The REAL Reason I Finally Bought a Car & My Honest Opinion on Ryotaro's New Channel | Patreon Exclusive Video

I'm up for more scary stuff. And by "up for more scary stuff" I mean I sit here wrapped in my blanket with a cup of hot cocoa safe inside watching you go out and do scary stuff. =D

Ryotaro's channel proves that just because you're a native speaker, it doesn't mean that you can teach your language. Further proof is given by most American and British people speaking terrible English lol

I, for one, would love to see more videos of inappropriately upbeat music for creepy places

#AskAbroad When traveling in Japan by car a 4 or 5 years ago we noticed nobody had their headlights on during the day, or even during the evening or when it was raining. In many countries it has been mandatory for a while and here in Switzerland i was thought to do it in driving school almost 20 years ago, even though it wasn't mandatory. So far so good. But what baffled me was that at petrol stations they staff always signaled us to turn off the lights, often they even reached into the car through the open window and turned it off themselves. Unfortunately my Japanese wasn't good enough back then to ask what the hell that was all about. Do you have any idea? As a second question: The speed limits outside of settlements are ridiculous, usually 50 km/h, rarely 60 km/h, and obviously nobody seems to follow these speed limits because they make no sense considering how good the roads are. What are your experiences/thoughts about this?

Naryoril

I feel you, Chris. After not having a car for a few years (and not having a working one for even longer), I bought one in March. Just in time to... not be able to go anywhere because everything's closed. At least it's nice to take long drives just to be somewhere else for a while.

You what I almost didn’t go for the 2 dollar tier, but you know what? I’m glad I’m here 👍😀

I like Ryotaro's new channel. He is very funny and intertaining, and I always liked the way he's speaking and explaining stories about japan and it's culture. For the japanese lesson episodes I think it's a very creative way of leaning some basic phrases. Personally it's not working for me saying "Ali mask on" but for someone like my brothers, who's not interested in learning japanese, this sentence works because it is easy to remember.

#AskAbroad Q1 wouldn't it be fun to do a sort of video chat with Natsuki, Riottoro, Charla, Joey, and others to see how they are doing in these indoor times? Q2 Did you take some time to study your Japanese for the N2 (or was it N1?) test that you talked about doing (on the podcast I think it was)?

#AskAbroad Does tomato ketchup belong in the fridge or the cupboard?

Matthew

#AskAbroad Whats your favorite drink?

#AskAbroad What countries would you like to visit before you die?

#AskAbroad I'm planning a trip to Hokkaido for the 2022 Sapporo Snow Festival (Changed my plans from 2021 because of the virus that shall not be named) and found another snow festival a short distance away in Asahikawa. Have you ever been to Asahikawa? It looks like another good snow festival but seems less talked about and less crowded than Sapporo.

Daas

#AskAbroad what is the process for you to choose where to go or what to review for your videos? Do you approach them or do they approach you to be featured? Love the food you feature although we can't eat them (halal food only) but it's nice to live vicariously through you. Cheers! From Singapore

Totally up with the idea on how's using a car in Japan. Both inside cities and the country side. I've driven in several countries and sometimes you stumble into ridiculous rules or just weird stuff that may take you by surprise being a driver. For example, when I went to Dallas, TX it drove me mad that signaling for exits and road names were sometimes just where the exit is so I had no time to exit by the time I managed to read the road sign

Gus Elizondo

#AskAbroad Q1. Do you have any knowledge/advice of the Working Holiday Visa. Q2. Any advice for settling in when moving to Japan? Thanks for all the great content, inspired me to look to trying the above Visa (UK resident), when things are back to normal

Q1 - Yeah have always loved Ryotaro/Rissotaro's cameo's on your channel... but one of the first things I actually thought watching his first couple of episodes was your YouTube Tutorial/TED Talk where you said (simplified) "avoid like f*ck talking at a camera for a long period on a blank background"... which was exactly what drew my attention in his vids, even though I really like him (but I also get with the COVID ClusterF*ck) what else can he do, but it was noticeable... 2. You look real slim and sexy in your fenders reflection (Nice Car – Never Buy a black car in Australia unless you want everything in your wallet to melt/warp)... 3. Please do some Shikoku adventures, I will probably beat you there if I can ever get in, but the 88+ temple trail and the hot spring pilgrimage to me is one of the biggest most appealing things to me who likes hiking... but if you don't want to hike they apparently have trains all around... for you less walkie... inclined... folk... 4. Even though you didn't say it I would still like to see your booger ridden Kyushu vids... I was supposed to move to move to Fukuoka on 7APR, 14APR, 7MAY and next attempt is 4JUN and I know you cut a lot of that work out cause you were crook... don't worry mate, you're still be beautiful to me, just show me what ya did... 5. Yes, yes to scary vids... If I finally get over there I will help you out, I have been to places far scarier than dead tunnels, but I won't be a dick about it (like Joey) because I want the truth of a place and not cheap crap myself (but will help you make Joey sh*t himself too as payback – we’re both Aussie so I get a free pass to say 'aye gotcha c*nt') ... 5.5. Yeah I can be your recon guy in creepy places, you're right, avoid seeing things you can't unsee (trust me, you can’t unsee)... but if I am not at school I am happy to be your "editor" maybe editor isn’t right, maybe filter would be a better word ... I may be at school but… I don't know... maybe "let's be a happiness buffer" if I was a Japanglish product, working as your temp in horror video situation, but I’d totally be up for an adventure... 6. Yes you have survived 7/11 (seven eleven food – not a date like some sad American calendar memory)... but I think that it was cause that was the only Vegan things you could find on your Journey Across Japan Challenge... so one day not seven… So seven days of that sh*t is gunna suck bigtime!

Absolutely love the idea for Abroad in a Car! Lol the travel videos will always be my favorite, and with the car it’ll help you get to some of the places that are off the beaten path. Can’t wait for the pandemic to end so you can get back out there!

#AskAbroad When are we going to see a food challenge showdown between you, Natsuki and Risottoro?

#AskAbroad I don't know if anyone has ask this, so sorry if someone did and you already answered. Which status allow you to stay in Japan after you quit being English teacher?

A bit late to the video but still: I would love to see some more scary and abandoned places in Japan! Been thinking about visiting some of them during my second trip to Japan (which was supposed to happen in October but who knows...).

Yeah his audio is all over the place. I did give him a stern lecture on the importance of sound and here's hoping he takes note for the next video!

Abroad in Japan

#AskAbroad When are you going to give us an apartment tour?

Michelle Mundling

I think I remember Chris talking about this before: they're usually in the onsen really early in the morning when no one is around and then Chris covers up Ryotaro's (small) tattoo in the editing process. There are lists online of onsens that allow tattoos so maybe they are slowly getting more lenient, but most places still don't allow them.

Eels

#AskAbroad You had mentioned Ryotaro has a tattoo and yet you guys were able to go to onsens—Joey, however, had said that a lot of onsens have signs posted saying "no tattoos allowed" does this mean that you guys had special permission or are some onsens more lenient? (I have a lot of visible tattoos fyi in case the answer is "we just sort of snuck in and hoped no one would notice"). Thanks for your time!

Chauncy

#AskAbroad What is the best apartment-booking company/app for long stays (3 to 6 months) in Japan (but mainly Tokyo)?

#AskAbroad Of all the times Risottoro has tried to murder you, when has he come the closest?

#AskAbroad Do you have any favorite temples and shrines in Japan?

Lucca Saraiva

#AskAbroad Have you thought about traveling anywhere in the United States, if so when/where?.... Where would Natsuki want to visit if you did make the trip with him?

I second the hot sauce question! I hope it returns with a fiery vengence!

Adam Penner

#AskAbroad Will the hot sauce be making any more appearances? Or has it retired to a secluded island after accomplishing its mission and assassinating two people? Follow-up question: How does Ryotaro feel that The Last Dab is a more successful assassin than he is?

Argus9 (Jonathan)

#AskAbroad Do you plan to re-visit some of the locations you touched on in Journey Across Japan? Through your JAJ videos, there was various locations where it felt like you wanted to spend more time there and with the surrounding location, such as Kanazawa City. I would love to see some of those locations that stood out to you in a more extended view or just another look. As for Ryotaro's Channel, I don't think I have an actual criticism... just I would love to know what he plans to do with the channel as a whole, the theme around it or if he plans to continue it when the pandemic is over! For car suggestions, I love the mini JAJ series idea as a Journey Across Japan fan. There's a lot of untouched locations, cities even in the prefectures you did visit. Shikoku would be great because there's nothing on it almost (I think.) For your "haunted" series, I don't know if you'll take this into suggestion, but maybe try locations that are tied to Japanese folklore? like that last shrine one was really cool. I think it'd set yourself apart from the other "explorers" if it covered places with Yokai lore or "Japanese-like" spirit stories if that makes sense! Otherwise, it's an awesome idea from you. I love it.

H J

Please do more scary videos! My wife and I love watching videos about those types of places. My favorite place to vacation in the US is actually Salem, Massachusetts. Scary is always interesting!

Matthew Cirilli

#AskAbroad As someone who is moving to Japan this year on the Jet Program (hopefully, you damn Coronavirus) I wanted to ask you about work post-JET. I was wondering if you had any insight about finding work with foreigners and helping them come to Japan much like Gaijinpot or GoGoNihon? Keep up the good work as always!

Joel Mitchell

#AskAbroad after your great documentary about The rock legend Hyde. How would you most like to interview next?

Wayne Grover

#AskAbroad Hi Chris hope you are well! I was meant to be on university exchange in Tokyo this semester but unfortunately everything got cancelled and I had to come back to Australia. I was able to travel before that during March, but because I entered on a student visa I was unable to get any tourist rail passes. Do you know of any other ways to save money on trains without spending a ridiculous amount of time travelling? Are there any other options for people not entering on a tourist visa? Thank you and stay safe!

#AskAbroad Have you considered doing the Extreme Tourism thing? You know, pick a town you've never been to at random, jump on the train by yourself and explore it, meet the people. And of course, film it, That kind of thing seems popular. Ah yes, the 2015 Honda Fit...Black Edition. That's the one with 546 hp AMG engine and Jeremy Clarkson stamp of approval. I know it well. Definitely not something James May would drive. This is no Dacia Sandero, let me tell you.

#AskAbroad Have you ever driven a car onto an inter-island ferry? Driving a vehicle INSIDE another vehicle makes you feel a different kind of powerful - a feeling that I cannot explain. I've only had the pleasure once on my 3-week campervan trip from the Northern tip of NZ to the Southern tip. I know you said you didn't want to start anything too big, but would you consider doing a roadtrip from the Northern tip of Japan to the Southern? Or even the full diamond (North-East-South-West tips)? Before you say no, think of the number of ferries you would be driving onto. The power you will possess will eclipse that of any person before you!

#AskAbroad Hey Chris, do you ever plan on coming to New Zealand in the near future? Or are there any places that you’ve really been meaning to explore outside of Japan... many thanks for your amazing work!

#AskAbroad How do you see the Japanese language developing in the decades to come? For example, do you think gairaigo will continue to develop, do you think Japanese people will further improve their English skills, do you ever think they’d stop using kanji?

Doug

#AskAbroad Hi Chris can we still send you things in the post and if so what would you like from Britain? Name it and i will try send it. Love your content Chris thank you for all you do, you truly are the greatest YouTube’s out there!!!

Benjamin McKechnie

#AskAbroad How would you recommend socializing with local Japanese people while doing a working holiday alone?

#AskAbroad Hi Chris! We've come to know and love you for your connoisseurship of fancy restaurants and fried chicken. Would you be up for doing a brief 'What I eat in a day' a la YouTuber meme? Thank you!

Dmajor7th

#AskAbroad Hey Chris, thanks for all your awesome content over the years, its been a wild ride :D. Question: what do you think will change, if anything, in Japan after COVID-19 is over?

#AskAbroad I spent the past weekend reading about konkatsu (婚活) in Japan (fell into a google search rabbit hole). In the podcast, you've mentioned that marriage in Japan seems to be more business-like. Interested to hear your thoughts on why the pressure to get married is still pretty intense in Japan? Is the pressure typically on women or men, or both?

Great idea, looking forward to the central Japan content!

Johannes

#askabroad what would you recommend to someone starting up an YouTube / twitch channel

Yannick van Gennip

#AskAbroad what are your favorite places for night life photography? The most recent time I went to Japan I couldn't think of anything other than Shinjuku in Tokyo, and, to be honest, those photos came out great, but are there are any other gems you've discovered?

#AskAbroad If you could take one thing from Japan and put it in the UK, what would it be and why? Also, would love to hear tips on adapting to a new culture from you and Ryotoro. You both have moved to/from Japan, maybe compare the two?

Have you ever thought about making a video in Otaru in the future? Though it isn't as old as Hakodate, I believe there's still quite a lot of history and interesting things I'd like to see you cover.

Akira Satoh

I standby what I wrote before on your post, his method of learning is not a romaji method its just his method of learning it the "easy" way. #ASKABROAD do you find japanese tend to be a hoarder? Because in some cases you can't just throw away unused item either that you have to pay a sum of money just to get rid off it.

Niken Larasati

#AskAbroad: Just a new follower wondering what happened to the 80s themed merch? I really wanted the black background "like a magic" mug.

#AskAbroad I've heard you talk about your video making process in the past and it seems like you can be a bit of a perfectionist. How do you make sure this doesn't become a hindrance and prevent you from uploading content for fear that it isn't exactly how you imagined it.

Now, I know you want to get fit...but this isn't the way to do it.... ;)

Buzzin

I would love for you to release videos on exploring abandoned places - I’m a big fan of The Proper People (urban explorers on you tube, they have explored in Japan too)

Becks

#AskAbroad Hey Chris, regarding you visiting Shikoku Island in the future I heard you can go river rafting there. Would you actually do it? I think it would be fun to see you do it. :)

Xenin

#askabroad I am a keen hiker and I understand there has been a boom in hiking in Japan in recent years. Have you been on any hiking trails and would you consider doing a video on it if you did? It would be a good way to fill in those gaps in places you've visited in central Japan.

I watched 'Spirited Away' yesterday with my kids, and the tunnel that Chihiro uses to get into the other world reminded us of the 'haunted tunnel' in your video. The 80s abandoned sites in this video look like they were an inspiration for the opening scenes too.

Abandoned creepy places, love it. Take Norm! You make a good team.

Elaine Sparklemonkey Campbell

Bring back Dr. Jelly as a series 😉

Take the honda fit pvc drifting with Alexi!

#askabroad What are some of your favorite Japanese movies/literature?

Dusty B

#askabroad do you have favorite kanji?

rafa UGM

I am SO STOKED for Abandoned Japan videos. I've always had a deep adoration for abandoned places. As far as spooky, I hope you'll do something highlighting the Obon Festival later this year. I've only just recently heard of it, and I found the whole practice of lighting lanterns for the dead and sending them across water to be mesmerizing and beautiful.

Lady Long Limbs

#askabroad will you ever make a video about Ken Watanabe?

rafa UGM

Sorry but I hope you don't do many (or any more) "creepy" videos - sorry but just see nothing interesting in people saying things are creepy/scary/haunted and as you said playing the same type of audio. I would definitely rate them as the least interesting

#AskAbroad My question would be on how tattoos are seen in Japan. Acceptance or a big no? That said thank you for the warm welcome Chris, really your corner of the net in an amazing place, so much to see, so much to enjoy, so many things to discover! On the down side now I know that I have to loose weight before setting a foot in Japan ^^; !

Luciano Arrieta Martins

#AskAbroad What are the university facilities like in Japan and would you recommend that a foreign student (i.e. me) could attempt to embark on such a journey?

I do find Ryotaro's approach unnecessarily convoluted, although if you only want to memorize a couple of sentences for a holiday I guess it could work. As for the intro it feels a bit like he found a free template in iMovie and just used that, lol, did you give him some "tips", Chris? : P

Eels

Last summer I ate only 7/11 food for a month while in Japan. And I'm a vegetarian. Onigiri and fruits saved me from dying! :D I also ate natto sometimes as they say it's nutritious. That was quite an experience!

#AskAbroad If you could unwatch one movie (besides E.T.), what would it be and why?

Eels

#askabroad are you going to bring back the goatee you had after journey across japan?

rafa UGM

Feedback for Ryotaro's channel: good idea, but execution could be much better. He talks way too slow. All of his subscribers will (at least for now) be the people who watched your videos. Therefore they will be used to your well-prepared and rehearsed lines and your fluent way of talking. You will notice that Ryotaro speaks much faster in your videos, and that is probably because he has much less screen time there (so his sentences are well-prepared) or because you edit and remove awkward silence moments in between sentences. If he would speak faster and more fluent i think that would make a world of difference. I like his content and i will keep watching his videos even if he doesnt change anything, but i thought to mention this because it kinda stands out (at least for me) . Lots of success to Ryotaro! <3

My #1 burning question is (still): how on earth did you manage to write those Japanese phrases on your left arm, being left-handed? Are you secretly ambidextrous? Did you get help? Also: love the plans for riding around Japan! I loved Ainokura, the smaller, apparently more authentic village with gassho-zukuri farmhouses (next to the one you showed, Shirakawago?). We stayed the night in one of them, being fed amazing food and 'Japan's best tap water' , and getting to see the village without loads of other tourists. It would be amazing if you could film something like that (I'd go all starry-eyed and natsukashi)! Also: very much looking forward to videos with fascinating abandoned places, even though I'm not that much into scary stuff per se :).

Nynke de Haas

#AskAbroad You have more than a million subscribers and the voice that not a lot of us have. Is there any important message that you would like to send to the people around the world or the awareness of something that you would like to raise? (in general, not just Japan-related)

#AskAbroad What has been the hardest place to get to in Japan?

#AskAbroad Outside of Sendai, where else would be your number one area to live in Japan?

Charles Waterman

#AskAbroad So it finally happens. You have a day free - no work, no editing, no responsibilities what so ever. How do you spend it? (Outside of lockdown, if its any different)

Francis M. Gallagher

To be fair, 7-11 in Japan has way better stuff than in the US, unless you want to live on pizza and taquitos.

Re teaching Japanese (and any other language); I have a degree in linguistics, and, consequently, many teacher friends. Learning by association is a topic of debate, but I think most of us don't think it's actually very useful. For the most part, associations work to remember something if you came up with them yourself. Learning kanji using associations is also useful, because it's often based on the actual language etymology. That being said, a bunch of people still enjoy learning by association, and if it helps them remember a phrase or two, I'm all for it!

#AskAbroad How is mental illness viewed in Japan? Is there a big stigma attached to those who are mentally ill? Do they have ready access to healthcare and services that will help them live happily in society?

Sammybunny711

Abroad in Japan in a car is exactly what we want 👍👍👍👍

Jashlo

This haunted/abandoned series sounds REALLY interesting. I'm not sure if this place qualifies, but a while back I was Google Maps-ing the island chain south of Tokyo. https://goo.gl/maps/cWwS2NpxGLd5F2qz6 Some of the smaller islands towards the southernmost tip of the chain seem to be partially abandoned. Might be worth looking into, though I should say that you'd have to take boats or, I think, a plane to get to the smaller islands. At least that's what I read.

Argus9 (Jonathan)

Literally surgical masks with "Ali Mask On" written on the front

Argus9 (Jonathan)

It would be interesting to see inside the convenience store. It would be good if you could do that, though I realized it may be complicated to get approval

Philippe Gosselin

Very much here for the A Fraud in Japan content

Did you go to any of the 2019 Rugby World Cup games? How has the success of the tournament changed things in Japan? #AskAbroad

Nice car. About Rissotoro's channel, let's be honest, his 30k subscribers are all from Abroad in Japan. I have only 2 items about his channel: First, sometimes it sounds like he's screaming. Second, like you I find his technics not that great... Except for the Ali one. Can't forget that one!

Philippe Gosselin

Yeah abandoned creepy series with Joseph!

Aerbi

Just waiting for the Ali Mask On merch

JBS