特別感の喪失
Welcome to ケビン's English Room Podcast.
Hello.
Hello, guys.
Talk about the Lays potato chips.
You know the Lays potato chips smoked barbecue taste?
Yeah, the barbecue flavor?
Yeah, that's a popular flavor.
Right?
And that's something you cannot buy in Japan.
Oh, okay, right.
Yeah, it's only in the U.S. or Canada or whatever.
But I found it in Japan.
There's someone smuggling in.
It says, like, 日本フリトレ.
Oh, so it's official.
It's official, finally.
Okay.
I found it.
And you love it?
I love it.
So every time I go to the United States, I buy them for a souvenir.
Yeah.
You don't have to do that anymore.
I felt happy, and I felt somehow kind of sadness a little bit.
Yeah, I understand that.
It's not a special thing anymore.
I understand that feeling.
I can buy it in Japan.
It's, like, commoditized now.
Yeah.
I understand.
That's what I felt days ago.
Yeah, I understand.
I get it.
Yeah.
I get it.
Like, where's the joy of going to the United States and getting that package?
Right.
This is it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I understand.
Yeah.
Whenever anything comes to Japan, I get that feeling.
Oh.
For example, Taco Bell.
Oh, really?
I don't know.
Several years ago, Taco Bell came to Japan.
You felt the same way?
Yeah, I was excited at first, but I was like, well, okay.
Now, one more fun thing about going to America is gone now.
It's true.
It's true.
Yeah.
Especially you, I guess.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I am getting happier and happier if that happens because I'm not going to have a Jikai
in America anymore if my dad moves out.
I don't know when, though.
I don't know when.
But...
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
True.
One more thing I'm kind of missing, or like every time I buy or try when I go to the United
States is chicken noodle soup.
Oh, yeah.
Chicken noodle soup.
You know, the canned.
The Campbell chicken noodle soup.
Yeah.
Yes.
That's something...
It's not in Japan.
Right.
So only in the United States I try them.
Yes.
Yes.
Even though it's not...
I'm sorry.
It's not very, very delicious.
I mean, well, it's good.
It's good.
It's good.
But it's like...
It's a good soup.
Yeah.
It's a good soup, but it's not something super, super good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But still, I try that taste every time I go to the U.S.
Because it's something special.
You can taste it.
Oh, I'm in the United States.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I feel like if that comes to Japan, no one's going to buy it, right?
Because it's not special anymore.
Yeah.
You don't have that label of like, only in America.
Right.
True.
It kind of lowers the value.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
So true.
Yeah.
Very true.
For example, I said I went to Sendai and Sapporo, right?
I went to the Sapporo airport and tried to buy something for a special thing.
Yeah.
But ultimately, everything is in Tokyo, kind of.
I get it.
Right?
You can buy anything in Tokyo.
There's all these antenna shops.
Yeah.
Like the Okinawa antenna shop.
Yeah.
Hokkaido ones.
If you go to Yurakucho, there's a lot of them in Yurakucho.
Right.
You know.
It's kind of...
Is it better for them?
Maybe it's better, like, just limit, like, only in Hokkaido, kind of, to make it more
valuable.
I know.
I know.
I know.
東京で見つけたポップアップショップ
Yesterday, I was walking in Tokyo Station, and I saw a pop-up of Litao, one of my most
favorite dessert shops.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's from Hokkaido, right?
Right.
It's only in Hokkaido.
But, like, that's, like, the third time I've seen a pop-up store of Litao this month.
I was like, I know it's the Christmas season, and they like to sell the cakes for the Christmas
cake and shit.
I see.
But, like, where's the, you know, the...
What do you call these?
I don't know what you call this, but, like...
Yeah.
Where's the only in Hokkaido vibe, you know?
That's the biggest part of souvenirs.
Yeah.
I know.
Yeah.
You think it's...
Yeah, you think it's good for them?
Like...
Business-wise?
Yeah, I guess.
Well, it probably is.
That's why they do it, right?
Yeah.
Like, selling-wise, I guess, it's better.
But, I don't know, like, for...
As a brand?
As a brand.
Yeah.
Their image.
Yeah.
Like, yeah.
I understand.
Yeah.
You know, there are new products, I guess.
Like a...
I forget the name, but...
Nama...
Nama something.
Oh.
From Hokkaido.
Okay.
Nama...
Yeah, something.
Caramel?
No, like, it was like a half ice cream, half cake, kind of like that.
Okay.
Nama...
I don't know, I mean...
Sounds delicious.
Yeah.
Hold on, hold on.
Nama...
Um...
Nama Norseman.
Oh, okay.
It's not a cake, it's like a...
It's like a, I don't know, omanju, kind of like that?
Oh, okay.
This is the usual Norseman.
And Nama Norseman is like you have nama cream, nama something inside.
I see.
Add it like this.
So, it's anko plus whipped cream.
Yeah.
Or something.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it lasts only two, three days.
So...
Got it.
So...
It's very rare.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it says limited in Hokkaido.
Hokkaido, right.
And...
So, remember I bought a Lutao as a souvenir for you a few weeks ago?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was like, that?
Or like this one?
I was like, ah, I was trying to show that.
And I was like that.
Because it was very exclusive in Hokkaido.
Yeah.
But that one's too, like...
It's two or three days.
Yeah.
It's very, very special.
Yeah.
東京での発見
Days ago, I saw this in Tokyo.
What?
It was like a pop-up, like an antenna shop, you know, from Hokkaido.
And just...
It was suryo gentei, though.
But still.
How do they do it, though, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
The time it takes from getting to Tokyo.
True.
How do they do it?
They make it in Tokyo, I guess?
Well, they can make it in Tokyo.
What the hell's the value, right?
Maybe they just bought it and just brought it to Tokyo.
Well, then now it's like one or two days.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Right?
Maybe that's why they do it.
But I was kind of a bit sad.
Like, why?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I thought that was special when this...
But if you can get it in Tokyo, why...
And also that moment where, like, you think about all these restaurants you want to go.
Yeah.
When you go to, like, Chiho.
And then you find out that it's inside the Yaichika or something.
It's one of the shops in Yaichika.
What?
So sad.
I've had that happen so many times.
Man.
Yeah, that happens, too.
That's so sad.
And you make yourself believe that it's a different flavor if it's in Tokyo.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's a different quality in Tokyo, right?
It doesn't have the authenticity.
You force yourself to believe like that.
Right?
And then you never go there.
It's like your pride doesn't let you go there.
Yeah.
I know.
That happens.
I know it's a good thing for them.
Yeah, business-wise.
Yeah.
I'm sure it's great for them.
But I'm not sure as an authenticity, as a brand.
地域ブランドの価値
One thing that still doesn't come is the Gogoichi.
Gogoichi?
Osaka.
Nikuman.
That never comes.
I've never seen any of that in Tokyo or anything like that.
True.
It's such a big brand, right?
But, yeah.
Yeah, I guess they keep it inside.
I feel like that's one of the great strategies.
I feel like they're one of the brands that are doing a good job without expanding into Tokyo.
Very true.
They're creating that specialness.
I do have the image of if I go to Osaka, oh, I have to get that Gogoichi.
It's a Gogoichi.
Gogoichi.
Gogoichi.
That's so true.
Yeah.
They're doing a good job with it.
If they start selling those Nikuman everywhere, every grocery store in Tokyo.
Right.
It wasn't that good.
I wouldn't buy.
If I wanted to get a Nikuman, I would go to like a 7-Eleven.
Have you had 7-Eleven Nikuman?
They're really good.
They're good.
They are good.
I think they're better than Gogoichi or something.
But because they only sell it in Osaka, I buy it.
Gogoichiの東京出店
Yeah.
That's experience.
That's the value.
Right.
Right.
They're good.
They're good.
Gogoichi is good.
They're good.
Yes.
Juicy inside.
Their bread is a little bit sweet.
Yeah.
That's very special.
True.
True.
But yeah.
It's different if they are selling in Tokyo.
At least they don't make that lineups at Osaka stations.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
You're right.
You're right.
You're right.
So.
All right.
Thanks for listening, guys.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
