Life In Tokyo: Vlog #30 Fire & Fireworks

[AMJGFutureJET]

that's funny! that's my birthday! lolz

[AlexendriaCross]

I'm so jealous!!! -.- I'd love to be in japan like you

[MurdocLC]

@AlexendriaCross I say the same thing. T_T

[SaturatedLife1]

Oh my goodness. Two hours worth of fireworks?! They are beautiful but I would die of bordom. Also, when you were having your bagel, I loved seeing the buildings in the shot. I am a sucker for many tall buildings in an area.

[TokyoNerd]

Still waiting on the vlog about Haru...

[eins1zwei2tot]

HUZZAH, today is the day I can finally set fire to my chopsticks to show them my respect. I've always thought " If only there was a day where i could just, you know, burn these chopsticks to show them my respect." Well now i know

[YouveStolenMyEyes]

THAT'S TODAY!! coincedence me rikey

[QuilavaKing]

Fireworks seem to be pretty big in Japan... what are the main holidays for them?

[jizzzzzzzzzzinmypant]

the music the musicians are playing, what are they, what kind of music is that? its superb!

[1996sindre]

sounded like they killed an elephant baby, followed by the mothers cries

[ilovekonno]

the ending was hilarious.

[elitotaku]

the music at the shrine was somewhat relaxing.

[chronicleone]

I love explosions, I didn't think people got bored at fireworks displays. Around Lake Lewisville on the 4th of july two stands set up near a field and hundreds of people park thier cars around and set off fire works for the entire night. I guess they don't let you have quarter sticks of dynamite, bottle rockets, roman candles, and mortars in tokyo though? probably not even snakes or sparklers.

[Afarq]

I laughed SO HARD at the end! I was literally in stitches! Congratulations! I haven't had a laugh quite like that in a while.

[TislamTheGreat]

Peace,

Them nacho's look good.  Funny ending.

PEACE

[neon1evangelion]

omg i just started watching these blogs and it just hapend to be august 4th.........im gona go burn some chopsticks

[amyOfEgypt]

if u wanna see fireworks all at once go to dubai =p

[RARG9]

....Always be Thankful for chopsticks...  =D

[KibaSan1234]

Your paper is in englih? Whered you get that?

[MetalHeadProductionz]

what happend to video #29?

[xSomedayy]

he deleted it cause he made a video to show he was not dead, because there was quite a long time in between videos.

[Faenasaur]

To be honest, I have to say the same thing about fireworks here. >>; I like in a town on the west of the USA and our fireworks take about an hour, but it's about as ridiculously boring. XD

[vin22kevin]

wheres the blog before this??

XP

[mattx017]

DUDE i thought you said you didn't like ponytail and here you are eating a bagel+coffee+newspaper=happine­ss

[atlantlion]

Were the hell is vlog #29 .... i wanna see them all mate i am adicted to these vids.

[reiterdm]

it was repeated so he took it down

[jimmybrite]

wtf happened to video #29?

[accskaguy]

Were there some kanji characters branded/grill marked into the top of that bagel? A rather interesting touch if so.

[cloddiehoppers]

What if those were bamboo chopsticks?

[salforce19900710]

brilliant!!!

[blueravenfire]

right, that's a good way to show your appreciation for chopsticks, burn them to hell. lol XD

the ending was funny.

[lazypuddycat]

I guess it is a way of giving them a sending... a sending off that is.

[foodnoodle]

interesting festival but wat a waste of wood, i couldve used those chopsticks for a lifetime

[YWA32]

thank the spoons that feed you sweet things.

+

aid you when in need

[ocean96113]

they are better than the crap fireworks we have in arizona at least

[japanese1236]

Dude ur videos are awsome!!

[cloddiehoppers]

2:37 Lol, a woman probably taking a picture of cooney

[TimeManInJail]

all at once? everything would be in a lump of different colors and beside even before the start launching big bang the timing and the danger level of one explosion triggering another one, my god...

firework + error = death

firework + error X more fire work = bigger death

[CycocelVocalist]

He should of just faceplanted at the end lol.

OM NOM NOM NOM!!

[00cloudsgirl00]

HAHAHAHAHAAHA YES TOTALLY!! XD

[deadeyeslave]

i cringed when i heard that fucking noise, man i'd burn it down if was there neighbor

[bearscs]

Everyone, support tokyocooney by leaving a comment on the linked page.

(Remove the spaces and replace (dot) with ".". Just simply copy this link and paste it in your browser.)

yourtrip.travelchannel (dot) com/clip . aspx?key=DFD0B2A14304819D

He'd be perfect for the show.

[xxxz3ldaxxx]

kooney get a frekin girlfriend ^^

<3

lol

[ironsaviorguy99]

y was 29 removed

[illPhillis]

cnn content

[animekoi]

it sounded like a dieing goose or dog or something

[iamtheJuJuBean]

nice ponytail ^^

[segatasanshir0]

don't japanese people yell thing when fire works go off like the maker or something?

[daush]

well. those fireworks have a name, depends on the color, power, sound... some people like to watch and try to guess what fireworks it is.

well.. i dont like it either, but its not a simple art.

greats vids anyway!

[Yori38]

they think the sound of a dying cat is music?! Ouch, my ears hurt. So, they burn their chopsticks in order to show their appreciation. Interesting, I hope no one appreciates me in that way.

[fullmetalfunk]

I could not ride in one of those trains i would freak out!

[FatesWishes]

I love my Chopsticks <3

[78will78]

I started watching your videos two days ago, and just can't get enough of them. Hilarious insights on interesting topics. Keep up the good work! Can't wait for my next holiday to Japan.

[6663000]

It really is shame that so many beautiful building were destroyed in the bombings. Most of the reproductions seem nice but it's just not the same.

[healingv1sion]

man I wish a fireworks show in america lasted 2 hours here its like 15 minutes

[jylon42990400]

dude all your vids are sick man. literally. naw jk. lol gay i know. but anyway you should be on a show like on travel channel or somthing man. good job.

[NatalieAnne3]

NOoo! Vlog #29 is missing!

[MetallicaSk8boi]

that music sounds like a pelican in agony.

[kadhine]

LOL, yeah it does!

Actually that type of music is called "Gagaku" which is a really ancient form of Japanese Court music.

[cz8797]

:( Your #29 video was removed for copyright violations! Ah well, love the vids, keep up the great work!

[blulaguna18]

WTF!!! an escalator outside. hmm. thats a first for me

[pokemondude0]

God i love love japans strange customs

[Mcmusiclovin]

The music in the shrine sounds like a cat is crying r something....

[hellobooom]

yes a cat crying cat

[ProGigit]

dam, praying to chopsticks!

[Rival39]

ive watched 30 episodes thus far, and you know what really makes your videos that less enjoyable? In the intro. you have that little guitar theme right? Well there is the first rift which is at, lets say volume 10. The next rift is at volume 15. And not only does it hurt my ears, it makes zero sense. Hopefully you take this into account, as I love your videos.

[guitarcrazy2301]

lol tell me about it when i do it i have to turn my volume to like 4 and it goes to ten lol but his vids are still awesome

[elitechrstn]

Tokyocooney's vlogs are way better than TokyoSam's vlogs his actual user name is spelt tkyosam

[Risaharadamousey]

Japan, The Land of Many Stairs. I learned that the hard way *is out of breath just remembering all the stairs*

[SumAznKid215]

well if they are thankful for it, they will make a holiday for it lol

[lucasmolen]

lol@ the mother's day remark :P

[itsrichardperkins]

You got to have an escalator accessible shrine

[soromon29]

And who was filming you, when you "showed your thankfullness" to the chopsticks, he? Who's your video operator, confess!!! :]

[soulreavean]

I really love your videos , i hope to see japan next year, and yor vlogs are really helpful

[RynAndRae]

your vlogs are awesome! i love them more than any set of videos on youtube.

but they always make me hungry.

♥

[flylikeacow]

Mental note to self: Never ride subway in Tokyo.

Mental note to self: Go see fireworks in Tokyo!

Haha, I loved the ending! That's hilarious!

[minijust]

dude u look so freaking sexy with that ponytail i know u think it's like a mop but u look SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­O FREAKINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG­G SEXY!!!!!!!

[elaurenta]

I agree to some degree.

If I said too much, it'd be wrong. I'm 15. heh. ^_^;

[minijust]

i'm 14...... :P

[elaurenta]

AH! I feel so much better now.

well, I am 14...but I am turning 15 this month...so...

:D

[minijust]

lol....happy b-day i just turned 14 in march so i have long ways to go for :(

[elaurenta]

Thanks! So you are about to end 8th grade?

[minijust]

nope i'm one of the smart apples.....i'm about to end 10th grade

[akasaart]

holy shit

give me all your yakisoba

u can send it

through the tubes of the internet

ie youtube

[hondanorway]

lol, the chopstick weren't pleased, even though you showed them how thankful you were;)

[DahliaRose]

i love the sound of cicadas...sigh.

[Daycomb]

SUGOI! Japanese are so greatfull to everything/everyone! The fireworks reminds me of...Popcorne! ^_^

[Halation2]

LOL at the mothers day comment!

[scotsmanlerxt]

The only sound worse than that odd instrument was my bagpipes when I was a beginner; I sounded like an antelope on fire.

[HeartlesSv420]

Just sittin here enjoying my whopper.. So, I thought of you. lmao

just as you would think "ice cream" if you ever went fishing...

you know.. same principle...

[TiramisuHappy]

I've seen all of his 50 vlogs up to this point (as of 3/7/2008), and this one is still my favorite of all!! It's informational, educational, entertaining and editorially stylistic. And the music selection is just simply awesome.

Of course, Hie Shrine is SO close to where I grew up as a kid all through most of my teenage years, so, I have an obvious emotional attachment to the video as well.

[SatsugaishaTheOtaku]

you make me want to move to Tokyo more every day. thanks dude

[furaidopoteto]

Well if i tried to show some appreciation and burn my chopsticks it will produce a poisonous gaseous substance that will kill everybody around it. (Yours will if they were made out of Chinese plastic too.)

[masterman321]

it was like a chopstick funeral

[weeknightingale]

I AM THANKFUL FOR YOUR VIDEO BLOG!

[lacergirl]

hey dude your videos are great!!!! im heading to akasaka soon for about 9 months of work and travel.... i love your style dude!!

[ryne1413]

HOly shit i thought someone just pulled the fire alarms when that loud noise came in. WHATEVER THAT GUY IS PLAYING HE NEEDS TO WORK ON IT>!

[Zpik3]

I know it's probably just a misconception born from your monologue-esk style of doing your blog.. But you seem to be alone wherever you go. Don't you have any friends/girlfriend?

Kinda sad to go to a fireworks show all alone. =(

[jonny4911]

it sound like a cat is slowly being tortured to death.

[cinecyclist]

wow. the music reminds me of "apocalypse now".

[TkyoSam]

hahaha, yeah maybe not so well on mothers day ;)

[2tonekitten]

I "heart" you vlogs, you make me wanna pack my bags and leave to Japan. thank you tokyocooney =)

[theeProphet]

OOU OOU OOU... I know that sound, of that instrument...

I had a cat that got killed by an out of control dog, and when I accidentally backed over him with my truck, it squeezed the remaining air out of his lungs through his vocal cords, it sounded just like that....

[cyanidecocktail]

When are you doing the vlog on smokey joes sounds interesting?

[vassyakun]

What's the name of that 'musical instrument' @ shrine? [Yes, I'm too lazy to google it ^_^]

[malgos82]

wonderfull

[ironriver]

俺の田舎、今年花火大会なかったんだ...

[Amfibia]

thank you for bringing up this topic. i think it's a shame that we dont have any sporkknifespoon-festival in the west. i think its time to show some respect to all those spork, knives and spoons out there! becauswe they work hard.

[paradoxregina]

Hey, is burn-your-favorite-doll day coming up? Do a thing on that too! :D (I saw that Osbourne girl do it, but would rather see Tokyo Cooney burn a doll) :D

I love these vlogs, wish they were every other day.

[monkichu]

Great video, man. I love your stuff.

[niallcushnahan]

Hey, thanks again for another show! Keep on making 'em

[angelzrain33]

haha love the ending :)

[Vinniebearinpa]

nice vid. the bit at the end was funny!.

[Nashyboyo]

can i grab some advice from u a bit quick ?

i'm going to japan in april and i'm in two minds of where exactly i should go. if you had to make a choice between the kansai area and the kanto area which would u choose ?

[tokyocooney]

You are going to visit or live? If you are going to visit Id probably recommend Tokyo, as it is the most concentrated area for sightseeing.

[Nashyboyo]

i'll be living there for at least 1 academic year. i guess it depends on what i find fun/interesting...i'm a city boy so love the hustle bustle, but i also like things to be cheap. i guess this would be meeting people within the hustle bustle and going out for drinks

thanks, keep the updates coming!

[tokyocooney]

The place you will like most in Japan, is probably the first place you stay. It will special in a way. That said, generally speaking Kansai has fewer Gaijin so if you are looking for the "oh look at me, Im not Japanese" expereince then go there. Personally I prefer Tokyo where being a foreigner is less unique and people stay basically out of your way. Its also a MUCH bigger city than Osaka/Kyoto so there are more opportunities.

[Nashyboyo]

I might choose somewhere in the middle then, as i like both descriptions :P can i ask you something a bit more personal ? what was your reason for choosing japan ?

[tokyocooney]

That question deserves aVlog to itself. Hopefully Ill get to it sometime soon.

[TiramisuHappy]

Do you script out each scenerio (roughly in your head) and map out the places to visit beforehand? Or do you just get out there and start shooting without any specific plan? This particular video is undoubtedly professional level work. I know, because I work in the industry. Good storytelling. Tight editing. Great choice of music. Overall, a very conceptual piece. I absolutely LOVED IT! Nicely done.

[tokyocooney]

Basically I have a rough idea of what Im going to do. I usually dont think much deeper than, "what am I going to do today." I find that if I have a plan of something to do, that makes for a good story thread and it just kind of works out.

[TiramisuHappy]

This is an area I know like the back of my hand because my junior high was within a stone's throw from Hie Shrine. After more than twenty years of living away from Japan, I'm pretty sure I can still walk around the neighborhood blindfolded. But the Chopsticks Day? I'd never heard of it until now.

I just learned something about my native country from a gaijin. ;D Thank you for that!

[sangetsu03]

Damn, you found a much better spot to watch the fireworks than I did. I was stuck in an alley with a thousand or so people watching looking up between the buildings at a narrow band of sky. The beer was good though...

[perfection001]

XDDD I didn't know there was a day dedicated to chop sticks.  I'll have to remember that next year~

[robochrish]

sounds like a constipated whale!! at 1:40 (or maybe its the whale danger call because they saw you?) lol

[dscefonas]

I will try and remember chopstick day next year. Great vlog. Thanks.

[jejgalvin]

AHAHA nice ending man! Wrapped that up nicely haha

[utubething8]

dude, sweet

[YounGrasshopper]

I could walk up the stairs faster than that lol

That instrument would drive me up a wall. Those fireworks are way better than the ones over here though. I've been told that Japan has some of the best firework shows. I dont know if that was one of them lol. And i want that food. give me the food!

[angelusofdeath]

great entry!

lol lots of people... but lots of them in the hanabi fest...

i would feel sofocated there.

and.. the best part was

the super slow scalator shrine lol

that has to be the slowest scalators ever

anyway, kanpai

peace

[sunstarlight]

We`ll do! And a great summer to U 2 ! The ending just cheered the cockles of my heart... You`re truly amazing! :) The other funny thing for me is that now I`ve gotta go to tell mom that her birthday (4th of Aug.) is shared with one of the most 'significant' festivals in Japan. She`ll probably throw after me our own chopsticks....=))

[tokyocooney]

Little did she know the importance of her birthday.

[BeautifulCaius]

Aaaaaahaha, the end was the best. Good ole' Choppys. Love the blogs.

[sukisuzuki]

great ending:)

[mentalelley]

hahahah last part made my night :)

[maneneko]

I love the guy at the shrine looking slightly uncomfortable as the gaijin intently films his profile.

Completely off topic - how many hankachi do you own?

[GaijiinGuy]

awesome vid, keep it up, i like the new text

[auntbijou]

I love your vlog! We've been enjoying this for some time, and my kids' favorite was your trip to Ice Cream City (they were wonderfully grossed out). Love the way you ended this one. *laughs heartily*

[tokyocooney]

Thanks for that!

[deniskneifeld]

hahahaha... damn coney, really funny^^ Keep on filming, GERMANY is watching you*(=.0)*

[SatoNiji]

Haha, you burnt your chopsticks and couldn't eat your noodles! xP Cute.

[catiriveros]

ill mail some chopsticks !! jajaja loved the 'oh crap' look

[picknick21]

I like the ponytail, suits you ;)

and I love the vlogs, watched them all, thx very much!

[0010101253]

whats up with that ponytail?????!!!!!

[tokyocooney]

I know.

[neckleaper]

Never heard of the chopstick festival.Thx for the explanation on YouTube.Really look forward to your videos.

[ekinnike]

Hey  Kevin. If they are thankful chopstix why did they set them on fire... that is literally mean killing the the chopstix

[JonathanTrent]

Would you mind telling me what is the closest subway stop to Smoky Bears? My wife just said that your going to think that I am a freak for responding and e-mailing you so much. Oh.. well... On another note we went to see hanabi at Showa Kinen Koen last weekend and you were right Gaijin look kinda dumb in Ukata's (I believe thats how its spelled). Thanks again!

[tokyocooney]

The closest station is Motohasunuma on the Mita Line, then its about a 5 minute walk north along Naksendo Dori. Definitly worth checking out!

[yamichan]

Because of this video I really wanna go to Starbucks now and get a coffee...

...I don't even LIKE coffee. o_0

Anyways, great vlog as usual!

[kkajapan]

Nice one!! Smokey's looks interesting. Its nice to have a place like that to go to. Have a great summer too.

[yarennnoka]

cool

[balut44]

new chopsticks in the post , will be there end of week .lol

[rocktimo]

hehe funny ending.. really enjoying your vid´s

[vansmells]

I love you man.

[covermeinapathy]

I need to get some nicer chopsticks to eat my FAKE, INSTANT, AMERICAN (lol) ramen with. I've only got a couple pairs from a Chinese buffet sitting around, heh.

PS: Your little ponytail makes me giggle.

[FENIX331]

Do i sense a bit of sarcasm in your voice?

haha

anyways PLEASE put up a video of Technology or Pachinko i think its called...

and is the Japanese language hard?

sorry about all the questions..

[tokyocooney]

Yes Japanese is hard, but I have found studying it enjoyable. (Studying any foreign language takes effort) I think its also harder because Im older and my brain doesnt work so well anymore.

[bluA7]

i don't think its hard at all, then again i'm only 16.

[bluA7]

we have firework shows every wednesday and saturday( over the summer)in Chicago, and i thought those were long.....anyway nice vlog as usual.

P.S. i think its cool that u actually respond back to us not many ppl do that on here. =]

[Nashyboyo]

agreed

[demonwings2421]

Bagel plus six cups of coffee equals even greater happiness...if i do say so myself

[rodgerswan]

another fun video! The music in the shrine was beyond creepy, and I can't wait for the Haru blog!

[Smurfed]

We need a full Haru vlog.

[manmademuzik]

great video once again, mister cooney

do you have any information about the music being played in the shrine? what instrument makes that noise? it's a very fascinating sound.cheers, Eric

[tokyocooney]

More information can be found on wikipedia under the entry "Gagaku"

[manmademuzik]

ah, thanks once again

[KonigsTigger1]

Very nice. Although the shrine seemed a little scary to me, especially with that music playing.

[chubbygirl27]

That was an awesome video, looks like it was a great day. Tokyo seems so offbeat!lol

[MacGeeek]

Great ending. I should have saw that coming. Those nachos looked pretty damn good. Two hours of fireworks!? What the hell... I've been to three fireworks shows here this year and all of them combined wouldn't equal two whole hours. That's just crap.

[poopoo42]

The music was worse than nails on a chock board...

[Keldarain]

Wow the was a cool video. I liked the escalator and the end with the no chopsticks thing.

[Kamirykun]

an escaletor on the temple?

i have learn that japanese people celebrates almost everithing, they have a lot of festivals and celebration days and when i say a lot its A LOT, when your celebrating about your chopsticks...that problably means there are much of kitchenwear to celebrate

[tokyocooney]

To be fair, the escalator is really for elderly people since the Shrine is a the top of a big hill. But to my defense it was really hot that day.

[Kamirykun]

what? oh no don´t get me wrong i´m all in favor of escaletors, those are a LOT of steps on that stair.. plus there´s summer i don´t wanna you suffer a heart atack, then who will enterteing me?

[surfr1]

Once again.  Great stuff !

[pef23]

Great vid!

[Msandroid]

Ahaha love the ending.

Your vids are great ^-^ Thanks.

[crazynolan]

Yeah kevin, you would think, a shrine that has a long history of fire damage would shy away from that element. In a way it's kind of like a fuck you to nature. If they keep that attitude it's bound to happen again.

[SeijiMutoX2]

I thought the Japanese were kind of know for their efficiency...so why are they burning away their chopstixs to ashes...the thing they're thankful for? They could at least recycle them!

Funny stuff about the escalator and the ending! ^^

I think japanese fireworks are pretty, but the length a feature film...phew!

You're awesome, cooney!

[Maxxie753]

What's life w/o a good coffee and bagel in Tokyo?

Wow! Our NYC fireworks are only and hour at best!

This year, Boston's fireworks were better, and it rained mostly everywhere on the Fourth on the North East Coast...