Just Japan Podcast – 217: Adventure in Japan -Softypapa 2.0 (with Kurt Bell)

In this episode, Kevin chats with one of the original Japan YouTubers (jvloggers), Kurt Bell, aka, Softypapa. In the early days of YouTube, Kurt made fascinating videos about his life in rural Shizuoka and brought us along on countless hiking adventures in the deep forests and mountains. We explored abandoned villages and learned about long-forgotten shines with Kurt. After 10 years in Japan, he returned to America. After 10 years in California, Kurt is on the verge of retirement and will return to Japan to continue his rural adventures. Learn more about his amazing story in this episode!

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okay folks it’s another episode of the
just Japan podcast and I’m really
excited I’m very excited it’s been a
long time in coming a long time in the
making for the first time believe it or
not everybody on the just Jaan podcast
it’s softy Papa Kurt Bell Kurt
welcome oh my gosh I I’m I’m I’m I’m
giddy this evening I’ve been I’ve been
with my wife all day today and telling
her all through the day I’m so nervous
about seeing Kevin tonight not because
you’re anyone scary but because this has
been this is like like like like having
you know thinking you’re going to see
Bigfoot for 20
years and and then finally I am the
Sasquatch and here I am there you are
there you are not as hairy as I expected
but but but but just to to go back in
the Wayback machine way back in the day
um we would nearly cross paths over and
over in the old jvlog Community where
there would be a Tokyo a Hanami or a
Meetup or an event down in your your
neck of the wood
and I would like me or with moly we
would go we’re going to go do it and
this is going to be the time I’m finally
going to meet Kevin because Kevin you I
don’t want to make you blush but you you
were a big thing back in the day right
you were one of the you know among among
those early Jay vloggers there were kind
of the elite and you were one among them
and I got to meet a few of them and I
want always wanted to add a a Busan
Kevin meet to my to my little my little
autograph book and it finally it’s
happening 20 years
later yeah yeah it’s it’s um yeah yeah
those in those days we we talk many
times and we you know and I think for
lots of different reasons we weren’t
able to cross paths I was able to meet
Jim many times Molly many times um you
know he came down and and when I had we
he was one of the the big surprises for
my going away party some really dear
friends when I left Japan back in
200 uh 17 he surprised and he showed up
in coob with tomoko and it was really
nice and and I did have a chance to meet
so many people back in those days but
also um you know maybe something we’ll
end up talking about as as we progress
in the podcast the reasons why we both
left um Japan I know for me one factor I
left with a financial piece I never had
the money to go to Tokyo I never had the
money to travel to shizuoka I just never
could afford those big YouTube hanamy
parties and stuff granted you had the
most expens expensive ticket of us all
yeah true I guess that was F farthest
away um except except for me mark down
and Kum yeah true true true and and I
did get to meet him too he came up to
coob at one point for for a Meetup we
had see everybody got to meet Kevin but
me well now now we are meeting now we
are meeting and fin I got and I got you
all to myself yeah no no yeah because I
tell you this one one downside of those
uh Hami parties it was always cool to
meet so many um amazing Jay vloggers and
it was always so amazing to meet a lot
of really cool fans I suppose I’ll use
that term uh followers listeners but
there was always one two or three
followers or fans who were there that
were a littleit too intense um that
would sometimes make it an awkward
experience you know you’re like you know
what though isn’t that isn’t that part
and parcel of the territory of becoming
you know what of of arriving in a way
right I mean I was telling you moiko
about that the other day CU you know my
10 years in America have been like
traveling through you know to to to coin
the term from or to borrow the term from
America a horse with one one A Horse
With No Name through the desert right I
mean I mean nobody gives a damn that I’m
in America everybody W only gives a damn
if I was really in in Japan and so so my
comments have the comments fields in my
videos over these last 10 years have
been kind of a wasteland and it all
friendly stuff and now that I’m starting
to ramp up for Japan again some of the
comments that are the types that can
make you scratch your head are coming
back and I told you I told you days ago
I said ah it’s that’s the price that you
pay once once you start to you know get
there and you had you you were there at
that time right I was there at that time
and I and I like you you know I I left I
left Japan um and uh you know the same
thing you know when I left Japan
everything kind of dried up even even
though I was in interesting places you
know I was in China now I’m in Malaysia
obviously the the interest level isn’t
quite the same um I’ve had I had a
previous guest on the podcast a
photographer noi Alonzo who’s this
amazing photographer he’s based in Korea
but he he makes a lot of trips to Japan
Andes he’s an incredible night
photographer and he’s professional
photographer and he talked about how you
know he’ll put up photos incredible
photos of Korea or other places like New
York City I think he’s from New York and
they do well but when he puts up photos
of Japan they just explode like they
always do so well because people just
want to see Japan um yeah you know
there’s something about it you can you
can just you can attach you know nepon
to anything and it suddenly becomes
interesting in some way especially now
right I mean it’s really in a rarified
air these days yeah no that’s booming
booming booming and you see that um you
know I follow I follow I love to follow
JJ Walsh’s seek sustainable Japan
podcast she’s been on this podcast you
know she’s a big sustainability Advocate
consultant based in hoshima and she
talks a lot about tourism and and that’s
kind of a big she’s a tourism she does
like Consulting with with a lot of
companies in Japan about sustainable
tourism she brings on a lot of experts
about tourism um my parents both worked
for Parks Canada their whole career so I
lived in a tourist town it was always to
talk at our kitchen table in the
evenings about the the the stats and the
ups and downs and that would have been
in the 80s so it’s kind of I’m always
fascinated with tourism but it’s more
than booming now right and in Japan and
and we saw that last summer when we went
to Japan for the first time in three
years it was insane in parts of Osaka
like the crowds of people um but yeah so
like let’s let’s move back here in time
so we um for those who are listening who
may not know who you are let’s do a
little bit of an introduction we’ll go
back in the way back machine back to
those times you were talking about of
being Jay vloggers and content creators
in Japan um so I I was wondering in a
nutshell if you could just tell the
listeners again if they don’t if they’re
not sure who you are a little bit about
yourself like how you found yourself in
Japan and I’d like to know a little bit
about the sofy POA Genesis story you
know sure sure sure and it has nothing
nothing to do with the a lymp palic
when I first came up with that name my
wife said to me she my wife’s name is
yumo and she she said to me Kurt oh
you’re gonna get it for that one I mean
people are just going to be all over you
as softy Pap softy Papa not once in like
18 years or however many years has
anybody because it started it predates
YouTube it the softy pop moniker comes
from my eBay days yeah um not once has
anybody said anything I bring it up more
than you know I never you know I’m a
good of a man I never that never crossed
my mind until you said that now I was
like oh yeah um because I just recall
you sharing photos many years ago of of
you know you being in Japan when you
were maybe not as fit and as and trim as
you are now in pictures with your
daughter and you making comments about
like how you’ve lost weight and you’re
fitter than you were then and you were I
remember you making comments like you
really were a softy Papa you know we
hear those terms uh dad bod which I
proudly I proudly had one of those for a
long time recently have just shaken it
off with a lot of hard
work I know you’re looking good I’ve
seen the before and afters you’re doing
you’re keep it up man oh yeah yeah well
that’s the whole thing I want to be spry
and Ganky when I’m in my 60s and 70s you
know and I was definitely in the path
where I was falling apart in my early in
my mid 40s so uh definitely but we we
can maybe talk about that later let’s go
back to that softy Papa origin story you
bet you so the origin of the the origin
of the name and the origin of Japan so
my Japan story uh goes way back uh to 19
uh hold on I think it was like
83 so well I think 83 was yeah 83 was
the first year I think I came to Japan I
had just picked up the year before in in
high school I had picked up a summer job
teaching English to a group of high
school students in Los here in the Los
Angeles area and I spent the summer
doing that and as as they do they
invited me over and they were scattered
all over honu the main island of Japan
and so I decided the next summer that
I’d take them up on their offer and I
got grabbed my backpack and flew over to
Narita this is way before internet way
before anything this is like the dark
this Dark Ages you know in terms of like
the early 80s and I uh I wandered all
around Japan for the whole summer
visiting all of my students I was down
your way and in Osaka coob everywhere
wow I was enamored of the place of
course as you know we hear that story
over and over again but I didn’t give
Japan a lot of thought after that um I
moved on to my college career and then I
moved on to University and I was bit of
uh my wife’s in the other room I got to
keep my voice I was a bit of a Playboy
back then in school I was dating a lot
of women okay and um not having really
any successes but you know the thing is
you’re you’re in a kind of in it for the
you’re you’re learning how to find
relationships right you’re learning all
about that kind of stuff anyway in my
second to last year of University um I
met yo my wife just kind of in a hampen
stance way um and with and and she had
just arrived she barely spoke English I
barely spoke any Japanese and uh as I
still do
not and so we we ended up dating um and
I realized really early that this was
someone special mainly because of the
fact that she had come to a foreign
country against the will of her parents
just because she had this inkling that
there was something broader and bigger
in the world besides the the very small
sphere that she grew up in in this
little tiny tea farming Village in Japan
and you know how ins some of those
communities can be and not bad not bad
in any way but it’s definitely a small
little Fishbowl world and she had this
curiosity saying there must be more I’m
going to find a way and so even though
nobody supported her she went off in F
she worked two night two jobs saved up
the money came to America couldn’t speak
a word of English wound up in the
northern California she thought it was
going to be like like San Diego and it
wasn’t anyway I realized this is the
woman for me a woman that can take those
kind of chances and go off and explore
the world we’ve been together it’s been
37 years this month wow um that we’ve
been well more than that we’ve been
married 37 years but it’s been together
longer than that anyway so she then
became the Catalyst that brought me back
I graduated from school she we she went
we went over here’s you here’s here’s a
little visuals so from we went from I
graduated from University we went over
to Japan we spent two years in Japan
then we came back to America we spent 10
year 12 years in America had a baby went
back to Japan spent another 10 years
raising them baby in Japan then came
back to America and then we raised that
girl for another 10 years through
University which she’s graduating next
month and and after she graduates next
month we’re going back to Japan for the
fifth and I think the final time yeah
we’re gonna call it quits and uh our
daughter’s got a job she’s heading off
to Tokyo we’re headed back to shoka and
we’re gonna Garden for the rest of our
life nice that sounds beautiful I’m I’m
ready to do that right now but I’ve got
I’ve got more more years of working in
front of me because my kids are uh still
still young uh young you’re you’re I got
10 years on you so yeah you got got I
know I know that last 10 years you’ll
get there no yeah yeah yeah yeah just
remember remember by the time you’re my
age I’ll be 70 yeah well hey yeah know
it’s it’s it’s uh wow that’s it’s it’s a
great story and I love hearing all those
kind of accid the The Accidental ones
are the ones that I like the most you
know me don’t get me wrong for those who
who become japanophiles and love Japan
and are like enamored with culture
whether it be through movies manga all
that stuff toys you know what whatever
it may be um that’s fantastic but you
just kind of accidentally met your
partner let let me let me add something
to that and then enhance on what you
just said right there about being the ja
japanophile I was not a japanophile but
I am now I became one as as did you too
yeah yeah yeah yeah you and I acquired
it I think and it acquired it by way of
exposure right more more than from a
distance right exactly exactly yeah yeah
no I think think we have that like so so
so for me in my case I mean I had I was
working in it similar to what you were
doing well you were doing project
management stuff I think I was a I was a
3D modeler at a game development company
and that was before I was a a teacher
before I moved abroad so I was working
in Canada doing that but I was always so
jealous of all my friends who did like
working who got working holiday visas
and went to the UK for the summer to
bartend or um you know different things
like that oh we are frozen hold on a
second here KT can you hear me can you
hear me
Kurt doesn’t let us down oh there you
are oh yep we’re Frozen now we’re
unfrozen I know what happened there
start we literally on are on other
opposite side of the Globes dude yeah
yeah um but yeah what I was saying was
um I was doing it um I had a wander lust
I never was able to to to kind of you
know see it to fruition um so they just
I pull I you know I I met a guy who was
going off to Korea to teach English back
in like 2000 and then or 2001 asked him
all about it and um got interested in
that went to Korea you know single Foot
Loose fanasy free didn’t know anyone
didn’t know anything about Korea I all I
knew everything I learned from Korea I
learned from the TV show mash um you
know and then I got to Korea and um I
spent five years there teaching decided
I really like teaching and I wanted to
become a school teacher in Canada but I
met and I I met my wife my Japanese wife
in Korea my final year there and she was
teaching Japanese at a language school
we met fell in love i’ had already been
accepted to University in Canada to go
to get my grad to go to grad school and
become a teacher um and uh yeah she came
with well she came with me for part of
the time on a like a six-month tourist
visa and then I said okay let’s let’s
try Japan for a few years um you know
and I got a job at an International
School uh because I was a a licensed
teacher then so flew over and uh and
then I was there for 10 years um like
you and I me I fell like like you I fell
in love with a play through exposure and
you know Japan through osmosis yeah
through osmosis and and I guess like you
like I’ve been I realized that for
financial reasons um and for career
reasons I had to leave and we had that
we used to have these conversations
before before you left when you were
planning to leave I remember us
messaging other back and forth yeah
because I was I was kind of in a bit of
a dark place around the same time that
you were um oh yeah it was dark yeah no
I’m not I mean I can’t speak to you but
I know like for me it was hard because
it was a it was it was a fin strle I’m
an open book on all this stuff so I
don’t I don’t I don’t ever keep I don’t
really don’t keep secrets um but you
know I I I totally know what you feel
Japan has always been a a love affair
with me but I have not I’ve always
struggled with the myself and my
identity my sense of self my sense of my
sense of responsibility as a husband and
a father and I dare say my pride in
myself right and so I Japan didn’t
challenge me in that way Japan was Japan
was like for me and and I haven’t really
told you the softy Papa story so maybe
I’ll back up in a minute and do that
let’s do that but Japan Japan for me was
was like a great adventure but my life
was driven in in that in that period of
my life from my 20s to my to the late
40s with the responsibilities especially
after I became a husband and a father
and so even though I would be out here
here well I don’t have the camera even
though I would be out there in the woods
fil in like this there was a little
cycle there you know the cycle in the
back of my head was was thinking you
know how am I going to pay for college
for my you know what am I going to
be able to do to make sure that she
she’s able to get the right land sale
for next year you know this you know you
know the whole thing right yeah yeah and
it’s just it’s it’s this arm wrestling
match inside your head and I and and and
and the the part of me that was the
responsibility part one out and sent me
away from Japan said go back to America
try try to get your house in order Kurt
and then then once you finish with that
then you can come back and you can compl
play yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I think
that’s I think that’s something that all
of us go through at that stage of our
life to various various levels of degree
right yeah absolutely and I mean that’s
what happened with with us um and you
know it moving abroad and moving to
China in my case although not you know
it was it was it was a financially it
was a a good move and it it gave me a
chance to finally be able to afford to
go say home for Summers so I could fly
to Canada and and luckily you know got
to spend the last couple of Summers with
my father before he passed on and if I
had not made that move if I had and
that’s one thing I always say if I had
not made the move to go International I
was already International but to leave
Japan I never would have had the
opportunity to spend a few more Summers
with my father and my my kids never
would have had those Summers with with
their grandpa and they luckily had a
couple of magical Summers with him um
you know oh yeah it was completely worth
I totally relate I totally relate my
daughter having be being able to hear in
Southern California know her extended
family here Etc the same type of thing
now I’m going to jump to something I
keep promising I’m going to tell who
tell about who softy papa is but there’s
a more pressing and and and Urgent thing
something that I want to talk to you
about I was I was going to save it for
the end but you’ve brought up the mo the
right moment for it this particular sees
this conversation I’ve been meaning to
have this talk with you for about two
years when I first began began to think
about it because you left Japan the way
that in the same way basically the same
way I did as a family man leading your
family abroad to try to basically to try
to find your fortune right yeah yeah
yeah yeah is what is what we both try to
do here’s the here’s the thought that
I’ve had I’ve had and I thought Kevin’s
probably the only person I know of the
original J vog community that can relate
to this because we left yeah and here’s
the
thing it I’m I’m appreciate I can I’m
confident I haven’t gone back yet but
I’m confident I’m going back later this
year I’m confident now that I can go
back and enjoy Japan a new almost like
hitting the reset button like because
when I the way I was I I uploaded a
video on the softy POA Channel yesterday
called um my last hike in Japan and I
remember making that video I watched
that I watched that yesterday I watched
that on Twitter thank you and but you
don’t know if you saw that video was how
burnt out I was how you wrote you wrote
that you said in like that you were like
a basic like a broken person at that
point I was I was but I wasn’t just
broken for a lot of lot of family
related you know cuz because I wasn’t I
wasn’t able to support my family that’s
what L A lot of the broken part was but
I was burnt out on Japan I was burnt out
going into the woods I was burnt out
making videos I was burnt out up with
the Antiques because I was an antique
dealer for a while I was basically just
finished I was exhausted and tired and
Japan had lost its love you know like
when you have a hobby and you pursue it
too hard and you lose all interest yeah
that’s where I was with Japan but having
stepped away for a solid decade I’ve got
it back and that’s the thing I wanted to
talk to you about I think that I’m I
want want to ask you do you feel like
when you go back to Japan for good
you’re going to be able to go back like
a renewed man oh heck yeah that’s an
easy I knew it that’s easy oh yeah
absolutely you know I I see that even
just when I I went back last summer I
mean you know of course I was on a
holiday but I was there for five weeks
and it was just I see it through such a
different lens especially when you’ve
got money in the bank account you’ve got
money in your pocket that you didn’t
have before and you realize I’m I’m here
in a very different way but absolutely
absolutely you know um for me I’ve got
that excitement of yeah that’s what it
is it’s an excitement it’s like it’s
like it’s like the Molly asked me about
this and I we had he and I had a
conversation we went to the Ben bench
when I was back and we sat there for a
while we talked about it and he used to
he used to describe something that he
had he called it the Dark Passenger he
knews he knows me really well what mly
Jim Jim Mullen knows me really really
well and he used to describe something
to me called The Dark Passenger which
was this kind of a and the Dark
Passenger almost never showed up in my
videos but if you knew me in FA really
you could you could see it and he used
to comment on it because Jim doesn’t
have a Dark Passenger you know Jim
there’s nothing there’s nothing hidden
what you see is what you got right right
yeah there’s nothing and he asked me
when I came back last year and I was
there for a month what about the Dark
Passenger Kurt and I said I said Jim
he’s gone that guy’s gone and he’s never
coming back and I can come back to Japan
now and I can enjoy Japan without the
Dark Passenger I’m I’m confident that
that man is gone yeah yeah no absolutely
like for for me I’m probably going to be
working outside of Japan for another
maybe 10 years as well just to and it’s
simply it’s a financial thing I can just
make more money outside of Japan and
that’ll bring you to my age yeah and
then and then you know potentially maybe
a little bit earlier than that we’ll see
but I I mean I’ll be working there but
once I don’t have to worry so much about
the financial piece um like once you
know uh and you know I’m looking at I’m
looking at all these different Instagram
accounts like I know you love sharing
all the AIA and different cool houses
and I’m always looking at those and I’m
always thinking about I know that I’m
probably going to be somehow getting
into some kind of Entrepreneurship I
don’t know if I’m going to have a guest
house or if I’m going to have some kind
of like a BNB or something but I’ll be
doing something cool and I’m looking
forward to having just new adventures
and yeah I’m just you totally are and I
will oh I will yeah I mean it’s it’s h
it’s it’s so cool I mean you know the
the thing and you’re gonna have the
Advent and you’re gonna have a lot of
new adventures between now and them too
oh yeah oh yeah absolutely absolutely
lit I definitely will because because
you never give it up and that’s another
thing and I I’m hesitant to talk about
this in a public forum but I
will here’s another thing that I noticed
from my our experience of of being a
part of the J vog community and again we
haven’t we’ve it’s like you and I have
jumped to C to to the catching up part
without the front loading the stuff I
the J Vlog years and all that stuff but
anyway here’s the thing having come back
to the States and lived abroad again I
realize that okay I don’t I don’t know
how to say this without insulting
anybody that do see this the most
interesting people leave their
countries oh yeah but what I mean by
that is
when we were in Japan and we were part
of the jog Community it was a rarified
atmosphere of those foreigners from
various countries that had basically
said this is all interesting wherever
the hell I was growing up yeah I could
sit here there’s a bowling alley there’s
a theater I can do a job of but I want
to see what’s out there in the bigger
world and I’ve got the courage I’m going
to go do it off they go and then we
wound up all together in the just as the
internet was starting and every one of
those people that formed that jblog
Community were Fascinating People and
Foreigner I ever met inpan that came
fromwhere was fascinating BYT of the
that they had the impetus to go that’s
no insult to those that never leave that
just simply means that they’re a class
they’re a special class they’re a
special group and you know and I’m sorry
for going on and on like this Kevin you
know because I’m sure that I’m sure that
you back in the early days like me were
inundated with people emailing you
saying wow Kevin how did you get to
Japan I want to get there too right yeah
and and maybe maybe out of all of that
of the dozens and dozens and maybe
hundreds of people that contacted me to
do that maybe only two or three ever did
yeah so so what I’m what I’m what I’m
saying to that to that effect is You Are
by virtue of who you are Kevin you are
going to be interesting wherever you are
yeah because you’re one of those people
yeah yeah and I mean like you know here
I am now in Malaysia and I’ve been I’ve
been I’ve been honest with this in in in
recent episodes and some interviews of
the podcast I’m I’m here in a 2-year
contract which most interational
teachers initially sign a two year
contract we already know that we’re
leaving after the two years we’re
leaving Malaysia um where where are we
going we’re not completely sure yet
we’ve got some ideas but it’s just it’s
a matter of two financially it doesn’t
make sense here to be here longer and we
also don’t have the connection because
of course myself my spouse my family
we’re not from here um right but what
another layer so for example my kids
were third culture kids as they get
older you know the the places they’ve
lived the things they’ve seen the things
they’ve done wow you know the
perspectives they have um so different
than what I had but let’s pop back to
those softy po days and we keep talking
about for those who may be new to it we
keep referring to Jay Vlog um softy Papa
so let’s talk about how you got into
making Vlogs because I’ll tell you
before I came to Japan when I was living
in Busan Korea hence that creative name
Busan Kevin when I was living in
teaching in Busan Korea um with my
Japanese girlfriend at the time and
and I yeah and I remember I was like I
think I’m going to move to Japan I’m
getting interested in this and there
weren’t very many people making videos
and there’s two that standed in my mind
there’s some others but the two I want
to mention are you and Tokyo Cooney
Kevin Cooney and your videos couldn’t
have been any more different and I think
that’s why I appreciated both yeah he
was a professional comedian and NHK
personality living in Tokyo who is a
single guy who is funny as heck
the kind of the the the bright lights in
the big city of Tokyo right and then and
then all of a sudden there’s this guy
who’s wanding through the forest of
shoka finding abandoned villages with a
bebell jangling and dangling everywhere
he goes and um yeah both of your videos
got it right here you got I saw you got
a new one right yeah let’s see where oh
oh here it is yep see make it
sound it’s the same sound yeah yeah so
how did how did you how did you find
YouTube and how did you get started
doing that you bet I’m happy to tell the
story and Kevin I
remember the earliest days of YouTube
like like pre almost preformation of the
jvlog community like it was just like it
was like if this was a galactic nebula
the planets were just starting to come
together the planets being the various
content creators right and then the and
then the the solar mass being the
gravity well being that what became J
vlog it wasn’t even formed yet I
remember making early early videos on
what a channel that I call walking in
Japan under the moniker I was called I
called myself softy Papa because my
daughter’s nickname was softy and I am
of course her papa I think I hope so she
looks a lot like me um anyway um I
remember making early videos and there
was a guy that would leave comments once
in a while um by the name of Busan Kevin
and you know and yeah and I you know how
you you get to know the there’s regulars
like there’s people that come and go and
then there’s people names that you
remember now buson Kevin’s a pretty easy
one to remember and your comments were
always nice gracious interesting and
greatly appreciated and then I remember
and so I remember you when you were in
Kev when you were in Korea before it all
came together and then so that what
happened so and thank you Kevin for for
that I appreciate you were you’re one of
my if this doesn’t sound strange you
were one of my earliest supporters
cool yeah yeah back in the early days
and encouragers so to get to the point
of who the heck softy Popeye is um I
started the uh softy Papa as an eBay CH
as an eBay store because I went to Japan
to live and I started an an ant I wanted
to be an antique dealer so I started a
an eBay store called softy pop that
still still exists and I did that for
about five years and uh until the
economy collapsed anyway that was no big
thing here then and I was doing YouTube
on the side starting to make videos and
and I had a special kind of a niche
where I would every two weeks go up into
the mountains behind shoka and the Japan
Southern Alps and wander around all
alone never on Trails never where any
people were always kind of seeking after
in the spirit of Henry David throw and
Ralph Waldo Emerson the Wilder side the
the spirit of wildness right to find
what was out there beyond the beyond the
foot path and I’ve been doing that since
I was a boy um but just how happened I
started doing it with the camera and
starting to share the videos and well lo
and behold people were interested in
that and I started to develop a channel
now I didn’t me mean to become a j
vlogger I didn’t even really realize
that the J vog Community was forming um
and I would say that I missed a great
opportunity because it wasn’t until
after I left Japan that I really
realized that I was part of that
Community but I didn’t really en en en
enjoy that Community I always remained
on the periphery all of you were out
there doing your things and you’re
communicating and doing collabor ation
and I was this guy kind of off in the in
the in the sideline now granted I was
I’m 10 years older than most of the J
vloggers except Victor maybe and and
mlly and so I I was I was in a stage as
a family man of distraction right where
where a lot of the early J vloggers were
still single people so there’s that as
well so anyway just to kind of wrap this
up I spent my career you know as a Jay
blogger basically doing my thing on the
side of the J vog community never really
feeling like I was a part of the
community but only in hindsight
recognizing that I had the great benefit
and Fortune of actually being a j
vlogger um at that time let me open the
door for my dog to come in sure yeah
know and it’s it’s interesting because I
mean you were to speak to a few of those
points I mean you were you were doing
something very unique in in the creative
space absolutely there were not other
people doing like occasionally I’d make
a hiking video but that wasn’t the theme
of my channel just occasionally i’ go to
the mountain and bring a a camera with
me um everyone else was always showing
you know festivals and the bright lights
in big city which is great you know
there’s a place for that and people want
to see that but again with yours and I
still think why I’m so excited for your
return is there’s still no no one has
seemed to fill that that void when you
left like there is no there are some
people do some outdoorsy stuff from time
to time but there’s nothing quite like
that which is really cool there’s
there’s one oh is it really yeah there’s
one although although worry that he’s
not that he’s that he’s not going to
that he’s not going to keep it up oh
okay okay and you know who you know he
is but you may not recall his name it’s
um it’s gingo
toan oh oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah he’s he’s got what it takes oh
God doesn’t he ever right he’s gonna
come on we’ve been trying to connect too
um he’s oh yeah he’s he’s awesome I’ve
been following him on Twitter
since not not super long maybe about a
year or so but Martin he’s just got
something special he really does he’s
got what it takes he he’s he could and
whatever he puts his mind to is going to
be fantastic and great and special I
feel very very fortunate in fact I got
really really lucky I was excited I was
like a school girl squealing this
morning to my wife at breakfast I said
gingo toan finally followed me on
Twitter nice nice we were talking last
summer about him coming on the on the
just Japan podcast we’ve got we just
never seem to make it we got to make it
happen we got to make it happen and you
know what’s most amazing about this and
I was waiting for that too okay because
when I left Japan I was waiting and even
when I was in Japan and we were doing
the J Vlog thing I would kept thinking
certainly someone’s going to show up
that does what I do right they’re going
to go off into the woods and talk and
wax philosoph or attempt to wax
philosophically and and and and and and
and and and think about those things
sharing kind of thoughts and video all
at once right in the countryside alone
no one really ever seemed to do that I
mean I mean some people did but but no
one ever did did in a consistent base
yeah and then lo and behold I find I
discover ging Osan and I think you know
Martin I think I found him through you
The Martin Show yeah the Martin The
Martin Show and lo and behold he’s doing
it in shoka my my stomping ground and
he’s showing Landscapes and mountains
that I am intimately familiar with and
be and this was like you know before I’m
like I’m like wow I’m watching his
videos I’m like he’s showing the clouds
and he’s talking about them and he’s
waxing philosophical and I’m going go
Martin go step off that trail wander
into the woods go find yourself some
some some some philosophy yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah know his stuff is great and he
really does have such a neat perspective
and he does wax philosophical and he
does look at the small things and the
small things that stand out to him and
he notices and and talks about them
deeply and it would be great yeah if he
if he did get into the woods and but I
do know that he’s been I’ve been
watching some of his comments recently
and haters have been getting him down
quite a bit so it’s been that well
that’s that’s just a mark of success
true right true I think know that that’s
an interesting thing when we talked
about earlier about how since we left
you know like you mentioned how like
your comment section has become a bit of
a a void or a bit of a desert and and
the same thing has happened with me and
I mean God man did I ever have haters I
had haters like you wouldn’t believe
back in the day and it was amazing how
you could put it the most innocuous
benevolent well that’s because that’s
because you were probably like one of
the top three you know and and and and
and I’m not talking about like one two
three I’m talking about I’m talking
about a
trinity I mean you were you were Kevin
you were all you and you still are and
this is the thing that pisses me off
about you and you never take my you
never you never took my
advice long long time ago you were going
to change your oh yeah I remember what
it was you well this podcast you
remember when you first started this
podcast you you you were going to you
were Scouting Around for a name for the
podcast right I’m going to start a new
podcast what should I call it and I I
suggest it to you k ke Kevin you’re you
you’re you’re a guy that moves around I
know this is not to say that just Japan
is not a great podcast it’s a fantastic
podcast a fantastic platform and vehicle
for what you’re doing but my point was
this Kevin you’re going to be zipping
around I mean we already know that
you’ve been saddled with Busan Kevin
that you’ve been dragging around Asia
now for a while right look look how that
turned out okay but but the thing was
and I don’t know if you remember me
telling suggesting this to you I said
Kevin your attraction isn’t where the
hell you are it’s you it’s you Kevin
people are tuning in because they want
to hear what you have to say they’re
interested in your life they’re
interested there should be something
like Martin did The Martin Show right it
should have been I I or the bean pod
right Casey bean bean pod the bean pod
is perfect and it’s portable that’s his
name right it’s literally his name is
Bean it is yeah it is he ironically into
gardening so like At first I thought it
was because he talked about gardening I
didn’t that didn’t click for a long time
I was listening to many episodes I’m
like the bean pod because he is it
because he always does like his G update
I didn’t realize that his last name was
Bean for a while and I thought it was
all about gardening too and I want to
thank you for that as well he’s another
one of the persons that I was I follow
he’s a special one too right oh very
much so and and and um Joe as well of
course and uh you know which I guess we
can call him now um isawa Summit to see
because he’s going solo on that one now
now now now that we started to drop
names well I’m I’m going to stop because
I’m sure I’m going to miss a lot of
people true true true but this is
something else I wanted to share with
you that that I I’m very excited about
and before I do that though I wanted to
hope you got the spirit of what I was
trying to say there it’s not that just
Japan was a mistake it’s just that Kevin
you are an interesting person I think I
hope that you as you proceed with
whatever you do in life wherever it is
to remember that wherever you are is
just a bonus you’re an interesting
person and PE I I can’t speak for other
people I tune into your podcast because
I want to hear what you’re saying and
the people you’re talking about and hear
those conversations enough said okay
well thank you very much and you know
that’s that’s actually something I’ve
struggled with over the years too um but
what you’re saying because I’m always
like do people really want to follow
what I’m doing or is it the place you
know and then you know it’s but they do
they you’re interesting Kevin you’re a
fascinating person and the more honest
you are and the more open you are and I
know I know you always are but to to the
best we can I mean we struggle as but
quote unquote public figures right yeah
and sometimes we have to be careful with
how honest we can be when we’re working
in different settings abut we always
kind It’s gotta be in the you got to be
mindful of like who’s listening short
short short aside okay just a short
aside and then I want I want to talk
about I want to talk about the jvlog 2.0
okay yeah yeah yeah okay short as side
um I work in it I work for an IT organ I
work for an organization that has 32,000
employees and uh I’m a project manager
uh for it’s it’s the count it’s the
county of Riverside California and I
worry like you just described about you
know what I say in public and I and I
post everything that I post everywhere
on LinkedIn too right which is you know
because that’s because I’m switching I’m
switching from being an IT professional
to being this right yeah and I was in
the office uh this week and I popped out
of the elevator and who was standing
right in front of me the chief
technology officer right and and he and
he and he’s we’re connected on LinkedIn
right and I’ve I’ve been posting stuff
like stuff about like you know you
you’ve seen what I’ve maybe you’ve seen
what I’ve posted about you know about
how my gosh I can’t wait believe I spent
all so many years of my life kill you
know giving myself over to the machine
and I’ve been a work slave anyway he
pulled me aside and he said Kurt I’ve
been I’ve been following what you do and
I I I really am excited for you and I
gota let you know maybe just a little
bit jealous nice
yeah I just wanted to put that aside
that that even when we’re sh in the the
hard stuff as long as it’s genuine I
think it can be received oh yeah yeah
yeah but that said in a place of school
we do have to watch our Step at school
we we do we definitely do and I I think
one of the things that I learned over
the years and I learned this just before
a few years before I left to Japan was I
decided and one of the best ways for me
to Abate trolls was to just own who I am
where I work what I do and just to be
very honest and as long as I’m producing
content that’s going to be okay with
everyone so for example I’m happy to say
I’m Kevin O’Shea I’m a year three
teacher and social media coordinator at
the International School of panang
Uplands in panang Malaysia and that’s
where I work I run the social media
channels at the school I create content
for the school I’m a teacher at the
school I run sustainability programs and
I talk about like this is who I am this
is where I work and I’m very honest and
then and then and then the people like
the my head of school loves what I do
the deputy head of school loves what I
do the principles love what I do so if
any Nutter comes out of the woodwork and
and messages them with an angry thing
saying I was watching this video and we
don’t like what he’s doing and he you
know I’m hoping that my head of school
has watched those videos too and and he
probably has because they you know what
I mean so like when it like I’m when I
when you’ve got nothing to hide and
you’re being very honest about it you
know and that can but you know at the
same time I also when I’m on social
media I don’t want to talk about certain
I don’t want to talk about politics but
Kevin there’s something else as well and
you and me and moolly share this I don’t
know if we do it consciously or not but
we don’t have we don’t have to worry
about two things we don’t have to worry
about being disingenuous because it’s
not in our nature disingenuous and two
we don’t have to worry about insulting
people through profanity or vulgarity or
or we don’t use we don’t do that we
don’t do that and we and we typically
steer all three of us typically steer
through clear of controversial subjects
it’s not that we’re afraid of it it’s
just that we’re not none of us are
interested in that yeah we don’t
want to talk about that I don’t want to
talk about that stuff here I can’t
believe it see just I just
slipped yeah but you know what I mean so
in in a sense we’re safe of that what we
have to worry about as teacher as I was
a teacher before is of course compromis
compromising the safety or privacy of of
our students right which which we
trained ourselves never to do yeah yeah
yeah oh yeah those are things you don’t
see in my my social media like you don’t
see um but okay so let’s go to J vog
let’s talk about that okay I want to
thank you for this you’re the one that
did this because you’re I was never a
Twitter person or X person um I was
never a user of X and I noticed that you
through you an increased you and I
started to get interested in it and I
and I started to use it and then
suddenly I realized Kevin’s like this
guy and real it was kind of a iopener
because remember back in the J blog days
we were this tight well somewhat tight
we were pretty tight some of you were
really tight more titer than me
Community we did stuff we were like we
were like family in a way um and and
then that kind of just all fizzled away
and it never never really came back but
then I suddenly realized Kevin’s over
there he’s got a new
girlfriend her name and she’s she’s a
little blue bird and her and her name is
gajing Twitter yeah yeah yeah yeah
exactly and and you were the one that
and you even told me some names Kurt you
oh you Kurt if you’re going to go you
got to follow you know I’m going to say
a couple of names you got to follow like
like like gajing Mommy
and girl yeah yeah exactly you gave me a
couple names and so I went in and
started f following these people and I’m
going oh my gosh Kevin’s right a new
generation has come
up right yeah but they’re just not on
YouTube you know they’re just not on
YouTube and they’re creating amazing
content right amazing and very
interesting people yeah FC I can send
you more names I don’t know who you
follow but there’s so many and I mean
that’s that’s the one thing like you
know so many of us lament in different
ways of X when it became X and when Elon
bought it and and he purged staff
it did definitely in many ways go
downhill so like for example I I had one
foot in Legion Twitter but I had another
foot in teacher Twitter as a as a
professional that was the place to be
but not anymore like teachers left like
in droves and this kind of once that was
a really kind of vibrant teacher
creative Community with amazing
Educators showing the stuff they’re
doing they all went into LinkedIn um so
now LinkedIn is is growing and becoming
such an incredibly powerful Place
professionally um so that’s but and I
mean you you see what I prod what I what
I put in the in different spaces I I
just put mostly professional stuff on my
LinkedIn that’s mostly just like work
stuff teacher stuff um because that’s
the place for it and then I keep all of
my other things over on Twitter and on
Facebook and stuff like that and
Instagram um but but that Twitter has
that community and I love that that’s
you you know what that made me realize
that made me realize that it’s it’s not
it’s not a loss okay it’s a natural it’s
a natural progression and
succession this is not to say that we
you and me and our generation and the J
the original J vog Community are done we
had our time in the sun it doesn’t mean
that it doesn’t mean we can’t
participate now but but I don’t know I I
certainly I watched the I watch the ging
Twitter I think think that’s what
they’re kind of called Loosely called
Twitter yeah yeah that’s what everyone
yeah and I feel like I feel like um you
know an an old from an older generation
kind of watching the fun and and and
enjoying every moment of it and getting
to participate in even a mile
manner is is a great and personal joy to
me I really love it that’s awesome
that’s awesome Mak me realize that it
makes me realize that it’s not dead it’s
just transformed yeah and once you start
your journey again in a few months and
you’re back there and you’re producing
Japan content you you have this audience
this cheerleading section support
section once you start building the
relationships with these incredible
people who are gu in Twitter you
know they’re gonna boot me out
but it’s no because you don’t know
what’s coming man I’m I I got a Title
Wave of tsunami coming so well you know
what I think there’s gonna be a lot of
people who are going to be really
excited to see that and to experience
that and it’s uh the same people who are
going to be really excited to see this
because um I’ll put this on YouTube this
video I usually don’t put a lot of these
on on YouTube but I I definitely will
this one because I know there’s going to
be so many people who are going to be so
excited to see this and you know it’s
you know it’s really cool like we had an
experience over the summer when we were
flying here to Malaysia we were in
Ottawa airport in Canada um and uh my my
daughter especially was so amazed when
this young guy walked up to me and he
was like are you Busan Kevin like
literally like that at the airport was
this guy in his in his 20s and I was
like yeah and he was like and my whole
family he was like I’ve been watching
your videos since I was a kid I love
what you do and my whole family was just
like and he told me about how when him
and his buddies were dreaming of moving
to Japan one day they were like in
middle school and they were watching
they’d sit around and watch my videos on
YouTube and I was just like that’s
amazing I got a selfie with him and
stuff and then um that kind of made it
real and it was neat and then I I saw a
comment under a video I posted the other
day where it was um a teacher who lives
in Japan and he said he’s like an
international school teacher he’s like I
never thought about going International
until you suggested I go International
years ago he says and now I just bought
my wife and I just bought a house in
yokahama oh wow and I was just like wow
so I was the Catalyst for him leaving
his own country to go abroad and teach
internationally now he’s like just
bought a house and I’m like that’s
incredible like the influence that we
had over people and will in the future
and it’s a very it’s a very satisfying
feeling isn’t isn’t it yeah I want to
ask you a question so I want to get your
perspective because you and I are on a
similar tra trajectory so to speak right
we right now we’ve we we’ve to keep with
that Celestial body thing we’ve we’re
like we’re like Haley’s Comet we’ve
we’ve pushed our way way out into the
outer orbit but we’re both on a on a on
a on a course to come back to the solar
mass right um I’ll be coming back pretty
soon and then you will be too what do
you envision now now you’re still some
years out so but what do you envision
for your
return what do I Envision for my return
like what what am what am I hoping like
as a content creator just like in
general yeah yes as as a content creator
as as a as a person among the media I
think for me and it would be a very
different take I think for me what I’m
looking for what I’m what I would
ideally like would be me coming back I’m
I’m hoping within say the next five to
six years I’m going to buy a home in
Japan and I won’t be living there yet
but I’m going to buy a
property ideally maybe somewhere in hogo
prefecture and I’m going to have that
house not like a not a super super old
fix me uper Ika but maybe something
that’s a bit newer but nothing new but
something and I picture myself coming
back to Japan on summer holidays and
spending my my Summers repairing
building taking care of a home I I
suspect there’s going to be less of me
going back to Canada as as my as as I
kind of have less and less connections I
know you have no connection in your
hometown anymore right no zero yeah
nothing at all and so like and then my
my family my extended family who who are
wonderful and lovely but I didn’t grow
up with them and they’re in a community
that you didn’t grow up in they live in
other part of the other part of the
country so when I do go back to Canada
I’m going to a community that I didn’t
grow up in I don’t know anyone there um
you know I I know my brother and his
family and my mom who now lives like in
a care home so that means is Japan will
be home oh absolutely absolutely and I I
picture myself um you know doing like
hobby gardening or maybe a bit more than
like you know maybe farmers markets on
the weekend selling my things um and I
picture documenting that and and sharing
that kind of life it’s going to be a
slower life maybe I’m working part-time
somewhere maybe I have to do a bit of a
side hustle maybe a business of some
kind maybe I’ve got like a you know a
guest house or something like that and
I’m kind of documenting that life I
think that’s what I’d be doing that’s
very different but that’s kind of my
dream I guess I guess then I have to
phrase it somewhat differently because
um maybe it’s maybe it’s because of my
proximity to the moment right I mean up
until up until like the last six months
what you just described was exactly what
I had in mind right okay and I I guess
it’s also kind of like you know you can
think of roller coaster looks big the
biggest scariest roller coaster in the
in the amusement park looks like fun
until you get to the right to the roller
coaster you’re about to get on right so
I’ll I want to confess to you I’m I’m
eight months out from from departure
yeah yeah and I have never been more
afraid of going to Japan than I am now
oh really okay
and that’s what and and so I was I was
hoping to to get your thoughts but I
think you’re too far away
to it’s not because I know because I
know that like I realize that I’m
professionally gonna be making another
move to another country to a new job
before that happens so I’m gonna have
I’m gonna have other big life
transitions before I have that Japan
transition because here’s the thing I
mean as as is and it’s only been like in
the last six months okay before that I I
planned to I decided to retire a year
ago and uh and I gave notice at work
which was the best thing I ever did
because they basically said oh you’re
leaving in a year okay we’re not going
to give you anything else to do kind of
okay yeah and so so anyway here’s the
thing for the for for the first six
months of that it was all wow the end is
coming wow I’m going to be free what am
I going to do and then it transitioned
six months ago to oh my gosh what the
hell am I going to do right what am I
going to you know this fear of not
having the benefit of the distra action
of raising a family and go a job that a
demanding job that requires everything
and all the worries that come and are
incumbent upon that this the fear of not
having that anymore and to be left to my
own devices and I and I think I’m
starting and I’m starting to real worry
that I’m not up to that
challenge okay interesting which sounds
like a very first real problem for sure
but it’s real oh yeah that’s not a first
real problem that’s a very real problem
for
yeah again I think I I don’t have a
perspective on that at this point
because I’m too far out and because I I
still know that like you
know when I have hard days at work and
I’m feeling burned out as many Primary
School teachers do and each year is
really different and challenges are
different every year where you face with
the kids who are in your room right and
and I have hard years and years that
aren’t so hard last year I had a pretty
good year professionally um this year
it’s pretty good too but next year could
be completely different depending on the
CRP of kids I get and it really is like
that when you’re a primary school
teacher um so for me it’s it’s often a
year to year thing but for me again I
guess I know that I’ve got so much more
of a working life ahead of me before the
the r word the retirement word um yeah
and I don’t think I’m going to be in a
financial position to be honest even in
my 60s to fully retire I’m going to I’m
going to be working I think to some
capacity um whether it’s Entre in an
entrepreneurial way running a business
or or even like working you know part
time doing something I’m going to have
to um and part of me wants to as well I
I I want to kind of just be active and I
think um if if I’m running some kind of
a business now if you’re obviously we
both know that if you’re if you’re a
content creator and a very dedicated
content creator that’s a job too I mean
hopefully you can reap Financial rewards
from it that are worthwhile but it’s a
lot of work when you want to create good
content for people and I know I know but
it’s but is is it sustainable full-time
right or even part-time I mean uh I’m
like I make zero money now doing
anything like I make nothing so there
was a point in time like in the J Vlog
days when um you know I was there were
there were some boom months and years
where there was there was a few years
where I was making I want to say five
six hundred bucks a month um there were
there was a few videos I put out that
went viral I that had um I always like
to tell the kids about how I had one
video in one weekend I bought a new
Macbook Pro because of a video um that’s
like one one video I made in Cobe about
construction workers I I filmed went
viral and I made like I made like Sanju
man yen in in two days you know it was
just and I literally like that next
month when I got that pay in my Google
AdSense went in my account I went and I
bought a MacBook Pro um my first MacBook
you know it was just but but then it was
and now I make I think like last month I
made like
$245 yeah
I guess that’s R the rise of patreon and
all those other well that’s and that’s
modern content creators have to do all
that in order to if they have to build
they build an audience and then with an
audience if they have a supportive
audience that’s large enough I suppose
I’ve tried patreon I think but that like
I’ve been trying to but it’s not working
so um no one no one’s coming over to
join the
party yeah yeah well wait till you get
back to Japan maybe yeah yeah so it’s
it’s it’s interesting I’ve given that a
try because um but you know that’s
actually I think for me it’s a shift and
I think what I’m one thing I’ve just was
thinking to myself recently is I’m going
to stop talking about stuff during my
podcast like about come and support me
here come and go like I I I think I’m
just that’s flogging a a horse that
shouldn’t be flogged at this point um
and I’m just going to make content and
enjoy making content and not think about
any kind of financial thing because it’s
not I’m not in a position I think where
I’m at the interest maybe isn’t as
strong I don’t know I’m I’m not I’m I’m
not I don’t know how to navigate those
Waters either so I I largely avoid all
of that as well lar because I just don’t
know how to do it I think I’m just going
to get out of the water like that water
I mean I’m GNA create content but I
think like the whole like patreon and
this and that trying to monetize it I’m
just gonna um just put that on the back
burner for now because it’s uh yeah I
think I should just focus on on the
content can I share with you something
else so so so this is this is an
interesting opportunity talking to you
like this I don’t I don’t ever have any
chances really to talk to anybody
anymore from the old days Molly and I
talk practically every day on on his
Discord but it’s we don’t have the same
talks that he and I used to have but I
want to talk to you about something else
this is this one’s a little a little
trickier a little harder for me to talk
to talk about as if as as if as if
running into an existential crisis
returning back to Japan wasn’t hard
enough there’s something else going on
and that is I’m I’m 50 I’m going to be
60 next month
and beginning at about
58 my my body has begun to and I talked
a little bit to you about this yeah we
kind of message each other about this
yeah and and I know mly gets up he
doesn’t like it when I talk about this
stuff okay but but I see death coming
for me okay and
and it’s IM it’s it it
looks how do you say this
it’s it’s driving me to forward to act
because I I see it coming and I don’t
know what I don’t know what I’m trying
to get in sharing this with you but I
this is going to come through and
whatever I do in Japan whatever my
videos are are going to be in part not
only a Chronicle of my experiences in
Japan but also a Chronicle of wow this
uh this Mortal coil appears to be a
little less mortal today than it was
yesterday well you know it’s it’s
interesting enough I listen to a podcast
a comedy podcast called tellum Steve
Dave and I’ve been listening to this
podcast they’ve been doing it since like
2008 when I my first year in Japan I was
listening to these guys and it’s it’s
three guys based in the United States
and um they kind of got a big bump
initially in their uh podcast when they
first started because they were friends
with Kevin Smith the movie producer and
director they grew up with him they were
childhood friends so two of the guys
went to high school with Kevin Smith and
Kevin Smith when he became famous he
opened up a comic book shop and one of
these guys was the manager of the shop
and so there were three guys then
there’s um U um Brian Johnson um who and
then uh um Brian Quinn no no no
different no no not that not that Brian
Johnson um I don’t and there was a guy
named Brian Quinn who is now of
Impractical Joker’s Fame the famed
American Comedy TV show and um oh my God
I can’t believe my I’m brain farting on
uh another name but so the three of them
were were doing this podcast and when
they first began they were I mean it was
2008 or so and they um one of the guys
Brian Quinn was a firefighter with the
New York City Fire Department and the uh
one of them managed a comic book shop
and the other was just
unemployed and then what happened was uh
oh yeah Walt Walt Flanigan um and what
happened was over the years they’ve been
doing this podcast consistently for
years Uh Kevin Smith was to get a TV
show a reality TV show filmed at his
comic book shop called The Comic Book
Men and two of them were in that show
for six years and then Brian Quinn who
was a New York City firefighter had a
group of friends childhood friends who
had a comedy troop called the tenderloin
they ended up getting the show in
practical jokers and they all became
famous and Brian Quinn is still super
famous with Impractical Jokers and like
you know he’s got millions of followers
and it’s like but it was interesting
I’ve watched this progression of them
from they were just like a bunch of guys
who had a podcast and the ELC kind of
got famous and then that TV show got
cancelled the Comic Book Men but one of
the things now is like two of them are
like 55 or 56 years old and Brian
Quinn’s my age he’s like 48 and they now
a a constant topic that comes up in
their podcast episodes is this thinking
about death and I realize I’m not young
anymore and I Creek and I hurt and this
happens and do you guys think about like
when the number comes and they say well
yeah we’ve got we’ve got less ahead of
us than we did behind us now and this is
like a constant thing these three men
are always talking about um is about how
they as they look in the future and they
realize that their future is not going
to be as long as the past
and and like they’ll be like one guy’s
like I I stay awake in bed at night
thinking about this the other guy’s like
I don’t do that but I do think about it
a lot and I got to admit like I’m in my
40s I’m in my late 40s and I think about
it sometimes now too that’s the thing
yeah that’s the thing it and and I I’m
trying to think about how I’m going to
weave this into whatever I’m going to
become in Japan what this I call it this
softy pop out 2.0 because I think you
maybe remember I had a couple of
different brands I had the walking in
Japan brand the Aban in Japan brand and
I had this really weird brand called
ly’s brother do you remember that I
remember that yeah I remember them all
yeah Lyle’s brother was the videos that
I did when I was I had a a thought I
throw the camera up and talk at the
camera while I’m walk into work about
pontificating about whatever whatever
the heck and I’m I’m thinking now that
that’s but I never I rarely talked about
death it was talk it was more talked
about the uh you know various other
Challen various other things but I want
to weave this in this is really
fascinating and what you the anecdote
that you just provided helps to bolster
the fact that this is something that’s
form that’s becoming front of mind or
people that have are reaching their late
50s and I think it’s I don’t think it’s
a unique thing to you at all I think
it’s again I’m just in my late 40s and I
think about it sometimes but why is it
that nobody wants to hear me talk about
this you know every time every time
every time I talk about I try to talk
about this with anybody the the reaction
is always the same it’s like Oh no
you’re plenty healthy you got lots of
years ahead of you just I don’t think
anyone want I think people don’t want to
I think I think people don’t want to you
know but I here’s what I want to do I
want to talk with someone and say Hey
listen okay so you feel it too so what
if we’re lucky we’re GNA if we’re lucky
we got maybe another five seven 10
Summers left good Summers left in us how
are we going to capitalize that how are
we going to utilize those this is Kevin
what prompted me to retire at 60 was
because I was like holy crap I’m not
going to trade time for money I don’t
want to wait until I’m 67 so that I can
be be decrepit with a big bank account
right I’d rather go out at 60 struggle a
little bit for a while but at least
still have my my vitality and it’s
because I’m thinking these these
thoughts and and and I think they’re
very useful thoughts I’m just I’m just
sharing with you I want to season this
new softy popup 2.0 with with
mortality yeah well hey go for it I mean
it’s h it’s uh I think again I think
it’s something that is front front and
center for a lot of people and I think
just people there’s people who don’t you
know denial ain’t just a river in Egypt
right you know and there’s people who
don’t they don’t want to think about it
you know think about that typical thing
when I talk to women co-worker over the
years women female co-workers of mine
who often you know I had a team of
awesome awesome ladies I worked with a
couple years ago I was the only male on
the teaching team we had like seven
classes in kindergarten and I was the
only male kindergarten teacher on the
team and they talk about this and that
very year I had a lot of health problems
so um you know I had a crisis what do
they call crisis level hypertension so I
basically have stay listen this stage
three hypertension if I don’t take
medication like my heart like my my
blood pressure is so insanely high but
that’s it’s a genetic thing um so I’ve
got really high blood pressure I was
overweight U had a some
potential liver stuff that was going on
because I drank too much and all these
things kind of came
together all at once and then it was a
kind of a Health crisis for me and one
thing I learned from that is now when my
body tells me something I go to a doctor
like when I’m worried about something I
don’t I don’t sit on it and that’s one
of the things that she a couple of my
colleagues were saying that like so many
like of their husbands they get a health
problem but they don’t do anything about
it they don’t go go to a doctor they
don’t get a check they just sit on it
hoping it’s going to go away hoping it’s
going to go away I don’t know if it’s
always a man thing or not but may maybe
it’s not that’s just a stereotype but
there’s a lot of people I think a lot of
people in the world when something’s
wrong they they just kind of hope it
will go away on its own I think when I
was in my 20s I used to be like that
with utility
bills they’ll go away on their own I
don’t have to pay those do I um but
maybe maybe people just don’t want to
talk about it because they it brings
things front and center to their mind
you know they don’t want to hear yeah
well they’re a lot people are afraid of
death andity so so the the approach that
I’m going to take and then what I would
like to do then is is is share with you
what’s coming because I want to I want
to give you a preview of what softy Papa
2.0 is look like looking like but but
before I finish this this death thing I
want to tell you what my Approach will
be so the approach will be not health
and fitness and and wellness although
those things are certainly important it
will be something that you may have
heard me say in in the in the past about
being always ready to die right having
life in a state of
you talk yeah you talk about that often
in your videos and your post and things
yeah yeah I do because something we
haven’t talked about at all was the fact
that I wasn’t not doing anything this
last 10 years I’ve spent the last 10
years very busy in the United States
with a completely different project yeah
called you know the going the writing of
going alone oh yeah you’re you’ve been
incredibly active over these years
absolutely development of the good life
Creed and I’ve written five you never
slow down yeah you you ramp it up if
anything this is the fund the if that’s
the right word has been phenomenal since
coming back to America as as the man
once said America has been very very
good to me right so um so so but that
that has what it’s happening that is is
in writing going alone and in developing
The Good Life Creed and taking on this
methodology for Life a very stoic
outlook on life I’m bringing that back
to me with the Japan whereas before this
this ly’s brother guy was basically a
pontificator without a without a clear
philosophy I didn’t have a Creed now
I’ve got a Creed now I’ve got a purpose
now I’ve got a now I’ve got a story to
tell in bringing that back to Japan so
let me give you a preview you didn’t ask
but I’m going to give it to you anyway
of of what softy POA 2.0 is going to
look look like so get ready all of you
out there if you see this if you’re
following me anywhere on any social
platforms get your unsubscribe buttons
ready because um Kevin do you remember
when that one of my other brands was the
YouTube bullet train yeah I do remember
that yes yes yeah do you remember what
that was all about that was like super
short videos right that was super short
videos the the slogan for that channel
was shorts before there were shorts
actually they were they were my My
slogan was Japan at the speed of Life
yeah and I was I was basically whatever
I saw that I was interested in there’s
something over there there’s something
over there and I would upload like 50
short videos a day to that channel
remember that and that was do you
remember that was the day when you had
to earn your Partnerships with YouTube
right I started that channel a one we I
woke up one morning and got an email a
personal email from YouTube saying we
love what you’re doing we’ve monetized
your channel nice I didn’t even I didn’t
even have to apply to the partnership
thing so since since then I’ve lost I
forgot the password I don’t even have
access to that account anymore oh that
happened with me that the side note that
happened with me with my jayand Kev
Channel I I I lost I I no longer have
access to that YouTube channel it’s
still there I watch videos on it
sometimes I’m like that’s how you became
mad for Maple yes yes yeah I I know
every time every time I see mad for
maple on X I’m like I know how you
be I know I know it must NW at your
gut NWS at my gut that I can’t access
one of my most popular channels
yep anyway so so that that that concept
I’m bringing that back so so here’s the
thing here’s the setting for for for for
forof Papa 2.0 I am I’ve got eight more
months of work left left in me although
I’m Ed to work a few more months
something’s going on at work they
they’ve there’s some incentive that’s
come my way to maybe stay stay into the
first part of of 2025 although although
yo was telling me don’t go you’re coming
over okay she she even threatened to
come back in December and drag me back
so because she’s my wife is going next
month she’s retiring at the end of this
month she’s got she’s got 13 days work
days left she’s retiring at the end of
this month and then she’s hopping on a
plane with my daughter so I’ll give
everybody a synopsis because they don’t
know all this stuff is that all right
yeah sure okay so my wife’s done at the
end of this month my our daughter Emily
is graduating on May on May 21st both yo
and Emily my my wife and daughter are
getting on an airplane on the 22nd when
they get to Japan um uh Emily’s going to
be met by her friends in Tokyo my wife’s
sister’s going to meet her in Tokyo and
they’re going to go back start their own
lives my wife’s job is to find us she’s
going to buy a car and then find us a
house we’ve got a short list and she’s
got it all set up and go buy us a house
well well that’s all happening I’m going
to REM here cuz I’ve got two little dogs
that I’ve got to ship to Japan and
they’ve got some time left and I can’t
get them until until the December so I’m
going to stay here now but once I get to
Japan like I said get your unsubscribed
buttons ready because when I arrive I
haven’t told my wife yet but just before
I leave I’m going to get myself a new
iPhone 16 Pro the big one and I’m going
to get myself one of those Mofi things
the the Chargers right oh yeah yeah yeah
and I’m GNA arrive in Japan so the
battery Never Dies right and I’m GNA
arrive in Japan I’m gonna walk off that
plane Kevin YouTube bullet train is back
nice okay so but that’s not going to be
happening on my YouTube channel that’s
going to be happening on my social media
feeds my YouTube channel is going to be
a far more curated things there’s going
to be three maybe four brands that I’m
going to bring back I’m going to bring
back the walking in Japan Japan brand
which is me out in the wilderness alone
exploring I’m going to bring back the
real Japan monsters brand which is
insects and animals love that and I’ve
still got I’ve still got the good camera
for it I’m going to I’m going to bring
back wait for it the abandoned Japan V
brand that’s coming back in force right
yeah although the abandon Japan’s going
to be a little bit different you may
remember that I disappointed a lot of
people when I did abandon Japan because
I almost never went into any buildings
maybe I would poke my camera through the
window yes now I’m going to be even more
respectful in circumstance circumspect
I’m not going into any building you so
those of you that are going to watch the
abandon Japan in the future it’s going
to be it’s going to be an old man’s
version Oh there’s an interesting AIA
building from the distance I think this
is just about where the property line is
that’s as far as I’m going to go okay
because I I have I have mellowed and I
want to respect the privacy because you
know just as well as I do that in Japan
it’s not about the laws it’s about the
etiquette and the propriety of it all
right absolutely absolutely and then the
third part the fourth part brand will be
lyall’s brother with a t with a tinge
and tint of of going alone now here’s
the last thing I know I’ve talked a lot
but I’m just about to wrap up
this is the part that’s Kevin this is
okay you you will understand this is the
part where I feel like a freaking kid
before Christmas
okay I’m not going to have anything that
I have to do I can just freaking get up
there in the morning and do this every
day my kid is grown my career is done I
can just wake up in the I’m going to be
living in a farm somewhere in the
mountains just get up and do whatever
the hell I want can you just can you I
can just sit with that I just I can’t
believe that that’s actually that’s
actually coming I I I kind of keep
expecting a heart attack to happen to
deprive me of this opportunity because
it seems too too re too too good to be
true that’s awesome yeah so that
internet show that’s what that’s what’s
coming with sofy POA 2.0 that’s
fantastic there gonna be so much so much
awesome content coming I yeah that’s
exciting that is exciting that’s really
cool oh one last piece one last piece
get this my wife wants to get in on the
picture oh nice she wants to be a part
of this and make and make videos
together as well so oh fantastic that’s
so cool man that is so cool I’m being
mindful of time right now just because I
have to get going soon to the
supermarket um because it’s you’re what
time is it now there it’s like a 8:30
8:40 your time pm. 8:41 yeah yeah yeah
that’s and that’s that’s so cool man
that’s so many cool things coming your
way that’s really exciting and for those
of you who are listening who know who
Kurt is you’re going to be I’m know
you’re excited too cuz that’s one of the
things that I’ve gotten so many people
over the years like so many comments
people have have lamented about you
leaving and and and talk about how much
they miss like your videos and I have to
admit and I I even see like sometimes
I’ve seen comments that people leave on
your stuff and like people remember your
videos very well like I when you post
something there’ll be people who are
like I remember that video oh I remember
watching that video so I mean again you
you always had such a unique way of
doing things and I think it’s it’s
interesting one thing that popped in my
mind now um just as you mentioned like
abandoned Japan and being respectful um
as we both do know it it is all about
the etiquette in Japan and it’s about
self-pacing and realizing that we are
ambassadors doing things right doing
things right because we are we are
ambassadors when we are there we are
guests we are guing ambassadors and we
you know foreigners are painted all with
the same brush and when you you hear all
these like there was a a lot of horrible
news coming in the last recent months of
of these like live streamers who were
coming from America and different
countries
European just to being the biggest jerks
in live streaming at all and and uh
there was one guy named Johnny Somali
his his username who was he he was he
was in jail for months and months yeah
yeah that’s right and he was thrown in
jail for months and months and months in
Osaka for doing lots of stuff and I
think ironically enough one of the
moments that those content creators in
Japan who who are like above the board
and awesome content creators were really
happy about was where some I think it
was some Australian guy like punched him
out in like shoers or no somewhere in
Osaka he was like being a nuisance you
and like literally some guy knocked him
out it was like Yay I don’t condone
violence
butm um but again like I see a lot of uh
the the kind of abandoned thing has
become like hio or the the the urban
exploration it’s a big deal like it’s
it’s there’s a big genre of that of
content creators and a lot of people
come to Japan they travel to Japan to
tour sites and they do you you know
barge into buildings and and and climb
over fences and do all these things and
um you know again you want to be really
respectful so I completely get what
you’re saying about you
know but you know I think what’s going
to be really interesting though too is
you will have a perspective of knowing
enough about the locations where you’re
at that you can add context to things I
think that’s one of the things I enjoy
watching with your your your videos
where you would talk about like the
unemp tea fields and you would talk
about the different types of
constructions or the old jizo statues or
you knew enough about the you could
place a context around it whereas and
you’ll see these guys who come over from
America like yeah look at this old
placement look this cool statue hey oh
just go in here and check this out hey I
wonder what’s going on here you know and
and it’s just like ah I I I watch the I
I try watching some of those I’m like I
can’t handle this you know the best part
is just being it’s being old I really
even though my body is starting to give
out I love being almost 60 it’s
it’s every every so you’ve probably
heard me say this before every decade is
better than the one before right the TW
20s were awful the 30s were a were a
riot Riot is mess the the 40s were were
a were a strong trudge uphill the 50s
were a were were a
desperate attempt at at at at at at at
at um completion and now the 60s are wo
like making it through the jungle out
the other side into the sunlight again
and I’m hoping to bring all that you
just have said with that with the sense
of relief and peace that comes of being
uh into my six decade without hopefully
being irrelevant yeah I don’t think
you’ll be irrelevant I think you’re G to
be uh you’re gonna make a splash I think
people they can always hit the they can
always hit the unsubscribe button right
I think people are gonna be really happy
to have that content because even like I
find now it’s it’s just you know
even so much content is so fluffy these
days and I mean I me there’s some great
content creators out there there’s
people who are doing amazing things I
I’ll always mention um on this podcast
like I’m a big fan of Chris broad abroad
in Japan he’s a big commercially
successful YouTuber but his stuff is so
funny and it’s well done like it’s just
like and he’s got such a love affair
with tohoku and he’s got such a love
affair with Northern Japan and he knows
because he came there as a jet and he
knows that like they say 99 is it 95% or
99% of tourists who come to Japan don’t
go to tohoku so like he just constant
featuring Akita and nigata and iwat and
alori and it’s it’s really neat showing
and making all this like really relevant
neat content about those places um but a
lot of stuff and I was saying this just
the other day to some some folks I work
with you know like here I am in pinang
Malaysia and when I go to try to find
like do a little bit of research on
YouTube to find out stuff about panang
Malaysia travel vloggers from all around
the world come here because it’s a
foodie paradise and they they they all
make the same bloody video top 10 things
to do in panang and it’s like cue the
Drone shot cue the music cue this fast
cut fast cut fast cut cue another drone
shot let’s and then every YouTuber goes
to the same 10 places so I think their
research is to watch Joe blow’s video
and just make the same video um and then
it’s just like oh I can’t it’s it’s just
it’s hard to find kind of that deeper
more meaningful content but you know you
bring that with every video you make you
know well I mean that’s I mean I I guess
I I I I I will try to do that but I mean
it’s it’s I want to see people doing
that I want to consume that content I
used to say this about the just Japan
podcast when I first created this
podcast I wanted to make a podcast that
I wanted to listen to I liked long form
I liked because I had I had big train
commutes and I wanted to put my earbuds
in and be able to just and turn on my
iPod and just kind of melt into
something for a couple of hours um and
initially there weren’t many podcasts
and this podcast did really well and I
was booming and I had a big following
but then I took a long Hiatus when I
went to China and then I brought it back
you know there’s still and there’s still
a good following don’t get me wrong and
thank you all of you for listening I
appreciate it but it’s definitely not
like it used to be but now in the
landscape there’s a lot of podcasts
about Japan and that’s cool because
podcasting has become a much more
accessible thing um but you know but you
know what they’re not you you know and
they’re good too right in their various
ways in their own personalities Etc but
your podcasts have been of a great
success all the various types you’re
very professionally produced very
interesting great guest I always look
forward to seeing a new one of your
podcasts appear in appear in my feeds
sometimes it’s a really Delight because
I get two I get a TW for you know I get
I’ll get i’ll get a you know two of them
in a row so I’m glad you’re keeping that
up will you keep that up when you go
back to Japan or will you become a
YouTuber again I both both I I I want
the podcast it it’s it’s apples and
oranges it really is you know it’s it is
content but it’s so different no I want
to get into youtubing more um actually
um we’ll see how this goes I’ve got to
do a lot of editing this week I decided
I know if you saw I posted a video about
this um I I it’s part of the
sustainability thing you know when you
look at being sustainable more
sustainable as a human it’s not just
about like recycling it’s not just about
um going to the beach and cleaning
things up like that’s a piece of it but
one piece is supporting local businesses
instead of going to the family Mark to
buy products go to the local mom and
popop Shop Go Local family yeah so
family yeah so what what I’m what I what
I decided to do there’s there there’s a
really neat little grocery store in this
neighborhood that we go into a lot and
we often talk to the owner my wife and I
and it’s just a neat place he’s been
there for over in this location for over
50 years and he’s got these pictures in
the back of the shop of when his grandpa
owned it it was a stall then his dad and
this and that so I I came in the other
day I’m like I would like to make a
little mini documentary about you can I
do this and I kind of pitched to him I
want to come in and ask you a bunch of
questions and film a bunch of b-roll and
I want to make like a little like a
10-minute video about your kind of
celebrate saw your post on it I’m
looking forward to it did you do it
already you haven’t posted it no no no
no no I’ve recorded everything uh I
recorded all the b-roll I went in I
interviewed the owner talked to me
showed me all around the shop showed me
pictures talked all about the history
how this neighborhood has changed over
the years it was so fascinating so
fascinating he talked about in the 80s
when there was like the Japanese economy
was booming they used to get so many
Japanese tours here that the locals in
panang would learn how to speak Japanese
to be tour guides and then and when the
bubble burst all the Japanese tourists
went away and then different things
happen and it was really cool um so I’m
going to be I’m going to start editing
that this week and I’ll be putting up on
YouTube and I want to start making more
more of the content I’ve always made
that kind of like just kind of shoot and
talk but I also want to make um you know
work on my editing chops and make kind
of a little bit more deeper stuff those
are always my favorites and you you
don’t make you just made a couple of
them this week you walking around the
neighborhood with the dogs but you used
to make the walk and talks in in in in
Kobe that was always my thing though
Kevin those I don’t know I don’t want to
I don’t want to say that your edited
videos were not as good but those were
the best those were the ones that were
like oh great it’s Kevin walking and
talking right I mean you’ve I keep
coming back to this theme it really is
the Kevin show right you know just just
we’re interested we’re interested in you
right I mean and you’re an interesting
guy well thank you very much I
appreciate that please don’t forget that
I’ve you’re really telling you that for
15 years damn it yeah true right yeah
yeah well that’s this is this has been
awesome but I I got to get going my my
MacBook is at uh 18% and for some reason
and and my charging my charging cable
isn’t charging right now can I get can I
go out can I go out with a closer
absolutely sir all right first of all I
want to thank you Kevin for the
opportunity to be on this podcast and to
reintroduce myself to your to your to
your audience and to those of you that
um that know who know who this name is
Kurt Bell or softy pop or any of my
other my other aliases thank from the
past thank you very much for your past
support and patronage and encouragement
and comments Etc I’ve been away for
about about 10 odd years doing other
things and um I’m looking forward to
going back to Japan for those of you
that are been are are new that I that
don’t know who I am and some some of the
people in this ging uh Twitter community
and people that just simply never heard
of me in the first place and Kevin’s
your first time introducing it thank you
very much for for making it this far
through the video and if you happen to
catch any of my videos in the future um
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have
a chance to share a slice of Japan from
the perspective that that I’ll be
bringing in the time that I have
remaining on this Earth so thank you and
Kevin one of these days we’re GNA meet
in person and share a beer together you
we we that we we’ve got that coming
absolutely and luckily these days I can
get the uh the sah 0.0 everywhere CU
that’s what I drink these days but they
they have those at all the convenience
and we will we definitely will
absolutely and you know what I think um
you know even if a summer of 2025 might
be a good time for me to take that to
take a train or drive a car up to shoka
and and we can meet up because that’ll
be a transition year for me as we move
on to our next Port of Call um and then
we’ll probably be spending most of that
summer in Japan so um but yeah thank you
so much Kurt it’s been amazing everyone
go I’m going to put a whole bunch of
links to um Kurt’s Twitter his YouTube
all just just search for softy Papa and
you’ll know what I’m talking about um
not not not the porn
star wait no that would be Hardy Papa
sorry Tippy
Papa so look for the guy the softy Papa
who explores Japan um but yeah I know
it’s been it’s been absolutely amazing C
and one thing for you guys listening one
thing I’m going to do uh with this
episode that I don’t often do is um of
course I’m going to of course it’s in
the audio feed you’re listening to it
wherever you listen to your podcast but
this will also the whole thing will be
on YouTube when the audio version drops
the video version will drop on YouTube
as well go check it out it’s going to be
like an hour and a half video but you
guys will enjoy it and it’s uh it’s
gonna be cool Kevin you’re you are a
gracious host a gentleman and I am
honored to have you as my friend thank
you so much for having me it’s it’s been
fantastic to talk Kur it’s been really
awesome and all of you guys remember go
check out Kurt’s things and uh follow
him all right well that’s it take care
everybody okay