Eat Your Kimchi

This week Simon and Martina talk about the secret to a successful marriage. They're celebrating their anniversary, and they haven't fought in 10 years...want to know how? A guy in Japan drew a comic about his marriage, which explained how he and his wife hadn't fought in 7 years - it went viral. Also, there's a train in Japan that costs between $2,000 and $10,000 for a ticket. Why is it so expensive?

Get some of the best bits from Simon and Martina this year! You'll hear stories about new technology in Japan that will help dementia patients, butler cafe's that only employ foreigners, Japan's crazy work culture and more!

This week Simon and Martina are back in Canada and they've had culture shock. They've forgotten to tip in restaurants, and forgotten that it's impolite to lift your bowl to your mouth and shovel food in when outside of Japan. They don't like certain Canadian food that they used to love, mainly because it's too salty. Typical Tokyo outfits stand-out in Toronto, there's a lot of exposed boobs and Simon feels small compared to all the buff men.

Simon and Martina have found out about the seven most undesirable traits for a woman, that make them undateable in Japan. These include speech and body language being too masculine, talking about being unhappy, only being considerate of the person they have a crush on, selfish princess-like mentality, looking like they have fun when talking badly about others, poor money management, and poor hygiene.

Simon's parents visited Simon and Martina in Japan; the duo have some advice about what to do when your parents visit Japan to ensure they enjoy it. Simon's parents don't usually like trying new things and it was his mum's frst time visiting Japan, so Simon and Martina made sure his parents felt comfortable in a new country. They booked them into an airbnb so they could take their time getting to know the Japanese cuisine and culture. They eased them into the local food, which they ended up loving. Simon's dad loved a beer vending machine at the local sushi place too. His parent's noticed a lot of different things about Japan like how smooth the trains were, how everyone abides by the 'no noise' rule on public transport and how late everyone worked. By the end of the trip the Eat You Kimchi duo noticed that Simon's parents had changed a lot - in just 2 weeks - their views on life had broadened and they'd opened up to a whole new world.

This week Simon and Martina ask why Japanese teens are so sad. A recent report shows that young people in Japan have the lowest mental wellbeing out of 20 major countries, with South Korea and Turkey the only countries rating lower. There are shifts in Japanese culture, where the youth don't want to be 'salary people,' they don't want to follow in their parent's (especially their father's) footsteps. Some kids, now, barely see their family because of the hours they spend on schoolwork, and the hours their parents spend working, and they want to change that. People with higher connections to family had a much higher happiness rating. The report shows that a lack of family connection in Japan and South Korea is affecting teens' happiness. Families prioritise financial wellbeing over emotional wellbeing. On the report, Japanese kids said their most important value in life was, "working hard and helping myself get on in life." More Japanese kids chose this answer than any other country, except for South Kore

Simon and Martina go to a hotel where each room has a private onsen. It's a great way to experience the Japanese hot tub culture, and there's no rules (like not allowing people with tattoos in). At the hotel there's a hidden staircase in each room that takes you to a big private hot tub where no one can see you. There's a hair dryer and fridge down there too; the room's completely decked out. Simon got stung on his butt by a bug (so avoid that). The duo think private onsens are a great was to enjoy the 'healing stinky waters.' Would you try them?

This week Simon and Martina are a bit sick, so we've rounded up the best bits from Eat Your Kimchi so you can indulge. They're talking about Anime high schools; the difference between what people see in Anime compared to what actually happens in Japanese high schools. Adult karaoke; singing just got a whole lot sexier. Work culture in Japan and the crazy hours people work. Japan making their bidets for the 2020 Olympics, and the Yakuza; how they've evolved their crime work. Time for binge listening!

Simon is sick today, so Martina is talking about her struggle to learn the Japanese language and about Japans potato chip crisis. Most of the chips in Japan are made from potatoes grown locally. Last year the region that grows potatoes was hit by a record number of typhoons, which affected a lot of the potato crop. Potato chip producers had to apologise because they don't want to use imported potatoes. Before getting potatoes from overseas, the companies are asking Southern farmers to harvest their crops earlier than scheduled  so they can continue using local ingredients. There's major gaps in the chip section of supermarkets in Japan, but no one is upping the price. The crisis is real, but it's good to know they're using local ingredients to make chips.

Simon and Martina talk about the new band to come out of China recently: FFC-Acrush. It's a boy band made up of members who are girls, and they launched at a husband expedition. They're not allowed to disclose their sexual preferences, so they maintain ambiguity. They can be whatever you're attracted to; male or female. They haven't released a debut music video yet but they've done some covers and have gained international interest already. The duo also talk about why the Yakuza are going underground. Do you know much about the organised crime syndicates?

High schools in anime verse high schools in real life; Simon and Martina talk about what really happens in Japanese high schools compared to what happens in anime. Japanese students were surveyed about the differences between anime and real life schools. The results showed four things that happen in anime high schools that don't represent reality. Students don't live by themselves, roof tops are inaccessible, student councils are less important, and finding heaps of attractive students? Ha, forget it. What was your high school like?

Simon and Martina talk about a Twitter storm that erupted after a tweet was posted about the workplace culture in Japan. An image from a book was posted on 'Japanese Twitter,' attempting to create an understanding about people who have Asperger's. The book teaches people why others may be a little different. They used an example of someone leaving work on time. It caused a big online debate about why people can't leave work on time without being made to feel bad. The duo thought it sparked an interesting discussion. What are your thoughts?

Simon and Martina talk about all the K-Pop groups going to Japan because they're not making money in Korea, and they're making a lot of money in Japan. There's bands they haven't heard about in Korea for ages but are everywhere on billboards in Japan. Also a very popular clothing brand in Japan (GU) has created really cheap Sailor Moon clothes and Martina wants all of it (pants, dresses, bags...) Would you buy it?

Simon and Martina talk about the new plastic surgery themed K-Pop music videos, by girl group Six Bomb, called 'before' and 'after.' The first video shows the girls 'before' plastic surgery and the second shows them 'after' going under the knife. The EYK duo are pretty outraged by cosmetic surgery being promoted through the music industry. Some people think it's ok because it's 'part of Korean culture.' Simon and Martina say it shouldn't be; people should be happy with the way they look. Also, Japan have toilets that spray your butt clean and they're making them even better before hosting the Olympics.

Simon & Martina talk about the new karaoke game in town that gives you rewards or punishments based on your performance with their ‘adult scoring system’. If you perform well with perfect pitch and rhythm, there will be all scenes of sexy women or men that show up on the screen (including ‘boobies’). If you suck, you get pics of old men dressed up as women and more. They also discuss the most popular names for cats according to a national survey and the state of AirBnB in Japan; will the government keep it running?

- Japan has nine islands- Fukuoka has amazing ramen and street food stalls- It's close to Korea- Simon and Martina met a lot of people from different backgrounds- Overcoming language barriers and making friends was great- Martina got food poisoning from tempura and the duo had 'second-degree' fun- Simon and Martina were stuck in peak hour traffic while Marina really needed the bathroom - badly!- Got home and had no gas or hot water- Forgot to pay the gas bill before they went away for the weekend- Second-degree fun because now they can look back and laugh at it

Cultural appropriation:- Vogue magazine cover featuring models of many nationalities (now dubbed the ‘Diversity' issue)-  Karlie Kloss' outfit was inspired by the  geisha culture- Causing controversy online- Online outrage is calling it ‘yellow face’ and cultural appropriation- Simon and Martina don't agree- Karlie kloss has apologised- Simon and Martina say it's not her fault and it's not a bad thingFake News/Click Bail (and nuclear reactors)- Fukishima nuclear plant radiation level apparently highest it's ever been, but that's fake news-  It’s had the highest reading ever, but it's not at the highest level of radiation ever (they’ve finally managed to get a probe into the centre of the reactor, which has never been read before)- Most things in the news today are written as 'click bait'; not researched or properly written.  No accountability.- YouTuber PewDiePie (who has over 50 million subscribers) was a victim of bad journalism. Headline

- People go out drinking every single day in Japan- Millennial males don't drink as much as older generations (39% of millennial males don’t drink)- They also buy less cars and less wrist watches- Simon’s friend has lots of watches, some of them are worth $20,000- Watches used to be a sign of status- Phones are the new status symbol and many males don't have a watches- Less divide because majority of us have one of three phone types- Expensive bags are the equivalent status symbol for women- Martina thinks we should spend money more wisely- Everyone  should invest in a good kitchen knife - more practical- Less male millennial drinking signifies a change in work culture- In the past part of your job was to drink with the boss. This generation are saying no to business drinks and ar spending more time with their families.- Women in Japan are drinking more wine- Wine consumption still quite low (4 bottles per person per year)- Western cuisines like Span

An amazing trip to Ehime province in JapanPlanned to film at a high-end restaurant, but the Chef said they had to see where his produce is grown, to have a better understanding of the foodTravelled with the chef,  Yōsuke Suga; the Iron Chef FranceVisited a citrus farm in Ehime - the oranges were amazingThe area was inspiration for the film “Spirited Away”Martina had a Valencia Orange Latte in a town nearbyThey met a photographer (and coolest guy ever) named YoheHe lives in his van, which is also a photography labVisited Dogo Onsen, the oldest Onsen in Japan with a history stretching back over 1,000 yearsOnsen enthusiasts measure the Ph levels of the water they plan to bathe inPeople with tattoos are not allowed to enter most Onsens

- New music in Japan- How music is different in Korea and Canada compared to Japan- Nintendo's lawsuit against Mari Car- Wanting to launch Mario Kart go-kart track- When is it ok to copy, and to what extent?- Exclusive restaurant dining in Japan- Impossible to get a table- A website has been set-up to help foreigners get in the restaurants- Is it just a money-making scheme? Seems a bit suspicious- If chefs are aware then not as suspicious but still not good