ONLY in JAPAN * John Daub

I Slept on a Japanese Bullet Train That Goes Nowhere

119K views · 1mo ago · 15:55

My hotel for the night was a parked Japanese bullet train. I had an entire carriage to myself—but no bed. So I built one. During Akita’s Kanto Festival, JR East offered a special overnight stay aboard an E6 Akita Komachi Shinkansen at Akita Station. I booked through JRE MALL, packed supplies from Don Quijote and Daiso, and turned the train seats into my own makeshift bed.

Topics: A Bullet Train Hotel · Riding the Shinkansen · Arriving at Akita Station · Shinkansen Stay Prices · Checking In for the Night · Shopping for My Train Hotel

How Japan Runs Mt. Fuji

862K views · 2mo ago · 33:27

Mt. Fuji's summit sits at 3,776 meters. There's no highway up — just volcanic gravel and specialized tracked vehicles. So how does Japan keep it running? Behind the hikers and iconic sunrise views is a hidden logistics operation most tourists never see: supplies for mountain huts, mail carried by hand and by machine, food, water — even vending machines — hauled up the side of Japan's highest mountain.

Topics: How Japan Runs Mt. Fuji · Viewing Mt. Fuji by Airplane · Mt. Fuji's Restricted Bulldozer Supply Route · Unpacking Supplies at the Summit · How Cold is the Mt. Fuji Summit? · Japan Post High-Altitude Training

Why Japanese Cherries Cost $11,500 a Box

87K views · 3mo ago · 18:13

How can a box of Japanese cherries sell for $11,500? We follow Yamagata’s luxury cherries from orchard to auction—then through picking, tasting, grading, packing, and the generations of work behind them. Japan grows dozens of cherry varieties, led by the famous Sato Nishiki.

Topics: $11,500 Japanese Cherries · Tokyo to Yamagata · Inside a Cherry Orchard · Tokyo Cherry Auction · The $700 Cherry · Tasting Luxury Cherries

Tokyo Marathon DESTROYED Me. Japan Fixed Me.

45K views · 4mo ago · 21:58

Tokyo Marathon has wrecked me five different times — through cold, snow, ice, rain, sun, and humidity. I returned once again to run 42.195 km through Tokyo, from the start in Shinjuku to the finish in front of Tokyo Station. It's one of the world's great marathons, but the story doesn't end at the finish line. In many countries, recovery means collapsing on a sofa with pizza and streaming movies. Japan has a different approach.

Topics: Starting Line 🏃🏻‍♂️ · Tokyo Marathon Course.Overview · Pocari Sweat 💦 · Expo / Bib Pick-up · Akihabara 10K 🏃🏻‍♂️ · Tokyo Running Courses

We Left Our Son at a Tokyo Daycare for Tourists ★ ONLY in JAPAN

24K views · 7mo ago · 14:27

Parents get a little freedom, and kids have a great time too. Ano-ne Kids Club is operated by APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU, a brand known for making family travel in Japan easier and more comfortable. Learn more Location Note: ¥3000 per hour based on March 2026 pricing

Topics: Enter Childcare Service · About ANO-NE Kids Club Service · Sushi Shin Tokyo · Playing begins · Nets for Climbing · Sushi 2

Most People Travel Japan the Hard Way

56K views · 7mo ago · 22:16

Kyoto welcomes millions of visitors every year—many arriving with big suitcases. But what if you could travel without all that luggage? With Any Wear, Anywhere, you can leave your clothes at home, rent outfits for the whole family, and even send your suitcase ahead to MIMARU—making your trip way more comfortable and stress-free. We used the Family Plan set on this trip

Topics: Board the Shinkansen to Kyoto · Shinkansen luggage space · Train food! · Apartment Hotel Mimaru · Any Wear, Anywhere Rental Clothing · Sending Luggage at Hotel

Japan’s Ultimate Fireworks Experience Isn’t in Tokyo ★ ONLY in JAPAN

53K views · 10mo ago · 26:28

We’ll travel from Tokyo to the most important Fireworks Festival in Japan - Omagari, Akita for a family vacation to rhe countryside. Launching up mega-sized firework shells is the norm for this place, Omagari is known as Fireworks City!

Topics: Map: Fireworks City, Japan · Fireworks Factory: How They’re Made · Ancient Japanese Hotel Stay · Firework Festival Street Food · Launching Mega-Sized Fireworks · 100 Mega-Shells Launched!

▶️ Mentioned videos: Video on youtube.com

99.9% of Tourists NEVER Visit This Mountain Village ★ ONLY in JAPAN

86K views · 11mo ago · 27:25

99.9% of visitors to Japan will never see places like this. Beyond Tokyo, Kyoto and the usual tourist routes is another Japan — mountain villages, old walking paths, family-run inns, local food, hot springs and communities that have existed along these trails for generations. In this episode, we take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Iiyama and head deep into the mountains to hike Section 9 of the Shin-Etsu Trail, one of Japan’s LONG TRAILS.

Topics: Japan Overview · Mountain Inn “Katakuri no Yado” · Inside the Rooms · Japan LONG TRAIL Map · Shin-Etsu Trail Map · Japanese Mushroom Foraging

How Japan Makes Rice Taste Amazing, Beyond Soy Sauce ★ ONLY in JAPAN

40K views · 1y ago · 16:39

We’ll also join a hands-on “Taste Tsukudani & Make Onigiri” experience — where you can learn the art of combining freshly cooked rice with savory tsukudani to create your own onigiri. The tour offers a rare glimpse into Japanese food culture, craftsmanship, and hospitality — all in one delicious bite.

Topics: History, Shogun Saved by Fisherman · Tsukuda Island (Tokyo) · History of Tamakiya · Factory Tour · How to Make Onigiri Rice Balls · Kinds of Rice Toppings

Nagasaki Bombing Story | Tour of the Atomic Hypocenter ★ ONLY in JAPAN

423K views · 1y ago · 28:14

What exactly happened after the Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki? Hiroshima came first. Three days later, Nagasaki — a plutonium implosion-type atomic bomb dropped and detonated at 11:02am destroying Nagasaki and Urakami Valley is also the last atomic weapon used in war. We'll talk to survivors, hear their first hand story - what did it feel like, look like after? I toured the hypocenter visiting several spots that remain today as ruins of August 9, 1945.

Topics: Atomic Bomb Dropped · Then & Now · Nagasaki Bomb Tour Guide · Toxic Water · Map of Hypocenter · Survivor at Isahaya (Ujihara-san)

Tokyo’s Hidden Local Bars | Shimbashi Nightlife Experience ★ ONLY in JAPAN

85K views · 1y ago · 18:51

Guest: Tokyo’s Hidden Local Bars

Tokyo’s nightlife is full of options but this one in Shimbashi is endangered. Other neighborhoods like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Asakusa also have similar issues with their Showa era restaurants and bars. A "Sunakku" or Snack Bar is a Showa-era eating & drinking spot, often small and full of regular customers socializing over drinks and food prepared by a mama-san, the owner who's often very gifted at conversation and life advice. They started in the 1950s and peaked in the 1990s.

Topics: Tokyo's Shimbashi Overview · Inside Snack Bar no.1 · 1980s: why she started a Snack Bar? · Shimbashi Redevelopment · Snack Bars were Social Media in 1980 · Back Street Alley Tour

How Japan Broke the Elevator Speed Limit

50K views · 1y ago · 15:12

What are the vertical speed limits of elevator travel, in super tall skyscrapers — and beyond to outer space? The World's Fastest Elevator was designed and made by Hitachi in Japan in 2019 — 1260 meters per minute (47 mph) up the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, 95 floors in 43 seconds! The title of World's Fastest Elevator has changed just 8 times in the last 100 years starting with the Empire State Building in 1931.

Topics: World’s Fastest Elevators · Hitachi Factory & Test Center · Elevator Altitude Pressue & Ear Blockage · FASTEST Elevator Design · Cable / Rope Challenge 🛗 · Space Elevator in 2050

99% of Tourists NEVER visit here | Far West Tokyo Experience ★ ONLY in JAPAN

186K views · 1y ago · 17:07

Visiting the Far West of Tokyo that 99% of tourists never visit is the Japan travel experience so many look for! Tokyo is not just a city, it's a metropolitan area, like a state, one of Japan's 47 prefectures and has mountains in its not-so-far TAMA region. We rented a car in Tokyo, drove 90 minutes West to Mitake and Okutama where international visitors miss out on. It's the side of Japan you are looking for to avoid the crowds and experience Japanese culture within Tokyo.

Surviving an Extreme Japanese Winter Festival through Snow & Ice ★ ONLY in JAPAN

95K views · 1y ago · 23:16

This 1200 year old Japanese Winter tradition in the mounatin snow is one of the country’s most famous! Also known as the Urasa Pushing Festival. Winter in Japan can be brutally cold, snow piles up fast in Urasa, Niigata. Residents participate in one of Japans famous "hadaka matsuri" or Nakedman Festival with white fundoshi / Japanese loin clothes in hopes of a good rice season. It's deeply rooted in local culture, Bishamondo Temple.

Topics: Fundoshi Loin Cloth / Japanese Thong · Japanese Super Wedgie · Urasa Festival History / Background · Main Festival Starts · Ice Bath Run · Urasa Pushing Festival

Tokyo to Kyoto? Millions Pass this Japanese City and Never Visit ★ ONLY in JAPAN

161K views · 1y ago · 25:09

Millions of Tourists to Japan ride the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto passing one of the greatest hidden travel experiences, Nishio - not far from Shin-Anjo Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen. Guest house owner Rise invited me to Nishio claiming Nishio city nicknamed “Little Kyoto” was better than Kyoto — so I took him up on this challenge and discovered a real destination gem that really impressed me.

Topics: Shinkansen from Tokyo · Inside Japanese Guest House · Hidden Room? · Where is Nishio City? · Ancient Japanese Roads · Comedic Street Statues

Japan Put a Mailbox at the Top of a Mountain — Someone Has to Empty It

45K views · 1y ago · 11:55

Every day, Japan Post’s Sasahara-san climbs roughly 20,000 steps on his delivery route in Yamagata, including a steep hike to reach one lonely mailbox on the mountaintop of Yamadera Temple (Risshaku-ji Temple). In this episode, I followed him for a day to see the dedication, tradition, and challenges of Japan’s Postmen — while also showing the incredible beauty of Yamadera in the fall.

Topics: 🚅 Yamagata Shinkansen from Tokyo · 🏣 Mailman Sasahara-san · 🗺️ Map of the Climb · 🥾 Start Climbing · 🪨 Midahora Rock · ⛩️ Niomon Gate

I Traveled Japan Without Packing Clothes

51K views · 2y ago · 12:18

Japan' has 3 million tourists a year bringing in a lot of suitcases so Sumitomo created a Rental Clothing service for tourists. Yes, you can leave your clothes at home, leave your big suitcase at home and have your clothes sent to your hotel in Japan. It seemed like an interesting concept to me so I decided to try it out - Any Wear, Anywhere - on a trip to Hokkaido.

Topics: Japan's Oversized Luggage Problem · Boarding Japan Airlines to Asahikawa · Pick up Clothing Rental at Check-in · Set 1, Autumn Wear · Ramen Aoba Asahikawa · Why Clothing Rental is weird

How Japanese Square Watermelons are Made & Eaten ★ ONLY in JAPAN

571K views · 2y ago · 16:24

The Japanese Square Watermelon is rare to find, they only make 200 to 400 a year depending on the harvest. Promising round watermelons are places in metal and glass boxes, bolted in and grow for 2-3 weeks until the corners hit the ends of the box. The success rate for growing square watermelons is low, 10-25% for many farmers.

Topics: Square Watermelon Farm (Zentsuji) · Time Lapse of Square Watermelon Growing · Square Watermelons in Tokyo · Cutting it Open & Eating · Why Not Sold Ripe · History of Square Watermelon

How Japan Cleans a Massive 1300 Year Old Treasure | Inside Todaiji (Nara) ★ ONLY in JAPAN

87K views · 2y ago · 11:27

Every year the massive Daibutsu statue at Todaiji in Nara gets a cleaning on August 7th. 200 people from different occupations and skills come together to clean the inside of the Great Hall that includes the 15m / 50 foot high statue. The cleaning event has been going on since 1965. Originally built in 752, the Daibutsu at Todaiji has been recast and repaired including in the 10th century when the head fell off in an earthquake the Japanese rolled it back up.

Shinjuku Restaurant Tour Experience | Sushi, Wagyu, Tempura in Tokyo ★ ONLY in JAPAN

321K views · 2y ago · 15:58

Guest: Shinjuku Restaurant Tour Experience

Eating out in Tokyo is an adventure, especially in Shinjuku - Tokyo's busiest area with over 3.5M people going through Shinjuku Station daily! There are over 1500 restaurants around the station serving food like Sushi, Wagyu Beef, Yakiniku & Shabushabu, Tempura, Yakitori, Ramen and with so many options, it can be very hard to pick a good one, especially if you don't speak Japanese.

Topics: Izakaya | Sushi, Tempura · How many restaurants in Shinjuku? · Japanese WAGYU Beef "Yakiniku" Restaurant · Underground Japanese Sake Bar

Japan’s Greatest Lost at Sea Adventure | Nakahama John Manjiro ★ ONLY in JAPAN

41K views · 2y ago · 33:12

Shipwrecked on a deserted volcanic island in the Pacific, a 14 year old fisherman from Kochi, Japan, survives to live a life that helps change the path of modern Japan. The story of Nakahama "John Mung" Manjiro is one of the most unforgettable ones, from his rescue after months on a deserted volcanic island to being the first Japanese to live in the USA.

Topics: Where does Manjiro start? · John Mung Museum · Shipwrecked on Torishima · Rescue by American Whaler · Arrival in Hawaii · First Japanese in America

Japanese Toys that Changed the Game | Nintendo, Godzilla, Transformers, Ultraman

201K views · 2y ago · 19:39

Today we're at a Vintage Japanese Toy Museum in Hokkaido exploring the innovative toys that changed our world! Toys from Japan have always been creative, from the 1954 Godzilla movie on, character toys sparked the imagination of generations. From cinema and TV, the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s brought us Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Super Sentai and many others still popular today.

Topics: Kaiju | Vintage Godzilla Toys · Japanese Toy History · Evolution of Nintendo · Nintendo's first toy · Japan's Famicom vs NES · How Toys R Us Impacted Japan

📖 Mentioned book: Book on Amazon

Japanese School Uniforms Explained ★ ONLY in JAPAN

261K views · 2y ago · 17:04

80% of Japanese High School students prefer uniforms. It's the opposite to western countries - but why? Japanese School Uniforms are an important part of the country's culture - students associate it with their youth. But why do school have different styles, how have uniforms evolved the last 100 years? How much do school uniforms cost in Japan and what do students need to buy? What are the rules for Japanese school uniforms?

Topics: Inside Japanese High School Classroom · What's so special about uniforms? · Girl's Sailor Fuku Uniform · Boy's School Uniform in Okayama · Why some don't prefer uniforms? · Why Japanese Love School Uniforms

Inside a Japanese GYOZA DUMPLING Factory ★ ONLY in JAPAN

139K views · 2y ago · 12:12

Gyoza dumplings are a Japanese food I can eat anyway, every day! They're more than a snack, they can be the main meal and in Miyazaki City, it's so popular, they're no.1 in Japan in the Yaki Gyoza Rankings, for 3 straight years. What makes their gyoza the best or most popular in Japan?

Topics: Gyoza Wrapper Factory · Gyoza Factory Production Line · Japan's Dumpling War vs Utsunomiya · Miyazaki is no.1 in Gyoza, but why? · Gyoza vs Ramen · Making the Gyoza filling