The unexpected reality of living in Japan as a foreigner

TOKYO GUIDEBOOK takashifromjapan.com/tokyocompleteguide

The Indian guy is spot-on. Living in Japan is just a regular life and not an anime.

“I love my normal life” Damn, do I envy that statement. That’s the dream.

The American dude who said to read Kanji and work more on speaking and pronouncing rather than writing characters is so spot on. I actually made that mistake because I tried so hard on focusing more on writing rather than speaking. But yeah, at least now I know how to study the language more effectively and smarter. Nice video, Takashi san! 素晴らしい！👌

There's a reason Rom Rom Ji is in the thumbnail. He's the second most popular youtuber in the video after Takashi with nearly 600,000 subscribers. He's also appeared in Japanese news quite a few times. I might be biased but Rom Rom Ji's content is the best among all the youtubers interviewed. It's the perfect blend of Japanese slice of life with Indian heart.

I was stationed stationed in Yokosuka in 1993. I am an XL black man and it was interesting getting all of the stares. I realized early on that they are not rude, but that most people don't see 6'5" 300lb Americans every day. I loved that everyone saw me, but no one paid attention to me. The people are insanely polite and willing to help, all you have to do is ask, respectfully!

The Brazilian guy who mentioned the “three languages” thing is interesting. I’ve never heard anyone else say that and I feel it’s super important/helpful.

My man enjoying "Tokyo Drift" A man of culture indeed. And also he's spitting truth like a fire hydrant. Normal people living a normal life.

6:16 As a foreigner in Japan, I learned that Japanese cooks are waiting for nice compliments from their customers, more especially if they are foreign customers. So a "Terrible!" response, joke or not, would certainly break their hearts.

The 2nd dude from Mexico is so right about how much cheaper the countryside is! I lived in Tokushima for 4 years and it was so incredibly cheap. I had no idea how spoiled I was until I moved to Tokyo.

I visited Japan in November 2023 and had the best time. I am a 67 year old black woman and felt very safe . I met very friendly Japanese people even in the countryside. In Minobu when I got lost and I was helped by this elderly woman who took me in her vehicle to find the place I was looking for. I also was help by a friendly young man who took me to find the exact bus stop in Kossawa. The countryside was fantastic. I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hakone, Nagoya , Hiroshima and Minobu. If I were younger I would move to Japan - Just love this place. I am hoping to visit again soon. I would encourage any older person to visit Japan. Life is a risk in everything one does is a risk; so please don't be scared. I visited alone.

@3:34 ROM ROM JI.... Love this guys video!!! @TAKASHI thanks for having him here.. :)

I love the reporter's expressions when he turns to look at the camera. The surprised and worried looks are priceless.

"people in the anime are made up characters" -my new mantra. This video was a banger, Takashii

Loved to see Pawan bro and Takashi together. Hope i see you both again ❤🎉 Both are hardworking and i really love their content so much👍 He explained really well what we have to face while living in a different country and also explained how to never give up, such a humble and honest human being RomRomJi🩵

Dude saying....."I'm I making sense right now" 😅 hes so Straight forward and to the point! 😊

I really appreciated the gentleman from Atlanta, GA speaking about streamers. I wouldn't say this applies to streamers only but to foreigners in general. I respecting the place you are visiting is basic etiquette. The culture is different, the societal norms are different. You aren't at home. You are a guest in someone else's home so act accordingly. Don't ruin the experience for all other foreigners by making an ass of yourself and giving the locals the impression that we're all like that.

I've been in Tokyo for an entire month in the cold season, with a weakened immune system (due to lack of sleep, mostly) and did not get sick, in spite of using trains and being in crowded places all the time. I think a big reason is that every time I heard someone cough or sneeze, they were also wearing a mask. In my home country, people on the metro will cough straight into your nose without covering their mouths and without caring that they might get others sick. That said, I think that the spread of disease in Tokyo is far less than it could be if people weren't so considerate of those around them.

I went to Japan for the first time this summer and loved every minute of it. Though there was one night my friends and I went to Shinjuku for karaoke and took the last train home at the end of the night. When we arrived at our station we saw a VERY drunk and oversized woman fall down and was struggling to get back on her feet. I was panicked because I wanted to help her but my Japanese is limited and I felt like that would add to misunderstanding. We did find an officer close by and he helped her. But in the time it took to get him no one helped her up. I also wanted to make friends while I was there but once we got there I felt like I'd be disturbing people if I just started talking to them so I stayed quiet. We plan to go back next year and I'll try to be braver about making friends, I'm also going to practice my Japanese more so I can communicate better.

Great job of finding a very diverse group of individuals to interview, all with intersting stories to tell.