I came here from seeing you on TAKASHii's channel and am loving your channel. I'll never be able to make it to Japan so I am loving what you are showing us all. Cheers!

Good analogy about the washlet. I went to Japan for the first time earlier this year, and I've been describing the washlet experience as "imagine you've spent your whole life going into the shower and just rubbing yourself down with paper towels instead of actually using the shower, then you have a proper shower and you're like... woah, so this is what clean feels like."

5 friends and I travelled from New Zealand to Japan in october last year and stayed for 1 month. We got culture shock on arrival to Japan with how much people mind themselves in shared spaces. There was so much more respect for people than back home. We then got culture shock upon going home - I still miss not having people yelling and causing havoc on trains and in parks etc 😅😅😅

You get an immediate "culture shock" just landing in the US and going through the airport. You immediately realize, oh yeah I'm in the US now...

I'm visiting London from Tokyo currently and can completely relate to everything you experienced. One culture shock to me and also a realization was when i started working in my companies London office few weeks ago. It's the first time working in the London office and the first time in 5 years i've actually felt connected to the my colleagues. I've spoke and socialized with more people in the last 2 weeks in London than i have in the last 5 years in Tokyo. I normalized my Japanese working environment and did not think nothing of it but really spending so much time at work and not connecting to anyone was not doing me any good. And this was not only just at work but also going about everyday life, interacting with people. Things are not perfect over here in the UK but i've felt more connected to society these last 2 weeks. This might just be due to the culture shock, but now im really thinking about whether Japan really is the right place for me to live long term.

Interesting about culture shock. Many don’t want to move back to their own country. Thank you for this video. The snow looks amazing.

Thanks!

Fixed shower heads in bathroom a nightmare, totally with you on that!!!!😅

"It's so strict in Japan for people's appearances." And this is a good thing.

Yeah going out to eat is ridiculous now. Even fast food is like $15-20 a person now! Thanks for sharing your experience with coming back to the US.

I, too, came from Takashii. I just wanted to say that as a 41 year old Louisiana citizen, "I appreciate you" is definitely a southern/kitchen worker phrase that has permiated all of America. Although, we normally drop the "I" and say "preciate you." I've also seen KZfaqrs out of California say that they've started using "y'all."

Im back in Japan after 30 years. I spent 10 glorious years in the USAF based here. I agree with the reversed culture shock coming back in a good way. Loving Japan and the Japanese again😊

Dude, in Canada right now, a lunch burger and fries, $27 bucks!!! That's the menu price, so not including tax and tip. Insane!!! Just five years ago, perhaps, it was an outrageous $15. So, in about 8yrs, the price has gone from $9 to $27 for the same menu item. It's super crazy right now.

Great video! This is my second year living in Japan and there are so many things that I really love about Japan, that you were also talking about such as the showers and toilets. Fun to hear about the culture shock of being back in America.👍👍😀

Takashiさんからここを知り、過去動画を観まくっています。美しい東北の山の風景や地形に感動します。

Hi Quinlan! First off Happy New Year 🎉I agree with so many of the reverse culture shock things you talked about and I've never even lived abroad. Lived in CA, WI & NC and there's definitely differences between the states but nothing really jarring. Though when I lived in NC for school they made fun of my SoCal accent. Haha! The U.S. is out of control with tipping culture. I just went to a Greek restaurant yesterday with my baby and husband. Noticed the table we sat at was dirty so I asked the workers if they could please address it. They handed me a paper towel and told me to look for water. Not joking. I was like, do customers clean the tables here?! They were like no, the building establishment should not us. Then when I paid for my food I put no tip. Wth am I tipping for at this point?

Thanks for the video Quinlan, it made me laugh a few times. You’re fine, you’re good ;)

Culture shock videos are always fascinating as they reveal quite a lot about the nature of both countries that are being compared. It seems that in the examples you gave the UK, and other parts of Europe, are somewhere between the US and Japan. I'm totally with you on the whole bidet/washlet thing! Absolutely loving that gorgeous winter landscape you were enjoying, what a treat for the eyes 😍. I'm unsure if this is your last video of 2023, but if so then let me take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful, healthy, successful, enjoyable and super fun 2024🎉.

fascinating to hear how much it's changed from your perspective. i would be interested to know what your japanese traveling partners thought about their time in the US.

I refuse to do 20% tip. Maybe 15. Do not give in to those stupid auto-tip screens, especially when it's not even a tipping service. It's not a rule change, it's just a scam.

Just wanted to comment for engagement and let you know i came from Takashi's channel! About to go on a deep dive of your videos - i love your story telling.

I love Ashville, NC but yeah, it's pretty expensive compared to the surrounding area

Canada is the same right now Quinlan, lunch starts at $20 + tip, grocery prices are out of control. Things are so expensive even in smaller places. As for tipping, I now just choose what I can afford, especially because of the crazy tipping demands.

What an awesome landscape! No wonder why you chose that region instead of freaking hot Tokyo 😁 The Interview with takeshi from Japan was really pleasant and fun to listen to. Nice channel dude, greetings from Germany!

man, i am from brazil, i'm learning english with your videos, but this place make me fell happy, now i really want to visit this part of japan :D

Nice bit of snow there. In my part of NA it's been much warmer than usual and rainy. Inflation on everything in NA is crazy now. Tipping went crazy during the pandemic.

I appreciate you ! Really I appreciate your reflection on your experience. Very positive hopefully I’ll get to your city in Japan and I’m also interested in Madison 😊

Oh another thing I forgot to say: I talk to everyone. It helps that I'm older and the chattiest people in Japan are the elderly people in the countryside. I think I like it best down south though and I really like Kagoshima.

Hi Quinlan, Merry Christmas :) I remember asking uou many videos ago how you came to live in Japan, and you replied it was a long story :) Me and my family love watching your uploads as they're so beautifully filmed and edited and really transport us to another place and season. You are one of our favourite family filmmakers! Hoping to see more cooking videos from you in 2024 as I personally love your style ^_^ Wishing you a brilliant new year

Agreed with everything! Love that you did this video in such a beautiful, snowy environment!❄

"It made me feel poor", You and me both, brother. And I live here all the time. Lol.

Hi Quinlan, slightly belated Merry Christmas to you. Fantastic to see such beautiful scenery with all that snow, I’ve never had the opportunity to do a snow shoe hike (not a lot of call for it in England) but would like to if the chance arises. Glad to hear your trip back to the US and more specifically the AT went well, I first became interested in it after reading Bill Bryson’s book ‘A Walk In The Woods’. Great news to hear that you are back guiding full time again, I hope lots of people get the chance to utilise and learn from your experience and expertise. Thank you for sharing this brilliant video and for all the amazing content that you’ve shared during this year. Wishing you a very healthy and prosperous Happy New Year from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸🇯🇵

I greatly appreciate your perspective on the changes you’ve noted in your US visit.

Will be visiting this area upon my second trip to Japan in March. Greetings from London! 💎

Ahhhh thank you for this!!! We had SUCH a warm Christmas yesterday in Ohio and there has been nooooo snow when usually we have been dumped on. Your video made me think about how pretty the snow is!

was just whining about my stamina in the other vid and here you are blowing through a mountain of snow lol that's so impressive. I hope the next day went well for you and your customer. I really prefer the tipping system of Japan. I mean not because you "don't tip". I mean you do in a way, you pay and people just get fair wages instead. (well..sort of. I know some payments are pretty low in japan) and you get great service regardless. Anyhow, I shall leave you in peace again XD I don't wanna gobble up all vids in one go but had a nice evening entertainment thanks XD

Thank you for these videos! I am slowly picking up Japanese as my 4th language, and I want to stay there long term at some point. Your videos do a great job of showing the Japanese perspective but also with a touch of gajin style. Merry Christmas!!

I saw you on TAKASHii's channel! He's another youtuber I watch on the subject of Japan. I am planning a trip soon. You both have inspired me to go

I saw you on Takashi's channel, great channel bro!

I just recently discovered your channel, and have been enjoying it so far. I really like your enthusiasm for Japan and how easily you are able to speak on certain subjects and get your point across. Also, I had initially assumed you were around my age (33), so Japan has obviously agreed with you! Keep up the good work!

Ah, I hope you loved reuniting with Madison! I'll be visiting next month to see a concert with some friends. One of my favorite cities in the Midwest 😊 But yes, the culture shock is indeed real. Our relatives from Sweden visited in September and had a lot of thoughts themselves. And yes, I totally agree, tipping has gotten way out of hand. The guilt is real with those damn touch screens!

Hey there! Just want to shout out your content. Keep it up dude! When I came back to Canada from just a three week trip to Japan I couldn't help but notice how much garbage there was everywhere! Just loose garbage all over the streets! That was my North American reverse culture shock! Love hearing your stories and seeing parts of Japan that almost no tourists get to see. Thanks Quinlan!

Totally agree that quality of life differences like the bidet are non-negotiable for me as well. I have been to Japan 3 x, and immediately got a bidet installed back home in the States when I got back after my first trip. I also am accustomed to saying "no problem" but nowadays here is is "no worries"..it took me a while to get over that! Ganbaro! Your videos and insight are gems

the video quality especially when you were doing the 1 on 1 talking was so high quality! the production value in general was awesome. what camera were you using? it seemed like it followed your face when you moved! Happy holidays

beautiful up there mate! great stuff. Did you pick up the Osmo Pocket 3? Video quality looks great!

8:22 there are these things called wet wipes, not the weird stuff ones, but the actual paper ones that you can flush, I feel so dirty if I don't use them after doing my thing. It's similar to the bidets, in the sense that you clean yourself with water and whatnot.

Hi, I just found your channel and enjoyed your video. (I'm from Beloit 🙂)

Takashii sent me 😅

MERRY XMAS QUINLAN. GLAD TO SEE NEW VIDEO . HOMELESS CRISIS IN AMERICA IS GETTING WORSE .

We saw your interview with Takashii and it was the best one he's ever done--maybe he got some tips from Max D Capo?!

Oh yes, we here in the states are truly pissed off about the spinning screen wanting a tip!! Many here have revolted and hit no tip! Tips are for wait staff who work for low hourly wages and depend on tips, not the barista or cashier who are making a decent hourly wage!

the view is beautiful. also regarding tipping, i never tip when im not actually getting serviced at a table. e.g. if i get takeout or im at a cafe where i order at the front

merry christmas in winterland🏂❄🎄

you can get $5-10 lunches in some places, not even including fast food, if you can find the right places. Usually not at actual resturants. Grocery store delis can after lunch sets or packaged parts to get you preference for reasonable price. At least in the area I live in the mid/north west

I'm fairly new to your channel (discovered through Takashii's channel). Not related to the topic of this video, but how do you stay in shape to take these hikes? Watching you trek through knee deep snow made me tired! Thank you for this video.

To be fair, I only live about 1 hour from NYC and I still experience culture shock there 😂

9:16 it's ok we all feel the same here too.

I was a guide before going to university, what you are doing on this channel is amazing. How would one come to Japan to be a guide??

Hi Mr. Quinlan:) I trust you do not feel too lonely hiking alone?...Hahaha....I found you through Takashii from Japan. I just happened to see your video together...The next day I listened because something was telling me to listen to you two. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin too, man! I am learning Japanese now. It is a beautiful language to understand so I can understand my own better. More perspective on my own through other languages. I would love to travel to Japan, one day. Would want to meet you so we can talk about Madison. Our own stories of her. Good stuff, Quinlan. Stay warm, fed, and safe. Later, man

I very much want to go on a trip to Japan, but definitely not in the city. It sounds horribly lonely and impersonal to not be able to chat with anyone on the street without seeming strange or impolite. I'm from California and we love butting in to other people's conversations, lol. I do it to make friends and help people where I can. I saw your interview on Takashi-san's channel, and it was very informative. I love these perspectives from people who made Japan their home coming from another country. If you haven't seen it, there is also an interview of an Australian fella that has been in Japan nearly twice as long as you have! I, too, have taken Mandarin classes and I'm hoping that will make things easier for me to learn kanji. I've been wokring on my Japanese ABCs (katakana and hiragana) and I watch a lot of subbed anime, does that count as practice? 😃 I will definitely be in touch to plan my trip to the Japanes north!

I really wonder with which kind of visa are you living In Japan right now😅. Beautiful video, its stunning as I'm a nature lover as well :)

Quinlan... In sum... We're just old 😅

That deep powder is no joke!

did you film this on a dji pocket 3? looks awesome

16usd for lunch? 😂 I'm laughing in Swiss-German right now. That's barely a salad here.

Don't worry people in the states can't afford it here either. Especially in Manhattan

we got a bidet in out house a few years ago and it makes me uncomfortable to use just toilet paper in other places now

Tipping sucks. The “rules” haven’t changed. 15% period (if there is service).

Do you still watch Sumo? Why or why not? One reason I want to visit is to see a match live.

As a Brit the 'you're fine, you're good' is quite uncomfortable and condescending to me too. I know I'm good thanks, don't tell me what I am- 'it's fine (with me)' that's much better, I'm glad to hear it. That new American innovation is not one I enjoy.

Even when living in Japan I never used the removable shower head. All you have to do is turn some and let the water rinse you off.

"Sticker shock" Just inflation due to how the government handled COVID and interest. It's why the dollar to yen ratio is so big now.

Do you want to move to USA or stay here in Japan?

I paid 15$ for burger n fries at truck stop and they had nerve to charge me 1$ extra for gravy then ask for a tip 😂 I said NO TIP 😊

This all sounds about right. I am one of millions of Americans who are tired of how things are, and it is very overwhelming. There's all kinds of crisis happening at once. I was houseless myself, in 2021 and I've barely been staying afloat. There's a mental health crisis happening, and worsening quality of Healthcare. It took me two years to fight for a disability claim, where you're advised not to work during that time. I have three chronic health conditions, and a long history of mental asylum because I was undiagnosed autistic, in the foster system, growing up. Speaking of which, there's a drug crisis, a lack of foster homes, resources are full, things are too expensive, even for the middle class. No one can afford to go out anymore. Jobs are too restrictive, don't pay enough, aren't hiring, all digital, no benefits, ect. A lot of people are experiencing disability for the first time, a lot are young. Disability doesn't pay enough, although you could spend years fighting for it (like I did.) Disabled people don't have the same rights as others. Disability pays max 940 in my state, my rent is 750 in low income in a crappy, run down location. The government has decided what every American collectively "wants" and is supporting a war. Big corporations are taking part. I am Diné, Navajo and most of my community agrees that we're witnessing history repeat itself while some of our own government officials are taking money to try and speak for us all when they kiss colonizer boots. The system is broken. Naturally, following a pandemic things like radicalism, religion, war, should kind of be expected. A lot of people think it's the end of the world (and I question that myself, sometimes.) But the earth has exited for a long time before us. People have been here for all these years. People have been saying since forever, the world is going to end. It might not be the end of the world, but civilization has fallen before. All that's known for certain, is something has got to change. End the violence. Ceasefire.

I know you are being positive about the states, but believe me avoid the south if you can its rough

The american dream is dead 😅 I came back after 4 years in Korea Everything got 10x worse after the pandemic in the West

I guess I am "that jerk" - I don't tip counter staff. My suggestion to them would be, don't work a job that doesn't pay you a living wage.

Dude! Do not under any circumstances tip for basic service, like you said the only reason you did was because you didn't want to feel like a jerk you're a taking part in making this culture worse, at some point it's not a gratuity any more but more like a social bribe. The only acceptable venue for tips is when you're actually receiving personalized service, like in a restaurant with a waiting service. At some point Americans will be paying tips in self-service spots or even at vending machines too!

Man such great content but as soon as I hear someone conform to new political standards like “unhoused” people it’s like ugh, progressive politics are taking too much of a grasp on everyday life globally, we need to worry a lot less about offending people and their feelings and need to start worrying a lot more about the substance of what we’re promoting and the snowball effect it has. Great content! But try to expose yourself to some more open minded virtues and pander less to the mind virus that is current American progressiveness 👍🏼🤝🏼

Tipping has gotten so out of hand in America. Don't fall for the pressure to tip for meaningless things. It's ridiculous!