Thanks to Sakuraco for sponsoring our video! There are two offers this time: 👘Use code "HOLIDAYGIFT" for extra gifts in your Sakuraco box! Subscribe now and get your Japanese Kimono Robe with your annual plan today! team.sakura.co/racheljunadventures-SC2311 🍡 Use code "RNJ" to get $5 off your first Sakuraco box team.sakura.co/racheljunadventures-SC2311 And thank you SO MUCH to our amazing neighbor. He and his wife are so sweet, we absolutely adore them. I don't know how we lucked out with such wonderful neighbors but we're so grateful!
Hey @RachelandJunAdventures I wanted to share that I paid for 3 months subscription with sakuraco because of your recommendation from aug-oct but was very disappointed by the unethical experience. This month, they automatically charged me for a re-subscription without any warning or opportunity to cancel. I immediately tried to cancel and wrote in within 5 minutes, but they lied and said that the box had already been shipped (within a few minutes of billing? really?). They also refused to cancel the future two months' of boxes. On one hand I like how they support Japanese communities and content creators like yourself, but this experience really soured my views on this unethical company.
Hello Rachel and Jun. I hope you are open to two points of criticism. These are hopefully coming across as my humble opinion and not harsh words. The first one is, that the commercial parts are getting too long in my opinion. I know, people can just scroll forward, but I don't like that. I enjoy supporting good content creators. But 4min out of 20 for product placement is not a good ratio. I can imagine you two being happy for having sponsors and in your earlier videos those weren't either possible or shorter versions. But for quite some time now, it gets too much. Second, and this is also just my opinion, I think the product is not a good one. Not because of the quality of the snacks and such itself, but everything around it. I try to believe that this company tries to be environmentally friendly and of course there gave to be compromises. But these boxes look like 80% is packaging and lots of that is plastic. That's not coming close to even being considered environmentally friendly. A big part of your channel was/is trying to live with a small environmental footprint, where it's possible. And for me, this sponsor has the opposite vibe. I'm sure the idea of making local food and snacks more known is a good idea. But this sort of product should not use environmental friendly tags or advertisement as part of their product. I hope you can take this criticism as my humble thoughts. I really do like your videos and content. I'm still going to watch future videos, but product placements like this will be fully skipped from now on.
Teach a man to fish, and all that... But also, it's a SAW. If my neighbor asked to borrow something so dangerous from me (if I had a saw), I would also take the time to show them how to use it if they've not used one before. Lest I next hear them screaming and clutching their hand (or what remains of it) to their chest...
Rachel not getting Jun's joke at the beginning was both frustrating and hilarious xD (they love him because seeing him means seeing/having a 10k yen bill, Rachel!!!)
I usually don’t like vlogs, but I love how genuine these always are. Just a couple and their cats showing off their mundane life. It makes me so happy.
I would recommend in a few years when those wood bits are eaten up by weather and animals (a natural, good process, but happens to be a pain for long-term) that you cut slightly longer pieces of wood and smoke/singe the ends. Yes, as in with fire. This is a technique as old as humans building homes to help preserve the wood. Sea-salt dried wood is very well dried, so a good soak would have to be in order to make sure it doesn't burst into flames, but worth it. It will last a good bit longer like that. :)
For the cat door, you could take some inspiration from sushi bamboo rolling mats, as in wood hanging from a string. Would solve the pinching issue and also have the wood esthetic. Also, I love your videos. Keep it up!
I had a similar thought of doing placemats, depending on their preference/what available around them it could be wooden, thick fabric, or plastic and they might have cool designs since it’s tableware
i love seeing you have longer conversations in Japanese, i feel like jun sounds a lot more confident speaking his native language, and I also love hearing Rachel speaking Japanese, idk it just makes me happy
I know this isn't only in Japan but seeing neighbors get along and be generous is one of my favorite things. It warms my heart seeing people help each other out whether they're letting you borrow their chainsaw or sharing vegetables that they've grown
I love the bilingual turn these videos have taken, with both of you speaking English and Japanese. More, please! I signed up with Sakuraco and am enjoying the lovely Japanese snacks and incredible culture. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get more of the things I liked. 😊
I've got a lot of lil creatures living in my garden here in the UK, so I built basically a "house" for them. It is inspired by a thing called "Bug Hotels", used all recycled items like old wood, plant pots, bricks etc and now frogs and all sorts live in them. Could be worth making one for the lil guys who hang out in your garden, don't have to worry about accidently waking one up or whatever. Your garden is going to look sooo good when everything is grown in!!
People have so many different favorite things about Japan, but I have to say that one of mine is how willing so many older people are to teach younger people. They seem genuinly enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge. And regarding the cat flaps: Use the leftover scratching rope that didn't go on the cat tree.
I REALLY appreciate you are being respectful of the animals living in your yard, particularly the reptiles becuase a lot of people are scared of snakes and lizards. Thank you for respecting their efforts to just get ready to hibernate/brumate and not bother anyone. ♥ Love, from Seattle, WA and my little coven of a grumpy cat and two corn snakes.
rachel you know those bamboo mats that are used for rolling sushi? i wonder if you could use that for the cat door? it might give the same effect as the wood you tried to use the first time but just more safe for the kitties :)
It has been a remarkable journey, watching this lovely couple connect and grow together, inspiring each other to create the perfect environment to live and thrive! The multi-lingual banter is a pleasure to listen to, too; and those adorb' felines! Enjoy your wonderful Japanese home! 🤗🤗
Go Jays! Would be amazing if we could get him. Would be the first time since the 90s that we had such a highly touted player. It's unlikely to happen, but we can dream! :)
In channel paid ad ... Sakuraco is the best!! It's so on-brand, and adorable that both Rachel and Jun stop for a snack break, opening the box and enthusing over the contents. I love that Sakuraco has chosen them to sponsor. Lovely people, beautiful partnership.
Rachel and Jun you deserve all the good things in life! I'm so happy that you have a wonderful home and community. I remember how long it took to find the right land and the stress experienced in building your home. What a fantastic neighbor to have as well! You put in so much work to make your life joyful and thank you for sharing it with us.
I really like these styles of videos! The "daily life" vlogs are refreshing, and I learn a lot more about the small aspects of Japanese culture that are new, as a lot of the "big exciting aspects" have been covered before many times. The garden/yard looks so great!
I love that the neighbor's wife instantly took the opportunity of Jun asking for help with their car to push more sweet potatoes on him 😂. Must've been a pretty good harvest! I had a neighbor who worked at a food bank here in the U.S. and sometimes gave me produce. Inspired by videos of Jun and Rachel talking about neighbors giving back, I baked a plum cobbler with the plums given to me by her and brough over about half of the dish. It tasted even better on day two when it got to sit in the juices overnight. I hope my neighbor liked it, I didn't see her too often.
I can't seem to get enough of these R & J videos. I'm so glad I found you 5-6 years ago. It was the cats that 1st attracted me but now I love the whole family.
I love watching your videos:) You're so gentle with animals and insects, and so nice to people around you. The world would be a better place if there were more kind souls like you in it:)
I miss having good neighbors. And I love Rachel getting so excited about the wildlife in the yard. Thank you for not disturbing those adorable little lizards when they're trying to find a spot to snuggle through the winter.
I also get excited to see lizards! In my area, due to diminishing natural habitats, they are becoming more of a rare sight. Seeing lizards is like meeting a celebrity to me
🐱For the cat door, what about trimming down a wooden sushi rolling mat :) the wood may look nice and would not pinch their tails since its floppy and flexible.
Your neighbor is so nice!!! Also thank you sooooo much for quieting the chainsaw noise in your video, I really appreciate it!!🥺💜. The log boundary for the garden looks fantastic!!
Your neighbors are super adorable. I feel like your area is just super warm and kind. Also, this had me look into and plan future garden plans for my area; so I've convinced the rest of the house that we need a Sourwood tree. It's colorful, turns this crimson color in fall, and is also aptly called a Lily of the Valley tree.
It always warms my heart to see a couple enjoying a shared hobby together 😊 Thank you for another feel-good video! The pink flowers you two chose were so cute!
A true Gardener is both patient & busy. It is wonderful how you aid the wild life in your garden. Some people pay for the landscape as they have NO patience but there is so much joy watching your own work flourish,
I was thinking this as well! Maybe a thinner, inexpensive one from a 100 yen store, or similar. Heavy enough to hang well, but flexible to protect the cats, and with less texture that they'll want to scratch.
Absolutely and throughly enjoy your videos. Your small adventures to the gardening store or introductions to your neighbors warms my heart. We miss Otani and wish him good health.
Be sure to plant that mint in a pot without a hole in the bottom, maybe in a planter box. It is like running bamboo- it is highly invasive and sends out its roots far and wide, strangling out other plants. So you need to keep both its seeds and roots contained.
Keep an eye on your mint, it loves to spread everywhere and will sometimes suffocate other plants it grows near. lovely video, i watched it while I ate dinner
Feeling so good that I knew Fukuzawa Yukichi is on the 10k yen bill!! Also I can't wait to see Rachel and Jun discover sowing seeds to plant flowers in their garden, it is SO much fun and just the logical evolution of people being obsessed with gardening😌
The landscaping looks beautiful, but WHERE IS PICHI??? It seems a long time since she has been included in a video. Please include her in the next one so we all can know she is OK (I hope she is). 😺😺😺😺❤
I've been watching you guys for years, every time you post it brings me so much joy. I live in a condo so I live vicariously through your gardening DIY projects. It's so exciting seeing projects I remember you guys doing in the past and seeing them flourish now, I'm excited to see how the little critters and plants like the driftwood.
You have a good ear! You got 99% of that right! You were able to tell it was kiita聞いた, instead of kita来た/北/着た. I can't stress enough how difficult that is to differentiate for non-Japanese speakers. However, if you want to say "sorry", it's gomen-nasai with a G, not K. Understandable, as it was the consonant at the beginning of the phrase. K and G are such similar sounds too! Easy mistake. Wishing you well on your Japanese learning journey.🎉
You said they gifted you with food. Jun you should cook them one of your wonderful dishes using some of the food they gifted you with. Take it to their house to enjoy in their own home together. Good neighbors are a blessing.
I just wanted to say that I couldn't sleep tonight, I felt so restless and anxious for no reason whatsoever and I need something to calm down and seeing you guys helped me so much. I can't explain howbut your videos make me feel at peace. Love you guys
Your neighbor is so sweet! Please tell him your viewers appreciate him too! The garden border turned out very lovely! I think you know already, but be careful where you plant the mint or it will take over. A pot would work well to contain it. For your cat door problem, I don't know if you can get some vinyl or pleather that they can't sink their claws into. It's plastic based, so there isn't a weave in the fabric. We had to replace the linings of our ottoman with some thick marine vinyl with a hole cut out because our cats ripped the original fabric to shreds. Now they sit in it like a cat house.
So happy! This was posted as soon as I was gonna have breakfast, now I can watch my favorite RU-vid channel while I eat. 😂💕 I hope y’all are doing well!!
This video is so cute!! I can totally relate with Rachael getting excited over the lizards in their yard!! I'm in rural Australia so we have a family of skinks living at our back deck and sometimes I get to see eastern water dragons and blue tongued lizards passing through on their way to the nearby creek!! I find both of them to be gentle and kind hearted people who love each other, their pets and the environment, truely great role models
That neighbor sounds lovely! I recently had a young family move next door and they have brought us vegetables and shared their dinner with us before. Your neighbor's gifts are also kind of nostalgic for me because it's not unusual in my culture to grow vegetables or herbs and my grandfather used to give us things he grew when we visited. Now that my uncle has retired he seems to have taken on the role of family vegetable grower because my family only grows herbs and tomatoes lately.
Hey, Rachel- for your cat-tunnel door problems: how about a segmented flap? (Sry, not native speaker, trying to explain) like-round sticks/bamboo bound together vertically. Ladder-like, but close to each other. It will be safe in both directions, because flexible, non-scatchable and bamboo or wood will fit in your interior nicely. I meant rope ladder like😅 or like bamboo roller blinds…meh, complicated to describe the image i have in my head😏
Omg I love this episode! Thanks for all the Japanese, and your neighbour is super awesome, and I loved seeing you at the flower market! Btw, you don't need to do the back and forth sawing motion with the chainsaw - I'm sure your awesome neighbour or someone else in the comments already let you know, though
might I just say how impressive Jun’s command of English is? And come on, the “onomatopoeia” comment was (chef’s kiss). Most Americans don’t even know the word! Love all your channels 💕👏
They should make a manga about Jun and include that part where he had the heart wreath/planter box swaying back in forth towards Rachel. That was like one of the most precious moments ever and so glad they found each other (their life/house is just adorable)
bouquet maintenance tip! if you cut the stems underwater, your flowers will last longer! itll be pulling up water into the fresh stem (or the "vascular bundles")to help keep it hydrated rather than potentially getting blocked by air! :)
