I would really disagree with your opening statement in the video that says there isn't a lot of information out there all in one place.
Have you even looked at the Lonely Planet web site or guide book (or any other guide book, for that matter)? What was lacking?
You said the first step was to research the country itself.
ITEM 1 was "misconceptions".
Right away, this is something that not everyone needs to know.
Your first misconception was that people think the Japanese come off as rude. Huh? I've never heard that at all, before or after I traveled and lived here. In fact, most people will probably tell you their perception is that the Japanese are overly polite! You said they are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you. Well, yes, but not all the time. It also depends on the situation. If there is a language barrier, you might be stymied with no way to be helped. You said they are "appreciative" of the fact that foreigners would even attempt to speak Japanese. Not in my opinion and experience. They don't expect it, but they hope for it. And, when they hear it, they will compliment you, but that's all. And, no, they are NOT "very welcome and open" to foreigners. You are generalizing, and that's a problem.
Second misconception was "cleanliness". What??!?! Did you actually perceive Japan to be dirty until you came here? Again, never heard of that. Sushi chefs being clean is not fair to put in this vid. They HAVE TO BE clean.
Misconception 3. Japan is outrageously expensive. Well, yes. That's a thought, but to say "it's actually fairly cheap...it can be cheap" (and the woman cuts in and adds "be frugal"). C'mon, in what regard?
Misconception 4. Safety in Japan. what????? Who said Japan was NOT safe? You guys really got some strange info somewhere, and I know from my interests in the country beforehand that this was not how people think of the country.
And that was it for misconceptions? Wow. Nothing about the language barrier, koto music always playing in the background, everyone knowing martial arts, eating sushi daily, wearing kimonos daily. Those were some of the misconceptions I heard about a lot.
Preparing.
You admit that people plan differently, and that you spent 7 months planning (not everyone does), and that your trip was based around the order of things you wanted to buy. Right there, how does this help people who plan on sightseeing first? Or attending events? And did you actually think it was necessary to say that the first thing people should consider buying was a plane ticket??? How stupid to you think people are?
Your description of buying airline tickets left a LOT to be desired. Nuff said.
Lodging. Again, lacking in info.
No, ryokans are NOT "like bed and breakfasts"! And, they probably shouldn't be the FIRST place you mention for people. Your web sites for hostels didn't even include the top 2 for those in Japan! Your only salient point about hotels was that they are small, but to say that to get a room needs $500 a night is ludicrous. ("Don't expect anything too big unless you are willing to pay $500.")
Food. I stopped here, because you have obviously not even looked at a typical guide book. Airline tickets, lodging, and food are very commonly found in such things, as well as on any web site. This was a little more than half of your video at this point, so I thought it was useless to see what else you had "compiled". I didn't really see that the video solved anyone's problems about preparing. You were way to brief in your descriptions and left out a lot.
