So so here we are today, we're celebrating this channel just hit 200,000 subscribers, exciting when the channel hit 100,000 few months back, I kind of snuck it into the end of the video, Didn't make a big deal about the timing, didn't feel right.

I think we collectively deserve to celebrate from road trips to documentaries too weird at home projects.

We've done a lot over the past couple of months, so we're gonna celebrate today and kick back with a nice relaxing Q and a cheers for today's Q and A.

I turned to twitter and I got a lot of this.

We are going to cover this today.

It feels like it feels like it's an appropriate time.

Let's jump into the questions.

What was the most horrifying experience you've had while exploring rural Japan, what is the scariest moment that you've had whilst traveling good questions.

Actually a recent one a few months back, I was doing a camping project that took us down some deteriorating mountain roads without guardrails by the way, this is to a campsite that was filled with bear and boar warnings pretty much everywhere.

We had now, we downplayed it in the video, but they were actually typhoon warnings for that very night and by the time that we arrived it was too late to turn back and had those typhoons done any damage to the road or knocked trees onto the road.

We would not have been able to get out of there and the rest of the project would have been, we would have been stuck there without signal.

We had zero signal.

Now we were fully prepared to hike down the mountain the next day if we had to, but luckily it didn't come to that and I almost forgot my friend Lillian co founded this company that sources care packages from local farmers and producers here in Japan and I asked her a while back if she would send me one of their, their care packages and she did and it arrived today.

And so as we do this Q and A.

I hope you don't mind.

I'm gonna be taking a peek at this.

Our next question is a good one.

It's, do you have something in Japan that you dislike?

Also where in Japan would you suggest a first time traveler to go to somewhere with no big crowds?

Okay responding to the first one about something I dislike in Japan definitely.

I think that moving countries isn't all that different from moving cities or moving homes in the sense that there's always going to be something that you miss or that you liked better from the other place, if that makes it, if you've ever moved homes, you'll know what I mean.

There's definitely something that you miss from your old home or your old area or neighborhood or something.

I used to focus a lot on the things that I didn't like.

It wasn't healthy.

I wasn't happy.

Just one of the reasons I started Tokyo lens to spend more time searching out and sharing the stuff that I do like and I'm so busy doing that that the other stuff just feels inconsequential by comparison and travel spots are obviously going to be super subjective from person to person but I feel like you cannot go wrong with the post towns along the Nagas Endo trail like not a jUCo and some ago juku they're just, it doesn't matter the time of day, the weather, anything, they are beautiful.

I highly recommend what country other than Japan would you most like to explore?

No time limit on how long it takes.

Australia hands down.

I have, I always loved it.

We were invited back in 2019.

It is still one of my favorite memories and two of my favorite videos to this day and now I often think of what would be like to move there someday.

Maybe best advice for traveling around Japan with a shellfish allergy.

Okay, so most packages in Japan will clearly say maybe or Connie on them as it's a moderately common allergy here in Japan too.

So if you're shopping, look for that on the package or if you're going into a restaurant, there's also the option of wearing this super fashionable, my allergy t shirt or you can just copy the text that I put in the description box below for you and make your own card maybe circle off your allergies.

I definitely recommend doing your research and knowing the words so that you know what to look for.

But it's usually clearly marked quick break.

I haven't even looked inside yet.

Okay.

Oh wow, okay, so each one of these items is going to be locally sourced from all around Japan.

It has its own story, its own recipes and everything.

I'm gonna try these mixed yachts.

Ohashi as we look at the next question, So are you still into the car scene?

Is there a particular reason for it other than the crash while I definitely miss my S14 and the old days of drifting and hanging out with the crew.

I don't miss the costs.

It was an expensive endeavor and with cars sometimes it just feels like you're throwing money against a wall.

But yes, I am still very much into japanese car culture now in a much more passive way I would say even a passenger if you will, I still do go out for a late night run every now and then.

But now every spare moment I have, it goes into the show me state and actually one of the questions was, are you still working with the kiki ladies if you're new?

I've spent the last couple of years traveling the world with two of Japan's top shamisen players and while travel may be on hold right now, we still work together regularly.

In fact, lately we're filming and editing for the girls online shammy sen lessons that they are doing.

I will link it down below if you are interested.

Yeah, it's a harsh er really good if you've never had one, they're from kyoto and if I'm not mistaken, yep kyoto and it's got the whole little backstory of the producer and everything like that lily and I really like what you're doing with this.

I really look like there's a map that shows where each one of them are from.

I'm sorry if I get this part wrong but I believe they send out a different package every single month and I'll just have one more.

Speaking of food though when you're on one of your road trips, what is your go to convenience store snack and drink combo?

All he eats, it's chicken, a bunch of eggs and another egg, protein water.

But pretty much every road trip is the same as chicken, eggs and vegetable juice.

I like to like to try to stay healthy while I'm on the road.

What is your favorite flavor of coffee for just basic coffee.

I love Kilimanjaro coffee but I have quite the coffee collection.

Thanks to some amazing people who keep sending me coffee.

Thank you guys.

Thank you.

But my absolute personal favorite has got to be the banana nut cream from Kauai coffee, just mix in a tiny bit, just a tiny bit with any other coffee and it's just, it's amazing.

It's amazing.

Can you find good maple syrup in japan?

I mean good maple syrup, not the, and I'm assuming this means like the mass produced aunt jemima type stuff because that's not really maple syrup and the answer is yes, yes.

You can, especially at some of the international supermarkets in Tokyo, you can get everything from maple syrup to peanut butter, tim, tams, some cereals, but some are a little weird like fruit loops exists in japan, but they're called unicorn Froot loops.

But the things I can't get in japan intend to miss the most are Swedish, fish and sour patch kids, I am perpetually out of both.

And now now I want to snap, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put this over here and try.

These are, these are the yuzu CMB and as I do this, do you have any daily rituals or habits you've built up that keep you in a positive and motivated mood.

There's no real magical solution to keep you positive and motivated for me.

It's push ups and water every single morning and before bed, even if I'm on the road or if I'm not feeling great, I try to stick to it goal is just the consistency above everything.

Just staying consistent.

You're not always going to be motivated, but you can always stay consistent.

I love Yuzu and I've never had a yuzu.

somebody so I can't wait for the next video.

Always enjoy your content.

When can we expect more podcasts?

The podcast right after talking about consistency to, I probably could have planned that better since shortly after the at home show, the Tokyo lens podcast has been on a bit of a hiatus mostly due to scheduling in nonstop construction out there.

It's just, it's been nonstop for months straight.

Even this is being filmed at a really weird time, but it will be coming back hopefully soon.

Who is your favorite Youtuber to watch?

You ever seen this guy?

Uncle Roger?

His character is not the name of his channel?

Imagine if you go to a japanese restaurant and you ask for noodle and the chef give you instant noodle.

That is what this guy is doing.

This guy is I, I just, I love his humor style.

I really do tell your uncle Roger, if you ever find yourself in Tokyo, drop me a line, I won't cook for you but I'd love to hang out Tokyo lens when you travel to Japan, do they do background checks upon arrival at the airport?

Oh, what moving on.

Do you play video games and if you do, what games do you play and has it gotten you through all of this?

You know, not nearly as much as I did before I started youtube.

I would definitely say that creating and sharing is one of the things that's helped get me through this and it's kept me busy.

It's kept me saying, I do love me some N 64.

Whenever I get the chance I'm talking Golden Eye star Fox, you name it.

Also sneak in a little bit of portal and mirror's edge on the pc every now and then but And 64 I've got a limited time and I've got to choose it.

It's gonna be the N 64.

Once things reopen, will you be doing the photography tours with moment travel again for 2020, my friends over a moment asked me if I would host photography adventures or photography tours here in Japan and its moment of course I said, Yes I will and all that clearly didn't happen.

So the answer is yes.

As soon as things open up, I have a very exciting photo adventure plan for us and on that note, there are actually quite a few camera and gear related questions as well.

So I'm thinking of just doing an entirely separate piece for that.

If that's something that you're interested in, let me know down below and with that I guess we, we are, we are onto the big one.

The, how long do you plan on staying in Japan or do you ever get a little homesick or feel like you want to go back to Canada, I've seen this question coming up more and more frequently lately and I always kind of avoid addressing it because it's difficult to give a definitive answer of any sort.

Okay first, I love Japan and in so many ways I feel like my journey here is just beginning, but I literally never stopped missing my family and friends back in Canada ever and obviously this past year hasn't made things any better at all.

I don't even know the next time that I'll be able to go back and visit them, but as for how long I will live in Japan, I'll say this much, I will continue living here until it no longer makes sense to do so, which kind of feels like a non answer, but honestly, I have no immediate plans whatsoever of leaving Japan.

I love living here and I love sharing my life here, so I will continue living here for as long as that is true or until life inevitably pulls me in some direction that I never could have possibly imagined and everything changes.

It is a really difficult one to answer though, I can honestly see myself potentially living here forever, but again, again, I think if the last year or so has proven anything, it's that we never know, we honestly never know what life is going to throw at us.

So, okay, I think we can squeeze in one more, how often do you meet your fans, every single chance that I get from Shamisen performances to meet ups in Japan or Canada or skateboarding through the night in Brisbane Australia or even in ITaly, it's honestly just a lot of fun to hang out and get to know each other.

Obviously that's probably not happening anytime soon, but for those who do want to get to know each other a little bit better.

I do have a discord available for most of my Patreon tiers and I love hanging out there whenever I get the chance.

So consider yourself officially invited if that's the kind of thing that you're into and I just realized that I've only had one glass of this so far, so I'm gonna Go ahead and pour myself another one also, um, you definitely didn't notice, but this is actually a dragon ball shirt, that's, that's goku right there, thank you so much for 200 k for making all of this possible.

If you have any camera or tech questions, leave them down below.

I've, I've used the camera or two before.

Another huge thank you to lily and answer her co founder a key for sending me out this box, I really appreciate it and you guys know, you know, I will see you again real soon actually, you know what I'm gonna call lily and hey, okay, so not only, not only did we get a discount code, which I'm going to leave down below, but Lillian has also said that she's willing to just give away february box to one person in the comments.

So if you are interested let me know in the comments section down below, just just say that you're interested in winning the care package in the next week or two.

I will pick a winner.

We'll send it out to you again.

Thank you guys so much, So much for joining.

I'll see you again real soon.

I also realized I haven't done this yet.

Mhm.

That was not that was not pleasant.

It wasn't even anything.

It was empty.

No streamers, no sparkles.

Just, just the noise.

Mhm.

Ah See you guys soon.