Post Japanese-related YouTube links here

[Ukigumo]

 

[Grandpa Frank]

OMG , I'm stocking up on armor piercing ammo , LOL.

 

[Buntaro]

Japan has begun REALLY cracking down on 'illegal immigrants.' Even someone who has permanent residency, if they don't pay their
taxes or social insurance, they can be deported.

This video also makes the point that Muslims have always been able to get a foreign country to accommodate them when they
move to a foreign country, but this is not happening in Japan.

(And go ahead and skip the advertising from 6:06 to 8:11.)

"What Japan Just DID To Its Muslims Changes EVERYTHING!!!"

 

[Grandpa Frank]

A tremendous amount of anti-Islam on Facebook now. Basically saying they takeover and destroy any country they live in by out breeding with large families till they outnumber non-Muslims. A doom & gloom picture is painted of them taking over the world , etc. In the past , Facebook blocked & censored such material , but now it seems most anything is allowed. I'm guessing the Iran business is causing a lot of issues.

 

[thomas]

My mother was very concerned when she found this on Facebook the other day:

I assured her that, despite the anti-immigration drive of the Takaichi administration, this was fabricated and untrue.

ChatGPT says:

Mosques – not banned
Mosques operate openly across Japan. There are dozens of active mosques, including the Tokyo Camii mosque in Shibuya, Kobe Mosque (built in 1935), and mosques in Nagoya, Yokohama, Sapporo and other cities. They hold regular prayers and community events.

Call to prayer – not banned
There is no national restriction on Islamic prayer. In practice, mosques in Japan usually do not broadcast the call to prayer loudly with speakers, mainly because of local noise rules and neighbourhood customs, not because of a law targeting Islam.

Burqa – not banned
Japan has no law banning burqas, niqabs or other Islamic clothing. Religious dress is generally permitted. You can see Muslim women wearing hijab or other coverings in Japanese cities.

Religion in general
Japan's constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of religion. Article 20 states that the state shall not grant privileges to a religion or interfere with religious practice.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I roll my eyes a bit when the violence in the Koran is pointed out and the violence in the Bible is ignored.

 

[Ukigumo]

The Koran is a curious book. The verses are arranged in a sort of chronological order beginning with the older, beautiful and gentle verses moving onto the more forceful and less pacifying, younger verses; fair enough until some clerics decided the younger verses should be given more credence and followed with greater zeal

 

[Buntaro]

In an earlier post, I mentioned how horribly crowded Tokyo is. The best example is the morning rush hour commute, when trains in Tokyo are absolutely packed like sardines, yet more people still try to get on. (I remember being squished into morning rush hours trains on a regular basis. Literally squished!) No wonder some foreigners want to move to the countryside, where commuting of any kind is unheard of.

"Tokyo trains in rush hour (morning)"



In the next video, watch the grimace on the face of the man at 0:16.



The next video shows a very unfortunate elderly man who gets knocked to the ground during rush hour.

"通勤ラッシュエグすぎ..."



Another scary thing is how long these rides take. The next video shows people who will be squished in there for over 45 minutes! And from other stations, it is even longer.

 

[thomas]

Thank you for reminding me why I cycle to work whenever possible.

 

[mdchachi]

My mother was very concerned when she found this on Facebook the other day:

You're not Muslim though.

Thank you for reminding me why I cycle to work whenever possible.

You don't need to go during rush hour usually anyway do you?

 

[thomas]

You're not Muslim though.

True, but I guess she thought it would reflect badly on Japan's democracy if it were true.

You don't need to go during rush hour usually anyway do you?

I need to be in Shibuya early twice a week. As crowded as the morning trains are, the roads are quite pleasant to commute on.

 

[Buntaro]

Here is a nice youth hostel in Tokyo, allowing tourists to connect with locals in a warm way (as opposed to staying in a comparatively 'cold' hotel). Apparently, this hostel has both private rooms and a communal room with bunk beds (which are probably cheaper than a private room)

"Tokyo Hikari Guest House | Tokyo, Japan | Hotel Review "



The following is one woman's happy review of Hikari Guest House (although it is a bit misleading, making Hikari Guest House sound like more of a private family's house than a youth hostel.)

"I Stayed With a Japanese Family in Tokyo (and so can you)!"

 

[Buntaro]

Here is another video on how crowded Tokyo is. Watch from 0:37 as people cross the world famous Shibuya intersection and crosswalk. It is total chaos, yet no one ever runs into another person or knocks another person down. And the speed at which everyone crosses the intersection is impressive.

"Tokyo Shibuya crossing during rush hour"



Here is a video with a 360 degree view.

"360 view 4K of Shibuya Scramble Crossing June 20,2025"

 

[Buntaro]

Here is a song that seems to be becoming more and more popular on YouTube. (It has quite a catchy feeling.)

(If you have any questions on vocabulary, kanji, or grammar, please do not hesitate to ask.)

"頑張りたいソング【轟はじめ/ReGLOSS】"

 

[thomas]

I saw a feature about Yamashita Green on NHK the other day. Based in Hachioji, the company runs the "Adopt a Tree" programme, which accepts trees that owners can no longer care for and transfers them to new caretakers, helping to reuse plants rather than discard them. Tree lovers in the truest sense of the word.

​

Here's the NHK feature:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2093061/

Link:

Yamashita Green

Yamashita Green is a landscaping and tree-reuse company based in Hachioji, Tokyo

• JREF
• 16 Mar 2026
• Views: 99
• Category: Environmental Issues

 

[Buntaro]

"I Rode the Craziest Trains in Japan"

 

[Buntaro]

"I Found a Castle for Sale in Japan... and it Costs $190,000"

 

[Buntaro]

Japan has been eliminated from the world baseball classic. Watch as they take their final bow.

 

[Buntaro]

Here is a fellow teaching all of the kanji based on the kanji for "person."

"I think I'm gonna watch this for like a week "

 

[Buntaro]

The song Hana (花 Cherry Blossom) is one of the best-known songs in Japan. It is also one of the most beautiful. If you want to impress Japanese people, learn the song and sing it for them. (Everyone will instantly recognize it.) And if you REALLY want to impress Japanese people, learn the harmony part. (Just take out the ear bud that doesn't play the harmony, and only listen to the channel with the harmony.) Have your Japanese person sing the melody and you sing the harmony. This will really impress any Japanese person you do this with.

"【Hana/花(Cherry Blossom/SAKURA) 】Beautiful chorus! Japanese traditional song in romaji｜byHimawari×6"

 

[Buntaro]

"Games with a Geisha"

 

[Buntaro]

Did you know that the Japanese national anthem, Kimi ga Yo (君が代) has lyrics? But it must be said that many Japanese people see it as a song that revers the emperor, and many Japanese people reject it as ultra right-wing and war-like. I think that all of this has to do with the fact that, for the many times I heard Kimi Ga Yo, I always heard the instrumental version and never a version with lyrics. (I think this is because many Japanese people do not want to hear the lyrics.) As a matter of fact, the vast majority of videos of this song on YouTube only have the instrumental version.

"君が代 byひまわり歌詞付き｜日本国 国歌｜東京オリンピック｜KIMIGAYO｜Japanese national anthem"

 

[thomas]

During the Winter Olympics, they played it on TV almost every day. Athletes and Japanese spectators were always singing along. My wife, far from being even remotely right-wing, did so too. Yesterday's Grand Sumo award ceremony also ended with Kimi ga Yo, though the winner was a Mongolian.

 

[Buntaro]

Why are Japanese people having fewer babies? The problem is much worse than most people realize.

"The Real Reason Japan Stopped Having Kids"

 

[Buntaro]

What is Wasabi?

"What Exactly Is Wasabi? The Truth Behind the Green Paste"



"THE BIGGEST WASABI FARMING IN JAPAN - HOW TO GROW WASABI"



Watch as Fran (in the TV series The Nanny) has her voice change after she eats too much wasabi.

"Frans Voice Changes After She Eats Wasabi! | The Nanny"