2020-10-04 · Ep 814 · 58m

Japan's COVID-19 Measures: Is TOKYO Travel Safe Enough?

TokyoCOVID-19 pandemic safety measuresTokyo travel safetyFace masks and face shieldsGo To Travel campaign

Watch “Japan's COVID-19 Measures: Is TOKYO Travel Safe Enough?” on YouTube

Summary

Japan's COVID-19 Measures: Is TOKYO Travel Safe Enough?

Overview

In this live stream from October 4, 2020, John Daub and his longtime friend Peter von Gomm (PVG) walk through Ginza, Tokyo, to examine and evaluate Japan's COVID-19 safety procedures — and to answer the pressing question on many travelers' minds: Is Japan safe enough to visit? The stream opens inside a Don Quijote discount store in Shimbashi, where John showcases the extraordinary variety of pandemic-era products now available in Japan — face shields, masks, sanitizers, thermometers — a stark contrast to the bare shelves of March 2020. The pair then proceeds down Ginza's famous Chuo Avenue, which is pedestrianized on weekends, and visits several major department stores (Ginza 6, Mitsukoshi) and concludes at the Apple Store, which John identifies as having Japan's strictest retail entry policies.

The core of the discussion is comparative: Japan's infection rates at the time were roughly 150–250 new cases per day in all of Tokyo, while the United States was reporting around 40,000 daily. John stresses that these very different situations demand different approaches, and he urges viewers not to conflate American or European standards with Japan's. He also introduces the Go To Travel campaign — the Japanese government's substantial subsidy program for domestic tourism — and explains how foreigners and residents alike can take advantage of it. The tone is balanced, curious, and candid: John acknowledges the limits of temperature checks (people can be asymptomatic) while affirming that Japan's universal mask culture likely plays a significant role in keeping numbers low.

Highlights

00:01 Peter arrives wearing a face shield (mouth guard) and explains the appeal — ideal for talkers and public speakers, like "having your own sneeze guard hanging from your chin."
00:02:23 John directly addresses the global audience: "Don't compare what's going on in the United States with what's happening here in Japan. A lot of people make that mistake, and that's okay."
00:03:21 Peter observes that Don Quijote now has "way more than you could possibly imagine" — an abundance of COVID goods that contrasts sharply with the empty shelves of March 2020.
00:06:47 John demonstrates the correct way to peel the protective film off a face shield for a crystal-clear view — a practical tip many Japanese users miss.
00:10:40 John poses the central question on everyone's mind: "How safe is Japan to travel in right now?" while walking the empty Ginza Chuo Avenue.
00:16:33 John notes a major difference between Don Quijote and the outdoor Ginza street: nearly every shop on Chuo Avenue has an alcohol pump installed, though usage varies.
00:19:59 Peter, drawing on his travels through Tohoku (Miyagi, Sendai) and Yamanashi, reports that mask compliance is nearly universal even in the countryside — and credits this for Japan's dramatically lower case numbers compared to the West.
00:21:14 John offers his core philosophy: mask-wearing as a prophylactic — "catches everything, it's not for offense, it's for defense" — and coined the memorable slogan "No mask, no love."
00:23:06 Ginza 6 features both alcohol pumps and a staff member actively taking temperatures with a visible display — a more visible dual-layer approach.
00:25:47 John raises his key concern: people go through temperature checks and alcohol sanitizing, then "forget about social distancing and think they're safe. That's the big mistake."
00:30:57 The pair marvel at a classic Datsun 240Z passing by — John recalls riding in a Datsun 510 station wagon as a child, playing rebel fighter pilot in the back seat.
00:38:04 Apple Ginza, identified as having Japan's strictest retail COVID policy: appointment required, temperature check, social distancing enforced, and custom Apple-designed masks (described as "origami for your face").
00:39:14 A beloved Ginza street busker gets shut down by police — someone has been filing complaints — prompting John and Peter to debate the balance between pandemic restrictions and street culture.
00:50:29 Peter buys KitKat gifts for his wife as a peace offering after accidentally ruining her favorite shirt in the laundry — a hilarious domestic subplot.
00:55:52 John explains the Go To Travel campaign in detail — 35% subsidy, applicable through JALAN.net and Rakuten Travel (not Booking.com), plus dinner vouchers up to ¥4,000 — and announces his upcoming trip to Gifu for Hida beef using the program.

Timeline / Chapters

Time	Event
00:00–02:00	Introduction / Setup — John welcomes viewers to a live stream from Tokyo; Peter arrives with face shield; they explain the video's purpose: evaluating Japan's COVID safety for potential travelers.
02:00–07:30	Don Quijote Shimbashi — Inside the discount store, John and Peter survey the range of pandemic goods: face shields (¥298 each, ~$3), masks, thermometers, mask cases, alcohol gel, and the protective film on face shields that must be peeled off.
07:30–10:30	Exiting Don Quijote / Heading to Ginza — Peter swaps his face shield for a proper mask; John demonstrates wearing a face shield (compares himself to a Bunsen burner-wielding biology teacher); they navigate toward Ginza Chuo Avenue.
10:30–17:30	Ginza Chuo Avenue (Pedestrian Street) — Walking the closed-off avenue; discussing the lack of temperature checks at Don Quijote; noting the dramatic reduction in foot traffic; Peter talks about mask-wearing in Tohoku and Yamanashi; John introduces the "no mask, no love" concept; James Bond books come up.
17:30–24:00	Ginza 6 Entry Procedures — Entering Ginza 6; observing temperature check station and multiple alcohol pumps; discussing asymptomatic transmission; questioning whether the measures are sufficient.
24:00–30:00	Mitsukoshi Department Store — Observing three alcohol pumps, camera-based temperature monitoring, and a staff member actively checking; noting people standing close together; discussing whether procedures create a false sense of security.
30:00–36:00	Walking to Apple Store — Spotting classic cars (Datsun 240Z); Peter's dog-in-the-manger comment about competing streamers; John and Peter cross-promote each other's channels; Japanese TV crew encountered.
36:00–40:00	Apple Ginza — John's assessment that Apple has the strictest COVID policies in Japan; observing custom Apple masks ("origami for your face"); requires appointment + temperature check + mask + social distancing.
40:00–47:00	Street Scenes / Decibel Monitor — Busker gets shut down by police; discussion of mask mandates and street culture; Peter plays with a construction-site decibel reader.
47:00–50:00	KitKat Gion Shop — Peter buys passion fruit KitKats as a gift for his wife after ruining her shirt; John and Peter banter about overpriced gifts vs. genuine apologies.
50:00–54:00	Entering the Perfume/Chocolate Shop — The shop is high-end and prohibitively priced; John declines to film inside but observes that there's no temperature check, only an alcohol pump.
54:00–57:00	Starbucks Reserve Ginza — John mentions he used to teach English here pre-YouTube; news about Japan Airlines dropping "ladies and gentlemen" in favor of "everyone"; Peter's KitKat purchase costs ¥1,188.
57:00–58:55	Go To Travel Campaign & Wrap-Up — John details the Go To Travel subsidy (35%, via JALAN.net/Rakuten Travel), announces his Gifu/Nagoya trip, and gives a final social distancing reminder; Peter signs off; John says "Peace out."

Japan Travel Tips

How to get there / current situation (2020): Tokyo remained accessible during the pandemic, but Japan had strict entry restrictions for tourists from most countries. For Japanese residents and citizens, domestic travel was open, supported by the Go To Travel campaign subsidies.
Book Go To Travel hotels through Japanese platforms: The government's travel subsidy only applies through participating Japanese platforms — JALAN.net (which has an English site) and Rakuten Travel, among others. Booking.com and international OTAs do not include the discount. Always look for the Go To Travel badge when booking.
Shinkansen savings: Reservations made 30 days in advance receive 50% off — a substantial saving on Japan's bullet train network.
Best time to visit: October 2020 was ideal — pleasant autumn weather, reduced crowds, and ongoing Go To Travel subsidies. Autumn foliage season (November–December) offers beautiful scenery with fewer tourists than peak seasons.
Mask compliance is near-universal: Expect virtually everyone in public indoor and outdoor spaces to be wearing a mask. This is the cultural norm, not a hardship.
Expect temperature checks at major retailers: Department stores like Ginza 6 and Mitsukoshi actively monitor body temperature at entrances. Smaller shops and convenience stores typically do not.
Don't rely solely on entry procedures: Temperature checks catch symptomatic individuals, but asymptomatic spread is possible. John stresses that social distancing remains critical even after passing screening measures.
Use alcohol sanitizer frequently: Pumps are ubiquitous at major stores and train stations. Carry a personal bottle for convenience.
Avoid peak shopping hours: John recommends Sunday evenings when Ginza's streets are nearly empty. Weekends see more foot traffic as residents emerge from stay-at-home fatigue.
Shop from the sidewalk when possible: During the pandemic, many large department stores allow customers to browse or order from the sidewalk without entering, reducing indoor exposure.
Travel while sick? Don't. The Go To Travel policy allows penalty-free cancellation, removing the financial incentive to travel while unwell.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

Mask culture pre-existed the pandemic. John notes that mask-wearing was already common in Japan, particularly during flu season. Many people wore masks when sick or during peak allergy season (February through spring). This pre-existing acceptance made the universal adoption of masks during COVID relatively frictionless compared to Western countries.
"Mouth guard" / "mouth shield" (マウスガード / マウスシールド): The terms John and Peter use for face shields. In Japanese retail contexts, these are commonly called fa-su shīrudo (フェイス shield) or mōsu shīrudo (マウス shield). The product they show at Don Quijote (298 yen each) is widely available at 100-yen shops and drugstores.
The protective film on face shields: John demonstrates a crucial detail — face shields sold in Japan have a thin clear film on both sides to prevent scratching. Most people forget to peel this off, resulting in a foggy, opaque shield. Proper removal makes the shield perfectly clear.
"No mask, no love" (nomasku, no rabu): John's memorable phrase captures the Japanese social contract during the pandemic — wearing a mask is a collective act of consideration for others, not just personal protection.
James Bond in Japan: Ian Fleming's novel You Only Live Twice (the 12th Bond novel) features Bond coming to Japan to recover after the death of his wife Tracy. The book was written with cooperation from Japanese intelligence and features a fictional attache (Henderson), who is depicted as Australian — because Britain had no diplomatic presence in Japan after WWII. Sean Connery's film adaptation predates this book in the film chronology.
Japan's emergency numbers: John corrects a common misconception — Japan's emergency number is 119 (fire and ambulance), and 110 is for police. This is the opposite of American convention and part of a broader pattern (e.g., driving on the left side of the road, reading right-to-left in some traditional contexts).
Japanese TV filming culture: John notes that being filmed by a Japanese TV crew typically involves 30 minutes of preparation and questions before the actual interview — a known aspect of Japanese broadcasting logistics.
"Kamen Rider" (仮面ライダー): Peter compares John's face shield look to Kamen Rider, a long-running Japanese tokusatsu (special effects) superhero series featuring masked heroes. The comparison is affectionate and very Japanese in its cultural reference.
Japan Airlines drops "ladies and gentlemen": During the stream, John mentions a news item — JAL had stopped using gendered greetings ("ladies and gentlemen") in favor of the gender-neutral "everyone." This was noted as a small but meaningful step toward greater gender equality in Japan, where such formalities have traditionally been gendered.

Food & Drink Guide

Item	Description	Location	Price	John's/Peter's Take
Face shields (マウスガード / マウスシールド)	Plastic face shields, like sneeze guards worn on the head	Don Quijote Shimbashi	¥298 each (~$3)	Peter wears one throughout the stream; John demonstrates how to peel the protective film.
KitKat (passion fruit flavor)	Japanese-exclusive flavored KitKats in small gift boxes	KitKat Gion Shop, Ginza	¥118–¥198 per stick (~$4/stick)	Peter buys several as a peace-offering gift for his wife after a laundry mishap. John jokes that ¥600 worth of KitKat is a poor apology.
Coffee	Starbucks Reserve specialty coffee	Starbucks Reserve Ginza	Higher than standard Starbucks prices	John notes the venue is upscale and overpriced but acknowledges the coffee is good. No temperature check here — only alcohol pump at entrance.
Bento (previously available)	Pre-pandemic, Chuo Avenue had outdoor bento boxes for sale	Ginza Chuo Avenue	N/A (not currently available)	All outdoor food seating removed due to COVID; John notes the absence of the typical street food atmosphere.
Hida beef (飛騨牛)	Premium Japanese wagyu beef from Gifu Prefecture	Planned dinner for Go To Travel trip	Included as part of Go To Travel dinner voucher (¥4,000 value)	Kanae requested this after watching John's Wagyu episode; John and Kanae plan to enjoy it on their subsidized Gifu trip.

People

John Daub — Host, longtime Tokyo resident, and Only in Japan Go creator. American who has lived in Japan for over 30 years. Provides the central narrative and comparative analysis throughout the stream, contrasting Japan's COVID situation with the US. Warm, self-deprecating humor; passionate about James Bond novels; demonstrates practical knowledge of mask/shield use. Maintains social distance from Peter throughout.
Peter von Gomm (PVG) — John's close American friend living in Japan, often appearing on walks and conversations. Rides a motorcycle to meet John. Wears a face shield throughout the stream (which John repeatedly teases him about). Provides the perspective of someone who has traveled recently through Tohoku (Miyagi, Sendai) and Yamanashi. Also hosts his own channel, "Peter Von Gomm Japan Live."
Kanae Daub — John's Japanese wife, mentioned several times. She requested Hida beef after watching John's Wagyu episode. Peter mentions his own wife, who is upset with him for accidentally ruining her favorite shirt in the laundry (leading to the KitKat gift-buying subplot).
Rika-chan — Peter's friend, referenced as having a notably large head when Peter wore the face shield. A humorous running joke in the stream.
Busker on Ginza Chuo Avenue — A regular street performer who gets shut down by police during the stream. Someone has been filing complaints about his noise. John gives him ¥300 for bail. Peter translates for him with the police. Represents the tension between pandemic restrictions and street culture.
Japanese TV crew — Encountered in Ginza. John notes he has been on Japanese TV before and that such appearances involve lengthy pre-interview preparation. Peter is mistaken for John by a crew member.
Chat viewers (contributors) — Interactive livestream audience including Suzette, Superior Custom Garage, Raymond Centennial, Jason, Densetsu, KT Lovett, Brendan Walker, Shane Posh, Spencer (Disney specialist), Mark Snow, Planet Black Cat (who writes that face shields are not effective), and others who comment throughout.

Key Takeaways

Japan's COVID situation in October 2020 was dramatically different from Western nations. Tokyo was reporting 150–250 daily cases; the entire country had roughly 300; much of the countryside had near-zero daily cases. The US, by contrast, was seeing ~40,000 daily. These fundamentally different situations mean Japan's approach (and the appropriateness of visiting) must be evaluated on its own terms.
Universal mask-wearing is Japan's greatest asset. Japan had a pre-existing culture of mask-wearing during illness and allergy season. Combined with high compliance, this has almost certainly contributed to lower transmission rates. John describes masks as a "prophylactic" — catching droplets for defense, not offense.
Temperature checks are useful but limited. They only catch symptomatic individuals. Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread is not detected by temperature screening. The real safeguard is personal responsibility — staying home when feeling unwell.
Procedures can create false security. John identifies the most significant behavioral risk: people who wash their hands, pass the temperature check, and then abandon social distancing, assuming they've been "cleared." This is the critical error.
Japan's Go To Travel campaign is a genuine opportunity. With 35% subsidies, dinner vouchers, and 50% off Shinkansen tickets (with 30-day advance booking), domestic travel within Japan was heavily subsidized in late 2020. The policy even allowed penalty-free cancellation for sick travelers, removing a perverse incentive to travel while unwell.
Book through Japanese platforms for Go To Travel discounts. International OTAs like Booking.com do not include the government subsidy. JALAN.net has an English-language site and is one of the recommended booking platforms.
Apple Store Ginza has the strictest entry policy of any retail location observed. Requiring appointment, temperature check, mask (Apple's custom origami-style design), social distancing, and alcohol sanitizing — it represents the most comprehensive approach seen in the stream.
The pandemic has changed the feel of Ginza. The pedestrianization of Chuo Avenue on weekends was maintained, but foot traffic was significantly reduced. Outdoor bento vendors and seating that previously animated the street were absent. The street retained some cultural life (buskers, TV crews), but the overall atmosphere was quieter.

Notable Quotes

00:02:49 John Daub: "The situation in Japan is very different than the one in the United States. We have about 150 to 250 people per day in Tokyo — in the most populated city in the world. A completely different situation than in the United States, where it's 40,000 people. Don't compare what's going on in the United States with what's happening here in Japan."

00:01:10 Peter von Gomm: "This is called a mouth shield. And you know, John, image is everything. This is what defines you as whether you're with it or you're without."

00:01:48 John Daub: (about Peter) "Notice how it's starting to fog up. See that, John? That wasn't funny. I don't know this man. Walk away."

00:21:16 John Daub: "No mask, no love. It catches everything. It's not for offense, it's for defense. And if everybody has one, it really blocks it down and keeps it from getting in the air."

00:25:47 John Daub: "People, after they go through these procedures, they rub their hands with alcohol, they have their temperatures checked, and they are wearing a mask — and they forget about social distancing and think that after going through this, they don't have to. They're safe. That's the big mistake."

00:20:50 Peter von Gomm: "I've had this discussion with many people and some people agree and some don't, but you look at what the difference between what's happening in Japan with the numbers and elsewhere, and it's just night and day. And I would say it has a big connection with wearing a mask."

00:49:21 Peter von Gomm: "It's like being inside of a lady's dressing room." John Daub: "Yeah, it's been a while."

00:38:17 Peter von Gomm: (about Apple's custom mask) "It's almost like an origami for your face."

00:27:53 Peter von Gomm: (about gifting a mouth shield to his angry wife) "Because when she gets angry, there's lots of spittle and stuff coming out."

00:58:23 John Daub: "I hope if you have any questions, leave a comment below. But that's the safety procedures. Right now we have a very low infection rate. And personally, I'm still gonna stick to social distancing. I'm six feet away from Peter right now."

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #travel-safe #japan-covid19 #covid-measures-japan
#ginza #shimbashi #don-quijote #face-shield #japanese-mask #mask-culture-japan
#go-to-travel #japan-domestic-travel #go-to-ryokou #tokyo-pandemic #travel-japan-2020
#peter-von-gomm #pvglive #japan-travel-tips #mitsukoshi #ginza6 #apple-store-ginza
#social-distancing #tokyo-walking-tour #coronavirus-japan #japan-safety-measures
#temperature-check #alcohol-sanitizer #hand-sanitizer-japan #jalantravel
#rakuten-travel #hida-beef #japan-travel-guide #tokyo-october-2020

Full Transcript

00:00:02 John Daub: Greetings everybody. Welcome to Tokyo. This is a live stream where we're going to be talking about Is Japan safe enough to travel in yet? In the age of COVID-19, the pandemic. I know that a lot of people had to cancel the trips to come here in the beginning of 2020 and in 2021 there's a lot of talk that Japan will be back. Travel here might continue depending on the situation. But I want to show you what the procedures are here right now. Peter has a new kind of mask that a lot of people are starting to wear in Japan. We're going to talk about the situation. Then we're going to walk along Ginza, the pedestrian street that's been closed called Chuo Avenue, and show you some of the entry procedures the department tours have here in Tokyo right now. And I want to hear from you — is this enough? Is there more that Japan should do? And what's been your experience in the United States or in Europe or in Australia? This is something that I really want to talk about because it's — what are you wearing? Is that even a mask?

00:01:02 Peter von Gomm: This is what all the kids are wearing, John.

00:01:04 John Daub: I thought they were wearing these.

00:01:07 Peter von Gomm: No.

00:01:08 John Daub: So this is called a mouth shield.

00:01:10 Peter von Gomm: That's right. And you know, John, image is everything. So this is what defines you as whether you're with it or you're without.

00:01:23 John Daub: That doesn't look any — alright. Is this safer than a mask? Like —

00:01:29 Peter von Gomm: Well, I think it's — you know, when I — when I talk for a living, right?

00:01:35 John Daub: Yeah.

00:01:35 Peter von Gomm: So when you're talking and you're projecting your voice — like you're announcing a horse race or something — notice how it's starting to fog up. See that, John?

00:01:48 John Daub: That wasn't funny. I don't know this man. Walk away. Actually, I do know him. We're pretty much like family, so it's okay.

00:01:56 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. So this is the mouth shield. You see a lot of people wearing these, especially in restaurants — the food service staff are wearing these things. And I think you're right about — is it really better than a full face mask like you have? Because it's wide open here at the top. Right. You're actually catching — you're stopping some spittle. It's like having your own sneeze guard hanging from your chin.

00:02:23 John Daub: Right. One of the things that I want to talk about really quickly — I'm sorry to interrupt you. We're going to go inside, show you some of the things. I'm not really that sorry. I'm going to show you some of the things inside of the store that — that safety procedures that Japan has at Don Quijote, which has a pretty good selection. Just very quickly before we walk out there. But I want to point this out. Hey, Jeff — ang, I want to point this out. The situation in Japan is very different than the one in the United States.

00:02:48 Peter von Gomm: Yes.

00:02:49 John Daub: We have — what, about 150 to 250 people per day in Tokyo, coming down with it — that's in the most populated city in the world. A completely different situation than in the United States, where it's 40,000 people. The entire country of Japan has maybe 300 — out in the countryside, most places have zero infections daily. If you look at the map, there's not a lot going on there. So we have a different situation. So we have a different approach. Every country has a different approach. Don't compare what's going on with the United States with what's happening here in Japan. A lot of people make that mistake, and that's okay.

00:03:21 Peter von Gomm: But it's what I found really interesting — we had a quick look around in here. There's a massive selection of goods. And you remember when this — when the fit hit the shan here back in March, there was nothing. Everything was gone. And now you've got way more than you could possibly imagine. Stuff that you don't need, but they're offering, and some people think they need it.

00:03:43 John Daub: Let's come over here for a little bit. Now, Don Quijote — the one that we're at right now, this is in Shimbashi, near Ginza. We're going to be walking — just the other day, I was — I was here showing you the old Shimbashi station. By the way, this is the 1872 recreation. Do you know that, Peter? The 1872 recreation of Shimbashi station — right there with the marker 0 track from the original Japan Railway. This is the map here. We're going to be walking down Ginza Chuo Avenue. So let's go inside right now. Peter, we're going to show you — hey, Mata and Irvine's here. Okay, okay. You know what? Somebody bought him that face shield. That wasn't free. All right, let's just take a quick look, see?

00:04:33 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, well, you just —

00:04:34 John Daub: I just got off work, and this —

00:04:36 Peter von Gomm: — is my service mask.

00:04:42 John Daub: So here's the goods here. And you can see they have alcohol and alcohol tissues here to wipe your hands.

00:04:49 Peter von Gomm: Here's a party pack of the face shields.

00:04:52 John Daub: Oh, mouth guards.

00:04:52 Peter von Gomm: Mouth guards, yeah. Party pack. Right. You know that guy?

00:04:56 John Daub: I don't think you're supposed to have a party in a pandemic.

00:04:59 Peter von Gomm: Oh, good point.

00:04:59 John Daub: I actually — I think I've seen him around.

00:05:02 Peter von Gomm: Well, also there are cases for your masks. There's all kinds of cases.

00:05:07 John Daub: Oh, yeah. Mask carry-on cases. I like the thermometers here. So you can — these — actually, you're gonna see these today. They're about $50 and this one's about $80.

00:05:17 Peter von Gomm: Wow.

00:05:18 John Daub: So different kinds.

00:05:18 Peter von Gomm: Digital one that just you hold over your forehead or whatever.

00:05:22 John Daub: Yeah. These are the triggers — and face shields that are on sale for about $4 each. But you can get these on Amazon pack of 25 for a lot cheaper.

00:05:30 Peter von Gomm: Now those are — those are stylish.

00:05:33 John Daub: I think what you have is stylish, sir.

00:05:35 Peter von Gomm: But — and make no mistake — face shield is actually printed on the face shield. So, you know, you don't make a mistake and you grab the wrong thing when you're heading out in a rush.

00:05:44 John Daub: When you do buy these, make sure you peel the film off of it. There's a — there's a film on the front and the back to keep it from scratching. So it gets rid of the fog. It's really clear in there. Other things are different kinds of masks that they have, and we're going to talk about that along the way. So here's the —

00:05:59 Peter von Gomm: This is the — the mouth —

00:06:00 John Daub: Oh, there it is.

00:06:01 Peter von Gomm: And they're 298 a piece.

00:06:03 John Daub: Okay. That's pretty cheap.

00:06:04 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, 298.

00:06:05 John Daub: About $3 each. Did I buy that? I could buy you more. Thanks to Irvine.

00:06:10 Peter von Gomm: Yes, thank you, sir. Yeah, so there's different facials. This one actually has glasses attached, which allows you to wear them like glasses. Oh, here's — these are the glasses and it just clips onto the end.

00:06:24 John Daub: Oh, right.

00:06:24 Peter von Gomm: And you can walk around and look —

00:06:26 John Daub: How much are those?

00:06:26 Peter von Gomm: Looks totally boss. This is 398.

00:06:31 John Daub: Interesting. I found this magic hand cream. It protects your hands for four hours like magic. I'm not sure I believe that. But it says — it says four hours. And then the last thing I want to show you is the mask I bought for you, Peter, is right here. It is very effective against —

00:06:47 Peter von Gomm: But I still have to wear weak people.

00:06:49 John Daub: Yeah, that's true. That's funny — that — why is that? What is it doing here? What? I don't know. I think it's a joke.

00:06:57 Peter von Gomm: This is a deodorant and antibacterial face mask case.

00:07:01 John Daub: Oh, interesting. And then they have alcohol gel pumps — alcohol pumps. A lot of this was completely gone. I want to show you these later. But this is a mouth guard that goes underneath your paper mask — so that you don't get lipstick on it, but also keep you from touching the front of your mask, which is very interesting. You can get these on Amazon as well as these old lady face guards.

00:07:23 Peter von Gomm: What is this? Defenser?

00:07:26 John Daub: I don't know.

00:07:26 Peter von Gomm: Pocket mister.

00:07:27 John Daub: All right, time to go.

00:07:28 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, let's go.

00:07:30 John Daub: So that's the end of the Don Quijote part. They do have a lot of this right at the entrance. And it's really neat. It's really neat to be able to see some of the things — they don't actually use real alcohol. They use some sort of synthetic water. Oh no, this is alcohol. This smells like the cheap alcohol like you would drink. Wait, there's — those are eggs. Yeah, what?

00:08:08 Peter von Gomm: I would not wear my eggs at Don Quixote. Promise you that.

00:08:15 John Daub: All right, let's —

00:08:15 Peter von Gomm: Since I'm on strike with this — police.

00:08:18 John Daub: You're on — oh, that's right. You got — he got in trouble for filming in there. You're a marked man. That's why we had so little time. Suzette — S. Suzette says you're one of her favorite YouTubers.

00:08:27 Peter von Gomm: Oh, thank you, Suzette.

00:08:30 John Daub: Really. Superior Custom Garage drinks on me. We'll have to stop somewhere, Peter. People demand it. Raymond Centennial's here. I was at that same Donkey back in early February. Really? Marty Detmer — Donkey. Donkey dollars. That's funny. Buying some eggs.

00:08:55 Peter von Gomm: I can only get food because I'm on my motorcycle today.

00:08:58 John Daub: And Shane Posh is here. That's right. How you doing, Shane? He's on — are you still gonna wear that? You're not gonna do a go-pita?

00:09:05 Peter von Gomm: Well, if we see some chicks, I'll take it off.

00:09:09 John Daub: I did — I'm gonna wear my face shield. Yeah, bashful — should I wear my full-on face shield? Tell PVG. What? Irvine has a message. Tell PVG — Irvine says hi.

00:09:25 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, yeah. Hello, Irvine. Hi.

00:09:29 John Daub: I call him Irvine.

00:09:30 Peter von Gomm: I know. I think it's Irvin. John.

00:09:32 John Daub: Oh, sorry. Irvin. I apologize — for one year. Yeah.

00:09:40 Peter von Gomm: Where did you get Irvine?

00:09:41 John Daub: I don't know. That's just — I lived here for a very long time.

00:09:44 Peter von Gomm: Pronunciation is pretty wacko sometimes.

00:09:46 John Daub: It is. I'm an expat. Yeah, this can't be helped.

00:09:52 Peter von Gomm: Okay, so we're heading to Ginza. Ginza?

00:09:55 John Daub: Yeah. We're gonna make a right and then we're pretty much there. Hold the stick.

00:10:00 Peter von Gomm: All right. John's going to put on this shield. Okay.

00:10:05 John Daub: All right.

00:10:06 Peter von Gomm: Do we need to cross here or just straight on?

00:10:09 John Daub: All right, you don't know — well, I'm —

00:10:12 Peter von Gomm: I'm kind of turned around a bit. My sense of direction is not great. How you guys doing? I know some of you — welcome to Ginza, and our — we're testing out the face shields to see how — how anti — what is Japan safe enough to travel in right now? And what are the counter measures — the measures that they're doing? And I think this is important for people to see now because as travel starts up in the — in the spring, maybe people will be up to speed on what's — what's going on. There's like two of them, Peter. Is that normal?

00:10:56 Peter von Gomm: Can we — well, no, no one's — one's probably a backup when you — you spray a lot when you say it, so you probably need a backup if you're gonna say it. Spray it. Isn't that the expression?

00:11:05 John Daub: if you're gonna say it. Spray it. Isn't that the expression?

00:11:08 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, and you do it very well.

00:11:10 John Daub: Yeah. All right, here's — with these face masks, the thing to remember is that there is a film on the —

00:11:17 Peter von Gomm: Let me turn around and show you.

00:11:19 John Daub: Okay, you can — you can navigate here. There's a film that you have to peel. Okay.

00:11:27 Peter von Gomm: He's peeling it. There he goes. All right, put that in your pocket.

00:11:31 John Daub: It's both sides — don't — you don't have to follow the — my pocket.

00:11:34 Peter von Gomm: Making sure it's going in the pocket.

00:11:36 John Daub: There's two sides to the film.

00:11:40 Peter von Gomm: Wow, look at how clear that is, right? Oh, that's lovely.

00:11:43 John Daub: But they do that — they do — they put the film on there so it's protected.

00:11:48 Peter von Gomm: And now gonna snap it on.

00:11:51 John Daub: I think it goes through the hole.

00:11:55 Peter von Gomm: You've never done this before?

00:11:57 John Daub: No.

00:11:58 Peter von Gomm: You're really good at it. I could see you as kind of a spokesmodel for this company.

00:12:03 John Daub: What do you think I could see as the — the narrator for this company?

00:12:07 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I could — I could probably help him out. Oh, that is you, bro. Come in the light. Hang on a second. Oh, man.

00:12:18 John Daub: Feel safer? Can you even hear me? Can I take this off now?

00:12:25 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, take the mask — take the mask out. Leave the shield on. You look like my high school biology teacher.

00:12:35 John Daub: Today we're going to be standing next to the Bunsen burners playing with copper. Oh, great. Let's go this way.

00:12:42 Peter von Gomm: Let me see if there's — let me get a close-up on the —

00:12:44 John Daub: Give me the stick. All right, you take your stick.

00:12:46 Peter von Gomm: You got it.

00:12:49 John Daub: You can't even see me. All right, safety first. We're — we're — I feel like I'm ready to go into a fire situation. Yeah, you don't look like you're protected enough.

00:12:59 Peter von Gomm: I'm ready to go into KFC and start working my shift.

00:13:02 John Daub: Really?

00:13:03 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:13:03 John Daub: Yeah. I've seen what Peter has — a lot of fast food workers are wearing that as well. Can you even hear me? I feel like I'm so separated from everything.

00:13:12 Peter von Gomm: This is probably a good thing. I would recommend wearing it in all your life.

00:13:16 John Daub: So Planet Black Cat says face shields are not effective. I think there's a lot of things — there's a lot of measures that you can take. This is just one that they have here in Japan. And once again, like, I'm not sure what is exactly effective — so it's going to have to take some research on your part. Don't take this as fact, okay? This is just things that — these are things that we are just showing you and introducing to you. I don't think that this replaces a mask. All right. Show us — take us. Oh, the — is this where you saw your friend Rika-chan before? You miss her?

00:14:03 Peter von Gomm: Her head was a bit big, but I miss her.

00:14:05 John Daub: Densetsu writes in — how is your breath?

00:14:09 Peter von Gomm: Mine?

00:14:09 John Daub: You can smell yourself.

00:14:11 Peter von Gomm: It's good. It's good.

00:14:12 John Daub: Smell. Okay. Did you have Indian food for lunch?

00:14:15 Peter von Gomm: Not today. No, I did not. Oh, here's — let's go take a look at the —

00:14:19 John Daub: All right. Peter's gonna stay — keep your distance. Face shields — I'd rather you wear your mask. KT Lovett writes in: you guys do some refreshments. Thank you — go get some refreshments. Thank you — from Hong Kong, how cool, cool. I saw Superior Custom Garage is here. Suzette Mad Hat — wow, thanks, guys. And Irvin. Brendan Walker for Bunsen Burgers or coffee — your choice. Peter's making conversation.

00:15:01 Peter von Gomm: It's a teddy bear called Melody.

00:15:04 John Daub: Oh, Melody.

00:15:04 Peter von Gomm: I think she has a tune in her foot.

00:15:11 John Daub: You can walk your bear.

00:15:13 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:15:13 John Daub: I don't think Disney has this, do they?

00:15:18 Peter von Gomm: I think this guy is one of the Jim Henson puppeteers.

00:15:21 John Daub: That's awesome. That is awesome, Peter. Buy that. Buy that.

00:15:33 Peter von Gomm: Wow.

00:15:34 John Daub: That's pretty cool.

00:15:34 Peter von Gomm: You can't see its string, right?

00:15:36 John Daub: I know. Yeah.

00:15:37 Peter von Gomm: For them we can see the fish line he's using. I ruined the magic show.

00:15:43 John Daub: You've ruined it. James Boardman says close to Hooters — here you go. You do know that Hooters went out of business, right? They filed for bankruptcy. You know that, right?

00:15:56 Peter von Gomm: You talking to me?

00:15:57 John Daub: Yeah.

00:15:58 Peter von Gomm: Okay. Because of —

00:16:00 John Daub: Because nobody was going to Hooters because of the pandemic. They filed for bankruptcy. And there's only one Hooters that's still open right there. Yeah.

00:16:07 Peter von Gomm: What are we doing here?

00:16:08 John Daub: I don't know what we're doing.

00:16:09 Peter von Gomm: Of a toy store.

00:16:10 John Daub: Let's go. All right, just — just a note before we move on to the next place. There's no temperature check, no alcohol check to go into the store. They do have alcohol pumps, but not a lot of people are using them. I don't even see — I don't actually see the alcohol pumps. So probably not too good. But I'm not gonna criticize — I kind of just did. I just kind of did.

00:16:33 Peter von Gomm: This is the shopping street which is closed on the weekends or at least on Sunday.

00:16:37 John Daub: Right. This is Ginza Chuo Avenue. It's all closed off. The amount of people here is a lot less than normal — typical. Yeah, they've taken away the chairs. They used to have tables and chairs where you could relax and eat a bento out in the middle of the street. But that's all gone now. Yeah, I'm looking here left and right — all the shops do have alcohol pumps.

00:17:00 Peter von Gomm: Giant Spike Lee.

00:17:00 John Daub: That is a big Spike Lee. All right, I'm going to take off this face shield because I do think these are kind of nice. But I am too — I'm not too cool for school. Kids, listen, go to school. No one is too cool for school.

00:17:20 Peter von Gomm: All right, I'm liking that Spike Lee. That's one of my dreams — is to have a billboard.

00:17:27 John Daub: You want to have a billboard of yourself? Kramer — you know, Kramer and Seinfeld — he gave up like a multi-million dollar lawsuit for a billboard on Times Square. Calvin Klein, or was it Marlboro?

00:17:42 Peter von Gomm: Gave up a lawsuit.

00:17:43 John Daub: What do you mean you didn't see Seinfeld? He spilled coffee in his — he — he took coffee into a movie theater and then he put it — he — he crotched it. And then he'd sat down and forgot about it and he spilled and burnt his — his area. And then he — Jackie, the lawyer said that this is a multi-million dollar lawsuit. And then when Jackie wasn't around, he settled with the coffee company and he got unlimited cafe latte. But there were several lawsuits that Kramer went through and he always settled. One of them was with Calvin Klein for a billboard.

00:18:16 Peter von Gomm: We can make this — this decibel reader over here.

00:18:19 John Daub: Well, now that you have a mouth guard, you can do that. So, Peter, who has a very loud mouth?

00:18:26 Peter von Gomm: The Japanese — part of their keeping the wall. When they have construction sites, they have these decibel readers that shows the ambient decibels and then the — the sound that the construction is actually making. Let's take a look at it.

00:18:41 John Daub: All right, Kit — everybody else, don't do this because this is not safe in the era that we live in to make loud noises anywhere. So just remember who we're dealing with.

00:18:54 Peter von Gomm: Oh, 70 anymore.

00:18:55 John Daub: Do it again — do it again. That was so weak. I — do it again. Do it again. Really loud.

00:19:18 Peter von Gomm: I think I might have broken it. Try to clap in unison.

00:19:23 John Daub: Just stay — keep a distance here.

00:19:24 Peter von Gomm: Right.

00:19:26 John Daub: They do have the — the — they are very useful, these decibel readers, to — to give the construction people to let them know when they're being too loud so they don't want to disturb the neighborhood. And this neighborhood is the neighborhood of all neighborhoods — this is the most expensive neighborhood. Now, what do you think? You've been now walking — traveling around Japan for quite a while. You went to Yamanashi, you've been to Miyagi, up in the — up in the north, up in Tohoku, near Sendai. You've traveled around. How are the procedures out in the countryside away from Tokyo? Are they the same? Are they more —

00:19:59 Peter von Gomm: Well, yeah — I didn't see people, groups of people that weren't wearing masks. Most people, even in Miyagi, up in the Sendai area, people were still wearing masks. And everybody's playing along with it. I'm not playing a lot, but they're abiding by this rule, which is not hard to follow. And you know, I've had this discussion with many people and some people agree and some don't, but you look at what the difference between what's happening in Japan with the numbers and elsewhere, and it's just — it's — it's night and day, and I would say it has a — a big connection with wearing a mask. You know, it's just obvious. You're blocking stuff coming from your nose and from your mouth and boom. It's not a difficult thing to do.

00:20:50 John Daub: I think even before the pandemic, Japan was always a mask-wearing country — with any — especially during the influenza season, not everybody was wearing one. But if everybody does wear one, it does make a very much difference. I like to compare it to a prophylactic. It catches everything — it's not, it's for defense, it's not for offense. Okay. So if everybody has one, it really blocks it down and it keeps it from getting in the air. So I —

00:21:14 Peter von Gomm: So no glove, no love.

00:21:16 John Daub: No glove, no — no, I'm not — no mascot love. No mask, no love.

00:21:19 Peter von Gomm: Look at this little boy. He's the new James Bond. He's the future James Bond up here.

00:21:24 John Daub: That movie's coming out soon.

00:21:26 Peter von Gomm: James Bond.

00:21:27 John Daub: I don't — I'm reading — I'm right now reading the original books to James Bond. And when I read them, I do not get Ian Fleming —

00:21:35 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, Ian Fleming. I do not get — what's — what's the actor's name?

00:21:40 John Daub: This guy —

00:21:41 Peter von Gomm: This guy.

00:21:41 John Daub: Yeah, I'm drawing Daniel Craig.

00:21:49 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, Daniel Craig. That's it.

00:21:50 John Daub: Thank you, Jason. Thanks, Jason.

00:21:51 Peter von Gomm: Hello, JB — is that JB?

00:21:53 John Daub: That is JB. Hi, JB. I do not get Daniel Craig in my image — when you read the original Ian Flemings, you get a — not a muscular Bond, you get a more distinguished Bond, who is actually very, very smart, but he's also more emotional. In the book You Only Live Twice, which — that I'm reading right now — that's the one where he came to Japan, where Sean Connery came. He's actually recovering from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, losing Tracy, his wife. His wife was shot by Blofeld, and he was still recovering from that. And the next movie was this. But in actually the movies, You Only Live Twice came before that movie. So it's kind of out of order. But the Bond I see is not Daniel Craig — it's a much more character-flawed person, even more so. It's interesting. I love the book.

00:22:44 Peter von Gomm: It said 007 had a bit of a transformation over the years.

00:22:50 John Daub: Right. Henderson — Henderson, who was the attache for Bond in Japan, was actually Australian because the UK, England, didn't have any presence in Japan after World War II. Interesting. All right, let's take a look here. This is Ginza 6 — we're going to look at. You love Gin 6.

00:23:06 Peter von Gomm: I call it G6.

00:23:08 John Daub: Oh, G6.

00:23:08 Peter von Gomm: Most people call it G6.

00:23:10 John Daub: That sounds like the G7, which is where all the political leaders from the seven top industrialized countries come together and talk about the future of — we know what G7 — the world. But not a lot of people know what G6 is.

00:23:20 Peter von Gomm: It's G6.

00:23:21 John Daub: We're not going in here, are we?

00:23:22 John Daub: No, we're just looking at the procedures. It looks a lot more — it looks a lot lax than it did about two months ago. So they have an alcohol pump — so there's alcohol pumps. And then over here, there's a lady who is actually taking temperatures. And — yeah, so you can see your temperature right there. Is this enough? This is a question I have for — for everybody else. You can be — you can have COVID and not be symptomatic, but this is the best that they have. Peter, I'm glad that you changed it — that face shield was kind of creepy. Now you look normal, like Kamen Rider. Here's an image — you're back in black. Now is this — now, people can be asymptomatic, asymptomatic before they start to be symptomatic. Symptomatic — meaning you could — you could be contagious before you show signs.

00:24:33 Peter von Gomm: Thank you, Dr. John.

00:24:34 John Daub: Well, I'm just saying — do you think that the procedures — this — this is all of our just opinions. And I'm asking you as well out there — is it enough to wash your hands with alcohol and then have a temperature check and then you're safe?

00:24:47 Peter von Gomm: Well, I think those who are most contagious are the ones who have a fever and are showing obvious signs of infection. I'm not Dr. Peter, by the way, but I have my assumptions. I read the news.

00:25:05 John Daub: We read the news. My feeling is this, and I'm pretty clear with it. People, after they go through these procedures, they rub their hands with alcohol, they have their temperatures checked, and they are wearing a mask — they forget about social distancing and think that after going through this, they don't have to. They're safe — because they've been checked. That's the big mistake. And that's the problem that I think people have not quite come around to. How you doing? Just — just because — just because you've gone through those procedures, the screening procedures, does not mean that you should stop social distancing. I think that's especially on a day like this. That's why I won't go inside of a department store. I stay outside.

00:25:51 Peter von Gomm: Because you do your shopping from the sidewalk.

00:25:51 John Daub: I do my shopping from Internet, actually. But when I do — when I do shop, it's usually like Sunday night when nobody is around. If you come back to this street in about four hours, it'll be pretty — it'll be like maybe 10% of the traffic is right now. And this is actually light for Ginza.

00:26:11 Peter von Gomm: There's actually a fair number of people going in.

00:26:14 John Daub: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Well, they're starting —

00:26:17 Peter von Gomm: People are like — everywhere — they're — they're fed up with the stay-at-home ideal. And, you know, one day a week on Sunday, you want to let your hair down and kind of go out — and they're wearing masks.

00:26:30 John Daub: People are — everybody — everywhere in the world are a little bit — everywhere around the world, people are kind of fed up. They kind of have that feeling. But after we just saw in the political world where the president contracted COVID, I think it puts it back in the forefront that this is still out there. And that was a real big surprise — surprise.

00:26:51 Peter von Gomm: Let's not go there. I'm wondering — should I get my wife something while we're down here?

00:26:56 John Daub: Sure. What do you want to get her?

00:26:58 Peter von Gomm: Well, I'm kind of in the doghouse. I tried to do a good deed this morning, and she's told me umpteen times not to wash her clothes. Well, because you have to put women's clothes — you have to put inside a net before you wash it.

00:27:16 John Daub: Oh, that's right.

00:27:18 Peter von Gomm: So I put — I put her clothes in a net, but I put a few things together. One of them was her bra and her favorite shirt. So I get a call this morning — there's a hole in my favorite shirt. You put the bra in the net with my favorite shirt. So —

00:27:42 John Daub: Yeah.

00:27:43 Peter von Gomm: So I'm kind of looking for something. Hey, how about a mouth guard?

00:27:48 John Daub: Yeah.

00:27:49 Peter von Gomm: Because when she gets angry, there's lots of spittle and stuff coming out.

00:27:52 John Daub: Yeah.

00:27:53 Peter von Gomm: Do you have an extra mouth guard?

00:27:54 John Daub: Oh, yeah, here — I have one of these.

00:27:57 Peter von Gomm: Oh, that'll break the ice.

00:27:59 John Daub: I bought one of these.

00:28:01 Peter von Gomm: Good idea.

00:28:05 John Daub: Yeah. You want — you want that other — I get one more mouth guard that's you — really? You want one? Yeah, go ahead, take it. Yeah, I bought it — I bought one for me. I don't think I ever used mine. I used the shield. Yeah. This is another thing that they started to come out with. And I think I showed this to you before — there's two of them. These are not — these are not for high school kids to —

00:28:29 Peter von Gomm: Oh, okay. For their — yeah. Padding.

00:28:33 John Daub: Don't say that.

00:28:34 Peter von Gomm: I could say padding.

00:28:39 John Daub: How do you — how do you —

00:28:42 Peter von Gomm: That's you — you could be — I might cast you for my next sci-fi thriller.

00:28:49 John Daub: Like, you look like Skeletor, but actually —

00:28:52 Peter von Gomm: It keeps a nice form.

00:28:54 John Daub: Yeah, it keeps form and keeps the mask from touching, but it makes it harder to talk.

00:29:00 Peter von Gomm: Oh, does it affect —

00:29:01 John Daub: Yeah, a little bit.

00:29:01 Peter von Gomm: Your speech.

00:29:02 John Daub: But it's easier to breathe with this on here. And it's like a helmet. If somebody were to tackle me, I would have some sort of protection.

00:29:09 Peter von Gomm: Right. Your teeth wouldn't get knocked out.

00:29:11 John Daub: Yeah. Do you want one?

00:29:12 Peter von Gomm: We've got competing streamers here. I don't like this, John.

00:29:15 John Daub: That's PVG.

00:29:18 Peter von Gomm: The street's not big enough for the four of us.

00:29:21 John Daub: We're gonna have to —

00:29:23 Peter von Gomm: I'll take one. Thank you. Can I keep the package?

00:29:25 John Daub: No, I'm not giving one here. All right, go ahead and take the — take. Just take it. You happy? You gonna give that to your wife?

00:29:33 Peter von Gomm: Yes, I am.

00:29:34 John Daub: We could do better than that. We should probably buy a new one. They want to interview us.

00:29:46 Peter von Gomm: Do you want to interview in Japanese or in English?

00:29:50 John Daub: Well, there's not a lot of — there's not a lot of Westerners here. You know what will happen? You'll end up being there for 30 minutes as they try to find the right questions. I know — I've done Japanese TV before. It's not —

00:30:04 Peter von Gomm: That's where I've seen you before.

00:30:06 John Daub: Yeah, I was on a couple of shows.

00:30:07 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I knew I saw you somewhere.

00:30:10 John Daub: I've been around. There's another crew. This is the place where the Japanese TV likes to poach interviews from people. If they're going to interview me, I'm going to interview them. How you doing?

00:30:22 Peter von Gomm: He's got a dead cat on his microphone.

00:30:24 John Daub: Yeah, because it's slightly windy. All right, let's go. Now check out Mitsukoshi — world-famous department store. Can we make this light? Wait, no, wait, no — if we miss it — if we miss it, we can take a look at this amazing car. Yeah, okay, we're gonna miss this light, so we can show you some cars. WX Turbos in the house. I'm also watching NHK on TV, in which PVG is narrating Japan from Above — he's like the voice of NHK.

00:30:57 Peter von Gomm: Whoa — old 240Z.

00:31:01 John Daub: I don't have to move because it's gonna —

00:31:02 Peter von Gomm: So notice the dots — this is before it became Nissan.

00:31:05 John Daub: All right, the Datsun. We used to have a Datsun 510 station wagon in the 1980s.

00:31:10 Peter von Gomm: Is it gutless? It must have been.

00:31:12 John Daub: What does that mean?

00:31:13 Peter von Gomm: Like, no power at all?

00:31:14 John Daub: I don't know. I wasn't driving it. I was sitting in the back, probably in the very back, pretending like I was a fighter pilot for the rebel forces against the Empire, shooting at the cars trailing us in the back of the station wagon. Bruno Altonen and Jean Toto. No — it's a pretty sweet ride.

00:31:37 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, that's a great old racer.

00:31:41 John Daub: Beautiful.

00:31:42 Peter von Gomm: Fun.

00:31:43 John Daub: Look at those headlights. No, I don't need one — I don't need two — I need six. That's awesome — Peter.

00:31:51 Peter von Gomm: You could get in there from here and then just drive it through the window. I'll film it like a movie, like James Bond. They don't have a temperature check at this one, but they do have an alcohol pump and ask you to social distance inside there. So that's kind of a good thing. Could they do more? I'm not sure — not sure. But I think one of the good things with doing something like this — a live stream — is that you can see that everybody — everybody pretty much is wearing a mask. There's nobody maskless outside too. And that's important — that's important. Hey, there's a motorcycle. Is that a sweet ride? It's gone.

00:32:38 Peter von Gomm: That is right there.

00:32:40 John Daub: That's a sweet — oh, that's a stroller — sweet ride. Yeah, you're gonna push — you probably push really fast and then let go. I do have a face guard — that would be — it's true. But I think I see like one or one or two people not wearing a mask. I think maybe they feel because everyone else is wearing a mask that I'm safe. But socially, like, I wouldn't tell them to wear a mask, but I just stare at them until they feel guilty. That's the Japanese way, right? Or do you say something like that? This is Mitsukoshi and you can see there's no lining up with social distancing.

00:33:26 Peter von Gomm: But everybody's pumping alcohol.

00:33:27 John Daub: But they're pumping alcohol like crazy. In fact, they have three pumps there. Look at that.

00:33:32 Peter von Gomm: Everybody's washing — I feel left out.

00:33:37 John Daub: You want to go — you want to go get some alcohol and come back?

00:33:41 Peter von Gomm: Oh, yeah, that's all right.

00:33:44 John Daub: The procedures in place — they — I believe that they have a temperature check. Yeah, there's a camera over there so that you can — there's a camera in there where they're actually checking, actively checking. There's a — there's a monitor right here and she's checking the temperatures of everybody walking in. But they're so close together — everybody should be separated a little bit.

00:34:18 Peter von Gomm: It's a bronze lion. Why don't you swing around and show them the front? Even the lions are playing it safe.

00:34:36 John Daub: That's a big one.

00:34:37 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, that's a really big —

00:34:38 John Daub: That's like Andre the Giant size. Now you have to disinfect, you know. Peter, don't touch anything. That's rule number one. Mark Snow's here. Hey, here you go, John — have a cold one. You got it. Tomorrow I'm going to be driving to Nagoya with Kanai — I'm picking up the rent-a-car tonight and we're leaving at six in the morning. So expect three, four live streams from another area of Japan starting tomorrow. Very cool. There's Kimura Bread — Kimura Pan — and Ginza station, which is Ginza, Hibiya, Marunouchi line. Yurakucho is the JR line and that's only about a 10-minute walk this direction. We're now going to be going to one of the stores — iconic stores that has maybe one of the most the strictest laws in Japan. Right there — that's the Apple Store. And see — how does Apple Japan conduct their business in this pandemic? Irvin — I had no idea — it's Irvin.

00:35:52 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:35:53 John Daub: Gosh, I've been off the rails for so long. We're gonna go check out the Apple Store.

00:36:00 Peter von Gomm: Okay.

00:36:01 John Daub: I thought that that'd be if they have their security in place.

00:36:02 Peter von Gomm: Exactly. So how's your — you do — you do have your own live streaming channel. It's called PBG. Peter Von Gom Live.

00:36:13 Peter von Gomm: Peter Von Gomm Japan Live.

00:36:16 John Daub: Yes.

00:36:17 Peter von Gomm: And I'd be very pleased if you would come check it out, and if you like that kind of content, please subscribe. We do live streams around Tokyo and Japan — camping trips and travels with my family. Going to Yamanashi the end of this week coming up. So please tune in for that.

00:36:37 John Daub: Don't tune in because you're going to the fireworks — show me.

00:36:41 Peter von Gomm: I will not do it.

00:36:41 John Daub: No. Don't you take my audience away from me on the weekend.

00:36:45 Peter von Gomm: The whole weekend — you're streaming every day?

00:36:46 John Daub: Yeah, of course I am.

00:36:48 Peter von Gomm: Okay, so don't go to my channel afterwards — come back and see the reason.

00:36:51 John Daub: Are you doing live streaming from your — maybe it's okay between my live streams?

00:36:56 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, we'll work out when you're not doing it. I will do it — I will do when you're not on. I promise.

00:37:02 John Daub: All right — you promise? Is that fair? Let me see you crossing your fingers. No — did you — alcohol — all right, there.

00:37:13 Peter von Gomm: Okay, you guys can tune in when I'm — I will be on when he's not on. Promise — cuz I'm going to be watching your live streams.

00:37:20 John Daub: Are you watching?

00:37:20 Peter von Gomm: I want to see the fireworks. Of course.

00:37:22 John Daub: Okay, cool. Yeah, your voice is in it actually.

00:37:24 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:37:25 John Daub: He's in the fireworks festival — a part of the — he does some narration like — like it's Disneyland in the beginning — "Welcome to the Only in Japan Fly — the best fireworks show ever." He didn't say that. All right — check it out — did you — I don't remember. No. Apple has the strictest entry policies during the pandemic of all of the places. Now there's a couple of things with the masks that's really interesting — Apple makes their own masks. I heard that they have a very unique style that's very similar to the N95 masks. But they've re-engineered their masks. So let's see if we can see some Apple masks.

00:38:04 Peter von Gomm: Well, the staff is wearing them.

00:38:06 John Daub: I know — that's what I'm gonna —

00:38:07 Peter von Gomm: It's got a —

00:38:07 John Daub: They've gotta wear aerodynamic — it's got an aerodynamic cut to it.

00:38:13 Peter von Gomm: It's almost like an origami for your face.

00:38:16 John Daub: Yeah — origami for your face.

00:38:17 Peter von Gomm: Look at it — zoom in.

00:38:21 John Daub: Yeah. The staff has it. And that's kind of neat. Here's the — here's the procedure. I'm gonna go from the front here. So you have to have an appointment to get in there, I believe. But you also need to have your — your temperature checked — you have to social distance — wear a mask — temperature check — alcohol — keep distance and alcohol. I guess there's a lot of stuff. What — what is the star one? I can't quite see it. Here it is.

00:38:55 Peter von Gomm: You have to have had a dental checkup within the last 48 hours.

00:38:58 John Daub: It's not a dental checkup. I think you —

00:39:00 Peter von Gomm: Sparkling clean teeth.

00:39:01 John Daub: You have to be checked at the entrance and you have to have an appointment. I don't know what he's talking about.

00:39:10 Peter von Gomm: Oh, this guy was gonna do a busking show or did — now the police are shutting him down.

00:39:14 John Daub: Oh, the police busted him. He's here every weekend though. That's so unfair. Can I give him money? Is this his — does he still have money out there? Can I give him money for bail? I feel bad, but I think with the cops there, I can't actually support him. Yeah — I don't have it — I just — I carry hundreds — I got some coins. Here's 300 yen — this should help. That should help bail him out. I come here streaming a lot and I really like to give him money — he got busted here — Peter's helping or hurting? I'm not sure — not sure what I can — I can't read lips because they all have masks on. Any lip readers? You can't do it because you have masks on. Body language readers. Cop looks pretty cool though, right? He's got the body language — he's just being cool about it. Here comes PBG to report.

00:40:43 Peter von Gomm: He comes here very often.

00:40:44 John Daub: Yeah.

00:40:44 Peter von Gomm: And he said recently somebody has been calling the police and complaining.

00:40:49 John Daub: Somebody? Yeah — this is Japan — this — there's always some old lady who ruins the fun. Yeah.

00:40:55 Peter von Gomm: It's just —

00:40:55 John Daub: Yeah.

00:40:56 Peter von Gomm: And so — and he says there's nothing — the police have to come and he has to stop. So he says they're nice about it. Of course they are — the police are very polite.

00:41:04 John Daub: Why would somebody call the police on him?

00:41:06 Peter von Gomm: People are butthurt — they just have a bad agenda — they're just —

00:41:12 John Daub: We'll keep — we'll keep supporting him. And he's got — what is it? Are they DVDs or are they CDs? All right, we gotta say — why did people give you thumbs down, John?

00:41:22 John Daub: I don't know. Why would anybody give me thumbs down? Speaking of which — why do we only have 293 thumbs up? If you want us to continue this live stream, we better get to 650 likes.

00:41:32 Peter von Gomm: How many are watching?

00:41:33 John Daub: Half — we need to get to 650 likes. And we're gonna go get it — we're gonna go and get a — I'll end this immediately — we're gonna go and get a drink. You totally would too, wouldn't you? You don't even know what's a number — what's the police number? You don't even know.

00:41:48 Peter von Gomm: 911.

00:41:48 John Daub: It's not 911 — that's in America — it's — everything in Japan is opposite. Peter — opposite.

00:41:55 Peter von Gomm: 199.

00:41:56 John Daub: Yes — 119 — 119 — 119 — every — Japan — everything in Japan is totally opposite from America. They drive on the other side of the road — the 96 — 96 is a lucky number — 96 is not all like — I got that — Jason's pretty smart.

00:42:17 Peter von Gomm: Toya is a fun shop.

00:42:19 John Daub: 110 and 1 — 119 is for an ambulance, right? And 110 is for the police.

00:42:24 Peter von Gomm: Well, I think 119 is all emergencies.

00:42:27 John Daub: Oh, 119 is your emergency — okay — police would be 110, but 119 is for all emergencies — that's like the 911 of Japan.

00:42:35 Peter von Gomm: Right?

00:42:37 John Daub: It's good to know — it's so interesting — Japan really is backwards compared to the rest of the world — they have their — and this is something that's very important — same with the United States — Japan has their own way to do things, and they have their own approach to how they deal with the COVID-19 during this pandemic.

00:42:57 Peter von Gomm: The Chanel.

00:42:58 John Daub: Oh, yeah — I smell Chanel — they pump that stuff out in the streets. Where is it? Right there — oh, it smells like Chanel — it's that lady right there. Can I — you're gonna —

00:43:09 Peter von Gomm: Don't breathe out — just breathe in.

00:43:11 John Daub: I'm gonna keep a distance — just stay there and breathe.

00:43:16 Peter von Gomm: That's nice — this reminds me of the hills above Monaco in the south of France. There's a — a town called Grass — I don't know if I'm getting pronunciation right — Grass — and it's where — it's where they filmed that movie with — who was the — who was the — she married the Prince of — Prince Rainier.

00:43:39 John Daub: Prince of Darkness.

00:43:40 Peter von Gomm: No, no — somebody helped me out here — the Grace Kelly.

00:43:47 John Daub: Yes.

00:43:47 Peter von Gomm: Thank you — Grace Kelly. So there's a movie where she's — she's racing and Cary Grant is chasing her or something — I forget if they're together against each other — anyhow, that road — I rode on that on a scooter. It winds up above Monaco and it's beautiful — beautiful view. And at the top there's this town called Grass, and that's where they make cologne and perfume. So the entire town just smells like this wonderful rose bouquet.

00:44:15 John Daub: Whoa.

00:44:16 Peter von Gomm: Amazing — I highly recommend going —

00:44:17 John Daub: Is there a movie called Perfume with some wacko? That was in there — and that was a good movie too. My biology teacher told me never wear perfume because it's actually whales barfed up on the ocean. And then perfume makers collect whale barf — and then they make the perfume from whale barf. But she was —

00:44:35 Peter von Gomm: Was she a licensed teacher?

00:44:37 John Daub: She was a licensed teacher. And she said to me — yeah, perfume is made from whale barf — of course it's been processed. And she's — she was one of those biology teachers that never wore makeup and protested stuff. So I don't know if it was a political statement, but this is in the 1980s.

00:44:51 Peter von Gomm: If I was giving out teaching licenses, she would not have gotten one.

00:44:55 John Daub: Back in the '80s, we weren't that political — we were all against the Soviet Union. So we — we had an enemy.

00:45:01 Peter von Gomm: They're the biggest producers of whale barfi.

00:45:04 John Daub: The Soviet Union? Yeah — they don't actually exist anymore — although — stopping at this point.

00:45:10 Peter von Gomm: By the way, how many thumbs up now?

00:45:12 John Daub: 495 — very weak.

00:45:14 Peter von Gomm: That's not even half yet.

00:45:15 John Daub: I know — I want to get you a drink because Irvin said to get you a drink. Yeah — Irvine or Irvin? Irvin. Oh, you have eyes — I wasn't sure — wasn't sure.

00:45:31 Peter von Gomm: Thank you guys all for tuning into this stream.

00:45:33 John Daub: Do you want a convenience — a vending machine drink or a convenience store?

00:45:38 Peter von Gomm: Anything?

00:45:39 John Daub: I want to see the procedures of getting into a convenience store. Maybe — I think there's a — there's one this way. I gotta walk back — I left my bicycle 1km down the road over there. As well as your motorbike, right? Yes, I did — Peter came by motorbike. So we're going off road here — take a look at some of the procedures on the — on the side roads. Ito-ya, which is the big stationery store, is here. I — I like to enter Ito-ya from the back. And these alleys here — this is where Ginza pretty much — that's creepy — this is where — pretty much where Ginza, the real Ginza, is off of the Chuo — the Chuo Avenue there. And it's in the alleys in the back. That's why I really like it. That's new — I didn't know this Adidas store.

00:46:23 Peter von Gomm: Notice the decibels — it's about 12 decibels — decibels higher over here than it was back there. Probably because of this.

00:46:28 John Daub: Go run over there and see if you can make it go higher again. You did not hurt your hand — oh, big baby — it's 63 decibels — it's hard to see — 64 — one's vibration — all right, body — check it — all right — it's kind of — it's kind of mosaic here, but it says 32 — 31 — 31 — Peter's tapping it — went up to 33 — 72 — all right — body check the metal — just do it.

00:47:01 Peter von Gomm: I don't have any pads on.

00:47:03 John Daub: You get an Italian shirt on.

00:47:06 Peter von Gomm: Italians are not known for their padding.

00:47:09 John Daub: Just do a clap — it.

00:47:10 Peter von Gomm: You clap.

00:47:12 John Daub: Let's see — can register —

00:47:15 Peter von Gomm: This guy's really weird — look at the —

00:47:21 John Daub: Wow.

00:47:21 Peter von Gomm: Nice — 73.

00:47:23 John Daub: Dog barks make a difference. Yeah.

00:47:25 Peter von Gomm: Give us a great dame —

00:47:29 John Daub: 67 — hello — excuse me — hello — almost got to 40 — all right.

00:47:39 Peter von Gomm: Nice — we know the equipment working.

00:47:44 John Daub: All right — we know it's working — that's — this was just a test. Okay, okay — oh, there's that — the Kit — gift — 500 yen KitKat shop.

00:47:55 Peter von Gomm: That would be a good gift for my wife.

00:47:57 John Daub: My butt hurt — wife. Really? A KitKat? Oh, here, honey — I ruined your shirt — have a 600 yen KitKat.

00:48:06 Peter von Gomm: Well, it's probably a step up from that — that mask that looks like —

00:48:11 John Daub: That looks like a high school — are you serious? All right, go ahead — yeah, I'm not allowed to take the camera in — of course it's open, but without — the only people who buy this are people like Peter — tourists — he's not a tourist — I can't enter — it's too high class in there — oh, no, no — it's closing — no, I don't have permission to film. Okay, okay, I'm just gonna enter — that looks really good — but it's $18 for that drink. Not worth it. All right — just gonna enter — it says to keep us — keep a safe distance — wow.

00:49:19 Peter von Gomm: Sublime — bitter.

00:49:21 John Daub: It's like being inside of a lady's dressing room.

00:49:24 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, it's been a while.

00:49:27 John Daub: Which one are you gonna get?

00:49:28 Peter von Gomm: I'm gonna get — they're small — they're like personalized sized — this is two sticks in one box — let me get a couple different ones — they've got —

00:49:40 John Daub: Oh, this a passion fruit — yeah, she's — she was very passionate this morning about you ruining her shirt — let's get her passion fruit.

00:49:47 Peter von Gomm: Okay — that's —

00:49:48 John Daub: That's —

00:49:48 Peter von Gomm: That's a good kiss and make — make up. Okay — all right.

00:49:53 John Daub: These are all like $4 for one stick.

00:49:55 Peter von Gomm: Is it really that much?

00:49:56 John Daub: Yeah.

00:49:57 Peter von Gomm: Shoot — maybe she just getting one then.

00:50:02 John Daub: Well, you get a — get a three — I'll reimburse you.

00:50:06 Peter von Gomm: Okay.

00:50:11 John Daub: Okay — that looks good.

00:50:13 Peter von Gomm: And the passion fruit — one more.

00:50:17 John Daub: All right — I'm gonna get out of here — did you have a Halloween one? Oh, that's cool — all right — I'll see you on the other side.

00:50:29 Peter von Gomm: That's kind of necessary.

00:50:42 John Daub: We gotta wait for PBG here — they're about $4 each, and we're gonna — I'm gonna reimburse him as a gift for Mrs. V.G. for ruining his shirt — it's always a pleasure when PBG comes here and — and guest stars on it and — and $4 each. Yeah, I know, Felix — it's crazy, right? It's always good when — when PBG stops by to say hi to everybody. I want to show you a couple more things, but I guess this is the drink, so we probably might not make it to the vending machine. This here is a — this is the Starbucks I used to teach English at — over 10 years ago — I used to teach English before — to make — before YouTube paid anything, you had to pay the bills. This Starbucks turned into a Starbucks Reserve. And now on the first floor, they have like all these really trendy foods and stuff — it's really nice in here. I'm not — I'm not a big brand person and stopped going here. But more recently, I do think — I do think that they do have some pretty good coffee. But although it's slightly overpriced — I think he got busted. I like how the police wear vests, and I like how the lady cops have these really cool hats — I prefer those hats, like sailor hats, you know. Interesting news while we're waiting for our buddy PBG — Japan Airlines has stopped saying the words "ladies and gentlemen." And before the flights, they would say "ladies and gentlemen," and make an announcement — they stopped doing that. Now they're saying "everyone." And I think that's a good thing. It's changing — and Japan is one of the places where things aren't quite as equal, especially between men and women. But it's nice to see little teeny changes and steps in a different direction. That's something that was — it's a small thing — stopping the announcement, but it's a good thing. And I think that that was in the news today — there's — there's some stuff in the news that's not related to, you know, the problems of the world. Oh, he got it — how many did you get? Okay, that's 1,200 yen.

00:53:16 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, it was at 11.88 yen for these — these guys.

00:53:21 John Daub: Do you think that's gonna buy you happiness from —

00:53:23 Peter von Gomm: We'll find out. But yeah, she's — she's pretty easy — she'll get over it — she's trying to play hardball.

00:53:32 John Daub: She's playing hardball — what did hardball win her? 3 KitKats — that's awesome.

00:53:37 Peter von Gomm: She's getting one, dude — I'm getting the other — well, I'll give one.

00:53:40 John Daub: I'm not paying for that — do you want a coffee or something from the Starbucks Reserve?

00:53:45 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I want something good.

00:53:47 John Daub: Yeah — I gotta go — hey, YouTube, watch out — I'm gonna save these birds' lives — go, Peter — get them — does not cross the street. I know, they're right on the edge. Look, I've been talking with your peoples for a long time — stick away — stick to the sidewalks, okay? They don't need — they're oblivious to humans too — the people just — look, they think they're people — I bet you they think they're people. Good — they got it out — yeah, they're safe. I saved the pigeon's life the other day — he was crossing the street on a red light — almost got — yeah, almost got hit. No, I didn't go that far — but I — I did yell at him and I tried to find him —

00:54:30 Peter von Gomm: You know, it's really hard to find good bread in Tokyo — Starbucks, probably good bread.

00:54:36 John Daub: Yeah — Starbucks has pretty good bread — that's funny — that Starbucks is selling bread — it says pain —

00:54:44 Peter von Gomm: We're gonna go — we're gonna get our coffee here, right?

00:54:47 John Daub: Yeah — well, we don't need to keep doing this — the live streaming — well, you don't want to do this on — on Peter Von Gomm — go — Peter Von Gom Live.

00:54:57 Peter von Gomm: I have my — my streaming phone and stuff, so —

00:55:01 John Daub: All right, so this is where we're gonna say goodbye. As you can see, there's no real procedures — there is an alcohol pump in there, but there's nothing to take your temperature. So I don't think the temperature checks really make a big difference — unless somebody is — the only way to know is to take a test. And even they're not full foolproof. I think it's best if we check ourselves — if you are not feeling good, if you're feeling sick, don't go outside — don't go — don't take a flight — take the cancellation — the great thing about this go-to campaign, Peter — you can cancel without loss — you can cancel without a penalty because they — yeah. So then the — there's no incentive for somebody to go and travel because they're gonna lose money. So if you feel sick and you want to stay home, you can cancel without a charge and the local governments will make up the difference. So people only cancel if they are actually really sick.

00:55:52 Peter von Gomm: So what is — what's — the government covers what percent — 30-something —

00:55:55 John Daub: The Go To Travel campaign — so tomorrow we're staying in a hotel in Gifu prefecture and I believe it was 35% and we got a voucher for 4,000 yen — $40 off of our dinner, which is gonna be Hida beef. Yeah — Kanai wants it after watching the Wagyu episode I did — oh, good —

00:56:14 Peter von Gomm: So when you make the reservation, do you have to reserve through that campaign site or —

00:56:20 John Daub: Great question — we reserved off of — you can't reserve off of Booking.com — it's a foreign site — so they don't have access to the government's subsidies. But JALAN.net — J-A-L-A-N.net — as well as Rakuten Travel and a couple other Japanese sites have the discounts baked into it. So it makes it very easy to reserve a hotel room and get the discounts. We could stay — listen to this — I don't know if I want to tell everybody, especially Spencer out there, but you could stay — Spencer is our Walt Disney World specialist — you could stay at the Mickey Mouse room in the Walt Disney World Resort for 35% off and was available — the Mickey Mouse Room.

00:57:00 Peter von Gomm: Not me — the Walt Disney World —

00:57:02 John Daub: Walt Disneyland — Tokyo Disneyland — okay — he said WDW — I don't — he's got a website —

00:57:08 Peter von Gomm: Yeah — good.

00:57:09 John Daub: Good.

00:57:09 Peter von Gomm: Well, cuz I'm gonna book a — a place for this week — I'm going — I think I told him — I'm going easily on my motorcycle.

00:57:16 John Daub: Yeah — so get the Go To Travel —

00:57:18 Peter von Gomm: I'm gonna use the Jadon — next.

00:57:20 John Daub: Yeah — yeah — I like JALAN.net — they have an English site as well for — for users who want to do the Go To Travel — there's an English site too — I don't know if they bake in the Go To Travel with that as well. I rented a car — I don't get a discount on that — but if you're taking the Shinkansen, if you reserve 30 days in advance, you get 50% off — 50% — that's right —

00:57:46 Peter von Gomm: That's a lot of money.

00:57:48 John Daub: It's a good savings. Thanks everybody for watching this — I hope — if you have any questions, leave a comment below and we'll try to answer them about your worries about coming visiting Japan. But that's the safety procedures — right now we have a very low infection rate. And you can see it's kind of maybe become a little complacent to the standards of the United States. But people are wearing masks — they are doing their best. And personally, I'm still gonna stick to social distancing — I'm six feet away from Peter right now. Yeah — what did you have for lunch?

00:58:23 Peter von Gomm: I haven't had lunch yet.

00:58:25 John Daub: That's why I came to meet you — oh, well, then Mr. Mr. Gom will remedy that right away. See, everybody — have a good day — have a good night — wherever you are in the world, stay safe. And later, Gator.

00:58:38 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, guys — yes.

00:58:39 John Daub: Not the best — later, Gator — chat — what do you — what do you — how do you sign off? Peace out.

00:58:46 Peter von Gomm: Carefully, and I'll do the same.

00:58:48 John Daub: Ride carefully — I'll do the same — that's a pretty cool one — I gotta think of something — peace out.

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