Comments by "etherdog" (@etherdog) on "Life Where I'm From" channel.

  1. Greg, I was truly shocked when you talked about the park (near the end) where people were keaving trash and they had to shut the water off because of it. That runs so counter to what we hear about how clean and responsible Japanese people are. What a great little quirky topic to cover! Now, if you can just discover why Japanese maps are all over the place with their orientations....
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  2. I used to live in Indianapolis (and live only an hour away now) and the contrast with Japan is about as stark as can be. We were shocked to see Indy featured in this video! So, Greg, your ability to surprise is still strong!
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  3. Akko is a real star! I hope you will continue to collaborate with her as she adds a great deal of depth to videos like this, Greg! In our household (2), I do almost all of the cooking and food shopping whilst my wife does the other chores. We walk with our dog together for about an hour a day, which gives us a chance to converse and plan our trip to Japan, whenever it opens up again. I hope it doesn't take 3 more black ships to make that happen :-)
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  4. Greg, it would be really good to see how Japan is, or is not, tapping into its geothermal wealth to create electricity or other energy resources (hydrogen, for example, as Iceland is doing). I know it would be a lot of work to tackle, but you seem like the the intrepid kind of spirit that might do the topic justice.
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  5. Great work, Greg! One possible solution for the staffing problem would be for ramen shop owners form an association that would let good workers move around to different shops. The workers would learn and get experience and shop owners would get motivated staff.
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  6. I feel lucky to be able to afford to buy this video--a couple of years ago I wouldn't be able to and I think your content is worth the investment so that you can continue to make your outstanding content. Thanks, Greg!
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  7. Greg, thanks for touching on geothermal electricity generation and other geothermal uses besides onsen. I DO hope that a full dedicated series is in the offing! On a different note, I think what you called "sewer" is probably storm drain runoff, as sewer usually is referred to as the pipes containing effluent from toilets and other wastewater. I would be surprised if Japan had open channels of excrement running through it's cities and towns, but perhaps the word is used interchangeably.
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  8. About a year ago John Daub and Dean Newcombe were at this same tea plantation and had a cursory overview of the process, but you, Greg, really made this into a wonderful story! The integration of vertical product lines (tea, confections, subscriptions, sponsorships) with destination tourism with integrated solar power and lodgings, plus integrating into the rhythm of the local traditions, is a really good lesson that we all can learn from. Well done, as always!
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  9.  @LifeWhereImFrom  Greg, do you think your documentary helped him? This was almost 4 years ago and 14 million views, which is your second most-viewed video.
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  10. What really strikes me about these videos that feature Aiko and Shin in particular is the richness of experience that you, Greg, are providing them.The international travel, the local travel experiences, the bilingual upbringing, and just the amount of time to be in their lives is heartening. You are a great dad! Oh, and we get out of our town because our dog makes us take her for rides in the car on weekends, so we have driven every street in our county and the six surrounding ones as well. Because of her, we have seen so many wonderful nearby sites that are overlooked, and we appreciate her for it.
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  11. Greg, you have pulled together a lot of pieces of the plastics lifecycle into a really great story! I've learned the various parts of it over the years, but nowhere as concise and well documented as you have achieved. Thanks! (It was a disconcerting to hear that you are living alone and I hope everybody is, or will be, ok.)
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  12. This was fascinating! We never realized how much hands-on care is devoted to the vines to produce such beautiful fruit. I could watch a video like this for every bit of Japanese agriculture.
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  13. I love these practical tips, Greg, but also the reassurance that if I get it wrong it won't be the end of the world (mostly). Yamamoto Sensei is so cool, she seems interested in not only imparting Japanese sensibilities but also learning about how other cultures function. Would it be possible to do a video on ice hockey in Japan?
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  14. So interesting, Greg! In terms of categories of things, the only thing that is different is that North Americans and Europeans probably have fruit in their fridges.
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  15. Very nice and descriptive video, Greg! It is interesting to see how the habit of keeping clean starts at home and is part of the daily routine from preschool on. It kinda dovetails with Paolo's latest vid where kids start eating a varied set meal that exposes them to a lot of different foods from an early age (the French do this, too).
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  16. That was fun, Greg! We didn't know the backstory of the Kagoshima festival being in Shibuya. And my dance skill is still trying to reach your level 🙂
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  17. Greg, your sister-in-law has a great sense of humor as well as an intrepid spirit! It was very interesting to see the various ways people deal with the snow but by far the most interesting was the use of geothermal heat from onsen water and other natural sources.We are looking forward to the next episode of this series!
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  18. Greg, this is a valuable documentary. Personally I am shocked that more testing isn't being carried out except in a few countries. It seems like the Epidemiologist's Handbook was tossed and weak leadership is allowing the pandemic to fester. It is always a treat to see your thoughtful and evidence based videos. Cheers!
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  19. Greg, you really tease Akko, but it seems she can dish it too! This was a really nice, in-depth look at snow in Aomori. Great job!
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  20. Greg, you answered my questions from the last video on waste you did, so thanks! We appreciate the intellectual honesty you bring to your projects.
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  21. Greg, Olga and I, after seeing the title and walking our dog, started debating all the ways you could "ride" (keeping it clean!) in Tokyo. I said "piggyback" wouldn't be covered, but we did think some kind of live animal would be featured--and maybe the the mechanical Panda was the best you could do in a day. We just love how you put your videos together!
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  22. Great discussion, but it was confusing sometimes to figure the prices. Were they all by the each, or were some yen/kg (which would be a better comparison)? Your sensei seemed to really enjoy the experience!
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  23. Greg, it doesn't matter how many times you re-upload, I will still watch it. Neither my wife nor I could tell what you changed so I am guessing it was some background music. Question: I am guessing that the Ministry sees the value of supporting the English language YouTubers in Japan, hence this sponsored video (and I've seen a bunch by others, as well). So does this recognition play a positive role when visas come up for renewal? Are there "points" associated with it?
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  24. At first I thought an hour plus might be too long,, but the video was so engaging I still wanted more. It is really nice to see the follow-up--something that js rare. Well done, Greg!
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  25. John, it is funny you mention Greg's jewels in an open air onsen :-)
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  26. Greg, of all the Japan channels to which I am subscribed (about 20 now), you are the first to mention "farm stays" or as the Italians call it, "agrotourismo". Thanks for that and I hope you might focus on it a bit more in a couple of future episodes (going in autumn of 2012, mostly in the north probably). I cooked soba noodles last night and usually have them a couple times a month at least. I've seen a bunch of videos demonstrating how they are made. Someday I MIGHT try my hand making them. Respect to those that do!
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  27. Greg, this video "Japanese Quality of Life: My Family's Experience in Tokyo" was so well done, researched, and annotated. Thanks you!
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  28. Very thoughtful video as usual, Greg. I've been politiely asking people in public to "please wear a mask. It helps protect everyone." and no one has been nasty. In the US, I think the only way we can become more comfortable with it is for businesses to require a mask.
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  29. It is always amazing what you find you can't live without once you have experienced it.
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  30. Greg, you didn't shoot this in just one day, did you? Glad Akko is getting good screen time--she's really fun to watch!
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  31. Greg, what is the chemical load (additives, preservatives, unhealthy fats) of these frozen meals and snacks? I have heard anecdotally that it is quite a lot, but my searches haven't turned up much. My wife and I have been interested in things like Bokksu, but are wary of the chemical load. If you have the chance, could you let us know? Thanks, and we really enjoyed the "Being Japanese" docu!
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  32. Another great vid, Greg! How can Suzuki stay in business with only 100 meals a day? That means they are grossing about $1200-$1500 max per day, which means they are only taking home about $400-$425 net pay per week.
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  33. Good analysis, Greg! We've always loved your bike videos, and we've seen some other channels (like Not Just Bikes and City Berautiful, as you mention) where the criteria for "bike friendliness" are discussed. For instance, "Right Turn on Red" is great for motorists but deadly for cyclists. I didn't understand this linkage before so now I am persuaded that banning "Right Turn on Red" is the logical thing to do (in Japan it would be "Left Turn on Red").
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  34. Funnily, I've seen a couple of other vids on Jujo in the last couple of weeks--probably a result of observation bias--but yours, Greg, is the deepest and most informative. Thanks again for your great work!
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  35. Greg, that was another great video! It was impressive how the women moved so seemingly effortlessly between English and Japanese , and that their English was virtually native speaker level, You also looked pretty good in that suit :-)
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  36. Greg, so true that when you have a really good an sharp knife, the cutting is not a chore but a joy. The food tastes better and you have more peace. The older I get the more I realize you don't need a lot of stuff, but what you do have you want to be at one with. Thanks for the insights into your knife journey!
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  37. Glad to know you are on Nebula, Greg! When did you join? I've been a subscriber since BC.
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  38. Greg, you are an international treasure! What a great story this is.
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  39.  @soc7052  If you do not have random testing you cannot know what the transmission rate is. If you don't know what the transmission rate is, you cannot know what strategies are effective at attenuating the infection rates.
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  40. That's really interesting, Jordan--I didn't know sake breweries were diversifying like that! Thanks!
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  41. Greg, I am glad I have a year and a half to learn about Japan before our visit. Great work! Thank you!
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  42. Good demonstrations of these prodicts, Greg! It looks like you and Akko had a good time recording this video. Although we won't be getting any of these, some might be useful for a dorm room or extended stay some place where eating options are limited.
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  43. We really appreciate your understated humour, Greg! I think Akko needs to be featured more as she has a great on-screen presence (and may be a bit of a ham, don't you think?)
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  44. My wife is a potter and we both enjoyed this vid tremendously! Thanks for the links to the artisans you featured as we have pinned them on our Japan map for our upcoming visit.
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  45. Greg, I thought this was a very noteworthy video. At my core, I think religion is a bit of a psychosis but most of religion is just cultural transmission. My wife is from Turkmenistan on the border of Uzbekistan, so we know these traditions well, as many of her relatives come from there. On the whole, I have an irrational bias to be accepting of other people's religious beliefs, even though I think they may be counterproductive on a global basis. The New Testament is 90% about social justice, but how many so called christians embrace that? As for food, shouldn't all food be organic and meat be treated with respect where the animal has zero suffering throughout it's entire life. I feel that you have invited this offering of opinion, and I have tried to be honest with my thinking about it. Barno and Sherzod are people who could very well be part of my extended family and I want them to live their lives with the least friction as possible, However, in your "Japan: Where Gods Aren't Gods and Worshipers Aren't Religious (Shinto Explained)" you explained that religion is not a driving force, so it makes sense to not introduce factors that make religious expression more acceptable.
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  46. We thought some of this was familiar--glad you mentioned the walking tour on you X channel, Greg. We enjoy the depth of your descriptions and the context you provide! Oh, and your subtle wry humor doesn't go unnoticed :-)
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  47. In the same vain as this video, the film "Perfect Days" by Wim Wenders is about a guy who cleans the Tokyo Toilet Project toilets. A wonderful movie with Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" as the theme song. Good job as always, Greg!
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  48. Greg, this is another very informative (and in some sense inspirational) video. The time you take shows in the quality. Thanks also for the reminder to turn on the CC. I will often watch once with CC on, then watch it again with CC off so I can listen to the syllables of the language and intonation patterns, and look more closely at the images.
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  49. Bobby (KUDOS!) did a fabulous dissection of the efforts of Nishiawakura to redefine itself. We were kinda startled by the statement near the end of the high number of people in the village who speak English--but didn't follow up on what that meant. More varied ideas? A mayor willing to lead without building a consensus? A critical mass of English speakers who can help other immigrants contribute to the community? Value-added processing of timber into usable end-products is smart, as is co-generation in the distribution of heat energy and smart cooling. There were so many details in this video that deserve further elucidation, and makes Nishiawakura a place we really want to visit on our next trip to Japan.
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  50. Greg, as always you are informative and entertaining. We rarely dine out as I much prefer to cook at home, so our lives have only been affected to the extent that we cannot travel.
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