Only in Japan Go — Transcripts
Summaries + full diarized transcripts
2017-05-28 · Ep 42 · 51m

Tokyo Beach

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Summary

Tokyo Beach

Overview

In this livestream episode, John Daub explores Odaiba Beach, central Tokyo's unique waterfront destination. While not a typical swimming beach, it attracts families searching for shellfish (kai), windsurfers, and couples enjoying the view of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo skyline. John navigates the sandy shores, interacts with locals, and shares observations on Japanese beach culture, including norms around sun tanning and summer timing.

The journey continues along the waterfront promenade, highlighting iconic Odaiba landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty replica and the former site of the massive Gundam statue. John discusses technical challenges with his filming equipment (DJI Osmo), shares travel tips regarding transport passes, and reveals future travel plans involving a walking journey across Japan. The episode concludes with a look at futuristic hotel lobby robots and a final farewell from the beachside shopping district.

Highlights

  • 00:46 John discovers locals collecting edible shellfish (kai) directly from the sand.
  • 04:34 Technical difficulties arise as John changes batteries on his DJI Osmo gimbal mid-stream.
  • 11:11 Observations on tourist fashion versus local norms regarding sun exposure and clothing.
  • 23:47 John visits the Odaiba Statue of Liberty replica and discusses its romantic appeal for dates.
  • 32:03 Breaking news: The massive Gundam statue is confirmed missing from its usual spot.
  • 39:53 Explanation of the Toei One-Day Pass for unlimited bus and subway travel in Tokyo.
  • 46:49 Encounter with "Junko," an AI robot receptionist at a hotel lobby.

Timeline / Chapters

  • 00:03 Introduction at Odaiba Beach
  • 01:25 Finding edible shellfish (kai)
  • 04:34 DJI Osmo battery change
  • 09:03 Discussion on filming gear and fanny packs
  • 11:11 Tourist vs. Local fashion norms
  • 13:10 Odaiba residential costs and views
  • 20:10 Walking towards the Statue of Liberty
  • 23:47 Statue of Liberty replica and Kua 'Aina burgers
  • 27:05 Fuji TV Building and Gundam search
  • 32:03 Confirmation that the Gundam statue is gone
  • 37:04 Shopping mall walkthrough and future travel plans
  • 39:53 Tokyo transport tips (Toei Pass)
  • 46:49 Hotel lobby robot interaction and conclusion

Japan Travel Tips

  • Transport: Consider the Toei One-Day Pass (700 yen) for unlimited travel on Toei subways and buses. It offers an adventurous way to see the city.
  • IC Cards: Use a Suica (prepaid transit card) for convenience on trains and buses.
  • Summer Timing: Official summer in Japan starts in July. Even if it is hot in May or June, beach culture and swimwear are more common from July to late August.
  • Accommodation: Booking hotels in Tokyo during summer (especially around Olympics or peak season) requires advance planning.
  • Etiquette: Locals generally avoid sun tanning. Skin whitening products are common, and bare-chested sunbathing is rare compared to Western beaches.
  • Sushi: You can eat sushi with your fingers and mix wasabi into soy sauce. It does not need to be expensive to be good.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

  • Kai (貝): Shellfish. John learns from a local that edible shellfish can be found directly in the sand at Odaiba.
  • Onsen (温泉): Hot spring. John mentions the nearby Oedo Onsen, where visitors wear a yukata (light kimono) and experience an Edo-period themed environment.
  • San (さん): Honorific suffix. John references being called "John-san" by a broadcasting friend regarding pronunciation.
  • Pronunciation: John discusses the correct pronunciation of Tokyo (two syllables: To-kyo) versus Toky-o (three syllables), and Asakusa.
  • Summer Norms: Social norms dictate summer starts in July and ends August 30th. Deviating from this (e.g., swimming in September) is considered anomalous.

Food & Drink Guide

  • Kai (Shellfish): 01:25 Edible shellfish found in the sand. John is surprised they are edible and collectible by families.
  • Starbucks Frappuccino: 22:46 Mentioned as an expensive option (around $8) for a seasonal American Cherry Pie flavor.
  • Hamburger (Kua 'Aina): 26:22 Hawaiian burger chain located near the Statue of Liberty replica. Offers views of Tokyo Bay while eating.
  • Sushi: 41:05 Discussed as a food that shouldn't be overly expensive. John encourages eating it with fingers and mixing wasabi.

People

  • John Daub: Host and creator. He leads the livestream, sharing personal anecdotes, technical struggles, and travel insights.
  • Lady: 01:20 A local woman collecting shellfish on the beach. She confirms the shellfish are edible.
  • Junko (Robot): 46:49 An AI robot receptionist at a hotel lobby. She interacts via touch panel and speaks limited Japanese.
  • Peter von Gomm: Mentioned via Super Chat as "Pita." He corrects John's pronunciation of "Gundam."
  • Toby: Not present in this episode (no crow encounters).

Key Takeaways

  • Odaiba is a multifaceted destination combining beach activities, shopping malls, and iconic landmarks.
  • Technical equipment failures (like overheating gimbals) are a reality of livestreaming outdoors.
  • The Gundam statue in Odaiba was removed (as of this 2017 recording), though a cafe remains.
  • Tokyo summers are intensely hot and humid, affecting clothing choices and activity levels.
  • Public transport passes like the Toei One-Day Pass offer cost-effective ways to explore the city.

Notable Quotes

  • 01:54 "Never mind that it might seem dirty to be swimming in central Tokyo. People don't care because it's so hot."
  • 09:03 "I'm wearing, quote unquote, a fanny pack. It's not my choice. It sort of just happened."
  • 11:11 "You can tell who the tourists are because they're the ones wearing t-shirts."
  • 15:20 "In Japan, the summer does not start until July. It could be boiling hot outside, but summer is not officially started until July."
  • 32:03 "Breaking news! Gundam is gone! There's no more massive robot in the park here."
  • 41:05 "Don't worry about your pronunciation. Don't worry about breaking social norms here too much."

Related Topics

  • Odaiba Sightseeing Guide
  • Tokyo Public Transport Systems
  • Livestreaming Technology & Tips
  • Japanese Summer Festivals & Culture
  • Gundam Culture in Tokyo

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #odaiba #tokyo-beach #rainbow-bridge #statue-of-liberty #gundam #oedo-onsen #livestream #john-daub #tokyo-travel #summer-in-japan #japanese-culture #travel-tips #suica #toei-pass


Full Transcript

00:03 John Daub: Hello everybody, welcome again. I'm now on Odaiba Beach. This is central Tokyo's beach. I guess you'd call it a beach. Not a lot of people go swimming like the beach, but you still get a lot of people coming here to enjoy the sea. What are they looking for? What are they searching for?

00:46 John Daub: There's the Rainbow Bridge that I just crossed. That brought me to this island. Let me ask the lady. Excuse me, what are you looking for? Do you have any? Are they sea breams? Yes. Oh, do you have any? Yes. Wow. There's a lot of sea breams. Wow, that's amazing. Can you eat them? Yes, I can. Wow, thank you. Thank you. Wow, that's pretty cool.

01:20 Lady: (short responses in Japanese, as above)

01:25 John Daub: So there's shellfish here. You can actually eat them. So if you search, and she had about what, a 10 of them. So here in Tokyo you can find shellfish and you can eat them. I like shellfish. I didn't know that. I didn't think it was edible. Apparently it is. So there's a lot of people looking for kai (shellfish).

01:54 John Daub: Now we've got a windsurfer out there. Not a lot of wind yet. I think that's one reason why there aren't more windsurfers. Come here in the summer, and I think there's actually a place where you can rent equipment. If you come here in the summer, you'll see a lot more people in the water. Basically because it's so freaking hot that you just have to jump in. And then you cool down. There's no other way. Never mind that it might seem dirty to be swimming in central Tokyo. People don't care because it's so hot. They'll jump in.

02:35 John Daub: Today it's not that hot. It's pretty warm-ish. Hot. Warm hot. One of the things that does amaze me, not that there's a mini tractor going by, but the beach is really clean, isn't it? I mean, I don't see much trash at all. And this is the day after Friday and Saturday night. So, Sunday there's gonna be a little bit more trash, I guess. But it's relatively a clean beach. For a city center beach.

03:22 John Daub: It's mostly kids. I guess families will come down here and they look for shellfish. And that can be dinner. A lot of them come with buckets, so they're definitely finding some stuff. Although the weather, it is getting pretty hot. Most of these kids and families will be gone in about an hour or two. I see lots of people getting sun tans. But in general, people in Japan try to avoid sun tans. Try to avoid getting darker. That's why they have skin whitening creams and stuff like that. But me personally, I have no choice. My mother's from India. When the summer comes, I get dark. And when the winter comes, I get light.

04:34 John Daub: Ah! I can see little crabs in the sand. Is that a jellyfish or is that somebody's spit? I'm just showing you random stuff. But I saw a crab go in that hole. Somebody wanna put their finger down there? Is that a good idea? Whoa. Put your finger down in there. Uh oh. We're losing Osmo. Alright, give me a second. I'm gonna change batteries on Mr. Osmo here. So one of the reasons why the video is relatively shake-free is because of the Osmo.

05:30 John Daub: I just livestreamed walking across the bridge and the battery didn't... Ah, here we go. That's what an Osmo battery looks like. I brought a spare. So just chill out for a while and look at this really pretty cloud right here.

06:18 John Daub: And we're back. Oh, I got the sun... the sunbrella's out. Alright, so I'm gonna make my way up to the deck. Just walk across the beach a little bit longer. And then make my way up to the deck.

07:05 John Daub: So where's everybody watching from? Something wrong with the Osmo. So I'm gonna have a seat in the sand and try to figure this out. So that's the thing with livestreaming. You have to be ready for anything. You never know what's gonna happen. So while I'm waiting for the Osmo to cool down... I guess that's what's wrong with it. It's a new battery. How you all doing? Alright, we got Seattle in the house. It's nice to see everybody. Auckland. It's so cool to see everybody. I had somebody from India, from Oakland, Brazil, Iowa. Wow, California, Wellington, Santa Rosa, San Diego, Iceland, Sri Lanka, Wisconsin, Australia, Columbia, Chicago. Incredible. Venezuela. Indonesia, Belgium. India.

09:03 John Daub: So I'm going to... I might have to throw the Osmo away. Osmo is not doing good today. I do have an embarrassing thing I have to tell you. I'm wearing, quote unquote, a fanny pack. It's not my choice. It sort of just happened. It's a North Face looking fanny pack that's big enough to accommodate cameras and equipment. I do some directing, meaning companies might hire me to direct a production. And when they do that, I'll have to wear it because inside there I have duct tape, I have SD cards, I have backup cameras, I have scripts and batteries. The thing is if you don't have a DJI Osmo or another gimbal, the video footage is not good.

11:11 John Daub: You can tell who the tourists are because they're the ones wearing t-shirts. You can tell where all the tourists come from, their countries, because the Americans always have these t-shirts with something written on it from some location somewhere, advertising something or other. And they have shorts on in April or in November. You have people wearing shorts from the UK maybe because they're used to... Tokyo seems tropical to people from the UK in the winter. But one of the things that I love about this beach here in Tokyo is that it's a place that you can bring a date. You can come with your girlfriend or your boyfriend and just really relax and look back at the city of Tokyo. You don't have to look at me. Look at Tokyo. So that's where we crossed this morning about an hour ago. And at night... At night, this view is just dancing with lights. It's just absolutely breathtaking. And the more you drink, alcohol-wise, the brighter it gets. So it's a really romantic place. Just bring a bottle of wine with you. Bring two glasses, a bottle of wine, and just bring a little sheet and sit right there on the beach. And don't do anything that your mom wouldn't want you to do. So be on your best behavior. I've had dates here. I've had my share of dates in Odaiba. Today my date's with all of you.

13:10 John Daub: They're on a date. Come on, dude. Put your arm around her. Oh, she's gonna chuck the baby in. Did you see that? Don't do it, lady. But a lot of people live here. You see, these are apartments. You have to be careful. You have to have a lot of money to live here, but people do come out here onto the beach because they live right there. The rent starts at around $1,800 a month. Yeah, I looked into it, okay? I figured... I was trying to move. I've been trying to move for the last few years. I don't know where to move to, so I just stay in the same place because I'm always on the road anyways. It doesn't really matter where I live. But if I moved down to this area of Tokyo, I'd have to pay double in the amount of rent.

14:20 John Daub: That's an awful lot of super chats. I don't think it's possible. I think it might even be a waste of money. But on a Sunday like this, loads of families just enjoying the beautiful weather, enjoying the days off from work. There's nobody on a towel, you know, laying out there getting a suntan with their bare chest out. No bikini girls. This is a massive, massive disappointment. Not only... Not one lady in a bikini. I mean, is that not the... What is the definition of a beach? Is bikini in that definition of a beach? Because somewhat disappointed. It's not quite hot enough.

15:20 John Daub: Alright, it's a little bit superficial, but in Japan, the summer does not start until July. It could be boiling hot outside, but summer is not officially started until July, so people follow the rules and the social norms. Yeah. I mean, on August 30th, that's the last day of summer. And then September 1st, it's... Even though the weather is still blazing hot, September 1st, it's over. Summer's done. You can't wear... You can't go to the beach. This is... Many people, most people... There's anomalies like myself who will still go to the beach on September 1st and take my shirt off. I've been working out. I actually have been working out since I came back from hitchhiking. I've been going to the gym every day because I was sitting and standing on the side of the road and sitting in cars for hours and hours. And I wasn't really getting much exercising. But the secret to staying young, exercise regularly and be happy all the time. Laugh, be happy all the time. It makes a big, big difference.

16:48 John Daub: Was that stage meant for us? Yeah. Are we allowed to go on to that stage? So I'm gonna now just take a... So that's the beach. And in July, it's a lot better. There's more bikinis and for you girls, there's more like Borat thongs. You know, it still is a city. You get all sorts of people. You're gonna see some weird, weird thong action maybe if you're unlucky.

17:26 John Daub: Now, this is interesting. This is not like... It looked like a camping zone. People are just avoiding the sun. And the ferry from Asakusa comes in right here, which is really convenient. Apologize for the close-up of that lady's rear end. There's always like cute dogs. You can always see little chihuahuas and little cute dogs and funny outfits on the beach here. There's some girls having a girl's day out. No bikinis. It's a massive, massive disappointment. All right. Wait a minute. I want to go up. I wanted to go up to the decks, but I've already passed that. All right. This live stream is not going like I planned. That's what happens.

18:57 John Daub: So we got a couple of super chats. Hello. Hi. 821. Lovely time on the beach. Looks like a lovely day. It is a lovely day. Thank you so much for that. And we got another one here from Hello. Hi. Oh, another one. Thank you. Would you consider filming at the bridge at night? That's a good idea. I showed you what it looks like during the day. You know what? I think, yeah, I might do this again. And if I do this again, I'm going to bring somebody with me. I think it's better, like being on the beach and stuff, I think it's better if you have two people. So I think it would be more fun if another YouTuber or somebody was visiting Japan or somebody wanted to be on the show. If you're interested and you're in Japan and you want to be on the channel, that's really cool. Because I don't want to do this by myself all the time. Because it's sort of boring. I feel like I'm talking to myself. And I'm new to this whole selfie thing, the whole selfie video revolution. I refused to do it for a long time and now I'm walking with a stick in my hand, which is ridiculous looking. But I have very little pride.

20:10 John Daub: Over here, Tokyo 2020. Some reminders that yes, this is where the Olympics will be taking place. It is really nice. Those of you might be surprised because Remy Rodriguez, thank you so much. Thank you, Remy. That will be put to good use for my lunch up there. We are now going to go up and I'm going to show you the view looking back at Tokyo and also one of Tokyo's more unique monuments. It's going to take me about a minute or two to get up there. So bear with me. No bicycles allowed from this point. So this is all the way up. Odaiba. This is the beach and shopping area on a Sunday. It's still a little bit early. Most people won't be coming until about 1, 1:30. And I'm walking up. It is getting hot.

21:27 John Daub: This place in 2020 when the Olympics take place, Tokyo, I can't even imagine how crowded the city is going to be. It's already pretty crowded. In fact, trying to get a hotel room in the summer in Tokyo is really, really hard. You have to book. If you want a decent hotel, you have to book well, well in advance now, especially during the summer. A lot of people having trouble finding hotels and asking me where they could stay. No, you can't stay in my house because I don't know who you are. But it's fine. I guess you could stay on the floor. Do you if you're okay with the sofa? Well, I actually sleep on the floor. I have a futon. I have a tatami room in it. Tom, is that you, Toby? Toby? Yeah. Toby's coming to Japan in the fall, right? I guess you could stay, you know, but you're gonna have to sleep on the floor because everybody sleeps on the floor in Japan. It's not like I'm making you.

22:46 John Daub: Wow. Starbucks. I don't know. I don't think I'm going to get a Starbucks right now. They have the I think they had something called the American Cherry Pie, the American Cherry Pie Frappuccino or something like that. They only have one size and it's like $8 or something. Oh, my God. There it is. Okay. Look over there. Stop looking at me. Look over there. Yeah, that's right. That's the Statue of Liberty, little piece of New York in Tokyo. Now, granted, it's not nearly the same size, but if you figure most people are looking at the Statue of Liberty from a really far distance.

23:47 John Daub: A little mood music. I'm just passing Longboard Cafe. Okay. A lot of surfer stuff in this area. I don't know why because there's not a lot of surf. There's no surf. There's the waves. Behind me is the entrance to the shopping mall called Aqua City. An Aqua City shopping mall. This used to be the newest shopping mall. But then another shopping mall came. And that's where there's a massive, massive Gundam. Do you know Gundam? That's like a mobile suit robot. And Gundam statue is just right there. I can sort of see it. Should I take you there? I mean, I don't really care to take you to Gundam actually. But it's right there. It's like literally 100 meters or so. Alright, maybe I will. Just really quickly. And then I'm going to go to the deck and get a coffee and then go home. I'm going to show you the Statue of Liberty. Tokyo style. We're going to get a good close-up look of it.

25:01 John Daub: But not everyone is speaking Japanese or English. So I come here on dates. I'll come here to live stream like right now. This is a perfect place for a date. Odaiba. You just take slow walks down here. And you put your arm around her. Oh, look. Don't you want to go to New York with me, baby? Yes, I do. Do you feel it too? Yes, that's your arm. Put your arm around me tighter. Yeah, that's how we do it in New York. Feel good? Oh, yeah. That's just a romantic scene from one of my dates. It's been a while. Nice to see you, Statue of Liberty. She's holding the book just like the same book that she's holding in New York.

26:22 John Daub: I don't know how many times the Statue of Liberty has been featured in deodorant commercials, but definitely should be featured a lot more. Lady Liberty. She's here in Odaiba. And you're here. And you get a great view of her from that hamburger place right there. That's Kua 'Aina. Kua 'Aina is a Hawaiian burger chain that's pretty popular here in Tokyo. And from the Kua 'Aina, you get a big, big burger. And you look across out of the window and across over Tokyo with your big burger. And you can see the Statue of Liberty right there as well, which is pretty cool.

27:05 John Daub: Okay, between here, Aqua City. This is a brand new walkway that passes the Fuji TV building. And this walkway will take you to the Gundam. The Gundam mobile suit Gundam. I think they removed it, didn't they? Actually, that wasn't what I was seeing. I think they removed the Gundam. It was there for years. Probably they had to pay rent on the Gundam to have it, licensing and stuff. And they said, you know, the heck with this. We don't need it anymore. I don't think the Gundam is there anymore. I've been in here a few times. I've been in here a few times to film shows. They have some studios in the basement. So most of these are offices. All of these buildings here in the Fuji TV building. And in the basement they have studios. Like bigger, bigger rooms. I haven't been in any of those crosswalks yet. But I've been inside several times. It's cool. What a beautiful day. And there's a lot of people out here selling stuff on the street. I love little street markets. I think they're on a date. I think you should get closer to her, don't you? I think if you're on a date, you should get closer to her.

28:49 John Daub: I'm right now... I'm holding a selfie stick and walking around. So it's not really romantic. But I mean, sometimes I wonder about couples. They don't show much affection. He's got his hands in his pocket. And she dressed up real nice in pink with a nice little frilly umbrella. And I don't know. I'd be a little bit more romantic. He's touching himself. I totally would just grab her and tell her I love her. I love her. I totally do that.

29:44 John Daub: Oh yeah. So this is the direction going towards the Gundam. I don't think it's there anymore. And it's taking me away from where I wanted to get my lunch. I'm going to do it really quickly because there's still some battery. Oh, and you know what? One of the most famous onsen is here. The Oedo Onsen. Oedo Onsen is... I think it's the only one in Tokyo where you get a yukata (light kimono). And they have like a Edo period themed area inside of the onsen. So you feel like you've gone back in time. That is right here too. And you just have to walk for another 200 meters to get there. And I already walked like 1.7 kilometers across the bridge. And then another 1.2 kilometers to get to this place. So this is going to be like a 10K day. I wasn't joking when I said I was working out. But man, it's hot. Sweating and stuff.

30:53 John Daub: If you're coming to Tokyo in the summer, this is nothing either. It's so bloody hot. I mean you're just dripping sweat. And a lot of people criticize me in the videos. They go, oh my god, why do you have such a sweaty... You're such a sweaty, dirty guy, John. You know what? If you come to Tokyo, you really don't have any choice. Everybody's a sweaty, dirty person in Tokyo. Between the end of July and the end of August, it's a sauna. Literally, you walk outside and you're covered in sweat. And there's nothing you can do about it. There's not a thing. Even if you don't move, or you walk like a little girl and don't even move, you just start pouring sweat. So I have these sweat rings all over my shirts. And you really don't have any choice. You can eat all the ice cream in the world. You're still probably going to sweat. You'll be sweating with ice cream. And that's always better.

32:03 John Daub: If you look on the other side, I can hardly see the buttons. It's so bright out here. That way, straight ahead is Oedo Onsen. That's where you go for that. Odaiba's got a lot. And I don't see the Gundam. I don't see the robot anymore. I think it's gone. Yeah, it used to be right there. Gundam is gone, everybody. Very sad to inform you that there's no Gundam statue in Odaiba anymore. Breaking news! Which is actually not really that new to most of the locals. But yeah, breaking news! Gundam is gone! There's no more massive robot in the park here. It used to be right there. Now it's gone. True story.

33:09 John Daub: But the Gundam Cafe is still here. So all of you Gundam fans, there's a Gundam Cafe right there. But the statue, I guess, which used to be right here, is gone. There's a little sign that says Tokyo Gundam 2017. Maybe they're making it bigger. Who knows? Let's take a quick look. All I know is that whatever mobile suit, massive mobile suit, was here, is gone. And there's a sign. It says the Tokyo Gundam Project 2017. That's this year, which is a good sign. If it was next year, that's a bad sign. It means there's going to be a lot of construction. Or maybe he's not here, but he is here. He pops out of the ground.

34:07 John Daub: Alright. I've got an extension stick. I can take you over the wall. But if the cops come, what do you see? I'm putting it up here. What do you see? Can somebody tell me what they see? You see anything? You see any mobile suits down there? What did you see? Anything? No? Just cement and stuff? Wood frames? I really didn't see in there. I have an Osmo extension stick. I can put that up here. So that's what used to be here. This massive statue. Not a statue, a robot-looking statue. And it's gone. And this is DiverCity.

35:00 John Daub: Would you really want me to take you in there? It's just a shopping mall. It's really not that interesting. I don't have anything that I want to buy either. So I'm trying to think what I want to do with this live stream right now. I spent the morning planning a bridge walk. And now, do I take you inside here? Maybe not.

36:04 John Daub: I don't think I'm allowed to stream in here. I don't think I'm allowed to be in here with a camera. But we'll see how long it takes for the police to come. Alright. So I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm gonna go back to... Whoa, look at my hair. Wow. Not a very good hair day. Crepe Girl Cafe. So this pretty much is the end of the live stream. We've been going on for a while. I'm gonna get out of here.

37:04 John Daub: I'm trapped in a shopping mall. Oh, they have American Eagle. Pretty cool. Whoa, 30% off. Is that good? Better than 20% off. On shorts and tees. Oh, that's right. Starving. I didn't eat anything today. And I got a lot to edit. I gotta get back and edit. What am I doing? I can't be out here live streaming for 2-3 hours because I gotta get back and edit. I have another episode coming on the main channel. The next episode is this Fukuoka Ramen episode. I can't be here. I gotta be there. I gotta finish this episode. I got work to do. Alright, bye bye shopping mall. Bye bye Odaiba. I'm literally going to go get something to eat. Hop on a train. I'm getting back to my studio to edit until I finish that video. On Wednesday, I'm going to Tottori to film Journeys in Japan show for NHK World. And that's gonna be about 6 days on the road. I'm taking my laptop to keep editing between takes. And if you're subscribed to the Only in Japan channel, please subscribe and add the notifications. You're gonna get updates from the road. They're not gonna be as long as this. They're gonna be more short and to the point. And organized. But those live streams from Tottori are gonna be when I'm shooting the NHK show. Which will be pretty cool to see. Maybe not the shoot itself, but I'm gonna be seeing so many things. Because when you do a shoot like this for TV, you're trying something new like 5 times a day. And that's super cool. And if I get a chance to live stream, I'm gonna push that live button every single time. That's just who I am. I push buttons. I'm a button pusher.

39:00 John Daub: So back to the decks and back to the shopping mall over here on the beach side. Where I'll get something to eat and something to drink. Thanks to the Super Chats. Thank you all for that. Super Chats, come in. Oh yeah. So Rashmi Yu, thank you very much, Rashmi. I appreciate that. And Pita. It's pronounced Gundam. Thank you, Peter. Gundam. Was that pronounced like a Gundam? Gundam. So Peter set me straight. Thank you, Pita.

39:53 John Daub: Usually if you just put a camera on a selfie stick with a little gimbal and you start walking around, it sort of attracts attention. Things happen. Magical things happen. Okay. You know, I'm not gonna take the train. I have a one-day pass. That's something I can introduce you to. When you come to Tokyo, you can get an IC card, which is a Suica (prepaid transit card). Or sometimes you can get a one-day pass. This is a Toei one-day pass. Toei is the city of Tokyo's subway. 700 yen. All you can ride. And it's good for the buses. And if you want an adventure, forget the trains, take the bus. Because you don't know where the heck those things are going sometimes. But if you have this one-day pass from Toei, you can take the Toei buses anywhere in the city. In fact, that could be a live stream. Bus transportation in Tokyo. I would never make an episode of Only in Japan out of that. But I would do it for a live stream. And give you a glimpse into the life of bus travel in Tokyo.

41:05 John Daub: And it's pronounced Tokyo, not Toky-o. Because I had a friend of mine who's in broadcasting here in Tokyo. And he would say, John-san, it's not Toky-o. It's Tokyo. Okay, sorry. So it's pronounced Toky-o? No! Tokyo! Okay, sorry about that. And now every time I say Toky-o, I correct myself and call it Tokyo. Two syllables, not three. Tokyo. Not Toky-o, John-san. You gotta watch yourself. It's not Asakusa. It's Asakusa. You know what? It's Asakusa to me, okay? Just leave me alone, people. People understand what you're saying. And anyways, the train. The train line says it. Next stop, Asakusa. Asakusa. That's the way that the train announces it, so. Don't worry about your pronunciation. Don't worry about breaking social norms here too much. The idea, you're a guest if you come to Japan and you don't have to do things the way the locals do. Do it your way. Eat sushi with wasabi. Okay? Eat sushi with wasabi. Mix it in there. In the soy sauce. Eat sushi with your fingers. You don't have to use chopsticks. Sushi is not supposed to be a super expensive food. It's supposed to be something that's like a street food. And you don't have to pay a lot for it. You pay a lot for maybe this much of a difference in taste. Now, there's cheap, cheap places that just absolutely stink, but you don't have to pay a lot for sushi. You shouldn't. Save your money.

42:54 John Daub: All right, everybody. I am now going to go and get some food. There's the Statue of Liberty and the Rainbow Bridge that we just crossed this morning. There's the shopping mall. And I wanted to say thank you all very much for watching this live stream. Please subscribe to Only in Japan. Would you try and cross Japan by public transportation? You mean like JR Train on the Shinkansen? Yeah, I mean. You know what? Okay, I'm going to tell you something I'm going to do. All right? Just because anybody who's suffered through 45 minutes of this live stream should hear something interesting in what I'm going to do. So, in the summer after the rainy season, I'm just going to walk somewhere for five days. And I'm just going to leave my house and I'm just going to walk. It's crazy, right? I thought of this when I finished the hitchhiking trip and I felt like I wanted to go somewhere. And I couldn't go anywhere because I was trapped and I have to edit this video. But sometime in the summer on the Only in Japan Go channel, I'm going to take my camera, you, and this gimbal, maybe a second gimbal because this one kind of stinks, and I'm going to walk from Tokyo, maybe all the way to the other side of Japan, to the Sea of Japan, to Niigata or something. And then I think if we walk it, we're going to find some cool stuff and there's going to be a lot of content to film. And it might be fun. If I can walk 50 kilometers a day, or like 50 miles a day, I could get there in five, six days. And I don't want to take anything. I'm just going to go like I am and see what happens. No hitchhiking, just walk. Just go. It's insane. It's so insane. It's so crazy. It might be cool. So that's a little inside information. It's not public transportation, but it's pretty cool. I do appreciate the Super Chat for that and I appreciate everybody who supports the show. Just walk it. And then next time, I'll ride it on a bicycle. I've already done that. Yeah, like Forrest Gump. Maybe I can run it and get a sponsor like ASICS or something. But I've already ridden by bicycle from Tokyo. I rode from Tokyo to Kyoto on a one-speed bicycle in 2005. I rode my bicycle from Tokyo and I kept going. I didn't stop until I got to Kyoto. We had five friends go. Three of them quit on the way because their ass hurt because the bike seats were so bad and they couldn't move their butt anymore. So they left. I know Lauren, who might even be watching. Lauren's in the US now. She quit at Mt. Fuji because her butt hurt. We weren't even halfway to Kyoto. She just said, my ass hurts. I can't take it anymore. Because the seats on the one-speed bikes were meant for maybe one hour riding, but not for eight hours a day. She just took the train and went back to Tokyo because her ass hurt. We bought the bikes and she gave the bike to a high school student. We were just walking back to the station to say goodbye to her. Then two high school students were walking from Fuji City. She said, do you want a bike? The two girls thought she was crazy. Why are you just going to give me a bike? She said, yeah, you want this bike? The high school girls said, sure. But it took them 15 minutes to convince them that it wasn't some sort of joke. We gave them the bike. What was she going to do? Take it back on the local train to Tokyo? You can't do that. So she just gave it away. Bikes are about $100 for the one-speed bikes. You can get them for about $100. Which is kind of a waste of money if you're giving it away. What are you going to do? So riding a bike on a bicycle might be cool. Motorcycle as well. Just getting up and walking. That's so insane. That might be interesting.

46:49 John Daub: I'm going to go in here and cool off and get something to eat. I do appreciate the support, everybody. I appreciate you watching these live streams. I don't want to make them too long. But yeah, it's a little slice of Tokyo that I could bring each time we do these things. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hang in there. So, all right, all right, all right. All right, wait, wait. Okay, hold on a second. Last time I came here, they had artificial intelligent robots-looking people as lobby, in the lobby. So let's see if they're still there. And then I'm going to cut off the live stream. I forgot about that. Let me see if they still have the robots here. Hello, little kid. Little kid's looking at me. I feel light and heart. Yeah, they still have them. Whoa. That's creepy. She squinted at me. My name is Junko. Hello, my name is Junko. I don't know what to say. She has a little bit of cheek. The full package. She's got a profile. Oh, she's talking! She's talking. Where is the bathroom? Does she talk? She's ignoring me. Questions for Junko. Oh, you can ask Junko questions. Can you speak English? Junko, can you speak English? She can't speak. Can you speak Japanese? Where is the bathroom? Do you play any sports? I'm not good at sports, but I'm good at swimming and dancing. I'm good at swimming and dancing, but not at... So there's a touch panel. That's interesting. What's that? It's like here, but it's not here. It's like a hologram. Whoa! This is the future, people. All of you are obsolete. Junko will be taking your jobs soon. How does she keep her hands extended like that? Wow! How cool is that? We got to see a robot! Never mind the beach, that's what I should have done the livestream on, right? Oh boy. Alright, Junko, thanks for that. I am saying goodbye from tropical, beautiful Odaiba. That's right, I got a feeling, you know? You'll feel Odaiba. Thanks everybody. Come here, you'll feel it too. Have a good day, or night.

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