I'm a Japanese person living in Japan, but I'm always interested in living in the United States (Before that, I have to make my own passport...).

One of my valuable sources of information about living in America is a Japanese YouTube channel called "Kay & ZooKatsu". This channel is run by a couple named Kay (a Japanese woman who was born and raised in the United States) and ZooKatsu (a Japanese man who was raised in Japan). They share insights about life in America on YouTube, covering topics that are hard for me to find in textbooks or news websites.

They usually upload normal videos on YouTube about the strange class system called "school caste" in Japan that exists among American students, for example, but in this article I would like to focus on KaZ's Shorts and translate and comment on them.

ZK: "Is there something that's not common in Japan but is normal in America?"

Kay: "There is!"

ZK: "What?"

Kay: "Picking up discarded things."

ZK: "Huh?"

Kay: "In America, people just leave stuff they don't need on the side of the road, and others pick it up and use it."

ZK: "Huh?! What are they doing?"

Kay: "In Japan, unless there's a sign saying 'Please feel free to take this,' people wouldn't take it. But in America, if someone doesn't need a sofa or a bed when they move, they just leave it somewhere. Then, if someone else thinks it's nice, they take it home and use it."

ZK: "Really?!"

Kay: "Yeah! My friend Caroline even said she picked up something like a bed frame and is using it."

ZK: "For real?!"

Kay: "Yeah, and when I went to America, one of my friends picked up a giant vase and said she was planning to grow flowers in it."

ZK: "Wait, wasn’t that vase the one we carried before?"

Kay: "Yeah, yeah! She wanted it, and I was like, 'You want that?!'"

ZK: "Someone’s using that!"

Kay: "All that effort carrying it was worth it!"

Comment:

The ultimate form of eco-friendliness! While the culture of reuse does exist in Japan, and I heard a rumor that it has even attracted global attention as the "mottainai (what a loss)" culture, nowadays mass consumption and waste disposal seem to be more prominent.

Although I'm not very familiar with Japanese law, according to people who engage in similar practices in Japan, there is an odd law where even if a sofa is discarded on the side of the road, unless it has a "cannot be collected" notice from a waste collection agency, taking it home can lead to penalties. Therefore, this practice is not encouraged in Japan.

ZK: "Is there anything Americans do that Japanese people just can’t understand?"

Kay: "There is!"

ZK: "What?"

Kay: "Regifting presents."

ZK: "What do you mean? Is that even okay?!"

Kay: "It’s not really a great thing to do, but especially with kids, they get invited to each other’s birthday parties a lot. So, if there’s a gift they didn’t like much, they might rewrap it and give it as a present at the next birthday party."

ZK: "What?! Seriously?"

Kay: "Yep. There are quite a few families who do that. Buying tons of gifts can be tough, and if it’s something you don’t like and won’t use, you might think, 'Maybe the next kid will actually play with it?'"

ZK: "Hmm?"

Kay: "So, I think it’s very, very eco-friendly."

ZK: "Eco-friendly? LOL"

Kay: "But there’s an important rule to this."

ZK: "There’s a rule?"

Kay: "You can’t give it back to the kid who gave it to you."

ZK: "Of course not! LOL"

Kay: "But there are quite a few people who end up doing it by mistake."

ZK: "Seriously?!"

Kay: "'Wait a second, isn’t this the one I gave you?'"

ZK: "LOL Have you ever done it?"

Kay: "I think my mom might have done it once."

Comment:

This is another form of eco-friendliness (if you don't mind the guilt that comes with it)! In Japan, this kind of practice is even called "tarai mawashi" (passing things around), so I believe there are people who do it here, since such a word exists in Japanese. However, I have yet to hear a first-hand account from someone who has actually done it.

Kay: "I found a recipe for a delicious-looking American breakfast, and I'm going to try to make it."

ZK: "Does it really look delicious?"

Kay: "Apparently it was a trend."

Kay: "Bacon!"

ZK: "Bacon first thing in the morning, huh?"

Kay: "It’s breakfast! Bacon is part of it."

Kay: "First, I’ll cook the bacon."

ZK: "Oui!"

Kay: "Bacon, done! Next up! Pancakes!"

ZK: "Ah, I see."

Kay: "Mix pancake mix, milk, and eggs. Mix, mix! Batter ready!"

Kay: "Bacon!"

ZK: "Uh-... (Kay dips the bacon in the batter) What?!"

Kay: "This recipe apparently became a bit of a trend because of an American animation. Hooo!"

ZK: "And you’re frying it in bacon grease. It’s like the American version of tempura LOL"

Kay: “American Tempura! (Hums the animation song) Done!”

ZK: "Wow, you’ve made something amazing!"

Kay: "Now, get some maple syrup and dip it in."

ZK: "Wow!"

Kay: "Delicious. The bacon flavor comes in gently afterward."

ZK: "This is tasty! LOL."

Comment:

Which animation featured this dish? Does bacon actually go well with maple syrup? I can’t imagine the flavor at all!

I've heard that dishes like "fried butter" and "fried ice cream" used to be popular in America. Americans are so scary... But since they both say it's delicious, maybe this is a chance for me to enter a world of flavors I've never experienced before.

ZK: "There’s an English pronunciation that Japanese people ABSOLUTELY can’t distinguish."

Kay: "Okay."

ZK: "The difference between the 'A' in 'wander' and the 'O' in 'wonder.' Can you explain the pronunciation difference?"

Kay: "'Wander' and 'wonder.'"

ZK: "But right now, they both sound the same to me."

Kay: "They’re completely different."

ZK: "How are they different?"

Kay: "First, the 'A' sound. From deep in your throat: WA-A-A, WA-A-A. Try it."

ZK: "WA."

Kay: "From deep in your throat."

ZK: "WA-A-A."

Kay: "Yes, that’s it. Now for 'wonder,' with the 'O.' Don’t stretch it out."

ZK: "Don’t stretch it. Got it."

Kay: "O-O-O."

ZK: "O-O-O."

Kay: "'Wonder.'"

ZK: "'Wonder.'"

Kay: "Exactly!"

ZK: "Wait, was there a difference just now? Can you freeze your face for the 'A' and 'O' sounds? Start with 'A.'"

Kay: "WAaaaa."

ZK: "And 'O'?"

Kay: "WOoooo."

ZK: "You’re making a funny face. I see, that was amusing. Thanks."

Kay: "No! It’s not about being funny! Say it again! 'Wander.'"

ZK: "And?"

Kay: "'Wonder.'"

ZK: "That was amusing."

Kay: "No, listen to what I’m saying!"

Comment:

It’s nice to see how well you two get along.

There are many English sounds that Japanese people find hard to distinguish, and 'wonder' versus 'wander' is definitely one of them. Fortunately, these words rarely appear in similar contexts, so not being able to tell them apart doesn’t cause too many problems.

The real issue is the difference between 'can' and 'can’t.' These words often appear in similar situations, are easy to confuse, and lead to significant misunderstandings if misheard. For English learners, this pair is one of the most feared in communication. To give you a clear example, if you said, "You can’t do that!" to me, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t understand what you meant right away.

ZK: "Is there any difference between how garbage is sorted in Japan and America?"

Kay: "There is!"

ZK: "Oh, there is?"

Kay: "Japan’s garbage sorting is way more detailed."

ZK: "It’s that detailed?"

Kay: "Yeah, super detailed. In America, it depends on the region, but for household garbage, it’s mostly divided into burnable trash and plastics. Like I showed in a previous video, you just put everything into a big bin and leave it by the road. But for stores, they just throw everything into a massive dumpster."

ZK: "No sorting at all?"

Kay: "None that I’ve seen. I’ve never seen sorting happening."

ZK: "I see."

Kay: "They throw it all into dumpsters big enough to fit several people."

ZK: "That big?"

Kay: "Huge. The trash bins for households are big, but the dumpsters at schools or other places are even bigger. They’re big enough to fit a person, and sometimes teachers would joke around and put me in one."

ZK: "Wait, you ended up in the dumpster?"

Kay: "Yeah, the teacher would be like, ‘Up you go, up you go,’ and then say, ‘Oh no, looks like you’re in!’"

ZK: "Isn’t that dirty?"

Kay: "It was fine. The inside was clean."

ZK: "Does such a thing even exist in this world?!"

Comment:

Japan’s garbage sorting is unbelievably detailed, so anyone planning to move to Japan should be prepared for this. However, there are certain life hacks to make it easier: when in doubt, you can usually throw something away as "burnable trash," and it won’t be refused for collection. In Japan, "burnable trash" must be placed in slightly expensive, government-specified bags, while other types of trash can be put into cheaper, transparent bags and classified as "non-burnable trash." That said, trash in transparent bags is strictly inspected by garbage collectors to ensure proper sorting—into categories like steel, aluminum, plastic, PET bottles, sharp objects, or hazardous materials. If sorting is inadequate, collection may be refused.

In other words, if you’re willing to pay a bit more, you can avoid the hassle of sorting. But if you want to save money, you’ll need to follow the detailed sorting rules. Doesn’t this sound like a fair system? Or have I just been brainwashed by the Japanese municipal government...

ZK: "Is there a cultural thing that exists in America but not in Japan?"

Kay: "There is! (clicks tongs)"

ZK: "What? Stop that LOL"

Kay: "Something like a pre-test stress relief day."

ZK: "What’s that? Sounds scary."

Kay: "It’s common at universities, but not necessarily at all of them. It depends on the university, and they might do different things. For example, they might gather local dogs so that students can come and pet them anytime."

ZK: "That sounds amazing!"

Kay: "Right? Super enviable, isn’t it? Other times, they’ll host disco parties at school, like, ‘Let’s dance and have fun to relieve stress!’"

ZK: "That sounds nice."

Kay: "Yeah, it sounds pretty fun, right?"

ZK: "Yeah."

Kay: "And then there’s the library. Usually, you have to be super quiet in the library, but on this day, people run around naked."

ZK: "What?! That’s insane LOL."

Kay: "It’s like doing something you’d normally never do, just for the sake of it."

ZK: "Do people actually do that?"

Kay: "Yeah, apparently quite a few do."

ZK: "Seriously?"

Kay: "I don’t think every school does it, but there are lots of ways to relieve stress, and since we don’t have anything like that in Japan, I thought it was really nice."

ZK: "No, no, the last one is totally unnecessary."

Comment:

I wish I could have petted a lot of dogs before my exams.

I've heard that the exams in American schools are much harder than those in Japan, and I was surprised that even the little children at Hogwarts (except for one girl) in the first volume of the Harry Potter series are afraid of them.

I'm not quite sure why there are such differences, and it also depends on the personality of the professors in charge of the courses, but in Japan many of their exams tend to be mainly fill-in-the-blank style questions based on the material covered in class. As long as you understand the content of the lectures, they're relatively easy to pass. Most of these exams are "memory contests" where nothing is allowed on your desk during the exam. However, there are also exams that allow full use of textbooks and calculators. These types of exams usually require a very advanced understanding of the subject to answer correctly, and I remember being quite terrified by the phrase "You can bring anything to this exam.

Kay: “Costco in America is in big trouble right now.”

ZK: “Why?”

Kay: “Butter.”

ZK: “Butter? What about it?”

Kay: “They’re recalling a huge amount of butter.”

ZK: “Eh?! Did they find something in it?”

Kay: “That’s what you’d think, right?”

ZK: “Yeah.”

Kay: “It’s because of a complaint.”

ZK: “What kind of complaint?”

Kay: “‘It doesn’t say it contains milk.’”

ZK: “LOL Isn’t that just what butter is?”

Kay: “Right, but the allergy labeling didn’t mention milk, so they got complaints. Now Costco is recalling tons of butter.”

ZK: “Wait, they have to recall it for that?”

Kay: “Yep.”

ZK: “But isn’t it obvious? Butter is made from milk!”

Kay: “In America, more and more people don't know what many processed foods are originally made from.”

ZK: “Seriously? That actually happens?”

Kay: “Yeah. That’s been happening more lately, but the butter incident was particularly shocking.”

ZK: “Really?”

Kay: “Poor Costco—it’s recalling a massive amount of butter, and it’s all over the news.”

Comment:

Please note that this video was released at the end of November last year, so the information may be outdated.

It seems that food labeling regulations have become stricter in America. One concern I have about living in the U.S. is whether the salt content is clearly listed on food packages. I'm trying to keep my daily salt intake under 6 grams, and the information on packaged foods is incredibly useful for tracking this.

I've also heard a rumor that there are tax incentives in America for "healthier" foods with less fat. I'd love to know more about this policy!

Kay: “It’s finally happening.”

ZK: “What’s with that face? What happened?”

Kay: “Tipping boycotts have finally started in America because of rising prices.”

ZK: “Seriously? It’s started?”

Kay: “Yeah, apparently. Not everyone is doing it, but more and more people are joining this boycott movement, saying, ‘I just can’t afford to tip anymore.’ For something like a coffee that costs just a few dollars, adding tips can more than double the price. People are thinking, ‘Honestly, I can’t justify paying that much just for someone to hand me a coffee.’”

ZK: “Umm...”

Kay: “With touch payment systems in the U.S., the tipping screen automatically comes up, and there’s this growing sentiment that, ‘Tipping was supposed to be a voluntary choice, but now that choice is being taken away from us!’ So, people are saying, ‘I just can’t do it anymore.’ In fact, more and more people are financially unable to tip. It’s unclear whether this will lead to the end of the tipping system in the future, but boycotts have definitely started. I wonder if this will really solve anything for the workers. It just feels like everyone’s struggling.”

Comment:

The tipping culture, which seems like a rational system in an individualistic society, works as a motivation for staff to provide good service. But it's also a complex issue.

Here's a reflection on the cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan: If America can be called a "country of individualism," then Japan could be described as a "country of social systems." This difference also affects how people react to service errors in places like coffee shops. For example, if the server made a mistake when taking an order, one customer in America might get angry and threaten to withhold a tip, while another might cheerfully say, "Don't worry about it! I was in the mood for coffee with milk," and take it with a smile. But as a Japanese person, I wouldn't touch the wrong item until the staff acknowledged their mistake and offered to correct the order, saying, "We're sorry, but please accept this product instead." That's because there's a deep awareness in Japan that every product is tied to customer data. Any noise or disruption caused by a staff error is likely to cause even a small disadvantage to the store.

When I shared this perspective with a Mexican friend, he found it a little strange, so I will refrain from discussing it further. However, I think this way of thinking could be useful in understanding Japanese behavioral principles.

This concludes this article. Thank you for reading to the end.

What I love about this channel is how much fun the two of them seem to be having. I’m not a particularly discriminatory person, but many of the Japanese people I’ve encountered, while outwardly kind, often keep their emotions and true thoughts guarded. In contrast, from my perspective, Kay, who grew up in American culture, appears incredibly energetic and full of humor.

When interacting with people on Newgrounds, including Americans (though I mostly exchange messages with people from countries other than the U.S.), I’ve come to realize that people everywhere get angry about similar things, are interested in similar things, and have similar dreams. However, differences in environment and culture undoubtedly influence human nature. Occasionally, I’m surprised to see how much someone’s upbringing in a different culture, like Kay’s, can make them seem so different.

If America is filled with people like her, and if that environment could (even through a tough-love approach) make me brighter and more sociable, then perhaps half of the struggles I feel living in Japan could be resolved. In my own way, this idea has become my version of the "American Dream."