I time travelled to Edo Japan in 1657! (Vlog)

Hey guys, welcome back to the channel and I just walked into Edo in 1657, which is Tokyo, just like 400 years early. Quick thing, Japan right now does not let foreigners in, at all, and I am 100% a foreigner. I'm here because I got a ride with the one group they do let in, the Dutch. They do a yearly walk to the castle to pay respects, I'm tagging along. Oh and one more thing, nobody knows it yet, but everything you're about to see today gets wiped out in a I'll come back to that. So why did I come to Japan in 1657? Well, I'm hoping this is the place I can just like reconnect with my soul, cleanse my mind, and experience a culture I know pretty much nothing about. So yeah, let's go explore. Okay, first impressions, there are so many books here, like actual hand-printed books, and this fabric is insane. I wasn't expecting this level of like quality, just casually on a market street. Streets here are organized by trade. This whole stretch is books, tea, and textiles, and a few roads over it's something completely different. And what's interesting is that merchants own quite a lot of the actual money in this city, but officially sit at the bottom of the social ladder, below farmers and even artisans. Status here isn't really about wealth. Everyone's yelling at me to buy things and it's working, I think. Not sure what the obsession with eels is. I saw this in Tudor, London too. I'm more of a noodles guy. Oh, it smells so good. Konnichiwa. One noodles. I'd normally just ask for a fork, I'm not great with chopsticks. So these noodles are made from seaweed and they eat them cold with this soy vinegar sauce. Yeah, that's really good. Not that different to what you get today actually, but more tangy. Honestly, the street here reminds me a bit of like an open air mark. Okay, right of way is not a courtesy here. Everyone's got somewhere to be. One's for rain, one's for sun. Which one should I get, guys? Konnichiwa. Come, come. I think she wants me to follow her. Either that, or I'm getting kidnapped, Edo Japan style. No idea where we're going, but she just saved me from something, so I'm following. Okay, I guess we're doing this. She's inviting me into her actual home. I think I'm meant to take off my slippers. Konnichiwa. Oh guys, they have a cat! This is a 1657 cat. I swear every cat likes me. Apparently short tails like this were actually seen as lucky here. Long-tailed cats were the ones people got nervous about. Some believed that their tails could split and they'd turn into demons. Not this one though. Oh, this is so cute. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve this though. I'm honestly not sure what this is, but it's so warming. Wait, is this for me? I think she likes it. I definitely like it. The clothing is so beautiful here. Such a pretty little garden, and it smells so fresh. Those are plum blossoms. It's too early for cherry blossoms, but these bloom right through the cold. I keep thinking about how kind she's been. She didn't have to do any of this. The clothes, the tea, letting me into her home. Honestly, I wonder if part of it is that she's trying to protect me. Like, she saw exactly how much trouble I could get into out there on my own. Oh, what's this? Oh, okay. I think I... wait. Okay, I am already losing to a seven-year-old. I think that's our cue. No shared table. Everyone gets their own little tray. I kind of love that actually. There's something about this that I didn't expect to hit me the way it has. No table and chairs. Barely any furniture at all, really. And somehow, it doesn't feel like less. It feels like there's nothing in the way. Back home, dinner's rushed, or it's on a screen, or half of us are somewhere else in our heads, even when we're in the same room. Here, there's just... this. I don't understand half of what they're saying to me. It doesn't seem to matter much. I'm guessing that's the husband. Konnichiwa. I've said that word so many times, but it's one of the three words I know in Japanese. Wait, are you saying we're going to the castle? Okay, I'm actually buzzing right now. We're going to Edo Castle. The castle is where the shogun actually rules the whole country from. Government business, formal audiences, all of it happens inside those walls. It's basically the political center of Japan right now. Okay, that's the castle. It's a work of art. Beyond the walls, only a select few were ever allowed in, and that tower, it's painted black. Not the white or gold most people picture. Right now, this is one of the largest castles anywhere in the world. So, I've been a proper tourist so far, and now it's time for some action. The kids insisted I try out samurai training. I'm on my way to a dojo. That's place where they practice with swords. Not sure how this is going to go. Okay, so the idea is block his strike first, then redirect toward the wrist. The swords are wooden, by the way. I do intend to make more videos. That felt way cooler in my head. Okay, that one actually worked. So, if anyone tries anything with me on the street from now on, just know I've had like four minutes of samurai training. Consider yourselves warned. Okay, samurai training complete. Next stop's a bathhouse. Apparently, people there aren't even allowed to bathe at home right now. Something about fire risk, so everyone ends up at the public ones instead. Figured after swinging a sword around, I've earned it. Apparently, this is the entrance. You have to crawl in. Keeps the steam from escaping, or so I'm told. Okay, sadly, I couldn't film in there. It's a traditional public bath, so for privacy reasons, filming wasn't appropriate. It was really dark inside, thick with steam. There were attendants in these amazing colorful outfits walking around. It was a very authentic cultural experience, for sure. I've just seen some people wearing baskets on their heads. I'm not sure if I should be concerned. Okay, I just googled it, and yep, the baskets are entirely on purpose. Apparently, they hide the ego. They're collecting donations, but there are rumors these guys are actually spies, so I'm going to move on quite quickly. Okay, I don't know what's happening here, but a crowd has gathered, and I cannot look away. Okay, so best guess, I think she's some kind of Buddhist monk, and it's something about hell based on that painting, which, not gonna lie, was genuinely disturbing. Well, she's convinced me, so I'm off to check out the local temple. Okay, I don't really know why, but I feel like I need to be quiet right now, and this is where the monks would meditate for hours. It's incredible to think about. Yeah, sorry. Every single detail in here feels like it means something. I'm gonna have a go at meditating with them. I feel different. I don't really know how to explain it, but something shifted. I'm definitely going to start meditating more. I don't even fully understand what just happened in there, but I want more of it. Okay, I think I'm ready to head off, but first I need to find the lady I met earlier. There's something I want to give her. Do I just knock? This is for you. For those not aware, that was my scarab beetle charm that I got in ancient Egypt. I felt I had to give her something. She has been so kind. I need to come clean about something I said at the start. I told you all of this doesn't last. In a matter of weeks, 70% of this place burns to the ground from a fire. Everything is made of wood. 100,000 people die in the space of about three days. The same thing happens to London nine years from now. One thing I've learned is that history can be so fragile. Something this beautiful can just be gone in an instant. I guess it still can. Thanks for watching. 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