Japan Decides Its Most Popular Onigiri | @AbroadinJapan #243

0:00 They got rid of all the seats.

0:02 Yeah.

0:01 And they did up all the windows with like artwork of food.

0:05 They did not do that.

0:06 Oh, what?

0:06 So, the actual outside of the train.

0:08 Food doesn't need a view out the window, does it?

0:10 Just sits there.

0:12 Wow.

0:12 Hello and welcome to the Abroad Japan podcast.

0:14 Probably the best way of learning about

0:16 life in Japan without actually being in Japan.

0:18 I'm your host, Chris Broad,

0:19 joined as always by England's top Japan enthusiast, Mr.

0:23 Pete Donaldson.

0:24 Pete, tell the devil how you doing?

0:25 What's going on?

0:26 I'm good, Chris.

0:26 You got a lot of drinks on the table.

0:28 very very well watered this time around.

0:31 Water.

0:31 I've got some fizzy caffeine filth.

0:34 You Yes.

0:34 You just you just hosed down a caffeine drink

0:37 and unnamed because they were were not sponsoring the channel.

0:40 So, they're not going to have the mention.

0:42 We're not going to tell tell say who it is.

0:44 Yeah.

0:44 The secret's not getting out.

0:45 I'm depressed.

0:46 Pete, on the way in.

0:48 What?

0:47 I was like listening to some radio stuff, right?

0:50 Radio stuff.

0:50 Yeah.

0:50 I was like flicking through

0:51 LBC or something.

0:52 Yeah, it was LBC.

0:53 I was flicking through and the radio presenter was called Nick Ferrari.

0:57 Yeah.

0:57 What a great name.

0:58 Why can't I be Chris Ferrari?

1:00 Yeah.

1:00 I mean, is that his real name?

1:01 I think if you I feel like it isn't.

1:04 I feel like it is.

1:05 I don't think anybody I mean is an Italian name as a Ferrari.

1:08 He's just he's just like a grumpy British man.

1:10 He's a grumpy British lion.

1:11 Yeah.

1:11 He used to So, I used to work in that I

1:13 used to work in that I used to work in that building.

1:14 And um he's Yeah.

1:17 Well, you've met Nick a man called Nick Ferrari.

1:19 Nick Ferrari.

1:20 Yeah.

1:20 It sounds like Pete Dawson.

1:21 Why can't you be like Pete Mustad?

1:23 Who's the Cruz?

1:24 I'd be Donaldson Century.

1:26 Peter Century.

1:27 That's who I would be.

1:28 I think I should change my name to something good.

1:30 To something good.

1:31 Chris Empire.

1:31 Chris Empire.

1:32 Chris.

1:33 No, I think Chris accept.

1:34 That's Chris Huittson from Empire.

1:36 You can't you can't defeat his name.

1:37 He's Chris Empire.

1:38 Um, yeah.

1:39 I mean, I think uh yeah, he's he's a he's a funny bloke.

1:41 He's one of those kind of men who just I don't know how

1:44 you get up in the morning and just have such vinegar for the world.

1:48 Do you know what I mean?

1:49 Like I know that's kind of your job.

1:50 you know, all of the kind of um you know, Fox News guys,

1:53 you get up and you just I don't have it in me.

1:58 I want to be I want to be happy.

1:59 I want to be having a good time.

2:01 Yeah, but you're lucky, right?

2:02 Cuz you're leftwing.

2:02 If you ever got into political radio stuff,

2:06 you could stick to blah blah blah left stuff, right?

2:09 I'm so Because I'm in the middle.

2:10 I don't know.

2:11 I'm like, it doesn't really work.

2:12 You've got to be left or right.

2:14 No, but that's where it gets fun.

2:15 But do you not think that like the leftwing

2:17 people probably have more anger in their righteous anger?

2:23 I would suggest because a lot of the stuff that a lot

2:25 of the stuff that they get angry about is genuine human rights violations.

2:29 What do you mean you want clean water?

2:30 What do you mean you want

2:32 What do you mean you want

2:33 transport the work?

2:33 You know, you want basic healthcare.

2:35 Yeah.

2:36 __] commie.

2:39 You got to commit to either side with a name like Nick Ferrari.

2:41 I just I think I wish I had a name like that.

2:44 radio radio DJ names.

2:46 There was a DJ called Roberto on the Capital um FM station back in the day.

2:52 Right.

2:51 And who's the fella?

2:52 Who's the singer?

2:53 Right.

2:53 Here's here's a question for you.

2:54 Um I will be your hero, baby.

2:56 Who sang that?

2:58 Enrico and Glacia.

2:59 Yes.

3:00 Is he the son?

3:01 Sean's the dad.

3:02 Enrico is the son.

3:03 Julio Glac is the dad.

3:05 Enrique.

3:05 So the son um sort of said to Roberto

3:08 Roberto like um good thanks for interviewing me.

3:11 Had a good interview at the Capital Ball.

3:13 Jingle Bell, whatever you call it.

3:14 And have you got are you from Italy originally?

3:17 And he went, "That's just a stage name, mate." And he said, "Okay,

3:21 so so your family comes from Italy." And he goes,

3:23 "No, my name's like something or other." Um,

3:26 and you you do get given and and I knew a guy who

3:30 um uh his manager told him that his name was too Jewish, Rick Cutler.

3:34 Um, and he became Rick Shaw.

3:37 And and it is Cutler.

3:38 I mean, Rick Shaw is a ridiculous silly name because it's Rick Shaw.

3:41 I'm going to be called Julio Ferrari.

3:44 Yeah, but I just don't think I just think Cutler's a particularly Jewish name.

3:46 It just doesn't really jump out at me like that.

3:48 But yeah, I think people change the names all the time.

3:50 I think um is your name actually Pete Dawson?

3:54 It's the only names I've got unfortunately.

3:55 Yeah, I was having an argument with the bank

3:57 uh is it Coinbase Coin the stable coins and stuff.

4:02 Um I wanted to take some money out of my account and uh they were

4:05 saying you you I cannot put

4:07 this on your HSBC card because your names are different.

4:10 Oh, really?

4:11 From the Coinbase account and my account.

4:13 I was like, the only names I have is Peter Donaldson.

4:16 They're the only names I'm going to use.

4:18 And I looked on both and they were the same.

4:19 They were just trying to get trying to get out of me.

4:21 They were trying to get some bloody

4:23 um transaction instant transaction fees out of me.

4:25 Absolute scumbags.

4:27 And then and then I went on their helpline and good god,

4:31 if you find like a real person on those things, they talk like an AI nowadays.

4:36 It's absolutely imperceptible differences between AI

4:39 and a person who just basically

4:40 copies and pastes um the featur

4:42 frequently asked questions into your[ __] timeline.

4:44 Outrageous.

4:44 I hate it.

4:46 Sucks.

4:46 I hate modern life.

4:47 And you've got to go back to Japan and if

4:48 you want to get something out of the bank,

4:50 you got to turn up and fill out in a lot of forms.

4:52 Can you imagine how many forms are in front of your door?

4:56 Is anyone looking after your house?

4:57 Is they are they going to be filing away all of the bits and bobs?

5:00 Just banking in Japan is Oh, it just gives me depression.

5:03 The heebie-jebies.

5:04 Like I I remember the one cuz you got to have this the Hanko stamp, right?

5:08 I got a little stamp and I have to whack it.

5:09 How do you get rid of that?

5:10 Yeah.

5:10 They tried to get rid of it cuz it's not

5:13 1953 and then uh the there was like big hank big

5:18 big hank big farmer.

5:19 Get rid of the wooden the wooden rubber.

5:21 Genuinely it was like this is our culture.

5:23 We're not getting rid of this.

5:25 And I'm like I'm all for like retaining aspects of culture that are good.

5:29 Let us stamp let us stamp our little fake passport at a train station.

5:32 I think it's a bar.

5:33 Well, initially I was like, "Ah, yeah.

5:35 Stamp with my name on."[ __] yeah.

5:36 This is power.

5:37 This is And then you forget it every time you go and do anything.

5:41 So if you go in the bank,

5:42 if you're going to have it like integrated into your phone

5:44 or something like a little sort of hanko stamp glued to your phone

5:48 could be somebody could nick it and steal it.

5:51 So it's like having a signature on the back of your phone.

5:53 In fact, that is the flaw with the hanko stamp.

5:54 Cuz if somebody steals it, they've got your[ __] signature.

5:59 Yeah.

5:58 Need to know it.

5:59 They can't forge it.

6:00 It's literally a stamp.

6:01 Could you have it installed in your hand in resin like underneath the skin?

6:05 I mean that would be cool.

6:06 Like ghost in the shell someone and hanker them in the face.

6:09 Ghost in the shell meets Hank.

6:10 Spank or hankor bang.

6:13 No.

6:13 And so they tried to get rid of it.

6:15 Then they gave up and now they're still there.

6:17 And that's the story of Hanko.

6:19 And that's the story of Hanko.

6:20 And I I always forget it.

6:21 I always go in

6:23 the bank staff go ballistic.

6:25 Bankcoy sh if I go in there.

6:29 I always forget it and the staff go like crazy and uh

6:33 is there any way around it?

6:34 Do you always need it?

6:35 Just kind of like

6:35 I suspect in a farm there's some banks that probably don't require it.

6:40 Yeah.

6:40 Unfortunately, I got like a bank when I was in uh Yamagata.

6:44 Yeah.

6:43 And it's like a really local bank.

6:45 Like in Japan actually it's quite interesting.

6:46 In the UK we have like six big banks that roll, you know, rule the show.

6:50 In Japan, there's like dozens because they have a lot smaller localized banks

6:56 like the one in um that film um about the beautiful life uh

7:01 where he goes there was a run on the banks

7:02 and everyone there a very small old timey bank

7:05 the money and Joe's house and Jim's house that guy it's like that.

7:10 Yeah,

7:10 but cuz it's like it's like a town the town has their own bank.

7:13 I don't know if it's good or bad.

7:15 No,

7:15 probably good because they won't they won't like gamble

7:18 it away like 2008 and have a global financial crisis.

7:21 I feel like them having less money is more of a risk.

7:25 I just do Chris.

7:26 Well, anyway, I I

7:28 join the bank of Peter.

7:29 I will look after your money.

7:30 I suggest post wedding blown to bits.

7:34 Let me and I and if I buy Connor a train ticket on that really expensive train,

7:39 well, that's just what'll happen.

7:41 A train ticket on the that ridiculous train probably

7:43 cost more than all the money in the bank.

7:45 That's a good point actually.

7:46 Bank of

7:47 ridiculous.

7:48 But if I had money, I know how I'd spend it.

7:51 I know how I would spend it.

7:52 I would spend it on this week's power spot.

7:56 Power spot of the week.

8:04 It's time for power spot of the week.

8:05 Time for power spot of the week.

8:06 This is a new section of the show where I tell you somewhere that's good.

8:09 Yeah.

8:10 or not good.

8:11 And you have to decide.

8:13 We really need to work on this description.

8:14 If you want to go then Japanese,

8:19 it's somewhere that changes you,

8:20 somewhere that makes you feel refreshed, alive, re-energized.

8:24 Yeah.

8:23 Last week we had the worst museum in the world,

8:27 which I was very much into.

8:28 That's a big thumbs up from me.

8:30 Babarosi Hakar Museum in Izzy.

8:32 This week, uh, it's it's it's it's a statue.

8:37 It's a statue.

8:38 Not just any statue,

8:41 right?

8:40 When it was built, it was the tallest statue on the entire planet back in 1991.

8:46 1991's tallest statue.

8:47 And it's in Sai.

8:49 And it's the Sendai die cannon.

8:52 Don.

8:52 It's 100 meters tall.

8:54 You can go inside it.

8:55 And the first time I saw it, I was in Saii.

8:57 I was driving around.

8:58 Nobody had told me about it.

8:59 And I looked over the distance.

9:00 There's a big mountain

9:02 and there was just what looked like

9:03 the[ __] Stay Puff Sugar Man from like Ghostbusters.

9:08 You must have thought it was the end of the world.

9:09 I was like genuinely like that's what is that?

9:11 Are we about to It was in the 90s as well when Power Rangers was at its peak.

9:17 Yes.

9:18 He warned me about it and you just see

9:19 like the skyline of like towers and apartment blocks going

9:22 and then just a massive die cannon

9:24 and uh it was built Yeah.

9:26 built in the' 90s.

9:27 Uh apparently somebody basically had a bit too much money.

9:31 Right.

9:31 There's a lot of like depending on who I ask the story is always different and

9:36 the story goes somebody had a bit too much money.

9:40 Yeah.

9:40 In the economic bubble in the 80s, right?

9:42 When Japan was flushed with money.

9:44 Uh and this statue was,

9:48 you know, meant to be part of a huge

9:49 resort and amusement complex on this sort of mountain, right?

9:53 And then the bubble burst, the money ran out.

9:56 Yeah.

9:56 And then it just sort of sits there now awkwardly right

9:59 in a sort of crappy looking park.

10:02 And it is a really bizarre thing, but you can go inside it.

10:05 I wouldn't recommend it.

10:07 Why?

10:07 Cuz you go inside.

10:08 It's lovely in there.

10:08 I've seen

10:09 Well, it's got 12 stories and eight uh 108 Buddhist statues.

10:13 The idea is you can see all the statues.

10:15 So, it's a lot of statues inside a big statue.

10:18 Yeah.

10:17 Like a Kinder Surprise.

10:19 No, Russian doll.

10:20 It's the world's biggest surprise.

10:22 Yeah.

10:22 And then you climb up to the top and then you get like a view of the city,

10:26 but it's through like prison grates.

10:28 These like little bars you have to like press your face up against.

10:31 Yeah.

10:31 I think people would probably jump out, wouldn't they?

10:34 Probably.

10:34 Probably.

10:34 But

10:35 yeah, from a distance it does look very cool.

10:36 There's always photos of the Sendai Dannon

10:40 uh looking like sort of this crazy anomaly.

10:44 Um

10:44 there's a bigger one these days, I think, down in Ibaraki.

10:49 But this is the AG.

10:50 Why have I never seen this before?

10:52 Have you been to Senti before?

10:53 Yes, a couple of times.

10:56 Blocked out.

10:57 Why didn't you show me it?

10:58 Well, it's been blocked out by skyscrapers.

11:00 In the same way Paul's Cathedral in London's

11:03 slowly being eroded by skyline, the Sendai Dicon is is being

11:08 concealed behind towers.

11:09 Yeah.

11:10 Um but what there's a from the Sai Castle park overlooking the city,

11:15 a park in which there is no castle

11:17 apart from a couple of bricks to survive the fire.

11:21 You can see just this incredible view,

11:23 this sweeping vista of of Sendai suddenly punctuated by this

11:28 bright white light towering above.

11:30 And it is quite a sight.

11:31 It is pretty cool.

11:33 Don't go inside it.

11:34 Look upon it from a distance.

11:35 Heck, get quite quite close to it, but don't pay the fee.

11:38 This is not a great This is not a great

11:39 um view out the window out the little grit prison bars.

11:42 You can stick your Fujif film through it.

11:43 The power spot comes from being near being near it.

11:46 Okay.

11:46 Not going in it.

11:47 The power gets too strong then.

11:49 It does.

11:50 It does look as do the Yeah, we we'll put a picture of the inside.

11:53 It looks nice.

11:54 If you're watching on YouTube, you'll have footage of how spot now.

11:57 If you're listening, my description is better than video.

12:00 Uh but uh what are you thinking?

12:02 Sendai die cannon.

12:03 Does it get the Pete Donaldson seal of approval?

12:06 It's gone down.

12:07 down.

12:08 What?

12:08 Couldn't give a toss, mate.

12:09 Calm down.

12:09 Couldn't give a toss about your your big white boy.

12:13 Even though you've seen it.

12:14 Even though I've seen it.

12:15 Look, I like the idea of um folly.

12:19 I love a grand design when when a man um divorces his wife

12:22 cuz he's just got two thinks he can manage a you know,

12:26 a conversion of a lighthouse in Scotland.

12:29 Well, it the local Many locals don't like it

12:32 because they feel like it has no real religious merit.

12:36 Yeah.

12:36 Yeah, it's like I got too much money.

12:38 I want to spend it on something.

12:39 Let's make famous.

12:40 What is it of?

12:41 Just a Buddhist.

12:42 Just a Buddhist.

12:43 It's a Buddhist god.

12:44 Goddess.

12:45 I think it's goddess.

12:46 I see.

12:47 Well, that's nice.

12:48 At least it's you know, bit of, you know,

12:50 female representation in the in the skyline.

12:53 I mean, I think too uh

12:56 we overlook like um interesting structures that have

13:00 been built under the guise of religion.

13:02 Like in Japan, there's quite a few statues like this.

13:04 There's the one in uh Fukuoka, the reclining Buddha

13:08 who looks like that.

13:09 That[ __] amazing statue built in the early '9s,

13:13 but a lot of people are like, "Ah, it's built in the last 20 years, 30 years.

13:15 It's kind of old."

13:17 It's it's got no real value.

13:19 But I think it does have value.

13:21 And I think the Sendai die has value.

13:23 He looks good from afar.

13:25 There's some good there's some amazing pictures from people like just

13:27 going down the street and there's massive ladies just in the sky.

13:30 Yeah.

13:31 But again weird a lot of statues maybe

13:34 in the 90s and I'm just saying quite a lot

13:36 lot of cooking kick around it

13:39 what's crazy about the dyan it's in this like park and it feels like pryat

13:43 like it's just like this really ragged park and I remember there was

13:46 like leaves and stuff growing up through the concrete and it felt like

13:50 this should this one day this statue will be sealed off and nobody's going in.

13:54 It does feel like

13:54 it will fall.

13:55 It's the Nackagin capsule tower of Sennai

13:58 stuff with asbestos from the' 90s probably is the '9s.

14:02 Thumbs down then for this passport.

14:03 Thumbs down.

14:04 But maybe if I see maybe if I saw I would be impressed by the scale of it.

14:07 And pictures never do these things justice today.

14:09 Going to see it from the Sendai Castle Park instead if you're in Sai.

14:13 But what is going on in Japan this week?

14:15 What is the news of the week?

14:17 Well, we've spoken quite recently about the oniri rice ball.

14:20 The the humble oniri rice ball.

14:22 It's a ball of rice.

14:23 They'll you might get a sour plum inside.

14:25 You might get some tuna mayonnaise.

14:27 Um you might just get something just a bit of salt, just a bit of soy.

14:30 What's crazy is it's simple, right?

14:31 But you just can't get them in the UK in a way that they're good.

14:34 They there was wasabi used to do one um and they were gross,

14:38 but they were at least an attempt at them.

14:40 Some of the Japanese um like sort of small

14:43 brand supermarkets will have a crack at them.

14:45 They always fall a fall to pieces.

14:47 I've been working on a video on like trying Japanese food

14:49 in the UK and like the rice is just[ __] M

14:52 I don't know if they're using Japanese rice and then[

14:54 __] up or if they're using different varieties of rice.

14:56 It's just storage.

14:57 We just don't run out of storage for we It's never served in decent time.

15:01 We don't like throwing stuff away.

15:02 I just We just don't have good rice cookers.

15:04 They need your rice cooker, mate.

15:06 You've got a rice cooker, right?

15:07 My Zoyerushi uh rice cooker.

15:10 Yes, we do.

15:10 Do you use it?

15:11 I do.

15:11 You use it quite a lot.

15:12 Yes.

15:13 Yeah.

15:13 Do you notice the rice is like Japanese rice?

15:16 It's like magic.

15:17 It is like a magic.

15:18 Chris,

15:18 do you put Japanese rice in it?

15:20 I put Japanese rice in it and I wash it.

15:22 I'm not

15:22 Does it actually taste like rice over in the in Japan then?

15:25 Yeah, I don't overs salt it to be honest,

15:27 which sometimes you can find in in Japan.

15:29 But um yeah, I I've started doing little, you know,

15:32 chucking a bit of meat in there, some soy sauce, some uh

15:35 some vegetable stock.

15:36 Rice cooker is not going to last very long, is it?

15:38 You could cook loads of stuff in a rice cooker.

15:40 If you like pound for pound, if you got limited space in your, you know,

15:43 you got one bedroom flat or something, get yourself rice cookers.

15:45 You can cook so many meals in it and it's they're relatively healthy.

15:48 You know, you can stew meat in it.

15:51 You can do all sorts of stuff.

15:52 It's like a little slow cooker.

15:53 We shall see.

15:54 So, there we go.

15:56 But, well, yes, the common garden on agiri, the rice balls.

15:58 Um, which ones are more popular though?

16:00 If you're going to Japan and you want to try the quintessential proper numero

16:05 uno um convenience store on agiri rice ball as judged by the Japanese people,

16:08 we've got the information for you.

16:10 Um, oniri rice balls.

16:11 A recent survey has revealed which variety is the most

16:14 popular among shoppers from the uh country's four big conveni chains.

16:17 the oniri association which sounds like

16:21 there's always an association for something

16:23 tax dodge uh collected who's paying for this um big rice

16:28 um in uh Declan Rice the footballer on the the honorary

16:31 association collected sales data for the full year of 2025 from 7-Eleven

16:34 family mart Lawson and mini stop uh rest in peace um

16:38 and the results show that while preferences vary a little bit

16:41 by store and customer age one clear favorite stands out across

16:44 the board the tuna mayonnaise on a giri was overwhelming the most

16:47 popular choice after all four across all four convenience store chains.

16:52 That creamy salty tuna mayonnaise combo wrapped in nori

16:55 hits the spot for rice ball fans everywhere.

16:57 Um and prices have risen across the board,

17:00 but um it hasn't dented their popularity.

17:03 each of the major um conveninis.

17:06 I've put the prices up,

17:07 but um some other family um family familiar favorites like

17:11 seaweed and salmon filled oni consistently rank in the top

17:14 three at several chains echoing broader trends in Japanese taste

17:17 where tuna and salmon are among the most beloved fillings.

17:21 There are so many different oniri flavors,

17:24 but they do like to stick to the classics and you do you can't

17:26 go wrong with the tuna mayonnaise because it's a little bit of the west.

17:30 It's a little bit of cream.

17:31 It's a little bit of uh little bit of coopy mayonnaise and uh Yeah,

17:35 just[ __] lot of rice.

17:36 It is comfortably the best one.

17:39 Yeah.

17:39 Is that just your western Is that just your western palette?

17:42 No.

17:42 No.

17:42 I do like the salmon row ones.

17:44 They got like nice I think it's called like sweet raw sort of

17:47 Yeah.

17:47 sweet salmon and salted salmon.

17:49 Sorry.

17:49 Um and some beef.

17:51 There's like a lot of beef ones these days.

17:53 It's good.

17:54 But honestly, nine times out of 10, I just go for tuna mayonnaise.

17:56 The last time I had a beef one, you were hiring a car in uh Tunamia.

18:04 You were you were you were um hiring a car and I was having

18:06 a beef and then Natsky um buttonhold me to get involved in his song.

18:12 Oh, sing his song.

18:13 How do I forget that song?

18:15 Chicken Family Chick.

18:19 Um

18:19 I there's an interesting story this week though

18:21 that I apparently Japan's running out of lorry drivers,

18:26 right?

18:26 freight drivers.

18:28 Yeah.

18:28 And one of the bullet trains,

18:30 one of the Shinkansen on JR East going between like Tokyo and Morio.

18:33 Tokyo and Hokkaido

18:35 has been repurposed solely for shipping like food.

18:40 Oh, like a car like a food cargo.

18:42 Is it refrigerator?

18:43 It's the first all freight shin concept.

18:47 Oh,

18:46 so while the UK is still trying to build a[ __] highspeed train for humans,

18:51 we just got too many.

18:53 We're too good.

18:54 I bet it's the Nori.

18:55 Just get that Nomi.

18:56 No, it's not the Nomi.

18:57 It's the JR East one.

18:58 It's the Hayabusa train, right?

19:01 And uh like there's a there's a service called the Hakobium.

19:05 Hakobium.

19:06 And um basically food needs to get to Tokyo quickly, right?

19:10 With like fresh seafood and so they ship it down to Tokyo.

19:14 That makes perfect sense.

19:15 Special bullet train.

19:16 That makes perfect sense.

19:17 Surely.

19:17 That's great.

19:18 Yeah.

19:18 Could you stack them in?

19:19 Would that take more?

19:20 I mean it would more than a lorry but I imagine

19:22 the running costs are a bit more expensive lorry versus massive shrimp.

19:26 I wonder.

19:27 Yeah, it's a great idea though.

19:28 And basically they've got rid of all

19:29 the It was a a normal passenger carrying train.

19:33 They got rid of all the seats.

19:35 Yeah.

19:34 And they did up all the windows with like artwork of food.

19:38 They did not do that.

19:39 Oh, what?

19:39 So the actual outside of the train

19:41 food doesn't need a view out the window, does it?

19:42 Just sits there.

19:43 Well, yeah.

19:44 That would sort of I guess that would

19:45 warm up the train um exponentially needlessly.

19:47 But I mean, I don't know why you would bother putting a livery or livery,

19:50 I never know how you say that word, on the side of it.

19:52 Cuz they love their Hello Kitty trains and players, don't they, Japanese?

19:55 So, like, why did they need to advertise the fact

19:57 that they had a lot of food in it?

19:58 Just just run it and just make it a non-passenger train.

20:01 It's not going to stop at any station, so don't worry about it.

20:03 Well, I can't think of any I can't think of any

20:05 bullet trains that actually have any freight carriages at all.

20:09 No.

20:09 Is there not?

20:09 They don't take post or anything.

20:11 They do a post run.

20:12 Not that I know of.

20:13 Oh, it's interesting.

20:15 Yeah.

20:15 So, this is a pretty big deal.

20:17 like a dedicated bullet train for freight.

20:19 You get your, you know, your sushi.

20:21 I've got the wrong train.

20:22 Started eating on a giri or crab claws on.

20:25 They open up the train, all the food's gone.

20:27 Somebody's eating it all.

20:28 Yeah.

20:28 I mean, it's crazy.

20:29 The uh there's a place called Orma

20:32 in North Almory where all the most expensive tuna in the world comes from.

20:34 Like the one that the tuna king

20:37 Kioshi Kimura bid for back in January.

20:40 It was like what $3.1 million for the tuna.

20:43 But that tuna, it's super duper fresh.

20:45 Amazing.

20:46 Put on the bullet train, get down to Tokyo.

20:49 Yeah.

20:49 Fire out the front window.

20:50 Rock it down the rocket down from uh from the north.

20:54 It's pretty cool cuz that journey would normally take a few days or two days.

20:58 Now it takes three or four hours to get you the best tuna.

21:01 I mean that's amazing.

21:01 I mean like there presumably food up in I don't know what direction that one

21:04 goes in but like uh yeah the the tuna from the colder areas will get

21:08 the tuna from the colder areas.

21:09 tuna from the cold areas.

21:10 We'll get to the um and I can have my dinner and I

21:12 have my a tuna a tuna train is wafting in from the east.

21:16 Well, it just it's just sad.

21:17 It's like the UK is not doing anything.

21:22 Yeah.

21:22 Well, they are building a train, but it's like 400 years behind schedule

21:26 and it's like hurry up.

21:27 I want to get my I want to get I don't even know

21:30 what food I'd want to get from North England in 3 hours, though.

21:33 I just like I just like the the I just think the needless I mean I guess

21:37 they're part of the blinds that have kind

21:38 of closed out the uh closed out the the windows.

21:42 I just don't know why they put pictures

21:44 on pictures of the food that they've got inside.

21:47 And it doesn't seem like they've got a lot of doesn't

21:49 seem like they they're making the most of all of the space.

21:52 One might suggest

21:53 uh the trolley just like I mean why do you need that middle section?

21:57 like the sort of there's there's two sort of parallel

22:02 um sort of corridors of of of of stuff.

22:05 Why don't you put one down the middle?

22:06 Access the food easier when you get locked inside.

22:08 You don't need to you shouldn't need to you

22:09 just unload the whole train at once presumably.

22:11 I don't know how it works.

22:12 It's pretty cool though.

22:13 I It'll be interesting to see how this pans out to be honest.

22:15 Well, I hope that pan food.

22:17 Um I like that.

22:18 Um they I I feel like this is the test run and I feel like I mean presumably

22:24 this is also because we're looking at the um

22:26 the video now and it doesn't look like it's refrigerated.

22:29 Doesn't look like the actual thing is refrigerated.

22:30 Well, you don't need to.

22:31 It's only if it's only 2 or 3 hours.

22:34 You need to refrigerate stuff if it's two or three nonsense.

22:37 All right, fine.

22:38 Just open the open the doors.

22:40 Let the let the blast the cold blast just blast through.

22:43 Fascinating.

22:44 Pretty cool.

22:44 Pretty cool.

22:45 I would like that immensely.

22:46 And the work continues.

22:47 No talking.

22:49 No talking on the food train.

22:51 The work continues on the other train, the mag lev train.

22:54 It's coming.

22:55 Is it?

22:55 Just get ready.

22:56 Don't believe you.

22:57 Put it in your calendar.

22:57 2037, right?

22:59 Oh, 2037.

23:01 How much is that going to?

23:02 That's going to be 10 grand.

23:03 That's going to be a con fancy train from Tuya in 40 minutes, whatever it is.

23:08 It's going to be cool.

23:09 The reason it was held up is um there was

23:11 a politician in Shizuoka and part of the mag lev train,

23:15 the magnetic levitation train goes from Tokyo to Nagoya.

23:18 Right.

23:19 Right.

23:19 And it cuts through like Yamanashi in the mountains.

23:21 Is that And it went through Shizuoka for like 6 km.

23:25 Uh but there was no train station.

23:27 So Shiza didn't reap the benefits of that, right?

23:29 And they were like, well, you build a train station for us.

23:32 And they were like, no, it makes no sense.

23:34 They're like, well, we're not going to let you build it.

23:36 We're not going to let you build it.

23:36 Right.

23:36 And they held up the whole thing for 4 years because that

23:39 did they get the station in the end the guy who the politician that blocked it.

23:45 He made a speech making fun of farmers

23:47 and he got he got the hook didn't he didn't they

23:50 and and they were like they threw him out

23:52 of office and then someone else came in who wasn't

23:54 a bail end and they were like yeah just

23:56 build it get on with it and uh ridiculous bureaucracy.

23:59 I'm amazed the Japanese government allowed the one of the most important

24:03 rail links of the future to be held up by a politician.

24:06 Yeah, I mean it seems like they uh I mean good but I mean I guess good

24:09 on the politician for uh you know looking

24:11 after their what exactly what local politicians should be.

24:13 True.

24:14 I mean they argued that the bullet

24:15 train would go through the mountains and affect

24:17 the water that runs through the mountains

24:19 and um leads to cultivation of green tea.

24:24 Right.

24:23 Of which Shizor is one of the biggest exports.

24:25 Right.

24:25 It feels like I'm I'm on the side of uh the the farmer the farmer upsetter.

24:30 The farmer upsetter.

24:31 The farmer upsetter.

24:32 I think he's he's well within his rights to fight.

24:34 I can't remember what he said.

24:35 It was something like it was just a load of peasants or something.

24:40 Yeah.

24:40 And I can't remember exactly what his words were, but

24:43 that's astonishing.

24:43 Oh dear.

24:44 Bullet train's coming.

24:45 The mag train is coming.

24:46 2037.

24:47 Put it in the calendar.

24:49 Yeah.

24:48 Uh time for speedy Japanese.

24:50 Oh no.

24:56 I'm scared of learning things.

24:58 Do you remember the last expression I taught you?

25:01 No.

25:01 The monkey one.

25:02 __] sake.

25:02 The monkey one.

25:02 I'm looking at my notes.

25:03 Saroki keru even monkeys fall from trees.

25:07 Su is a good one to remember.

25:09 Su monkey.

25:11 Yeah.

25:10 Not to be confused with s meaning plate.

25:13 Do not put a su on a sal please.

25:16 A sal.

25:18 Uh given the the story this week or the the power

25:21 spot this week was about the Sendai die cannon

25:23 statue built with massive amounts of money, great tax expense.

25:27 Uh I figured the word the phrase would be useful uh involves rich people, right?

25:32 Most notably okal mochi.

25:34 Okalami.

25:35 Now okalochi.

25:36 So okali means money.

25:38 Yes.

25:38 Mochi means to hold on to.

25:39 Ah the people who hold on to money, the greedy, the rich person.

25:42 I see.

25:43 Okanimi.

25:45 And uh

25:46 why is that mochi related to the mochi squished up?

25:49 No rel.

25:49 No relation.

25:51 Squishes together, isn't it?

25:52 You could probably start around or kimchi.

25:54 You could have like money in the mochi.

25:56 Like a little tinder egg.

25:58 You chew the mochi and you find some coins.

26:00 Coin.

26:00 Yeah.

26:00 A like a um figgy pudding.

26:02 Enough people already die eating mochi every year.

26:04 It's the most dangerous food.

26:05 Oh yeah, they chalk, aren't they?

26:06 Yeah.

26:06 Might as well go the whole hog and put some money in there, right?

26:08 Surprise.

26:09 Hogs in it.

26:10 But uh means like the rich do not quarrel.

26:18 Oh.

26:19 So means rich person, right?

26:22 To fight.

26:25 Yeah.

26:24 Uh and means like they don't.

26:26 Right.

26:27 Okay.

26:27 kind of

26:29 the rich do not quarrel.

26:30 The rich are smart, so they don't bother fighting with anyone.

26:33 They just get on with it.

26:35 So, it's basically just like wealthy people don't

26:38 Well, if people watch the world, they don't bother quarreling.

26:40 Yeah, it's they're above them.

26:42 They're

26:42 above them.

26:43 They believe.

26:43 Right.

26:43 I see.

26:44 I feel like that works maybe in Japanese culture.

26:46 Don't know if it works in the West.

26:48 In the West,

26:49 the rich just cause problems.

26:51 The rich do quarrel, I would say.

26:53 Nor would suggest.

26:54 Yeah.

26:54 Uh but, you know, useful words to know.

26:56 Karimi and Kasuru means to like fight to quarrel,

27:02 right?

27:04 And su means to not.

27:05 So ah well there you go.

27:08 The rich

27:09 I just love the idea that you're going to one day

27:10 be in Japan at a bar and just throwing out weird proverbs.

27:15 Somebody's going to absolutely threaten to punch my face off.

27:17 You'll they'll serve you some suitor.

27:24 And then you'll be like, you know, all the words.

27:32 Yeah.

27:31 And there'll be more proverbs to come in the weeks ahead.

27:35 By the end of this series, he will be so good.

27:38 So many proverbs.

27:39 I know.

27:40 I'd look like a really I'd look like

27:42 a either a really wise man or an old person.

27:45 You decide.

27:47 You decide.

27:47 An aloof old person.

27:48 Ironically, ironically that um you know that little um sort

27:52 of phrase do does make you feel like you're above everything.

27:55 Do you know what I mean?

27:57 Knowing that knowing proverbs and stuff

28:02 I've I've seen this all before.

28:05 And with that with that useful phrase in your new arsenal of vocabulary,

28:09 we turn our attention to the fax machine.

28:14 Wow.

28:16 What have we got this week in the fax machine?

28:17 Mr.

28:17 Nson, fill us in.

28:18 We got a message from Brin from Perth, WA, Washington.

28:24 Is that in Australia?

28:26 I don't know.

28:27 Uh, good day, Carrot.

28:28 Top Chris and Paulolly Shaw.

28:29 Rude.

28:30 Uh, we just got back from a well overdue visit to Japan for my nephew's wedding.

28:33 The trip included finding a new appreciation for the lovely city of Yokohama.

28:37 Good news.

28:38 And getting hopelessly lost in Shabuya Station on our way to Lost Bar.

28:41 Towards the end, you should draw on the floor.

28:45 Just a big arrow.

28:46 Big arrow.

28:47 Um towards the end of our trip, we took the train out to Narita and we were

28:50 the only people in the car by three young ladies from Korea.

28:54 As with all uh limited express services in Japan,

28:57 the announcement came over telling anyone with a non-reserved ticket that may

29:01 have to give up their seat for someone who would reserved a seat.

29:03 Considering how empty the service was,

29:05 we could have easily saved a few books by not paying for the reserved seats.

29:07 But we already had.

29:09 When the conductor came through though,

29:10 he immediately got very angry with the Korean ladies,

29:12 telling them they should be in this car

29:14 and we they didn't have the reserved seats.

29:16 This clearly contradicted every sign and announcement

29:18 in English when you purchase your tickets.

29:20 Sure enough, after he told them off,

29:22 the same announcement came through the train

29:24 in different languages with the English

29:25 one letting non-reserved ticket holders know they

29:28 would have to give up their seats.

29:30 Was it bad translation or could the conductor be

29:33 on a power trip because he didn't like the foreigners?

29:35 What do you think happened?

29:36 Have you encountered something like this where translating

29:38 truck instructions contradicted what was being stated in Japanese?

29:41 Keep up the good work, Brin from Perth.

29:44 So, I think the English um version was more favorable to the tourists

29:49 than the Korean version that they busted out or the Japanese rather.

29:53 So, the Japanese version of the don't sit there

29:57 mate um thing was favorable to the English version,

30:01 sorry, non-favorable to the English version.

30:02 The English version said roughly sit where you

30:04 want and the Japanese version said don't sit there.

30:08 Um but because they didn't speak Japanese, they didn't know.

30:11 Except in this case, they did know.

30:13 I see.

30:14 Yeah, that is a bit odd.

30:15 I don't understand what happened there.

30:18 I you know, if if you were playing, you'd be like,

30:21 you wouldn't sort of say they probably wouldn't favor the English.

30:23 I mean, even Natsky and I got confused recently

30:26 when uh uh we we got a train from we did the Nakendo thing, right?

30:31 We hiked for three days, died.

30:33 Nakasendo.

30:33 Nakadendo.

30:36 Nakasendo.

30:36 Nasendi.

30:36 And we did that.

30:37 It was amazing.

30:38 Then we got the train to Tokyo.

30:39 It wasn't good because it was 3 hours

30:40 and there was no[ __] seats on the entire train.

30:43 Yeah.

30:45 Yi was very angry and smashed up a bin, right?

30:47 And I I share that sentiment rather well, but it was really really confusing.

30:52 The guy was like, "All reserve seating,

30:55 but you can just take whatever seats you want,

30:57 but god forbid if somebody arrives,

30:59 you reserve that seat." And we were like,

31:00 "Uh." We got on the train and there was a three light system.

31:03 It was like red light, green light, yellow light.

31:05 Yeah.

31:06 Is it as confusing as the taxi red lights?

31:07 It's It's worse.

31:08 It's so much worse.

31:10 So Natki and I It was like if it's a red light, you can sit in it.

31:14 It's not reserved.

31:15 Sit.

31:16 Yeah.

31:16 Live, live, love, be happy.

31:18 So we sat in the seat and Natki was like, "Ah, you got relieved."

31:24 Yeah.

31:23 He's like about to fall asleep.

31:25 And then the red light went to orange.

31:27 Oh.

31:27 And that booked the next somebody's coming on the train.

31:30 He's reserved it.

31:33 Yeah.

31:32 And so we're like, "Fuck." No.

31:34 His light went first and I was like good luck.

31:38 And then mine went sec seconds later and I was like[ __]

31:41 And so how exciting.

31:42 It's a real sort of sort of damic, isn't it?

31:44 It is.

31:44 And it's the sort of[ __] democ.

31:46 And then you go to the station, the light went green.

31:49 That meant move now or die.

31:52 Yeah.

31:51 We got out the seats.

31:52 The lucky people that reserved it came in, sat down.

31:55 This system was so annoy.

31:56 I think it was kind of annoying because I'd rather just stand

32:00 up at that point and not know what my grim fate is.

32:03 They could have LED readouts.

32:05 They've got enough money to do that.

32:06 I don't know what they could have done, but

32:08 Well, you have that in you have that in like most,

32:10 you know, the G&R G in this country.

32:13 All all the train all the longdistance trains have a little sign saying this is

32:17 reserved until Dagenham.

32:18 Reserved until where

32:19 so reserved until So I Yeah.

32:22 Oh, no.

32:22 Not reserved until Yeah.

32:23 So it just basically tells you you can sit here for this amount of time.

32:25 So you know exactly what So you're not constantly looking up.

32:27 Confusingly on like other trains in Japan, most other trains,

32:30 say the bullet train, you don't get that.

32:32 It's either reserved or non-reserved.

32:34 Right.

32:35 Right.

32:35 Right.

32:35 Okay.

32:35 Oh, so yeah, but that's that's just your seat.

32:37 Wasted space though, isn't it?

32:38 It's just your seat.

32:39 Yeah, but you're wasting space there because you've got

32:41 you've got reserved cars that may not all be reserved.

32:44 Even your liberal lefty nonsense.

32:46 Me and me and me.

32:47 Saving the planet.

32:48 Saving efficiency.

32:49 You want to save the planet.

32:50 I'm saving money.

32:50 I'm a capitalist.

32:51 Died in the wool.

32:53 Watch all.

32:54 You're right.

32:54 You're right there.

32:54 It is like it is a w it's a waste but it's also quite annoying when

32:57 you you've just sat down you're very happy

33:00 and the smile quickly gets eradicated from your face.

33:03 Uh we got one here from Mia who says hello Chris

33:06 and Pete here in the UK we have unmarked divisions and regional stereotypes.

33:10 The main one being northerners and southerners i.e.

33:13 northerners are friendly,

33:14 honest and salt of the earth while southerners are reserved,

33:17 rude, rushed and morio money orientated north and south here.

33:22 Uh, this is of course not always true,

33:24 but I wondered if there was an equivalent in Japan.

33:26 Interested to know.

33:27 Uh, Mia from the north.

33:29 Salt of the earth.

33:30 Oh, salt of the earth.

33:31 She's nice.

33:33 Yeah.

33:33 Uh, what do you think?

33:34 Um, yeah, we talk about this, haven't we?

33:36 Like the people in down in like Fuckwalker are like fun guys, aren't they?

33:40 That sort of cush sort of area.

33:42 They're sort of a lot more relaxed.

33:43 And I certainly you certainly feel that, but you often sort of think

33:45 is that just like if the fuckans lived in a much more busy city,

33:49 would they be quite as chilled out?

33:50 I don't know.

33:51 I've always found it friendlier there in the world.

33:55 I It's one of those things where I think there is a stereotype,

33:58 but it's accurate because in the north of Japan,

34:00 it is it's cold, it's it's windy, it's snowy, you go out less.

34:06 Whereas in Kyushu, in the south, in Fukuoka or Saka, there is no snow.

34:11 Yeah.

34:11 You just go out.

34:12 It's a lot more outdoorsy culture and a lot more sort of people just

34:15 seem to be a lot more easy and fun and friendly to talk to.

34:17 M and you know many of Japan's comedians come

34:20 from Osaka for that reason over say the north.

34:24 Uh so I find it is a stereotype.

34:26 I mean the stereotypes here this is on like the internet says Tokyo often

34:31 perceived as formal cold efficient serious sometimes

34:35 snobbish or sucker frequently stereotyped as loud, funny, friendly and direct.

34:39 Kyoto known for being sophisticated cultured but also passive aggressive.

34:45 rural areas like Tohoka labeled as slowpaced country bumpkins.

34:50 That's a good point.

34:51 My uh friend in Yamagata,

34:54 he hates Japanese TV cuz it makes them all look like savages.

34:59 Yeah, there's a in in in Yamagata historically there was a community of people

35:05 that ate like some grass or something like a a grass-based tea or something.

35:10 I can't remember.

35:11 And so whenever like the show cuts to like Yamagata,

35:14 it's like the people of Yamagata love grass and it's bollocks.

35:18 Don't be[ __] eat the grass.

35:20 It's just nonsense.

35:22 And uh but people it rubs them the wrong way.

35:26 Natki Natski is from that neck of the woods,

35:28 but he's basically like a guy from Tokyo.

35:31 Yeah.

35:31 So it's very delinquent.

35:32 In that case, it doesn't make sense.

35:34 But I find many of the stereotypes around

35:36 Osaka are true that people are a bit more,

35:40 you know, fun, rough around the edges, a bit more opinated.

35:43 The people I've met and I know generally fulfill that stereotype rather well.

35:48 The people from um from Tokyo are kimonoi.

35:52 Exactly.

35:52 Kimchi.

35:56 And finally, Steven says, "Hello, Chris.

35:58 After our 2024 once ina-lifetime dream trip to Japan,

36:02 my boyfriend and I have decided one simply wasn't enough.

36:06 Oh, one time.

36:07 Uh, we'll be heading back in late September, cycling the Shiman Army Kaido,

36:11 followed by a night over in Miaima Island,

36:13 where I'm planning on proposing to my boyfriend.

36:16 Oh, in secrets.

36:17 Whoa, steady, Steven.

36:19 What if your boyfriend listens, Stephen?

36:20 Uh, my plan was to wait until late evening to avoid the day

36:24 visitor crowds and ask the question in front of the Tory gate.

36:27 It's Kushima.

36:28 Is Mia Myima tourist hotspot nightmare though?

36:30 Is there anywhere you think might be quieter but equally as beautiful?

36:36 Any thanks Stephen?

36:38 I mean that's a cool place to do it after

36:40 the tourists have gone in the evening or the morning.

36:44 Yeah.

36:44 Uh the vibe changes big time on Miaima.

36:46 There's nothing to do, right?

36:47 It's all shut up apart from the isekai the izakaya pubs and the hotels.

36:51 But yeah, like you can go and have the entire shrine to yourself.

36:54 Yeah, I was there a year ago when my parents came over and

36:57 it's kind of trippy standing in front of, you know,

37:00 the most famous shrine in Japan,

37:02 but it's just you, your camera, a deer, and your friend Dave.

37:08 Pretty cool.

37:08 Yeah, it's a good place to propose, I think.

37:10 Yeah, I think um uh but I think technically uh administratively,

37:17 how do you keep someone there when there's nothing going on?

37:20 Do you know what I mean?

37:21 How do you stop?

37:22 You just stay the night.

37:23 Stay the night.

37:24 Can you go for a walk?

37:25 Go up.

37:25 No, I want to watch the telly.

37:26 You got to please go for a walk.

37:28 You can walk.

37:28 It's a lovely place to walk around at night.

37:30 Oh, it's really nice.

37:33 Yeah, it's a big spoon.

37:33 They got the biggest spoon in Japan there.

37:35 What?

37:35 The biggest spoon in Japan.

37:36 Why have you not saved that for the place to go?

37:39 Power spot.

37:40 Power spot.

37:40 It's got a big spoon for[ __] sake.

37:42 They claim to have invented the rice paddle on the island.

37:45 Right.

37:45 Okay.

37:45 I've looked into the claims and I don't really think they're true.

37:49 But anyway, big to commemorate the fact they

37:52 may or may not have invented a rice paddle.

37:55 They've built the biggest one on earth and it's very impressive.

37:57 Well, in the propose in front of that.

38:00 Well, there's plenty of like there's plenty of like

38:02 blogs that will sort of go through your you

38:04 know your your common or garden best places to to uh to to to pop the question.

38:10 Um Nijubashi Bridge Nijubashi Bridge in Tokyo.

38:14 Um mainly because though it's very easy to get to.

38:17 It's not as touristy as a lot of other places, but um it's very near the Have

38:23 you been to the intermedi intermediate tech museum at all?

38:29 What?

38:28 It's intermediate tech.

38:29 It's basically a little bit like the the museum that you spoke about last week,

38:32 but it's mainly it's kind of a c ironically because it will have a curator,

38:36 but a curate egg of a natural history museum.

38:40 There'll be like dinosaur bones, more dinosaur bones, a sarcophagus,

38:45 and then just some lenses from an old optician.

38:48 This is not some and gramophones.

38:50 Don't propose.

38:51 Well, don't propose there, but do it near the bridge.

38:52 And then afterwards, you can celebrate by looking at the old

38:54 gramophones in the intermediate tech museum.

38:57 Oh, it's a[ __] idea.

38:58 I'd say uh go to rabbit island.

39:01 It's near me anyway.

39:02 Nice.

39:02 Okay.

39:03 Yeah.

39:03 Do it in the chemical weapons lab.

39:04 Or do it stood in a pile of rabbit[ __] Do that.

39:08 Like get some rabbit food.

39:09 Put it down the ground.

39:10 Put your ring in there.

39:11 Oh, s over there.

39:12 Flopsy rolls off.

39:13 __] eating it.

39:14 __] Never mind.

39:15 It's going to have to wait.

39:16 Rabbit pie for dinner it is.

39:17 That'll be fun.

39:18 But no, do it.

39:19 Do it on me.

39:20 Do it somewhere.

39:21 Good.

39:23 Lovely.

39:22 And book a really nice so after a proposal you

39:25 can sit in the bathtub and look over the island.

39:28 Job done.

39:29 Is it?

39:29 Job done.

39:30 That is all for now though.

39:32 Best of luck to you, Steven.

39:33 If that is your real name.

39:34 I hope it's not.

39:36 If your partner listens, the jiv is up.

39:38 Keep the stories, questions, comments coming in to broadjapanodcast@gmail.com.

39:42 We'll be back next week to do all over again, guys.

39:44 But for now, have yourself a wonderful few

39:46 days and we'll see you right back here.

39:47 Do all over again on the Abro Japan podcast.

39:50 Bye for now.

39:52 Bye.