why are mums always like this TT ___ TT poor guy hahaha

@@_GunpowdertheGabite they have no filter at all Istg😭

I totally agree🥂🥗👍

I lived right next to one in the Ikebukuro area, such a vibrant place!

Agreed! And I would probably not be scared at night.

Yes, good point about 'human scaled' environments, a movement which has been gaining recognition in international urban planning. Though we in the US are spoiled regarding 'living space', and the sorta density that is common in Japan might take a bit of 'cultural' adjustment.

check out the channel not just bikes

@@jac1011 I love that channel. A really underrated channel is Dean Bog. He does these short films on neighborhoods in Pittsburg that are excellently done

I live in Europe where we have pedestrianised town centres. When I visited the US for the first time I was shocked how huge everything was, wide roads and urban environment designed for motorists.

That's untrue. We did have "out of town malls" but we refer to them as shopping centres, along with the inner city shopping centres, and they were pretty rare. Not far from me, there are 2 major "out of town malls". One is the Metrocentre located in the outskirts of the teams, Gateshead. There's also Dalton Park located in Durham. There's also 3 major inner city shopping centres and like 10 smaller inner city shopping centres near me. the big 3 include The Galleries (Washington, sunderland, though this could also be cast as an "out of town malls" cause of the lower living density of washington itself), Eldon Square, Newcastle City Centre and Grainger Street Market ( A permanent indoor market that usually has the same independent* shops inside) The only issue, unlike over the pond, these were never cheap, so the only places that could afford it were the national and international chains (Like McDonalds, greggs, Next, Curry's, JD Sports etc.) and thus were usually limited in number. Metrocentre opened it's doors in 1986. What you probably meant, though, was that until the '80's the UK have very few "out of town malls" and the ones that existed were usually located in the south-west of england. * Most of the stores inside are independant with 1 single exception. Marks and Spencers (Known globally as M&S) was founded there as Marks and Spencers Penny Arcade** and still retains that store to this day. **a Penny Arcade used to refer to a small independant budget orientated store, much like a modern day poundland/home bargains/poundstretcher/herons/b&m, 100 yen store or dollar store but more independant (as these are national chains as far as I'm aware). PS Metrocentre (or officially The Metrocentre before INTU's acquisition and then later liquidation of the shopping centre) is indeed one word, I had to double check, as spell checker doesn't identify it as a word.

This market stuff is common everywhere in Eastern Europe and Asia.

I was thinking that it's more like a shopping arcade. There still around in a lot of UK cities. Lots of them have small clothing shop, craft stores and fabric markets. 🙂

Sister knows how to enjoy life and tea guy and mother combo so funny. Regards from Malaysian utuber

My towns high street is still like this 85% independently owned stores and thriving

The quality of Greg's videos on this channel went from good to great. These aren't "like watching a professional documentary". These are professional documentaries. The only real problem Greg stumbles over is choosing what to focus on. He needs a marketing consultant/researcher to help him find interesting subjects and stories. I suppose this channel would be averaging 1 million views per video... if Greg presented more interesting subjects and stories. It's not a trivial problem to solve, but it's not difficult. Greg simply needs to find the right person to do the job.

@@yekutielbenheshel354 If he were to focus on catering to masses, then we wouldn't have extremely interesting niche and rarely spoken about topics like these. As far as I'm concerned, he should do just what he likes to study about.

@@recyclebinladen5903 If he's content with his current view count then this niche seems reasonable. But there's huge potential to increase viewership. The topics he chooses are generally too boring for many people. His ramen shop video was great and probably appealed to a wide audience, yet I would guess probably appealed to you too.

@@yekutielbenheshel354 Ah, I see. I wouldn't call them boring though. I really like his videos on zoning, town planning, homelessness and other stuff outside of normal food videos. I absolutely loved his video on Muslims in Japan - and I hope he can do more of such niche topics. There are so many food oriented content creators out there, I doubt we need any more.

@@recyclebinladen5903 Did you watch the Ramen shop video? It wasn't about food; it was about the struggles of a small businessman trying to earn a living. It was great and extremely popular. I thought the zoning and homeless videos were great too... but those aren't going to appeal to large numbers of viewers. The best videos for a channel like this are, "Here's what life is like for person A, or person B, or person C" where person A, or person B, or person C live a life that is different and interesting compared to life in, say, the West.

Greg really lucked out on her :). It must be a joy to have such a traveling buddy. Another superbly shot video, thanks.

@@rinu1 I think he’s her sister-in-law?

She seems to be really happy and a very nice friend🥂🥗💫

These businesses need local repeat customers. Tourists only stop once or not at all. Most tourists have a been there done that, so many places to explore, no need going back to the same place and if they do come back to a particular store it will be a year or 3 years gap. They can't depend on tourists traffic.

Yeah, chains are good for finding a place to relieve yourself! My other go-to's are parks, convenience stores and department stores.

Can you share where the tea shop at the beginning of the great video is or is called?

@@khuynh1987 Darumaya (だるまや餅菓子店) @ Jujo Ginza Shopping Mall

Glad you're enjoying!

True, true. I now use Google Maps to check out the shops, their hours, and reviews, especially when I'm visiting an area for the first time.

In my country (Singapore) it's a similar phenomenon with food hawkers (many of whom are selling in purpose-built buildings, while those operating on the streets only do so temporarily e.g. for night market bazaars). On the flip side for shops in shopping malls, their tenancy contract may stipulate when they need to be open

😂 my comment just mentioned these past videos you did!

You should do a collaboration with the guy from the Not Just Bikes channel. He's also from Canada and loves walkability considerations.

Hi, I loved your video Whst’s the name and adress of the tea shop where you tasted gyokori tea I want to buy some tea in this shop as I am in Tokyo ..

A truly great, inspirational and knowledgeable made video👏👍 I get the feeling of being right there and learning a lot at the same time🌤️👏😀

I think shotengai provide something we’ve keenly felt the loss of and need for during the pandemic: community. When the shop owners live where they work, they are part of the community. There is much more exchanged than merchandise and money. I don’t think we realised how much we, as humans, need that until a couple of years ago.

@@user-no2mz9hl4f Agreed!!

Now that I think about it, Tokyo doesn't have much in the way of public spaces, does it? Is that more of a Tokyo, or a Japan thing? I can't recall seeing many public benches, and certainly no parks or squares with a bunch of seating. I also don't remember seeing any outdoor dining. For some reason I'd never thought about it till now.

@@SnakebitSTI I think it is only the super busy places. Even in America and Europe, the busy places to this: Move people in and out fast. There are other locations to hang around though. Japan actually has amazing public spaces. This includes Tokyo. There are giant parks to sit around and various other squares and plazas to hang out at. It is just that busy businesses might not have the space to just let people hang out. I think this means that just as in any city, just be aware where the public spaces are and take your food and friends there. Or find a less busy coffee shop, though businesses might not always want people just loitering around.

There are benefits for helping Greg.

I'd like to experience them some day!

Ah, interesting!

Oh yes, trying your first jeans on, standing on a piece of cardbord, hidden from the rest of shoppers by a blanket of curtain - unforgetable.

I think its fully opened now!

@@nanamiharuka3269 right in time for inflation

Quite a coincidence!