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"

Sometimes 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