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  • Hello.

  • Oh yeah, that's the wa version of starbucks.

  • Gosh this is adorable!!!

  • Does this come with tea?

  • It comes with Sencha!

  • I got one!

  • - HEY!!! - We already started filming?!!?!?

  • Hey guys and girls on Ask Japanese.

  • It's Cathy Cat and the Director.

  • And today we're going to walk around Kawagoe which is a popular spot for people to visit

  • for a day trip away from Tokyo.

  • Yes Japan is struggling too with the current situation.

  • In order to cheer everyone up, we will show you around while we can.

  • On that note we're gonna go explore, Kawagoe today, and you'll see how it looks at this time right now.

  • There are a couple of cool cafés and nice spots and a lot of things you can look at without

  • having to look inside as well so let's walk around Kawagoe.

  • What's special about this area is that everything is still kept in the "old Japan"

  • we have old houses old store houses and also above us there are no electric lines which

  • is rare because you see electric lines everywhere but here none at all.

  • Look at this you can see the sky.

  • Kawagoe was known for storage places in old houses and you can still see them here and

  • it look like loads of loads of little stores in similar.

  • This is a cute hand wipes truck.

  • That's for the little wipes... be careful director the truck is behind us!!!

  • OK well there are a couple people here who don't seem to mind. There a couple tourists

  • having a good time. Hopping onto rickshaws.

  • I do like that some ladies are still dressing up in Yucata kimonos here.

  • I think it makes the whole place much more colorful.

  • Oh hello.

  • Our goal for today is the Hikawa shrine. A big shrine.

  • I hope there we can pray that the situation gets better and there will be more peace in Japan.

  • That's a good idea I'd like to go there too.

  • Flut-flut I am so hungry flut-flut.

  • Humans are dropping stuff around here flut-flut

  • I will clean the street for you flut flut

  • (why am I doing this lol)

  • Please subscribe to Ask Japanese flut flut

  • OK what I'm really curious about is...

  • this place here it's a zoo but it looks like a café and has a bird of

  • prey that's just sitting up there.

  • It's like hey guys hey what's up.

  • Oh yeah that's the WA version of Starbucks this one was open just recently and everything

  • is kept with the Japanese colors inside so I actually have been in there it's a has

  • a normal menu but the whole design is made like a Japanese style place also they have

  • a Japanese garden on the other side so if you come around.

  • If you still wanna get your Starbucks kick.

  • Not sponsored.

  • I'm sorry I can't restrict myself I love tortoises and they make tortoises ones.

  • Hello - Can I come in?

  • Are you open today? - We are.

  • OK they allowed us to film inside after we asked them. Always ask before you do that.

  • And oh man they're so cute they have different flavors of the...

  • these dorayaki. Usually dorayaki are just round but these ones are in a shape of tortoises.

  • Or turles.

  • The most popular one is sweet bean paste they have red bean paste as well

  • OK they have different

  • flavors but one is just without a flavor and to be honest I want to try it just as it is

  • because she says it's very confident with the taste even without the flavor so let's try this one.

  • Thank you for shopping!

  • OK let's go for this once here.

  • I love the characters everywhere I look at the little tortoises that are everywhere on

  • the signs and everything.

  • I am tasty eat me.

  • The name of the store is Kameya. That's turtle/tortoise in there.

  • Are you eating it right away? - I will. - Thank you.

  • This one has the potato to indicate it has sweet potatoes inside it but this one without the

  • filling just has the shell of a tortoise on it.

  • I think I wanna keep that sticker and put it into my diary it's so cute I love tortoises

  • and turtles so much so this is like the most adorable thing.

  • That's really good dorayaki. It doesn't need a filling

  • I'm not a big fan of the bean paste. I mean...

  • sometimes I can eat it but sometimes it's too sweet for me right in the morning I can't

  • eat it so it's just like morning pancakes it has a bit of a pancake feel to it.

  • Oh they're closed till the end of March and that's also because of the virus so

  • can't really visit today and there goes me saying they're almost open every time.

  • The wind is really strong. Blow Blow!

  • Blow Blow! - Blow Blow!

  • Whaaatever.

  • It's Japanese onomatopoeia. What's your favourite Onomatopoeia?

  • There are so many. Like Puni Puni... Mochi Mochi... I like soft things.

  • I also like Doki Doki (heartbeat)

  • It's like squishy things that are cute and squishy and then mochi mochi is bouncy but

  • pretty puny is lik cheeks somebody's cheeks like cute chubby cheeks they are puny puny.

  • Oh here that's the place I found it that's the one.

  • So they sell it to go but if you ask you can go into the second floor and they serve it with tea.

  • Coming up the stairs taken off the shoes and here we are.

  • This is like a real secret spot so I'm sharing this with you guys.

  • Keep it secret though.

  • Not many people know about this it's like a real hidden little paradise and I'm really

  • glad I know this place so yeah.

  • You are aiming for that instagramable look there. It looks so cute!!!

  • Does that come with the tea - Yes it comes with Sencha!

  • Which one shall I get... I can't decide.

  • I think I will go for the instagramable one.

  • I will have the cake in the heart shape.

  • It's called Enmusubi right

  • That was good that was good I need that little break.

  • If you guys come please please the staff is really really nice they were really really

  • friendly and they talked with us about the struggles are having right now during the

  • in the current situation director could you summarize it.

  • Well it was tasty.

  • But they pretty much said was the customers... all the foreign customers are gone now

  • because some of the people are worried that ... they can't get back to their country but because

  • of school holidays I started the city got a bit more lively with all the young girls

  • and boys who are just having holidays right now but it has changed a lot and the influx

  • of Chinese tourists that they were expecting every year has obviously stopped as well so

  • a lot of stores are struggling right now but I bought myself some tea but I'll buy some

  • I was like I am gonna support you! I will buy some tea!!!

  • So I bought some extra tea as well.

  • And the tea I tried upstairs was really high class Tea.

  • It was a really really pricey one it has the umami flavor in it.

  • It was really sweet without sugar and and I'm glad I took some home for me too...

  • Do you know what this sign is for??

  • They are looking for someone... - Looking for witnesses..

  • It's for an accident that occurred here back in December.

  • A traffic accident between a blue car and a pedestrian.

  • If you have seen it please call this police number.

  • They are looking for people who might have seen the accident? - Right.

  • They make a full on sign for that. - It happens a lot. - Wow it does?

  • I didn't know this. It's a proper sign and all. Wow.

  • Maybe this is a Japan only thing. - Maybe that's an only in Japan thing.

  • Right now we are here at the Hikawa shrine which is a shrine that puts a lot of effort

  • into getting even young people interested to come and visit

  • they have a couple of cool Instagram able spots a couple of cool items there and on New Year's this place is packed.

  • So yes definitely a recommendation to go.

  • I'm not sure we can film inside do you think we can film inside director?

  • So these symbols here are like a "stamp raley of the gods"

  • Usually there's a Goshuincho which is a little book when you go from shrine to shrine and priests will write

  • in your book but I forgot my book today but you can just get the paper and

  • put into the book of your collection saying you were here on that day as a good memory

  • and also a good meaning so let's look at mine.

  • It has today's date on it.

  • It will say the name of the shrine, a stamp and there will also be...

  • written on what day you were there.

  • Activity time!!!!

  • They have fortune slips but these ones are a little different you have to fish with them

  • yourself and you get to keep the fish from it too but you have to get it out so here we go.

  • Thank you that's 300 yen that's not so expensive.

  • Where do I put this in? Over here?

  • 1 2 3.

  • Where is the fishing rod there we go.

  • Going to grab my little fishing rod here.

  • So who's going to be my fortune?

  • You're good you're good too.

  • Let go for this one.

  • I got one.

  • Let's see what my fortune is going to be.

  • I got to keep the little fishy too!

  • If it's a good fortune I get to keep it if it's a bad fortune I need to tie it to

  • a tree here. Let's see what it says.

  • Please be good this time please be good.

  • Whoaaaa! - WHAT WHAT!!!

  • You got the BEST OF LUCK one!!!

  • The best one that exists!!! - Really!!! - Lucky!!!!

  • I am sooo glad

  • I will read it out to you

  • Your wish: Unpredictably your wish comes true

  • Faster than you might expect.

  • The person you're waiting for will come!

  • Lost things ... you will find them in low places.

  • Travel: as soon as possible

  • Business: Do it secretly.

  • Study: No worries just do it.

  • Marketing: Overdo it and you will loose money

  • Oh my even with the biggest luck.

  • But everything else is the best of luck possible.

  • Fight... you will loose first then win.

  • Love: Don't get confused by other people's emotions.

  • Don't worry too much about the love life and emotions of other people.

  • All in all that was a great fortune slip.

  • I am SO GLAD

  • There's one more thing here which is called ningyo nagashi. Director what's that?

  • Put all the bad things... on a paper doll and let them get swept away by water.

  • Stuff like that should be swept away.

  • I put all the bad things

  • onto the paper that has the shape of a human and then let it wash away.

  • What shall I do.... I first breathe on that piece of paper and then?

  • Breathe on it 3 times.

  • Then rub it on your body.

  • Then all the bad things should go over to the doll.

  • Then shout "Haraetamae Kiometamae!!!"

  • Then let it float through the gate there.

  • Be careful! Do not fold the doll.

  • Make sure the doll will go through that gate.

  • That rope over there.

  • That is the gate mentioned.

  • Let's do this.

  • It is really in the shape of a human.

  • Haraetamae! Kiyometamae!!!

  • Wow that's really cool.

  • So this is specifically for this ritual here and I didn't know it would dissolve like

  • this it explains the white of the shrine.

  • They must regularly come through and clean this.

  • Cathy Cat I found something!!!

  • What did you find???

  • What??

  • What is going on???

  • On this box it says... Super House???

  • SUPER HOUSE

  • Super house???

  • (Random English in Japan)

Hello.

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