Those ladies in the shop made me miss Japan and how DECENT so many people there are. I met a group of retired nurses who gave me a ride from Sapporo to Onuma Lake, which is a nearly 4-hour car ride. They paid for my lunch along the way and gave me gifts when we arrived at the destination. One even wrote me a letter that I received months later when I returned to the US. Then to my shock I realized they were headed back to Sapporo, so they had spent the entire day just taking care of me. Their response was "We are retired, every day is holiday."

I'm looking forward to the spin-off series, Journey Across Uzbekistan, where you travel around with that old lady.

"If you've watched these videos you'll know that I basically live off of an exclusive diet of fried chicken and wagyu beef." Challenge accepted. I went through all the videos and logged as much of the food and drinks I saw referenced. Here's the list. And yes, I admit I obsessed, but it was fun watching the videos again. Missing the Best Comment segment. If you want I can send a spreadsheet on all this. 157 EpisodesLiving in Japan: Culture Shock! October 2, 2012 Ghana (chocolate) Convenience store sushi Kappa Sushi First bonito Concrete floor Fried potatoes with toothpick Calpis Sour Beer with free hand towel C.C. Lemon Robot Restaurant, Shinjuku, Tokyo December 22, 2012 Bento Box Dinner Japanese Table Smashing Arcade Game | Cho Chabudai Gaeshi February 13, 2013 How Dangerous is Japan? May 10, 2013 Fruit Seachicken White Cheddar Strawberries and Cream sandwich How to Learn Japanese Kanji the Fun way (Heisig) June 22, 2013 Southern Comfort McDonald's Japan's: Extreme Burgers August 7, 2013 Well, technically you didn't show eating there The Horrors of Japanese - English Textbooks October 5, 2013 Japanese: 3 Essential Phrases You Should Know! October 26, 2013 Japanese coffee KFC Christmas Japan: A Delicious Alternate Reality December 28, 2013 Pocky Chocolate KFC premium menu How I Learned to Memorise Japanese Easily January 26, 2014 Ritz Crackers Pocky Chocolate Crunky Chocolate Bag of….. KFC Potato Chips Salt & Fruit Red wine Japanese Thoughts on British Snacks February 11, 2014 Cheese & Onion Crisps Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Visiting Japan: 5 Reasons Why It'll Be Awesome April 13, 2014 Happy Chicken Flavored Potato Chips Iyokan Pie Burger King Ramen Samuride Pet Sweat Pocari Sweat The Pungency Tequila How to Move to and Work in Japan April 14, 2014 Sake The Worst Thing about Asia May 18, 2014 Japan's First Drink on the Moon May 25, 2014 Pocari Sweat C.C. Lemon Asahi Beer Wanko Soba: Japan's Greatest Food Challenge (わんこそば) June 1, 2014 Wanko Soba Learning Japanese: Tongue Twisters (早口言葉) June 1, 2014 Sushi TEACHING SWEAR WORDS TO JAPANESE PEOPLE June 22, 2014 LEARNING JAPANESE: 9 Tips for Success June 22, 2014 Banana Chocolate 90 Yen hot dog LOVE Hotels in Japan: 5 You Should Know July 22, 2014 Chocolate Chip Cookies How to Learn Japanese for Free | 5 Tools & Resources August 2, 2014 Hot Dog Living in Japan and Losing Weight August 6, 2014 Cup Of Noodles Family Mart Fried Chicken Salad How to Lose Weight in Japan - #Week 1 August 25, 2014 Roasted Cashew Nuts Salad McDonalds Tokyo's Tastiest Souvenir (東京バナナ） August 31, 2014 Tokyo Banana ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (ft. Natsuki) September 4, 2014 You Won't Believe WHAT HAPPENED Next September 16, 2014 How to Lose Weight in Japan - #Week 2 October 20, 2014 Salad Japanese Octopus Style Sausage Coffee Tea Green Tea Wheat Tea Japan's Poorest Girl Group October 30, 2014

When I was traveling through Japan in 2018 I visited some quite rural places and only ate in restaurants. If you tell the staff that you can't eat anything that comes from animals they usually are really thoughtful and try their best to find something on the menu that you can eat, or especially make something for you. I stayed at a Ryokan in Aizu-Wakamatsu and they even created a 9-course vegan dinner for me and explained every single dish to reassure me that I can eat it 😅

*"I've never been to the UK, but I've been to Uzbekistan"*

Those elderly ladies were so lovely! :D I hope that when I'm old I'm also still going to have breakfast surrounded by my best friends

Fun fact: The UK imports most of their bananas from Jamaica, not Africa. The lion's share of the world's supply of bananas come from Guatemala, but the UK gets them from Jamaica for commonwealth reasons. edit: I have a more in-depth explanation in the comments.

7:49 anyone else notice the ladies waving at the camera? So cute 🥺🥺

I love the subtitle from the fruit shop: “Bananas and apples are where it’s at innit” 😂

Delicious mouthfeel aside, I can't say I'm enthusiastic at the thought of re-trying this any time soon. I forgot to mention in the video I'm the world's worst cook, and thus I'm forced to eat out all day every day. But given the lack of vegan options in Japanese restaurants, it'd mean I'd also be unable to eat out and would inevitably starve (or be forced to learn how to cook god forbid). That said, I'm trying to cut down the amount of meat I eat this year, as part of my groundbreaking strategy to live a healthier lifestyle. I don't need to read a scientific journal to realise that sausages and bacon aren't exactly the most nutritious additions to your diet. ALSO, how awesome is it that the woman in the fruit shop visited Uzbekistan?!

Seeing Chris walk and talk in the just beautiful locations in Japan just puts a massive smile on my face, such a peaceful and a wholesome experience!

I've visited Kurashiki before, and I was honestly surprised at how pleasant it was. The art museum was also surprisingly good with amazing collection. It may not be a big town with lots of things to do, but definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area. Onomichi is also a rather cute town, with lots of narrow pathways leading you to some hidden places that has something fun.

Elderly Japanese often are so nice, even if you're only a beginner at speaking/learning Japanese. In Tokyo, I was commuting past a small bakery every morning and went there to get my breakfast. Those ladies were so nice and tried so hard talk and just hold a conversation with a random foreigner.

That conversation with the elderly ladies was so heartwarming

Mouthfeel is correct English; its a food science term. So technically, that's what a food scientist would do.

2:33 It's so weird to see such a quaint little shop with elderly people, and hearing "Make my story" from MHA play. I love Japan.

"Bananas and Apples are where it's at innit" This amused me to no end, Mr. Broad... x3

2 videos in one week?! YESSSSSS

The Crispy Soyjoys are vegan! Just not the non crispy ones. Also at most sushi places you can eat natto or vegetable maki rolls. Japan also has a lot of vegan restaurants especially in Tokyo Osaka and Kyoto. But most places I went in Kansai like Nara and Kobe had vegan restaurants as well. Even in residential Hirakata they had a vegan ramen place and I could eat pasta and pizza at the local Italian restaurant. Also Coco Ichibanya has vegan curry. 💁🏼‍♀️ I also went to two vegan food festivals while in Japan. And restaurants host vegan meet ups on occasion as well. More rural areas might be a different of course but overall I felt it wasn't that difficult to eat vegan at all! :)

Is it just me or when he says “Calpis” it sounds like he’s saying “Cow piss”?

And cut!!! Then Chris pulls out lawson's fried chicken from his backpack.

I love how the adorable elderly Japanese women in Okada’s Coffee Shop were asking you questions as if you were some fruit connoisseur from the UK.

7:46 I love how the people in the boat wave to the camera. its quite sweet

those old ladies were so nice I want to cry

2:28 For a moment I thought the lady asked Chris, "Have your been to UK" and Chris replies "No, I haven't".

I loved how it's changed from "journey of despair" to "journey of discovery"!!! Chris has changed so much since the beginning, I think...thank you for showing all of us around Japan!!! Edit: OMG 221 likes?! Never, ever gotten this much!! Hehehe! Thank you everyone! Have a great day :-)

Those kind ladies reminded me of my visit to Japan; catching a bus in Fukuoka an elderly lady wanted to practice her English and discuss what she knew of my home country (New Zealand), when we parted ways she offered me her last apple as a gift which was so utterly unexpected and heart warming. I don’t think I’ve ever had a stranger offer me fruit before.

“Looks like foreign tourists haven’t discovered this town yet” My city does a student exchange to kurashiki every year. We’re sister cities. I went to kurashiki last year on the exchange in September and it was amazing. We actually visited the historical bikan area on our first full day there.

More episodes of Chris discussing fruit with elderly locals please!

"haven't been to the UK. But I've been to Uzbhekistan." These kinds of moments, my friend, are what keeps me subscribed. Good to see you, it's been a while!

I found many vegan things to eat in Japan! They have inari tofu stuffed with mushrooms, many kind of tofu dishes ,sabu sabu with only vegetables and tofu (and still delicious), soba (yeess!), vegetable tempura, dry ramen, vegetable curry, and my eternal love is those seaweed and sesame seeds sprinkle on the top of warm rice,for breakfast.Yummm!!😍

I spy with my little eye a SEGA arcade out in the middle of nowhere! D: That's neat~

"First time alone" Cameraman: am I a joke to you?

Wow that town is beautiful

The old lady from the first shop was so nice! Hopefully there are more people like her!

"Seems like foregin tourists haven't discovered here yet" 6:39 Turkish Flag at the background

There's a website/app called happy cow that shows all vegan/vegetarian places in the city. Okayama has a few places with vegan options

Wow the shop owner lady was really kind , it's rare to find such people these days but I guess that's Japan for you .

I love the cute little old woman who clearly thinks it’s fascinating to meet someone who is from the UK that she easily can speak with

2:32 I appreciate my favourite My Hero Academia opening in the background lmao

Who the heck goes to Uzbekistan? I'm jealous.

Oh yay, the historic face of Sharla is coming back!

10:58 You reached out for some what?!?!? 10:59 Ohhh, Calpis... nevermind

Those ladies, my heart. Such nice people ❤

2 Abroad in Japan videos in 1 week? We are eating this month boys.

How does Chris’s mouthfeel after making this video???

I just can’t seem to stop watching your videos. Instead of binging on Netflix, I have been binging on Abroad in Japan for few hours now. Keep it up, love your videos. Also I must visit that Venice Japan town if am ever there, and ll definitely stop by the kind woman who offered you food at her restaurant.

My heart melted seeing those ladies all best friends

Chris you glorious rascal. When you're done with your Journey across Japan ™ , make a video for all the people that want to attempt the same/a similar bike trip through Japan. Things like what to pack, accommodation, what to bring for/how to perform bike maintenance etc. Would be a cool video and I can't be the only one who has watched your videos while burning with envy and muttering to himself "I'm gonna do that too some day".

From the first 10 seconds of the video, I can already hear the despair in Chris's voice.

Just wanted to say how slick those camera shots were ♥️ Absolutely perfect

In my experience in Japan, people tend to be cold in Tokyo but in Kyoto and Osaka, people were much friendlier and likelier to talk to you. I had a nice little conversation with an old guy on a bus in Kyoto after he was watching the videos in my phone. I never has those experiences in Tokyo. I'm Latino so I was like an alien to most I'm sure but once I started speaking Japanese, people became way more comfortable. It just repeats the usual issue of busy, big city life. People tend to ignore you or just act like assholes in NYC or Boston.

What is this... 2 videos in half a week!? My prayers are paying off...

Bananas, nuts and tofu is the breakfast of champions. Also lunch. And also dinner. Can’t wait to see your next video to make sure you didn’t die from protein deficiency.

When my wife went to Japan, specially Fukuoka, people were always glad to help making the meals vegan, and she speaks almost no Japanese. It was funny how in Korea it was actually harder because they thought the idea of removing meat from the dish was outlandish, but in Japan they were happy to prepare it for you.

You are really inspiring us. Thanks for that . Wow.. that's so amazing that you made Japan as your hometown. I had watched one of your real old video which is like 8 years back. Your sarcasm never had changed though. Lots of love from India

wow nice! 2 episodes of "man complains in japan" in just 1 week :D

here’s an anecdote for you! i got the notification for this video whilst taking a walk through a snowy park with my family; i clicked on the notification and promptly stumbled forward into a small snow bank. thankfully, i’m still alive to be able to watch this!

You're videos are travel channel quality. Very impressive!

The mention of Otis' song near the end of this video was fantastic. That song has such a cozy sound to it.

People keep saying just “Download the Happy Cow app etc... “ yeah maybe in the center of Tokyo but trust me , living in Japan for almost 20 years you won’t find many options for vegans here... and even when u do you’ll have to survive on the same boring stuff rather than actually enjoying a variety of foods. 99% of people here ARE NOT vegan . The concept is hardly even understood.

Jesus Christ that's Tony Stark

That little shop where they gave you free breakfast was so lovely! And it was hot when you talk to the local in Japanese 😝 I would love to visit that canal village some day, it’s so beautiful 💖 Thanks for the video!

I really enjoy your vids I watch them before going to bed and before going to work. It's very relaxing and interesting please keep making them. From Norway

I loved Kurashiki so much when I went there! A scene of rurouni Kenshin es filmed there.

I found the people waving at the camera so cute! And the really nice women at the shop too 😄

Yeah, I didnt imagine it would be easy to be vegan. Especially the remote places anywhere in the world don't tend to have vegan options unless it's some tourist hot-spot.

These videos inspire me so much to learn Japanese, thank you.

The quality in this video is so mindblowing, and Kurashiki goes beyond picturesque with the cinematography, color grading, and your quality content. Haven't even finished the video yet as I'm writing this

What a way to honour Otis Redding!

Such a shame you didn't know that there are some excellent Vegan eateries in Okayama really near the station! If you have the chance to be in the Okayama & Hiroshima area again, please let me know - I have so many wonderful suggestions! Vegans in Japan certainly do not have to starve in 2019 anymore as it is getting easier and easier as more international travelers are coming to Japan who follow a plant-based diet :)

I currently live a few cities away from Kurashiki. It feels wild watching an AIJ video and immediately recognizing the location.

I seriously think this is my favourite series on KZfaq. Thank you for doing this! I want to travel around Japan 😅

Any other Contrapoints fans enjoying the mouthfeel?

One of my favorite mangas happens to be “Pastel” which takes place in onomichi and seeing you end of the video there kinda Lowkey sums up the dream I’ve been wanting to accomplish since middle school (I’m almost done with college now). Loving the series man it’s beautiful to ride around Japan with you.

Those 3 older ladies were awesome! Definitely adding this town to my list to travel.

1 Abroad in Japan video a day, Keeps the depression away.

Hi Chris just so you know there been genuine stories where even if you hum a song it still gets a copyright strike but maybe that’s only pewdiepie and you get lucky

Thanks for taking us there through your video!

catching up in april 2021 and loving it Chris. Hopefully when this pandemic is over i can finally visit Japan.

I'm a vegan currently in Japan with my Japanese girlfriend. It is quite tricky to find vegan food, but all the food I have had so far has been lovely. Even if it's snacks from a 7-11, it's not bad. I need to find a shojin ryori restaurant! I was also shocked at how good the prices are here for tofu, it's 4x less than in Canada!

(At 2:33) just 2 Japanese Granny's taking about having been to Uzbekistan while MHA OP5 okays in the background ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Made my day

Thanks Chris, for adhering to the task. And for genuinely trying not be too negative about it. Respect. The timing of KZfaq suggesting this video was good, because I have seen you eat so many extravagant types of meat that I was about to ask you if you ever tried vegan food and if yes, what your favourite dish was. Redundant question for a number of reasons, I now realise. On a side note: great footage. Great editing too. As a side side note: love the scenery around that area (I've been in those three cities once as well). Found the old town of Kurashiki a bit tourist trap-ish tbh, but if I recall correctly there was a really tiny Japanese garden in someone's back garden a few blocks away from there, which was cool.

It's really interesting that at 4.7% and 2.7%, Japan actually has a higher proportion of vegetarians and vegans than the US (with 3.2% and *0.5%* respectively). That's also a higher rate of veganism than in the UK (1.16%), though lower in vegetarianism (7%). Even so, I've only ever met a handful of vegetarian Japanese people, and that was while I was travelling the countryside staying on organic farms, so the people I stayed with were all very healthy and eco-conscious compared to the average population. In most American cities, even though there are very few actual vegans, you can usually find *some* vegan-friendly restaurants; and in bigger or more "hip" cities, it's almost the norm to provide a few explicitly vegetarian/vegan options on the menu. But in Japan, even though the population proportions are higher, life as a vegan (or at least eating out!) seems a lot more difficult.

Canals eh? The Birmingham of Japan!

i spent 3 weeks as a vegan in japan and in some ways it was as difficult as anticipated and in other ways much easier than expected. the main thing for me was convenience and price... in the uk every major supermarket and even fast food chains are all trying to tap into the vegan market so it's very easy to eat cheaply on-the-go without much thought or effort. in japan i would say even being vegetarian, let alone vegan, is difficult in terms of cheap convenience; most snacks and lunch items in shops are fish-based, and even instant noodles with "VEGETABLES!" written on them in massive letters will have fish or even beef seasoning/stock in them. in dire times we found ourselves just getting fries from mcdonalds; an easier vegan choice than attempting to decipher supermarket products. the only fast-food vegan option i ever found was coco ichibanya's vegetable curry which, as is the case in japan, was really nice for cheap fast-food. not something i'd want to eat every single day though. and i'm not even 100% certain if these things are vegan tbh. that said, if you're on holiday and can afford to eat in cafes/restaurants 2 or even 3 times a day, japan is fantastic in any major town/city. easily some of the best vegan food i've ever had, be it based on traditional japanese cooking or otherwise. i'd love to know if anyone has any tips for cheap/convenient vegan eating while in japan. even on a lavish budget it can really stack up eating in restaurants so often. tbh i can't imagine how awkward and difficult it would be to live as a vegan in japan. is fresh produce easy enough to come by? i rarely saw any in the inner-city shops i went to

Your videos make me laugh! I like to kick back and watch them, very refreshing at midnight! Thank you!

I think the ambient choice of soundtrack played in the background of these videos are very underrated. Invokes real emotion and a sort of nostalgia, even though you’ve never been there.

I was just binge watching journey across japan and then this comes out 😁

the absence of sarcasm in the last video was more than compensated in this one. I like it!

Seeing Chris interact with the ladies is so lovely

"that's what a vegan would do, mouthfeel!" hmm...

I came for Chris and his witty humor as he goes across Japan, but whether he knows it or not... I did not expect to get ContraPoints in this video. :p THE MOUTHFEEL, EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT NOW.

Wow those ladies were so nice! I better see them in another video!! :3

It’s so wild to see Chris in Onomichi and even in my neighborhood no less! I lived there for two years and used that same grocery store and Lawson regularly. And the wonderful U2 by the seaside. I’m glad he always praises the Shimanami Kaido as well.

Chris: "I don't know anyone in Japan who's vegan..." Also Chris: "Most vegans I know, who live in Japan, buy food in supermarkets..." *suspicious look*

食感 Noun 1. food texture; mouthfeel​ Wikipedia definition 2. Mouthfeel​Mouthfeel is a product's physical and chemical interaction in the mouth, an aspect of food rheology. It is a concept used in many areas related to the testing and evaluating of foodstuffs, such as wine-tasting and rheology. It is evaluated from initial perception on the palate, to first bite, through mastication to swallowing and aftertaste. In wine-tasting, for example, mouthfeel is usually used with a modifier (big, sweet, tannic, chewy, etc.

Ohara museum is genuinely one of my favourite museums i have ever visited.

I went to kurashiki last year on our schools exchange trip and made friends with this lovely old lady in a watercolour class who when I left bought me ice-cream. Her friend also gave me lunch from her bento. It was such an experience, they were absolutely lovely and their art is very nice too.

Everytime you say *mouthfeel* I can't help but think of Natalie Wynn's videos on her channel Contrapoints 😇 😅