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Japan Has Changed Me, and...

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Lifestyle

Summary (auto-subtitles may have minor errors)

The creator, “dear,” visits her family in her old room for the summer while preparing for a wedding. She reflects on how living in Japan for about 7.5 years changed her—especially during reverse culture shock when she comes back to America. She compares Japan vs. America across food, fashion, social interactions, service culture, and daily lifestyle habits.

1) American food

What she craves back in the U.S.

When she’s in America, she especially misses familiar fast food, including:

  • Chick-fil-A
  • “Dirty” burgers — she likes the greasier, oilier, more indulgent style
  • Five Guys — she finds them drenched/tastier, and less “clean” than Japanese burgers
  • Texas Roadhouse — she says it was great

Portion shock / appetite changes

  • She can’t finish as much food as she used to.
  • She says Japanese dining follows an “80% full” philosophy—to keep energy up without feeling sluggish.
  • She feels guilty because Japan expects you to finish your food, while in America she’s used to taking leftovers home.

Drink and sugar changes

  • She can mostly handle water and unsweetened tea.
  • She no longer tolerates sweet drinks (like typical Starbucks Frappuccinos).
  • Exception: she can still handle Baja Blast, but can’t finish much of it.

To-go food expectations

  • She says takeout isn’t the norm in Japan, and restaurants generally expect you to eat everything there—contributing to smaller portions.

2) American fashion

  • She notices in America (especially Vegas / West Coast) more frequent outfits like:
    • yoga pants
    • bralettes
    • cleavage
    • crop tops
    • strapless tops
  • Her own style has shifted toward looser, more covered clothing, more similar to what she wears in Japan.
  • Japan made her more self-conscious about showing cleavage, especially in everyday places like grocery stores (though she’ll still show some on nights out).

3) American hospitality (and compliments)

  • She loves America’s stranger friendliness, especially how often people compliment her (hair color, shirt—she mentions a Kingdom Hearts shirt, etc.).
  • She’s unsure how to respond to compliments now, because Japan doesn’t do it as much.
  • She tends to feel she “should” compliment people back, but worries they might overthink it—she credits Japan with making her more cautious/quiet about that.
  • She also says she still has a Japan-informed ability to compliment; when she compliments someone’s bag or shirt, they often react with surprise and enthusiasm.

4) American customer service

  • She appreciates friendliness and small talk when staff are good, but dislikes:
    • instances where staff have a “Gen Z stare” / seem indifferent
    • the expectation of tipping, especially when service feels minimal
  • She compares it to Japan, where she says service is consistently excellent and tipping isn’t done.

Her compromise:

  • She’ll tip only if service is above and beyond.
  • But she also feels uncomfortable not tipping when she believes the staff “deserve it,” because she’s grown used to Japan’s standards.

5) American lifestyle overall (daily movement + transport)

Cars and freedom (Vegas)

  • She likes the freedom and convenience of cars and road travel in Vegas:
    • no dependence on train schedules
    • she can go out anytime (she frames Vegas as 24/7)

Main downside

  • Places are far apart, so she drives more.

Health/fitness impact

  • She can still walk, but she can’t hit her usual 10,000 steps like in Japan.
  • She says she maxes around 5,000 steps, especially because heat discourages walking.
  • She mentions it’s about 105°F and she doesn’t want to walk in direct sun/no shade—she jokes she’d “turn into a fried egg.”

Conclusion: She finds both countries have benefits, but they support different lifestyles.

Personal “unchanged” traits and reverse culture shock

  • Even with changes, she says she’s still very American.
  • One thing she’s proud of adopting/keeping:
    • self-defense / standing up for herself instead of staying quiet to “keep the peace” (something she observed in Japan).
  • She frames it as gradual evolution: living abroad changes you over time, and the realization hits most during return visits.

Notable locations, products, and speakers

Locations

  • Japan
  • Las Vegas
  • Shibuya
  • Texas (Roadhouse)
  • America’s hometown / old room (unspecified)

Places / brands mentioned

  • Chick-fil-A
  • Five Guys
  • Shake Shack
  • McDonald’s
  • Burger King
  • Starbucks (Japan)
  • Texas Roadhouse
  • Kingdom Hearts (shirt reference)

Drink mentioned

  • Baja Blast

Speaker

  • “dear” (the channel creator; addressed as “Hey friends, it’s dear”)

Original video