00:00:00 John Daub: Hey, greetings everybody. Welcome to Tokyo. This is Midnight Indoor Camping 2021 edition. How you doing? We're in a state of emergency here in Tokyo. The governor tells us not to go outside and I try my best not to. But when I'm staying inside, I like to create my own little camp spot here in the evenings. The great thing about indoor camping: no mosquitoes, no bears, no mountain lions, no deer poo. It's always on the ground here in Japan. Basically, it's a lot safer.

00:00:34 John Daub: And today I'm going to discuss a couple things that have been going on for the last year. It's kind of nice to be in 2021. And also this very important topic: why in Japan do they have these really micro-sized cans of beer? I've always wondered this and I asked some people some questions and got some answers. So in this episode, I'm going to discuss with you at a campsite fire talk about lots of things as well as take some of your questions. All right, let's go get that drink. My wife is sleeping in the other room. Don't make a lot of noise with the headlamp. I'm not allowed to show you inside our kitchen either. So don't tell her what I brought you in here. Keep this between us. Let's go get a beer. This is frosty.

00:01:05 John Daub: Don't look in our refrigerator. Don't analyze the things you see in here. All right, let me show you some of those things. I got this at the Kochi store. Check this out: yuzu tamago (citrus-infused eggs). It's eggs and somehow they've infused a citrus fruit into them. I don't know how they did it, but you're supposed to eat them like raw eggs on rice. I got this today at the Kochi store. It's pretty cool. It has a unique smell.

00:02:17 John Daub: Here it is. This is an Orion beer from Okinawa. This is a normal size beer, 350 milliliters. You can get 500 milliliters. This is weird, right? This is I think 135 milliliters. Frosty says close the door. We got work to do here.

00:02:51 John Daub: It's so cute, it's so small. I wanted to ask what's up with them. I ended up figuring out what's going on. I put out some snacks here too. Oh, I want to thank our moderators for sending me some blueberry Pop-Tarts. Thank you Katayama and everybody. I appreciate that. Hard to get here in Japan. Thank you, UFO Bob. Let's have a seat here.

00:04:04 John Daub: So today was a really interesting day. I'm gonna crack open this beer in a second. It's weird. I got to tell you something first, okay? Just keep it down. Today I did a live stream in Ginza. There was a robbery, and it was in all the news, breaking news. A 3 oku en (300 million yen), which is like $3 million ruby was stolen from a shop in Ginza Rokuchome (Ginza 6-chome). And I was going there to film at the Kochi store. That's where I got the eggs.

00:04:54 John Daub: There were police everywhere. When I was riding my bicycle, you could see they had staked out different corners, checking for suspicious characters. And when I see that, sometimes I start getting suspicious. Like, I think they're looking at me. Do you ever see that? When there's a bunch of police looking at you, you think you did something, but you didn't. You feel them looking, and then you might do suspicious things. You start looking down. What do you do in this situation? Then they think something's wrong and come to you, and then you run. Has that ever happened to you?

00:05:37 John Daub: That happened to me today. However, I'm doing a better job of not wanting to just dash. Anyways, that's not the point. There was a lot of people there, a lot of media. There were eyewitness accounts of two people running away from the building. What's going on here? Then I just saw on the news they've ruled out the theft. Police rule out theft in incident with ruby worth $29 million. Tokyo police have ruled out theft in incident involving a rough ruby worth approximately 3 billion yen [$29 million?], originally reported stolen Wednesday in central Tokyo during negotiations for a sale.

00:06:30 John Daub: The incident in the capital's glitzy Ginza district—my backyard—was believed instead to be the result of a disagreement between the female owner of the ruby and the man who had been consigned to sell it. She left the ruby in his possession around a year ago but requested its return after he failed to sell it. Those salesmen. She left with the ruby after meeting him on Wednesday. Police are questioning both parties to confirm details. The ruby was originally believed snatched after the man called police around noon saying two men fled with the gemstone.

00:07:04 John Daub: This stinks. Something smells fishy. These people and the police officers—you can see in the live stream—these two officers, you can tell something's fishy. I think they're just trying to drum up publicity for this $30 million diamond [?] that no one's buying. Well, I hope they throw the book at them. They got caught. Demi DM writes in: fraud. That's exactly what it is.

00:07:43 John Daub: All right, so I don't know what to do with that live stream because I thought I was chasing the story of the century, a crime, something from Lupin—you know, Lupin on Netflix, a jewel thief. Everybody loves jewel thieves except insurance companies and the people it was stolen from, unless they want the insurance money. I thought it was a pretty awesome story, and it turned out to be nothing, so I do apologize.

00:08:14 John Daub: Okay, here we go. You don't know what's going to happen in this stream. So why does Japan make 100 milliliter beers? I think this is like four ounces, a third of a 12-ounce can. Look at this. You can go like this and say, which hand? The game: which hand is the beer in? Left or right? It's in this one. You can kind of see it, but if you had a big hand, I can't do this right.

00:09:22 John Daub: Ready? Which hand is it in? Left or right? This one? This is one. This one? This is two. One or two? Five seconds. It was in two. That's how small it is. You could hide this. If this was a ruby, you could definitely—you'd have to do a body cavity search. The stolen ruby was four kilograms, a big rock. This one, you would need a body cavity search if stolen.

00:10:21 John Daub: It's that small. Look how small the top is compared to an average can. It's interesting. All right, come by everybody. Don't ask what number five is. So what's the deal? If I chug this, it's over. Trevor's like, chug the little beer. Anybody can do that. That's child's play. You know what's really hard, Trevor? Not chugging a 100 milliliter beer. It's over in two sips.

00:11:35 John Daub: The question is, why do Japanese buy these small beers? You can find them in convenience stores, but quite often in supermarkets. Sometimes people don't want a full beer. There's something in Japan—this is a normal 350 ml beer—some people hate waste, mostly older generations, born in the 1940s after World War II, the baby boomers and before. They don't like waste. They don't want to open a full beer if they can't drink it all. This is almost the same price as a big one, but 30% cheaper for one-third? No, the big one is more cost-effective. But people buy this because they don't want to waste it. Some can't drink a full beer.

00:12:49 John Daub: Sometimes they'll just have a couple sips because they want the taste of beer but not the whole thing. Usually older people. Also easier to carry, pocket beer, survival beer. Oh, I have a can of beer—right here. You can pull it out like a magician. In general, for people who don't want to drink a full beer, just the taste, then maybe wine or whiskey. Or Kanae Daub, who doesn't drink alcohol, can't hold a full beer. I'll buy her this, end up drinking it anyway. But she feels like she's one of us. Like chocolate cigarettes, but real beer for people who don't drink beer. You follow? These are mostly for elderly people and light drinkers. Good night beer—you don't want to open a full can.

00:14:10 John Daub: All right, Trevor, are you watching? This is really strong. See? I did it. You can't crush it—same amount of aluminum as a normal can. I got some snacks here. Wanted to introduce one of my favorite cookies from Okinawa. I might have sent this to Patreon supporters. Called chinsuko. You can get them from the Okinawa store in Ginza. Like $2. Flour, sugar, lard, shortening, table salt. These cookies are so good. Lard is fat—praise the lard. Stupid.

00:17:45 John Daub: Sometimes it's not a good idea to read ingredients—now I'm thinking about the lard. But this is really good, one of my favorites. You can crumble it on ice cream—nothing tastes better than lard. I can't get it out of my mind. All right, next snack is a new Kit Kat: matcha tiramisu. For the daimyo (lords) [insiders]. Kit Kats have gotten smaller. Nestle, all profit. Why make them even smaller?

00:18:56 John Daub: Now it's even smaller. Which hand is it in? One or two? Five seconds. It's in two. Matcha tiramisu Kit Kat. In Japan, they have tiramisu with matcha instead of coffee. Tiramisu is Italian, but they substitute matcha. Oh, I've got to warm it up. So good. They put cheese in the center. Really good.

00:20:57 John Daub: Next up, they make a chocolate version. This is Kanae Daub's favorite from Okinawa: great camphor [?]. We can't make s'mores—I can't find graham crackers in Japan. Pop-Tarts aren't the same. J.H. found the Kanae emoji. She's sleeping—she doesn't like indoor camping, wants a bed. Instead of marshmallows, they put chocolate on it. You can make s'mores. Really good.

00:22:31 John Daub: Kinza near where the fake ruby was reported fake stolen. Totally worth it. Next up, I'm pretty excited. You guys want to go in the tent? Let's go inside. So you can see the campfire. Stay warm—it's winter. It's January 28th in Japan, 27th in the U.S. We're a day ahead.

00:23:43 John Daub: They've already come out with cherry blossom designs for products. As soon as February 1st hits, cherry blossom fever starts—countdown to sakura (cherry blossoms). First things? Beer cans. Orion is the beer of Okinawa. If Daniel LaRusso from Karate Kid was 20, he'd drink Orion. Not cherry beer. Before we drink, thanks Junko Yoshida from the Philippines. Tony P's here—secret's safe, don't tell Kanae Daub. Junko, buy more beer at the vending machine. Irvin's here. Pozo, eating lard after midnight— in the '30s, lard was good for you. Raymond Centeno, check on Okapi—the fire's close. He's all right.

00:26:12 John Daub: So it's weird cherry blossom designs are out. That noise is high-pitched like a dog whistle—Kanae Daub can't hear it. Orion is different. We have a U.S. military base in Okinawa. My friends in Hiroshima loved Orion beer. I think Asahi's better. Let's crack one. Does it have a pink color? Stay here, gotta get a glass. Kitchen's close for indoor camping.

00:28:05 John Daub: Gotta see if it's pink. Normal color? You be the judge. Kind of pink? Unusual, amber? Let's see if it tastes pink. Good, smooth, less bitter than Asahi or Sapporo. Sapporo's the most bitter. Good body, like Suntory Premium Malts—heavy body, not a good night beer, more good morning. Nice actually.

00:31:14 John Daub: Last year I didn't do real camping—disappointment. In 2021, looking forward to spring camping. This headlamp is super bright—Petzl (P-E-T-Z-L), the Cadillac of headlamps. You can read a book. Three modes, holds for red light—wildlife can't see it. Still in state of emergency—not supposed to travel outside Tokyo. Numbers going down significantly: from over 2,000 a day to 800-900. Good sign. Keep inside as much as possible. I only go out when I have to. Jobs in February: Niigata, maybe Akita. Lots of videos to edit—one a week.

00:33:39 John Daub: Did you like the tea video? You're not allowed all caps or moderators yell. Faith loved it, James yes, Sheena Rose Navarro yes—you're coming with me. Only in Japan Go became main channel in 2020. In 2021, more supplementary edited videos, tons of live streams on location—behind the scenes travel. That's how I always felt. Memberships too. Less indoor camping after emergency lifts, more travel—that's what you subscribed for. Tough winter for everybody except Australians—it's summer, 4 a.m. there.

00:35:28 John Daub: After emergency, not a lot in Tokyo. Guess: Japan open in June for Olympics? I think yes if vaccinated—not same as 2019. Vaccine in Japan starts March, maybe April-May for me. Japan wants everyone vaccinated by June. If your country has it under control, travel opens worldwide. Japan conservative, slow to open—rationed, package tours, first come first served. Optimistic—yes for June. Better idea next month, or in June. Simon from Dublin— Ireland still shut, can't send airmail. Got postcards for Sascha, waiting. India closed too—25 postcards monthly.

00:38:24 John Daub: Open up India—I'd love to go back. Can you talk Hindi? Bhus bus ka—means eat. My aunt fed us massive plates at 10 p.m. Kanae Daub too. Ka ka ka—eat. We say bus bus—enough. Then ha ha ha, and eat. That's why everyone's big—carbo-load before bed. Good for health? Weird—marathon dreams? Love India, first three days eat, then bus bus with big eyes. Mothers scare kids with eyes—no yelling.

00:41:31 John Daub: India thousands of years old civilization—they know what they're doing. Any questions? Nice to relax by campfire. How good at Japanese? Conversational, not great—understand most. Been on Japanese TV: TBS, Hideo Obi [?], NHK Newsline live. Gets by fine. Not perfect like Arnold's accent—humility. Not trying to be Japanese. Same for 20 years—use it or lose it. Can read newspaper? Understand from context, familiar kanji from travel: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Niigata, Akita. See in words, maps—immersed daily. Sakura every year.

00:44:15 John Daub: Does Kanae Daub get embarrassed? When her husband goes to crime scene reporting stolen ruby to 250,000 people. Don't go to Ginza crime scene—let police do it. She tells me what not to do, I do it anyway. Okonomiyaki style? Hiroshima, no-brainer. Driven car during pandemic? Like 20 times—more than Shinkansen. Ride slide on stream? Done it in Hiroshima near Genbaku Dome. Night walk? Done, could again. Winter camping? This is it—indoor.

00:46:12 John Daub: Olympics a go—they'll do it. Rumor of cancel? Garbage. Concern: athletes trained? I'll be there live streaming venues after vaccinated—reporter dream. NBC didn't call back. Climb Fuji livestream? No signal. Athletes abstain? Aussies first to bow out, then Canadians—Americans go for NBC. Aussies great at swimming. Favorite Disney princess? Princess Peach from Mario. Favorite YouTuber? Kanae Daub, but she says no. Hard question.

00:48:46 John Daub: Olympic reporting? Paralympics more—documentary. Love spirit, technology, competitiveness—more edge of seat. Not much TV coverage. Retro mini console stream? PC Engine good idea. Gaming while stuck inside—tried Nintendo Switch, sold out double price. Nintendo won't take money—lottery. Sony same with PS5—hates Japanese market, prefers U.S. Canon, Panasonic more popular here.

00:51:37 John Daub: Kind of smoky—sorry Okapi. Dexter: love content, want collab. Talked to Greg— he's busy with documentary. Fun driving Fukushima. Fan of Tokyo Llama, Jaya building abandoned house—know him and wife, might BBQ, making documentary. Been there three times filming. Birthday in two weeks—party. Air to the Ron going to sleep. Dark Zaku: Cobra Kai amazing—watched season 3. Kanae Daub didn't like melodrama, LaRusso bully. I could take him.

00:54:16 John Daub: John Wakamatsu visiting Tokyo—hit us up, central Chuo-ku. Miss meetups—giving Go Find Me cards, chatting in Asakusa, Shibuya. Stories great, but late to appointments. Wanted boat on Sumida River with 30-40 people—yakata-bune (pleasure boat). Space Boat meetup cool, but tickets money. 30 men in a boat.

00:56:15 John Daub: Tokyo's big one due? No Kumamoto plans. Small quakes last weeks—wake at 5 a.m., back to sleep. Used to magnitude 4-5 unless strong Shindo. 2011 March 11th, knew big immediately—deer in headlights. Talk more on anniversary. No big one soon? Wonder if Fuji erupts. Japan safe but dangerous: typhoons, earthquakes, eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, tourists, ruby robbers, fugu, raw fish, crows, spiders, deer, Godzilla, giant bees, raw chicken, ghosts, yokai (supernatural creatures), hot takoyaki.

00:59:12 John Daub: Got to bed—2:15 a.m. Questions in comments. Cool sharing evening. Finish strong beer. Meet PVG [Peter von Gomm] 29th—quick episode. Few live streams January—edited videos, setting up year. Channel revenue bad—keep streams. Get rusty without. Need topic, hard indoors. Food delivery with Kanae Daub, Tokyo Legos. Kickstarter video almost done—email for name spellings. Twitch stream soon, studio setup. Karaoke copyrighted. Stay safe, warm—cool in Australia, very warm Canada. Good night.