2024-04-11 · Ep 1589 · 1h 19m

How Japan Changed us after 25 Years

Tokyolong-term expat lifeJapan nostalgiacultural changeJapanese business culture

Watch “How Japan Changed us after 25 Years” on YouTube

Summary

How Japan Changed Us After 25 Years

Overview

In this deeply personal and reflective livestream, John Daub reconnects with longtime friend Peter von Gomm for a walk through Jimbocho, Tokyo—one of their favorite neighborhoods. The two American expats, who have now each spent approximately 25 years living in Japan, engage in an wide-ranging conversation about how Japan has shaped their lives, careers, and worldviews. What begins as a casual stroll transforms into a thoughtful meditation on cultural adaptation, professional evolution, and the unexpected ways a foreign country can become home.

The video captures both hosts at a reflective stage of life, sharing stories that span decades: Peter's entry into the corporate world through English teaching, John's discovery of voice work that would define his career, their experiences navigating Japanese business culture, and the gradual transformation of Japan from a little-visited destination into a global tourism phenomenon. Interspersed with observations about Jimbocho's book shops, guitar stores, and curry houses, the conversation also touches on lighter topics—their pets, Hawaii weddings, motorcycle shows, and the small daily pleasures that make long-term residence worthwhile. The result is an intimate portrait of what it truly means to build a life in a foreign country.

Highlights

00:00:08 John and Peter reunite after a long period apart, marking nearly 25 years since each arrived in Japan—Peter arriving in July 1999 and John the previous year.
00:01:33 Peter reveals he voiced the sports announcer line in a New Balance commercial featuring baseball star Shohei Otani: "Here we go again. It's showtime. Shohei Otani."
00:06:19 John shares the unexpected origin story of his move to Japan—his father lived there at the end of World War II and always spoke fondly of the country, planting a seed that eventually drew John to teach English in Shinjuku.
00:11:05 Peter recounts working at Shueisha, the publisher of Shonen Jump, where he eventually became part of the inner circle of a high-ranking executive who took him to hostess clubs and upscale restaurants as part of entertainment budgets—a rare glimpse into traditional Japanese corporate culture.
00:17:00 John describes the "honeymoon period" ending for many English teachers, revealing that of all his friends from his first 15 years in Japan, he is the only one still living there.
00:22:34 Peter observes how Japanese people have gotten noticeably taller over 25 years, noting that he used to be the tallest person on trains but no longer stands out among younger generations.
00:26:01 Peter makes a heartfelt admission: "Japan is everything to me. Not to be gushy, but it really is." He reflects on building a house, getting a car, having a child, and trying to live an authentic life while adapting Japanese customs.
00:36:01 John recalls the scarcity of Western food in 1998-1999, explaining how he learned to make pizza and pasta from scratch because a pizza cost 3,000-4,000 yen when the yen was strong.
00:45:16 Peter critiques Japan's 5G rollout, noting that upload speeds remain poor and coverage is sparse even in Tokyo, despite the Olympics infrastructure investment.
00:55:32 John delivers a profound observation about Japanese society: the extraordinary respect people show for their surroundings, for sound, and for one another in one of the world's most congested places.
01:17:53 John and Peter plan a future yakatabune (traditional pleasure boat) meetup for their YouTube audiences, pricing it at approximately 12,000 yen (about $75-80) for 2.5 hours on Tokyo Bay.

Timeline / Chapters

Introduction and Reunion (00:00–02:30)

John introduces Peter von Gomm and mentions their mutual 25-year milestone in Japan
They discuss Peter's recent activities including trade shows and the Tokyo Motorcycle Show
Peter explains he's been riding motorcycles in Tokyo for about 23 years
Setting: Jimbocho, near Meiji University

Jimbocho Walk and Neighborhood Observations (02:30–11:00)

Passing guitar shops and musical instrument stores
Peter worked at nearby Shueisha publishing house for about 8 years
Peter shares stories about his executive friend "Mike" who taught him Japanese business customs
Discussion of hostess clubs and corporate entertainment budgets
Peter describes the importance of understanding Japanese business culture from the inside

Reflections on Early Days in Japan (11:00–21:00)

John discusses his father's connection to Japan from WWII
Peter describes arriving in Shinjuku as an English teacher
Both discuss the challenges of learning Japanese in the countryside versus Tokyo
Peter shares the story of a friend who "did a runner" from a rural teaching placement
Discussion of the isolation foreigners faced in the 1990s and early 2000s

Career Evolution and Voice Work (21:00–32:00)

Peter worked as a turnaround teacher before joining Shueisha
John discovered voice work in Japan and built a career in voice acting
Both discuss how their professional paths diverged and evolved
Peter mentions modeling work and connections with English school executives
Discussion of how schedules became busier over the years, limiting meetups

Pets and Personal Life (32:00–45:00)

Peter shows photos of his French bulldog Bistro, currently recovering from neutering surgery
Peter shares stories about his hamster Kiki, who lived freely in his apartment
Discussion of pet ownership in Japan—hamsters work well in small spaces
Bistro's Instagram account: @iambistro
John mentions his own dog at home

Food Changes Over 25 Years (45:00–55:00)

John recalls the scarcity of Western food in 1999—only McDonald's or Hard Rock Cafe
He learned to make pizza and pasta because imported food was prohibitively expensive
Peter notes the explosion of international restaurants since the Olympics announcement
They visit a Starbucks and a Brazilian single-origin coffee shop
Peter gets a Pringles mustache; John indigo-dyed his Allbirds shoes

Japan's Transformation and Tourism Boom (55:00–67:00)

Both reflect on how Japan has changed from 1999 to 2024
Discussion of the shift from few tourists to global destination
Peter mentions Jimmy Kimmel talking about Japan's cleanliness and order
They debate what sparked the Japan tourism boom—social media, anime, word of mouth
Nostalgic comparison to the era depicted in Lost in Translation (2003)

Housing and Logistics for Tokyo Living (67:00–72:00)

Peter recommends weekly mansions for short-term housing (Ken Corporation)
Discussion of Airbnb's limitations in Japan (180-day rule)
Peter worked near the Imperial Palace and knows the running routes
The 5K loop around the Imperial Palace is exactly 5 kilometers

Japanese Culture and Respect (72:00–78:00)

John articulates the core Japanese value of respect for personal property
Story about cars after the 2011 tsunami remaining untouched for months
People save seats with phones or bags and don't get stolen
Peter's story about parking patrol repeatedly telling him not to park in certain spots
The concept of learning rules before bending them in Japanese society

Yakatabune Meetup Planning and Sign-Off (78:00–79:00)

Planning a YouTube collaboration yakatabune boat ride on Tokyo Bay
Prices around 12,000 yen for 2.5 hours with food
Peter parks his motorcycle nearby
They end near Tokyo Athlete Shokudo, a runner-focused restaurant
Final reflections and promise to reunite soon

Japan Travel Tips

Jimbocho District: This Tokyo neighborhood is famous for its concentration of used bookshops, curry restaurants (many offer lunch sets for under 1,000 yen), guitar shops, and student-friendly eateries near Meiji University. The area was heavily bombed in WWII, so architecture is modern but the atmosphere is nostalgic.
Imperial Palace Running: The 5-kilometer loop around the Imperial Palace is exactly 5K (or approximately 4.97 km). Several nearby cafes and restaurants cater specifically to runners, including Tokyo Athlete Shokudo where you can customize rice portions.
Short-Term Housing Options: For stays longer than typical hotels, look into weekly mansions (furnished apartments with weekly rates) or Ken Corporation for short-term corporate housing. Airbnb in Japan has limitations—operators cannot run rentals more than 180 days per year.
4G/5G Reality: Japan's mobile infrastructure has improved, but upload speeds remain frustratingly slow, and 5G coverage in Tokyo is patchy even years after the Olympics infrastructure push.
Timing for Foreign Food: The explosion of international dining options in Tokyo is relatively recent—accelerated after the Olympics announcement. Before 2015, options were limited and expensive compared to today.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

Shueisha and Shonen Jump: Peter worked at this publishing powerhouse in Jimbocho, which also publishes women's magazines and other major titles. The editorial offices are in the Hitotsubashi area.
Corporate Entertainment (接待 / settai): In traditional Japanese companies, senior employees had entertainment budgets to wine and dine clients. This practice, while criticized as wasteful, provided foreign employees rare access to elite business circles. The hosts recall executives taking employees to hostess clubs (gentleman's clubs where female hosts entertain male clients).
English Teaching in the 90s/2000s: Many Westerners came to Japan as English teachers through companies like Nova. The "runner" phenomenon—teachers who disappeared overnight without notice—was more common than most realize, especially in rural areas.
Personal Property Respect: Japan has an unusually strong cultural norm against moving someone else's belongings. Even illegally parked scooters accumulate multiple warning tags but remain untouched until proper procedures are followed. After the 2011 disaster, cars in fields couldn't be moved without court orders because of property rights.
"Inaka" (countryside): The rural areas offer faster Japanese language acquisition because survival depends on it, unlike Tokyo where English infrastructure makes getting by without Japanese possible.
The 180-Day Airbnb Rule: Japan requires Airbnb operators to obtain special licenses; without them, rentals are capped at 180 nights annually, making long-term Airbnb stays difficult to find legally.
Yakatabune Culture: Traditional flat-bottomed pleasure boats on Tokyo Bay offer dining experiences where you can cook okonomiyaki or monjayaki onboard. Prices have increased post-pandemic but typically run 10,000-15,000 yen per person for 2-3 hours.

Food & Drink Guide

Curry Rice (カレー / kare raisu)
- Where: Meiji University cafeteria (public lunch for ~180 yen) or countless shops in Jimbocho
- Price: 180–1,000+ yen depending on venue
- John's reaction: "I was pretty sure it's open to the public" when recounting past visits
Japanese Coffee Culture
- Where: Jimbocho has numerous coffee shops, including the Starbucks on the corner and specialty roasters
- Price: Around 400-600 yen for espresso drinks
- Peter ordered: Brazilian single-origin, sun-dried, "tall" size
Shinsaikai Chinese Restaurant
- Where: Jimbocho area
- Notes: Considered one of the best Chinese restaurants in Japan, popular for business dinners
Tokyo Athlete Shokudo (東京アスレチック食堂)
- Where: Near Imperial Palace, behind the old meteorological building
- Price: Approximately 1,000–1,200 yen
- Features: Runner-focused, customizable portions, healthy menu, community space
- Tip: Less rice is the default; you can request more
Nagoya Coaching Chicken (コーチンとんかつ)
- Mentioned as Peter's hometown specialty; Nagoya is famous for this dish

People

John Daub: The host of Only in Japan Go. American who arrived in Japan approximately 26 years ago. His father lived in Japan post-WWII, inspiring John's eventual move. Started as an English teacher in Shinjuku, discovered voice work, and has built a 20-year business presence in Japan. Married to Kanae, father to Leo. Lives in the countryside with a dog.
Peter von Gomm: Longtime friend of John Daub and creator of PeterVonGomJapan YouTube channel. Arrived in Japan in July 1999 (nearly 25 years as of filming). Worked as an English teacher before joining Shueisha publishing house for about 8 years, eventually becoming close to executives who introduced him to Japanese corporate culture. Currently works as a voice actor, model, and YouTuber. Lives in Tokyo with his French bulldog Bistro. Passionate about motorcycles, riding for about 23 years in Tokyo. Has ridden since arriving in Japan, starting with a 50cc scooter.
Shohei Otani: Japanese baseball star (Los Angeles Angels/Dodgers). Peter voiced the announcer line in a New Balance commercial featuring Otani: "Here we go again. It's showtime. Shohei Otani." Peter notes Otani follows him on social media.
Kiki: Peter's hamster, named after the Japanese word and the Delivery Company (not the witch from Kiki's Delivery Service, though the coincidence is noted). Kiki lived freely in Peter's apartment, building nests under the refrigerator, in the closet, and under the washing machine. Lived beyond normal hamster lifespan.
Bistro: Peter's French bulldog, named for the word (restaurant in French) and the concept of a "beast." Recovering in a hospital during filming from neutering surgery and airway correction (common for brachycephalic breeds). Instagram: @iambistro
Executive "Mike": Peter's Shueisha contact who was a high-ranking executive. A strict boss to regular employees but kind to Peter. Had large entertainment budgets that he had to spend or lose, taking Peter to hostess clubs and high-end restaurants. Taught Peter how to tie a necktie.

Key Takeaways

Living abroad requires adaptability: Both John and Peter arrived in Japan without typical "Japanophile" interests—no anime obsession, martial arts training, or Japanese romantic fascination. Their ability to adapt and find their own path proved essential to staying 25 years.
Language learning accelerates in rural areas: Peter notes that his time in rural Okazaki didn't teach him Japanese because his girlfriend spoke English and refused to speak Japanese. Meanwhile, he acknowledges that living in the countryside generally accelerates acquisition due to necessity.
Japan is not for everyone, and that's okay: John shares that of all his foreign friends from his first 15 years, he is the only one still in Japan. Many English teachers experienced culture shock and "ran" from their positions, especially in isolated rural postings.
Corporate Japan offers rare insights: Peter's experience being taken into executive entertainment circles by a Shueisha executive provided a perspective on Japanese business culture that few foreigners ever access—showing that unexpected connections can shape understanding of a culture profoundly.
Japan has transformed from obscure destination to global attraction: What was once a place where foreigners were treated as "zoo animals" on TV shows is now one of the world's top travel destinations. This shift accelerated dramatically around 2015-2016.
Respect for personal property is foundational: The hosts repeatedly marvel at Japanese people's reluctance to touch or move someone else's belongings, even when illegally parked or abandoned. This cultural norm creates a social trust rarely seen elsewhere.
Technology gaps persist: Despite 5G promises, Japan's upload speeds remain poor and coverage inconsistent. Download speeds are excellent, but content creation infrastructure lags.
Small creature comforts matter long-term: Access to Western food, pets, familiar products, and places to exercise made long-term residence sustainable for both hosts.

Notable Quotes

00:26:01 Peter von Gomm: "Japan is everything to me. Not to be gushy, but it really is."

00:17:00 John Daub: "This is how I know that Japan is not for everybody. Because so many people, English teachers, one day they're like, they're just crying because they can't get over the, after the honeymoon period."

00:22:43 John Daub: "I used to be the tallest one on the train. Now, these younger people... The kids are drinking a lot of milk."

00:55:32 John Daub: "There's an amazing amount of respect as well for just everybody walking around. You respect your surroundings. You respect people's audio...like sound. You don't honk your horn. You don't make a mess."

00:14:00 Peter von Gomm: "All the bosses had these entertainment budgets. And of course it's very wasteful and stupid, but it was part of, I guess, their entitlement or their salaries, whatnot."

00:58:00 John Daub: "How Japan got from a place that no Americans wanted to come to at all to the place that's usually like one, two, or three on everybody's list of places to go."

01:16:53 Peter von Gomm: "When somebody puts down something, you do not have the right to move it."

00:17:27 John Daub: "This was before Japan was trendy. I'm talking like 1999, 2000, 2001. People came and they like left. Very few foreigners actually liked living here."

00:02:31 John Daub: "If you're asking where we are, this is Jimbocho."

01:18:37 John Daub: "Just don't name the kid Kiki, whatever you do."

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #japan #expat-life #25-years-in-japan #peter-von-gomm #jimobucho #long-term-expat #japan-life #voice-acting #shueisha #shonen-jump #japanese-business-culture #curry-rice #tokyo-running #imperial-palace #french-bulldog #hamster #yakatabune #tokyo-boat #motorcycle-tokyo #coffee-culture #tokyo-food #find-your-home-japan #gaijin-life #foreigners-in-japan #youtube-collaboration #meetup #onlyinjapango #tokyolife #livinginjapan #adaptingtojapan #culturaldifferences #japantourism

Full Transcript

00:00:01 John Daub: You know last year I celebrated 25 years here in Japan. The guy behind me, he's been here almost as long, if not long.

00:00:08 Peter von Gomm: You've been here almost as long, not quite. This July will be 25.

00:00:12 John Daub: Yeah, this is Peter Von Gaum from Peter Von Gaum Japan. The link of his channel is in the description. How you doing? You like to ride motorcycles and he got me involved in motorcycles, too.

00:00:21 Peter von Gomm: So can't complain here. Although the coffee shop that you wanted to go to is glitch. No signal, so that's one of the issues we have in this area. Not a lot of signals between the buildings.

00:00:32 John Daub: But in this episode, I want to talk about, you know, our lives here. 25 years. What's it like moving into a house, getting an apartment, having a pet for example, getting a job. We might have done this in the past before, but now that we're older, we probably forgot all about that.

00:00:47 Peter von Gomm: You know, less brain cells. Yeah, look at that gray, man.

00:00:52 John Daub: Hey, hey, it's not, I'll not tell. Have you heard of Grecian formula?

00:00:54 Peter von Gomm: That's something sold in the 80s.

00:00:57 John Daub: Look, you might have a bottle. I'll bring it next time. It's like zoomed in on your gray.

00:01:02 Peter von Gomm: Excuse me. Yours is, you don't have anything and what you do have is all gray stubble.

00:01:08 John Daub: Yeah, well, maybe you should try it.

00:01:10 Peter von Gomm: Well, the chicks like it.

00:01:12 John Daub: They might have to.

00:01:14 Peter von Gomm: My one chick liked it.

00:01:16 John Daub: Careful, careful there. So Peter, I haven't seen him and we haven't done a live stream here in ages. So it's good to see you again. You've been up to a lot. You've been a lot of trade shows, motor shows, boat, bike shows.

00:01:33 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, yeah. The show guy. Show me the motorcycle. I like shows. I like to show shows. Okay. So, um, yeah, the last two weeks ago was the Tokyo motorcycle show which is my, that's my Disneyland. It's, uh, it's the greatest show on earth. Tokyo motorcycle show every year. Um, so I've been making that video since 2019. I've been going there for years, but I decided to start making videos this from when I got YouTube and uh, yeah, it's my biggest show of the year.

00:02:07 John Daub: Biggest video of the year is every year. It's a massive show the auto show in the motorcycle show.

00:02:17 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. And you were riding when you got here 25 years ago. We've got the license later. It kind of metamorphosed from a 50cc scooter into what I have today like several few big big bikes and uh, so yeah, uh, I've been riding for about 23 years here in Tokyo.

00:02:31 John Daub: So if you're asking where we are, this is Jimbocho. That's Meiji University right there, that building. They've got a cafeteria that's open to the public. You can get lunch for about 180 yen, which is curry rice, believe it or not, the cafeteria.

00:02:47 Peter von Gomm: It was when I was there like 10 years ago.

00:02:51 John Daub: This place is also famous for, I don't know, coffee shops, curry rice, books, sporting equipment. It's a pretty interesting area of Tokyo. It was bombed heavily during World War II and is now not very beautiful in that way.

00:03:11 Peter von Gomm: Right. Well, you know something else that's beautiful, John?

00:03:14 John Daub: Turn around.

00:03:16 Peter von Gomm: This beautiful human here.

00:03:17 John Daub: Oh! Otani.

00:03:19 Peter von Gomm: Otani. Shohei Otani.

00:03:21 John Daub: Not Otani. Now, not to keep talking about me, John. The guy with the gambling problem?

00:03:25 Peter von Gomm: But I want to show you a TV commercial that I did. A collaboration between New Balance and Shohei Otani.

00:03:34 John Daub: Was Otani there?

00:03:35 Peter von Gomm: No.

00:03:36 John Daub: Well, you didn't...

00:03:37 Peter von Gomm: But they asked me to do the voice for this New Balance thing.

00:03:41 John Daub: They could have asked anybody, but they asked you.

00:03:44 Peter von Gomm: I'm not going to ask me, I'll tell you that.

00:03:46 John Daub: What do you got? You got something?

00:03:48 Peter von Gomm: I shouldn't show your private photos here.

00:03:50 John Daub: No, you can. This is the commercial.

00:03:53 Peter von Gomm: Is this copyrighted or something?

00:03:54 John Daub: No. This is the... I do the sports announcer's voice at the end.

00:04:08 Peter von Gomm: No, it's like a mess. What is it, like symbols and stuff going on?

00:04:14 John Daub: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's awesome.

00:04:15 Peter von Gomm: What did you even say?

00:04:17 John Daub: Well, you kept talking. You couldn't hear it. You couldn't hear it because you kept jiggling it. Okay, so what I say is, here we go again. It's showtime. Shohei Otani.

00:04:29 Peter von Gomm: That's what I said. I wonder if you made a new fan. Like, Otani's going, ah, so? Doctor's wonderful voice, Peter Hong.

00:04:37 John Daub: I don't know how you would talk like that. He doesn't even speak English at all, which is weird.

00:04:41 Peter von Gomm: I think he follows me on social media now.

00:04:44 John Daub: But he is a beautiful guy. I mean, he's like, what, 190 centimeters? Good looking dude. Beautiful guy.

00:04:52 Peter von Gomm: He's like the top. Handsome, not that, just absolutely beautiful. He's a beautiful guy. Stunning.

00:04:57 John Daub: Look at him. Look at him. In every way. Okay, let's look at him. What do you guys think? Is he a beautiful guy?

00:05:06 Peter von Gomm: He looks like he eats too many carbohydrates.

00:05:10 John Daub: Who am I to, a little bloated, I don't know, who am I to question how somebody looks?

00:05:17 Peter von Gomm: Maybe it's jealousy.

00:05:18 John Daub: That is a beautiful man. Look at that, I'm saying it now.

00:05:25 Peter von Gomm: Right? He's got that going for him. You have a lot going for him. So you've been quite busy since the pandemic.

00:05:33 John Daub: I shouldn't have said that word because they put in a little notice.

00:05:37 Peter von Gomm: Do they still?

00:05:38 John Daub: They still do that. If you just say the P word. They still do that. Like what had happened, blah, blah, blah.

00:05:45 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. So, since that all, and then this is one of the reasons why I haven't seen you as much. Our schedules have just been quite insane. Either I'm away for months at a time or weeks at a time in the U.S. or something.

00:05:55 John Daub: And Peter, he's got a schedule. He's a working man.

00:05:59 Peter von Gomm: Well, you do too. So our schedules don't always match up.

00:06:04 John Daub: And we don't live next door to each other. It's not like, you know, Kramer coming in and knocking on the door. We keep busy. We both keep busy.

00:06:12 Peter von Gomm: That's right. And you do a lot of traveling. I do. Not so much this month, which is nice.

00:06:18 John Daub: But it didn't start off like that. When we came here so many years ago, what was your job again? You weren't a voice artist right away.

00:06:26 Peter von Gomm: Oh, when I first came here? Yeah. Well, I came here and I taught English like a lot of us do.

00:06:31 John Daub: But why Japan? I mean, I came here as well, but I didn't have any idea about Japan. I wasn't really attracted to it. I wasn't into anime, manga. I wasn't into Japanese girls. I wasn't into martial arts or...

00:06:42 Peter von Gomm: Like these are the things that if you weren't into, why were you in Japan? Because you had all those foreigners. The ones that were here were into those three things. Girls, martial arts, manga, anime, video games. Those three. And I was an outlier.

00:06:52 John Daub: Well, my... A lot of people who know that I've talked about this before on your streams and on my channel as well. My dad actually lived in Japan at the end of World War II. And growing up, he was always talking about Japan. He loved Japan. Everything about it.

00:07:13 Peter von Gomm: Except for the video games and the manga.

00:07:15 John Daub: Yeah, the manga and the women and...

00:07:18 Peter von Gomm: Oh, he liked that. He liked that as well.

00:07:20 John Daub: So, growing up, that bug was stuck in my ear. And then when I had an opportunity to come here and teach, I was working at one of the museums for the Smithsonian. And I wanted to change things up. And I went to an interview and I got a job and I came here and I started teaching.

00:07:37 Peter von Gomm: Where? In Tokyo? In Tokyo, yeah. Wow.

00:07:42 John Daub: Yeah, in Shinjuku. Wow, my gateway was like Okazaki in the countryside of Nagoya. This is really out there.

00:07:49 Peter von Gomm: But see, I kind of envy that. Because I was actually... That's not a bad start.

00:07:56 John Daub: Right. Because you started in the big city. That's not good if you're going to live here.

00:08:00 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. Well, and plus when you're out in the sticks, you pick up the language a lot more easily. Because you have no choice.

00:08:07 John Daub: In Tokyo, you can survive with just English. Although my girlfriend at the time was another English... A Japanese English teacher who spoke English and she didn't want to speak any Japanese. So I didn't learn any language out there. So anyways...

00:08:20 Peter von Gomm: Alright, those are the wrong girlfriends to get. You should have asked me.

00:08:24 John Daub: Yeah. If you'd known me. But yeah, so I came here and I had started doing voice work in America before I came here. So I brought serendipitous... I had no idea that that industry existed. And I started doing voice work when I got here and I quit my teaching. And that's all I do.

00:08:36 Peter von Gomm: Were you a popular teacher? For adults, right? I taught kids.

00:08:40 John Daub: I taught both.

00:08:42 Peter von Gomm: I taught kids. See, I taught kids. Here's a picture from... I guess this might have been my first couple of years.

00:08:54 John Daub: Wow, much younger. No gray.

00:08:56 Peter von Gomm: You were using the Grecian formula then.

00:08:59 John Daub: No, that's all natural. I was like 25 or something. That's an envious mom. Look at that.

00:09:07 Peter von Gomm: Wow, that's cool. So which city was that in? This was... Was this Okazaki or Hiroshima? I think this was Okazaki. I want to try to find these kids. They're probably married with kids now.

00:09:17 John Daub: Right.

00:09:17 Peter von Gomm: I could teach their kids.

00:09:19 John Daub: Sure. I wonder if they remember anything. But I used to get neckties in Kuala Lumpur, bootleg neckties for a dollar.

00:09:27 Peter von Gomm: Come back and get it.

00:09:29 John Daub: That's cool. Take a look in the window here. Look at these doggies.

00:09:33 Peter von Gomm: Oh, wow. Yeah, this is another thing that this area is famous for. A lot of guitar shops and other musical instruments.

00:09:41 John Daub: Wow, he's carrying something nice.

00:09:44 Peter von Gomm: Do you want a little... Do you want to give some context? You have motorcycles and guitars.

00:09:51 John Daub: I'll just get the windows, get the doors open. Look, it says no cameras.

00:09:55 Peter von Gomm: No, no, no. It's down here. So, Flying V, Explorer, Les Paul. That's a 335, BB King, Lucille.

00:10:02 John Daub: Wow.

00:10:03 Peter von Gomm: I think it's a 335.

00:10:05 John Daub: Yeah. But I love the Explorers and the Flying Vs. Those are classics as well as the Les Paul.

00:10:12 Peter von Gomm: With the exchange rate, it's not too bad, I guess. About 2,500 bucks or $2,300, $3,000.

00:10:21 John Daub: Yeah. Still pricey.

00:10:23 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:10:24 John Daub: I have two Les Pauls and both from the 1970s. Great guitars, heavy.

00:10:31 Peter von Gomm: Oh, yeah. They look real nice. I mean, that wouldn't be a guitar I would start with. I'm a beginner.

00:10:37 John Daub: Actually, I'm not. I'm a beginner.

00:10:38 Peter von Gomm: My brother can play.

00:10:40 John Daub: Really?

00:10:40 Peter von Gomm: My brother can play. Yeah, he's quite good. I can't.

00:10:44 John Daub: Does he play electric or acoustic?

00:10:46 Peter von Gomm: No, acoustic. The sweet tunes of old world guitar, that kind of stuff.

00:10:53 John Daub: Nice, nice. Yeah. As you can see, Jimbo Cho, nothing special. But within all of this, tons of restaurants. The alleys are quite interesting, in particular on this side near the university. You got a lot of cheap eats as well.

00:11:13 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, yeah, yeah. There might be some places walking. We can either walk towards Jimbo Cho or towards Ogawara Machi.

00:11:21 John Daub: Why don't we go up around this way and then we can end things in front of the, near the coffee shop.

00:11:27 Peter von Gomm: All right. Sounds good. I know this area fairly well because I used to work here. I worked at Shueisha, which is the publishing house where they have Shonen Jump and all this.

00:11:39 John Daub: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:11:39 Peter von Gomm: But I was working with the women's magazine, so it wasn't as exciting as the English editorial supervisor. And lucky for me, they didn't have a lot of English editorial supervising necessary, but they still paid me nonetheless. I made friends with one of the executives who's now retired.

00:11:50 John Daub: And how long were you there?

00:11:52 Peter von Gomm: I think it was like eight years or something.

00:11:54 John Daub: Wow. Like a full-time, part-time?

00:11:57 Peter von Gomm: It was sort of a side hustle.

00:11:59 John Daub: Oh, okay, okay.

00:11:59 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, well, I think I got, yeah, it was a side hustle. But I was modeling for the English school and with their models because I was friends with the CEO of the English school. This is all a long story.

00:12:13 John Daub: And I couldn't tie the tie.

00:12:15 Peter von Gomm: It was like one of these slippery ties, you know, these ones. They never, I couldn't get it to go. So I went to this old guy in the corner that no one was talking to. I guess they were just leaving him alone because he was the boss. And I said, excuse me, can you do this? I can't see him do it.

00:12:27 John Daub: So he tied the tie. But he was like, it's like asking the President of the United States because he had to look at his other staff because he looked, the other staff was like, I did something wrong.

00:12:37 Peter von Gomm: And then he was like, just held up his hands like the President of the US and then he did the dick tie.

00:12:42 John Daub: Well, he was a big dick tie.

00:12:44 Peter von Gomm: He was a very, very high dude in the company.

00:12:47 John Daub: Yeah. You tied it right?

00:12:49 Peter von Gomm: He did it very, better than I would have done. And then in the end, I ended up getting a job so that we could, mostly so that we could go out and drink and he would, I would teach him English. But I also had work.

00:13:02 John Daub: Did he like tie, did you tie your ties on your head when you're out drinking with him?

00:13:06 Peter von Gomm: He wasn't that kind of an executive.

00:13:08 John Daub: Okay.

00:13:09 Peter von Gomm: There's a reason why he was an executive. It wasn't because he tied ties on his head.

00:13:15 John Daub: Okay. All right. He was pretty professional.

00:13:18 Peter von Gomm: But all levels of executive.

00:13:20 John Daub: But.

00:13:20 Peter von Gomm: All levels of executives do that when they go out drinking.

00:13:24 John Daub: Yeah. That's what they did in the Showa era. The hey, this is the Heiwa era.

00:13:31 Peter von Gomm: Heiwa.

00:13:32 John Daub: Heiwa. Welcome. You can't do that anymore. Unless you're on a YouTube video and you're trying to act like someone in the Showa era.

00:13:41 Peter von Gomm: I'll show you where we're walking because it might be more interesting than checking us out. It's a nice, see it looks very city-ish, right? Around here, very urban.

00:13:51 John Daub: So this is when I first came here. Watch this, here we go, red light.

00:14:02 Peter von Gomm: It's a red light. I wish I had a, I think I have two pictures of him when we went out drinking. His name was I think Hiroshi, but he said, call me Mike, which is really weird. He was a really nice guy to me, but he was brutal to all the other employees. I mean, he's just really strict.

00:14:22 John Daub: That's a power play.

00:14:23 Peter von Gomm: But look, back in the seventies and eighties, or sixties, seventies and eighties when he was working in the corporation, he eventually got higher and higher. You know, the way that Japanese system works every three years or something, you move departments and you eventually get to be a high level one. But all the bosses had these entertainment budgets.

00:14:43 John Daub: Oh, nice.

00:14:44 Peter von Gomm: And of course it's very wasteful and stupid, but it was part of, I guess, their entitlement or their salaries, whatnot. And if they didn't use it, they would lose it. So he would have to always use it. And at the end of entertaining all the clients, which are going down because this is, you know, paper, you know, this isn't the age of the digital was coming up.

00:15:01 John Daub: Right.

00:15:01 Peter von Gomm: So he'd have to, so he would keep his budget. He would take me out to hostess clubs, to restaurants, very posh places that I cannot afford with girls that I cannot afford.

00:15:21 John Daub: Who? Hello.

00:15:25 Peter von Gomm: Not like that. They're hostess. You just, they're just entertaining and that's all it really was.

00:15:31 John Daub: Oh, goodbye.

00:15:32 Peter von Gomm: No, trust me. I didn't, I don't know what I would do if I did that. So I'm.

00:15:37 John Daub: Did what?

00:15:38 Peter von Gomm: Whatever you're insinuating.

00:15:41 John Daub: I wouldn't insinuate nothing.

00:15:44 Peter von Gomm: That's not what they do. Although, you know, I don't know what he did, but I didn't, I can't, you know, he, it's his money. Actually, it's not his money. But the point was, it was a lesson in Japanese business on another level that I don't think many foreigners get a chance to see. And I got a chance to, to, I guess, get into that for like 10 years.

00:16:13 John Daub: Wow.

00:16:13 Peter von Gomm: Eight years. Plus a couple of years before and after.

00:16:19 John Daub: That's cool.

00:16:19 Peter von Gomm: Muhammad writes in here, grab something to eat. That's a good idea.

00:16:25 John Daub: I think there's some, something we can grab around here. I just smelled, did you smell that coffee we just walked by?

00:16:33 Peter von Gomm: Do you want to get something?

00:16:35 John Daub: Well, I thought I smelled like some delicious fresh roast coffee.

00:16:41 Peter von Gomm: Oh, there's a bunch of coffee places around here because people got to stay caffeinated for their jobs. Let's keep walking up. We'll cut to the next street over and we'll cut over. I don't know what it is. There's a lot of these coffee, curry and coffee shops. You ever heard this one? I don't think it's a combination that works out well, but apparently people want curry rice here.

00:17:00 John Daub: People want coffee here. So I don't, it's not a combination that would put together, but apparently there's a lot of those kinds of places here. And they're usually mom and pop shops that have been around for a long time. There's a yakuniku restaurant here. Thanks to Ramsey's, we're going to get, we're going to look for a coffee.

00:17:24 Peter von Gomm: Thank you, Ramison.

00:17:26 John Daub: You know who Ramsey's is, right?

00:17:28 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:17:29 John Daub: The great Midwest where it might be still snowing up there. I don't know. I hope the weather is nice. Up in Hokkaido?

00:17:37 Peter von Gomm: No, no. In Midwest US.

00:17:39 John Daub: Oh, yeah. Well, it's beautiful here. Finally. It is.

00:17:49 Peter von Gomm: But you know how it goes. That was my introduction into Japanese corporate culture, really. Because I worked at the English school when I first got here. I ended up becoming a part of the headquarters staff and had a desk in the head office at Okayama. I was never there because I was doing damage control as a turnaround manager, a turnaround teacher. When somebody got fired, they send me in to do damage control. Usually there's some pretty bad stuff.

00:18:33 John Daub: There's some bad stuff that these teachers did. Or just one day they just left in the middle of the night. This is how I know that Japan is not for everybody. Because so many people, English teachers, one day they're like, they're just crying because they can't get over the, after the honeymoon period. One day they're there and they don't even tell the manager anything. They just don't come back into work. Apartment cleared out. There's no teacher that shows up. They call the police. They already had a flight plan and everything and they got out of town.

00:19:09 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. That happened much more than anybody ever realizes. And this is before Japan was trendy. I'm talking like 1999, 2000, 2001. People came and they like left. Very few foreigners actually liked living here.

00:19:24 John Daub: Really?

00:19:25 Peter von Gomm: Which is weird because we're still here up to 25 years. And of all the friends that I made back in my first, let's say 15 years, I'm the only one that's still here.

00:19:33 John Daub: Really?

00:19:33 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, of the group.

00:19:35 John Daub: That's a different experience than what I had. Because you're in Tokyo where people had careers and works and established something.

00:19:43 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, Tokyo is different.

00:19:43 John Daub: But they're not in the countryside, mostly English teachers.

00:19:47 Peter von Gomm: Right. So, listen, here's a funny story. So, a friend of mine, he'll remain nameless, he's still here. Do I know this person?

00:20:01 John Daub: Yeah, I think you've met him.

00:20:03 Peter von Gomm: He had been wanting to teach here. So, he had been to Japan a couple times, loved it as most people do. He went back and he got hired for teaching at, I think it was Nova. And so he came and took the job and he didn't think it through clearly. Because they put him in an Inaka area, in the sticks. And he, after like two weeks, he did exactly that. He did a runner. And he had like a panic attack. He's like, I'm out in the middle of nowhere. I don't know anybody. It's pouring rain. I don't have transportation. It was really far to where he was living and the school. So, he just called him up in the morning. He sent a text. He tried calling, nobody answered. He sent a text message, I'm leaving. I'm on my way to the train station.

00:21:00 John Daub: Oh my gosh.

00:21:00 Peter von Gomm: And they were trying to, please don't. No, no, no. Don't. Don't go. Don't go. We're choked up. That's a massive, you're going to lose students and stuff.

00:21:19 John Daub: Yeah.

00:21:19 Peter von Gomm: Well, but he turned it around. He came to Tokyo and we hung out. And he went to a job interview.

00:21:29 John Daub: Oh wait, he took the, he kept the visa and...

00:21:32 Peter von Gomm: He came to Tokyo. They try to kick you out now.

00:21:36 John Daub: Well, listen, let me finish the story.

00:21:38 Peter von Gomm: So, he came to Tokyo and before he left, he had the wherewithal to, is that the right word? He had the...

00:21:46 John Daub: Gravitas.

00:21:48 Peter von Gomm: That's it, maybe. The cojones.

00:21:51 John Daub: No.

00:21:51 Peter von Gomm: I don't know. So, he went to another job interview here in Tokyo. And he told them the situation. They're like, it's cool dude. We'll hire you. Because they need somebody to hire. Yeah. There weren't a lot of foreigners back then. So, he got hired. He went back home, touched base and then came here and he's been here for over a year and a half now in Yokohama. I sometimes, that's the thing. Sometimes, it's just the situation that you're in.

00:22:31 John Daub: Yeah.

00:22:31 Peter von Gomm: Sometimes, you have a bad manager. Yeah. If you're an English teacher, you have bad students. The schedule is insane. There's nothing around your house. It takes you 20 minutes to walk or bicycle there. Right. It's not what you're looking for. Right. You're hard making friends here. And you're totally shell shocked. Coming from America or a foreign country to Japan. Oh, yeah. It's hard to make Japanese friends out in the countryside too. Because people want you to be your friends because you speak English. Right. And they don't want to pay for the English language classes. Right. Of course not. But, like they're not, it never really feels like real friends. But, in Tokyo, when you have other expat friends, people that are, you know, been here for a while. That's when things start to turn around. And it's much easier in Tokyo than I think it would be where I was starting off.

00:23:45 John Daub: Sure. Sure. I don't even know. When I finished, I was an awful teacher to start. Really bad. I didn't prepare well. The schedule was light when I started. So, I would go home, eat lunch, and I would take a nap for two hours and then just come back.

00:24:12 Peter von Gomm: Nice.

00:24:12 John Daub: And they said, you're supposed to be here. And they said, a lesson came in here. But, you know, I think... Emergency English lesson.

00:24:25 Peter von Gomm: What?

00:24:25 John Daub: An emergency English lesson. I don't. You need to be on call.

00:24:30 Peter von Gomm: Well, yeah. That's the Japanese way.

00:24:34 John Daub: I was thinking like that. I was thinking like more American. Like, this is such a waste of time. Why am I even here? I'm starting to doubt it. I was like, why do we learn mathematics in university? I'm never going to use it or apply it in my daily life. But you don't actually think. Actually, these skills in game solving and problem solving, they're all quite useful.

00:25:06 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, sure.

00:25:06 John Daub: But it wasn't until they said, look, you're going to have to be there. And, you know, you might get fired and all this other stuff. And I said, well, okay. So, how do I be a better teacher? And then I was coachable. And I did a really good job. And then they hired me at the head office because I did so well. I doubled the school's performance.

00:25:39 Peter von Gomm: Right. We're going to... Sorry, not to interrupt your incredible story, but do you want to cross here?

00:25:44 John Daub: All right. Let's do it.

00:25:46 Peter von Gomm: Unless you want to walk towards Tokyo Dome, which is over this way.

00:25:51 John Daub: Nah.

00:25:52 Peter von Gomm: Well, the way you said it, Tokyo Dome. Well, there's Kudam-Style over there. Chidori-Gafuchi. Budokan. Indian Embassy. Live at Budokan. Cheap trip. One of the greatest all-time albums.

00:26:11 John Daub: Well, I need a coffee.

00:26:13 Peter von Gomm: I do, too.

00:26:14 John Daub: So... There's a bunch of Starbucks over here.

00:26:23 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. We've been to that big Starbucks on the corner down there.

00:26:27 John Daub: We can... Let's walk down there. Why not?

00:26:31 Peter von Gomm: Okay. Let's do it.

00:26:32 John Daub: Well, because the light changed.

00:26:37 Peter von Gomm: That seems to make a lot of sense.

00:26:44 John Daub: ...as well from Indonesia with this Gakuran. I remember that.

00:26:53 Peter von Gomm: You were here first.

00:26:55 John Daub: It was a different...

00:26:57 Peter von Gomm: But wasn't it like back in the... You came here in 1999?

00:27:00 John Daub: Yeah. It was a different world. Oh, yeah. And I'm sure there were people that were here before you. There were people here in the 80s that are watching. So, I don't think it changed... Which is another different world.

00:27:16 John Daub: Oh, it was a different world. But it was much more similar then than it is today. Because things are moving so much faster maybe because of the digital age. And the population has decreased so much from then to now.

00:27:30 Peter von Gomm: I can notice it. I notice that there aren't as many Japanese people around. There's not as many young people around because it was much different when I just ride the trains.

00:27:49 John Daub: Yeah. Also, over these 25 years, people have gotten... They've gotten taller.

00:27:54 Peter von Gomm: Did you notice this?

00:27:54 John Daub: Yeah. Yeah, I totally noticed. I used to be the tallest one on the train. Now, these younger people...

00:28:07 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I know.

00:28:07 John Daub: The kids are drinking a lot of milk. I don't know what they're drinking. There's that beautiful guy again right here on the right.

00:28:25 Peter von Gomm: Wait. He was promoting... What was he promoting at... New Balance.

00:28:36 John Daub: New Balance. And here he is promoting a bank.

00:28:38 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. This is a little bit... The dude's endorsements are worth tens of millions of dollars.

00:28:45 John Daub: He does look a little puffy though, doesn't he?

00:28:47 Peter von Gomm: Hey.

00:28:47 John Daub: I'm just saying.

00:28:49 Peter von Gomm: You took that back. It's your wide-angle lens. Lipstick. More chiseled, you know?

00:29:03 John Daub: I always thought...

00:29:04 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, he's got a little baby fat. He's a ball player.

00:29:09 John Daub: Yeah. Baby fat.

00:29:21 Peter von Gomm: But yeah, I totally agree that people have gotten taller and they have... The population has thinned out a bit.

00:29:33 John Daub: This is a really...

00:29:33 Peter von Gomm: This is a really... And people's attitudes about...

00:29:35 John Daub: This is a really famous Chinese restaurant here in Jimbo Cho.

00:29:41 Peter von Gomm: Oh, that looks delicious.

00:29:42 John Daub: One of the... Yeah, they... Maybe some of the best Chinese food in Japan is at this one called Shinsaikai, I believe.

00:29:52 Peter von Gomm: Really?

00:29:52 John Daub: Yeah. I think it's really good because I got taken here many times for business dinners.

00:29:58 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, it's pretty good. At dinnertime, it's quite expensive, but you can see here... What does this black crab taste like?

00:30:06 John Daub: It's plastic. If it were real.

00:30:11 Peter von Gomm: That's a cool little building right here.

00:30:13 John Daub: Yeah, the offices that I would go to are just around the corner you can get in. I think they still have some Shonen Jump stuff in the entrance there. There's an old building across the street selling books. They just don't sell. And that is a new Porsche in the front, so nice contrast.

00:30:48 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:30:50 John Daub: Yeah, but 25 years ago, so much has... It really has changed.

00:30:57 Peter von Gomm: What do you think has been the most noticeable change in your life besides getting married, having kids, all the other stuff?

00:31:04 John Daub: Noticeable change? Yeah. How has Japan changed you? How would you be different if you never came here and you were still in Portland, Oregon?

00:31:15 Peter von Gomm: Oregon?

00:31:15 John Daub: Where everything is legal.

00:31:17 Peter von Gomm: Well, I would hope I would be still in Washington, D.C. Because I love that city. It's an awesome city.

00:31:27 John Daub: Ah, D.C.

00:31:29 Peter von Gomm: Japan is everything to me. Not to be gushy, but it really is. And I think you think the same way. We wouldn't be here this long.

00:31:40 John Daub: Is that why it's Peter Van Gom Japan?

00:31:42 Peter von Gomm: It's just part of you?

00:31:43 John Daub: Yes.

00:31:43 Peter von Gomm: Maybe I should put Japan first. Why not? Peter Van Gom. Peter in Japan. Is that already taken? Peter Van Gom in Japan.

00:31:59 John Daub: Yeah.

00:31:59 Peter von Gomm: I don't mind. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

00:32:04 John Daub: Peter Pan. Ja. Peter Pan Ja.

00:32:10 Peter von Gomm: I don't know. No, I mean, I've said this before. I feel like I'm trying to live. Look at this. Did you see this one? This is a new one?

00:32:31 John Daub: Yeah. It's like Coffee and World Food Market. It says probably like all the foreign stuff. Cafferant. And they did not have a lot of these types of stores when they first got here either. Like foreign foods. Remember that?

00:33:03 Peter von Gomm: That was maybe the hardest thing. International markets. Yeah, I'll talk about that next. But why don't you talk about your... Are you going to let me talk?

00:33:17 John Daub: Yeah, go ahead. Okay.

00:33:21 Peter von Gomm: So where were we in the chapter of my life? No, what I'm saying is I've tried to, it sounds corny, but I tried to live an American. Thank you.

00:33:44 John Daub: Sorry.

00:33:44 Peter von Gomm: Sorry. His mic was a little. Yeah. What the hell? How I live. Yeah, it's barely. It's on my sweatshirt too. I've tried to live how I think I would live in America, but in Japan, like, you know, get having a house and getting a car and having a child and.

00:34:16 John Daub: But we have all. So you're quite comfortable now.

00:34:17 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, very comfortable. Very comfortable. And we welcomed a new son from another mother.

00:34:28 John Daub: The first son from another mother.

00:34:31 Peter von Gomm: All right.

00:34:31 John Daub: I mean, you got a T-shirt with your dog on it or you found a dog.

00:34:35 Peter von Gomm: Well, this is a, it's a brand.

00:34:37 John Daub: Oh, okay. But it looks very much. I saw your little, his chomper looks like. He looks like a dog.

00:35:01 Peter von Gomm: He looks like one of the dogs that likes to eat everything in the house. He does. Or slobber on it. He's got one of those salivation problems. He, he, he slobbers a little, not too much. Um, but when he's, when he's playing, when he's being a little rascal, he goes like that.

00:35:26 John Daub: A little bit of stuff.

00:35:28 Peter von Gomm: Foam is all over the place.

00:35:30 John Daub: Yeah. We gotta go see him. What's his name?

00:35:35 Peter von Gomm: Bistro.

00:35:36 John Daub: He's a French bulldog.

00:35:39 Peter von Gomm: Wow. And, uh, right now he is recuperating in the hospital.

00:35:45 John Daub: I can notice.

00:35:47 Peter von Gomm: I can notice. I've written another.

00:35:49 John Daub: Well done.

00:35:51 Peter von Gomm: What's that?

00:35:51 John Daub: I can notice. Bistro.

00:35:54 Peter von Gomm: I had it written before he even said it.

00:35:58 John Daub: Yeah. Um, so he had, uh, he was tutored.

00:36:01 Peter von Gomm: Oh, neutered.

00:36:03 John Daub: Yeah. I can't say that.

00:36:05 Peter von Gomm: Is that wrong?

00:36:05 John Daub: Yeah, you can.

00:36:06 Peter von Gomm: Is that why?

00:36:06 John Daub: Well, how can we say tutored?

00:36:10 Peter von Gomm: Is there? Well, it's like the. I don't know. I grew up in the, in the eighties. So things are not politically correct. Cause that's sometimes I think that's another thing because I've been here and we've been here. Yeah. I, sometimes I miss the changes in culture. Like, I miss the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, like pronouns and all this other stuff. I don't know. What's going on. Our english gets all.

00:36:57 John Daub: I know if I go home, I'm gonna offend people.

00:36:59 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:36:59 John Daub: I'm like Johnny and Cobra Kai now, not machio.

00:37:05 Peter von Gomm: Where are you going? Are we going all the way up to the Budokan?

00:37:11 John Daub: I don't know. Where do you know that it has coffee? Uh, I don't. I thought you said there is a, a stabby over here.

00:37:25 Peter von Gomm: Well, Starbucks is down on the corner. One of these corners down there. Isn't there man?

00:37:35 John Daub: There's like a big one down the corner. I need something and, and, uh, we got a little, a funding for this. I want to show your friends a Bistro. Oh, I got pictures. Here's poor little beastie. This is just after he's got an IV on his foot poor little guy.

00:37:58 Peter von Gomm: Oh, yeah, that's cute and yet so devastating.

00:38:01 John Daub: Yeah, he's lonely. He's ready. So we're picking it up tonight. So he can't... Operate he can't can't make babies.

00:38:25 Peter von Gomm: Oh. He's so cute. You should be multiplying get some balls in there.

00:38:33 John Daub: Here he was when he was a baby. That's when we got him. Oh, wow. It's super cute and he's so funny. He's got a great personality.

00:38:49 Peter von Gomm: So if you want to follow him on Instagram, oh my you did not make a special page. I do. People are into dogs. It's not like it. I'm not you know putting something up every day, but I am Bistro is the tag name.

00:39:17 John Daub: I am Bistro. How did you come up with his name? Because he's French and he's a beast.

00:39:27 Peter von Gomm: May we be stir? Oh my gosh, maybe.

00:39:33 John Daub: All right, if you're French and watching tell me what you think about the butchering of they love it. I gotta give you a hard time but trying to the beast you mean well, you know what else happened? So so this breed French Bulldogs Pekingese pugs because of the way that they're there snouts are formed, right? It's difficult for them to breathe.

00:40:12 Peter von Gomm: That's why you hear them snoring and snorting and things. So with this breed, it's recommended that you have their airways altered.

00:40:20 John Daub: So while he was getting neutered they also fixed his nose. So he's got this really nice Paris Hilton nose now.

00:40:31 Peter von Gomm: Oh beautiful. Is that the perfect nose?

00:40:33 John Daub: It is now. What's this over here? Is it coffee?

00:40:36 Peter von Gomm: MD coffee direct you want it, but it doesn't look like it's open. I could tell you Starbucks is your last resort.

00:40:48 John Daub: Yeah, you think putting a hashtag makes people use the hashtag in the name of your shop. Yeah, never underneath never mom one man hashtag moon man.

00:41:05 Peter von Gomm: I don't take Monday moms.

00:41:08 John Daub: Yeah, but this place doesn't the doors half open see there have a stoop or you have to wait until they open it all the way. But a coffee shop that's not open at 11:40 it's a little odd. That's a bad sign.

00:41:25 Peter von Gomm: It's not a good sign.

00:41:27 John Daub: But how about you guys? Are you thinking of getting? A pet at some point?

00:41:38 Peter von Gomm: Um maybe I think so I don't think I eyes in on it because I'm not around as much. But I used to have a hamster. I got a picture right here hamster.

00:41:53 John Daub: Yeah, are you kidding me? I mean I trained him he didn't he didn't stay in the cage. He had total freedom in my house.

00:42:01 Peter von Gomm: Okay. His name is Kiki. And he's you're pretty stepping on him. I got when he was like almost born.

00:42:11 John Daub: No, I wasn't because he thought he was a human. He didn't have any hamster friends. He didn't remember his mommy and all this and he only remembered me so he thought he was one of me. So he would get he actually destroyed one of my pillows took it out and he made a house in my closet. He had three houses he had one under the refrigerator. He had one in my closet, and he had one under the washing machine, which I discovered after he passed.

00:42:51 Peter von Gomm: Ah. Like what is it? What is little pellets?

00:42:55 John Daub: Oh my gosh? There's a whole house in here imagine if he had kids. I didn't know about wow that's cool. So how he would sleep in the summer he would a cutie look at him after he passed no that's that's how he sleep. That's how he would sleep.

00:43:14 Peter von Gomm: So how long did he live they don't live long?

00:43:17 John Daub: Years beyond the normal life of a hamster, but not enough to just enough to make me sad. I think it was a winter got him. I had heaters and everything, but he left his cage.

00:43:35 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, did you teach him any tricks like Richard Geers? Yeah?

00:43:39 John Daub: Yeah, he could do he could jump he would eat food. He would wait for the food. I'd have to I put the food in front there. I'd have to tap it twice and then he'd coming and then he would come and get it and. He would when he was cold he would climb up the sofa with me and he would snuggle in the corner of the sofa, so I have to be careful then cuz sometimes I didn't hear him coming right.

00:44:08 Peter von Gomm: But he was very smart did he bark. No he didn't bark, but he did make out.

00:44:14 John Daub: Hamsters don't make much noise is a that's probably you sat on it made that noise no I think when he wants attention.

00:44:25 Peter von Gomm: There's the Starbucks up here. Oh, I see it now underneath there. It's it was within sight.

00:44:33 John Daub: UFO Bob says oh my God Peter. I can't believe you said that yeah, I'm always saying that to you're very yeah, what's the word?

00:44:48 Peter von Gomm: Controversial classy.

00:44:51 John Daub: Crassie you like that guy Johnny Somali who got arrested in In Israel now apparently he's been deported or something one of those d-bags that was.

00:45:05 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I think it was Japan. You got some rest? Did they release him he'll never do it again then he goes to Israel and gets arrested again.

00:45:21 John Daub: That's somebody was starved of attention when they were oh my gosh. I look thankfully these nuisance streamers aren't coming into Japan that I've seen yet. Just just me I live here.

00:45:39 Peter von Gomm: I'm not a nuisance.

00:45:41 John Daub: No, you're good. You're a family-friendly youtuber.

00:45:48 Peter von Gomm: Family from the kiss of death. Thanks a lot Peter. We just got ten people unsubscribe in a second.

00:45:58 John Daub: Look at that. Like you know like 25 years in one of the things that I remember when I came here compared to now was getting Western food. It's really hard. It was either McDonald's or you had to cook it for yourself. You didn't have a lot of Western options, which is actually probably pretty good. What a reason I did lose weight. I didn't have I learned how to make pizza pasta.

00:46:34 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

00:46:35 John Daub: And the pizza was like three four thousand yen and the yen was really strong back then for much of it. It was like $40 a pizza and I used to get Gumby's at Ohio State for five five dollars for a large pie. There's no way so I had that I learned how to get yeast and bread and you made your own dough.

00:46:57 Peter von Gomm: I made my own dough or in the air you oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, right also. It was all real good.

00:47:03 John Daub: Do you want to get in go in and get the coffee? I feel kind of bad.

00:47:08 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I'll go in and get it. Hey, do you want to take my card? Sure. You can just tap it. It should be just enough to make it accept that yeah, wake up. What's twika? So I got was the Suica that this is from the Central Nagoya cuz Nagoya is famous for the coaching chicken. Okay.

00:47:36 John Daub: There's like seven I get embarrassed myself when I go in tall size honjitsu coffee tall you want tall? Yeah hot. Yeah to go getting short.

00:47:48 Peter von Gomm: I'm I'm getting a little shorter. No, you want a short size?

00:47:52 John Daub: Oh, I thought my spines compressing this get hurry up and get it and you want to give me your mic.

00:47:59 Peter von Gomm: No, he's gonna.

00:48:09 John Daub: You're gonna hear double talk now you should have given me the mic.

00:48:17 Peter von Gomm: So tell me if you have an audio problems.

00:48:20 John Daub: Probably talking about me. I hope he doesn't spend all seven thousand yen.

00:48:26 Peter von Gomm: The point is back then, you know.

00:48:29 John Daub: It was a lot harder in 98 when I got here with eating food because you had to learn how to cook Japanese if you wanted to save money if he ate Western food. It was quite expensive to get so he wanted the food tall jitsu. So eating spaghetti and noodles was getting really boring. He had to learn to cook you can't you? Couldn't go out and I'm glad that I didn't because it's not really that healthy. I don't think eating ramen every day is good for your cholesterol. What do I know about this stuff? All I can tell you is this Blake is here over the last ten years since the Olympics were announced here. The amount of foreign food that came into Tokyo in particular is that incorrect?

00:49:17 Peter von Gomm: It's mind-blowing to me. All I had was McDonald's and Hard Rock Cafe and now we've got like everything if I wanted nachos or a burger like a non McDonald's burger. It was Hard Rock in Nagoya.

00:49:30 John Daub: And it wasn't that long ago 98. It's like yeah if you watch The Sofia Coppola's lost in translation. That's just a few years after I got here. That was the kind of a feeling when you walked around Japan not a lot of foreign tourists really special.

00:49:49 Peter von Gomm: I think it is Peter sounds like the voice in your head. Is he in the back?

00:49:57 John Daub: Are you not turn it around? So I'll talk and you let me know what he's saying because I can't hear it. He's in here. Should we see? Did you have some kind of? A melon drink? Some sweets as well since he's buying. I don't know. I this stuff is just way too sweet. He did not get a cheesecake. Did he?

00:50:23 Peter von Gomm: I hope he doesn't get that. That's just pure sugar.

00:50:33 John Daub: Peter if you can hear me, which you can't don't do it. Give me back my card. Don't spend everything on there. I needed to get home. Actually, I need to go to the bank and I think I forgot my bank card. So that's all the money I got. I can thank you. I can't use that for like a month. It's almost Friday. It's almost Friday. It's a whole month. Hey, is it out? I need some of that money to get home Peter. I didn't ride my bike and I'm far enough away to make this a very uncomfortable walk. He parked his motorcycle to be around the corner. And there's a bank right there. That's my bank too, but. Don't think I have my card with me. Did he say cheesecake? What you gonna do eat it with his fingers? We're walking.

00:51:21 Peter von Gomm: Anyways. It's got a lot easier, you know Laura. Our patreon supporters she's been supporting channel for a long time. By the way, I just got the postcards. These are getting this is a Shinjuku from the last Shinjuku food festival food tour this postcards going out tomorrow if you sign up. You'll be able to get the Tokyo postmark on the back. I actually might take it the Shinjuku so you get a Shinjuku postmark. You can see all the signage and the reflections and at this particular spot. I got the crossing and then three train lines going by which is the Yamanote the Chuo and the Sobu line all at the same time. I think that was pretty cool. This will get sent to you tomorrow if you sign up with a Shinjuku postmark, I believe.

00:52:24 John Daub: I'll take you to Shinjuku Post office for it. I try to find nice stamps as well. I appreciate the support guys speaking of which Laura her son Kobe. I don't know if you forgot to Kobe your Kobe in the Japanese style, but Kobe is here in Kochi apparently learning Japanese and computer skills, which is amazing. I hope I get a chance to see him. I don't know if if his father is left, but. He might have been on the stream before but he's moved to Japan which is so exciting and his mom's moving here, too. So it's got a lot easier. I think to move to Japan which is good, but it takes a lot of homework and to find the right place. They pick Kochi, which is amazing. He's definitely gonna learn Japanese because like I said Peter said. He wished he had lived out in the countryside when he moved here and he now he's living in Kochi and he's gonna get. Actually, he's not that far away from Pochi castle. I don't know. But thankfully, you know, he doesn't drink so that's gonna be good because they drink pretty hard about coaching.

00:53:40 Peter von Gomm: Single single talking about desserts. Stop it. I know he's not gonna get it. Okay, I guess my stomach he knows that I'm on a diet and I'm not gonna eat it. He's absolutely not gonna do it. All right. Did you get cheesecake?

00:53:57 John Daub: Don't that's a kiki used to do when he did something suspicious. But I only have one house. I envy kiki three houses. You got it. What's a bag for? Well, we got something special. You get eco-friendly. How much is left on here? He doesn't even show you that amount I'm keeping the receipt. Well, let me see. What's the damage? 1169 yen my gosh. And get one more coffee. Yeah, so you don't have to dig through the rubbish to okay get it if you want.

00:54:33 Peter von Gomm: Later, I think they stamp when you get it a business receipt. You took a business receipt off of off of mice. Suica card you scoundrel. So you write that you're gonna write off. It's in my top 100. Is that fair tricks of PVG?

00:54:52 John Daub: Oh gosh, all right. Okay, so what we got is you this is Brazil sun-dried single-origin Brazil. Beans, there's your tall sir. What did you get what it cost this only cost? About three dollars. How did it get to like ten dollars three dollars? This was so mine's a short yet. Same as yours she besides you did not get a cheesecake.

00:55:18 Peter von Gomm: No, I didn't get a cheesecake. I got something. I got something else.

00:55:25 John Daub: Oh, man. Something that was easy to break into. What is it? It is a like marble cage with a cookie on the top and oh wow, I'm supposed to be intermittent fasting until. See if I can get you at least good.

00:55:41 Peter von Gomm: Looks like a guy with a mustache. You're right. Pringles. It's a Pringles mustache. Somebody left him a deuce on his head there.

00:55:56 John Daub: Oh, God. What happened to the family friendliness scam on your show? Did you pick him out? No, I want that one. I want that one. With the deuce and the mustache?

00:56:10 Peter von Gomm: It's crazy. So I have to eat the whole thing myself?

00:56:13 John Daub: No, I'll eat it.

00:56:15 Peter von Gomm: All right. Enough fasting. It's good enough. You got some new shoes.

00:56:23 John Daub: Yeah, these are the ones that I got down at Allbirds. Those from JCPenney's?

00:56:29 Peter von Gomm: No, do you know Allbirds? It's a company from the U.S., New Zealand. These are actually white, and I indigo-dyed them at the shop.

00:56:42 John Daub: Wow. You can do it at the shop?

00:56:44 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I still got indigo in my fingernails.

00:56:50 John Daub: Uh-oh. I lost the plastic.

00:56:56 Peter von Gomm: You see it?

00:56:59 John Daub: That's teamwork, John. That's what teamwork's all about.

00:57:05 Peter von Gomm: The transmission is unstable, it says, in this particular spot.

00:57:11 John Daub: Okay, we're going to break the stash. This looks good.

00:57:25 Peter von Gomm: We got to get out of here. The signal's bad. Now, we're going to get to another place with the best and cross over there, or back this way and over.

00:57:47 John Daub: Okay, but I think, see, they already got Fucci's gonna up there.

00:57:55 Peter von Gomm: Well, maybe we go up and over that way.

00:58:00 John Daub: Okay. Let's go back. Let's get out of here.

00:58:10 Peter von Gomm: Mm. Pretty good, huh?

00:58:13 John Daub: Yeah. Coffee and snack. Thank you, guys.

00:58:24 Peter von Gomm: Now, that's Japan's indigo brew. So, what other color choices did you have for your shoes?

00:58:35 John Daub: Light blue, dark blue, darker blue, and as blue as it could possibly get it. Wow. And they dye them there? Or you do it yourself? How does that work?

00:58:51 Peter von Gomm: Look at my fingernails. These were, like, three weeks ago.

00:58:55 John Daub: They don't give you gloves?

00:58:57 Peter von Gomm: Uh, yeah. Wait, so you... Let's go down that way. Wind around. We got our coffee. We don't have to go by glitch. No, you can just go find a place with a stable connection. So, we're going to go to the next... Sure... where the signal comes from and jump stuff. Oh, here. You remember it. Yeah. Fifteen years ago. Hot ginger ale.

00:59:32 John Daub: Ooh, that sounds good.

00:59:33 Peter von Gomm: Canada Dry. It tasted like...tasted like hot apple pie. We can cross right here, John, if you want. I think the signal's not bad, and it's kind of dark.

00:59:51 John Daub: All right. Cross at the next one, if maybe... Dark like this Brazilian roast. Yeah, the lag is gone now. We're okay.

01:00:06 Peter von Gomm: All right. We're probably piggybacking on this dump truck driver's...

01:00:11 John Daub: That's one way to go. Sorry about the lag, everybody. We're back where the signal is.

01:00:19 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, sometimes it's just...the one thing I notice about Japan's 4G, over the years, it's gotten a little bit better. The download speed is blazing, and the upload speed is very bad, and this is just not them investing in that side of it, you know?

01:00:39 John Daub: Yeah. And there's not enough 5G. After the Olympics were done, they just gave up on 5G. I can't find a lot of 5G in Tokyo, which is crazy, and it's very bad. Like, quickly, it's gone. You can download some stuff. The upload speed is the same as 4G. Not what I thought it was going to be. It's not the game changer.

01:01:00 Peter von Gomm: Mm-hmm.

01:01:00 John Daub: Chan is here. Heard some sunshine. They have a Tokyo office, so I might be heading over for six months. I'm worried I won't be able to find accommodations. Your thoughts?

01:01:14 Peter von Gomm: For six months, you get short-term...check out Ken Corporation. K-E-N. Ken Corporation. Ken Corporation has short-term housing apartments.

01:01:26 John Daub: Interesting. Yeah. There's weekly mansions as well that you can get.

01:01:30 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. You can stay in, which are cheaper than hotels that have the amenities like a rice cooker and bed, and then, you know, the bathroom is stocked and things like that.

01:01:41 John Daub: Right. Sofa, TV, weekly mansions. I used to stay in them when I had short jobs. It's much better than staying in an oppo hotel for six months or a capsule hotel. I met a guy who stayed in a capsule hotel. He'd eat lunch right now. That's why, probably.

01:02:00 Peter von Gomm: So they're leaving the offices. So they're on their phones and... Yeah. And the signal wasn't that strong around here.

01:02:09 John Daub: And the signal wasn't that strong around here, anyways. Ooh, Harley.

01:02:15 Peter von Gomm: Harley. Saw some great Harleys at the show. People always...in the spring, people always wear masks because of the pollen in the air. All right? Especially in Tokyo, which is really bad. And for you who have to do voice work, that stuff can mess around with your pollen.

01:02:37 John Daub: Yeah. Right now, my eye's kind of burning, too. I'm not feeling it right now. But about a month ago, it kicked in for me, and it was real bad for about a week.

01:02:53 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. You can ask about weekly mansions. I don't know if there are any in Tokyo. The last one I stayed in was in Hitachi when I had a teaching job there, and I haven't stayed in them in 20 years. But I know that there are a couple of companies that do weekly mansions, and they are...they're very useful when you need to stay someplace. But Airbnb has kind of filled the market. But Airbnb has a big problem in Japan. You know what that is, Peter?

01:03:33 John Daub: Uh...

01:03:35 Peter von Gomm: More than six months?

01:03:37 John Daub: So, not a lot of people want to do Airbnb because there's not a lot of money in it.

01:03:43 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, I'm sure the hotel organizations... You need to have some sort of license or accommodation. But I bet you that they bend on this. Well, yeah, they must be at capacity now.

01:03:57 John Daub: Right. I think they're going to bend on this because other countries don't have such a stupid rule. I think it just bought the hotel association some time. But I think competition is a good thing. So they're going to eventually...

01:04:22 Peter von Gomm: Okay, one of the offices... I would...I would sometimes... I would be working in here. This is...Shueisha is one of the many offices. So I...this is where I came... This is where Shonen Jumps is made, up here. This is where I came to the editorial room. I think it was the fifth floor. Very cool. The big...I think this is the biggest publisher in the world for a time. Shueisha.

01:05:10 John Daub: Yeah. I believe so. And you can see down the street here. Left?

01:05:21 Peter von Gomm: Left. Is that a...like a ramen shop or something?

01:05:25 John Daub: I think it's like a butcher shop. Right. That does... People are going to wait in line at their lunch break for a butcher shop? They took the...they just...they sizzled the meat pretty quick.

01:05:43 Peter von Gomm: Okay. I think they have some lunch sets. Let's walk by...across here. There's a couple of craft beer places around the corner too. Some old buildings that kind of stick around. Shueisha has...has several buildings in this area. It's not just one. They kind of own Jimbocho in a way.

01:06:19 John Daub: So you...you...we were talking about pets and you said you had the hamster.

01:06:23 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. As a...as a child.

01:06:25 John Daub: They work out real good in Japan because of the size. Kevin's got a guinea pig.

01:06:29 Peter von Gomm: Okay. This is so cute. And you have a doggie, but you have a house, so that's kind of a...

01:06:35 John Daub: Yeah, but as he's getting bigger, man, it is a...it's a chore bringing him downstairs for a walk. He's heavy. They're dense.

01:06:45 Peter von Gomm: Did you find him in...in a...like in an alley like you did with the kitty cat or what? How'd you...

01:06:53 John Daub: No, no, no. I searched online and went to a breeder.

01:06:57 Peter von Gomm: So... Why French bulldog? So that...I mean, usually the owners get a dog that...that resembles them.

01:07:10 John Daub: Well, because Lady Gaga has two, John.

01:07:14 Peter von Gomm: Oh, so you're influenced?

01:07:15 John Daub: Come on. Look at his old car. What is this, Peter? This is like one of those...

01:07:23 Peter von Gomm: That's an old Renault. It's a French...

01:07:26 John Daub: Oh, wow. French vehicle.

01:07:29 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, they're cute. I like the Citroen. You can see them...see the steam coming out, the smoke coming out of the chimney on the right side.

01:07:39 John Daub: Oh, neat. The people are actually sitting in there.

01:07:43 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, you can do. I've been in there a couple of times. It's a nice date spot.

01:07:50 John Daub: Yeah. It smells like a grilling beef.

01:07:54 Peter von Gomm: So have you...have you given thought to having a...a pet now with the family?

01:08:00 John Daub: I might get another hamster.

01:08:03 Peter von Gomm: Oh, come on.

01:08:04 John Daub: I said...I have to name it Kiki, a reincarnation.

01:08:13 Peter von Gomm: Kiki D. D. Like the Joker D. Like, you see that one coming up with the...Joaquin Phillips is gonna do this next Joker with Lady Gaga. You didn't know that?

01:08:29 John Daub: Oh, no, I didn't see that. Really?

01:08:30 Peter von Gomm: No. Oh, man, it's gonna be a good movie. Wait, didn't you take me to eat at a place in the corner here once? Like a vegetable place or something?

01:08:41 John Daub: Oh, is it the Jogger's Cafe? It's down on the...to the left.

01:08:45 Peter von Gomm: No, no, you parked your motorcycle and we got lunch around here. But was it like a...you can choose the items on the...

01:08:55 John Daub: Yeah, yeah. ...to the left here.

01:08:57 Peter von Gomm: Oh, wow. That'd be a good place to stop.

01:08:59 John Daub: Okay. Yeah, that's a nice place.

01:09:03 Peter von Gomm: It's a runner's...

01:09:04 John Daub: Oh, that's a good coffee. There's a...people run around the...the Imperial Palace. Imperial Palace, yeah.

01:09:17 Peter von Gomm: It's like a five-kilometer loop.

01:09:19 John Daub: It is exactly five kilometers.

01:09:23 Peter von Gomm: Exactly? Wow. Like maybe 4.97 or something.

01:09:27 John Daub: Or 5.2. I don't remember, but it was... That's interesting. It's a pretty good 5K. Yeah.

01:09:37 Peter von Gomm: Two laps around is 10K. I've done it many times before, but...

01:09:45 John Daub: So, if you're coming here and you're interested in keeping your...your cardiovascular work up, you can do a run around the palace. And they have some businesses set up that cater to you. You can take showers. You can also eat at this place, and it's...it's set up for people training. It's healthy food, and you can choose the quantity of rice that you want, and there's many things to choose from on the wall. I usually...yeah, I'll usually ask for less rice, and if you want more, sometimes you can take what you want. The whole idea is not to take more than you need and waste it.

01:10:25 Peter von Gomm: Sure. This is where the tax office is, or . So, I have to come here every now and then.

01:10:37 John Daub: I have a pretty good accountant who does it for me now, but... I used to do everything myself, which...

01:10:45 Peter von Gomm: That's tough. Stunk.

01:10:47 John Daub: Yeah, that's... When you run your own...which is like every YouTuber, I guess, but I've been...I've had a business... Next year will be 20 years I've had an established business here.

01:11:02 Peter von Gomm: Wow.

01:11:02 John Daub: Yeah. And in the first 13 or 14, it was...it was hard.

01:11:12 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, yeah. That was some of the biggest fights that Kyoko and I had.

01:11:17 John Daub: Oh, really?

01:11:17 Peter von Gomm: She would help me with the taxes. The tax. Finally, I was like, that's it. I gotta just pay the money and get an accountant. We got a great accountant. It saved our marriage.

01:11:33 John Daub: Oh, yeah. That's little things like that. Accountant that I have. Listen, I used to teach at Gaben Ginza, so I had all the shachos, the CEOs coming. Yeah. Which is great connections. I kept in touch with a lot of them. One of them is CEO of an accounting company, so I contacted her. I go, can you please help? But she said, yes. So, I went out, had dinner with her and her husband. They told me they'll set me up with one of her associates. Boom. He did everything.

01:12:04 Peter von Gomm: Wow. He saved me money, which is amazing.

01:12:07 John Daub: And he's for this amount of time.

01:12:15 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, yeah. He says, I'm...claim this, this, this, and this, and this.

01:12:19 John Daub: Right, right. Boom.

01:12:21 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, they know all the loopholes.

01:12:23 John Daub: Yeah. As any good accountant should.

01:12:27 Peter von Gomm: Very good. Diana is here. Diana, thank you. Thank you, Diana. We got this and she's got our lunch, so...

01:12:42 John Daub: Arigato. Very good. So, yeah. I'm parked just up here. And if we go left here, we'll go to that... That exercise restaurant.

01:13:00 Peter von Gomm: It says it's buffering now. It actually doesn't say weak signal. It's when you get by this highway, things get real weak. I wonder why. That's why I didn't want to follow the moat. Is it because of the...all the steels blocking signals coming through? Maybe. There's a lot of cars and traffic up above.

01:13:28 John Daub: In the end, you know, I think...I didn't expect to be here in Japan for as long as I am here. I've been.

01:13:41 Peter von Gomm: All right?

01:13:41 John Daub: Right. There's a lot of people...I guess you...it's hard to imagine, but I've been able to...it's hard to imagine what life is like in Japan. It's not like when you come to visit here as a tourist. And I've said this many times before. When you come as a tourist, you're a guest. When you come here to live here, you have responsibilities. This is a culture. This is not America. This is not, you know...you don't have the same kind of rights, for example. You don't have the same kind of say.

01:14:06 Peter von Gomm: Right. You're really polite.

01:14:07 John Daub: But on the positive side, which is the biggest positive, there's an amazing amount of respect as well for just everybody walking around. You respect your surroundings. You respect people's audio...like sound. You don't honk your horn. You don't make a mess.

01:14:25 Peter von Gomm: I saw some clip...I saw some clip on... It's amazing. What's it... Jimmy Kimmel?

01:14:32 John Daub: I saw that before. Did you...about him talking about coming to Japan and...

01:14:36 Peter von Gomm: I'm not a fan of Jimmy Kimmel.

01:14:37 John Daub: Really?

01:14:39 Peter von Gomm: I like Kimball better than Fallon better than Kimmel. Because I like Kimball better than Fallon. I'm not a political guy, but they all seem like they are...all of them are so anti-other party. I'm not for any party.

01:14:54 John Daub: Right, right. They're too political.

01:14:56 Peter von Gomm: It's all in their monologues. Yeah, yeah. I agree. It's too much. I just kind of brush that stuff off.

01:15:04 John Daub: But he was talking about coming to Japan recently. Yeah. And he said all the...he's preaching to the choir. We know all of it. But he's like, so, you know, what are we doing wrong here in America?

01:15:22 Peter von Gomm: Right?

01:15:22 John Daub: Wait a second. He said that?

01:15:26 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. He's like, comparing... We just went to Tokyo. Was he saying how clean...

01:15:32 John Daub: Yeah, he's talking about... Just like Tucker Carlson in Moscow before?

01:15:36 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, yeah. Come on.

01:15:38 John Daub: Look at the...I'm not a political person, but...

01:15:43 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

01:15:43 John Daub: So you had to bring him up? Well, he got criticized for doing the same darn thing.

01:15:51 Peter von Gomm: Well, but he wasn't there to interview the ruler of the country.

01:15:55 John Daub: Well, slightly different. Again, I'm not a... He was just there on vacation. I listened to both of them or none of them. I'm not really into this game at all.

01:16:06 Peter von Gomm: Well, anyhow, anyhow. But... Because I've been here... We've both been here for a very long time. But anyways... But yeah, he was just talking about how clean everything is. There's no horn honking. It's the toilets. Every... The public toilets are spic and span. Everything is. And it's all... Comes back to, like you said, having respect and you're in a very congested place. Probably the most congested in the world. But you wouldn't know it. Look around us.

01:16:49 John Daub: No. Didn't he say something like, you know, homeless people? Or no people sleeping on the streets or something like this?

01:16:57 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, maybe. Yeah. I'm not sure. I got to go and see that clip again. But it's... I don't know. But it's such a... Then you get into the politics of it all and whatnot. But I thought that was funny. I thought that was funny when I saw that. I heard that from...

01:17:22 John Daub: Who is it? I forget. One of the viewers sent me clips on Instagram about his comments.

01:17:30 Peter von Gomm: But it's interesting. Those that do come here, they see how nice it is and they want to live here.

01:17:36 John Daub: Right.

01:17:36 Peter von Gomm: So I wonder if... I wonder how Japan got... I still always think about this. How Japan got from a place that no Americans wanted to come to at all to the place that's usually like one, two, or three on everybody's list of places to go.

01:17:52 John Daub: Right. Is it influencers? Is it, you know...

01:17:56 Peter von Gomm: No, it's way before that. It hasn't really changed that much. Has it?

01:18:01 John Daub: Well...

01:18:01 Peter von Gomm: You mean for... Like, I don't... Nobody... None of my friends from college or even my family wanted to come here to visit me in Japan.

01:18:18 John Daub: Okay. Then something happened around 2015, 2016.

01:18:23 Peter von Gomm: Well... Now everybody wants to come. Even before that. I mean, Japan has always had this kind of, you know, quirky aesthetic and the subculture stuff. And people have always been intrigued by that.

01:18:35 John Daub: Yeah. My sister came here in the 90s when it was super expensive.

01:18:40 Peter von Gomm: Oh, yeah. It was like double. It was... What was it? 50 cents to the... To the dollar's offering. It was the opposite of what... In the 80s, the bubble era was like 65, 70 yen to the dollar.

01:18:56 John Daub: Yeah. It's pretty crazy. So, and she came here with her friend and they had an awesome time. This is way back before the buzz of social media.

01:19:05 Peter von Gomm: Right. So, people have been coming here for ages. But, you know, obviously the social media thing has really kickstarted it.

01:19:12 John Daub: Oh, I'm sure. It must be the social media.

01:19:15 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. It must be as well. The yang. We got in here writing... Hi.

01:19:25 John Daub: Kishijiji. I can't see it.

01:19:27 Peter von Gomm: It's probably a little bit of that. But they had anime back then too.

01:19:33 John Daub: Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. I remember my friend Patrick Galbraith, he came here because he was impacted. He lived in Montana and Alaska, like in the middle of nowhere. Okay. He didn't have a lot of friends. But he connected with manga, anime so much he came here and got a doctorate in otaku studies, informational sciences from Todai.

01:19:51 Peter von Gomm: Wow. He's crazy.

01:19:51 John Daub: That's cool. But, you know, it's a gateway, I guess, into Japan. But it's not manga. You walk around here. People don't have blue hair walking around and cosplay. That's a huge misconception, I think. In Japan?

01:20:06 Peter von Gomm: In Tokyo. It's a very conservative culture.

01:20:09 John Daub: I see them all the time.

01:20:10 Peter von Gomm: Now... I'm the only one wearing shorts, okay?

01:20:16 John Daub: Yeah.

01:20:16 Peter von Gomm: I was going to ask you about that, by the way.

01:20:19 John Daub: I got the soul of a 12-year-old. And the legs of a...

01:20:26 Peter von Gomm: A 12-year-old.

01:20:28 John Daub: From behind, you'd think I was a 12-year-old.

01:20:32 Peter von Gomm: Right, with gray hair.

01:20:34 John Daub: Well, I said you had to be kind of a distance. Yeah. I'm not sure. And squint. And squint really hard.

01:20:46 Peter von Gomm: But, yeah, it's a really good question. You know? What kind of kick-started this boom of people coming here? I'm not suggesting anime or manga, because a lot of people come here don't like anime or manga. It's... It's decades and generations of people talking about Japan and how special it is.

01:21:07 John Daub: Oh, do you think the world's gotten more dangerous?

01:21:10 Peter von Gomm: Well, that too.

01:21:10 John Daub: Dangerous world! That too. The only safe place you can come to is Japan! Forget France and Italy. the population here is gonna boom!

01:21:21 Peter von Gomm: I don't think that's gonna happen.

01:21:23 John Daub: Well, you never know. More people will have to speak English. But, you know, like I said, my dad was here for a year and a half. He was always talking about Japan. You had a connection.

01:21:39 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. People didn't, though.

01:21:41 John Daub: Well, that's one example. That's one example. But, you know, as kids we saw what was it, Mahagogo, which is Speed Racer. Go Speed Racer! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hard Star Blazer. All these Japanese anime. Way back in the... that was the 70s, right? It was so unique and so colorful and bright.

01:22:02 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, it was different. And innocent.

01:22:07 John Daub: There was a little bit of that, too. But, you know, I think when you do come and move here, I didn't... I wasn't somebody who wanted, as I said in the beginning all along, I'm not somebody who was attracted to Japan for the reasons that a lot of people come here to move here. I was a backpacker. My friend, my college roommate, he studied Japanese. He was kind of this guy who loved this Asian fetish. He came here for the girls and martial arts. But he was a Japanese major in college. He had a futon in Ohio State. Like, why are you sleeping on the floor, dude?

01:22:44 Peter von Gomm: You didn't know what you were missing.

01:22:45 John Daub: I didn't know! But then after I finished backpacking the first time, and I went all through Europe and India and Nepal, I came back and I didn't have money, so I needed to get a job to do it again. There were more places I wanted to see. And if social media and YouTube was around then, I would have been one of these globetrotting YouTubers for sure. I'm sure of it. But we didn't have anything back then. We had Hotmail.

01:23:16 Peter von Gomm: I was doing it before Hotmail.

01:23:18 John Daub: Who took care of Kiki when you were backpacking in Europe?

01:23:22 Peter von Gomm: I got Kiki in 2010. Not 1996.

01:23:27 John Daub: So Kiki was here in Japan?

01:23:29 Peter von Gomm: Kiki wasn't even born yet. You said 2010. We're talking different generations. I thought you had Kiki in America. When you were in America.

01:23:41 John Daub: No. It was here in Japan. Yeah, pictures were of Kiki.

01:23:46 Peter von Gomm: Ah. These are from... I don't know. Did you have kanji for that? Ah, what a cutie pie. Is that cheese? Or rice?

01:24:00 John Daub: Rice. Okay. Rice is nice.

01:24:08 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. Huh. There you have it. I've done a lot of stuff before YouTube started, which is a darn shame. I think I... I'm glad that I was able to catch the wave and be able to do this back in 2012, 2013. Right. But dang, we've been in entertainment for quite a long time here. I remember I have some pictures I found. Um, what is this? 2000 and uh... I've been on a lot of these TV shows where they put American on there and they make you write stuff. Right. And I think this is one with a lot of celebrities who are on this NHK drama.

01:24:57 John Daub: The thing is though, like, I thought that this was like a zoo. This girl is from Russia. What's her name? Jennifer?

01:25:05 Peter von Gomm: Jenya.

01:25:08 John Daub: I just felt like it was like a zoo in there and we were like... just a curiosity that the Japanese had.

01:25:17 Peter von Gomm: Right, like you're like zoo animals.

01:25:19 John Daub: Right. Jennifer does a lot of these variety types of shows. I think you have to be the kind of person that likes that. Right. It's kind of neat to hang out with the other people, but I never got into it. But I could have. I didn't like it. I don't know. You've done those?

01:25:39 Peter von Gomm: No. I've never done those.

01:25:40 John Daub: No. You had to speak Japanese though. That was another thing. Like, I didn't know what I was saying at the time. I still don't.

01:25:49 Peter von Gomm: Well, you do the... the news programs, right? Yeah, the TV, the Inbound and... How'd the last one go, by the way? That was last week.

01:25:57 John Daub: It went okay. Talking about cherry blossoms and meeting the expectations and how a lot of viewers don't see it the same way that the Japanese do. It's an attraction, like Tokyo Tower, Skytree, a reason to come and see Japan. For us, it's like a season. It's a feeling. It's kind of a... It's different. Right. And I think I gave some pretty good insight. I don't know what I'm saying half the time on that show either.

01:26:27 Peter von Gomm: But I remember, you know, this is 14 years... 13 years ago? 14 years ago? For NHK, going around Osaka, Dotonbori, eating stuff and having the camera. This is all before YouTube. Street food stuff. You know? So...

01:26:49 John Daub: Gosh, I wish they had it back here when I started. But technology has evolved so much. Japan has evolved with that technology, you know? Right. And... They had beta cams and cassettes. Did you want to get something to eat at that place? That place is one block down and over. One block this way?

01:27:16 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. We can go down to the next... We can go through here. By the Imperial Palace.

01:27:21 John Daub: Oh, yeah. Okay.

01:27:28 Peter von Gomm: I don't know. What do you guys think? There's some people that have been here for a while. David Kimura is here. You got it, David.

01:27:39 John Daub: Thanks for joining us.

01:27:44 Peter von Gomm: So, what's next on your plate here? You got... You got the video published. The channel's doing pretty good.

01:27:56 John Daub: Yeah. Yeah. You know, I put a little service announcement in the video. Okay. Uh... Because I checked analytics. We check analytics. You probably check them a lot more than I do.

01:28:14 Peter von Gomm: I don't check it that much.

01:28:15 John Daub: Well, but... I mean, this is your main gig.

01:28:21 Peter von Gomm: Uh... But I checked it and there's some alarming statistics. So, the Tokyo Motorcycle show from last year had 2.1 million views. 99.1% of viewers are not subscribed to the channel. 99.1%. That's a lot. It makes my legs wobble. So, I, uh... I put a public service announcement in the video and I just said, hey guys, you know, that stat is a little bit alarming, you know. Do me a solid and I will continue to make... Is it working?

01:29:03 John Daub: Yeah. That's all it takes. A little nudge. People... A lot of people just don't think about it. They watch YouTube videos. Well, they see it just like once or twice a year though, right? With these events.

01:29:21 Peter von Gomm: Well... So, they don't know if it's worth subscribing. There's several. I have a lot of videos on there. Bike stuff on there. It's not quite related. It's not quite the same niche.

01:29:35 John Daub: Well, yeah. I mean, it's still... I had a video on history. Nobody watched it. I did a food video. Everybody watched it. It's just sort of... It's weird like that. Yeah. But, it's... As a viewer, YouTube viewer, I always... And this is because I'm involved in it also, but I always at least give a thumbs up when I watch somebody's video.

01:30:01 Peter von Gomm: Yeah.

01:30:01 John Daub: And, if it's something that I feel like I want to see more of, or I'm really into motorcycles, or really into camera equipment, or whatever, then I'll subscribe to the channel. If you're into motorcycles and gears and life in Japan, then you would subscribe to BBG's channel. Sure. Or to Jon's.

01:30:27 Peter von Gomm: Am I subscribed? But, it's not, you know... People think like they're doing us this huge favor by... Terrance is here. Terrance, your content is great.

01:30:45 John Daub: Oh, thank you. Thank you. Yeah. They feel like it's like a lifelong contract if they subscribe to our channel. It's like...

01:30:57 Peter von Gomm: It is. It isn't.

01:30:59 John Daub: Oh, it's not? You can very quickly unsubscribe if you don't want to be part of it.

01:31:03 Peter von Gomm: Really?

01:31:03 John Daub: Yeah. But it does us a huge favor because we can then get sponsors, we can make our productions bigger. How'd you become a YouTuber? Who encouraged you to do it?

01:31:15 Peter von Gomm: You did. And you regretted every minute of it.

01:31:20 John Daub: Are you kidding me? I'm happy.

01:31:22 Peter von Gomm: Alright, let's keep going down. Michael Sassano is here. Thank you, buddy. Michael. Haven't heard from him in a while. Yeah, I'm looking for... Brandy's coming to visit as well from Hawaii. We have a Hawaiian family.

01:31:41 John Daub: Do you ever go to Hawaii?

01:31:43 Peter von Gomm: Oh yeah, I got married in Hawaii. Really?

01:31:47 John Daub: Yeah. In Kauai.

01:31:49 Peter von Gomm: Kauai Island. Yeah.

01:31:51 John Daub: Beautiful. I wanna... see if I can go back this year. I went last year in June. It was so awesome. And we went... I did a meet up and there were like a hundred... it felt like a hundred people were there.

01:32:07 Peter von Gomm: Wow. Everybody brought gifts. That's great. I had to get a suitcase.

01:32:11 John Daub: I remember I looked at Brandy and was like, how am I gonna take all this stuff back?

01:32:17 Peter von Gomm: I don't think I can fit it all. Did somebody... did you get laid?

01:32:23 John Daub: Oh, we got laid. I got laid.

01:32:32 Peter von Gomm: That's great, man.

01:32:33 John Daub: Yeah, we haven't... you should do a meet up here in Tokyo. Bring your your posse. Yeah, we should do it. Why don't you join us then? You've been in one of our meet ups, haven't you?

01:32:49 Peter von Gomm: Well, here's what I wanna do and I'll propose this to you live.

01:32:55 John Daub: Okay. We've talked about a Yakatabune meet up. I have, yes.

01:33:01 Peter von Gomm: I was looking into that too. We should do it. The prices got really high though.

01:33:07 John Daub: They're still cheaper ones. We can talk about that. I went back and asked them, like, wait, that's double what you wanted during the pandemic and he goes, yeah, well I'm double busy now.

01:33:25 Peter von Gomm: Oh, shoot. Great, great. But, if you haven't been, if you're coming to Tokyo, you gotta do a Yakatabune ride. They're awesome. Those are the real the flat bottom. So you wanna get one of those?

01:33:43 John Daub: Yeah. I think if we get enough people though, cause I don't think I could put the bill. Well, we'd have to find out, get some heads, get people to put a deposit down.

01:33:57 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. And then we reserve the boat and we have our own private Only in Japan YouTube Yakatabune. Only in Japan. Peter Vong Gong Japan Cross Collaboration, so nobody comes, you'll have to split half of it, then I reduce the risk.

01:34:24 John Daub: I don't know about that. I'm sure it'll be fine. But, they're awesome. Goes through Tokyo Bay at night. Yeah. You can see the Rainbow Bridge, great food. You can create your own course. You don't have to do the same thing.

01:34:41 Peter von Gomm: Some of them have Teppanyaki, which you can cook Okonomiyaki. Yep. Those are a little bit pricey. Monjayaki. Yeah. It might be better just to get some bentos and eat it like that. It's probably easier to clean.

01:35:03 John Daub: Or you wanna cook. Dude, we're not They do all the clean up.

01:35:09 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, but do you really wanna cook on the floor? Well, that's part of the fun of it. They show you, the staff shows you how to make the Monjayaki. That really escalates the price too.

01:35:21 John Daub: Well, anyhow. This food's a thought. Not everybody can I'm only saying that some people are on a budget that wanna go on this kind of stuff. Well, look. I'm kind of mindful of that. Here's, here's Ichiman Nissan, 12,000 yen. For an American how much is that? About 70 bucks?

01:35:48 Peter von Gomm: 75 dollars.

01:35:49 John Daub: For a an unforgettable memory Two and a half hours on Tokyo Bay. I don't know. Depending on how much I drink, it could be quite forgettable.

01:36:03 Peter von Gomm: Johnny D. That's worth it. That's value for money, baby.

01:36:12 John Daub: Ikin writes in here, my Kushitani motorcycle leather jacket is brilliant. It's my go-to jacket, hot or cold. It was a great recommendation. So was the Cardo gear.

01:36:24 Peter von Gomm: Oh, awesome. That's good to hear. That's pretty cool. Yeah, the Cardo stuff worked really good in our I was impressed. Except when you went like 80 miles per hour down the highway and you're like one kilometer down the road, I couldn't hear anything. And you're like, where are you? I said, look, I told you before you even started this, I'm not going to exceed the speed limit.

01:36:49 John Daub: I'm like a granny. A newbie.

01:36:53 Peter von Gomm: You don't understand how scary it was. Let's cross here. Peter, I went right on the highway. Yeah, I know you did. I went from the baptism by fire. From the course to the highway. See, look how fast he's walking now. Come on, come on. He's trying to Oh, okay, it's blinking.

01:37:24 John Daub: Yeah, the Kushitani stuff, Ikin, is freaking awesome. They make that stuff really well. I still got my jacket and I wear that too. My sweat, my hoodie, I wear that all year round.

01:37:42 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, that's a nice jacket.

01:37:43 John Daub: It's black though, so it's hot in the summer.

01:37:47 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, well, yeah, spring, fall, perfect.

01:37:53 John Daub: Thick, high quality, good stuff. Photo Look Hawaii's here, the two best Japan YouTubers.

01:38:00 Peter von Gomm: Oh, that's nice, guys. Thanks. I was saying that, shout out to Cheryl and Austin as well.

01:38:09 John Daub: Mahalo. Yeah, hey guys. Yeah. Thank you always for the Christmas cards. Yes. I always get them from Peter.

01:38:24 Peter von Gomm: Where'd you park? So, I'm one block over.

01:38:28 John Daub: Oh, okay. This is the lunch place. The lunch place is up on the corner here.

01:38:33 Peter von Gomm: Christina's here, grab a snack for your kiddo.

01:38:35 John Daub: Oh, thank you. We've been watching you for years. Hope to see you walking around in July. I will be here. I will be here. I might go to the US in the summer. We're thinking June, around the July 4th weekend. I'm not quite sure yet, but I'll be around. I'll be around. Be nice to see everybody. Right over here, they're getting ready to tear this down. This is the old meteorological building, I believe. You can see the old towers are abandoned right now. Look at that.

01:39:14 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. And back behind here is where they were doing the mass inoculations during the Big Key.

01:39:20 John Daub: I remember that. They had the buses. They commissioned the Hato buses for the tourists. No tourists were here, so they used that to get shuttle old people coming to get vaccinated.

01:39:32 Peter von Gomm: Doesn't that feel, that whole era feel like a lifetime ago? It does. It's just a bizarre moment in time. It's very weird.

01:39:44 John Daub: Sometimes I would park my scooter. Over here there's like a there's just a walk area that takes you over to the toward Nihonbashi. Yeah, this is Otemachi, right? Back here. Yeah, Otemachi is behind us. But, so there's a place where I was parking my scooter and the patrol guys, not the cops, but the patrol, local patrol guys.

01:40:09 Peter von Gomm: He's like, Sumose, Sumose, you can't park here.

01:40:13 John Daub: Oh, those guys. Okay, like the parking mirth guys.

01:40:15 Peter von Gomm: So I did it again, like a month later. Same guy? And the same guy came by. Oh, he knows you. You're unforgettable. Yeah. I see him kind of, his partner, he's like, stop, stop, stop, stop. And he gets out, he comes running, Sumose, Sumose, I told you don't park here. Next time I'm calling the police. I was like, well dude, then tell me where am I going to park my bike? Yeah, please call the police so I can ask them where I can park my bike. Yeah, there's no friggin' parking around here.

01:40:50 John Daub: So, anyhow, he was all flustered, and then he parted, and I found that building that I parked under.

01:41:02 Peter von Gomm: But here's another funny story, this one's even better. Hang on. So right over here, in these bushes, You did not put your bike in the bushes.

01:41:17 John Daub: No, no, no. Is this where this is going? So there was these young guys, skateboarders, and they're in here, and they're like looking around, making sure nobody's watching, and they go into the bushes, and they pull out a ramp. A pre-built ramp.

01:41:36 Peter von Gomm: That's so smart! I know! And so they're like, they're doing the jumps, and you know, and all the stuff, and I was just laughing. And they just have it hidden right in the bushes there. Awesome. That's so smart!

01:41:50 John Daub: Yeah, dude, it's not trash, usually people will do stuff like that. It was genius. I don't know as much now as they used to. You'll see stuff like that at somebody's house, I'm sure.

01:42:03 Peter von Gomm: Yeah. Right there for example. Yeah, you can hide them in the bushes, that's funny.

01:42:09 John Daub: But usually parking, there's something that's, you know, the one thing I learned about in Japan is personal property is really respected here. So if you leave a bag on a table, first of all, I always think that's like a bomb threat. You do that in another country, you put your personal belongings and you walk to a different floor to pick up your coffee, you can't do that in some countries, right? In Japan, people still do that.

01:42:35 Peter von Gomm: I think that that's pretty bad, leaving your personal belongings like that behind, or your cell phone at a table and walking away.

01:42:43 John Daub: Well that's how you save the space, right?

01:42:45 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, that's how they save the space.

01:42:47 John Daub: Only in Japan, right? But people are very respectful of personal belongings, including your bicycle, and very often they'll give you a little ticket or a little tag, but they won't move it, right? It takes a lot for them to move your personal belongings. After the great tsunami and the earthquake in 2011, they found cars in fields, but they couldn't move it because they couldn't find the owner because of the personal belonging world, so they left it there for months until they could get a court order to move it. You see that around Tokyo too, with scooters, there'll be multiple tags on it, like, this is going to be impounded, but it's there for months. Eventually, they need a court order or something because of personal belongings, so when somebody puts down something, you do not have the right to move it.

01:43:37 Peter von Gomm: That's, like these little teeny and this is stuff you don't know because nobody knows really the laws of Japan, many of them are ancient. But you have to learn them while you live here and you learn to respect it, and once you know the rules, then you can kind of break them, but if you don't know the rules, you can get in trouble.

01:43:56 John Daub: Well not break them, but bend them. Bend them. Right? Well that's what I mean. I said this before in another live stream, I said I used to teach in a bit at executive, this guy was really high up there, and he said, I only say that because of his experience, and he said look, I tell the young people, learn the rules before you break them.

01:44:21 Peter von Gomm: Right, right. Because if you do that, then you're going to be very successful. You don't piss off the clients, but you also innovate. Sure, sure. So I thought that was really interesting.

01:44:32 John Daub: By the way.

01:44:33 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, okay, let's do it. It's called Run Cube. Yeah, this is a cool place. Oh, they didn't have a different name last time you were here? Possibly, possibly, yeah. You can control the food and the portions and stuff.

01:44:53 John Daub: Tokyo Athlete Shokudo. Interesting. It's a community, it's a runner's community space. There's another one in the building where I parked my motorcycle, there's a runner's community space as well. It looks very healthy.

01:45:16 Peter von Gomm: Yeah, it's great. It's really good, and it's reasonable. It's like a thousand yen, a thousand two hundred yen.

01:45:24 John Daub: Any questions? I don't think we got any, but you can leave them in the comments below. Definitely check out his channel. PeterVonGomJapan, all one word. So youtube.com slash atmark PeterVonGomJapan. And the link is in the description of the video. As well. Go check it out.

01:45:50 Peter von Gomm: Thanks for joining us. I know it's been a long time. Maybe the next one won't be so long.

01:45:57 John Daub: Yeah, maybe you'll have another hamster by the time I see you.

01:46:01 Peter von Gomm: Maybe that, I don't know. Maybe you'll have another kid by the time I see you. Who knows what's going on.

01:46:08 John Daub: Just don't name the kid Kiki, whatever you do. What's wrong with that name?

01:46:14 Peter von Gomm: I was on the list.

01:46:15 John Daub: Alright. Thanks guys.

01:46:17 Peter von Gomm: See you guys.

Related Episodes