Japanese Laundromats: a Study in Cultural Differences

[XcodenameSailorMoon]

I'm in NYC and my laundry mat has no attendant and two TVs in it. I haven't checked if the TVs are bolted down but they probably are. But to be fair I don't live in the nicest part of town.

[XcodenameSailorMoon]

I'm in NYC and my laundry mat has no attendant and two TVs in it. I haven't checked if the TVs are bolted down but they probably are. But to be fair I don't live in the nicest part of town.

[XcodenameSailorMoon]

I'm in NYC and my laundry mat has no attendant and two TVs in it. I haven't checked if the TVs are bolted down but they probably are. But to be fair I don't live in the nicest part of town.

[Greatersend]

I'm in New York City and my 24 hour laundry mat have tvs in all aisle, much wider and lots more machines.

[instantproducts]

I assume that's your load of clothes in the washing machine.The majority of Japanese are good citizens and very law abiding. In Japan, it's not big deal to have a beer while you wash your clothes. That is because they don't abuse the privilege. The difference between Japan and the US is that the US is filled with an extremely large number of out-of-control, lawless, drug-abusing, violent barbarians. Everything has to be bolted down and locked in a steel cage while being monitored over CCTV. LOL

[cmbmachine]

I don't think you were qualified to do this comparison video if you had never used one in America.

[esmith512]

One of my favorite comments is about the TV also ^_^. In many USA laundromats someone has to be on duty and on continuous watch full time to make sure the equipment isn't stolen, vandalized, or the recipient of various bodily fluids. Also, the Japanese laundromat is very clean and everything works! No garbage or spilled fluids on the floors, the tables haven't been attacked, and vending machines don't look like they're built for a war zone. The Japanese are more sensible and honorable.

[xastrickxplusx]

cool vid :Di thought it wouldbe alot more high tech actually

[ashestoyoursoul]

there's a tv in the laundromat in Florida

[Qcumber]

An American visiting a civilized country. Interesting. Good vid. :)

[tb7la]

@Qcumber Can't say that about your country when an american visits.......punk.

[boutbusiness24]

nice vid..intro was awesome!!! lol

[Vinniebearinpa]

I worked as a laundry service technician for 24 years and serviced many colleges and universities. Those places are the worst! The kids are all brats and seem to get pleasure out of destroying everything (not just the laundry.) I don't know, when I was their age I had more respect for other peoples property. I mostly blame the parents for this.

[flacaloca]

O_o i seriously dont understand why ppl here are hating on your comments, i thought they were dead on! except for the one about the vomit... college is a parallel world, we do not compare it to real life ^_~

fine not ALL laundromats have attendants, but some do... some that charge you to wash and fold your clothes? and no, its not a dry-cleaner

what i think he was trying to say was: that unlike american society, japanese tend to leave it to the citizens to "look after themselves"

[flacaloca]

my favorite line about the TV

"if it's in an inner city i'd be sold by a crack head, if it's in a small town it'd be sold by a meth head"

nice vid btw V(O_O)V

[theblessedlunatic]

Much obliged.

[racedinghy]

oh by the way

you are taking nothing to the streets

this is anything but journalism

some of us have never been to college

we never learned to barf

in washing machines

[theblessedlunatic]

I don't know where those people learned to throw up in washing machines, but it wasn't in college. I mean, unless that was an elective class that I just didn't have time to take or something.

One thing I did learn in college, though, is the definition of the term "Gonzo journalism" and how it differs from the kind of stuff you'd see on BBC World News. That way, I know when it's misguided to criticize someone for their lack of objectivity and journalistic integrity.

[racedinghy]

you are making bum comparison i have spent lots of time in American laundromats no barf in the washing machines no attendants clean if you want to do a u tube about Japanese laundromats fine do a u tube about Japanese laundromats but skip the editorial about bankrupt American culture

[smith3171]

There are lots of laundromats without attendants in the US. Many use wireless video security now. Although, I agree about the TV.

[lanny109]

We have an attendant in our laundromat. She still has to deal with a lot of shit.

[NickDupree]

never seen an attendant in a US laundromat

[salemcripple]

neither have I

[KarpKomet]

great video Brodudski!!!Awesome...Super...­A+..

[uchihaitachi34]

do you have the address to this laundromat? me and some class mates are going to go to japan for a study abroad trip for about 3 weeks and we need a laundromat.

[theblessedlunatic]

I moved out of my apartment recently so I can't get the exact address, but this particular place is located in Shizukuishi town in Iwate prefecture. It's about 20 minutes west of Morioka, on Route 46. Where are you and your friends staying?

[uchihaitachi34]

we will be staying in shibuya at the children's castle

[theblessedlunatic]

Yeah, it's about a three-hour Shinkansen ride from Tokyo Station to Morioka, so there's bound to be at least one laundromat that's closer to where you're staying in that span.

[DavePerry2012]

Maybe this illustrates some things about Japanese society that you prefer to American (i.e. no vomit in the washers, no need to bolt down the TV, etc.).

[stevengrother]

So, where exactly are you from? I am from Iowa and that is exactly like the Laundromats here, minus the beer and smoke machines. Our don't even have a camera and we have nicer tvs in some of ours.

[eightwillwontcannot]

your car looks like a potato

[theblessedlunatic]

It handles similar to what you'd expect a potato to handle like, too.

[eightwillwontcannot]

pimp my Pomme De Terre

[EricHerboso]

Is that your car at the end? Anything different about it as well, or is it just like the Japanese cars we drive in America all the time?

[EricHerboso]

Never mind -- reading more about your car on your flickr account.

[TheBowlerHatGuy]

you staying for the long run?

[theblessedlunatic]

Thanks for your comment!  I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to stay past March. I wouldn't mind staying for another six months to a year, especially if I can't line something up for me to do back home in America by then, but only if the company I work for was willing to send me to a new city and some new schools. I most likely am not going to like settle down and live here, though, if that's what you mean when you say "the long run."