Only in Japan Go — Transcripts
Summaries + full diarized transcripts
2018-03-04 · Ep 187 · 53m

Tokyo River Boat Experience Asakusa

Tokyoriver cruiseTokyo travelSumida RiverHamarikyu Gardens
Summary

Tokyo River Boat Experience Asakusa

Overview

John Daub takes viewers on a scenic river cruise along the Sumida River, departing from Asakusa on a traditional Tokyo Cruise Ship. Accompanied by his friend Peter von Gomm (affectionately nicknamed "Joji" for this stream), John explores the waterways of Tokyo, offering commentary on the many bridges, landmarks, and history of the route. While the original plan hinted at reaching Odaiba via the futuristic "Space Boat," the duo ends up on a classic vessel that allows for open-air seating and a more relaxed pace.

The journey showcases iconic sights including the Tokyo Skytree, the controversial Asahi Beer Hall ("Golden Poo"), and the historic Eitaibashi and Kachidoki bridges. Along the way, John provides practical information about ticket prices, onboard refreshments, and the history of the cruise line which dates back to the 19th century. The trip concludes with an impromptu decision to disembark at Hamarikyu Gardens, a beautiful traditional Japanese garden near Hamamatsucho, rather than continuing to Odaiba.

This video serves as both a travel guide and a casual vlog, highlighting the charm of seeing Tokyo from the water. It offers viewers an alternative perspective of the city away from the crowded streets, complete with John's signature humor and spontaneous decision-making.

Highlights

  • 00:21 John and Peter board the boat in Asakusa, joking about the smell of diesel fuel.
  • 01:34 Discussion about the destination confusion between Hinode and Odaiba.
  • 03:33 Spotting the Asahi Beer Hall, nicknamed the "Golden Poo."
  • 04:43 Explanation of the Sumida River bridges and the route history.
  • 08:02 John moves to the upper deck for better views despite the wind.
  • 13:20 Tour of the boat's interior, refreshment stand, and pricing.
  • 18:04 Passing under Eitaibashi, a bridge John visited on a previous walk.
  • 29:12 Praise for the onboard narrator, Mark Carpentier.
  • 32:04 Approaching Tokyo Bay and the Kachidoki drawbridge.
  • 41:57 Arrival at Hamarikyu Gardens and decision to disembark.
  • 48:57 Recommendation to visit Hamarikyu Gardens over Odaiba.

Timeline / Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction and boarding at Asakusa
  • 01:34 Destination discussion: Hinode vs. Odaiba
  • 03:30 Landmarks: Skytree and Asahi Beer Hall
  • 04:40 Sumida River bridges and history
  • 08:00 Upper deck views and Kuramae area
  • 13:20 Boat interior, lounge, and refreshment prices
  • 18:00 Passing Eitaibashi and riverside cafe
  • 24:58 Tsukudajima and lock gates
  • 32:00 Kachidoki Bridge and approach to Tokyo Bay
  • 37:52 Sighting Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge
  • 41:57 Arrival at Hamarikyu Gardens
  • 47:00 Disembarking and closing thoughts

Japan Travel Tips

  • Route: The Tokyo Cruise Ship line runs from Asakusa to Hinode Pier (near Hamamatsucho). Some boats continue to Odaiba, but may require a transfer at Hinode.
  • Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at the pier. Prices vary by destination; Hinode is cheaper than Odaiba.
  • Seating: Upper deck offers better views but can be windy. Lower deck has a lounge and refreshments.
  • Refreshments: Onboard prices are reasonable (Beer ~500 yen, Coffee ~300 yen). Snacks like chips and chocolate are available.
  • Timing: The trip from Asakusa to Hinode takes about 40-45 minutes.
  • Hamarikyu Gardens: A great stop off the boat. Entrance fee is around 300 yen. Features a traditional tea house.
  • Best Time: Spring and Autumn offer pleasant weather for open deck seating.
  • Navigation: Listen for onboard announcements (often available in English) to know which bridge you are passing under.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

  • Bashi (橋): Means "bridge." Many bridge names end in this suffix (e.g., Eitaibashi, Kachidoki Bridge).
  • Hinomaru (日の丸): The Japanese national flag (red circle on white). John admires its simplicity.
  • Matcha (抹茶): Powdered green tea served in traditional tea houses like the one at Hamarikyu.
  • Oshare (おしゃれ): Stylish or fashionable. Used when discussing clothing.
  • Sayonara (さようなら): Formal goodbye.
  • Genki (元気): Energy or health. "Super genkis" refers to energetic people.
  • Fune (船): Boat or ship.
  • High Touch: The Japanese term for a "high five."

Food & Drink Guide

  • Beer (500 yen): Available at the onboard refreshment stand. John notes it's a reasonable price.
  • Whiskey Soda (400 yen): Available onboard.
  • Hot Chocolate (300 yen): Available onboard.
  • Potato Chips: Peter is seen eating these during the ride.
  • Koala's March: Chocolate snacks available onboard.
  • Nachos: Surprisingly available on the menu.
  • Matcha (Green Tea): Available at the tea house in Hamarikyu Gardens.
  • Bento: Mentioned as a potential lunch option in the park.
  • Ramen: John mentions wanting to get a bowl after the cruise.

People

  • John Daub: Host. Enthusiastic about the boat trip, provides historical context and travel tips.
  • Peter von Gomm: Guest. John's friend and fellow content creator. Referred to jokingly as "Joji" or "JVG" during the stream. Provides commentary and shares personal stories (e.g., about his father).
  • Mark Carpentier: Mentioned as the onboard narrator whose voice guides passengers through the history of the bridges.

Key Takeaways

  • The Sumida River cruise offers a unique perspective of Tokyo's landmarks away from street-level crowds.
  • Not all boats go directly to Odaiba; some terminate at Hinode Pier requiring a transfer.
  • Hamarikyu Gardens is a highly recommended stop accessible via the river cruise, offering a traditional Japanese garden experience.
  • Onboard amenities are affordable and include a lounge area with restrooms.
  • The history of the cruise line dates back to 1885, surviving through the war and restarting in 1950.

Notable Quotes

  • 00:21 "Nothing beats the smell of diesel fuel in the morning."
  • 03:33 "It's also known as the Golden Poo because yeah, the golden unchi."
  • 13:20 "I call them space boats because it's just cooler if you add space to the title."
  • 29:12 "Mark Carpentier is an awesome narrator."
  • 48:57 "There is no comparison between Odaiba and Hamarikyu Gardens."

Related Topics

  • Asakusa Travel Guide
  • Sumida River Walks
  • Tokyo Bay Area Attractions
  • Hamarikyu Gardens Tea House
  • Only in Japan Livestreams

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #travel #asakusa #sumida-river #boat-cruise #hamarikyu-gardens #tokyo-skytree #odaiba #peter-von-gomm #japan-travel-tips #river-cruise #tokyo-tower #rainbow-bridge


Full Transcript

00:00:00 John Daub: Japanese people with occasional Japanese words and phrases. Would you like to order from Japan? Please come to Japan. Thank you. Please enter. This is the ticket.

00:00:21 John Daub: We are on Hinode Pier? This isn't Hinode Pier, is it? I guess that's where we're going. Hi everybody. We are now live streaming from Asakusa. This is my partner, Joji, also known as JVG, wearing a Hiroshima Carp hat, and we are entering the boat of love. Wow. Yeah, I love this. Nothing beats the smell of diesel fuel in the morning.

00:01:00 John Daub: Let's get seats before we get overwhelmed. Joji, you gotta fight for the best seats. We want a window seat, right? How about back here? I think the boat's gonna turn around, so yeah, you can sit here. The boat's gonna flip around to the other side. Grab it, okay. As you can see, there's the Tokyo Skytree, and this is Asakusa at 11:35 in the morning because it's Sunday.

00:01:34 John Daub: We're gonna be floating in this boat to—I guess—Odaiba? I don't really know. I bought the tickets and it says Hinode, and Hinode is not Odaiba, I don't think it is. We're gonna find out. So your promises are getting broken left and right, bro. Yeah, I thought this was gonna be a space cruise. Don't think spacey is you—you're all spaced out. There's two boats that cross. The good thing about this is that we're gonna do this again at another time with the space boat.

00:02:07 Peter von Gomm: Well, there's a good thing. The other good thing is there's a boat floating right by us right now. It just looks like from another era, from the past.

00:02:18 John Daub: Yeah, space boat. We couldn't manage it today. I don't know. We had to go in the morning because I have stuff to do in the afternoon. Peter had nothing to do today pretty much, so you could have taken a space boat. Is that true, Joji? Do you like this boat?

00:02:35 Peter von Gomm: Yes, the judge is fine. You're the only one that's complaining on a space boat.

00:02:49 John Daub: Joji's father happens to be Peter. Peter is his sidekick today. No, you just happen to be here long. So I've actually been on that space boat for like an evening cruise. It's pretty. Space boat is like Mark Twain. Right, that's the Tobu line and it's going towards the Tokyo Skytree. Tobu pretty much owns this area of Tokyo—Tobu also owns the Skytree and a rail line that goes to Nikko and Utsunomiya.

00:03:33 John Daub: Who owns that big—oh, that's Suntory, I think. Right? Is a Suntory. I believe that's the Suntory. Is it? It could be Sapporo. I don't know. It's one of the beverage companies owns. This is a concert hall, so I believe they play symphonies and have operas inside of there. It's also known as the Golden Poo because yeah, the golden unchi.

00:04:05 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, and see a golden building. Yeah, call the golden carrot.

00:04:13 John Daub: That's no carrot, my friend. If you're biting into something that looks like that, Joji, that's no carrot, my friend. Okay, he's still pure. Yeah, that's something else. I don't know what that is, but definitely not a carrot. Joji today you went swimming, so if this boat sinks, you're okay. You'll be able to make it to land. And we're moving. All right, we're on our way.

00:04:43 John Daub: No, typically you can go from Asakusa to Odaiba in about 40-45 minutes. The reason why I like this boat is it takes you underneath all of the bridges, and usually, at least in Japanese, they'll explain the bridges that you're going underneath. The Sumida River has a ton of bridges, all of them with their own history, which is cool for me. And it was just a couple of days ago that I was doing a river walk where I crossed a couple of bridges on the other side and visited a riverside cafe where they brew their own beer. That's the Eitaibashi (Etai Bridge) down the Sumida River. Yeah, they make their own beer there. Great drink. Thank you very much. Good job crushing it.

00:05:46 John Daub: There's the pier that we just took off from. This is the central intersection at Asakusa right here. If you do come and visit, take this boat—that's where you'll be leaving from. Very cool. What? Oh yeah, it's over there now. How did that happen? Well, I told you the boat was gonna turn around. I told you to go on that side. So what is there—more sights on the left, on the starboard, or on the port? It's hard to say. It's starboard. What's the other side? Starboard and port. Port? You don't know that one? The port side? Yeah. Oh now you're trying to be cool now, a port? Oh gosh.

00:06:25 Peter von Gomm: All right. Yeah, we got a hungry Joji's hungry. I'm kind of hungry.

00:06:31 John Daub: So we're gonna see if we can make it to Odaiba, but there's Asakusa, the intersection right there. Well, we're gonna go underneath the first bridge. Oh gee, look at that. Well, that is a boat. We're on a boat, Joji. We're floating, my friend. There you go. Say goodbye to Asakusa and hello to the open sea of Tokyo Bay. At least that's where we're eventually gonna get to. This water here is salty. It should be. Must be. Yeah. Well, yeah. Well, we can go outside. Let's go outside.

00:07:12 John Daub: So I'm gonna make my way—you lightweights can stay down here. I'm gonna make my way upstairs. Upstairs, let's make it upstairs. Oh, then I'm gonna go back. Oh Joji. All right, Joji, do it—stairway, stairway. I'm gonna run down and down. Did it down? That's slow motion.

00:08:02 John Daub: Windy out here. Okay, just up there in the corner. Tokyo and enjoy the water. I'm gonna—Asakusa behind you. You can see the golden—golden cream? Hard to say what it is exactly, but we're leaving that behind. Here, be careful. We might be going back inside. Joji, it's windy out here. I could have my bento. She—Joji's making his way down. A little bit too windy for him. I'm gonna stay up here for a little bit. It's Kuramae (Kuramae)—my boss, she come—I is famous backpacker area. They have a lot of cheaper accommodations, but it has a vibe of old Tokyo, which I like. Kuramae is a nice place. I get some river spray. Over there say the Chuo Line (Chuo Line) through the Chuo Line in the distance. That's going to Akihabara from Chiba.

00:11:26 John Daub: Let's go back down and get—what are you doing? What are you doing? Why are you sitting down? You're not very adventurous, city Papa. Yeah, we're very disappointed in your behavior. Who you chatting to? Are there the scent girls from the other night? What, always got drinks and stuff? Can we go to the front of the boat? Let's see if we can go to the front. I didn't know they had refreshments. Oh, wow, you can sort of go to the front of the boat. Not really, but let's check this boat out. This is a nice view as well.

00:12:33 John Daub: Peter is chilling out a little bit. He's got a lot of jobs coming up. It also seems like he's chatting. Why would he be chatting? What do you be chatting if he's on this live stream? What do you see, Peter? What are you saving our seats for? I mean, what are you saving the seats for? I can see him—he's typing and chatting. The chat's here where it doesn't make any sense to me. All right, anyways, I'm gonna take you on a trip around the boat after we go underneath this bridge. Here we go.

00:13:20 John Daub: And if I said I'm kind of upset because you can't really pick the boat that you're gonna be on. I think it's on the schedule, but there are two space boats. Well, they look like boats from the future. I call them space boats because it's just cooler if you add space to the title. But down in the hull of the ship—that's the train going over. Down in the hull of the ship is restroom and refreshment stand. Wow, there's like a lounge down here. Very cool. Very, very cool. And you can get—I think there's a menu. There's the menu. So drinks are about 250 yen, $2.50 or $3, and hot chocolate's $3. You get a whiskey soda from 400 and a beer for 500—$5.50. That's pretty reasonable. You can also get little—oh, they have a space boat toy. It's nice, the Himiko. Me potato chips are $1.50. That's pretty reasonable. Pretty reasonable, and you can see the bridges. They list all the bridges that we cross, which is nice.

00:14:51 John Daub: Hold on a second. Peter's saving the seat up there, but the seats seem to be better down here. So we passed Koudanbashi (Koudan Bridge) a while ago. That's right here, and we're right about here at Kyobashi Bridge (Kyobashi Bridge). Bashi means bridge. They just add bridge in there so you can understand it because you don't speak Japanese. We get to eight, and then the final destination is Odaiba, which is really nice. That's Hinode, that's what I thought, but that's not our destination, is it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No engine note that. This is a pretty cool history of this pretty ship. Dates back 120 years. It began as a steamboat that ran from Asakusa up to the old Ryogoku (Ryogoku) in 1885. Although the cruise line that closed during the war, it was re-opened in 1950 and named the Tokyo Cruise Ship and discreetly passengers ever since. Information about the history of this boat in English to hear that. So they closed during the war and restarted again in 1950 when they retitled it the Tokyo Cruise Ship, and this has been going on since the 19th century.

00:16:12 Peter von Gomm: And that's not Peter's voice. He should probably audition for that job.

00:16:17 John Daub: Where's Joji? I'm gonna go see the people, but I like it better down here. You can feel the water. Check it out—it's sort of cool down here.

00:16:39 Peter von Gomm: And he enters the scene. It's pretty cool that up down here, isn't it? Yeah, it's like we're on the Titanic. Yeah, oh, you're listening to the stream on the delay. Here's your does. Oh, you think you're pretty cool, don't you? That's like the delay. Delayed cackle. That's a real cackle. Stop it, stop it. That's like the game where everybody repeats what you say, right? This is pretty good.

00:17:35 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, the refreshments down here pretty reasonable. Yeah, yeah, it appears like five bucks. Coffee is $3. What do you mean my beer? You're driving, don't forget. What's right? Yeah, you're on your motorbike. All right, look at it. If he's not thinking, I better do the thinking for both of us.

00:18:04 John Daub: All right, I'll be right back. We're getting close to Eitaibashi (Eitai Bridge), and Eitaibashi is the bridge that I took you on a couple of days ago. So we're gonna go upstairs and I'm gonna show you Eitaibashi. This boat is not the spaceboat, but it's actually not just from the front of the boat. You can see there's lots of passenger seats. Maybe about—let's see here—there must be 16, 32 rows, I think. So let's go upstairs and show you Eitaibashi. That's where I went three days ago for the river walk livestream. Hey, he's downstairs. I'm going back upstairs. Joji, Eitaibashi—you see it? Oh no, yeah, that's it. Yeah, it's Yoyogi (Yoyogi?) in the distance. The Skytree behind us—you can see it's quite a ways off now. Sit here. This boat's gonna turn, but each bridge has a history. Skytree going bye-bye as we get further and further away.

00:20:50 John Daub: It is a really beautiful day here in Tokyo. The weather is about the same as yesterday—about 19 degrees Celsius, I guess that's around 50-55. You should wear a jacket—spring weather. And Peter downstairs is gonna be a great day for us. So after we show Eitaibashi, I'm gonna go inside for a little bit. Pretty neat-looking building. This bridge might not have history. This is the Metropolitan Expressway (Metropolitan Expressway). You can see the highway. Most of them follow riverbeds—they basically drained a lot of the riverbeds and put highways in them. It was easier to do that than to try to find the land. We're getting up to Eitaibashi. This is where I walked about three days ago on another livestream. And I was at that restaurant right there. Check it out. I was eating right there. Right there is where that cafe is. And I was sitting on the balcony there. So Joji has some potatoes. Pretty good. Thank you. So there's the cafe. I like that dark building right there—big windows. You can sit outside on the balcony. I didn't know there was a third floor. And then Eitaibashi. Let's go underneath the Eitaibashi. I was like maybe six centimeters away from the top of my head to get a pretty good effect with the camera.

00:24:58 John Daub: And this is Tsukudajima (Tsukuda Island) in the middle. And then once we— we're gonna go this way, I believe. And then once we go around here, it'll go into Tokyo Bay. Okay, let's go down. Joji's going back down again. So we're gonna say goodbye. This is pretty cool up here, but it's kind of windy.

00:25:34 Peter von Gomm: Joji, you're going in the back. This is like a dance hall. What, this is square dancing? Sure. Foursquare dancing. Foursquare. Isn't that the do-si-do. This video has been sponsored by Foursquare.

00:25:50 John Daub: That's a slick boat. Show that one back there. Oh yeah, look at that. What? Oh yeah, that's where we were. We were downstairs before. This does look like the Titanic in a way. I'm not following him. I'm sticking right here. I love the Hinomaru (Japanese flag). It's a simple, beautiful flag. Yeah, the Hinomaru. The Japanese flag. Simple, so elegant. Like that boat and building. But the former. No, wait, the former's true. I was gonna say. There's Eitaibashi in the distance. They're leaving that. Hinomaru. Hinomaru. This will get to Odaiba? I think it's at Hinode. And Hinode. Yeah. If it stops at Hinode, that's not Odaiba. So some of the boats, they make a pit stop at Hamamatsucho (Hamamatsucho), the park there. And then you gotta change boats and go to Odaiba. I don't wanna wait around for that though.

00:27:15 Peter von Gomm: Me neither. What is there to see in Hinode? The park. There's a tea house and a park there. Is it a place for lunch? Yeah, I guess. We gotta leave though.

00:27:26 John Daub: So we're not going to Odaiba. Oh. But then we don't have to. I don't care. So we might not be going to Odaiba. We might be just getting off where this boat changes. I don't know. I think the ticket I have is just to Hinode. Yeah, that's fine. We've got stuff we can do. What do you think of the boat trip, huh? Yeah? How many stars? Five out of five? Thumbs up or thumbs down?

00:27:56 Peter von Gomm: One hundred. One hundred.

00:28:00 John Daub: Oh. That's Chuo Ohashi (Chuo Bridge). The Chuo Ohashi. Here's the ticket. Not really backlit, but yeah. It says Hinode, right? Hinode, yeah. Not to—oh, that's Chuo Hinode. So I don't know, man. We're gonna find out. Yeah. So this is the bridge that connects Kachidoki, Tsukishima, and Tsukudajima. That's Tsukuda up there. Hey, this is the little wall. Yeah. This is the area I wanted to introduce to you, but not over here. But somebody kept crashing the stream at the Tsukishima. Oh yeah. Remember that? And you can see here, Tokyo has a lot of these locks, these gates here, because if the river ever rises too high, they'll lock these down and that creates a wall. But they leave it open because people will put their boats in there and they will take their small river crafts inside of there. But they close it whenever there's an earthquake. There's an alarm that'll go off and you go beep beep beep, and then it'll shut the gates.

00:29:09 Peter von Gomm: Do you use your voice for that alarm? Beep beep beep.

00:29:12 John Daub: Yeah. I don't know, but they should be using your voice for this boat. Well, actually, that's my friend Mark.

00:29:14 Peter von Gomm: That's your friend's boat voice? Yeah, downstairs. Mark's giving a historical tour. Mark Carpentier is an awesome narrator.

00:29:23 John Daub: He is? But I guess you can't do them all, huh? Well, you know, I try, but you try. But yeah, really good narration. You want to go downstairs? All right, follow Joji. Yeah, let's check out the downstairs. Okay. Hold on a second, Peter.

00:29:42 Peter von Gomm: Zenstra X will donate $100 a week. What happens if we throw Joji into the river? How about I donate a million dollars for suggesting such a dumb idea? Okay. All right. See, you reap what you sow, Mr. Zenstra X. That was funny.

00:30:03 John Daub: All right, Joji, show us around. You're the professional.

00:30:06 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I'm the guy. Oh wow, it's all made of wood and rock down here. I actually almost prefer this to the James Bond boat. This feels real.

00:30:20 John Daub: Well, I think it is, actually. Yeah, it is real. It's real? Yeah. There's a toilet. There's a toilet? Thank you, Joji. Oh, look at that. Look at that door. No way! What is that? Joji, go in there. No. Someone just hit the gate out. Let's give the man some privacy. All right. Yeah, Joji, go inside there. It says do not enter, Joji. I don't think you can do it. Yeah, he doesn't read. We're back, everybody. Sorry about that—lost connection.

00:30:50 John Daub: Yeah, so Steve gave us a Super Chat to buy Joji a drink to wash down those taters. Okay. Yeah. That's nice. Thank you, Steve. Steve, your friend Steve on YouTube, man. Give Steve a high touch. High touch. High touch, Steve. All right, there you go. So let's get a drink. High five in Japan is called high touch. You want ice? Wait, Steve didn't pay that much, my friend. Here you go. Can I pull something over here? Peter. Oh, thank you. Do you want something as well, John?

00:31:40 Peter von Gomm: I'm good. You're good? Okay. Which one? All you have? You can have that. Whoa. Or tea. Joji, what do you want? Just water. I love these Koala's March. I'll get you lunch later, so I'll just have water. Okay. Koala's March is pretty good. Yes. Oh, they got nachos. No way. Why would they do that? Whoa.

00:32:04 John Daub: So we are going—I'm going to take you up here, and let's take a look. While Joji gets his drink, I'm going to bring you up for a view as we break into the harbor. Okay. This happens to be one of my favorite areas over here. I don't want to waste it, but so this area is really nice for walking, but it looks like they're doing some construction today. This looks like the Kachidoki Bridge (Kachidoki Bridge), and the Kachidoki Bridge is a gate—is a drawbridge. So it used to be able to open up, but since all of the bridges—the new bridges can't do that, they no longer open up the Kachidoki drawbridge. The center of it—we're going to go through the center of it, but the center of it would open up. After Kachidoki, there's I think just one or two more bridges, then we get into Tokyo Bay. Hey, losers. Would they call my name? Yes. We're going underneath the Kachidoki Bridge right now. This used to be a drawbridge. I can see on the other side where the opening is, but my friend used to live up there. That's the Kachidoki Tower. So I bothered those good people too long.

00:34:28 Peter von Gomm: Here is—how's your drink? Joji just found it. What? Sure. You found cash? Two dollars. We have to find the proper owner. Stand back so they can see it. That's American money. That's right. How much is there? Two dollars. I wonder if anybody—two dollars. I wonder who lost it. Who's that? Is that Grandma? That's not Grandma. That's George Washington. George! Oh, you—Joji is Japanese for George.

00:35:02 Peter von Gomm: So that's right. That's your name sign. For your sake. Is it? Really? Peter. Your daddy—he was named after George Washington? No, after my dad. Oh, after your dad who's named George? His grandma. Okay. George, yeah. And your dad was named after George Washington? Yeah, he was a patriot. He's an offspring of—yeah. Fighter. I've seen the story, right? Is it—it's—which one? Was that your grandfather? You—you—so Peter also has a YouTube channel. You should check it out. Let me put that in your pocket. The story you read was about your uncle. My uncle, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he was a fighter. He was a boy too. He was a boy too. He was a World War II pilot. A World War II pilot and you have a—shot down. Shot down. Over Germany. Over Germany. Wow. Yeah. Okay. So 1944, I think was the year. Yeah. Yeah, it's an amazing story. He wrote the story and it's called My Mother Works Miracles. So please check out the channel. Yeah, check out the TVT.

00:35:54 Peter von Gomm: And the channel is all about—it's not all about, but it's a smorgasbord of me reading original stories. But also some a little bit of a little bit of vlogging I started doing around Tokyo, and sometimes Joji and I will do some shows together. But the bulk of it is original stories, musings and things that you people write and send in, and I—a lot of it comes from the fans, right? From the viewers. Yeah. Yeah. Musicians as well and artists. So there's some exciting stuff coming up. So please. Top Kek says, dude, you should get your voice on audiobooks. Yeah. I should. I should. You've got a point. But audiobooks—books are—it's a marathon of a job because if there's multiple characters throughout the book, I have to maintain those characters throughout the book. Takahashi-san. Scrub my back. Yeah. Yeah. So there you have it. But I prefer making short videos. I think there's something about the visual aspect of it. The visual end of media that's much more entertaining, I think, than just listening to an audiobook. So there you have it.

00:37:15 Peter von Gomm: Where do you get your fashion sense from? Catherine wants to know. From—well, when John's not home, I borrow his clothes. I knew it. I knew it. That's why they stink. Okay, what else? It's inherent. It's inherent. Catherine, it's inherent. Yeah. My dad was a clothes horse. Yeah. He was a clothes horse. So yeah. Uniqlo. Not quite that oshare (stylish). Okay. Yeah, that's where I go most of my stuff. Yeah. And this is a Carp hat. Joji, do you like Hiroshima? Yeah. I used to live near the Carp stadium. I lived in Hiroshima for two years.

00:37:52 John Daub: Oh, there's Tokyo Tower. Do you see? We've come to the other tower. Peter, we were on the top there the other day. Oh yeah. There is a—yeah, make sure you watch that live stream from Friday night. Oh, the illegal stream that we're not supposed to do, right? Yeah, the top deck tour. Which is awesome. They told us not to do it, right? Well, we didn't anyway. Well, not the officials, but somebody else. Somebody else told us. Related to the party. Not allowed to say that name. If you say that name—we don't say that name. John and I make the rules. We do make—we make the rules, right? We're in control. So over here, folks, is the Rainbow Bridge. That there is the Rainbow Bridge. It's much better with the screaming kid in the background. Oh yeah. It's much better with the back of people's heads. I think this is a pretty unique stream. Unique shot. Oh, there you go. Yeah. This is live. This is the Rainbow Bridge. And that baby really is screaming. There's the TV building. See that? People's heads. Now we're going into Hinode. And we're here already. Yeah, unfortunately. So Hinode does not—Hinode does not go underneath the Rainbow Bridge. And I feel somewhat ripped off by this. There's the Rainbow Bridge. This is Hinode Pier. And this is the park. And we're going to be making a pit stop here. So thanks, guys. Thanks for buying Joji his drink and getting him a snack. And we appreciate that. I'm going to use the Super Chat to get some lunch as well. So I appreciate all the support. It's pretty cool. I might stream our lunch then. And there's the park. They have a traditional Japanese tea house. This is Hamamatsucho (Hamamatsucho). Hamamatsucho is not too far from Shinbashi, Shiodome area, which is right there—these tall buildings. And this is one of the more traditional parks. It's a Japanese park. It's very beautiful. I believe it's relatively inexpensive to get in—a couple hundred yen. Maybe two or three dollars to get in. But inside is a traditional Japanese tea house where you can enjoy a cup of matcha (green tea) with some Japanese confections. That's where we came from—through this lock. Tokyo Bay is on the other side. That's where I want to be. But hey. Anyway, that's not—I guess we're going to have to make a pit stop here. But this is sort of the good thing though with the boat. You don't have to go all the way to Odaiba. You can actually just take the boat from Asakusa to about the Shinbashi area—Hamamatsucho. And this is also where the monorail is to go to Haneda Airport. So it is a pretty convenient place. So you don't have to go all the way to Odaiba if you don't want to. There's boats that go—they stop halfway. If you only have about 40 minutes. This is how long we've been riding for. The livestream is in 41 minutes right now. So yeah, I think takes about typically around 45, 50 minutes to get to Odaiba direct. Sometimes the boats just bypass this area. Hey, we got some people over there. Ahoy!

00:41:57 Peter von Gomm: Hey, super genkis in the house. Not sure what we're going to do in Odaiba. And I'm not sure we're going to actually make it. The ferry is making a pit stop at Hinode, which is not too far from Hamamatsucho. And the park is right here. So I believe we have to wait a while at Hinode before the next boat comes and takes us to Odaiba. I don't have the kind of time today. And they play—are they playing Auld Lang Syne? Yeah. So we're Hamarikyu (Hamarikyu). Yeah, that's it. Hamarikyu Gardens (Hamarikyu Gardens). And there's Kachidoki and Tsukuda. That's the island. In the middle is Tsukishima. And this is—I was filming here for Instagram and for the Only in Japan main channel. This is where I shot where the Olympic Village is. Right in front of these mansions is—these apartment buildings right in front of them is a platform where you can see the next island over. And from there, a really great view of the Olympic Village which is being built right now. Supposedly finished in 2019 at the end of the year. Here comes another boat. But it is a really beautiful day here in Tokyo. This is Hamarikyu. This is not Hinode. This is Hamarikyu. Hamarikyu, hi. Which I recommend we get off here. This is an awesome park. So we're going to skip Odaiba and do a little Hamarikyu. It's a beautiful—there's a beautiful park here. They have the tea house here. There's a tea house here as well. And we can get a bento and just hang out and chill like villains. Hey, where's JVG? He's downstairs, chilling like a villain. Where's PBG? I'm right here. Here's our—hey, everybody. How you doing? John. Yes, I'm me. And who are you? Hamarikyu. Hamarikyu. Very nice. Did you say I'm going to lick you? No. Hashtag Bjoji is trending on Twitter right now. I was going to say, is Peter wearing the what? Red boxers. No, the black. Really? We don't need that information. You don't—you can just make it up. Nobody—we're not going to confirm, Peter. Are we? I don't know. I don't know. We'll see what kind of super chats we can get. Oh gosh. We can get a thousand dollar super chat, then we'll confirm my underwear. That's gross. Keep your money. I'll take the—I'll take my—these are things you cannot un-see. Oh yeah. I wear them all the time. I always—they're so because I suspect that they don't fit your caboose. How are you supposed to confirm that I wear them? John, can you tell me what you're wearing? Can you show me your under—what are you going to do? I'm just asking. I don't want to see them. I wear them a couple of times. You know, display them. I'm not the kind of guy who shows the—get some scurvy. Scurvy is lack of vitamin C, right? So we can't get—well, this is a beautiful park. We're going to—yeah. We're going to debark. Is that the right word? I think it's debark. Embark. This is our de-embarkation port. Export. Disembark. How many Q gardens? I always get that wrong on the immigration forms. Me too. I always get that wrong on the immigration forms. Embarkation and disembarkation. Right. It's always very confusing. Watch your step. Thank you. It's very considerate of you to think of others. It doesn't happen often. It doesn't happen often. All right. Joji was holding down the fort. So yeah. That's a boat ride, I guess. People are coming this way. Yeah. So we're going to—we're going to see where this goes. I guess the exit's right there. Smell of diesel.

00:47:05 John Daub: Peter disappears and reappears at the most unusual times. But sometimes he's chatting. You'll see him chatting along with you guys. But this pretty much is the end of the line. I don't know if we're going to keep on streaming. Joji and Peter want to get some lunch, and it doesn't look like we're going to make it to Odaiba. The wait time here is about, I think, 3:30 or 45 minutes. So I'm not sure that's something that we want to do. We might just take off. Joji might wait around, but I might go get a bowl of ramen. What do you want to eat? Disembarking. People are disembarking. Joji, you can speak Japanese, right? Yes. You can speak Japanese. Joji is bilingual. Unlike us, we're just lingual. Peter, you're sort of bilingual. You've done Japanese voice work, haven't you?

00:48:06 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I do. I do narrations in Japanese for TV commercials. In fact, there's a new one that just came out for Suzuka Circuit. It's a race track. Really? Yeah. And I'll put a link. This is Hamarikyu. I'll put a link where I'll tell you—how do you do that on Instagram? I don't know how to—hold on a second. Do you want to go to Odaiba? Does this go to Odaiba? I think it does. Eh, kono fune o Odaiba made ikimasu ka? (Does this boat go to Odaiba?) Kono fune o Odaiba made ikimasu ka? Kono fune o Odaiba made ikimasu ka? You can go to Asakusa. Oh, Asakusa. We can go to Asakusa. So we can change the boat in Hinode. Oh, okay. So we can change the boat in Hinode. If you want to—we should stay on the boat. You want to go to Hinode? We don't have tickets to get off here. It's fine. It's shorter. Okay. Well, let's go. We'll figure it out.

00:48:57 John Daub: I highly recommend Hamarikyu Gardens. It's a beautiful place. We don't have the ticket really to get off here, but we'll see what happens. It's fine. It's fine. It's like getting off at a stop before your station on the train. Well, don't tell me. Tell the ticket guy. Now we're screwed now because we have no choice. So Odaiba has been canceled. Entrance fee, how can I use this? Oh, is that so? Yes. Is there a fee? Yes. Okay, that's fine. And it's 200 to 300 yen, right? 250 yen. That's fine. That's fine. 500 yen. That's fine. Okay, I'll get it. I'll get it. Okay, 'cause I'll give you money to get this. So total of 400, 400, 400. I told you, Peter, we didn't have tickets. But you didn't believe me. So they're going to where we were and we're going to where they were. All right. I told you, didn't believe me. Had to be the smartest one in the room. You need to go to number one or number two. I just want to know how long I gotta wait. We had to pay extra because Peter, he just had to go to this park.

00:50:22 Peter von Gomm: Your people will thank me. Your people will thank you? Because it's a beautiful place. It's an awesome day. Look, we've got some flowers opening up over here. Does Hinode Pier have a place like this? No. Yes, please.

00:50:36 John Daub: So I think we could end this stream then and make another one for this park. Yeah, I would. Alright. You want to sing a song to the people before you say goodbye? Not particularly. I could try my Dancing Queen again. I didn't really do it properly. I think it, yeah. Madonna, maybe? No. No. How about just going out with showing the blistering leaves on the way out? The beauty of spring. That's gross. Diseased leaves, thank you. Show them the flowers on the way out. Well, that's why I'm thinking we should do a second live stream. Okay, show them the boat as it leaves because that's the boat you wanted to be on. That's true. Oh, that's the boat I wanted to be on. You won't. You really wanted to go here. You didn't want to go to Odaiba. So you're saying you—you're like—this is a mutiny, is what you're saying? It's just, there is no comparison between Odaiba and Hamarikyu Gardens. So if you had to pick, Hama-rikyu would win every time? Absolutely. Absolutely. Especially on a day like today. Oh, look at the captain. Are we done with the captain? I don't know. Alright, everybody. So what we're going to do is end this live stream. And I think we're going to start another one because it's a totally different time and it's a totally different topic than Odaiba. Right. And I'm going to apologize on behalf of John for getting the boats mixed up. This is supposed to be the space boat tour. I didn't, well. But no, no, no, no. I think it's equally as enjoyable. One's very elegant and kind of like Mark Twain sort of. And the other's James Bond. Mark Twain, Mark Twain. Yeah, I guess so. But it's like comparing opposite sides—James Bond and Mark Twain. I don't think both of the space boats can go outside. They can't? They can't. You're locked in. You're locked in because it could go underwater at any moment. But never does. So it was sort of a blessing that we got to ride this boat. Blessed. We were blessed. Because you can see at the end of the boat there's a place for you to sit outside. And such a beautiful day. You don't want to be locked inside of a space boat. Let's be honest. We want to be outside breathing the air. The diesel fumes, which is what we got a big mouthful of. Anyways, I want to say goodbye to everybody. Joji, you want to say goodbye to the people? How do you say goodbye in Japanese? You got shy. Bye. Sayonara. Very good. Sayonara. Bye everybody. Alright. See you in the next stream. How many Q Park? It's real. It's real. We are trapped here now. There's no Odaiba. It's official. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done.

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