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