Thailand Vs Japan: 10 JAW DROPPING Culture Shocks You Won’t Believe!

Welcome back my friends and konnichiwa from Japan. That's right we are in a brand new country and I could not be more excited to be kicking off a mini-series here in a place I've been dreaming of coming since I was just a boy. And after two years of living in Thailand I thought I'd seen it all but Japan had other plans. So today we're diving into my 10 biggest culture shocks between two of the most fascinating places on the planet, Japan and Thailand. Now hike up that kimono and let's get into it. Now the first thing that really shocked me here was the people. I live in Thailand and it's one of the most warm and open places in the world. I spend the entire day smiling, having random conversations with people on the street. They invite me to eat with them. It feels like you're instantly part of their community. But here in Japan it's very different and I'm not saying this in a negative way. The people are incredibly kind and polite and respectful but it does feel like you're at an arm's length. So it took me a little bit to adjust to kind of see it in their actions but more subtly and I'm really enjoying it because now that I can know what to look for I feel like I am part of it and I actually spoke to one of the nice Japanese people I met in a restaurant the other day and they were saying that Japanese people are a little bit more skeptical. They need to trust you before they accept you and I totally get that. It just wasn't something that I was expecting. And while we're talking about the people that brings me to the second thing that really shocked me here in Japan and that is the sheer volume of the population. Now I grew up right outside New York City and my home base is Bangkok. Two cities with 19 and 16 million people respectively. That seems like a lot right? Well not compared to Tokyo. There are 37 million people living here in the major metropolitan area making this the most populous city in the world. But the cool thing is is that everything works. Sometimes you feel like you're in this ocean of people when you're walking around and that brings me to something that I think is hilarious. In the mornings on the trains when people are heading to work they actually have professional train pushers. These men come out and push the people into the train cars so the doors can close. It is hilarious and definitely a little bit shocking. And this brings me to the third thing that really shocked me here in Japan and that is the noise. Or I should say the lack of noise. If you've been to Bangkok you know that it is an assault on your senses. You can literally be hearing monks chanting, tuk-tuk drivers laughing, trucks going by with loudspeakers advertising Muay Thai and selling fruit. There's four kinds of music playing, people selling things, horns beeping. But here with 37 million people, more than twice as many as live in Bangkok, it's like a library. It's shocking sometimes because I can hear myself breathing when I walk around. The cars are quieter, the trains are quieter and when you're on the trains you have to listen to music in your headphones but they have warning signs about how loud you're listening to it because it might disturb other people. You're not allowed to talk on your phones on the train and like in Thailand I've been sitting on a bus with five people listening to their TV show without headphones in as loud as they go and it's not a big deal. But here there's this like peaceful quiet and it is so refreshing. Now the next thing that really shocked me here is how clean it is. And I'm not saying that Thailand is dirty but this place is next level. There is no trash anywhere and there are people polishing, sweeping and even scrubbing the streets by hand. So much so that I want to extend the five second rule, you know the one where if you drop food on the ground it's still okay to eat for five seconds, to maybe the 10 or 15 second rule. And the thing that really shocked me is that there are virtually no trash cans anywhere around the city. Like I walked around with an empty coffee cup for three hours the other day and I finally stopped someone and said where can I throw this out and they said oh well Japanese people will actually carry their trash home with them because they respect the city so much and they don't want trash around. And I think that is really special and something that we could all learn a little lesson from. Now the next thing that shocked me here in Japan were the prices. But maybe not in the way that you think. You know coming from Thailand, one of the most affordable places to travel in the world, this definitely hits your wallet. But there's a lot of things that aren't as expensive as I thought. Like food. You can find specials to have giant plates of sushi for less than ten dollars during lunchtime. Shopping for technology is super affordable here as well as things like clothes shopping at Uniqlo. They're a third of the price of what they cost back home. But some things are definitely more expensive. Like taking a cab here is like New York City prices. But they have things like public transportation, the trains, the buses, and they are so efficient they're two the second. And if they're even a little bit late they actually issue public apologies which I think is awesome. And that's one of the things about Japan. You're getting what you pay for. It is such a high quality here that you need to pay more for it. Like even going to a convenience store is like walking into a restaurant. And we'll talk about that a little bit more later. But something that really did shock me were the prices of accommodations. Normally hostels are cheap compared to hotels. But here you're looking at fifty dollars a night to sleep in a little capsule. But back to that quality thing. The one that I found actually has a big zen garden in it as well as a sauna and cold bath which is really beautiful. But I got another shock here because it's completely nude and public. So as an American I'm not used to public nudity. So my first day there I was walking around. I'm looking for the showers trying to figure out where to go and they're like no these are the showers. And I peeked in and it was 30 naked Japanese guys. And I was like oh no where's the other showers? And they're like no no this is the showers. It's all good. There's nothing wrong with that. But honestly in my life I've probably seen one naked guy and that was my rugby captain who used to run around the bar naked after we would win a game. Thankfully we did not win too many games. And the other thing that is very pricey are activities here. But I have a great workaround for that. We're going to check that out right now. So here is the secret to getting the best prices here in Japan. And that is the Clucap. And while they are the generous sponsors of today's video they're something that I have been using for years. And it was an absolute game changer. Clucap is a one-stop booking platform where you can get your attraction tickets, accommodations, transportation, and even eSIMs. And that is smart travel all in one place. They offer 12 different languages and 40 currencies. So wherever you're from they have you covered. And they're constantly offering promo codes and discounts which make their great prices even better. And my favorite part is that it is super easy to use. You just head to your app store and download the app and then click on your destination and boom you will have some amazing activities right at your fingertips. Since I've been to Japan I've already used it to go and do some things like see my favorite artist Hokusai's art brought to life with technology and even got to have a Godzilla sighting which was a monster of a good time. But what I am really excited about is the Japan Fun Pass which is basically like the golden ticket here. For two weeks you get access to 21 must-see destinations across 11 different regions here in Japan all with one convenient e-ticket which include where I am right now at the Tokyo Dome City which is this beautiful amusement park. And I am really looking forward to going inside. I can hear the people screaming on the roller coaster and that is it the Viking ship that goes back and forth. I don't know but I definitely want to get in on that. So make sure that you use the online QR code or my link in the description to download the app and get a beautiful discount on your first purchase. And trust me it only takes one minute and you are going to be saving so much time on waiting in line so you can just get right into the action. Now let's head back to the video. Hey sorry I needed to refuel after all of these shocking things so I stopped by Waigu Cafe Hanna for a little sake and some beef while I tell you about the next thing that shocked me here and that is the rules. And Japan is serious about the rules like at 2 a.m. when you're walking around if you're walking around people are standing at red lights. There's no one coming there's no one around there's no one to witness them crossing the street but they just stay there and they wait because the law is the law. And this is especially shocking coming from Thailand where the rules are let's say a little more flexible. Like you might see a guy driving through a food market with a dog on his lap no helmet and no one even bats an eye or driving the wrong way up the highway and people are just like my pen rye no big deal. But here the rules matter and I think one of the things that's so interesting about it is that they're not doing it because they might get in trouble or the police are gonna come and give them a fine. They're doing it because it's out of respect and that is something that I can really appreciate and I really have found myself slowing down and trying to be more conscious of those things and I think that's really special. Salud or Kampai. Sorry I just had a surprising shock as I was walking through the park here. I saw a guy with a monkey on a leash his name is George and George is very fond of untying people's shoes so he spent 10 minutes sitting at my feet chewing on my laces pulling them out of the holes then he hopped up on my lap cleaned me with his little fingers and then tried to eat my long coat two-odd necklace. That is not okay George he's my protector but you are very cute. And now I want to tell you about the shocking thing that is my favorite here in Japan and that is the toilets and I never thought I'd be making a video about toilets but these are next level here. I'm talking about JTT the Japanese toilet technology. In Thailand we have the bum gun which I thought was pretty cool and advanced but here I feel like I actually need an instruction manual to use the toilet sometimes. I'm talking about heated seats built-in bidets they have air dryers there's also a button for privacy that makes sound so people can't hear what's going on in there and there were definitely some buttons I was too afraid to push but I'm sure it could be even better. And the coolest part or at least the thing I think is the coolest is that a lot of the toilets actually have a faucet built right into the back of the bowl so when you're done with your business you just flush the toilet the water automatically comes out you wash your hands in it and that dirty water goes back into the bowl so that it's used the next time you flush that's amazing it's efficient it's eco-friendly and it creates a one-stop care station where you can handle all of your business. The next thing that shocked me here in Japan are the vending machines and I know you're thinking Adam they're vending machines who cares but you should because these are next level they are absolutely everywhere and they serve mostly things like tea water coffee and energy drinks but they have options like hot or cold you can also get real food in them like soup pizza burgers sandwiches I even saw a Tokyo canned air vending machine the other day so just breathe that in for a second and it gets even crazier they have caviar vending machines as well as whale and seal meat ones they even have bug vending machines with things like scorpions regional crickets and some really interesting drinks like soft-shelled turtle pit viper or water bug if you're in the mood in Thailand I go to my bug lady on the street but here I just come to a vending machine and the next thing that really got me here are the convenience stores now they have the same ones we have in Thailand 7-eleven Lawson's and even Family Mart but here it's Thailand down here and Japan up here like the best ones I've ever been to in the world they offer real food options you can get fresh salads they have Japanese food like sushi bento boxes and those little rice squares that have all that delicious salmon inside I love those and that's not all you can even get your banking done here by concert tickets I even went to one the other day that serves sake and beer on draft so when you're here definitely make sure you check out the convenience stores because they have the best egg salad sandwiches I've ever had in the world sorry mom but this one is amazing and the last thing that really shocked me here in Japan was the buddhism now I've been a buddhist for 20 years and I've lived in Thailand for the last two so I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what it was but after coming here I realized I have no idea in Thailand we celebrate Theravada buddhism it's the oldest form it's about the community the monks renounce all their worldly possessions the temples are big and grand with giant buddhas inside it's a place where you can go and chat with the monks and feel like you're really part of it but here it's zen buddhism and it's completely different as you can see behind me this temple is beautiful but it's very small it's subtle it's quiet and the monks they don't have to give up the worldly possessions here in zen buddhism they can get married have kids they don't even have to shave their heads and the part that really got me is they can have jobs most of them don't even stay in the temples and I asked the monk the other day that I was lucky enough to have a conversation with about why that's okay and he said that zen buddhism is more about an inner journey than the community it's about them finding their way with themselves so it's okay for them to have those things to have possessions because as long as they're applying that buddhism in their everyday life that compassion that kindness then they can still be monks and at first I was like I don't get it but as I've been sitting ruminating thinking about it I realized that that's one of the beautiful things about buddhism is that they can exist in different forms but still share that beautiful love that buddhism is known for and I'm so grateful to Japan that I got to experience this different kind of buddhism so arigato Japan for sharing this with me because it made my mind a little bit bigger a little bit broader and oh well that is my 10 things that shocked me in Japan and I'm sure there's going to be more but for now that's good and I hope that you don't think that anything that I've shared is negative just because something shocking to you doesn't mean that it's bad and I think that Thailand and Japan are two of the most beautiful cultures in the world and it's the contrast of those two that make them so special they've made me appreciate each other in completely different ways and I'm so grateful to Japan for helping me to see that silence to feel that quiet and I hope when you come here you get to see these things too so make sure you keep those peepers peeping people because if you're not looking you're not going to see it if you enjoyed this video please give me a big thumbs up comment subscribe and don't forget to the Japan arigato and sayonara I'll see you next time