I can't wait to show you my 3 month update video learning Korean. I've been taking classes at a school and studying Pimsleur everyday. It's helped so much that my teacher was shocked at the progress. Try the 7 day trial: imp.i271380.net/c/2397166/1117678/11472

My mother was in hospital in Kunming China for heart surgery. The nurses were examining her as she came awake after surgery. My mother had her belly button/navel removed in surgery decades earlier. The nurses thought as a westerner she did not speak good Mandarin. So they gossiped. They said "Look at that Canadian. She has no belly button. I guess all Canadians have no belly button."

My experience (in that we visited for two weeks in 2019) was that the Japanese are used to foreigners in tourist areas. However, they were not used to seeing foreigners like my daughter who was 5 years old and has bright red hair. She would get noticed, but the locals were very polite and wouldn't stare or make a big fuss. The only exception to the non-staring was teenage girls, who would giggle and whisper 'kawaii' to each other. My daughter picked up on that quickly and would be playful for them.

When I was learning English, your videos motivated me a lot to continue learning; Today I'm learning Japanese and again your videos are helping me a lot. thank you very much for this channel

I've had 3 trips to Japan and never got any weird stares. The only time was at the Kansai airport where an huge group of Korean guys stared at me. Staring is a thing in Korea, or so I've heard. So I wasn't suprised. In Japan, people would come up to me and ask if I needed any help (directions), suprisingly all of them were older people who didn't even speak English. They were so nice! And one time me and my friend took a bus to a not-so-touristy location and the buss driver looked as us and asked "are you sure you're on the right bus?" He was concerned and it was adorable. I know there are gaijin haters in Japan, but as a tourist I've personally never felt that.

I haven't been everywhere but without a doubt the most 'stares' had to be Changchun, Jilin China where I don't suppose they got a lot of foreigners and ohhhh boy did they stare, stalk, hide around corners staring and sometimes I'd look at the reflection in a large window and see locals standing behind me just staring away. So, ya, it's a strange phenom depending on where.

Japan is an introvert paradise. But I'm 6ft3. I'll probably get the stares a lot. I hope someday to be able to live in Japan.

Countryside Japanese don’t “stare” and aren’t curious. They’re just friendlier and less guarded than city people. This is from 13 years of experience of living in both very rural and urban places as an Aussie. Also it’s rare to see someone say “Are you American?” They normally ask “Where are you from?” Your accent probably gave it away as I’ve never been asked if I was American.

My husbands family live in a really rural place in Japan. Whenever I walk around town people stop what they are doing and full on stare. A few times at the train station everyone stopped talking and watched my every move. A guy riding a bike fell off as he was gawking at me. It really is unnerving. This has been the past 20 years I've personally experienced it. Now I say konnichiwa when they stare to let them know I see them staring. Most of them are shocked when I do.

My mum got asked to have a photo with a woman, my mum thought they wanted to take a photo of the castle. Nope, she has tattoos on her arms and legs and they wanted to have a photo with her because of it lol, very sweet and super nice to disabled people

My son is a merchant mariner and is frequently in China, Japan, Okinawa, and South Korea. He’s a very muscular 6’3” and 275# and stands about a foot taller than most folks in Asia. He’s accepted the fact that he’s a freak over there. He gets a lot of attention, especially from the girls and retired people. He has a good time with his size and like you’ve discovered people are generally very friendly but they do want to touch his big muscles. The always ask if he’s a football player or wrestler.

My experience after three months living in Japan is that when I go to bigger cities people will just ignore me. However, I live in a small city and I do get some stares which don't bother me at all. As you mentioned in the video, I feel that the more rural the area the more attention I will get.

I loved a lot of these interactions, something I didn't think would happen when I first went. I do agree, that as an American, we are typically way over self conscious. What I think is very unique is when you meet Chinese people in Japan and there is like this mutual happiness to see each other and speak Chinese. I wish Japanese were always that warm. Hahahah I love the "classic" ehhhh, got that a lot when I went to Mishima-Kita.

I’m Japanese and I grew up learning more English than Japanese so when I see someone from other country’s I want to talk to them- And I hope people will stop making fun of my country and we don’t learn much English in Japanese schools most people has an Japanese accent when they learn new languages as an adult and yeah I love your videos and I don’t think Japanese people stare at people in an offensive way but yes when I speak English to my friends at the mall or somewhere they stare at me- I’m sorry that some people stare at you in a weird way. But even when you’re Japanese they stare at you so there’s not much of an difference

I ended up on your chanel while digging KZfaq for japanese course, tips and stuff... now I'm completely hooked! Your vids are very interesting, from the social and cultural point of view, and a quite good myth-buster about social interaction with foreign people. First I thought it was easier for you, since you are a young woman, then you bring this huge friendly guy... and being the older version of him I talled myself it would be OK. Many thanks from France.

I live in hokkaido. Getting stares is pretty normal for me as a 6'2" big muscular guy. I'm pretty sure my size scares people too. It can feel strange, but there are also plenty of very friendly and kind people here. I've lived here a while and only ever see a foreigner maybe once or twice a month while walking around on the daily so how can I fault them for being shocked seeing a foreigner when I get shocked seeing one too lol. Sending good thoughts your way pearl.

I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! You inspire me so much! Thank you :D

When I was living in Hokkaido I can't take one step without being the center of attention. Blond curly hair and a height of 1,91 metres always gathered the japanese around me like I was giving away instant noodles for free. I miss this sh*t. See you again, Japan. 😂

Keep up the awesome work anming you bring us so much great content,thank you!

I get stared at pretty much all the time in Korea. I lived in Seoul and there are a lot of foreigners but because I have blonde hair and tattoos I tend to stick out more. I wore shorts the other day because its so hot and it was insane, like old guys who literally stopped and stared at me the entire time I walked past them and beyond... But its only because its different from what they are used to. and yes, I definitely get more stares once I start speaking korean!

The bunch of guys with that Star Wars robot was hilariousss. Never seen that kind of reaction before.

Looks like you are having the time of your life, I feel if you show Japan respect and like you said learn their language and culture they will respect you in return.

You guys are having so much fun. Thanks for sharing your experiences and mad respect for your foreign language learning skills.

I literally love your videos so much oriental pearl❤❤

You’ve become a master at secretly capturing peoples expressions 😄. I would assume at this day & age that the Japanese people would be used to seeing foreigners.

You're so inspirational! I've always wondered how it feels to know so many languages well as I only know my native (Russian), English (and even if I know it well, my English seems too formal/polite or modest as people would say to me), a bit of Italian and only a few sentences in Japanese. You inspired me to learn something new, thank you!

Love your insight to the culture, you inspire me so much! Stay well🍡🌸💗

You are having so much fun it is contagious. Keep it up.

Visited Japan for a few weeks on a homestay several years ago. I didn't get any weird stares. Although, I didn't speak loud Mandarin in a convenience store without a mask on during a pandemic (as there was none). When I speak my native language in the US, I'll get noticed there as well, and asked where I come from or what language it is. Being different or behaving differently just makes one interesting, I guess, in any country. I don't think this is specific to Japan.

Your videos are so much fun to watch. Hope you and your new husband are doing well. I miss Japan. Can’t wait to go back very soon . 🙏🏼❤️

I was in Hong Kong and just ordering bubble tea and saying hello, Thank you, and goodbye, made the day of the older lady behind the counter. Language is so fun. Love your videos... thanks for inspiring and sharing

So happy. I'm from Michigan too. Midland. I am happy to learn from you. I definitely want to go to Japan and you give me the perfect information. Thank you!

ooooo. I'm here!!!! :D Anming's out here asking the real questions! 😂 Btw, that countryside shot around the 3 minute mark is GORGEOUS! The colors are popping. I also liked how you show the "you have to do something out of the ordinary....like this!" 🤣🤣🤣

When I was 20, was stationed in Japan in 1988-1990. As a tall, blonde haired blue eyed female, I did get quite a few stares. Everyone was very polite and kept to themselves, unless I initiated the conversation, particularly with people my age - they often seemed excited to practice conversational English and I loved to practice my Japanese! My American friends and I would go to Tokyo Disneyland and the school kids would ask to take pictures and sign their autograph books. Such a wonderful place to live and an amazing culture of kind hearted people!

Thanks for the info and the tips.

I really enjoy your vids. You seem like a genuinely nice person. I'm also American (living in America) and trying to learn Spanish for my second language. Thanks for inspiring me to keep with it! :)

Great video as always!! I feel like Japanese people always judge foreigners, but not necessarily in a bad way!! Life in Japan is a unique experience for sure!! Much Love from America!! 🇺🇸💙 P.S. CAN'T WAIT for the honeymoon video to come out!! Very excited to see more of Japan through your eyes!!

A lot of the staring you get is because of your speaking voice, not just the language being spoken. You have a very nice sounding speaking voice and that in itself gets you a lot of attention.

Fantastic content! more of these types of vidoes where you just go around interacting with people...so engrossing!!!

Saw 1 vlog of yours and I end up subscribing to ur channel 😅 ur so cool and fun to watch🎉

A trip down memory lane. The katana kill bill action on the street is still one of the best moments! What a great way to connect and have fun with others 😅⚔️ Also, on the title topic I would like to say it’s normal to be curious about things different than you and try not to get discouraged by the 1% of bad experience if you have it. Try to see the bright side of the 99% 😇

Hahahaha i got a lot of stares once. I fell backwards into a wall because i didn't see a car coming on an island feeding deer. Everyone noticed me if they hadn't seen the lost person already and after shock they offered me bandaids asking if i was hurt. It was really sweet....i told them it was just my pride in broken Japanese 😆 and they laughed 😅 hoping they remember that

Well hello there!. Its been a while since you post but I know you just got married and had the best time of your life, and I'm so jealous lol. thanks for yet another amazing video posting. i enjoy the wholesome content you release and look forward to it. Also, thank you so much for the heads-up about the program. I take it seriously although I don't get to study as much as i like, i have finally made it the writing portion of Japanese. I'm in lesson 12 much to my dismay due to time constraints. However, thank you again for showing me this amazing perspective of how my life can be enhanced to a level i was not aware of. I have even gotten a close friend to re-explore her origin countries language (she is fluent already). now I'm rambling. anyways thank you again for such an amazing gift of motivation and inspiration. keep the videos coming!!

4:02 the old person pose gets me every time idk why, it’s so universal for no reason

I lived in Japan for many years in the late 80's and early 90's, and I was stared at everywhere I went. I'm American and I think I was only called 'Gaijin'. I stood out because I'm a white guy, I'm over 6' tall, with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. I felt like I was Brad Pitt. lol. I was awfully self-conscious of being stared it. I never got used to it. I'm fairly shy, which is why I think it affected me. Sometimes I preferred to stay at home for dinner instead of going out to avoid creating a scene. I majored in Japanese in college and got very fluent after living there for many years. I still speak it every day to my wife at home. What's strange is Japanese people's assumption was that I spoke or understood nothing, and would talk about me right in front of me. I'm much more reserved than you are, so I would just remain quiet. Even now, when we go to sushi bars here in So. Cal., I avoid speaking Japanese to the sushi chef because it creates a scene. They freak out at my fluency level, and then I have to answer the same 20 questions. lol

anming, you are so buoyant and ebullient. i appreciate your embrace of the Japanese culture and bringing it to us. you go gajin girl.

Thank you for these videos. As a person who has been considering going to Japan in the past, this was one of the things which would have made me pretty anxious.

As always your videos are amazing. I fully enjoy them. And I found the peoples responses to you very amusing. 😂 have a wonderful day!

Ah, back to a language inspirational video and cultural video. Although language proficiency immediately puts visibly foreign people into different categories depending each individuals ability to speak and understand the language. However naturally blond hair is unique and unusual. People want to touch it to see what it feels like and often want pictures with what they view as exotic. So Anming you are truly a rarity because of your high degree of proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, and soon to be Korean, with Blond hair. This combination is going to surprise most people because they don't expect to find someone with your look, who can communicate highly effectively in their language. Hopefully, after the new year, Japan will reopen to individual travellers as closely monitored group tours won't meet my needs. The only plus is more time to improve my Japanese, until I can study in Japanese and be fully immersed in the language and culture. As always a great video. Looking forward to your Korean update video.

People in Japan… Intrigued about foreigners. Appreciate pretty ladies. Curious to see non-natives speaking their language. So Anming is the perfect combo for people to 👀 at! :D

Wow this is amazing! Just found your channel a must share!! About to travel there for school

They certainly did in 1997. I was sitting in a restaurant in Nikko when an entire class of girls passed by outside. Some looked in and warned the rest. At first they passed but the whole class came back, stopped at the window and started waving at me. It was weird but also nice...

Bruhhh you actually cosplayed as Uma in Kill Bill?? Lmao You GOATED for that girl 😂

me, a german staring at everybody all the time: its free real estate.

this was so fun! aw i enjoyed it very much! cant wait to see more videos. new subscriber:)

Yay I was waiting for another post :)

They mainly stare because you seem 5'8 which in Japan is tall for females and then they get awed with that and the long blonde hair. Almost like Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill". Then they are in awe when you speak because most Americans do not go the extra step to learn a language they are visiting or live in.....My free 2 cent analytics =)

First of all, congrats on your wedding! Second, I still think someone will end up making an anime sometime soon about meeting two American women in Japan as heroes! Third, awesome to still see you having fun in Japan! Much love from USA!

hi anming!! we missed u and thank u for posting ur amazing content! continue to do what u love 😌💞 love from 🇺🇸

That guy went in for a full on deep hug.

As a middle-aged nondescript, average height, dark-haired white guy, I got twice as much staring in downtown Shanghai than rural (Takahashi) Japan. Blondes have more ... fun?

As a Japanese, I guess most people star at you because rather you are filming, not you are a foreigner. Even if some Japanese stare at you, I bet they're just interested and there is no judgement. 日本人でもカメラ持って撮影してたら振り返って見てしまうと思います。カメラを隠して試してみるとよりリアルな検証になるかもしれませんね😊 Thank you for uploading the new video!

I missed you videossss Loved this one!! ❤️❤️

Just found out that you are from Michigan as well!!🥰love the content. Speak Japanese, a little Korean and working on my Chinese currently. So it's very cool to see I am not the only one with these language preferences.

In 1954 as a child of 4 I lived over in Japan, I had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes and we lived in Okayama. The Japanese people would follow my parents and I and touch my hair with a look of wonderment on their face. They called out Kimpotsu (I am sure the spelling is wrong) and my dad said that meant blonde. I was always stared at. When we went back to visit our friends in 1965 I was a teen still with blonde hair and I was mistaken for Sylvie Vartan (a French singer) lots of stares and comments.

In China I get stared at all the time. So many people take photos of me, last week a woman in the metro tried to be subtle (usually they aren’t) but I could see the reflection of her phone screen in the window 😂 I also have people point and sometimes come to touch my hair because it’s blond. And this is in central Shanghai where there are loads of foreigners! I’m interested to see what it would be like when I travel to other cities or the countryside with less tourists 😂

My daughter is alot like you I the sense of how you look and speak Japanese. My wife is Japanese and I'm Mexican and my daughter looks white and fluent in Japanese Spanish French and English. People are definitely surprised how well her Japanese is !! Been trying to learn Japanese so hard

I love your channel bc it easy to listen English so I can improve English listening skill from this channel and you be inspiration to try to learn other language:)

I was an exchange student in a very rural area on Shikoku and never felt more awkward. The kids nearly fell over themselves when I walked by, all red haired 173 cm of me. I was such an oddity the local camera club hired me as a model a couple of times and I was definitely not model material, just unusual. I both loved it and hated it simultaneously.

I heard that In Japanese there are at least ten different words that mean "foreigner," and all of them are pejorative. Most are antique and littleused, and many translate literally as "barbarian." Others have more specific meanings, such as "southern barbarian," "hairy barbarian," or "blue-eyed barbarian." The least offensive and most commonly used is the familiar gaijin, which means "outsider." During the feudal period the word meant "enemy." Have you ever been called "Gaijin" ?

Lovely fun video. Thanks for sharing 🥰 👍

This lady really is very lovely. I had the same response speaking French in France....the locals might have been a little desultory knowing I was English to start with, but when they heard me speak French they totally changed and congratulated me on speaking perfect French. By speaking some phrases I had earned their respect...and I think it is true of every nation on the planet...making an effort to speak the language of your host is the greatest act of respect. The Japanese people seem be be very respectful and polite....really they are my favourite nation.

The staring has been something that I’m having trouble getting used to. Been living in Japan for only a month, but it’s definitely hard not to feel self conscious when all these eyes are glancing my way.

I don't know how you talk to some of those people. I have had old men corner me against the building just to say 'Hello!' It is just a matter of protecting myself to not reply most of the time. I also had a guy pull the head phone from my ear on the train after i ignored him and he told me to go back to my F ing country. I don't know but being on my 11th year here... I don't know if I'm used to it or just not noticing it. That drunk? perv of a guy is exactly why i don't engage. Espically as a married woman. smh

The old man with the hands behind his back as he subtly listens to you speak his language 🤣 nail on the head reactions I get when I start speaking faroese.

WOW! Nearly 600K Subs!!!! 上手 Hope you have continued success! これからもよろしくお願いします。 Thanks for sharing your love for Japanese culture.

5:17 that part was so hilarious

Our experience of Japan as Australians in our 60s was of frequently being helped, gentle kindness, and a fair amount of shared giggling with lost in translation experiences. In small villages people were polite but shy. I vote Takamatsu as the friendliest place in Japan. We had meals bought for us on several occasions when were standing outside restaurants looking at the food photos, . Locals in an izakaya plied us with sake 😅 to get us drunk and we were walked to our hotel by a lady clearly in a rush, who stopped just because we looked lost ( we didn't have the heart to tell her we weren't lost) Besides, it's a really lovely town.

I so look forward to your videos, so fun and creative! :)

Although I had lived in Japan as a bachelor the first time around, staring wasn't a problem for me or my associates. However, when I returned with a wife decades later, she managed to turn-heads nearly everywhere we went. She's a tall (5' 11"), slightly freckled, redhead with blue eyes (blue eyes with red hair is a very rare and unique combination). Along with staring (even in the touristy cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto), several Japanese wanted to take a picture with her (only) while others, mainly kids, wanted to touch her. Of course, they asked her first. BTW: We both speak fluent Japanese and understood what they were saying once they came within earshot.

From my experience (I'm Japanese and I have a white wife), Japanese people nowadays don't stare at normal foreigners that much since foreigners are not that rare anymore. I'm sure they stared at you simply because you looked very beautiful/kawaii to them. Even if you're Japanese, if you're beautiful or super handsome, people would love to stare at you, haha.

People in some countries are very curious about things like life in Canada, my family, how easy is it to find housing or work there. The odd older woman will play matchmaker, telling me they have a fine woman in their family for me to marry. In some African countries it was common for people to tell me I should be married by age 22. They then offered some examples of women to marry.

I was in Japan for six months last year. There were days when they stared a lot but they often smiled or had a happy face impression.

I enjoy watching these, thanks

I love your approach to Japanese people and especially catching the surprised faces.

They may be just starring because you are very pretty 😍

Good to see you new posting again, cheers.

Everytime i watch your videos i wanna travel there so bad I love watching your videos! So much insight and intresting convos. Teach me the Japanese language!!!

All those interactions looked like so much fun! Quick question, how do they handle tall people in Japan? I'm 6ft10, so I imagine it'd be plenty of stares 😅

They say this staring stuff about germany and europe too. I believe its just the americans being different than the rest of the world.

Oh, you're PERFECT for the Uma Thurman cosplay!! :D

Watched so many of your videos and subscribed. I like your positive attitude. For example in one of the video the thing, perhaps some sort of sweet or cake, fell and it touched shoe of the guy who was beating but you said it was perfect seasoning! Congratulations on your wedding and new life ahead.

Walk like an American🎶🎵🚶🏼🚶🏽‍♂️ えええええ

Hello Anming from Australia!! I am new to your channel and l really love it! My 3 children learn Japanese, so we have all been enjoying the channel, thank you. May l ask if Anming is your real name (birthname)? If not, what is your English/American name?

I also swear by Pimsleur’s graduated interval recall method. It will get you conversant in your target language faster than anything out there, IMHO.

omg you dressed as the bride during the sword fighting!!!! perfection

The kill bill was sick lmao. My friend whose "light skin" said he got stares a lot in japan, but when he stared back they turned away. Apparently he said in South Korea when he caught them staring they would just keep staring. Has it been hard making Japanese friends in Japan?

I always wondered that actually. When i originally subbed to your channel, like do they stare at Foreigners these days? If they see one walking around & stuff. Also Hello Anming, nice to see you again. Hope you & Tommy are doing well! :D

You make a perfect Uma Thurman stand in. Beautiful as always! I'm glad that you have the ability to learn other languages, some people don't....LIKE ME

great vlog, can't wait for updates 👍