00:00:00 John Daub: Welcome to Akihabara. This is Akihabara on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. You can see this is the old Sega building where Sega has been removed and the building is now vacant. It's abandoned. I'm going to pan this way and during the course of this live stream I'm going to take you down Chuo Dori (Central Avenue). It's actually more crowded than I thought it should be. There is no state of emergency here but the street is shut down. Usually it is on the weekends and there are a lot of people. I'm zooming down the street. There are a lot of people, seemingly not as many as on most weekends, but on a beautiful day like this you're going to see a ton of people and I'm going to show you some of the buildings that might have left us. I think we don't know if they're going to come back at all. So join us for a good 30-minute live stream. We're going to focus more on Don Quixote which is about 150-200 meters down the street and AKB48 leaving the premises. How you doing everybody?

00:01:03 John Daub: Welcome to a beautiful Sunday afternoon here in Akihabara. This is a place that is not too far away from where I live, about a 20-25 minute bicycle ride depending on how fast I go. This is Akihabara station over here. Again this area has changed a lot and as I pan through here I see almost, well, very very few foreign faces and this is an area that relied very much on tourism. You can see everybody just about everybody has a mask. I'm going to show you a little bit of what I see. There's a lot of people with masks on. People are practicing social distancing as much as they possibly can. I'm panning now towards Akihabara's Denki Town (Electric Town) entrance and I don't see too much has ended. There goes the Sobu line. I know a lot of you if you were here in Japan you probably would be here in Akihabara too.

00:02:15 John Daub: I don't see too many things that have closed. The Pablo, which is down the street, a cheesecake shop that opened up kind of recently, is back in business. So let's go check it out. I don't know if you want to see Akihabara. We thought we lost them as well last time they just closed down for the state of emergency. May Dreamin' is still there. There's a dog cafe up there on a couple floors above, seems to be doing okay. Akita Dog Cafe, what interesting. Speaking of dogs, this one right there. How you doing little guy. I'm really trying hard to stay away from at least two meters away from people. Maid Dreamin', they're working hard to try to get people into the shops here. Gotta watch, you have to walk your bicycles along the pedestrian area here. They're doing a good job.

00:03:56 John Daub: Thank you so much for your support. Part keep it lucky. About a save ami. 87 buy more ducks. Stay safe everybody. Brad Fletcher, good to see you. John, hope Kanae and the baby are doing well. Grab a drink, I gotta get back at around 3:30 because we're going for a walk, baby's first time outside, should be pretty nice, gotta wait till the sun goes down a little bit. Sega One and Sega Three are doing okay, Sega Two is out of business. It is really cool to be able to walk down Chuo Dori. It's just on the weekends and because of the state of emergency it's been a long time since this street's been consistently open but it is safe because there are a lot of cars that'll cruise through here. Feisal's 007, I'm doing good. Dylan Osborne, it's my birthday tomorrow turning big 20. Whoa, keep up the amazing content. Happy birthday Dylan and in Japan you'd be able to celebrate with a drink, 20 is the legal drinking age.

00:05:05 John Daub: Gogo Curry actually has people waiting outside the door. That's a Kanazawa curry I think, it's a darker curry, lots of fried stuff on top, one of my favorite places to go if you're feeling hungry. Let's see if we could zoom in from the corner here and try to stick to the main road. They do have a Gogo Curry challenge, do you see that down there? I think it's a 25 and if you eat it in 30 minutes sometimes it's free depending on the shop but they seem very crowded in there. Alright, where Don Quixote is just down at the end of the street, you can see the logo right here. That's our destination for today's live stream. Big camera has been suffering especially dislocation, they have to pay for this massive building and I know it's really difficult because it was mainly tourists from China that would come in here with tax-free, they would purchase a lot of stuff staying in the area but now that's all gone because tourism here is basically nil.

00:06:22 John Daub: There is an officer here making sure that bicycle riders don't ride their bicycle around here. It's a lot of law and order, maids in the middle of the street here and actually I think that's the way she dresses normally. Sorry, I don't know if I was in my 20s and you know female I might walk around in a maid's outfit anyways too. What do you think, it just seems like a little kind of fun. Hope the signal's holding up, this is more people than I thought would be around the area. I'm double masking it, really trying hard to keep my distance but we've got to keep the channel everybody. Alright, we're getting close to AKB48's stage and I'll give you a little bit of the history of this here. Here's the Mister Donut. Jennifer French is in the mood for takoyaki, we'll see what we can find and food loaf for your next Gachapon bottle. That was an Akihabara actually Jennifer French, I'm not that hungry, I might actually be using that for just, I might use that for Gachapon. I think we're going to get a few, we got to, we can't come back to Kanae empty-handed.

00:07:51 John Daub: I think Mister Donut, I'm not sure what they have, campaigned but they did have some extremely good mochi donuts recently. Uh they get a live stream on that about three weeks ago. Alright here it is right here on the right side now dead center very sad. This is a site that a lot of you have walked down this road this area and I've seen that AKB48 since I believe 2005 when the idol movement was really starting to grow. The idol group is one of the first groups of the idol movement, the idol group was really a big hit uh in Korea and Korea was at the time the idol group was the first group that really broke out and started to make waves. I don't know too much about the genre but from what I understand um they would play here in this Don Quixote on the eighth floor where they have a stage since I think it was 2005. And one of the reasons why they were so successful is because it was one of the first idol bands that I believe that we could go and meet them. I think you had to pay for the privilege but you could go and meet them up there on the 8th floor in a little event hall. And now I don't know if they're still holding it, I would assume that they are. The protocols are pretty hard to do any meet and greets.

00:09:07 John Daub: In the place of the AKB48 is Genshin Impact, which is I believe an RPG video game made in China that is wrapped around the building in place of where AKB48's banner used to be. This is a live stream from Akihabara right now. Let's walk around a little bit to the other side, kind of give you a different view of it. Now Don Quixote has a pretty interesting history itself. It started in 1980 during the bubble years as Just Co. And they quickly turned to wholesale then to retail I believe in the 1990s. When the bubble burst at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s a lot of companies went under. Don Quixote was not one of them. They actually did quite well because more people got thrifty. Thus Don Quixote actually was growing during the end of the bubble era. People were buying more cheap things from Don Quixote's end. I believe they were the first to do that. They have 160 shops now nationwide.

00:10:23 John Daub: So in 2005 when Don Quixote got AKB48 at its location and there's still one little banner here. I think that's yeah one banner. It's just not on the front. You just expect AKB48 to be so dominant right? And they're not anymore. So when AKB48 started the theater up on the 8th floor that was a big deal for the Don Quixote chain. And Don Quixote became in Akihabara anyways almost synonymous with AKB48. So whether you're in the idol movement or not, I'm not. I respect it because it's a part of what the subculture is of Japan. And as somebody who represents content here in Japan I have to know as much as I possibly can. I don't understand it. My friend Kai is somebody I ask and my friend Patrick when we talk about this.

00:11:25 John Daub: How do you donate? I'm not sure what you mean but I do have a Patreon. I do have a postcard club. Postcards going out on Monday. Oh he's gonna get busted because he's riding his bicycle. Uber Eats guy is also riding with a smartphone. He doesn't realize that there's an officer of the law up there. Well he's gonna get busted. Get him pigeons! Imagine if you didn't listen the pigeons just jump on you. That'd be pretty cool. Or the crows. Oh if the crows got him that would be so harsh. So in 2005 they started the concerts up here. And over the course of between 2005 and 2013 Japan's tourism really started to grow. In 2013 it hit like a high. I think 10 million people came then 20 million then 40 million. And I like to think in a small way maybe I had something to do with it. Maybe just a few thousand people came to Japan because they saw some of the videos.

00:12:44 John Daub: I've always wanted to cover AKB48 just to get an understanding of them but they're very notorious for being media unfriendly and charging heaps of money just for the privilege which is how they make their money. I can understand that. It's a business. Although I'd still like to tell the story. In fact if we donated an hour and had a lot of money on Patreon maybe I could buy my way in to get a story. I don't know if it's worth it though. I don't think my Patreon supporters would support AKB48. They might not be the genre but I think it'd be a pretty cool episode to see how they're doing now. I do know that AKB48 kind of has evolved. They started the OUchi48. Do you know what that means? OUchi48 means o-uchi which means home. So it's AKB48 but it's at home 48. So now they do a lot of presentations and stuff from Zoom or the internet. And I guess that's in this kind of an environment when all of your overseas fans are not able to come to Japan. OUchi48 is a way for them to continue to make money. And those girls I guess they have to support themselves somehow. Or maybe they could go to school. I'm not sure how this works.

00:14:09 John Daub: For those joining us right now we're in Akihabara the center of Chuo Dori which is Central Avenue which cuts across from Ueno about a kilometer and a half up the road. And if you keep on going this way you make your way to Ginza and then eventually I believe Shinagawa. But it's a pretty major avenue. You can ride your bicycle and cross through a lot of places during the day. So that's the story here. So we did lose the banners. For a lot of the fans for AKB48 that was a big deal. And 2005 is what? Like 16 years ago. So there are people that grew up with AKB48 that might have their jaws dropped right now. But it's the reality. Akihabara over the course of the last nine months in particular since the pandemic hit Akihabara has changed a lot. You don't really see it so much. You have to look a little bit. But many shops have closed changed or are in the process of moving. And we're going to on this channel do our best to try to document that. So when you do come to Japan you kind of have a pretty good idea of what you're coming back to. It's going to be a different Japan. It's the same same but it's different. It's just not the same as when you last visited.

00:15:47 John Daub: Thank you Nightbot for recommending the Discord server. If you have more to talk about we do have an anime and manga group in there. And I believe we might have an idol or subculture group. So if we do that is a really cool place to talk about this. So you got officers of the law keeping the peace. A lot of people are riding their bicycles. That should be getting off of it. And I'm sure that they jump on them and then arrest them. I don't know how that works. This man has nicely gotten off of his suitcase. He might have been riding it. Oh she's going to get busted. Alright watch. Just watch what happens. Oh she's so going to get busted. Oh yes yes. Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun busted. Find her find her. No give her a ticket. No come on. Oh it's weak. This is Singapore. They would take chewing gum and put her onto the hot streets for three hours. Chewing gum. If Diana is watching in Singapore let me know if I can send chewing gum to you in Singapore because I got blueberry gum to send you. I need to know. I know how Singapore and chewing gum is not they don't go together very well.

00:17:18 John Daub: God it's such a pleasant day. It feels good to be here. It feels good to be outside. Get a little bit of sunshine. I got shorts on. It's a true story. Just to show you I got shorts on. So very nice warm weather. Nightbot what's the temperature? Let people know. My legs aren't in very good shape either. I can't get out to do much exercise. Oh pigeon. He's going to attack that man. He just flew out of a tree to the road. Not even social distancing. Look at him very cheeky aren't they? I think I remember those two from a stream. And Asakusa a couple weeks ago. The side streets of Akihabara are quite busy as well. I did ride my bicycle on the side streets because I know I can't ride here. I'm just a little bit shocked that there are that many people here. I didn't expect that.

00:18:38 John Daub: So let's see if we can get to 500 likes. I'm going to go and visit a vending machine right now because I need coins for Gachapon. So let's see if we can get to 500 likes. Do so and I'll take you to a durian drink vending machine. It's up to you people. You make it happen. The community speaks. Very weak at 270. How you doing? Very weak at 270. Come on guys pick it up. Erwin super potato. I guess I'm going to have to do that now. Lisa O thank you. Bring it folks. Bring it. I'm so animated I'm not even sure why. I'm not a big fan of AKB48. I wonder if NoshAbroad is. He has a little AKB48 in his Japan tatami diorama. Not sure. James Boardman. Baby bottle vending machine. Whoa that would be pretty cool wouldn't it?

00:19:43 John Daub: Alright I'm going to raise the limit. At 500 likes I'll go get a drink. At 650 likes I'm going to go to a Gachapon machine and I'm going to try to find some. We're going to see if we can remedy that and see if we get some AKB48 stuff because I have to accumulate more things to send you before I send you a box. Now there's a couple of vending machines right there in the alley. And this is where the secret shrine is. So Ervin I'm going to have to take you to the secret shrine first where the signal is non-existent pretty much. There's a lot of drink vending machines in here. But we're at 415 likes. Very weak. Come on folks. Do it for the love of drink vending machines where the choices are endless. And Japan shines through in marketing and various colors of delicious drinks that all of you want to have because you can't come here.

00:20:46 John Daub: I'm not touching it until we get to 500 likes. This is so weak. I expected more. Look at that. Obviously appealing to foreigners who aren't here. Tokyo green tea is awful. I don't would you really want city green tea? I know that there's some countryside. Really? I think of Shizuoka. Akihabara has the best shawarma joint ever. Really? This melon au lait is so good. I had this the other day. One percent melon juice. That's actually a lot. That means it's like very little. There's some melon juice in there. That's extraordinary. Okay good. We did it. Ryo is doing good. He likes to cry a lot. What drink should I get everybody? It's up to you. Corn soup? No. Max coffee? Too much sugar. Oh grapefruit juice sounds good. Grapefruit juice. Who says grapefruit juice? Oh peach flavored water. What? Alright peach flavored water. I'm going to go to the next one. The durian vending machine we're going to go around towards that here. Let's go with the peach.

00:22:06 John Daub: I don't see anything there. Let's get some peach flavored water because I need the 100 yen coins for gachapon. Don't try not to touch anything. Peach flavored water. I didn't touch anything. Oh no. How do I touch the coins without touching them? Do it quickly. Oh no. I got an alcohol in my hands now. Oh no. I got 500 yen coin. That's awful. I got to go to the vending machine for durian drinks. Let's get in the sunshine. It's Gachapon like right on the street. It's crazy. What the heck is that? Oh that's nasty. It's like bees. Do they still say that? Mind your beeswax? Does anybody still say that? Or was that like a 1980s kids thing? Mind your beeswax. I don't know. Alright I got to remove my mask in the center of the street with sunshine.

00:23:33 John Daub: It has an incredible odor of peach. It's really very very strong. Actually smells like it's going to have sugar in it. I'm looking at this right now. It says it's natural mineral water and there is a little bit of sugar and sodium. I'm not sure why they would do that. I think they put sodium in bottled water to make you thirsty to drink more. No I'm not. I don't like it. I don't like it. It's not good. Why would you put sugar in the water? I got alcohol in my hands. Hold on. Can I give me all these wipes? Got to put my mask back on. We're good. Sugared water. What's up with that? Alright we got 650 likes for gachapon. I'm going to bring you back to the... We're going to end the live stream right here. So don't worry. I'll show you some more of the AKB48 bannerless signs but let's walk the side alleys really quickly staying away from people. Hold on. Wait for it. It's like Frogger. Wait for it. There's an opening right now. Okay. Social distancing achieved. Very much like Frogger.

00:25:28 John Daub: You don't know if you get hit by a car for like two weeks though. Problem. I think you're okay. Oh she's waving. It's very strange. You don't I guess the maids have changed from hiding from the camera to being in the camera. Wow that's a pretty hardcore site right there. I don't think that they're real students. Alright let's get the super potato. Monty VVGS grab yourself a drink or four. That's one way to do it. Alright let's get another drink. I'm not a fan of the peach water. You know what? I'm trying to get an Only in Japan neon sign. And if anybody knows a place to get neon signs made special let me know. I want to get an Only in Japan neon sign for the new Twitch channel that I keep talking about. But it's just give me some time. Okay Frogger Frogger wait for it. Space. Social distancing. Alright this way. Social distancing. Stay away from people. Wait for it. Go go go. Pizza! Whoa! That looks good. Pizza. What? That's a luxury. That's expensive. Ten bucks for that?

00:27:31 John Daub: Whoa that's good looking ramen. What? Look at the chashu steaks. Look at that. Good lord. Look at that ajitama. Hanjuku tamago with some... That is some juicy chashu steaks. Oh that's insane. Very nice. Yum yum gimme some. Alright let's move here. Social distancing. Step to the side. Step to the side. Well there's like a maid thing going on there. Ah she's got three victims right there. Last time I was here in Christmas time I was live streaming at the end of the street at a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a maid cafe pimp came to me and he told me um he told me to get out of there. I wasn't even filming. But he wasn't really wearing his mask. So I was backing off because I didn't want like pimp germs. I don't know what they got. So I just kind of moved away. And that guy it was not his finest moment. Don't know if he ever had any. But I remember what he looked like. He had a red jersey on. Red sweatshirt on. If I ever see him stay away again.

00:29:15 John Daub: Alright social distancing. Love platform shoes. Social distancing. Durian durian drink is right over here. Oh sneezing man. Keep your distance. Actually sneezing is not one of the symptoms so... Just gonna wait for the traffic pattern. There is a break in it. Well it's a pretty cool Martin Luther King shirt. Alright here it is right here. Dun-dun-dun-dun-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh... Durian cider... Bleah. Boy Japanese teenage guys they have all the same laugh. Woohoo! Like this. Nobody has they don't they need to diversify their laughter patterns. Everybody laughs the same. It's kind of like that 20-year-old male giggle. Should I do this? They have melon and watermelon and peach and mango and durian. Why would I go durian though? What do you think everybody? Let me know. 10 seconds. Durian watermelon peach mango melon. Let me know. 3 2 1. Oh my gosh. I just did that. It was automatic.

00:31:12 John Daub: Oh they gave me another 500 yen. I can't use that for gachapon. What a ripoff. Oh that's nasty. It's made out of glass. Durian cider. I'm not really going to do this. I can smell it and it's not even open. Oh gosh. That cap is on there. It's not opening. I think it's the child cap on it. Okay I got it. I got it. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh man. Smells like somebody just farted in a jar in the 1990s. It's all fermented. All right. I mean it's sweet but it's like drinking a fart. I think you can get used to it. I think. Oh you're not supposed to smell it. Alright I'm turning off my smell sensory. Here. Hold on. 3 2 1. No it's still. It comes up through the nose. Even if I don't want to smell it. I can't turn it off. The gas from the bubbles comes up. Oh my gosh. You know what? This is. I'm just going to pass on this. Alright if anybody wants this just let me know. I'm going to send it. Just soak the envelope and then I'll put a stamp on it. You can. We'll destroy the postal service with this. It's clear though. It's interesting right? It's pretty clear. It is a carbonated fart. It is. Oh God. This is awful.

00:33:47 John Daub: Oh I went back for more. Oh all right. You know what? You know what? I came here with Mike Chen about a year ago a little bit over a year ago before they kicked him out of the country because of COVID stuff. And he had to leave. He had to go home because there's a lot of stuff we didn't know if we didn't know if he could go home at all. We didn't know if we'd be able to go home at all. And I think he's still in Korea. He's like trapped in Korea. Alright. You know what? I'm going to recycle this. Okay. I don't know what to do with this here. Okay. Maybe Mikey's in Dallas Texas. Now I don't know where he is. You know what? So I'm really sorry. It's just not that good. Sorry. Alright just pass on gas. We have one more stop for Irvin or Vaughn whose dime meal package is being sent on Monday. They're all packaged up and ready to go. That little duckie's got to travel across the Pacific.

00:35:16 John Daub: Alright we're just checking out to see social distance. Social distance. Alright Super Potato. Looks like it's still in business here everybody. So Super Potato is doing fine. Irvin. It's got the 8-bit music here. So they're just doing fine. It's a lot of thank goodness is going on right now. It's all good. You got to walk down that quarter and get up to I think it sits on the third floor. Yeah the third floor. Retro games. Alright let's get out of here. This intersection is creepy. There's a lot of me. Alright get in here. This is the at home. Another maid cafe. They're still in business I see. Now I believe the original at home was in the Akihabara building. I said the Don Quixote building which is over here. The bad thing about them closing the street down on the weekends is that you don't have any Itasha going by. You know I really miss that. It would be pretty cool to see some. They should have Itasha parked there all day so we could all come and take a look at it.

00:36:59 John Daub: Now we're trying to avoid social distance so we can't do that. But we're 50 likes away from Gachapon. And I see a wall of them over there. So we need 650 likes. I'm going to go get some Gachapon. And then I'm going to take you back to the Don Quixote building. We're live from Tokyo. Take you back to the Don Quixote building so you can go check out one of the biggest changes in the landscape here in Akihabara. Jeremiah Robinson welcome to travel. Robinson the Asian nerd. How is wife and child? They're doing good. The Asian nerd. They're waiting for me to get back home as soon as I bring them back some presents. So let's get two gachapon for them. Not for me. For them. So when we make this decision and we got to the 650 likes thank you everybody. The next plateau is 1000 if we can get there. Actually if you haven't seen the new episode on the main channel leave me a comment and tell me what are your top three favorite sushis. And I will respond today. Alright? Take you to artistic sushi which is incredible. My friend Yuki-san.

00:38:18 John Daub: Well his last name is Sugeta but he always says just call me Yuki. So I don't see anything that Leo would like. That video could use some love over there on the main channel. Yeah this live stream is going to have more views than that sushi video which is insane. Oh this is that Demon Slayer show. Dragon Slayer. Not an anime person. What is that? Portable shapeshifter. Do they actually work? I think they vibrate but don't actually cut. Oh electrical appliances. There's a rice cooker. Whoa cameras. Somebody said that the cameras are too expensive but guess what? For here you can get them for 300 yen. It's a Canon too. Whoa. Hey look garden hoses. All sorts of garden hoses and toilet slippers. Look umeboshi man. So everybody likes a good umeboshi on top of their rice. Oh you can get some umeboshi. Umeboshi and then some. There's some more unusual looking characters naked on top of a bowl of rice.

00:39:41 John Daub: It's a dream come true for three people. Well mini... Check this out Nosh. Mini arcade games. What? And they work. Oh Scotty would love this. They must have some sort of panel inside. You can play Tetris? What? You can play Tetris on that little thing for 300 yen. Oh I got to get one of these. I think Kanae wants one of these. Actually I think I want one of these. These are the buttons that play this. I believe it plays the song of the Yamanote line if you press it. I'm not sure. I'm looking right here. Oh and there's some other ones. There's the old ones. Old signs. Oh no. These are like... No no they're not. They're not buttons. They're actually like little banners. I don't think I want that. If it played the Yamanote song I would be in on that. That's kind of cool. This is a light for the personal computer. Oh yeah. What? Alright. Nosh needs this for his diorama.

00:41:07 John Daub: Look at these dudes working out. I don't see anything Leo would like. No these look I think he's a lot more mature than that. I don't think he'd like these little dolly stuff. I think he's into more like I think he's more into trains. I don't understand a lot of these. Oh yeah. Maybe Kanae wants these cat people. Oh this is cool. It's like a playground. And these things are like little teeny swings. Alright we got to get one of these for Leo. Let's see what they look like here. Is he any good? I think this one looks cute. Alright let's get one. I think Leo would like this. He's not I think the age limit is like 10 and up or something. But I'll keep it until he's 10. I got to get away from people here for a second. Oh look at these animals on a toilet. This Kanae totally wants this. Look at that lion taking a dump. Oh it's awesome. Look at that shy rabbit. That could be Leo. Leo the lion. Alright next up is animals taking a dump. Okay. I'm so into that.

00:42:43 John Daub: Oh it's the... Gosh check it out. It's the... That guy. The Kaizokuban piracy video guy. That's so cool. Oh it's the one that I wanted. This is good. Alright wouldn't you agree? Kanae wants an animal taking a dump right? Don't you think that that's what Kanae would want right? I'm trying to stick it in. I'm trying to stay away from the gacha people. If we can get the pooping lion this is the one that I would... Right? Randall says yes. If you think that Kanae wants the pooping lion please all of the members share the Kanae emoji right now. Share a Kanae emoji and I will take that as a yes. Carrie Larson Jason Kanae's on fire. She wants the pooping lion. Alright first I have to get this. Yeah. This Kanae. Kanae. There's like more Kanais than there are no's. Alright I think that Leo will like this one. He's old enough to not swallow it. This is kind of neat.

00:44:55 John Daub: Check it out. Oh there's people there. I want to social distance. Leo just sit on him. Yay. Alright we got something for Leo. He can't play with it so it'll sit on my desk. Looks like a weird okapi. It's a fishing lure. Where's the animals taking a dump? Alright they're right there. That guy's checking for coins. How much money do you make with this job? It's kind of dishonest. It should probably return those coins to its rightful owner. Alright which one are we hoping for? Lion taking dump? Rabbit? There's a chameleon and a hippo. That's a big one. Alright let's see if we can get a good one here. This is what Kanae wanted. Alright everybody if you're at home say gacha gacha pon! Ready 3 2 1 gacha! Tony P want to get me a Demon Slayer gachapon for my birthday later this month? I'm not sure. But yes you should get a train for Leo. Alright let me hide from the crowds of people here. I should social distance.

00:46:57 John Daub: Which one did we get here? My friend Indy. Okay. Toilet break. This is what Kanae wanted. Oh no! Oh no! Nick Chong happy Sunday John. Happy Sunday brother. Sending warm wishes to you and Leo. Thank you Nick! And Amanda Stevenson make sure you get a train for Leo. And I'm going to drink after the gachapon. Thank you! Something better than durian juice. Oh my gosh this is... We got... Maybe this is the one that I didn't want. Should I keep trying? Yeah the internet knows it's a hippo. Look how small the toilet is! Look how small the toilet is! Alright I gotta put this on Instagram later. I'm not gonna set it up here. There's too many people around. The toilet's like this big and the hippo's this big. You can't even see the toilet! Alright I don't... I think Kanae wanted the lion. Alright we have to recycle the... Recycle the ball. Alright that's instead of a letdown. That hippo's too big for the toilet. I can't enjoy both. If you only see a hippo that kind of ruins the joke. Let's get some alcohol. Safety first. Ugh. I'm gonna go to the bathroom.

00:49:27 John Daub: Dave Portman writes in here the hippo would be a five-flusher. Definitely a courtesy flush. Definitely a courtesy flush. Alright this is where we end. This has been a pretty fun afternoon here in Akihabara. I gotta get back. Leo's gonna go for a walk today outside. It's when the sun goes down a little bit. But the reason we're here is to just kind of take in Akihabara on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and report back on some of the businesses that we've lost. Again you saw the Sega Sega 2 is still gone. And um the Tsukumo electronic shop across from the Denki Town entrance is gone. A lot of businesses have shut down. Some of them that were shut down during the state of emergency are back. But right now noticeably because April is the start of the business year a lot of the contracts end and a lot of the contracts start. And I guess this company AKB48 Genshin Impact is a video game company from China an RPG and they own now the banners that have been part of AKB48 since 2005 I believe.

00:50:35 John Daub: That building over there has changed a lot too. It's black now but there used to be some maid cafes in there. Tsundere Cafe on the third floor I believe. Tsundere is where they're really nice to you and then all of a sudden they get angry and slap you. I don't understand it but... maid thing. Oh you're so cute! They're like your little sister and then all of a sudden they go and they start slapping you. And I remember I ordered potato chips and they threw it onto the counter and they broke all the chips. It's like how am I going to eat it? I need a straw for that. Weird. Weird. So AKB48 is no longer here but they now started a new group called OUchi48 which is ouchi meaning stay at home and they're doing their stuff online. Which is okay. So there you go. Akihabara vibe for your Sunday your Saturday Sunday Saturday evening in the US and Sunday morning here in Japan. Hope that you liked it. Definitely click the like the thumbs up button. Check out my latest episode!

00:52:07 John Daub: If you haven't already this is a major major episode on the new channel about sushi that has been extinct in many ways. It's called Deku Sushi a sushi style that's been not practiced here very much in Tokyo but something a lot of sushi masters do in their free time. They don't sell it. It's not on the menu anywhere. But it's saiku sushi. Saiku sushi. Sounds like saiko but it's saiku sushi. Check that video out because it's a new type of sushi you probably have never heard about. Saiku sushi is something like when you come to Japan you're like oh I'm going to go to Japan. If you know about it and you make an order of sushi you can ask the chef could you make me some saiku sushi? Saiku sushi. And you can see how good that chef really is. Some of the chefs if you're friendly will make you one or two just because it's a hobby that they do and it's a way for a chef to show off their skill.

00:53:00 John Daub: Check out that video. Leave me a comment there. Tell me your top sushis and which one you liked from that video and I'll respond to you tonight. Again like respond and writing comments on the videos is a way to help it out because it's a new channel. I need your help. Trust me. Watching that video you will not be disappointed. It took me ages to edit that one. It's a fun video. It's fun food. And it's the story of a chef who's different I think and I want to encourage small businesses and I want to encourage more chefs to be open-minded like Yuki-san is where he does California rolls. He's not embarrassed to try new things. When a lot of traditional sushi chefs are so set in their ways they lose that creativity in a way. Just trying to perfect a few things they should look at the whole picture and maybe learn some new things which will help them maybe in their lives. But perhaps staying simple is a good thing. What do I know? I just know that Yuki-san's real friendly and I like going to his shop. So there you go everybody. Sunday afternoon in Akihabara. I'll be back tomorrow morning tomorrow afternoon for some sushi lunch as I break down that Saika Sushi episode. So join me for some delicious sushi tomorrow which is Sunday night in the US. I'll see you then.