Scary Things JAPANESE People Do To Foreigners 

2:24 can confirm for this; I'm an asian (Singaporean), and went to tokyo in February but can't speak anything outisde of english and chinese, and when i needed directions i spoke in english and they all really went "😮"

I went to Japan last year and when I jokingly asked my Japanese friend: “Where are the subtitles?”, he looked at me, dumbfounded.

'Hey you! Are you toilet!?" Me: *I-Is he telling me im full of shit!?* 😭

i thought Jonathan would venture into some shady alleys and lose a kidney, but all he experienced was a bit of japanese culture. QUALITY CONTENT AS ALWAYS SORA

As a white guy living in China, this happened a lot, but it never freaked me out. Kind of annoying, but I found ways to make it fun. For example, at the grocery store, a little kid (in Chinese) said, "Mommy! Look! Foreigner!" and I said to my friend Mike (also in Chinese), "Mike! Look! Chinese kid!" The parents laughed and so did we. I expect more or less the same from Japan but less talking.

"come here", "go away" is real. Working in Japan I followed a colleague towards a lift, he did the gesture so I didn't get in. He then told me to get in, as I got close he repeated the gesture so I stopped. He said again to get in and repeated the gesture. At this point I was very confused, a number of people in the lift were looking at me. I stood there as the door closed. I walked up the stairs, met my colleague and explained why I didn't get in the lift, we had a good laugh about it. One of many cultural moments when staying in Japan!

My wife and I were walking back to our hotel late at night after visiting the Pokémon café, and we were trying to figure out which train station to go to. This Japanese woman was walking in front of us, and she was the only person around. When my wife and I were coming to a conclusion of where to go, the woman stopped suddenly, turned around, and just stared at us with her mouth open. We stopped as well, and stared at her waiting for what she was going to say. A moment passed... And then she turned and walked away. We think she was getting up the courage to explain to us in English where we needed to go, but when two dumbfounded foreigners were staring in surprise back at her, she lost her nerve and ran. Poor girl. I think about her often!

The "come here" vs "go away" confusion is real. It's crazy. The gesture looks EXACTLY like the "shoo! go away!" gesture until you get used to it. I'm told by my neighbors that our "come here" gesture feels really rude to them, like we're calling them a dog. I've compromised and do the gesture sideways, that still works for my American brain, and is comprehensible to my neighbors without being insulting. It's taken me a long while to fully translate their "come here" gesture in my head though. I do finally have it, but man, the learning process was hard. You wouldn't think it, but it really really is.

I got next-level stared at in Kyoto. I hit one of the noodle shops in the station and all of the staff kept looking at me. Even the kitchen staff came out to look. Eventually, most of the staff took turns asking if the food was good. I started to wonder what I wandered into, if I missed a sign or something.

I went to Japan last winter. As an Asian-American dude who’s not Japanese (but can pass as one) I started wearing a shirt that said I’m not Japanese in Japanese just to see what would happen. Even though my Japanese is okay, people would try to speak to me in English first, but obviously had no idea what I was saying back 🤣🤣

Lvl 3 happened to me but in reverse. I'm a Malaysian and was travelling to Indonesia. Malay and Indonesian language are quite similar so we can understand each other pretty well. The b&b I stayed in is owned by a white man. So, I experienced a "bug" when he spoke fluent Indonesian to me when I speak English to him. He kept talking in Indonesian, I still speak in English eventhough I knew he could understant my Malay. We were both confused 😂😂😂.

My wife and I are planning a 2024 trip to Japan from Ohio. I'm trying to learn Japanese before then. I'm worried that wherever I try to tell them where I'm from, they'll think I'm wishing them a good morning and they'll think I'm dumb.

"like you're wearing a legendary equipment in an MMORPG" I DIED at this part lmao. If I ever get stares in Japan I'll think of it this way.

Japan is safe? That guy sure hasn't seen shounen anime.

Remember in Japan, speaking English is the fastest way in speed running your social life.

I'm studying abroad in Japan this summer so Im honestly looking forward to these quirky encounters. Your videos helped me become aware of these things like getting stared at so I will keep that in mind when I am there. I personally don't like getting attention so it may be a bit difficult to deal with haha

I remember being told at work that I had a small head. For the Japanese, it meant a compliment, but from my country, when someone is said to have a "small head", it means someone is stupid 😂It was my first day on the job, so I wondered what the hell, why they insulted me from the start. As many people agreed that I had a small head, I laughed nervously and looked in the opposite direction. But it's totaly true that people look at foreigners whenever we go.

The name you picked for this story reminds me of a time when i was young and spent a short time working at a japanese restaurant in NYC. They misheard my name from one of the staff calling me "Jonah-San" and subsequently all became absolutely convinced that my name was "Jonathan". Even after I explained it and wrote it out on paper a good half of the staff still didn't believe me and continued to call me the wrong name.

Haha i experienced that. I scared off an elder lady in a grocery store and some teenagers were amazed at seeing me.

Whenever I open a Sora The Troll video and look at the comment section he always hearts all comments even though he already passed the 1M mark. My theory is that Sora is trying to mimic japanese culture, by being respectful for every received comment, in order to hide the fact he's actually American.

Wait, if you're level 2 or 3 in Japan, can't you just counterattack onlookers with eye contact, because Japanese people are not comfortable with eye contact? (as seen in previous videos)

I had a similar experience when I visited China back in 2009. It was a short study abroad for International Business class, which was more like a two week vacation to be honest. Everywhere the class and I went, half the people will stare at us. The teacher explained that many of them probably are from the country side originally and probably went their whole lives never seeing a white person before. A few would follow the class around and even on the bus to sell things. The tour guide explained that many presume tourists to be wealthy or will spend money easily. Also, the tour guide said that tourists and locals living in the area lovingly refer to such people as mosquitos or wasps, as they follow people like bugs. It is meant as a light hearted term of endearment than an insult.

Hi! I moved to Osaka to study and to be honest I can't relate yet haha. I'm pretty tall and European but people always sit next to me, I also rarely get stared at just some curious glances. I can speak Japanese, so most people are also happy to have a conversation with me if I ask for help or something. So far my experience has been really pleasant 😊

I was in Sapporo and Kyoto last week, and I was curious about the infamous stares since I and my travel partner have a typical Norwegian look. I never got the feeling of being stared at, it actually felt like people mostly ignored us. Which was a bit of relief since I, many years ago, visited a Chinese friend and did feel and see the stares from people, and caught them taking pictures or even following me a bit with a phone obviously in camera or recording. It was quite uncomfortable at the time, so in a way, while I was somewhat surprised that nobody seemed to care in Japan, I was glad I avoided that feeling. I just assumed it was due to the residents in Kyoto being used to foreigners, and Sapporo just being so chill that they did not care (and were probably also used to foreigners?) That, or I have just gotten bad at looking at people, haha. Anyway, glad I avoided such a situation this time, I had a wonderful time in Japan and I hope that I will be able to save up for another trip one day. It was a funny video ^^

What stuck with me since I visited Japan was how all the social rules I broke wasn't met with anger but generally just "Let's help gaijin before he get's in trouble - he doesn't know any better". Sometimes you could feel you were being treated like a child, but that's certainly better than getting verbally abused like you would be in many countries.

Me now: Okay I'm gonna learn japanese so that I can communicate better when I go to Japan. Also me (in the future): * Speaks english in Japan to just to see japanese people's reaction *

I have to thank Sora because for the past few days I have been listening to his videos as a test to improve my English, and today I took an English test and get b2 wtf😂😂 T U❤

1:59 POV: a cringe Japanese guy is staring at you like this!

"Are you toilet?" is pretty great. I wonder if there are others? "Are you shower?" "Are you restaurant?" I hope so. 🙂💚

That's really funny! The staring part remains me of when we had Nepalese neighbors move in! It was an adjustment for everyone due to the cultural differences. They were staring in our windows because personal space didn't exist in a community, it was neighborly. 😅 They are some of the best neighbors though

Asian and I live in japan. Each time I walk past the izakaya and bar alleys, some people sometimes ask me whether I am looking for a drinking place. I always answered in English, and their reaction is priceless.

The facial expressions are so funny 👏👏 3:23 is the most Oblivion-like turn I've seen in a while 😂 4:30 The determination and the pride on their faces is killing me 😂😂

Hey Sora! You've been killing it recently with your Japanese/English skits! They're really good and always fun to watch! Please keep making them. It's so interesting learning about others' or your perspectives in real life situations. You have a knack for telling these kinds of stories and I look forward to seeing more.

This was perfect! I loved the different reactions in the POV. Great video Sora

Lmao!! Okay, so I'm white and I'm pale as a ghost (thanks to Irish heritage) and I also am a natural redhead, so when I was in Tokyo I had two weeks of look #2! EVERYWHERE I WENT. I finally was used to it by the end of the trip lmao. I made a lot of friends! Most of them were even more shocked when I told them my hair color is natural, they thought I had dyed it! When I showed them baby pictures of myself they finally believed me hahaha. I don't get why your friend was so panicked by it though!! Didn't he have sense enough to at least attempt to use Google translate and talk with people??? It's not the greatest but it beats just using gestures and flailing around when neither party knows the other ones language lol. Saved my ass many times! By the way, this video had me laughing my ass off, I was cackling!! Definitely needed that laugh so thank you!!

Thank you for uploading consistently!

With the kochi koi hand gesture, it's important for foreigners to pay attention to the direction of the hand movement. In the western world it is moved away from the body, in Japan it is moved towards.

I really didn't expect the "are you toilet?" 😂

Why are your stories so good man!? Love your videos 😃

I laughed sooooo hard, thank you Sora 🤣 You've been pumping out lots of good videos!! Don't worry about what you maybe "should" be doing. Just keep doing what you really want, that's exactly why we are here :)

As someone who has a mixed genetics (I don't fit into any race category) and has super big, curly hair... People look at me anyway. I just pretend that they aren't there unless they talk to me or touch me. I think I have a good chance of surviving Japan! Hurray! 😅

Loved the experience in Hitoyoshi when the little kids ran to us and where like "wooooooaaah" big eyes, because it is so rare to see gaijins. We all could speak at least some Japanese, which helps a lot outside the big cities. Eventually we had an elder local direct us to a really really great Ramenya. Was by far the best in the whole trip.

This is amazing thank you so much for the video!

Keep these skits coming, this is great!

You never fail to make me giggle, Mr. Sora

I am from germany an doing an exchange to japan for 1 year. I also experienced being looked at. My blonde hair seems to be most confusing thing about me. But japanese people r very kind and tokyo is the best city ive ever seen. Sora prepared me good so i am not as lost as i thought i would be. Thank u sora and keep up making such insane content. ❤

Like youre short vids a lot , they are quite intertaining 😁😁

3:59 i think this is only because if you were to translate it back into japanese, it becomes "あなたはトイレ？", which weirdly enough makes perfect sense in japanese.

Ha ha. I'm immune after living in the north of China. What was really hilarious was when my kid tried to speak Chinese to shop staff in Japan cause English wasn't working.

Thanks for the fun and entertaining video again, Sora. Although it is impossible for me to go to Japan nonetheless, I might take your advice.

That was the funniest video I've seen on youtube but does explain a lot. Thank you for the humor and education.

Your videos are amazing! 😂

Broo sora you've been funny for years man!

school on a saturday sounds like a punishment...in america it is when they give you saturday detention. lol that go away/come here hand gesture mix up is crazy. i wonder if in another country the middle finger means a good thing. lol

Amazing! What a great video

The secret might be to get used to being stared at at home before travelling to Japan. Get an outrageous hairdo or wear unorthadox clothing for s while before travelling. This might not work if you live in cosmopoliton places like New York or London (or any place with a large student population) where the denizens are used to a significant population of weirdos and artists.

“They stared at him” Ohhhh lol that’s all? Feel like I’m used to that one. I thought you were going to talk about those random people who hang outside of clubs at night and try to approach you. That happened to me out of nowhere once (I don’t know if they were Japanese or not but they spoke Engrish) walking down the street. I’m almost 6ft and that still freaked me out. I kicked it into high walking speed lol

I think this video is one of the top sora videos released this year.

man, i am glad i found this channel. All you explanations are hilarious xD

This actually happened to me when i visited Osaka last year. My friend who is a Filipino introduced me to her Japanese friends so we greet here and there. Then for some reason I don’t know if they’re confused or amused but whenever we’re having a conversation in English they have this stares and looks on their faces as if they’re asking each other how are we speaking fluent in English but also good in Japanese. Its quite annoying being stared for Atleast 1 hour by 3 Japanese women but at the same time it’s funny by how easily Japanese gets impressed by foreigners.

The "terror" I experienced in Japan on my first visit was the friendly Kansai elderly that will stop and ask you if you need help if you look lost for even .001 seconds. If you ask them for directions to somewhere they'll be like, "Sure! Follow me. I'll show you where it is!". Plot twist: They have no clue where they're going. They will lead you in circles for 15 minutes before asking someone who actually knows where they're going for directions. Lesson learned from my first trip, haha.

Dude, this is hilarious. Good job!

This is brilliant! Well done.

Holy shit, the hand gesture Despite being the exact same motion, on one side the intended action is pulling something toward you, on the other side the intended action is pushing something away from you, so if the actual object isn’t there the same motion can mean two different things

The part with the stares was really funny, for a few reasons. I had to watch it a couple times and was dead 💀 Btw that’s a great mic, sounds especially nice with headphones on

I really like this video keep goinggg❤❤😂

このビデオの内容は当然だ！ That is PRECISELY how it is here. Newly subbed. Keep up the great and accurate videos!!

The "come here" hand gesture starts with an open palm, fingers drawn inward, while the "go away" gesture starts with a closed fist stretched outward. The confusion is due to the direction of the palm facing down. Fascinating stuff

during my time in service when i went to korea this was not the case however there were two kinds of extremes in south kprea i saw or heard about during my time there. Their younger generation were not find of us, but the older south koreans were nice i remember going to soul tower and meeting some nice old ladies there and even though they did not speak english or at all we still communicated some what and had a nice conversation. Also if you never been to south korea be careful when drinking soju it can get ya jacked up real quick.

It's the most hilarious thing I saw for a months! xDD Sora, you are the great! =D

It was hilarious😂thanks for video

When I was a teen I embarked on a journey to learn some Japanese. I ended up using multiple sources such as books, the Internet, and even learning games. At some point I used an online service to have Japanese pen pals to practice with and correct me. Many of them also wanted to learn English. I had an older Japanese student ask me about certain points in English grammar. I gave him the English that I successfully used everyday. After a few exchanges he sent me a message saying that his teacher says I am wrong and told him to no longer communicate with me. Neat!

Holidaying with my two teenage sons, with long hair halfway down their back, and husband with visible tattoos...yeah we got a fair bit of staring.

I love the thumbnail! 😊

Love these

That "Okay then." and walking out immediately after they call him over made me actually laugh out loud. It's so interesting that there's the same gestures that have opposite meanings across the world. I know this isn't the only one, but it's definitely the most confusing in my opinion. I'd love to visit Japan some day, so these videos are doing great work reaching the right people. I hope that when I travel there, I can leave knowing that I wasn't difficult to interact with. Also having some locals to get along with and show me around a bit would also be nice haha!

I can confirm that I feel odd being stair at as much as do in Tokyo. Especially since I keep worrying if I did something wrong. Such as in the states if your stared at in the stores they think you might steal something. I which I make sure to make it clear I have the things I am paying for out in my hands at times because of such a mindset.

Awww. I love the kind hearted nature to try and help him at all possible

This is my 2nd Sora the Troll video. Okay, now I had to subscribe. The whole skit was great. The fluent English is a bit of a jaw dropper and can see other Japanese being shocked by that. I laughed so much at YOU ARE TOILET!! If that was me, I would have understood what he meant and laughed. The interaction between the two Japanese guys upset for sleeping through ENGRISH class was awesome! My 9yr old is starting to watch some anime with me with subtitles because some of the shows are not dubbed. He's picking up some words. :)

Finally, *some good horror stories in the summer!* 👏

I'm early, notice me Cringesama! ♥

You’re hilariously funny. Keep it up 👊🏻

These videos are awesome

This reminds me of my trip to kyoto last month, i stayed at my cousin's home when he invited some of his japanese friends over. Since im an asian his friends saw me and literally went straight up starting a conversation in japanese when i literally have zero japanese knowlegde, as i responded in fluent english, they literally frozen in place for a while before trying to have conversation with me using engruishu Man i gotta say japanese do have bugs about asians who can speak english after all.

1:30 that POV explanation got me harder than I could do myself! lmao it took me until 1:47 before I understood why it was like that, never seen that way to explain it before

That was wonderful >.

Nice video sora 😊👍

The hand gesture thing is very confusing, here in Germany we also use "the american" come here signal. When i went on a school language exchange to southern italy all the people there were using the "japanese" come here gesture. We were there for a week and never fully got used to it lolol

Thanks for those pov shots. 😂 so accurate.

That was hilarious great job dude.

Good one Sora!👍🤣🤣🤣🤣 Great job!💜👍

1:39 I like how you spent time walking through a green screen😂 And also how you talk from a gaming perspective which makes japanese people look like NPCs.

It was a fine day in Osaka, and I was munching on some steaming rice with my pal. Little did we know, the locals at the bar table (the one near the cashier, with the store clerk standing by) were having a field day with our foreignness. They were talking and giggling, making all kinds of assumptions about us. Loud enough for me to hear and understand. I decided to put an end to their bamboozlement and approached them with my best broken Japanese. “Oh no, we are not here for work,” I said, But they cut me off. “You and your friends must be students then! What university?” they asked, maybe we look young enough to be university student lol. I tried to explain that we were just tourists, here to enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the food. But they looked at me like I had two heads. My friends got curious and asked me what were we talking about, i explained to my friends and then my friend, who had the bright idea of joining the conversation, threw in a curveball. She changed the topic to something completely unrelated, like the weather or politics or bilirubin. I don’t remember exactly. I told her it was way out of topic but she insist for me to translate it to Japanese. so... [translated the weird out of topic conversation to japanese] They stared at us, not moving an inch, as if we had just cast a petrifying spell on them. Then i say sorry to them, and say something like lets get back to enjoy our meals. I bury myself with the food, and keep pushing rice to my mouth. While my friend keeps pestering me what just happened.

these are great! xD

This is very helpful. :3

Ah yes, I can't wait to get stared at when I go to Japan. It's totally not because I'm buying Hello Kitty merch even though I'm an adult.

Can't say I experienced this from the locals, but when I was last in Japan for a business trip - I went karaoke with some colleagues. We're all Malaysian or Singaporean and were just speaking English on the streets and passed by a Caucasian girl. She did a double take and was like "wuh- English?!" and we had a good laugh.

Dang im really impressed by your English, your very fluent in it and its easy to understand you

You speak like the typical anime character man... good job! hahah I have a lot of fun with your videos :D Keep up the good work!

Sora's face at level 2 is priceless lol.