💝 Use Code "PEARL" to get $5 off your #Sakuraco team.sakura.co/orientalpearl-SC2401 and #TokyoTreat team.tokyotreat.com/orientalpearl-TT2401 boxes now! Experience Japan from the comfort of your own home

[@theunknownunknowns5168]

This was a good one.

[@cybercipherandcollie8911]

My 34-year-old son has been teaching English in Japanese schools for the past 10 years (first Kyoto, now Osaka). I was hoping to send one of these Valentines care packages to him, however, both of the web-sites (sakura/TokyoTreat) stated in the FAQ that they cannot deliver to addresses within Japan. Any suggestions on how I might be able to do something like that?

[@half-breed]

You have a new ghost scammer that replied to my comment on this video

[@simaobouhamidi]

yes me two @@half-breed

[@doommonger7784]

London is foreign even to the English who live outside its borders. My advice would of been for them to get away from SE England and experience the real England, populated by true British people.

[@breezeh1127]

Her and her brothers mannerisms are very culturally Japanese. She did seem so much more comfortable speaking Japanese ❤ What an interesting video 😊

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you for being here for every video friend!

[@jamesjdm]

Yeah that's all nice and good. But here's the thing she said herself that her family came there as missionaries. Missionaries are colonizers. They seek to change the religious and cultural beliefs of the population they infect. Said that her parents are still missionaries. She's not Japanese. She's an invader and a colonizer. Sorry if you don't like what I'm saying that's too bad but anybody that goes to a different culture and tries to force change on them through altering. Their religious beliefs is not part of that culture

[@jamesjdm]

​@@OrientalPearlit's amazing that you don't question the fact that her family are missionaries, which means they are colonizers trying to change and influence the culture that they are infecting.

[@pithius2191]

Definitely has the Japanese humility, hopefully it will rub off on the youtuber

[@tetovazamarcelabrozovica3392]

@@pithius2191 which youtuber Mr.Beast PewDiePie or some u imagine it would need some culture in behave

[@MarieSallaupHalse]

Congratulations on 1 million subs 🎉

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you so much!

[@TL243]

Kudos. So glad to see you grow so big!

[@LESRAM1981]

Keep up the good work. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 ❤ 😊 🥰

[@DouweBuruma]

Congratulations 🥳

[@EliasBac]

Yes ! Congrats ! Been following you for a while and it it heartwarming to see you at a Million subs now 🙌

[@jonorisin73]

When the cart guy said "Oh--- you're Japanese? Excuse me. Then we're the same" - it was precious!!! He didn't question how it was so, he just accepted it with respect and love!

[@cas333]

Its funny, Alecia has some of the Japanese face expressions and gestures 😄 She seems very nice and polite, just as you would expect from a japanese person 🙂 Very sweet

[@andrewmildenberg4210]

I thought the same thing. Even the way she listens and responds to someone when they're speaking was pretty Japanese. The "Mm" they do as a way to tell the other person that they're listening is something non-natives don't generally do.

[@tetovazamarcelabrozovica3392]

@@andrewmildenberg4210 they are born there live there its normal if u move and live in some country for example 5 years you adopt their culture behavior and if u born there its normal

[@eigojiyouzu]

They are literally Japanese haha, thats why

[@epikorean]

As an Asian born and raised in Europe, this story resonates with me. Thanks for the great content!

[@sm00re2]

i love the rickshaw guys energy and the way he said "im japanese" was so cute❤ love the video~

[@OrientalPearl]

Yeah, those guys are always a lot of fun.

[@MrLanternland]

That job keeps you in top condition!

[@user-id3bg3kc3l]

The part where Alecia said her parents made her speak english at home is so relatable as an immigrant. We are asians that moved to South america. My parents made us speak our native language at home, because we already got enough of spanish at school. But My brother and I can´t speak to each other in our native language... unless we had to say something secretly to each other ... and also, the shock from natives when they saw asians speaking spanish perfectly. Now there are more and more asians in south america, so in large cities is not an issue..., but if we go to the countryside, we still get people trying to speak to us using hand gestures....

[@dutchkel]

I remember going to a sushi restaurant in Buenos Aires employed by all Japanese Argentines who had lived there for generations and hearing only Spanish. It was a fun experience.

[@Ryan-ul7dy]

Hay una gran comunidad de gente de origen asiático en Argentina.

[@sanhopper9508]

I totally relate to this but I am the opposite to you… My brother and I are British born Chinese and growing up my parents insisted we spoke only Cantonese at home as we got all the English outside… so we would blend the Chinese and English together (known as Chinglish to us folk!) if we didn’t want our parents to understand what we were saying 😂

[@goyam2981]

My parents can speak Chinese (a southern dialect) but they save it for talking secrets in front of the kids. Lol.

[@goyam2981]

American-born Asians don't like when people in the US ask about their roots and want to be treated as just "Asians". On the other hand foreign students from Asia want to be recognized as people from their countries e.g. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc. and not lumped as just Asians. These cultural things can be quite complicated. Wisdom of age has told me to let it go and go with the flow and just explain to people without taking offense or getting upset. Like in this video instead of saying they're from Japan or they are Japanese, maybe just say we're of English/Welsh/Scottish/Irish descent but born and raised in Japan. This way people do understand.

[@matthewjames3020]

I will never get tired of these videos! Please keep them coming! Hearing people speak different languages is absolutely beautiful!!

[@OrientalPearl]

More to come!

[@whushaw]

I really enjoyed hearing Alicia's story. You always learn something new from her viewpoint. Her unique experience is something anyone could learn from. It's great she got to have a rickshaw ride for the first time. A new memory formed! 💜

[@OrientalPearl]

Glad you enjoyed it! I have another similar video for you that will be coming out next week.

[@Rtc6444]

As an American Born Chinese (ABC) from NYC, I always loved it when other nationalities speak any Asian language , makes me feel proud of my heritage especially I was raised in a mixed culture household, some British and American along with Chinese traditions

[@generalnguyenngocloan1700]

🐉👍🏻

[@sky-pv7ff]

Then you're still chinese and only American in citizenship.

[@ramdas363]

There's some irony in that though. I'm sure the woman was proud of her British heritage until she went there and found she doesn't have much in common with them. It's a similar experience for many second generation kids. At one point they have to make a choice because when it comes to very different cultures, one can't follow both at the same time. For non-Asians in Japan it's even much harder than in the US, which is multiracial and doesn't associate their national identity with a certain look. In Japan it's the norm that even native-born people will be seen as foreigners when they don't look Asian. They could be 5th generation, doesn't matter. Most Japanese will never see them as real Japanese.

[@cooliipie]

​@@ramdas363 And a lot of westerners will never see "ABCs" as real American etc. Your point? Life is too short

[@CrazyMurica]

@@ramdas363do u think coloured people are accepted in the US by the whites.. yes there are a bunch of liberals and open minded crowd but majority of the whites lives under the belief that America=White, sounds harsh but true, an European immigrant will be treated better that a 3rd/4th or 5th generation coloured person

[@robertoventrillon7624]

Japan is an amazing country. Be proud of it and work hard to keep it so.

[@dekaOsiris]

Japan IS a very lovely country, it is my favourite on Earth. I am blessed to live in Australia, but Alecia put it perfectly, there's a calmess and this sense of joy in Japan that i've never felt anywhere else in the world..

[@juromanz]

Congrats on one million subs. Great video again. I like the story of the two British-Japanese siblings.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you so much! They have another brother too. Maybe I can interview him one day too.

[@Zackfed96]

This is basically the story of every second, third and fourth generation immigrant kids who's parents teach them the language of their ancestors. I was born and raised in American. But English was my second language. And I had trouble learning English in school. Kids would tell me to go back to where I came from. But I was born here. Parents wouldn't let us speak English at home because we had alot of that outside of the house. It's interesting to see that with other cultures in other parts of the world

[@bigchungus4336]

???

[@maiyahtucker6576]

I’m American, born in Japan. Alicia’s expressiveness is perfectly Japanese 😊. My Japanese mother has been gone now 3 yrs. I miss her very much. She was almost 94. She never taught us Japanese, she said, because she didn’t want to confuse us. I knew better. None of my other half Japanese friends spoke Japanese either. Our mothers wanted to do their best to assimilate into the American culture after immigrating to the U.S. I remember a few phrases, but that’s it. I had a friend here in the U.S. that went on a mission to Japan who is full Japanese, but spoke broken Japanese. It was awkward for him to speak to them, he said, as they were confused at why he was full Japanese, but couldn’t communicate it well with them. I felt for him. Thank you for your channel. I’m really enjoying it!

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

What a waste! If your mother had taught you Japanese you could have always picked up extra cash working as a translator. Or you could be watching Japanese films. What a wasted opportunity.

[@bogeyman10us11]

Sorry that you did not learn Japanese while growing up. Perhaps, you can start. Better late than never.

[@yo2trader539]

It's because your mother was a War Bride and knew Japanese society will never view children of foreign fathers and war brides/trophies as Japanese. They were not even given Japanese citizenship.

[@hongjoongsbutterfly]

I can't help but notice her mannerisms are definitely Japanese, especially with the "uh, uh" grunting in agreement when listening to someone else speak. That seems to be very culturally East Asian. It's very interesting.

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

White Brits don’t do that.

[@cubnbooty]

Hispanics do it a lot too.

[@SmartK8]

Of course they're Japanese, she's Japanese. No wonder then.

[@robertlalor8090]

That was so interesting. Thanks for making and sharing and well done on achieving your first million subs. Here's to the next million.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you very much!

[@MultiClittle]

She and her brother look so much alike, it's awesome! I hope that they never forget what an amazing situation they're in, despite all the challenges with people that assume things because of how they look.

[@OrientalPearl]

And it’s funny because they have complete opposite personalities lol

[@cozzazee4043]

Who effin cares.

[@Paul_Wetor]

Alecia's reaction to the UK is interesting. I've only lived in one other state, briefly, but it does make you appreciate things you were never aware of. Same with my home town. As a kid, it was small and dull, but now I realize that being on Lake Michigan was way more interesting than being landlocked. Like _The Wizard of Oz_ sometimes - there's no place like home.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks for watching Paul.

[@nevillemason6791]

Alecia was probably referring about the UK to her experience in London or outside London in the southeast of England. It's like judging the USA by only experiencing New York city. People are far friendlier and approachable elsewhere in the UK. The woman who cuts my hair worked previously in London. She went there from Poland. When she first came to my northern city she thought several people mistook her for someone they already knew. No, we're just that friendly to total strangers!

[@lil-g4879]

As a British person that lived in Japan, then came back to the UK…I miss Japan too, can’t stand being back in the UK.

[@richardwills-woodward5340]

In 20 years the country I love (the UK) has been destroyed by migrants. I loved visiting Japan for its safety and culture, but the architecture made me so depressed.

[@lil-g4879]

@@richardwills-woodward5340 if by migrants, you mean the Conservative Party, then yes. I would hardly blame migrants for the lack of funding to the NHS, 15 years of unnecessary austerity, fewer police, the smallest army since the Napoleonic wars, underfunded social services, the rich getting richer or massive Gov fraud. But aye, blame migrants because you don’t like black or brown people…

[@andybliss5965]

​@@richardwills-woodward5340 took me years to put my finger on what it was I didn't like there. Yeah something about the interior design there. There's generally a lot less creativity than here or Europe.

[@Natasha-oz6ik]

@@richardwills-woodward5340don’t worry, you’ll get use to it like how a lot of other countries had to get use to being destroyed by the English

[@richardwills-woodward5340]

You only have a developed world and can say the nonsense you say precisely [because of] the English. Ignorant Muslims and Africans fail to grasp this. They like to move to english land though. A strange decision given their views by majority. @@Natasha-oz6ik

[@JustPlainRob]

That 何が起こるを知らない "survival mode" feeling is one of my favorite parts about traveling to countries where I don't know the language or culture well, but I don't think I'd want to live in a place where I felt like that full time.

[@Forlfir]

Almost nowhere is as safe as Japan though :( however some places are way better than others

[@Doing_Time]

right. I don't like europe for the opposite reason of her...I'm more into "frontiers" travel...southeast asia, south asia, africa, south america...

[@lanamortenson8694]

@@Doing_Time I guess you don't like Japan then either because it's a very non "frontiers" type of travel country. Not sure why you're even watching this.

[@autohmae]

I think she might actually have been talking about work culture, etc...?

[@the_real_glabnurb]

@@autohmae Definitely not. It's not called Londonistan for nothing. I have never heard anyone utter the sentence "You know what, in Japan the work culture is much better than in Europe"

[@SailorYuki]

Congrats on 1 million subs! Well deserved. Being a tourist in your own hometown is weird but also so much fun. I've discovered so many cool places and things to do as a tourist in my on hometown. I highly reccomend people to do that, even if it feels silly.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks! 😃 here’s to the next million!

[@bob456fk6]

I liked it when you and Alecia spoke Japanese. All the Japanese words sound the same to me but I can see from the English subtitles they really do form complete, complex sentences. It's fascinating how kids pick up the local language perfectly, not matter what their ancestry. Alecia does have a good American accent when speaking English.

[@OrientalPearl]

Yes the sentences in Japanese are super long lol.

[@jmbickham]

⁠@@OrientalPearlReally? For example…“I/You/He/She/They eat” vs 食べる or “I/You/He/She/They rode the train yesterday” vs 昨日は電車を乗った. I might say something else about the difficulty of Japanese - English/English - Japanese interpreting though… given the vast differences in the grammatical structure of the two languages.

[@MrLanternland]

"It's fascinating how kids pick up the local language perfectly, not matter what their ancestry." It is!

[@VictorVonGrooove]

Congrats on hitting 1 million!!!! That's amazing! You really deserve it because of your hard work!

[@alexvargas1007]

I really liked this kind of content, I would love to see more! Keep up the good work, you've inspired me to start taking japanese seriously.

[@OrientalPearl]

The next video will also be an interview.

[@jayf4612]

Very happy to see you hit the million subscribers mark. Lots of hardwork on your part. Always having great content. You've come a long way. Congratulations!

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks a ton!

[@derekamolsch219]

I watch your videos often and I really enjoy them. I've been waiting to see you reach one million subscribers and I want to say congratulations and keep up the good work!

[@marieneu264]

1M!!!! Congrats!!! Love this video, so much fun!

[@Paul.Douglas]

AWESOME!!! A million subs! You've worked hard and certainly earned it. What a great episode. I really enjoyed the talk with Alecia, and have enjoyed the past ones with Joshua.

[@OrientalPearl]

I enjoyed meeting them both.

[@imrannazir6931]

I watch almost all your new videos from start to finish because your content makes me happy and gives me a smile.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you for watching to the end. 😊

[@LeopoldoErick]

Congrats on one million!! ✨ Thank you for the lovely and interesting interview. 💜

[@kanealoha]

Wow - 1 million. Congratulations! This was an excellent video - I really enjoyed the interview.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks a million!

[@zyme4569]

London and the rest of Britain are different. I wouldn't recommend anyone live in London unless they had to for work. Also British people are reserved and don't really interact with strangers (unless drunk), we are friendly once you get to know us, we have weird sense of humour, we like to form a queue, we like to talk about the weather, we like roast dinner and fish & chips, we are accepting of other cultures, we like to be polite and say sorry a lot

[@dannyKurt]

They do up north, It was quite a shock for me and i'm from the midlands. It's literally night and day vs London. London is more like NYC with the rep of everyone being quite rude and tbh there is almost a 50% chance you're not interacting with a English person at all.

[@LuNa_1_3_1]

British tourists that come to the city I live are not at all liked by other tourists from Asian countries because they are so loud, disrespectful of others and totally all about themselves. Not adhering to good manners or social boundaries. Many Asians did not like being around them when arriving on cruise ships. I even had to apologise to some tourists for the bad behaviour. They said ty and said they liked Canadians lols! As to Uncle, he was a rude jerk. He was from England. Loud, arrogant and full of his own supposed glowing self importance. Clifford Stone was a heavy drinker known to most as Lush. Crude man. His attitude was Not a nice combination. I really found him to be a boring, self involved, narcissistic creep.🙅🇨🇦😖

[@FinalHourMetal]

OOoopp North we are very friendly and open (I from Lancashire), it's only in London that people are afraid to interact with each other, in my experience.

[@lk-music]

@@FinalHourMetal Yep, when she said "British people won't really talk to you" I immediately thought "You went to London, then". I commuted between Staffordshire and Shropshire for over 10 years, and on the two occasions when I had car trouble, within minutes somebody stopped to help me sort it out, once a guy stopped to slow the traffic so I could change my wheel safely, and the other time the gear linkage came away and a guy fixed it with some latex gloves! 🤣

[@billyblunt63]

Yep, London doesn’t reflect the rest of Britain especially the North. Like most capital cities in the world, it’s very egocentric and people don’t engage with their neighbours never mind anyone else. Come to the North and receive a warm welcome.

[@MoodyMarco-vj3oe]

If we treated a British person of Japanese background like that here in the UK it would just be called racism.

[@user-ks3ol3lw3b]

Yes you would. But Japan is a highly race-conscious culture, without necessarily being 'racist.' They think of themselves as being one big family, and obviously racial Europeans are not part of their family. That doesn't mean they don't like them. You may be best friends with your neighbors, but you don't think of them as the same as your parents or siblings.

[@Jambobist]

@@user-ks3ol3lw3b That's a very long-winded way of saying that they are racist.

[@stackorlee6053]

@@user-ks3ol3lw3b Chinese and Koreans immigrants look like the Japanese , but alas, they are not a part of that cozy family either. They are those neighbors you find in a gentrified area that are dirty, noisy, diseased and you have to call the police on them whenever there is a crime. Euphemisms are fun! (tf is wrong wit u?)

[@T.Watts89]

​@@user-ks3ol3lw3bBullshit!! One of the absolutely most racist nations on earth!

[@d4ever649]

@@user-ks3ol3lw3boh ok so telling her to go back to her own country was just being race conscious ok. 🤡

[@McBuggs.]

I found this very fascinating... Many people live a life this way, with a different background and born in another country. I myself have a duel citizenship. Thank you for sharing, as I would enjoy more like this seeing the surprised reactions like those in the video. (Congrats on the 1M)💕

[@thadtuiol1717]

Dual citizenship is BS.

[@lydiafife8716]

Wow - your channel is growing! Thank you for sharing so much!

[@balexic]

I love this channel. It’s always so positive, and interesting. I love it when people open their minds and explore. I have to admit you’re one of the best spokespersons for travel, Japan and language learning. Pimsleur would be well advised to hire you as a full time spokesperson. You are the best example of successful language learning! Keep up the good work and all the best! Brian in Toronto Canada! 🇨🇦

[@OrientalPearl]

Wonderful! Sending love from Japan to Canada.

[@MrTact1]

I subscribed when you 'only' had 40k, now you allready have 1 million! Amazing and congratulations!

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks so much!!

[@benbloomdale3741]

Really enjoyed this interview. Thank you!

[@OrientalPearl]

Glad you enjoyed it! I’m making another one this week.

[@jeannawilson662]

Thank you for being unique and kind to speak and learn / see new things!

[@ATHIP12]

Thank you for making this video. I started off uncertain of whether I was interested, but I'm glad I watched it all because it opened my mind to a different perspective. There was something relatable about seeing a family who looks like me being treated as foreigners in their country.....and to an extent, as foreigners in the country they are expected to be native.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you for watching to the end!

[@elteescat]

Your videos are always fun. I've been subscribed to you for a long time. Like maybe a couple of years. I always look forward to your videos.

[@OrientalPearl]

I appreciate that!

[@utobots]

Love the interviews!! I hope this continues. I like hearing unique cultural perspectives like this :)

[@peterosullivan6316]

Love this channel SO much ❤ Absolutely amazing.

[@joyfairclough4686]

This was fascinating! I’d love to see more interviews like this.

[@OrientalPearl]

The next video will be an interview too.

[@Mobik_]

1M! Let's gooooo!!!!

[@OrientalPearl]

Finally made it!

[@joshblake4212]

Congrats on a million subs! So happy for you.

[@matthewmcinnis7176]

Congrats on 1 million subscribers!! 🎉

[@johnnyc5382.]

Absolutely wonderful video. Fascinating culturally. So very interesting. And two great beauties in the rickshaw! ! !

[@OrientalPearl]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@user-pj3ch8ou2h]

I like the occasional change from your usual format. I know it’s not easy to find the people to be interviewed. Well done Pearl on achieving 1M subscribers. Hope you would not mind showing us your gold plague in a special episode of your journey of learning Asian Languages from China to Japan and to Korea and finally settling down in Japan. Congratulations!

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you. I’m editing another interview right now.

[@missmichelejean]

They must have such an interesting perspective of cultural interactions. Thank you for sharing this video!

[@sahamal_savu]

Fantastic interview, I really hope you do more of this kind of content in the future. I subscribed just a little while ago and I'm enjoying all of your new videos (and some of the older ones as well!) Arigatō 😃

[@BostonAndMaineLive]

Thank you for a charming interview and tourist tour. Can't wait to visit Japan.

[@kendrickkx]

Great video, very informative. Congrats on 1mil subs, lets go 🎉

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks. You're one of the top fans!

[@callibor3119]

I like how the Japanese guy with a carriage learned that someone that looks foreign is born in Japan and speaks Japanese. That’s really cool.

[@elisaausberlin4838]

This was a wonderful interview, thank you for that.

[@OrientalPearl]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@karatekidakakatelyn8114]

❤ 🇯🇵 _When I’m on Hellotalk I do notice that everyone from Japan is super polite._

[@TheCrusader1000]

I just love watching the reactions when you and your friend spoke Japanese and said she was from japan. That made me chuckle his reaction. It was worth the reply. Stay safe and blessed 🙌 ❤

[@brian_atc]

Very cool. BTW, you remind me so much of my daughter when you talked about your Japanese Snack sponsor. You seem so genuinely kind and sweet. Congratulations and great job on your videos. 🎉

[@daijay9084]

A few years ago I visited Quebec. My Canadian cousins had informed me that everyone would initially address me in French. Unfortunately being British, growing up pre-internet, I was never given an opportunity to learn other languages. If you're abroad and speak British you only need to shout at the foreigners for them to understand. Anyway, I entered a shop and a member of staff spoke to me. I called my cousin over to translate. The young lady who had addressed me looked mystified and said "but I just spoke to you in English?" I was so convinced that I was going to hear French that I heard French. Thank you for your content which I always look forward to and thoroughly enjoy.

[@MrAlan1828]

French speaking citizen in Quebec can be quite extreme, I am Canadian and 100% respect French but the laws there are aweful

[@sahamal_savu]

She might have actually been speaking English, just with an almost indecipherable accent 😂I have lived my entire life in Ontario, Canada and still struggle with some Quebecois accents.

[@HKim0072]

Man, the British are worse than us Americans. But, at least our schools forced us to "learn" a different language. Differs by area, but I think I had to take 5 years of a foreign language. 2 in middle school and 3 in high school.

[@alexfarman4580]

@@HKim0072 I also grew up pre Internet and I'm british languages were taught in the school I went to it was German, Spanish or French.

[@robscovell5951]

I grew up in Sussex in the 70s and 80s. French was compulsory from 7 and we had to do 2 languages from 12 to 16. I did French and German which gave me the basics for travelling.

[@andrewwatson5324]

I get the impression that the people in larger busier cities tend to be less 'friendly' compared to smaller communities, more or less universally.

[@dishmanw]

That was my experience. I was at Misawa, Japan, and it was a small city, surrounded by a farming community. The people were very helpful and friendly there. But I heard that the people in Tokyo were not as friendly.

[@crptpyr]

There's actually a British comedy news sketch about "a northerner going around London saying hello to people"

[@crptpyr]

The actual title is "Northerner terrifying Londoners by saying hello" if you want to find it

[@andrewwatson5324]

@@crptpyr I think that I have heard of it.

[@delven121]

My favorite channel for watching anything Nippon. Thank you for the videos and keep it up.

[@jeanettejeanette1199]

Watching from Australia :) chilling before I have to wash my dishes and go to bed.

[@SingaporeProxy]

🎶🇭🇲🕯️✨🍀

[@OrientalPearl]

Sending love from Japan to Australia.

[@lionelg4251]

1 million !! congrats from France

[@OrientalPearl]

Sending love from Japan to France.

[@SirPeteWindsor]

Luved the vid as always. Keep'em coming, Pearl. Thanks for your awesome work. 🚀

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you! Will do!

[@PointduNord]

Thanks for this very informative podcast!

[@jerometsowinghuen]

Congratulations on reaching 1 million subscribers, Miss Alyssa. I am sure Mr. Joshua and Miss Alecia could be part of the same community in Japan, along with snack box too.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you so much! I’m planning on filming again in Hong Kong soon.

[@Ernest_jorden-373.]

Im literally in school rn waiting for this vid 👀(btw congrats for all the subs!!!!!)

[@OrientalPearl]

I hope you enjoyed it!

[@floppagaming7456]

This is so cool and I watched some of the other videos and there amazing love your content ♥️ and congrats for 1m subs

[@Schuft242]

Thank you for this video. I thought that you yourself on your journey with your husband is VERY interesting but Alecia and Joshua are something different. It really made me think about the people I grew up with and that have been considered as foreigners.

[@chawalitD]

Ive been a subscriber for a while now and decided I will make a comment on how much I enjoy your videos. This one especially is wholesome and it gives you an insight to what its like for a foreign family to grow up in a foreign country and live like a native. Keep up the great work. Much love from South Australia

[@OrientalPearl]

Sending love from Japan to Australia!

[@feriday4820]

I'm interested to know where in the UK Alisha visited, if it was just London or the south then yes people keep to themselves more, but people are generally friendly, perhaps the more north you go lol

[@dannyKurt]

exactly what i thought. London is so different from up north.

[@JinXedGirl13]

Absolutely fascinating insight into cultural societies! Thank you for excellent videos. I always enjoy them ❤

[@OrientalPearl]

I hope you enjoy all of my interviews!

[@7nthGalaxy]

wow awesome video really enjoyed hearing about how much more settled and freindly it is over there, and the diffrences between that culture and uk .It is very true nobody talks to each other over here in uk, its very odd how much it has changed within the last few years, with everyone fearing what the other is saying or doing, nice to have your video as a fresh perspective .many thanks appreciated x

[@mariasampson6364]

I'm Spaniard and American. I'm still a foreigner in both countries. 😐

[@luisrosias6203]

Honestly if you have good English and have been living in America for a while, you’re American. That’s the best part about being American is that anyone can become American no matter where they are from. As we see in this video, you can be literally born and raised in Japan and not be considered Japanese. Not the case at all in America.

[@danieldipalma704]

They aren't ethnic Japanese, just Japanese citizens. Big difference!

[@chad872]

this was adorable... i love japan can wait to visit. hope i have a good experience.

[@susanspence3029]

Great vlog. congrats on you 1m subscribers So happy for you! 1

[@MattCantSpeakIt]

1:29 "mmh, mhh, mhh!!" Tell me you're japanese without telling me you're japanese :P. this mhh mhh mhh was the japanesiest thing ever XD

[@Avigailish]

You will be surprised how many cultures mmh mmmh like this😅

[@katibryson9300]

sounded very korean

[@warpviix]

It seems so ironic that she couldn't identify her ancestor's home country. But then again, the UK has changed tremendously to the wrong way. Japan is on my bucket list, can't wait!

[@tobiaslandolt3953]

I think I first saw one of her videos when she had just shy of 30000 subscribers. Her channel has grown quite a lot. Keep up the good work!

[@cyrilhickok3194]

Congratulations on 1 million subs! 🎉🎉🎉

[@leannejohnsonliverpool]

Its unfortunate that her experience in the UK wasn't as good as she expected but in general the UK is an amazing place to live.

[@Soogelle]

It still feels like a downgrade from Japan in many respects

[@A_friendwithoutbenefits]

I lived in UK for 27 years and left for good last year. I disagree with you, I’ve seen UK get worse and worse. Full of towns and cities where young chavs will insult you on the street for no reason (especially if you’re not white), quality of life declining due to inflation which is higher than the inflation in most developed countries, crazy house prices, wages struggling to keep up with those increases, -awfully unreliable and terribly expensive rail system, the NHS massively underfunded and nowhere near as good as it used to be. Right now the UK is one of the least developed countries in the developed world.

[@Nikolai508]

It does sound like she went to London when she went to the UK, its not really a good example of what the UK is like as the vast majority of the country is not in London. It's like its own thing really.

[@84rinne_moo]

Yea it’s like going to NYC in the states to live. Totally different to most other cities in the US

[@seankrug4995]

Love your videos! I've lived in Japan for a total of 10 years, 5 years were spent in the Tokyo region, and a Japanese friend lives near Ueno, so the places you filmed were familiar. I imagine it must be very interesting for folks who have lived in Japan for 20-30+ years, especially those who grew up there, to have a very international identity, in which in many ways Japan IS home. I've only lived there 10 years, and I miss so many things about Japan all the time.

[@bettydavis7359]

You're awesome as always. Keep up the great work.

[@HunkumSpunkum]

..in 'survival mode'-she absolutely defined what living in Britain feels like (well, for myself anyway). Many people are deluding/deceiving themselves if they think they aren't.

[@gaygranola]

I don’t really think so… Not when it comes to the people at least. Financially, yes, but culturally no.

[@iwantyouinmybelly]

My experience of Britain is quiet roads, strong communities, generosity, stunning views, amazing wildlife and it’s so peaceful. Obviously that’s not true for anyone that lives in the bits both you and she talk about. I guess it’s a big island and it’s not right to generalise.

[@hanonhold]

It's quite nice where I am (rural south west). Very, very different to London. Definitely noticed peopled are less friendly and more easily frustrated lately though probably due to the cost of living crisis and NHS waiting lists etc. The frustrations towards an inept government have really taken its toll 😔

[@bengreenbank]

Maybe in London. But London is nothing like the rest of the country.

[@arkangel3249]

I've been creepin for a few hours and watched a handful of your videos, i have loved Japanese culture since i was younger, like 14 (now 32) this gives me motivation to use that app and try and learn Japanese. My Heritage is German/French american born in Canada. Thanks for the content and inspiration!, keep up the good work! If i can learn German first i'm diving head first into japanese.

[@ShanerTheGrey]

Wow 1 million. I remember commenting on here when you had like 130k. Amazing work! Congratulations!

[@sargfowler9603]

To be fair, most Britains wouldn't like London either! It's not representative of the whole of the UK at all.

[@ltd1980]

The problem with the lady is she's comparing London to the rest of England. London is super expensive, polluted and rife with crime. Not anywhere I'd want to live or even visit anymore. To be fair I prefer Asia to the UK but using London I feel isn't a great comparison

[@sidp5381]

To be honest, who wants to be in Ripper town, specially near white Chapel I ain’t gonna have Mary Jane Kelly’s ghost haunt me

[@Philippintastic247]

Yay for 1 mil! You did it!

[@KERRYPIKE]

Very amazing video, and congratulations on 1 million subscribers.

[@IKEMENOsakaman]

When I hear Saitama, I only think of One Punch Man

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

She's right, society in the UK HAS CHANGED.. for the worse, I no longer recognise the country I grew up in. The manners, people, culture, religion.. everything has changed for the worse.

[@user-jh4un7yy2h]

Hey Anming Congratulations on One Million Subscribers! I send all your videos to my brother who lives in Tokyo! Xoxo from Chicago 😊😊😊😊😁😄😄😃😀

[@alyn7d7]

Really love this type of video. This was extremely interesting. I’d like to see more like this one.

[@kalevipoeg6916]

That's reality outside of America. You need to understand, in much of the world, what you are is NOT where you were born and raised, but your blood heritage. Doesn't matter if your parents migrated and you were born there, what passport you have - if you are not INDIGENOUS to those lands, you will never REALLY be "one of them". Learn the language all you want, no bloodline, no identity. That's just harsh reality. In my country - in Northeastern Europe - if you are, say, brown? Doesn't matter how long you lived there - you'll NEVER have our identity - you'll never be one of us - and that has nothing to do with racism or thinking one group is better - it's just a fact - place of birth or passport cover does not make you that thing. Ever. You are messing with the core identity of an entire population who have been there thousands of years by trying to claim you're one of them when you are not truly OF that land. The U.S. is a country started BY immigrants FOR immigrants - but the vast majority of nations on earth were NOT started by immigrants but by the indigenous, rightful inhabitants of that land. You claiming to be Japanese is like a blonde haired, blue-eyed colonist in America claiming to be native american. It's NOT just a nationality - it's a lot more complex than that. Just be careful of that when claiming to be something. Bloodline matters. Very deeply, for some people. I am in China right now - wife is Chinese - and I speak Chinese - but even if I were raised here, had a Chinese passport, if I told people I were Chinese they'd laugh, and rightfully so - because just LIVING there or obtaining a legal status will never change the fact that we ARE aliens in these lands. If you went to the place your ancestors called home for 50,000 years - Europe in your case - that's very different - your people evolved into existence there, so regardless of where you grew up, you are a product of that land. You getting citizenship THERE and calling yourself, say, German, would be more truthful than claiming to be Japanese when that's not who your PEOPLE are. So, don't get upset. It's not racism, it's just a fact: you have European blood. You are European, in an asian land. You can never escape the fact that you ARE different from the indigenous people there. I'll be honest - it once bothered me that no matter how good my Chinese is, how much I engage in the culture, even IF I became a citizen, I'd never be treated as anything other than a wai guo ren (foreigner) - because it's NOT the eland of my ancestors. It's not my land. It never could be. When I got over that and learned to accept and love the beauty in my OWN heritage, that no longer mattered to or bothered me. What you are is far deeper than where you grew up or live, and you don't get to adopt an identity just by living there. More people should go engage in their own ancestral lands and owning that identity rather than trying to pretend they're something else and trying to steal someone else's ethno-national identity. This is not America. Blood matters more than place of birth. Accept what you are.

[@reinbronsgeest3777]

Perfect comment. It really boils down to DNA. If they took a test, it would say British, first time, every time. Nothing wrong with it, just science. My Dad is a naturalized US citizen from The Netherlands, and his identity is 100% Dutch, even though he came here when he was 11. Even as a first generation American myself, I don’t feel attached to America like someone whose family has been here for generations.

[@hhelminn]

Agreed. Why can't she just say she's english but born and raised in Japan?

[@mikicerise6250]

@@reinbronsgeest3777 Pfffft. As if you dunces knew a damned thing about how DNA works. 😆

[@Avigailish]

Thank u 🎯🎯🎯I wish she would consider the feelings of the Japanese. She put them in an unpleasant and confusing situation. There are definitions that cannot be changed and trying to challenge them can lead to distress.

[@lyrixFH]

British is a nationality, not an ethnicity@@reinbronsgeest3777

[@InBodWeTrust]

British people won't talk to you? No ... Londoners (and others from the south) won't talk to you. Come up to the North and Scotland and EVERYONE will talk to you. 🙂

[@shonangirl]

Or Cornwall!!