One of the most important ideas in Japanese society is Shintoism.
It's a spiritual idea, and it's a way of understanding existence.
And it's based on kami.
The easiest way to explain it is probably "The Force."
And as we go through Japan, just keep your eyes peeled, because the force...
Oh, shit!
Can I do that one more time, Benji?
Keep your eyes peeled, because the force... Oh!
Because the Force...
Oh, that was so close!
♪ Now come on ♪
♪ Do it, do it, do it again ♪
♪ So come on ♪
No.
♪ Do it, do it, do it again ♪
Keep your eyes peeled, 'cause the Force... is everywhere.
Whoo-hoo!
♪ Y'all in the wrong world ♪
♪ So look here, man ♪
♪ Welcome to "Huang's World" ♪
♪ World traveler ♪
♪ The food, whoo, good and delicious ♪
♪ Shanghai, Moscow, check out the pictures ♪
♪ L.A., New York, M-I-A, oh, London ♪
♪ The schedule's vicious ♪
♪ Welcome to "Huang's World"! ♪
We've arrived in Kyoto. It's incredible.
There's not a single like, square foot of space here
where someone isn't doing a selfie. Look.
This is only my second trip to Japan, so I'm no expert,
but all of my interactions in this country feels like first dates.
It's charming, it's cute, it's respectful, but at a certain point,
I'm just like, I want to know who you are.
So as we go from Kyoto to Tokyo,
I want you to remember a saying that the Japanese have...
"Every grain of rice is part of a bigger bowl."
The bowl, the community, the race, the culture are all bigger than the individual.
So we came to Japan to explore singularity.
We have a lot of good things in store for you.
You're gonna enjoy the show, especially this hand tattoo I get in Act 5.
"Huang's World," Japan.
Ha!
Kyoto is really known for its produce,
so we're gonna go get an obanzai meal, which is like a homecooked meal.
Even with obanzai cooking, something simple and homestyle,
they still cook seasonal.
- Hajime mashite. Konnichiwa. - Hai. Konnichiwa.
Eddie-san.
Mmm, barbecue. Mmm.
Matsutake mushroom is the most delicious mushroom on the planet.
It's meaty, it has umami, it snaps.
When they're in season, I make my best soups.
Okay. Cool.
Oh! Louis Vuitton Don! She's fly.
Hai.
Pulling 10,000 yen bills out of the Louis Vuitton
to buy matsutake mushrooms and limes.
Do you have daughters?
- Very good. - Hai.
What I love about this is, everything is very, very detailed
and the level of care is on the level of fine dining.
But for her, it's just ordinary.
It's like... how cheese has terrible smells,
but it's delicious and humans actually are... are very attracted to it.
It smells like butt cheese and cinnamon had a baby and it was a mushroom.
Oh, my God, did you just translate "butt cheese"?
Oh, God. Oh, good, good, good. Good.
Okay.
So always gotta drink the soup first, warm up your stomach.
The mitsuba herb really sets this off.
It's not as strong and astringent as cilantro.
Yeah, it's almost like a sweet cilantro meets germanium.
It's pretty good.
There's something about homestyle food, ordinary food, that feels more real,
feels more genuine and honest, and also feels like it's part of everything.
You can't learn to cook without learning this first.
So if you want to understand Japanese food, I would absolutely start....
Oh, thank you.
Yeah.
Yes. Yes.
Ha!
We in Tokyo, dawgs!
Number one. Ichiban. Ichiban. All right.
Arigato. Uh, I mean, konnichiwa.
Yes.
Ohayo. Ohayo. Good morning. Ohayo.
We're at Suzunobu Project Rice.
We are about to meet the Rice God.
My mom used to give me haircuts with this.
- Hey. Hai. Hai.
Nice to meet you.
So how long have Japanese people been eating rice?
Oh, wow. Wow.
Japanese people do like to focus in on one thing
and really develop it, really focus it, and master it.
Can you show me all the different species of rice?
Hai. Hai. Hai.
Hey, Dave, can I wear your Rice University hat for this scene? Sick.
Wow.
Very good.
Have you ever had Uncle Ben's rice?
I think you might be disappointed if you try it.
- It's a microwave rice. - Oh!
Oh. Why?
Look, I made the rice like areola, lady nipple rice.
Don't repeat it, Kiwa.
He probably figured it out.
What is your ichiban rice?
Ichiban rice.
Do you think that it's been a positive for Japan?
I think the key with it is, is, hey, 99 times out of 100,
this rice is gonna come out this way,
but I think it's important for societies like Japan
or people like myself or you to always remember
there's still that one time, though, that's gonna prove you wrong. - Ooh.
There's something very honest and heartwarming about what you do.
- Thank you. - I really enjoyed this today.
Rice God. The Rice God.
- Hey, Dave? - Yeah?
You thought you were gonna body me,
but you actually buried me alive under rice bran.
I'm gonna find a way to make your life miserable.
It really does feel like I just wanted 15 porno videos.
That's what she said, right?
You guys are a very impressive civilization.
Ohh.
You think you could give me some water, bro?
Thanks, Benji.
- Ahh. - Good?
Benji kind of looked like Jesus giving me water just there.
- Hey, Dave? - Yeah?
You thought you were gonna body me,
but you actually buried me alive under rice bran.
I'm gonna find a way to make your life miserable.
You do that.
Can you use the throne real quick before we go?
Hey, Dave? ...you.
You're watching "Huang's World." I'm buried under rice bran.
And we're in Japan, mother...
So continuing our theme of things you can do with rice today,
we actually gonna go to a two-star Michelin restaurant.
Very fancy.
And I don't really pay that much for food,
unless it's steak, Peking duck, or sushi.
We're gonna meet with the owner, who is a woman and a sommelier,
which is very special, because in Japan, they didn't let women make sushi
because their hands were supposed to be too warm.
And also, people have not paired wine with sushi,
so we're gonna break all the rules today.
Yo, so what's going on here is, literally, there's been a 35-minute negotiation
about where to put the camera.
And every one of these people has an opinion.
It's insane. It's so Japanese.
Everything is so particular and disciplined, and they're like, "In that spot,
that is where the mackerel goes."
And we're like, "What about this one?"
"But that is where the yellowtail goes."
There's no spot that we can put a camera.
It looks like a deal has been made.
Were you a sommelier first or a restaurateur?
I love edomae sushi.
It's my favorite, because it's the most classical.
How would you explain the history of edomae sushi?
Mmm.
Ooh! This rosÃ© is very good!
A lot of rosÃ© is too dry and, like, whimsical for me.
This is a serious rosÃ©.
I notice that with Japan, it's very regimented.
Like, men do this, women do this.
So why is it you very rarely see female sushi chefs?
But none have been chefs.
- Hai. -That's... It's that severe. Only one?
I'm really hyped for this.
He is doing sea urchin on red vinegar rice.
This is extra new wave.
That was literally worth the flight to Japan.
That sea urchin, it was briny, earthy, super funky, and fat.
It... it's like everything you could possibly ask for.
You're definitely a pioneer in sushi.
Do you have California rolls for the white guys?
California maki!
If there's anything you wanna say
to Japan or Japanese people, or the rest of the world, you know, this is your time.
So we're in Shibuya, and we're about to meet some zentai.
And zentai are people in Japanese society
that are a bit overwhelmed by the pace, the workload, the expectations,
and they dress up in Lycra suits and walk around the town,
because this gives them anonymity.
And by covering themselves up, they gain independence.
Hey. How's it going?
- Hi. I'm Eddie. - Hi.
- Oh. - Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you!
How did this all start?
Okay. Okay.
Besides just work, what are some of the other pressures you face in Japan?
Oh, this looks good.
Mm-hmm.
Is this your favorite yakitori spot?
Yes.
Yay! Yakitori!
Here.
One disadvantage of being a Lycra suit person
is that you can't eat with your face on television.
Yeah.
Very good.
One of the biggest social problems in Japan
is that about a million people, mostly men, have fully withdrawn from society.
It's known as hikikomori.
The guy we're about to meet has been a hikikomori for 5 1/2 years.
For the most part, he stays in this room.
He's just not compatible with Japanese society, and we're here to understand why.
Oh. Hello.
Hey. How's it going?
I'm Eddie.
Nice to meet you.
Where do you think this Japanese monoculture comes from,
and this instinct to nail people down that are different?
Do you ever regret being a hikikomori?
We've been in Japan and we've been meeting so many people
that are real artisans and the best at what they do.
We really look up to them and we admire them because of how particular they are
and how disciplined they are.
And they really follow rules.
But I think hikikomori remind us there isn't always one way to do things.
There's that 20% that's an exception.
And rules are made to be broken.
If there's anything you wanna say
to Japan or Japanese people or the rest of the world, you know, this is your time.
For 700,000 people in Japanese society, the pressure is too much.
We need to step out of ourselves and not always think, "Oh, life is so easy for me,"
or, "I think this, and you're weird, because you're different, and I'm right."
We all have to think, why?
Why do these people feel left out?
Why do they feel like they've been made out to be the enemy?
And how do we bring people in and remind them
that humans are a lot more similar than they are different?
It's really inspiring to see you guys in the Lycra suits
and kind of take the problem into your hands.
Perhaps more people find outlets like this to rebel,
find happiness, but then also maintain a relationship with the rest of society.
What was it like seeing your first hamburger?
Ah...
Mmm. Mmm!
Yo, so 7025 Franklin Avenue.
This is the address for the Magic Castle in L.A.
The owner of this restaurant actually lived at the Magic Castle in L.A.,
and he had his first American charcoal hamburger.
He loved hamburgers so much that he came back to Tokyo,
and a lot of people say he perfected it
and that this is the best American hamburger in all of Tokyo.
- Eddie. - Hai. Konnichiwa.
Hey. Konnichiwa. Nice to meet you.
Thanks for having us.
How long have you had the restaurant?
What was it like seeing your first hamburger?
Ah...
Mmm. Mmm!
Hamburger is an American thing,
and clearly, it's... it's been very inspirational to you.
But the way you approach this, how it is Japanese?
Uh-huh.
- Is this your specialty? - Yes.
- Mmm. Mmm. - Let me get this piece here.
This is, hands-down, the most exquisitely cooked hamburger
I have ever had in my life.
The work that he has put in this, the way that he has cooked this,
you can taste the cooking in his hand.
And everything is balanced and it's all in harmony.
This is the best technique I've seen on a hamburger, all time.
- Thank you very much. - Thank you.
I'm very proud of you.
Oh, I'm proud of you, man. Thank you.
- Thank you. Thank you very much. - Beautiful.
- Welcome to Room 806. - Thank you for having me.
- Good to see you. Thank you. - What up? What up?
Y'all do fades?
Yeah. Please, you can have a seat here.
Word.
- Where are you from? - I'm originally from Ghana.
- Oh, cool. - Yeah.
- How long you been here? - I've been here for 17 years.
Nice. You like it?
Ah, I love it. I love Japan.
How long you been in Japan, man?
- 13 years. - Oh, word?
- Where you from? - New Orleans.
What made you come out to Japan?
My first experience was, uh, in Okinawa.
- I was in the Air Force. - Oh, nice.
And, uh, we used to visit Tokyo every once in a while,
you know, just to party and such like that.
And, uh, unlike the States, in a... in a lot of senses,
we're not used to a lot of the rules that they have in Japan.
But once you learn just to accept the rules, accept the lifestyle,
you understand that, you know, Japan accepts you.
In America, every single race has a different set of rules.
Right. That's one problem that I feel, you know, in the States, it really is bad,
because no matter how much you abide by the rules,
you still feel like you're not accepted.
But in Japan, we've seen like, an understanding and appreciation
at a very high level of, like, culture outside their own race.
And they don't stop to think like,
"Oh, I can't appreciate this, because I'm Japanese."
Right, right, right, right, right, right.
In America, I was constantly questioned.
Like, people would call me a chigger.
But I was like, "Listen, man.
"Like, there's no Chinese role models in this country.
All I see is black or white people."
Right. So like back in the day, where it was just, you looked at family.
You know, like this guy, he's taking care of his family,
he's taking care of his kids, he's doing this, that's the way I want to be.
Being black American looking at Asian, you know, cultures,
I look at that as something that's really strong,
that stays within, you know, the Asian culture.
- It's always about family. - Yeah.
You know, and I love that. I love that.
Yep. And it was also a culture that struggled with violence in the community
and in a lot of Asian-American families,
- we struggle with violence in the home. - Right.
I mean, I remember Tupac, "Me Against the World,"
that... that made the most sense to me.
- Right. - You know, that... that was how I understood my home.
- Right. - So without black culture,
I don't think I would've ever, ever, ever understood myself.
Wow. That's strong.
Yeah.
It's pretty cool when culture can supercede race,
and it's things like food and it's things like hair
that can bridge those gaps, you know?
Yeah, it's international.
We have all type of nationality.
Whoever come, we take care of everyone here.
- That's cool, man. - Yeah.
Wait. I'm doing it all wrong. See, you gotta hold...
you gotta hold the hand that hold the hand.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- No, you don't need to do that., - Okay, you do it.
- I have to do it. - Oh. Oh.
Sometimes if you do that, I appreciate.
Do I bow now? No?
- No. Yeah. - Oh.
- You don't need that. - Word.
- Customer is a god. - Yes.
So whenever you finish everything and say...
- He will stay bowed until you're gone. - Yeah.
- Oh, wow. - Yeah. Yes.
- You're gone. - Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. The customer is gone!
Yeah. Arigato!
This culture is founded on respect.
And when you see a dude from Ghana and a dude from New Orleans
immerse themselves in Japanese culture,
buy into the values, buy into the discipline,
and then say that it actually frees them and gives them more independence
than they've experienced in Africa or America,
I think it really forces you to reexamine everything you know
about identity and country.
Well, you could hit me with the half-needle tattoo.
- California maki! -Maki!
Truck bodied your whole shot.
Oh, and you bodied my shot. It's cool.
My brothers also bodied my dreams of being a samurai,
because they would dress up and fight with, like, real swords at the crib,
but there were only two samurai suits, so I was left out.
But you know what? ...you, Emory and Evan,
because I get to be a samurai by myself here.
So you are a reki-jo.
Like, you're a samurai enthusiast.
Nice, Nice. That's like a fantasy football league.
Yeah.
Yes, very cool.
Yes. I'm... I'm very excited for this.
I don't know what she said, but I feel like she was like,
"You're going to be a samurai, and we're gonna take photos,"
- and I was like, "This is my samurai pose. I'm ready." - Oh!
They have ninja darts!
California maki!
Konnichiwa. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you. Okay.
Yah!
Aah!
Oh.
Aah! Wow!
Yes. Oh, oh, oh! Are you okay?
- Ah, thank you, thank you. - Okay.
We haven't known each other very long, but I feel like we have a bond.
I like, feel your pain when you...
- California maki! - Maki!
Okay. Okay.
Beautiful.
I'm going to fill my house with portraits of me as a samurai.
They made a samurai poster of me.
I will do 15. I'll buy 5 of them, yeah.
You can't put a price on this stuff.
Very cool!
- What restaurant are we going to? - Yes.
- Samurai restaurant? Cool. - Yes.
Does all the reki-jo come hang out here?
- Okay. - Hai.
Have you ever, uh, eaten food with somebody wearing a shirt of themselves?
Wow.
- This is good, though. - Mmm.
The best dish here is the steamed pork.
- Yes, yes. - Mmm.
How long ago did you become a reki-jo?
- Wow. - Yeah.
You're deep in the game.
Why do you think it is that Japanese people become such big fanatics of things?
I think it's really important in life to, like,
be a fanatic of things and have things, like, you genuinely love and care about.
I'm a fanatic of things, too. Like, I love Cam'ron.
I think Cam'ron is the greatest human being of all time.
This is Cam'ron.
He is a great samurai of Harlem.
He is the greatest samurai of Harlem.
Yeah.
Ichiban Harlem samurai.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I have modeled my entire life after Cam'ron.
I took the same photo.
Oh!
I'm like a Cam'ron reki-jo.
Ca... Cam'ron reki-jo.
Master.
This police officer stuffed animal looks like a sperm.
We are at Nigo and Pharrell's spot, Curry Up.
Thank you. We've got some curry and we're about to meet Rokudenashiko.
She's a very popular feminist artist here in Tokyo, and she's very well-known
for creating a giant 3D replica of her vagina and creating a kayak out of that.
Hello. Hi, I'm Eddie.
Nice to meet you.
I brought some curry to eat.
Yeah. Ooh.
I got some beef tendon curry.
Butter chicken curry.
I definitely tried to eat it about 25 minutes in, and David wouldn't let me.
You got arrested for building a vagina kayak, right?
Mm-hmm.
How is Japanese jail?
What is a manga artist?
Oh, what's this?
"I am the most obscene manko in Japan."
Incredible.
I didn't notice this was a vagina condom.
Oh, what's this guy?
Japanese police symbol.
- Oh, police? - Yes.
- Oh. - He is obscenity.
He is naked, and...
If you look at everything else in the world, they're designed like dicks.
Like, this looks like a penis.
He looks like a penis.
Doug, show us the boom. Definitely looks like a dick.
I mean, even this police officer stuffed animal looks like a sperm.
At a certain point, I feel like you have to show people who you are.
You have to let your guard down and actually live in accordance with how you feel.
- That's tough. - Yes.
Yeah. That's tough.
- Definitely. - Yeah.
Everyone we've met is very, you know, like, there's something bigger than me,
there's something bigger than me.
And there are things that are bigger than us, and we don't understand.
But there's a point in everyone's life
where either you're gonna let people take your life
and take your identity from you or you're gonna fight for it.
You know, growing up in a Chinese family, you're constantly reminded of the history
between Japan and a lot of other East Asian countries.
Japan occupied Taiwan.
Japan attacked the Eastern Chinese seaboard.
And for a lot of us Chinese, you have family members
that died at the hands of the Japanese.
For a long time, this prevented me from appreciating Japanese culture and people.
But over the years, time heals all wounds.
And over time, I've become a real fan of Japan...
the country, the civilization, the culture, but especially the people,
because I've never met people more kind and respectful
and focused than the Japanese.
Japan forces me to reconsider my life, unlike any other country in the world.
Everything you ever wanted to taste, everything you ever wanted to see,
it's probably better in Japan.
I have huge appreciation and admiration for what the Japanese have accomplished.
I just hope the Japanese can appreciate themselves, as well.
Must eat dick!
Oh! Oh! Oh! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!
Ugh! It's hot in here.
Can I get out of this vagina?
I'm stuck! I wanna go!
Bye!
Hopefully, there's some D outside.
All right, Eddie.
Come back before you get arrested.