Hey guys! Today Rachel has joined me We're gonna talk about: Japanese things that we still cannot do properly So, things in Japan that are a little different than back home, that we're still not used to The first one that comes to my mind is squat toilets Not a fan How about you? Um, I actually love squat toilets WHAT!? What do you like about them!? I'm like the weirdest person probably I've never met another foreigner who likes them I've never met anyone, no! WHY? Because they're so convenient and quick It's like a urinal for women You don't have to touch anything So it feels cleaner I don't have to clean off the toilet, or put down toilet paper That's true it's quicker because you don't have to prepare everything It just feels so awkward for me It's better for you, because it's more natural Yeah like the position of your body. I read that somewhere. I just can't do it properly I don't see how people use it without taking all their clothes off Like how do you not pee all over yourself I can not do it... It just doesn't work I'm gonna make the worst video tutorial in the world You're gonna make a tutorial!? Like in a bathing suit, just pull down my shorts This is how you position yourself Ok, yeah so squat toilets are one of the things I cannot get used to In most cases they will have... you can choose! Lots of malls will have the Japanese style toilets and the western style toilets So you can just wait in line until one of the western ones is free if you prefer those But sometimes when you get out into the middle of nowhere, in the countryside they will only have the Japanese style toilets So it's something I really wish I could get used to But... I've lived in Japan how many years now? Like 8? and I still despise them and I get all nervous when there's only Japanese ones I'm like "What am I going to do... maybe I can hold it for a couple more hours" Well I think you should at least try them because you might actually like them I was terrified at first, and it took me 2-3 times to get used to it TWO!? I've used them like 15 at least I choose the squat toilet every time now That's crazy... One day... you make that tutorial and I will follow it and maybe do it properly The most embarrassing tutorial in the world Ok so what's something Japanese that you're not used to yet? One of them would be taking off my shoes quickly when I enter a house Same for me It's okay when I'm going in my own home because no one is waiting on me But if I'm with someone else, I have to go last because I don't want to inconvenience them Because it takes me so long to unlace my shoes, or unzip it and like reach my hand down and pull it off Yeah it's hard to do it on one leg, you have to like balance Falling into stuff Just not used to it I can't just pull my foot outta my shoes, I have to use my hands The worst is when you're at a restaurant and you have people you don't know waiting for you to put your shoes on and it's just so intimidating I'm trying to be fast~ Restaurants, doctors offices, or dentists where you have to take off shoes It's embarrassing Slip on shoes, I have found the wonders of slip on shoes recently So much easier Second one is... I can't even say this in English because we don't have this type of food but in Japanese it's called "neba neba" "neba neba shiteru tabemono" So I'm gonna try my best to translate this into English Really, it's not gooey, it's a certain texture... If you know natto, and you know the texture of natto It's that texture. Slimy, I guess? Slimy and gooey. Slimy gooey and sticky, all of the above. I can think of 3 foods off the top of my head, in Japan that are like that Natto, Yamaimo (mountain potato), or okra Which is a green vegetable And it looks like a star when you cut it Yeah it just looks like a regular star shaped cucumber But when you cut it, it's got the gooey stuff on the inside And I just cannot get used to eating that texture Even if the flavours don't bother me that much the texture is just not something that I'm used to I've tried it several times, apparently it's really good for you That stickiness I think it's good for your body somehow, your skin or I dunno But everyone says that those 3 things are really healthy and you should always try to eat them and they're included in lots of different Japanese meals But I just can't get used to it... And it's too bad because I love eating healthy foods It would be great to enjoy them just like Japanese people do But, can't How about you? Are you the same? No, no I absolutely cannot handle it I'm very sensitive to texture in the first place So even just looking at it now will make me gag Oh no, that's bad So if I get it into my mouth, I'm guaranteed to like... it's bad I've tried so many times, I just can't do it Another thing I can't do is pretty much anything related to riding bikes Ohhh Now I can manage to ride a bicycle normally But Japanese people like grow up on bikes They're like born on bikes I feel like they ride bikes more often than they walk It's so common here Jun can ride a bike without using either handle bar Whoa~ No touching, and he can turn the bike too! How do you do that??? Japanese skills.... whaaat I can barely ride a bike without falling over Omg... I remember the first time that I tried to ride a bike The first time I came to Japan My homestay gave me a bicycle to ride to school every morning I was like.. Oh okay.. I haven't ridden a bike in years But I tried it, and I kind of like veered off of the little path and into the rice paddy... It was so embarrassing They were probably like, what the hell, she's like 17 and she can't ride a bike? That was probably really weird for them to see It's really embarrassing I'm totally used to it now and I bike all the time But that first time was like... yeah, I totally get where e you're coming from Okay, another big one for me Another thing I wish I could get used to because everyone seems to really enjoy and love it here Onsen. I don't like being naked in front of people I don't know and would probably feel the same in front of people that I do know Like I don't think I would want to go to an onsen with Rachel and be naked with each other That would probably be really awkward It's really too bad, because Japanese people love onsens! They always talk about how amazing it is They're like "Oh you should go to this onsen! It's really beautiful!" And the first thing that comes to my mind is, I don't care how beautiful the place is I just keep thinking about how I have to be naked in front of everyone and I don't like that I've actually gotten used to the idea of being naked in front of other people I've been to hotels here where they have communal baths So when you want to take a shower, it's in a room with lots of other showers So everyone is naked in the same room And I was like, What the heck!? the first time But then I was like, well ok, it's normal here All right, whatever I'll just do it As I've gotten older, I care a little bit less about those kinds of things But, I still can't handle onsen because I'm too sensitive to temperature Ohhh they're so hot! Really hot Even hot tubs in America, I can't sit in hot tubs for more than 5 minutes Well I don't think you're supposed to anyways I don't think its good for your body to be in them too long Maybe that's a natural response But I'm the same People will just be like, sitting there enjoying it And I'm like jesus christ I gotta get out of here! Dying, like a lobster, and sweating... I really really wish I could enjoy onsen Because they seem magical, everyone else seems to absolutely adore them Ok, here's something that I bet you feel the same way Keigo in Japanese. It's not that I'm not used to it because it's difficult... It is super difficult, so that's one thing to get over But I'm kinda used to how keigo works Like when to use it, I know the main phrases But I'm not used to the feeling Because in Canada when you get close to someone you start to speak more casually with them But in Japan, if they're like a higher rank than you If they're older than you, or they're your boss it's really inappropriate to speak casually with them even if you feel like you have a close relationship So I always feel so conflicted I know that in Japanese I should keigo But I feel like, we're close now! So I feel rude using this super polite language with them Because in Canada, if I use really polite language with someone it would be like, we don't have a close relationship It's like putting distance in between you it feels like Yeah, so I can't get used to that It feels more friendly to us to speak casually That means that we like you, that we wanna be friends We wanna get to know you In some cases, it's hard to not take it personally If someone won't use informal I know! I hate that! Because with Jun's family, I'm not allowed to use informal To like his parents, or his grandparents, or his aunt and uncle EVER. No matter what, even though I'm married into his family I'm never going to be allowed to speak informal I hate that, you feel distant from them It's hard not to feel like they're saying "You're not really a part of our family" Because with my family, my family is like "Aw Jun, call me Mom!" When Jun comes over everyone is like giving him hugs and being like "Make yourself at home!" It's really casual, and that's how we greet people That how you show that you're part of the family So that can be kind of difficult But Jun uses keigo with his parents too right? So you're not the only one, like he will also use it I always thought that was really weird! Seeing Japanese people using really polite language with their parents That's just so strange No, he does that too It goes beyond that too actually And I'm still not used to this either Even people who are married sometimes can use keigo with each other Jun said that this is completely normal Because I saw that happening and I was like "Jun! Jun! Isn't this weird?" And he was like "No, actually it's completely normal if people wanna use keigo" Sometime you see older couples, an obaachan, and they use formal with each other That makes it seem that they love each other so much that they're still trying to win each other over Ohhh I see. So they're still in that awkward stage where they still have to be super formal with each other So he says that when he sees older people using keigo with each other He feels like they're being really cute Whoaaaa That's such a culture shock That's like opposite for us It's hard for me to process I feel like thats one thing that I'm never gonna really get over because it's just so different than Canada Just completely backwards to Canada I hope so... because it's really frustrating sometimes You wanna be really close with your coworkers and feel like you're friends but you have to use keigo with them because they have a higher position than you and it's rude not to and I don't like that >< I would like to know how Japanese people feel about that Any Japanese people that have been over to Canada or America How did you feel about people using really casual English and being super friendly? Did that feel awkward for you? I wonder how it works the other way around That would be really interesting to hear about So I guess those are the big things that we are not used to and suck at in Japan Any of you guys that have lived overseas, let us know in the comments what things were really difficult for you to get used to and that would be really interesting to read Make sure to subscribe to Rachel, if you haven't already I will link her down below, and right here! She makes amazing videos about Japan with her husband Jun Lots of educational stuff, so you guys can learn a lot over on their channel So definitely check it out if you haven't already! And I'll see you guys soon! Bye!
