Living in a Camper Van in Japan (with Locals) Shocked Us - RV Life

Last time on Let's Turn It Up World in Japan. Yeah, they didn't have a market after him. I forget his name. I do too. I'll have to ask. Mitsuru-san. Oh, oh! Yeah! Arigato gozaimasu. Ah, fantastico. I just say the same thing over and over again. I have one line. Where is it? No, in Japanese. There's one line. Arigato gozaimasu. Look at that! Wow! Ah! Oh no! No, not fair! We are very fortunate and we have to once again say thank you. Yes. Thank you, Mt. Fuji-san. To awesome new adventures and new friends. Yeah! Kanpai! Cheers! Kanpai! From another road stop here. It's amazing. One of the things I have to say about the road stops, and we talked about this briefly last night is the road stops are wonderful in the sense that it's free overnight parking. It's always attached to some sort of market or a store that we've been to so far. There are restrooms. Now, there's not showers, but we actually really enjoyed a spot that Mitsuru-san took us to, which was an internet cafe. And the internet cafes, you sign up for a membership. They're not expensive at all. They're fairly inexpensive. You can go for a couple hours to 24 hours. You have your own private booths to use as well as tons of Japanese anime. There's different grades and different levels you can use. We use it specifically for showering, but the internet speeds are unbelievable. I'm talking download speeds that were like around 400 megabytes per second and upload speeds, which are like 136. Unbelievable. So, if you need to get some work and upload videos, well, those are some great spots to do. Now, today, I'm pretty excited. Let me just take a quick sip of my coffee and I'll be right back. Now, one of the most popular drinks here in Japanese culture when it comes to alcoholic beverages, outside of beer, like Sapporo Classic, which is our favorite, is sake. So, this morning, we're actually heading to a sake factory. Now, sake making is something that's been going on for quite some time. I absolutely enjoy sake every time I have sushi. I love hot sake. I love cold sake. So, it's a real treat to see exactly how this beverage is made. Now, we had to get some... It took us a while to get some permission to film in there, but we're going to be able to film in there and show you the experience. So, come along with us. It's going to be exciting. I really love when you're... You come off these mountainous terrains and you end up in another city and these cities are really just... Some of them have old charm. Some of them have modern charm, but they're all charming in its own right. And I really... The earlier you come out, like here in this particular town, I feel like we're the only ones on the streets. Like, it's almost like they had a really fun night and everybody wakes up and it's like Vegas. So, we just had to come through this, our very first lower terrain part of it. And we just had to come through this with the RV and we made it no problem. But, of course, the first few seconds, I'm like, okay, is this the moment? Is this the moment? Because there's a lot of little things on top of the RV. You can't 100% tell. So, very satisfied. So, we're heading in now. Finally, we actually arrived 15 minutes early, which was really nice. It gave us a little time to adjust to having to come through this city right here in the RV. A little tricky. Yeah, it felt a bit narrow, right? Not narrow, but low. Low. Yeah, but this little town here, we're about to go into the sake factory, making factory. And how do you know it's a sake factory? Just looking from the outside? Because you see barrels of sake. But I think we have to get some custom shoes here. So, we're going to ask our shoe sizes. I know they're going to ask for our shoe sizes. So, it's interesting, yeah. It's going to be fun. Today, are we going to learn about the process of making sake from start to finish? The entire process is like from two weeks to one month, actually. Wow. So, probably we're going to see just a section. So, if it's one month, is that the more expensive barrels? Because it's longer fermented than the two weeks? I think so, yeah. Same. Oh, the same. Okay. So, same time. Thank you. I'm feeling quite stylish, aren't you? You look very stylish. Well, how about you? I mean, you look just like me. Like dancer shoes. Oh, oh. Oh, the magic shoes. Oh, that's the magic. Can I get a robot here? All workers have to wear this garb when they're in the sake-making area, correct? Oh, yes, yes. It's just basically for hygienic purpose. Oh, okay. Same as in America. So, it looks like they're starting by steaming the rice here. So, for 35 minutes, this is a big bat of rice that's being steamed right now. I guess every sake, rice is kind of the... It's basically the culture. So, it starts with the rice. As you see it right here, this whole steaming process for about 30 minutes. And is this very traditional? This is traditional. Yeah. Traditional style. Yeah. So, the next process reminds me similar to a doctor's office. Before you get into the operating room, you're going to wash your hands. And Dave is kind of getting everything. I just love the process. Perfect. Nice and clean hands, Dave. Very clean. Perfect. All right, got the gloves on. I feel like we're ready to make some sake. That's awesome. This is amazing. So excited. I'm very excited. So, the process, it seems like it's a technique every step of the way. So, we just learned a little bit of this process here is everything is timed to perfection because the quality of transfer to each step, it's their brand. So, it's really important for them that if 30 minutes is 30 minutes, it's not 35 minutes, it's not 36 minutes, it's 30 minutes. So, as soon as it's done with this here, it has to go to the next step right away. And that's really important in the process of what they're doing here because reputation and brand is everything. And now, apparently, we're about to scoop out some of this and move it to the next step. So, it's heavy. So, I'm going to try and use some strength to see if we can. Right. So, they basically take out a little bit, roll it, try it, and I'm about to really test exactly. As you can see, the timing and speed is everything here. If you're watching the process, Dave is running back and forth. I was running back and forth. It might be hard to hear, but the process is very, very strategic in this job. They're pouring the rice on. And as fast as they're pouring the rice on, they're separating that. And then as soon as he finishes that, they go to the home over here with the dinner right behind me here. So, it's a very interesting process to watch. But again, you can see how timing is everything. So, when the rice comes out after the steaming, it actually goes quickly into a room. It's a cedar room where it stays for, is it two days? Two days. And actually, it's sprayed with yeast, so it ferments in there over two days in the cedar room. So, just had a really quick conversation. Dave asked a really great question in terms of how long this sake brewery has been established. And almost, it was 160 years. 160 years, his family hasn't been in the business of making sake. And you can just see the poise, the calmness. And what generation are you? Are you... Actually, it's not a family run. It's not a family run? No, no, no. Okay. So, it's a business that's been run... 160 years. Yes. Okay. So, it's a business that's been run 160 years, which is great to see. I mean, that means, obviously, it's been... This sake company has been probably well-known all throughout Japan. So, it's amazing. It is. Thank you. Okay, I think that's enough. Dave, we did it. We did it. Yes, we helped. We did it. The next batch that's going to be going out, we had a hand in it. Yeah. We helped make some sake. You made sake. Yes. Come on, everybody, round of applause. Clap, clap, clap. There you go. Ready, thumbs up. Thumbs up, we got a thumbs up. Yay. We did well. Dave, we did well. We have a new job. It's okay. We are hired. We are not leaving. So, this here, again, we just learned, it's about 45 degrees Celsius in this room, which equates to almost 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Very warm. But that's just what it needs to probably keep the moisture. It's almost like a sauna. So, it keeps the moisture in the rice, keeps it from drying out while it ferments in there for two days. And, actually, when they fill up the steamer there and steam the rice, that can turn into 1,500 liters of sake. That's quite a bit of sake that comes out of that. That's a lot of sake. It looks like it just kind of goes, like, throughout the day. Oh, this is like a brewery here. To the tank right there. Oh, okay, great. We've got to cross this. We're going to be working. So, we have some more work to do. We have to carry the rice, actually, into the vats. We're being put to work today here in the sake spot. This is a lot of fun. All right, so, what we're about to do right now, we're going to take two of those rice bins over here, and we're going to take them over to the other side, where we're going to actually pad them. Put it in. Whoa, okay. Okay. Just like so. Okay, we got this. Can we do this? I think we can do this. Very careful. Don't fall in there. And don't drop the cloth in. Very careful. Okay. All right, Dave. Very careful. All right, now take it back. Dave is making— He's a sake man. Dave is making sake. Yes. Deliver it to him, and he will do it for us. Can I get this in here? Dave has to make sake, and I think being a part of this experience right now shows how much more I'm going to appreciate drinking it later on. You can do that how many times a day? I know. I don't know. Think about your legs. Hey, look. Watch my second one going. Put it right in here? Look. We make sake. Okay, go right in. Put it down there. So you can see the process. These guys coming back and forth, up and down. It is really very tiring, and that process goes on all day long, from the different stages you've seen so far up until it hits these vats right here, which is where the sake gets kind of like— really starts to ferment into these vats here. It's amazing. The process of stirring— I am like literally sweating right now, just watching and being a part of this process. So I have to honestly say, I really— And Dave, he's probably going to actually enjoy some sake from now on after seeing this process. I think it's amazing. How are you feeling? I tell you, it makes you really appreciate just this traditional process of sake making. It's incredible. And I tell you, I am going to be very sore tomorrow. Yeah, you are. I'm going to need a little sake tonight. See, you know what I said to everybody? I said, you know what? Dave normally doesn't have sake, but I think this trip, this appreciation of actually working to make sake, he's going to try some. Oh, yeah. And he just might enjoy it. It's a good time to start. Yay! All it took was a trip to Japan and a sake brewery. We're inside of the vat area. So these are the vats where all the top work we were just doing, it goes into these barrels right here. It almost reminds us of a brewery that's found in the States, but this is very similar, and this is sake. The process is amazing, and it's almost like wine to us is sake to them. Very spiritual, I guess. Oh. This has been here a week. Oh. Yes. So this right here, it's been in this particular vat for a week, and you can smell the difference from when we were down there to here. It has a really sweet smell as it kind of hits you. This is the most popular rice in Nagano. Oh, in Nagano. Miyama Nishiki. It's called? Miyama Nishiki. You could smell, right? One week of fermentation sitting in here has such a sweet smell. Sweet smell. But you don't want to smell too long because then you'll really start feeling it. Here we have the sake master and El Presidente. Well, thank you both so much for letting us explore the amazing process of sake. Like I was saying to Togi-san, we are going to appreciate drinking sake much more now when you understand the process of it. With all the hard work that we put in today, would we be able to work for you? Would we be qualified to work here? Yes. Oh, really? Oh, my gosh. He said yes. That's very honor. That's an honor. Thank you. That means we work really hard, really efficient, and really fast. And I think that batch that we help is going to be some of the best tasting. Thank you. Arigatou gozaimasu. Thank you. That was so much fun. We're actually on our way now to have a little sampling, a little taste testing, if you will, to try some delicious sake. And I am definitely going to be buying a bottle for later. Oh, the bar. Wonderful. We're heading to the bar now, Dave, for a little tasting. Yeah. Oh, he made the bar. Oh. I love that. Look, Dave, we're at the bar. Right. Are you ready to try some sake? I am ready. First time try? Yeah, I will taste. I taste it and then I must spit it out. Yes. But you can drink it. Yes, but I will definitely get a bottle for later so you can try it and enjoy it when we're parked at the park. So this is, we're going to actually have a lovely sampling. This is the bar. And this is also where we're going to have a party. Lights are on for party. Now, but he's going to, he's also the salesperson here. So he's going to give us a description of each and then we're going to try. And then there's the bucket where you try and swoosh and then you will release. I just might enjoy it, but Dave will spit it out and I'll get a bottle for later so we can all enjoy it. I like that. It's a good plan. Okay. This is Kimoto, Yamada Nishiki. Ah, Yamada Nishiki. Yamada Nishiki. Got it. Yamada Nishiki. Yamada Nishiki is a rice name. Ah, it's a rice name. King of Sake Rice. Can I go? Toast to an amazing trip here in Japan and meeting amazing new friends. Absolutely. Kanpai. Dave is the driver. I'm the passenger. Water. And that kind of cleanses your palate. Exactly. You can try the next one. Perfect. Yay. Very nice. Tastes very good. Are you serious? We're getting fresh? I don't know. It's amazing. This is where it all gets packaged before it gets shipped out. Where do you ship all over the world? Yes, but to... Of course, Japan and Hong Kong, Taiwan. Oh. Not U.S. and Europe. Not yet. I want... Maybe future. Yeah. I want to take my sake to U.S. We'll bring it to Las Vegas. Please. Yeah. Please. This is fresh new bottle of sake. Wow. This is a brand new bottle of fresh sake just made. That's amazing. Wow. That's amazing. And that is for me? Thank you. I'll enjoy it with pride and honor. See you later. So this is actually the same bottle that we had before, but it's a fresh bottle. So fresh sake just made, just packaged. And so we get to try it. So what's going to be interesting is now we get to try that when it was sitting in their perjury for a little bit versus when it's fresh and how different does that taste. Me too. Same exact bottle. Just one is fresh and one has been in the perjury. So let's give it a try. Different rice. Is the rice? Oh, different rice. Different rice. All right, Dave, should we give this one a try? Kanpai. Oh, the fresh one. Oh, I like that one. The first one we tried, it felt it had a little bit more of a sweeter taste. This one has a little bit more of a, a little stronger. Has a little bit more of a, I guess, fermented feel. Like it just feels like a little bit more, a little stronger than the last one. A little sweeter, a little bit smoother. This one is flavorful, but bold. Bold. That's what I'd say, bold. What is the alcohol content? This is good for us? Yes. Oh my gosh. Well, in America, we hug. Is it okay? No. Oh. Very American. Thank you. Wow, this is amazing. Wow. Arigato gozaimasu. Yeah. My pleasure. You going to Egypt tonight? Yeah. In the road station? Yeah, it's at the road station. Have a party? I'm going to cry. I just think it's amazing when we can be a part of experiences like this. Oh my gosh. The bottle are beautiful. Beautiful bottle, yes. They're amazing. Okay, for me, for you. This is a wonderful gift. Thank you so, so much. Thank you. Wow. Arigato gozaimasu. Real party. Tanya party. Henderson party. And I think that's what it's really about, you know. Experiences like this, coming to Japan. Dave and I just, I don't know. You meet some of the most amazing people. You can feel the energy all throughout this trip so far. And this is just another piece of that right here. And I think it's also because we worked really hard in that factory. I mean, we were literally sweating. And we're going to have sore legs. And this is our reward for hard work. So, thank you very, very much. I appreciate it. Big thank you to Sayuki-san. And this amazing, this is wonderful to be a part of this experience. Dave and I, we got a lot of sake to work ourselves into. Cold day, warm sake. So, we got one final treat. Thank you so much for making this happen. This is the bridge that was able to connect us to enjoy the experience. So, amazing job. Thank you. Thank you very much. Arigato gozaimasu. So, we've stopped by the Dayo Wasabi Farm for lunch. And it's apparently one of the largest wasabi farms in all of Japan. It's been around for over 110 years. And one thing that's very interesting, when you look down at the fields. Now, of course, it's not the growing season now. We're in February. If you were to come back in May here, it would be all beautiful green wasabi plants. But, down below you see flowing water just flowing through the fields. And apparently that's very important to wasabi. You need to have that natural mountain spring water coming down. And here you have the Japanese North Alps nearby. And so, the water kind of flows off that, flows through the field. And it's really amazing. And interesting too, about Dayo, apparently was a local hero. And so, this farm is named after the local hero, Dayo. As we made our way past the wasabi statue, we're now going to have lunch at this restaurant here called The Oasis. Now, we're a bit hungry. There's a lot of looking cute things on this menu here. Not sure what they are, but I know this is curry based from what we were told. Looks like it has some peppers. Might be a little spicy. But that, right now, sounds amazing. So, we're going to go inside and have some lunch it off. Wow, Dave. Look at that. That's perfect. Are you excited? I think it's perfect. I mean, I can hear the sizzle. Listen. Mmm, smells good. You excited? Are you very excited? Okay, now are you excited? I am very excited. I got the same version as Natsumi-san, except I actually have pork on this one. So, the same version. Has that nice curry smell. And then what you do is you take the wasabi and the wasabi actually goes on top of the pork. And are you excited? Yeah. We have the same one. That's the same as me. Yeah, pretty much the same. Mmm. Alright. He knows. Uh-oh. Wow. That might be a little more than anticipated. Dave trying wasabi first time. That's very tender. The beef. The beef is excellent. Okay. I'm just going to try the piece of pork. I'm just going to dip everything in that cheese. Mmm. This is a great combination of all different flavors. And I'm looking forward to dessert. You placed the order? I, with some help. You had a little help? Yes, I placed the order with some help. A little help. To make sure I got the right one and not that one. And what did you order? Uh, wasabi mixura. Ofutatsu. Ah! Ha! That's it. Very good. Here it comes. Arigato gozaimasu. Oh my goodness. Look at that, Dave. This is amazing. Wasabi ice cream. Half vanilla. Half wasabi. Here you go. Oh. That's actually very good. It doesn't have, um, oh wait, never mind. There it goes. There's the wasabi. It's actually pretty tasty mixed. I like the flavor. It's not burning my nostrils. Excellent. There's nothing burning here so it's very, very good. She missed the nice wasabi kick. I missed the wasabi kick but I think you might like it. Would you like to try some? For you. Just a little for you. A little on, a little for you. More for me. We were hit by a surprise snowstorm this evening. As you can see, snow is now falling. It's really slushy out. We have a bit of a drive tomorrow up into the Japan Alps and, uh, hopefully the roads are going to be ok. But certainly, right now, things are a little messy. It looks beautiful. I mean, take a look. Look at this parking lot. You can see, actually, we have a neighbor. Really nice, small Japanese RV pulled in over there and you can see us right over here. The snow in the trees looks absolutely beautiful. Ah! We survived! We survived the night! Ta-da! Look, the snow is melting and Tanya is no longer worried about driving down some of these thin, narrow roads down steep hills here in Japan in the RV. no, it was a beautiful night last night with the snow. I was definitely worried that we're going to wake up to a ground full of snow and not able to feel comfortable going down some of these windy roads. So, we made it through the night. Thank you! So, now that we had breakfast with our friends over here, Natsumi-san and Mitsuru-san, we are heading to, uh, a really fun area. It's an old town and has that charm of the old Japan. And it's Narujuku and Narujuku is the longest post town in Japan. And it's about one kilometers in length along the old Nakasendo Road. And when I say one kilometers, for us, that translates to about a little over half a mile. And the old Nakasendo Road, once upon a time, well, but it's true, once upon a time usually says it's not true, but old Nakasendo Road during the Edo era was one of the main routes between Edo, which is the old name for Tokyo and Kyoto. And so, we're going to explore this town. Hopefully, the roads will be friendly to RVs because I know back then there weren't any RVs. So, if it's an old town with preservation on it, I'm hoping that we can actually get through, which would be amazing. We shall see. With us, it's always an adventure. Let's go. Hey, so we've made it to the beautiful town here, Narujuku. And I have to tell you, it's really quiet right now. It's because, obviously, it's winter. It's the snowy months. But, during the summer and the spring and the fall, I'm sure, this town comes to life. And what do I mean by that? Well, a lot of these places, some owners may live upstairs. It could be bed and breakfasts. It could be restaurants, shops, all different things that you'll find here in this quaint little town that has so much history. As a matter of fact, one of the coolest things we just learned about this is it's one of the longest post towns, but not just that. Some of these buildings have been standing here for close to 200, 300 years. Some have lost in other areas due to fires, but this withstood the test of time. So, obviously, the gods are looking down on Narijuku. This must be a pretty important place because you can see the once prince right there, right here, who is now the emperor. So, the emperor has eaten here. So, we're an excellent company. We are. And now, Tanya and Davidson will be eating here as well. I wonder what he ordered. Maybe we should order the same. I have this one here to try. I'm taking one for the team. Although, I think I will definitely like this. It looks like something I would enjoy. I think Dave would look like he would probably enjoy the Dave got the kakidan. So, I am going to try the vegetables. The wild vegetables. Me likey. You're teasing. I'm just kidding. It's delicious. Like a nut. Oh, like a nut. So, you just eat it? Yes, yes. Can I eat it? Oh, good lord. Oh, good gunga munga. Kind of a little crunchy. Crispy. Chestnut. Ah, chestnut. It's a chestnut. Thank you very much. So, that was sweet. Definitely has that sweet with the syrupy side of it. The red bean just melts. And then, let's try it with the sour or salty. Oh. Wow. What a difference. Okay. Honest to goodness. I tried it at first. I tried the cherry blossom soupy type. And it was really salty at first. But I tried it now with, after trying the red bean dessert over here with the mochi. And it actually softened it out a bit. It's right. Very, I don't know how to explain it. Very, um, a lot of dancing going on in my mouth right now. A lot of flavors and textures going on. Okay, so we have a very traditional mochi here. Actually made in this region called Gohei mochi. And apparently, it's a little different too because it has a sweetness on it. You have some sugar. There's some soy. And a little type of vinegar on it as well. So a whole mix of types of flavors. So, I'm just gonna give it a try. Traditionally flattened just for you. Oh, look at that. Mmm. A little chewy. A little crunchy. A little sweetness to it. The flavor's kind of nice but the texture is a little different for me to kind of figure out. So it was said that if you have the whole thing it'll bring you good fortune. Are you going to have the whole thing by yourself? I think there's other things that having the whole thing might bring me that I don't want. Alright, Tanya. You're gonna like it. I'm telling you. I am. Whenever you say that sometimes it doesn't mean I'm gonna like it. Just have a good chaser. No, it's good. Okay. That's a good bite. Mmm. You like the flavor? Mmm. I like it. Oh, Tanya likes it. Yay. I like that. Now your turn to finish. Uh-uh. Lady first. Oh, yeah. Ladies first. Ladies first, of course. Oh, no. You got it. Big bite, big bite. Mmm. Big bite. Mmm-hmm. It's actually very good, right? Yeah, it is. Is that your honest answer? Yes. Not my favorite, but yeah. I like it. Oh, one more bite. Mmm-hmm. Look at the look. Look at the look he just gave her. That's so good, isn't it? Delicious. Oh, yeah. I, I, I, it's puppy, puppy, but I want to be in puppy. I'm a trailer. I want to be in puppy. I want to be in puppy, puppy, coochie-coo. Mmm, mmm, delicious. I want to be in puppy. No more tonight. Oh, red light. Yes, I am Tanya Waze. Red light. Tanya Waze says, red light. Green light means go. Proceed slowly. Tanya is the ultimate road alert for you. I am. We are off today, this morning, for a food tour. Now, I don't know, in the morning time here, it's not going to be like the traditional Western breakfast. I don't think it's going to be like that. No, no, no. Yeah, that type of fare. What do you think it's going to be? I don't know what we're in for today. It's going to be very interesting. You see, because the traditional, it seems like if- Wait a second, we're in the dark. Wait till you come out of the tunnel. We're in the dark, yes. We'll come out of the tunnel and come right back. We have made it to Takayama. And Takayama is actually the largest city in Japan. It's not Tokyo. It's Takayama. Yes, I know. I know what you're saying. I know, but it is true. It's very true because it's the largest land, Tokyo's population. So, very different, but welcome. But this beautiful area is known for its beef. I know Dave is going to feel like he is in heaven with this food tour. Now that he knows, beef will be on the menu. So, I have to quickly say, I'm going to bust this out here. So, Yama-san from Happy Plus was giving us a wonderful tour. Our first stop on this tour here in this very popular tourist destination city is to try some soy sauce. It smells good. It smells wonderful. And that's a sample, that's soy sauce. It is. Thank you very much. Ooh. Oh, Dave, you're going to like this. Oh, yummy. Wow. Oh, yummy. And it's nice and warm. Nice and warm. Arigato gozaimasu. Oh, Dave, you're going to like this. Yeah. Oh, wow. Very good. It's like miso. It goes right into a nice thing of miso soup. Right, it's very good. So, if you want to know what goes into miso, it's really a very interesting process. The most important process is the dashi. And dashi basically is, it's the boiled water, it's seaweed, and it's bonito inside. And what happens is once that does its thing, then they add the miso, which gives you what you smell and taste right here. Oh, mm. First light. And what are you trying? Oh, so this is the light miso. And the soup you saw earlier is basically half the red and half the light. Ooh, that's strong. We're going to be making some miso soup, and I'm going to have a lovely inspiration. I know Mitsuri-su and Natsumi-san are going to teach us how to make this, so it comes out wonderfully. And we understand, apparently, this store has been here for over 200 years, like 250 years or something. Tanya has found the perfect earrings for her. They're actually little kitty cats. So she had to pick them up. They're really beautiful, very cute. But one thing about the store that's interesting, it closes at five o'clock every day, and then, actually, the owners live upstairs. You can kind of see here, there's a stairway going right here, and they live upstairs, right up there. So they're actually making, the earrings that I got initially were more of clamp-on, so she was very kind to let me know that it's a clamp-on earring versus the traditional earring. So they're making that change for me so I can actually have Billy and Brady on my neck and on my ears. And it's so great, this beautiful glass, what they're made out of. And they're cats, so y'all know how to get my cat earrings, so. Oh, here we go. Oh, thank you. And look, look at how beautiful that is. It's like, mommy, she be me, she boo boo, she boo boo. She be me, she be me. It's mommy, me, me, she. How cute. Ah. Yeah, I'm selfie, I can just sit. Behind us here, they're building a float for the spring festival. And you can see that all the work going into it. They had their own little home for it too, it looks like. So an interesting fact that we just learned, these floats right here that you see being made for these special festivals for spring and autumn, it cost three million US dollars to make. Why is that? It's because they use real gold parts. 150 kilograms of gold goes into making these beautiful, beautiful floats here. So that's an impressive piece of art that I'm gonna find out in just a second what happens to it after the festival. Give me a second. When you're done with the festival, what happens to the float? Is it used for next year as well? Next year, yeah. Okay, so it stays for, how long does one float stay? Just two days. In a year, yes. Each area has each float, and just one day, just two day in a year, they open and carry on the road. Oh, wow. Push on the bulls on the road. That's amazing. So this here is Takayama Jinya, and think of it as the governor's mansion sort of vibe. So back in the Ito era, this was one of the, where they would live, the governors would live, they would also prosecute criminals here. And it's the only one that stands today due to, I'm assuming, due to collapsing of the different versions of these here. But now it's a museum, so you can kind of enjoy some of the rich history that still, still permeates here in Takayama. So I'm thinking this might be the sushi for me. What do you think, babe? I definitely think this is your kind of sushi. All right, right here. Special Tahita beef sushi, which is actually very local to this area. And apparently there's not so much of it. You can't really get it in other areas. We're gonna give it a try here. I'm excited about this one. I know you are. Let me just get in on that. This is my kind of sushi. That is your kind of sushi. All right, so Dave, Honorable Dave, I was gonna offer him first. He's like, you try it first. So he's giving me the first try of this. I'm gonna try the lean. I like a little wasabi on it, so I'm just gonna put a little. All right, so he said there's one kind of more marbly and one leaner. All right, so this is the lean, and this is the one that's a little bit more marbly. And to me, they look both marbly, but that's because I've never seen this kind of beef before at sushi. But I'm gonna give it a shot. Oh my gosh. I think that means it's good, huh? I think that's a big thumbs up. It's because I'm very curious. Like, I'm eating on the street. I don't know if it's necessarily a good thing to be eating out here. Maybe if I stay right here, it looks okay. I wouldn't go walking across the street saying, yum, yum. So I did a quick turn. That is really delicious. It's almost, it definitely has a slightly kind of charred taste to it, but it's really tender, really juicy. The fat's just really melts in your mouth. And the rice, it's like the perfect ball of rice under that. And a little hint of wasabi. And it looks like they sear it a little bit, right? They sear it a little bit. They sear it a little bit on that. Right now, we're gonna try something else. Tofu. And tofu, I absolutely love tofu. I have fried tofu, tofu in soups, tofu in miso soups. But in other areas, if you ask for fried tofu, it really won't have much of a taste. In Takayama, this place here, if you ask for fried tofu, it's gonna have a delicious flavor. So we're gonna try a couple of pieces of tofu. Now, I'm a big fan of tofu. Dave might become one after today. Let's see what happens. I might, we'll see. So I'm ready to give this a shot, the fried tofu. I am ready to give this a shot. Mm. Oh, Dave, that's really good. Obviously, the tofu texture's always gonna have a little bit of a softness to it. I think the fried skin on the outside, whatever oil they're using for flavors, it's really good. And of course, you see it's hot, so it's fresh right from the press. It's actually very good. I'm looking forward to devouring this. I'm gonna give it a quick bite, quick try. I have to see it. A tofu, does it hit? Yeah. The flavor's very nice. Texture takes a little bit of getting used to, but I think it's good, it's good. Yay! You know, not bad. So it was a big hit between Dave and myself. Arigatou gozaimasu. Arigatou gozaimasu, sumimasen. Bye-bye. Thank you. Bye-bye. Rock and roll kitties. So cute. Mommy, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. Brady Bailey. So cute. But it's more like Brady Bailey. It's like Brady Bailey, Brady Bailey, Brady Bailey. Rock and roll kitties. That's it. So it says. What if you leave a donation? Right, you might be right. Oh yeah, 100 yen. Please take fortune home with you. So 100 yen, you take a fortune card. I see, so you must put the 100 yen maybe in here. Into there. And then you take a fortune card. Can you do it? Sure, sounds good. Yeah? Good fortune for our journey. Yes. So 100 yen for good fortune. So put 100 yen in, and then good fortune. Excellent. This is a local street. Yes. So this is actually. Yeah, I like that. Oh, this is so cool. So this is definitely not tourist. Google Translate. Google Translate later. So stick around. Maybe I didn't talk. Nope, watch your step. Good fortune. I would have hurt myself if I didn't have this. Other people's mind will become more warmful, more delight, and he has a power. Oh. Power of kindness. Oh, thank you. Your powerful power will help other people. Oh. Yeah. Wow, it's what we do. Wow, our power of our travel and adventures inspires others. I'm getting goosebumps. Look at that. I see that. Let's make a good society to believe God, and then with God, you have a beautiful mind, you have a beautiful mind, and then it will become a good future. Oh. Wow. Thank you. So this now, to keep it close to us, I'm going to give to Dave so he can put in his wallet so he can kind of travel with us for the rest of our trip here. So thank you so much, and may good fortune be with all of us. So we just stopped in. Oh, I think I heard it. I think I heard apple pie today. Apple pie. That must be for me. That's yours. Apple pie in the sky. Yay. So we just stopped at a really fun ice cream spot here, and it's very popular ice cream, but right now, obviously, it's really cold. So we're going to just sit and enjoy a little bit of ice cream right here. Apple pie right here. Dave's got a little chocolate with an orange peel, and we're going to see what this is like. Might as well warm up inside with a little cold ice cream. What'd you get? I got dark chocolate sorbet with orange peel. Oh, that's an interesting one. Yeah, and I know it's very cold outside, but never say no to ice cream. I know, you cannot. Never say no. At least it's warm in here. Yeah, it's very warm in here. I'm going to try that. This is amazing. Oh, really? Oh, you got to have some, babe. That was kind of, okay. This is the apple pie. Oh, this is so good. This is so good. I try, you try this. You try apple pie. And you taste everything. All the ingredients. Right? This is actually a very good ice cream. It's very, very good. You're right. You taste everything in there. Oh, wait a second. Mr. Sunshine, what did you get? Oh, we got the pistachio flavor. Oh, pistachio is usually my favorite. Oh, for me. Kanpai! Wow. Oh, it's so creamy. It's very, very sweet milk that Yama-san just introduced us to with this lovely woman here. It's pasteurized, low temperatures for 30 minutes. And this is what you get. And it's super creamy. It's so creamy. It would go great right now with a chocolate chip cookie or some cake. Delicious. So I get to try a local treat here. The mirarashi mango, which is actually, I've tried this before in another area. And it was sweet, so I wasn't a big fan of it. But this is based more soy-based, so it's gonna have a saltier texture to it. And soy. It smells good. I like this a lot. I think you'll like this too. But since you didn't want any, more for me. What are you saying? So here's a real treat. So it's sort of a Japanese sweet. It's called tamaten. And tamaten, it's made from an egg, egg white, but it's sweet, and a meringue. So it's gonna have a very different taste. It looks like an egg cube, like a perfect egg cube, as you saw there. But it's gonna have a sweet taste. Let's see. It's like a marshmallow. Oh, marshmallow. It's like marshmallow. So it's meringue. Has a texture on the outside of egg white. That is actually very, very good. I think, Dave, usually I would say you probably wouldn't like something that looks a little unique like this, but this, you're gonna like. I'll take a bite out of that. You will. That's good. Right? Yeah, it's not too sweet. See? That's good, yeah. Very nice. So I am about to try something a little different. So this is a chestnut sweet. So very different. It's made from chestnuts, but it has a sweet coating on it. So we're gonna give these a try here, and I'll see what they're like. Oh, nice. Okay, here it is. Oh, here it is. Okay, chestnut sweets. Shall we give it a try inside so we can know? Yeah, nice and warm. Talk to the local folks. She's saying please eat inside. Oh, okay, okay. Arigato gozaimasu. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Will you eat outside? How do you open? Ah, there it is. Okay. So let's give this a shot, David. All right. It's a chestnut. Hello. Konnichiwa. Hello. Very good. Let's get you to eat. Yeah, yeah. Arigato. Arigato gozaimasu. All right, here we go. Oh, I love how it has like a little leaf that you can use to hold it in. So it looks like a paper leaf to hold this in. All right, chestnut. Chestnut roasting on an open fire. Again, what I really like about these sweets, they're not overly sweet. It's just the right amount of sweetness in there. Really soft and squishy to the texture, but delicious. It just reminds you of like something you'd find on a holiday, like Christmas, and sitting around the table with friends and having this with some coffee. Delicious. So we stopped into a wonderful little market here to actually buy some hiragyu beef. Now, hiragyu beef in this market, they have a certification to show that all the beef that's sold in this market is authentic, genuine, and real. So we are actually getting, right over here, some hiragyu beef. And we're getting two nice size pieces. And I have a very good plan on when I'm gonna use that. And it'll be coming up in the next episode. Stay tuned. All right, Dave, we're gonna have a very, very fancy feast coming up. Take the whole thing. Okay, thank you very much. Arigato gozaimasu. So I have all my spices now for a wonderful, wonderful dinner we're gonna prepare. Of course, the coffee pot, which is muy importante. Let me take that for you. Oh, thank you. Okay. Okay, yeah. That's a lot. And silverware and a knife. So it's gonna be wonderful. So, and then we'll meet up with them once again in a week. Ah, I'm gonna cry. Hey! Hey. Aww. Yeah. Kuchiko, kuchiko. Oh, you hold me. You hold me. Kuchiko, kuchiko. Thank you so much. You're amazing. See you again. Yes, see you again. Yeah, he really loves you guys. Enjoyed a lot. We enjoyed a lot. It's too soon. I know. Thank you so much for- Yeah, thank you. Hug. For hosting. So we hope to see you. We'll see you in a week. Yeah, we'll see you in a week. Ja, mata ne. See you soon. Thank you. Hug. Of course. You gotta get Dave in there. Man hug. Can I give you a hug? Oh, the pushy. Huggies. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Huggies. Oh, yeah. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. Aww. That was so much fun. Ja, mata ne. See you soon. Ja, mata ne. See you soon. It's always so hard to say like- Goodbye and- Yeah, I mean we just- Great friends. Had a wonderful time here and it's, we're already like leaving. Seems so fast. Bye bye. We'll see you soon. Well, it looks like we're on our own for the next week. Safe travels. We'll see you soon.