Hearted Youtube comments on Life Where I'm From (@LifeWhereImFrom) channel.

  1. I live and work in the heart of deer country in the mountains of central Japan. I hunt deer and also help out with a government sponsored culling program. On average I put about 15 to 20 deer worth of venison in the freezer every year. Since starting to hunt here in Japan about 6 years ago I don't think I've purchased red meat at the super market more than 2 or 3 times. Needless to say, I eat a lot of venison. I also give away lots and lots of it to friends. There are no licensed processing plants nearby so commercial use of the meat is impossible. This past year we did start to supply a local startup with culled venison that they use to make dog treats and it is growing, but is still only a drop in the bucket. The culling operation I help with is focused on a prefectural park area that is not open to general hunting. It is a bit over 3,000 acres in size and each year we cull close to 200 deer! Of those, perhaps 20 go to the dog food guy. I personally harvest meat from another 10 or 15. Sadly the rest are all disposed of. I come with a somewhat American hunter's perspective of not wanting any wildlife to go to waste so it's hard to watch. At the same time, the infrastructure for utilizing more of the meat simply doesn't exist here. Thanks for the balanced coverage of our problem.
    3100
  2. That was so well filmed. Like watching a documentary. I think the rule in Australia 🌏 is "Don't get caught, mate" 👍
    3100
  3. Who knows if people will see this, but David didn't spit back into the purification font water (what I called the water station). He spit the water outside of it, where it gets drained away. Also, the water is constantly replenished, so it's not standing water. Hope this helps some confusion... if anyone sees this.
    2800
  4. Hi, thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I really appreciated it! Pleasure to meet you, and keep up the interesting videos ! ;) PS: hope you found some good coffee and that the drive back wasn't too long !
    2600
  5. Greg, this is a really touching portrayal. It hits on so many prescient topics; ageing, family, loss and companionship. It's the kind of film you'd encounter at a short film festival. Thank you.
    2500
  6. It's refreshing to see how down to earth and friendly this soba chef is.
    2400
  7. This was an exceptional summary of life in Tokyo! Japan really takes walkability to the next level, and I'm definitely looking forward to the future video about zoning, as Japanese zoning is fascinating. I've been to Japan (usually Tokyo) about a dozen times, but always for business trips. I'm planning my first vacation to Tokyo next year because I want my kids to experience what life is like there, because they do so many things so well.
    2300
  8. Thank you for this opportunity!! It was very interesting to compare the countryside and Tokyo like that:D
    2200
  9. We had an issue in Tokyo in the middle of the night with my daughter, and we had to pay 100% of the bill. Including the ambulance ride, police, and examination medicine and treatment it was under $200 USD.
    2200
  10. Dude, your videos are so well-made, informative, interesting, and articulated; you should win some kind of YouTube recognition award or something. My interest in Japanese culture has been pretty nuetral, but the videos on both of your channels have really given me a perspective that I may have otherwise not considered.
    2000
  11. A video about clip art, using only clip art for imagery. That’s so meta! But seriously, Irasutoya makes my job as a public teacher in Japan so much easier. We have strict rules about use of copyrighted materials in my office, I basically have to explain where any imagery I use comes from. But with Irasutoya stuff, there’s no need since it has a particular look that everyone recognizes. And yes, I sometimes use it in videos for YouTube too. 🍻
    1900
  12. My Tokyo experience... Expectation: Lots of tourists in anime shops Reality: Lots of locals Expectation: Many vending machines Reality: Many many many vending machines! Expectation: Expensive Reality: Not as expensive as what most people say Expectation: Trains are clean and quiet Reality: Trains are super clean and super quiet! Expectation: Language barrier Reality: Not so much
    1800
  13. They seem to be good at burning food lol
    1700
  14. Things are often more complicated than they see at first, aren't they.
    1600
  15. I really watched 5 people eat ice cream for 50 min and I’m not even bored lol
    1500
  16. This was really fascinating. You don't often get to see "authentic" foods from cultures you're not familiar with. Your sister-in-law seems super friendly and funny. I look forward to seeing more of her in future videos.
    1500
  17. As a plumber I really enjoyed seeing the mechanical room with all the filters and everything in there. It’s interesting to me to see how plumbing is done in other places.
    1500
  18. I never leave comments on youtube, but damn, this video is so calming and beautiful. It felt like having a virtual day trip. Loved it!
    1400
  19. What an interesting episode! Thanks for bringing me along for the ride. Learned a lot from the experience and had a lot of fun exploring the houses together. Thanks for the shout out too! Much appreciated ٩(^‿^)۶ -John, the light stand guy
    1400
  20. I got so excited when you said, "if you love stats, get ready for an action packed video." Then you stabbed me in the back, Greg.
    1400
  21. all your videos is very high quality. National geographic should hire you
    1300
  22. You have really upped your game. Your production values have always been good, now they're better. Same with content, which is thoughtful and thought provoking. Any big city is not that country. New York is not USA, London is not UK, or Moscow is not Russia. These cities are real, valid, and functioning in their own rights. But they are not the whole country. Same with Tokyo. And within each of these cities, it is not hard to find people and situations that are weird, and especially weird things that make good pictures. Alongside of the weird are the vast armies of rather ordinary people who go about their daily lives in seemingly unrenarkable ways. What makes them weird? Because they are not usual, normal, or commonplace. They stand out in the crowd. One day in Tokyo, I got off the subway surrounded by men in dark suits, white shirts, and dark narrow ties. Like a river of people we flowed up to the streeet where we were met by other rivers of men in dark suits. Then, there he was. A man walking towards me. What made him stand out? He wore a brown suit! Did he represent the whole? Not likely. No more than with the maid cafes, or any other "oddities."
    1300
  23. I really liked the different take you took on onsens in Japan in this video. I've seen plenty of videos now on the food and service but none on the running of one and it was very interesting so thank you for taking the time to make this video.
    1200
  24. Correction: Life Where I'm not From
    1100
  25. i bet the crane operator must be amazing at the arcade crane games. no plushie is safe
    1100
  26. Get a man who is as interested in you as Greg is in his Thermoses.
    1100
  27. Please let the hostess know that I admired how calm and patient she was with the children there. I know we tend to be our own worst critics, but she looked quite lovely. I'm impressed by her skills and her gracious nature.
    1100
  28. Ohh lots of familiar faces in the video haha. Must have taken a lot of time editing the looooong interviews but your efforts paid off because this video is 10/10!! Very informative and would be super helpful for people thinking about working in Japan! Otsukaresama, Greg!
    1100
  29. Oh, a big shout out to my bros! They all agreed to be interviewed with no notice. I filmed them all in a single day. Love you guys!
    1000
  30. I'm an atheist, and during my long trip in Japan I felt really drawn by Jinja and Shinto, and it's really nice to see something that explains the way I felt. In my personal experience I felt really drawn by the respect of the culture, the rituals and the respect to everything. From the respect shown to others and to nature, to the respect you show in the temple, that ultimately means respect for the labor of the people involved in it and the tradition and generations of people before you. Before this video I found it somewhat hard to rationalize the way I felt, but you helped me understand :) Needless to say, incredible video, thanks.
    969
  31. I'm a Chemist. Unless we break down the polymers back into their building blocks (monomers), all plastics can only be mechanically recycled a very limited number of times, before the mechanical properties significantly change. This is due to the chain length of the polymer decreasing with further and further recycling. Hope this clears up some misconceptions on plastics.
    968
  32. The UPS thing at the end must be a UPS distribution center, and they hire a cop in the morning to direct traffic, or else those trucks making left turns would be super backed up and late before even starting.
    954
  33. Glad to know you are finally making the homeless video. Very well done as well. I learned something new.
    946
  34. I'm from New Zealand and we (the native Maori) also bathe in the hot springs. Some are commercialized now, but the private/tribe owned ones are usually naked and mixed gender.
    903
  35. I like the mom's trick using 2 chopsticks to squeeze the last of the stuff out of that envelope. I usually fold it in half and squeeze with my thumb and fingers, which is not that good.
    861
  36. Super useful video Greg! Well done - breaking this all down for new residents to Japan. It’s certainly not easy — but not impossible either. Happy moving everyone! ٩( ᐛ )و
    814
  37. As a US citizen who has considered naturalizing to Japan, I have a few questions for 井上さん. 1) I've read that the hardest part of naturalizing to another country as a US citizen is getting the US to let you go. For example, you have to pay a $500 fee for a paper hearing to be held by a US judge to determine if you are giving up US citizenship to get out of paying taxes. Any truth to this? Did the US let you go easily? 2) If you give up your US citizenship, I was told through the rumor mill that you will be put on a black list and will have a hard time visiting the US after naturalizing elsewhere. Any truth to this? 3) Lastly, what advantage do you find in having Japanese citizenship over US? I've read conflicting opinions about if it is worth it. Thanks much! Andrew
    813
  38. When the alarm rings, I thought your smoke detector is triggered lol
    790
  39. Your sister in law is a wonderful woman, she truly cares about friends and family
    779
  40. Finally, an explanation of Shinto that makes sense. Regarding people identifying as Shinto, I know some older Japanese people (60, 70+) who often go to funerals of older friends and loved ones. The ceremonies are almost always Buddhist. They could only remember one person who had a Shinto ceremony. PS, your camera work was particularly beautiful on this video. That two shot and interview.. the exposure.. the focus and color. Perfect.
    728
  41. Expectation : Japanese are frightened by foreigners Reality : Japanese are so open to foreigners and interested
    715
  42. I love these types of videos. People can visit Japan and experience a lot of it, but unless you have Japanese friends in Japan, you're not going to truly understand how the locals live and eat. And many youtubers dont share these kinds of experiences, they just show the more touristy 'interesting' stuff. Also these videos help break the stereotypes people may get from watching subbed/dubbed anime overseas, Japanese cuisine is clearly more than just ramen and sushi
    708
  43. This is the best film you have ever made. I'm so impressed with the editing of it and with the story you have told of him. I'm so touched by his candor and humor. This is a side of Japanese culture and life, that I haven't seen before on film. You should feel really good about your work and what you have done.
    690
  44. This was amazing! Beautiful places and excellent cinematography as always mate. You did those hot springs justice. I've travelled around the Bandai area of Fukushima a fair bit, but somehow never made it to any of these springs. Great to see you and John showcasing Tohoku as well! Hopefully we'll see more folks visit the region when the country re-opens.
    667
  45. I appreaciate that your relatives showed in all honesty what their day to day breakfast looks like. It´s nothing to be embarrassed about. ^^ Thank you for sharing. Additionally I´m also not a huge breakfast eater. ;)
    663
  46. I'm currently living in Japan (Not Tokyo, I live the next prefecture over, but It's only a 15 minute train ride to get to Tokyo), and even here I can access everything I need within a 5 minute walk. I actually love how the neighborhoods are set up with the multiple zones in one area. I live in an apartment building that has a grocery store on the first (it also covers second) floor, and a gym on the third (and fourth) floor. Next door is a house and next to that is a Dentist Office. on the other side of the building is a Bank. Across the street is a Drug Store, the Train Station is a 5 minute walk and in that 5 minutes I pass a Temple, 3 Convenience stores, a post office, some specialty stores, two Pachinko Places, another Drug Store, a few specialty shops and restaurants, a couple Izakaya, a couple smaller apartment buildings and several houses. There is also a Koban right outside of the Train Station and a Fire Station, another dentist, and a clinic in the area. I love how easily accessible everything is without the use of a bike or car, compared to where I grew up in the USA. In the USA I lived in a Residential Area (two story family houses), so the nearest grocery store was a 10 minute walk (2 minute drive) from my parents' house in the Commercial Area. Also, I love how much safer Japan is as well! I'm an Elementary School ALT, and I always see my students walking around with their friends freely outside of school (BTW I LOVE running into my students outside of school it makes me happy). I also enjoy being able to run to the Conbini at 10 at night when I run out of toilet paper without worrying about someone mugging me.
    654
  47. I always felt like the golden rule of Japan was to put others needs or feelings before your own.
    650
  48. A delightful comparison! I love how you show that despite cars being very much present in people's day-to-day lives in Japan, people are not forced to drive, and have lots of great alternatives.
    649
  49. Hi, Greg. I followed your series on the Philippines and I thought that you painted a fair picture of our country. It's not necessarily the most beautiful picture but you told stories that most foreigners do not really see nor understand. I really loved every piece. What makes the Philippines wonderful, aside from our beautiful islands, are the people who will show you how to be happy and resilient in the direst of times. Thank you for visiting us and I hope that you will have a much more fun experience next time. And yes, bring the family along. 🤗
    647
  50. I feel like it's obvious, but of course this video is only about a single person's commute. I'd be interested in hearing from other Filipinos, and other people around the world, about what their commute is like. Emiko, the lady in the video, leaves for work early as traffic is not as bad. I know some Japanese people who do the same thing, so that they can get a seat on the train. Like I say at the end of the video, I have 17 hours of footage and I actually cut out a lot of stuff I recorded about traffic in the Philippines. I kind of want to make a "Manila's Traffic Problem" video, although after reading some news articles and a couple reports doesn't make me at all qualified to say anything. I got to experience a lot in the Philippines thanks to many friendly locals who took me along and showed me their everyday lives. Thanks everyone! So you'll probably get a couple videos about my journey to the Philippines. Have a great day!
    639