00:03 John Daub: Good morning everyone. I'm at Narita Airport, Terminal 2, and I'm departing from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I'll be there for a couple of days, but first I thought I'd take a quick tour around Narita Airport. This is Terminal 2—there are three terminals here. Here's the south side of Terminal 2, and behind me is the north side. Up on the second floor of the departure terminal, there's a place to shop and eat. I'm kind of hungry and definitely thirsty, and I want to buy some gifts before I go. In Japan, it's customary to buy omiyage (souvenir gifts) for people at the other end, so that's what I'm doing for friends in Malaysia.

01:00 John Daub: Here's the shopping area. Yeah, the necessary Starbucks is there. My flight departs in about an hour and 20 minutes, so I've got time to look around. I'm kind of tired—I woke up at 5:30 this morning—but that's not going to stop us. We've got an electronics store here, nothing really out of the ordinary, and luggage stuff like a compact selfie stick—I could use one of those.

02:08 John Daub: Starbucks has Hokkaido, Sendai, Nagoya, and Tokyo mugs—that Tokyo one looks really cool. Why is there an Egyptian in it though? They have a new style this time. The seasonal coffee is raspberry and white chocolate, and oh, they got the gingerbread latte—that's how you know it's Christmas, never mind the trees and music. Here's a McDonald's that looks like one of the more international ones I've seen—no Japanese items in there.

03:10 John Daub: Can you get any more stereotypical than this? A sumo wrestler on top of Mount Fuji with a Japanese flag in English saying "souvenirs." Oh, this is the place to be. Tabi socks—you know, one for the big toe and the rest like a mitten for the foot. Chopsticks, hand towels, Kyoto stuff—I'm in Tokyo, totally wrong. These little chains and purses are made out of kimono material—pretty cool. We have the sumo wrestler, of course. I don't know the fascination with sumo wrestlers—they're really big people. I guess I've been here too long; I'm not really attracted to that.

04:40 John Daub: Ah, the food—this is definitely meant for foreigners; everything's in English. We've got Kanto flicker—that flicker only happens when you're not at a certain shutter speed. Matcha tea crackers, furikake (rice seasoning)—this is wasabi. It brings out the flavor of the rice. These look pretty good. Oh, this is from the Imperial Hotel, where Donald Trump stayed when he was in Japan, and the Queen of England stays as well—these must be really good cookies. Leaf pies, chestnuts, Royce chocolate from Hokkaido, Tokyo cheese cream sand—they have sand inside; you're going to have to pass on the sand.

06:19 John Daub: You always get these at the airport: wasabi Kit Kats—they're a little bit darker. You can buy a whole box. Hokkaido melon—I've never seen that before. Wa ichigo (Japanese strawberries)—must be different. There's a Yokohama edition, strawberry cheesecake, another Japanese sake with different packaging—not bad. You can get them in cheaper bags, but wow, that's double the price of the supermarket: 540 yen for Tokyo Banana. It's gone rogue—camouflaged; you can hardly see it. This one you get eight for 1080 yen, a chocolate sandwich—also camouflaged, very interesting.

07:56 John Daub: No, that's not what I'm looking for. Oh, these are Japanese teacups—they look pretty interesting and would make a good gift. Each one has its own personality. Wow, it's about 65 dollars—looks nice, though. This teapot is 170 dollars. Let me get some tea for it. There's not a lot of shops here, some clothing shops, a Muji. We've already passed Starbucks, so let's go on the other side and see what we can find.

09:02 John Daub: We have Mimipochi Friends—I don't know what that means. People like to make things out of Mt. Fuji, don't they? Mt. Fuji bag. There's the departure terminal down there. Oh, here's a guide—there's a 7-Eleven, that's good to know, some restaurants. Starbucks is more like a cafe. Wow, Hello Kitty shop—really? I don't think they made this area for me; it's for other people.

10:07 John Daub: So we have a place where I could possibly get a meal—the curry rice looks really good: pork katsu curry, beef curry with rice. We've got udon, which is necessary with every airport restaurant—you have to have good udon. Tororo (grated yam)—mushy potato on top of the udon, very good. Oh, they got steak too—little bit too early. For Westerners, Western breakfast—in Japan they don't really have breakfast sausages; they use hot dogs and make them smaller. Every breakfast you get a little hot dog—kind of weird. Then Japanese breakfast: fish, egg, miso soup—basic. Healthy set—not bad. I like the fusion: Japanese in the middle and burger, bacon cheeseburger set—not too bad at all. And unagi (eel)—pretty good fusion here. Price is a little higher, though—you're probably better off getting gifts elsewhere. Usually I wait for the airport because I don't have time to shop. I'm not too impressed with Narita Terminal 2—shops still feel like the 1990s. Hasn't changed much.

12:08 John Daub: Okay, sushi place up there—that's sort of cool. This is new—I haven't been here in a while. You can get sashimi don, chūtoro don (medium-fatty tuna rice bowl)—wow, that's a big one, very nice. That's like ten dollars each—a good breakfast. Tokyo Food Con, the Tokyo food market—let's see.

13:03 John Daub: Hiyoko (chicks)—these are from Kamakura, right? Hiyoko is a chick, the baby chicken kind—they look more like seals though. These things are full of flavor. This one has octopus infused in the chips—good with beer. This one looks like squid—so good. Sake Kit Kat again, crispy French pie—plenty in one package, each individually wrapped. Kit Kats down there: grape flavored. Lots of boxes stacked up—that's how people buy gifts in Japan. Wow, mini donuts—love how everything in Japan is individually wrapped so it never goes bad. Chocola donuts—nice. Still haven't found that one thing I really want to eat. These look like green tea Nutter Butters—really good, six for about four dollars fifty.

15:39 John Daub: Checkrist is asking for a soda ban—I'll see what I can find. Oh, this is a really cute shop with a little umbrella. Again, lots of stuff made from kimono material: handkerchiefs you can use for wrapping stuff. You can carry things in it or wrap without paper—make an instant bag from a furoshiki (wrapping cloth). Furoshiki are nice gifts. Oh, there's some fashion—I've never seen anybody wear this in Japan, but looks cool: Totoro—nice.

17:19 John Daub: I'm getting hypnotized—I can't pull away. I must leave you. I like those bobble heads. Chiba has a satellite shop here—Narita Airport is in Chiba, not Tokyo. This is Chiba-kun, the mascot for Chiba—hey, Chiba-kun. Chiba's famous for peanuts—here they are. Of course charms and things like this: ninja. How much? About four dollars thirty—made in China. Everything is made in China. And there has to be a Hello Kitty shop—it's a prerequisite for airport shopping areas. I'm not going in there—you could send me a million dollars in Super Chat and you can't get me to go in. Impossible.

19:08 John Daub: These are cool—would look good on somebody's mantle, about 50 dollars each. These girls gotta get out more in the sun—little pale. Everybody's saying go into the Hello Kitty shop—yeah, that's not gonna happen. I got a long flight; last thing I wanna remember is Hello Kitty when I go to sleep on the plane.

19:54 John Daub: In Japan, it's customary to have display foods that look as good as, if not better than, the actual meal. Prices are semi-reasonable—this katsudon set probably a thousand yen in the city, but 30% more here. All food seems 30% more expensive than in the city—makes sense. Udon and soba set—you get both. Can't decide? Pick both. Oh, tempura tendon—not bad. Special is unagi—looks good enough to eat. I don't think I'm supposed to do that. It's just after 8 o'clock—pretty unique that shops are open early here. A lot of airports don't open till 10. In Japan generally, shops don't open till 10 or 11, especially city center—it's not an early morning or 24-hour place. Tokyo opens at 10 and closes at 8—that's Tokyo to me, but it's getting better.

21:25 John Daub: This is the north side of Narita Terminal 2. About 15, 20 years ago, things closed during holiday periods—ATMs would close. The three holiday periods are Shogatsu (New Year's), Golden Week (late April-early May), and Obon (mid-August). During those weeks, ATMs shut for the entire time—can you imagine? No ATMs in convenience stores then, only banks, no foreign cards. If you didn't get cash out before, you were stuck. First time I came to Japan in 1998, ATM shut before my paycheck—I survived on free supermarket samples for three or four days. That was then—this is now. Japan is a lot better: Japan 24 hours is 10 to 8.

22:57 John Daub: All these people—I wonder where they're going. Everybody's going somewhere. Where are you guys going today? I'm gonna take you outside Narita because you've been patient for 23 minutes in this livestream. No, I'm not going into this store—it's all pink, like a little girl's bedroom, kind of creepy. There you go—are you happy? I touched one. How does she breathe in there? Somebody give her freedom. All right, that's enough—I feel dirty. Hello Kitty—I gotta wash myself off.

24:12 John Daub: By the window there's more restaurants. Are you ready? The airplanes—kind of a windy day, so maybe no delays. This is Tokyo right now—well, Chiba actually. That's Philippine Airlines—somebody's going to the Philippines. Pretty much everything is bilingual or trilingual here—good for travelers. You don't need English or Japanese to order; just be adventurous. Pretty good soba tempura set for 1000 yen ($14)—reasonably priced. Good-looking tendon—ah, so good with fried stuff and rice. Certified halal—there you have it.

26:11 John Daub: It's almost 9am—my flight to Kuala Lumpur departs at 10:20, boarding at 9:20—I don't think that's gonna happen. Boarding is first 20 minutes: VIPs, business class, people with disabilities needing assistance—not usually me. I'll take questions about Narita. Andy says get coffee on me—thank you, cheers from Silver Springs, Maryland. I was born and grew up there in Clinton—different place than 40 years ago.

27:16 John Daub: Questions about Narita? What am I doing in Kuala Lumpur? Seeing an event—doing a meetup at Intercontinental Hotel tomorrow, 2-3pm in the lobby. I'm emcee of the Asian Spelling Cup—my fifth one. We've had them in Bali, Bangkok, now Kuala Lumpur. If you're there, come say hi—I made a Facebook event page. Might livestream from the hotel if Wi-Fi's good; I usually use 4G LTE here in Japan. Haneda is 100 times better than Narita? Narita's older, out of the way, but I save 10-15% on tickets over a thousand bucks—don't mind crappy stores.

29:42 John Daub: Which is better, Narita or Haneda? I live between both. Haneda I take bus—straight shot, easy. Narita, trains to Chiba aren't crowded that direction. More space at Narita—bigger airport, less crowded even at peak. Haneda restaurants fill up; here you find a seat. Check-in similar. There's a train connecting them: Toei Asakusa line. Or bus, helicopter for the rich. Going home to America for Christmas end of December. Narita's look? Nostalgic, not beautiful—many international trips from here before Haneda. Terminal 3 opened ~5 years ago for budget airlines like Jetstar—cheap flights: ¥4000 to Kagoshima, ¥40 to Okinawa or Hokkaido. Haneda becoming bigger hub, so Narita less crowded. Major international airlines still come here—cheaper taxes.

32:23 John Daub: Faster to Disneyland? About the same—both have direct buses. Haneda on coast, wraps around bay; Narita inland but similar depending on traffic. Jetstar saves money unless over 7kg—no checked bags. I stuff lithium batteries in pockets (they don't weigh jackets)—10kg worth sometimes. Nobody tell Jetstar. They get you A to B but nickel-and-dime you. On clear days taking off from Narita, flights go over my house—I can see it from the sky.

34:24 John Daub: In Kuala Lumpur till the 13th—there 24 hours basically. Emceeing tomorrow at Intercontinental 2pm if you're in KL. Chitose (New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido)? Nice, small, regional. Batteries? A lot—wires too. US meetup? Maybe New York at Christmas—check Facebook. More content on Instagram (@onlyinjapantv). Other languages? Hablo español un poquito—studied in Guatemala ~3 months in 2003, but not useful here; Japanese is. Other jobs? Video content for clients, MC gigs, editing/producing, NHK reporting, Japanese TV consulting—specialist non-Japanese jobs for my visa.

37:02 John Daub: Crime low? Yeah, walking airport no bother. Almost no violent crime, but petty like shoplifting—elderly love it. All right everybody, thank you. Narita's waking up—everybody going somewhere, and I'm off to Kuala Lumpur. Thanks for questions and company while waiting. See you on the other side—might livestream from Malaysia. See ya.