00:00:01 John Daub: That right there everybody is a Tokyo Skytree. Hello, Skytree in the distance. Very close to us is Dan and behind Dan is Enya! How are you? Good to hear that. I wanted to bring you this live stream as a chance for you to talk with someone who's visiting Japan for the first time and share their experiences.

00:00:29 John Daub: Dan is founder and CEO of Drum Talk TV, which is on Facebook—over 1.1 million followers, pretty amazing. Enya is his beautiful wife, who's also coming to Japan for the first time. We're gonna talk to them about their experiences. We were in Kochi together. We were on Sado Island (佐渡島, remote island off Niigata). We went to the Celebration Earth Festival and saw Kodo, an amazing taiko drumming troupe. It was just epic—musically, presentation, the physical aspect of the players, men and women of many ages from early 20s to senior citizens.

00:01:28 Dan: Just amazing. It was an amazing experience. I have covered drumming events all over the world for the last six and a half years of Drum Talk TV. This was a whole other echelon—nothing to minimize other things we've seen, but this was epically different in every way.

00:01:42 John Daub: Let's walk towards the point. Some of you've been watching the live streams and know exactly where we're going. This is one of my places to walk. One of the reasons I'm here is because I wanted to interview Dan and get his take on the drum event that we went to last week, because I'm making an episode on it for the main channel. But the reason what we're doing this livestream is not just for drums—this is your first time here. What do you think about Japan?

00:02:13 Enya: Honey, you go first. It's absolutely amazing—no, just the food, the fashion, the architecture and especially the people. People have been so warm and welcoming, and when we get lost they help us. Just go up to someone even if they don't speak the language, point at our map and they'll give us directions. It's really simple.

00:02:39 Dan: Getting around Japan is not as hard. So you don't speak any Japanese? None, I mean like five words—and three of them I can't use here.

00:02:49 John Daub: You've learned correctly, my son. For me, everything I just said, and there's really an efficiency to the society here, an elegance. We've seen home with different eyes for quite a while traveling different places in the world, but we see home even more differently now. When the first of three concert nights was over on Sado Island with Kodo, there were about a thousand people on a lawn. When it was over they all got up and left, and all you saw was a beautiful green lawn—no wrappers, no trash, no rubbish whatsoever. That's rare anywhere else.

00:03:36 Dan: Japan—and this goes back to the World Cup in Rio in 2016. After Japan played, the Japanese fans would go and clean up the stadium. This is a viral story from Rio. The Japanese fans were so good they cleaned up the stadiums, and that gave the world some insight into Japan. You can see it at all the events, especially the one in Kochi where people just cleaned up. It's truly a societal thing—how people conduct themselves based on how they were raised and who they're surrounded by. It's very consistent here, part of the culture, which speaks volumes.

00:04:58 John Daub: And the food. Things are getting rolling. It's all about the drums for you on this trip, but it should be all about the food everywhere.

00:05:15 Dan: We love to cook, we'd love to eat, we'd love to dine. When I say dine, I don't necessarily mean fancy restaurants. When we go to Singapore next, we eat at one fancy restaurant the first night, then the hawker centers, small stalls. Here in Japan, we've had about 28 meals. Every single meal, no matter where it was or the environment, has been amazing. One reason is how Japanese food is made and prepared. The other is something we experienced in Australia a few years ago—in America, the land is so stripped of nutrients that the food does not taste as rich as it does in Australia, Japan, Singapore, because the land here is still so fertile. Thank you volcanoes erupting and providing Japan with black ash, which gives special nutrients—makes the vegetables a little gritty, but nonetheless.

00:07:20 John Daub: Places like Kagoshima and the Japanese Alps have very good soil. A lot of the stuff is grown in greenhouses too. Even though they're grown in greenhouses, what's missing is a lot of the BS they put in foods in America—preservatives, pesticides that hinder the flavor. The chickens are eating that, the cows are eating that. In America, we don't eat corn—I've had corn here for the first time in years because Monsanto's genetically modified it. Even when I'm back in the US, I eat Pop-Tarts and pizza, the stuff I can't get here.

00:09:22 Dan: What was so delicious? What was your favorite here in Japan?

00:09:35 Enya: I really need to think about that because so many meals have been so good. Yogurt—it's a different consistency, a little bit of sweetness even when it's plain. And miso soup—at home it's loaded with sodium and tastes nothing like here. It's very light, very flowery, yummy goodness.

00:10:25 Dan: I'll pick two things also. Tofu—at home we can buy it anywhere, but here one was more firm, one like little spoonfuls of cream cheese, so soft and delicious. And the steak in any form has been superb—wagyu! Even the wagyu meatballs with breakfast were delicate.

00:11:18 John Daub: You covered miso soup, but I agree. The miso is good here because you have choices—the popular stuff and all-natural. Where we were in Kochi Prefecture and Sado Island, they make it locally with local ingredients. Sado Island makes everything themselves—they have all the produce, same with Kochi. You've been spoiled because of where you went—not supermarket stuff, that's homemade, like granny's making food.

00:12:08 Dan: They gave me an inspiration—I want to garden now, a vegetable and fruit garden, everything fresh. The only reason we haven't had one is our lot is all concrete except a small planter. We have this area picked out, 10 by 10 meters, shaped like a cove. We're going to build a raised garden.

00:12:57 John Daub: Right there is the Tokyo Skytree, 634 meters. Dave Kimura, how you doing? Dave writes, hi Dan and Enya. Thanks for tuning in—John does a great job. Come to Japan, relax, party, spend your money, eat great food, have great music, meet wonderful people. It's a beautiful place—we're already planning to come back.

00:13:37 Dan: This is very unique—they didn't have their first time in a major city. We flew in and went directly to Niigata, spent one night in Tokyo, then traveled all day to Niigata—very remote and beautiful, one of the hidden gems, as is Kochi, more agricultural but with history. In Kochi we went to two castles and a temple for a private Buddhist ceremony with three monks who chanted. We wrote down our two wishes—they did the whole ceremony. Do check out our experience on Drum Talk TV—it's on Facebook, website DrumTalkTV.com.

00:15:01 Enya: That experience was ethereal, wonderful. To see history and architecture from two, three thousand years ago—in America we don't have that sort of history. Our history doesn't go back like Japan's culture, hundreds and hundreds of years. Our families are from Portugal, West Indies, Russia, Poland—but when grandparents immigrated, they left it all behind to assimilate. Now all that is lost—we don't have that lineage like people here in Japan do. Don't take it for granted.

00:16:22 Dan: My mother did share some Portuguese cuss words—I got those. Why is it always the bad words people learn first?

00:16:30 John Daub: It's the same way with Japanese. I knew kusou (糞, shit) before konnichiwa (hello).

00:17:55 Dan: You came here by subway—was that the first time in Japan? It was nothing like I expected—thought it would be packed like sardines, but it was comfortable, fluid, easy. They announce stops, and signs are in five languages. Easy to navigate, even with Japanese so different from English.

00:19:04 Enya: It gave me New York flashbacks—the guards by the tracks. In New York raising kids, I'd push them against the wall to stay away from the sides.

00:19:43 Dan: We have 11 kids and 19 grandkids together—and we're still standing.

00:20:01 John Daub: I like the shirt you're wearing, Dan. Hokusetsu (北雪, sake brewery)—Robert De Niro is part owner, and they only serve their sake at Nobu. Half the photos were him and De Niro—totally wasted. Reason to go to Sado just to see the pictures.

00:21:08 Dan: We walked in—cute little sake brewery on a secluded part of the island. They took us to a room under a mountain, special door opens to dark inside with classical music for the best bottles. They use sonic waves to rattle them so it doesn't settle, gives more flavor. Mozart or Beethoven.

00:22:38 John Daub: They go a couple more steps—Japan loves options, like VCRs with a thousand buttons. They go to 11, or 99. Like sake breweries with centrifuges for purer taste. We tried them—spent 80 bucks on booze, got umeshu (梅酒, plum wine) stored in oak barrels, smoky like whiskey. They take it to another level.

00:25:30 Dan: When we come back, definitely Sado Island and Kochi, but more time for Tokyo—I grew up in LA, can't see it in two days. Today we rested after hiking. Daughters and grandkids crazy about Hello Kitty, so Hello Kitty Land, amazing museums.

00:26:36 John Daub: Split that up and go to Osaka—they call it the kitchen of Japan. If you like food, you need to eat there.

00:27:57 Enya: Hello Kitty Land, Emperor's Palace—drove past it, absolutely amazing. Explore more ancient sites—I'm a big history buff.

00:29:16 Dan: You need three or four days in Tokyo, but the country is more than the city. Don't do just stereotypical tourist places—to Kochi was like our Hawaii, peaceful with history and agriculture. To really know people and a country, go to remote places.

00:30:16 John Daub: This is the first time using my new gimbal, DJI Osmo Mobile 3—working pretty good, smooth.

00:30:37 Dan: How have your hotels been? Amazing. One hostel 142 years old owned by a 70-year-old couple—he refurbished it traditional Japanese style. Other traditional style hotels, ryokan (旅館, Japanese inn)—people, architecture, food, everything.

00:31:36 Enya: Can't say enough—fashion, architecture, music, people, transportation, efficiency, elegance. You have to come experience it.

00:32:23 Dan: Don't wait—enjoy your life, experience the world in person. It gives perspective—key to getting along. We all want the same: happy, healthy, best for kids, clean society. A bowl of ramen settles world peace—food summit!

00:34:08 John Daub: This island is famous for monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き, savory pancake). We love sushi and sashimi. Even McDonald's is better here—burgers healthier, smaller, fries in olive oil? Even Coca-Cola is good.

00:35:11 Dan: Moss Burger. At Hotel Residence Roppongi, our waiter was from Colombia—we switched to Spanish. Tokyo's like New York or LA—multi-ethnic, people from Middle East, Latin America, South Asia in convenience stores.

00:36:56 John Daub: How would you rate costs? Beer in convenience store cheaper than America. Dinners comparative—like Sushi-ro (スシロー, conveyor belt sushi chain) for 33 bucks, ate a ton.

00:38:01 Dan: Last night elegant meal under 100 bucks, soups to nuts. Rooms small but beautiful—like an elegant yacht. Walls thick, can't hear highway or rain. Architecture here is crazy.

00:39:34 John Daub: This is the Tsukudajima Ohashi Bridge (佃島大橋)—beautiful, famous for TV dramas. Celebrities live in these high-rises—like tip of Manhattan.

00:40:41 Dan: Sun in our eyes—beautiful weather.

00:42:08 John Daub: Best month to visit: mid to end September, beginning October—days long, humidity down, cool enough. If you want more, thumbs up—aiming for 200 likes.

00:42:26 Dan: NJ's an artist—page The Art of NJ One on Facebook. Check Drum Talk TV for music from all over the world.

00:43:01 John Daub: Rainbow in Tokyo! Tokyo Skytree and rainbow—what a way to end. Thanks everybody—thumbs up if you want more. I'll be back tomorrow. Dan and Enya going home day after—good luck with laundromat. Drum Talk TV. Bye everybody.