00:00:01 John Daub: How you doing everybody? In this episode I'm taking you on a walk from Nishiazabu to Roppongi. We're starting right here at this intersection and then going up the Tokyo slope. This area is down in a valley and you gotta walk up to Roppongi. This restaurant I wanted to show you really quickly for a lot of you that haven't been to Tokyo before.

00:00:26 John Daub: I don't know exactly the story but Quentin Tarantino was inspired by this restaurant for the scene in Kill Bill where they were all eating and then the samurai came out for that bloody battle scene, I think in Kill Bill Part 2. This is Gompachi. Back in the day, around 2002 or 2003, Prime Minister Koizumi brought then-President George W. Bush here for dinner. Ever since then whenever I have foreign VIP visitors, I bring them here because it's so cool inside. Then you can say, yeah, this is where Kill Bill was inspired. Check out the inside. Do you get the vibe? There's a second story and in the center they prepare all the food with a bar around it. That's where the Crazy 88 come out with the swords. They even have pictures of the action scenes up there. How cool is that? I don't think it was filmed here, just the inspiration from the inside. Perhaps one day I'll take you in there for dinner.

00:02:07 John Daub: Oh wait, there's a Hobson's ice cream place. This is Nishiazabu, a very expensive area not far from Hiroo with a lot of embassies and money. There used to be a club here I went to, Medusa's or something. Gosh, that was a long time ago when I was younger.

00:02:32 John Daub: Alright, we've got a little construction here. We're following this expressway on the right side, going up through a fungi (alleyway?). You can see there's a lot of construction in this narrow space with guards to keep everyone safe. It's interesting seeing them build in such confined city spaces. Wow, I'm not sure what you'd call that device, but it's like a vertical crane. Thank you. Wow, it's very vertical. It also has a ton of stylish restaurants to cater to the filthy rich who live around here. I say filthy because they probably bathe in money. I don't think Kanae is a very big fan of this area of Tokyo either.

00:03:43 John Daub: The trash cans here are interesting. These are for businesses because crows will get in there unless you have something strong. The Roppongi crows are the toughest of them all. If you're going to be a crow, be a Roppongi crow. Wow, check out up there. Look at the top of these buildings. I never noticed that before. It looks like a festival going on. Sometimes you gotta look up. But the highway above really takes the luster out of this area and makes it dark.

00:04:29 John Daub: This is where I was filming a scene for a video about modern Japanese homes. Inside this is a hotel, more of a residence. They've done a pretty good job with the inside. Roppongi Residence, I think it's called. And of course, the go-to foreign supermarket is in that neighborhood: National Azabu. I like to go there a lot when I lived in Yokohama. They got stuff no one else can get. National Azabu is the place. Although recently there's been a lot more supermarkets and goods, but before Costco and others, there were only two or three places for Western goods. It surrounded a lot of embassies, so that's probably why they have good clientele. It's a lot more expensive than in the US. So either you had a friend on base at Yokosuka or you'd go to National Azabu. Maybe they get it from the bases, I don't know.

00:06:01 John Daub: Going up a hill. A lot of motorcycles in this area. This building is under renovation or being torn down. A lot of buildings are undergoing renovations. Those that have been to Tokyo a long time are going to be shocked at the changes from the Olympics and the mayor's desire to modernize everything to make it earthquake-proof. That's a funky building over there to the right. Tokyo changes and it never changes. Despite all the cosmetic surface changes, deep down the city always finds a way to stay itself.

00:07:43 John Daub: That might be the Egyptian restaurant that overcharged my friend's credit card once. I had to go back and the husband wouldn't give us the money, but his Japanese wife apologized and refunded it. My friend had treated me to dinner there with pretty good Egyptian food. They have a Nefertiti Cafe with a show inside. It was a good experience overall, but you gotta be careful, especially as a tourist. Luckily I live here. They recharged back half the money with the receipt.

00:09:03 John Daub: Up ahead looking up is Roppongi Hills. This was the old home of YouTube, which moved to Shibuya Stream because it's more modern and cooler. The Tokyo YouTube studio is also out of business. That's a shame because players could hang out and I met a lot of other YouTubers there. The thing with Roppongi is everything is a little bit more stylish, including that McCafe I've never seen before in Japan. Aloha to everyone watching in Hawaii. We're hitting the right time zones while the US is mostly asleep. Look how close Shinjuku is—you can see the Docomo Tower. It's a beautiful building. It's 11pm in San Francisco. I get a lot of East Coast people upset because I stream later. I had a lot of work today: Patreon Q&A, then sending out daimyo packages for supporters. Tomorrow I'm planning to go to Asakusa to look for tour groups.

00:11:14 John Daub: The subway station is just 160 meters this way. You can see the above-ground highway. I'd like to cross to the other side—there's an underground passageway. This traffic light takes forever. You ever notice these soft drink trucks? They're good with innovations: cans and drinks in the back to refill vending machines, recycled cans and bottles on top. That's ingenious. Please don't put trash in the PET bottle recycle bin—take it to Family Mart or convenience stores. There aren't street trash cans in Tokyo, but conbinis act as such. Well, can anyone name that tower? Tokyo Tower—Joshua's got it.

00:13:10 John Daub: We're on the wrong side of the road. You'll see the spider, one of the symbols of Roppongi Hills—big spider above the glass, a happy Instagrammable place. I smell burgers. Shake Shack on the other side—that's new. There used to be a Tully's where I'd wait for friends, now something else. There's a Lululemon shop—Kanae says they're pricey. After National Azabu, Meidi-Ya was another place for foreign foods like pumpkin pie pulp, spices, and wine you couldn't get elsewhere. Meidi-Ya has been around since the Meiji era, importing goods since 1885.

00:15:32 John Daub: Technically, you're supposed to ride bicycles on the road with cars, but cars stop and you have to go around. They put bicycle symbols all over the city, but I see police on patrol riding on the sidewalk. I get upset when police break the law. Whatever building was here is torn down with loads of construction in Roppongi cleaning up its old smutty reputation from the occupation days with GIs partying. When tourism resumes, it'll be different from 2019.

00:17:34 John Daub: Yogurt Rush with white grapes—gotta try that Fanta, but it's sold out. That's a weird Fanta, maybe the only sugary soft drink I like. Flavor potatoes? Oh, they flavor the french fries. Wendy's and First Kitchen combined to stay afloat. Wendy's was partnered with Daiei, left Japan, then came back with First Kitchen. There's not a lot of Wendy's here. There's the infamous Roppongi sign. If we go this way, it'll take you to Aoyama Ichome and Roppongi Midtown, another nice shopping area. I prefer Roppongi Midtown or Hills. First Kitchen is a Japanese chain, so combining helps Wendy's compete against Lotteria and McDonald's by bringing more customers.

00:20:02 John Daub: Mira in New Zealand has conflicting travel reports but potentially a taiko performance here. I don't think it'll be conflicted much longer. Embassies are confused like us, but Japan is thinking to downgrade COVID to seasonal flu. All indications point to big announcements around September 1st as the economy shifts to travel. They brought back the Go To Travel campaign—what's the difference adding foreign tourism? Hopefully you can get here soon, Mira. I'll pass on government updates. It's a big deal seeing you all back—I'm bored stiff without visitors.

00:22:01 John Daub: Another reason I'm walking is to check this Coke machine down Gai and Higashi Dori, where Gas Panic and clubs were—this nasty historical area of Roppongi. Tokyo Tower in the distance is a nice view. It's a lot cleaner now with buildings coming down. This is where Johnny Rockets was in 1998 on the fifth floor. I'd get a vanilla Coke and hamburger; they sang on the counter—hilarious Japanese pronunciation. It shut down a year later. Outback Steakhouse here is now Rokumon or out of business. A lot of wagyu businesses went under from COVID, but investment will come back. For PM Kishida's legacy, he needs to bring tourism back—it's a growing sector. No more phobia; everyone's catching it now. It'll open in waves: first New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, then US. It'll gain momentum like muri agaru, full speed by 2023.

00:25:59 John Daub: Rest in peace, Roppongi Outback. This is the direction of Hard Rock Cafe—I'm pretty sure it's still there despite old buildings. In five years, they'll tear down a lot for a new Roppongi. This street took you to Lexington Queen, an old 1990s club with Australian and Russian models. Went once, then it closed. More open spaces mean more renovations coming. Japan's tallest building is around the corner in Akasaka.

00:28:10 John Daub: I've seen these electric scooters—you need a driver's license, hence the plates. You rent on an app. Unlike other countries where they're disasters, in Japan people park them neatly. On the right, Hard Rock is still here—who goes there? Usually foreign tourists. The sports bar for Ohio State-Michigan games, Hop Goblin, is gone. Don Quixote is still there, geared to Japanese, and the famous soba place across the street too.

00:29:50 John Daub: Good overview of Roppongi from Gompachi—highly recommend reserving for dinner. It's an izakaya not too expensive with wagyu sticks, grilled cheese on sticks, good stuff, decent sushi on the second floor. No ninja fights unless you start one. Roppongi Don Quixote. Very cool, very fun walk with Tokyo Tower. Hope you enjoyed—don't forget to like. We have Super Thanks in playback like super chat. Peter got in trouble filming in Donki—they kicked him out, so camera off, but looking for that Fanta. Ninja Restaurant went under too. Take care, see you tomorrow in Asakusa.