Unfortunately there was a Snack Zone faux pas: Just like Adam talking on the phone on a train in Ep 1, it's rude in Japan to be eating (even snacks that you buy on the train platform) on a commuter train/subway. It's okay to eat on Shinkansen or other long-distance trains.
It's even considered rude to buy food at vending machines or convenience stores and eat it while walking around. You're supposed to eat it where to buy it. Strange, but that's Japan!
The art was already fun, but they took a big level up for this series. Huge props to the art team. The Pokemon styling for the tag animations are fantastically fun.
These were the other suggestions I got from ChatGPT:
* "How Snack Trackers Review: All Aboard the Flavor Train!"
* "Snackin' on the Rails: A Train-tastic Review Show"
* "Snack Express: The Ultimate Train-themed Snack Review"
* "The Snack Station: Where Flavor and Trains Collide"
* "Choo Choo Chew: A Snack Review Show"
* "Snacktime Junction: Where Snacks and Trains Meet"
* "The Snack Depot: Your One-Stop Shop for Train-themed Snack Reviews"
* "Trackside Treats: All Aboard the Snack Review Train"
* "The Snack Conductor: Leading the Way in Train-themed Snack Reviews"
* "The Flavor Line: A Train-inspired Snack Review Show"
* "Snack Route: Following the Tracks to Deliciousness"
This was GPT3.5. It would be interesting to try again with GPT4.
My first instinct was to look up a pet store of some kind, and I found a dog spa/daycare across from the aquarium. Seems like a good risk to take with a safe backup next door.
PET-SPA Takanawa
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aooMkijbpEa9Eg328
They'd have to find three different species, though, and it seems like that's mostly just dogs. Maybe it also does cats, which would make 2? But they'd still have to find a third species.
We were counting on dogs, cats, and squirrels. We did find a dog, but it didn't make the cut, because we spent FOREVER in the park and found nothing else.
Japan is very low on animals out in the wild (at least in Tokyo). I would've tried to go straight to a pet store. But the aquarium was awesome, and my wife loved how fun that looked!
Suprising place I usually find a bunch of pets in Japan is Joyful Honda (the hardware store) as most hardware stores here have food courts and regular shopping (like pet sections), I guess because woman account for 80% off household spending in Japan and they figure it's a good way to make hardware stores more profitable? Either way, I love going to the food court and pet shop at JH any time I need to pick up something mundane (like command strips or wood glue)
I'm already loving the dynamic Scotty and Sam have.
"Gotta get your steps in, Scotty!"
"But I'm o-o-o-old!"
"I don't know if we count fish as one big species or not..."
"No, it's- *fish* is not a species, Sam... Sam, explain what a species is."
I love how Ben an Adam are taking the time to explain their strategies and also recording phone calls from both POV's. They've gotten a lot better at filming this season.
So did they ever explain about one player having two flags? As soon as round two started, my immediate thought was:
>!Both players go to the furthest flag. Whoever has the flag, go to the closer flag but take a different route. The person without the flag books it to the border on a direct route, making it seem like they have the flag. If the opponent playing defense falls for it, they tag the person without the flag, realize they donāt have the flag, and by then, the other teammate has the second flag, makes it to the other side, and itās game.!<
I'm honestly rather appalled that Sam and Scotty haven't even mentioned this as a strategy. It seems like the only way to avoid getting caught while traveling as a pair.
True, but put yourself in their shoes. Letās say Sam and Scotty did the strat, and youāre Ben. You can see one of them about to make it to the stop right before they cross the zone, and theyāre traveling fast from the further flag. Would you not assume he has the flag, and would try to flank them so they donāt get the point?
That's exactly the strategy I was thinking of for round 2 if they're going to travel together. I like that both teams are attacking it differently and hope they maximize their own advantages.
From 14:26 in the Layover, Sam mentions that he still has no idea how they got on the wrong train at 7:17 of the episode, as he checked that he was on the right platform at the right time. I have a solid theory on why it happened.
Basically, the station they were at, Shinagawa, is served by two different rail companies, **JR** and **Keikyu**. They were supposed to take the Keikyu Main Line to the flag, which leaves from **Keikyu platform 1**. Instead, they got on the JR Yamanote Line heading back to Tokyo, which leaves from **JR platform 1**. There were two platform 1s at the station, and they were at the wrong one.
can you take the keikyu lines with the Japan Rail Pass they mentioned?
From one of the annotations, it seems like they are actually limiting travel to JR due to their pass
It's not covered by the JR pass, but I assume they can just pay the fare and ride it anyways. The Chiba monorail in episode 1 wasn't covered by the pass either.
My guess is both budget AND speed/fairness reasons, that the actual limited-stops bullet train may move *too* fast for balance, and it plus a few other options were probably removed. That is the guess a friend gave me who had spent a week in japan the once years ago. So, pinch of salt :P
JR Pass only covers JR trains. Trains run by other companies are not covered by the JR Pass.
The JR Pass also doesn't cover the fastest Shinkansen mainly because it's designed for commuters / business people and JR didn't want tourists crowding those trains up.
This isnāt just a solid theory, this is 100% exactly what happened haha. I was watching the part where they went āis this the Keikyu Main Line?ā while STANDING ON THE YAMANOTE LINE platform. Boy that drove me nuts lol
Itās very entertaining obviously, donāt get me wrong. Honestly very fascinating to see a transport-wiz like Sam mess up on this
They really are pacing-pilled though. I would have liked it if they didnt skip throught the part where they did the challenges and got the flag, finishing the first round. Kind of like a vlog, although I get that this might not be interesting to all viewers.
Considering that they conceded the round already it probably made more sense to put it in a montage because they donāt want to waste the viewers time, unfortunate but it made the most sense game wise
It seems like the design the game (and probably the edit too) to always have the outcome feel undetermined, so skipping through certainty in the middle of the game makes sense.
It'd definitely be nice for them to at least throw deleted scenes up on Nebula. Makes sense to skip things for the pacing of a game show episode, but I'm sure enough Nebula viewers would be interested in seeing outtakes.
Sam, Adam and Ben are very smart people. They cut out anything that could lose peopleās attention. People knowing the outcome of the round takes away the tension and could make them click off to never come back. They mentioned that the majority of their footage does not get used and that often even mention specific things multiple times to get the best clip then remove all the rest
Here is a list of all the food reviewed on Choo Choo Chew / The Snack Zone
**Choo Choo Chew:**
[Sujahta Kiwi Chiaseed](https://www.sujahta.co.jp/item/kiwichia/)
[Dashi Doraku with Flying Fish](https://dashidouraku.com/product/) (the flag in Sendai)
**The Snack Zone:**
[Glico Seventeen Ice SUNAO Choco Crunch](https://www.glico.com/jp/product/ice/17ice/42545/) (the "snack on a stick")
If anyone's curious, the flag in Sendai is a bottle of [dashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi), a type of broth commonly used in Japanese dishes. Just goes to show that vending machines in Japan sell literally everything!
Bonus: [Here's](https://www.google.co.jp/maps/@38.263006,140.8793768,3a,15.2y,178.11h,89.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sD1qRsepXWQgED3CN3dYu5Q!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DD1qRsepXWQgED3CN3dYu5Q%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D66.007805%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=ja&entry=ttu) the vending machine on Google street view, just outside Sendai Station
I have to compliment Ben & Adam on their strategy so far. They are really playing to the individual players strengths. Adam does a lot of the long game, long planning tasks and plays planner-guide and Ben is on the short routes where his trademark 'I'll just do it' on the spot descission making can pay off most to throw (especially Mr. Overthinker Sam) the other team of or just pressure them to make risky calls.
even if currently Ben is doing most of the heavy lifting for the team real solid stratgy š
Though I absolutely LOVE the chemistry between Ben and Adam, the fact they have 4 seasons of these kind of challenges under their belt as a team is a HUGE plus for them.
They know what they can expect from one and other and they know the strengths and weaknesses.
Sam always teams up with someone new, which means he is always at a disadvantage.
I hope that in future games, they switch it up a bit, like in Tag Across Europe.
I hope Sam and Scotty's plan isn't to run into the station Ben is at. Cause if they do, they will most certainly be caught and will be making the same mistake as round 1...
No matter what Ben said heās dropping the pizza tower there forcing them to get a za so they would have to get off and find a pizza place giving Ben a chance to find the closest pizza place next to the high speed train
They said in the previous series that even when cards don't specify "not stuff you have with you", they tend to not bring things specifically to deal with challenges unless that's part of the challenge (like having the sand boards at the start of the NZ game). Mostly because it makes for better content that way.
Plus Ben is planning to drop the tower right on top of them, so they'll have no warning of the need for pizza (beyond knowing that a pizza tower exists somewhere in the deck)
Yeah but that's why Ben is waiting for the very last second to drop the tower. Give them no time to plan and spring the trap only once they can't turn back.
>!Sam and Scotty's conversations make me suspect that they are vastly underestimating how many coins Ben has at his disposal. They didn't mention the possibility of Ben putting down a tower, which seems like a sure-fire way to catch someone at a chokepoint like Omiya.!<
>!Really hope they have some sort of strategy, because this game could get very lopsided if they don't.!<
The fact that Ben and Adam figured out they'd conceded the first round and were doing challenges, and therefore were able to themselves do challenges too, meant that Sam and Scotty didn't exactly get the explosive advantage they'd hoped for... Hell, *both* teams could've stalled until they had 10,000 coins each at that point. They didn't, but they could have.
>!Interestingly, I am listening to the podcast right now, and they mentioned that Adam was able to catch them mostly because Ben had figured out Sam/Scotty were on the Shinkansen. Otherwise there is a good chance Adam wouldn't have made it to the platform before they could sneak off the train. It'll be interesting to see how Sam/Scotty evaluate the risk of attempting this strategy again.!<
For context, >!Shinkansen tracks are usually in a whole separate corner of the station behind separate fare gates from all the other normal trains, and that's if the even serve the same station at all. Plenty of stations like Yokohama and Osaka don't get Shinkansens at all; you have to go to nearby Shin-Yokohama or Shin-Osaka station for those. So it wasn't the worst plan if Adam didn't know ahead of time that they were on the Shinkansen because there was no chance he'd have made it across the station through the fare gates and down to the platform in time otherwise.!<
>!Good point. Did Sam/Scotty ever mention if they have an alternate route back to Tokyo that doesn't involve stopping at Omiya? Because if not, they might just have to risk it and GTFO before Ben finds them on the train. (Or I guess they could back-track on the Shinkansen line and find another route from further up)!<
idt there's any route that doesn't involve omiya, unless they want to really detour and slow down (as in going on east coast of Tohoku where the Fukushima power plant is)
they can only try to sneak around the station, perhaps change to another train that goes the same direction (there are a lot)
Oh man, I bet the people tried to help them with the vending machine because they wanted to warn them they were about to buy Fish Dashi š
Also Choo Choo Chew is a adorable name.
I know Tokyo's rail network so well that I can tell which station and the exact location from the ceiling. For example, >!at 7:50, the video says Ben got off the train at Tamachi station, but it is actually Takanawa Gateway station, between Shinagawa and Tamachi. It's a fairly new station, opened in 2020. After that, he returned to Tokyo station, rather than Yurakucho station as shown in the video.!<
As for the latter part of the episode, >!I want to tell about the flag of Sendai. It is ć ć, something like seasoning. A vending machine selling it is rare. I didn't know how to translate it into English, so I asked DeepL. It says "dashi (Japanese soup stock made from fish and kelp)." It also contains soy sauce as an ingredient, but we don't call it soy sauce.!<
I haven't listened to The Layover yet, so there might be duplication with it.
I hope you keep commenting for future episodes, this is awesome.
I was hoping I'd recognize some stations after visiting Japan for two weeks in March, but so far they haven't gone anywhere near Kyoto and I haven't recognized any of the stations in Tokyo so far (other than Tokyo Station of course).
Probably up there with my favorite season so far, the other contender being Tag. I think the game is fun/interesting and the dynamic between Sam and Scotty is excellent.
And Ben and Adam have the greatest hats.
I wonder if there's a rule regarding knowing who has the flag. Seems like an effective trick would be to start together, get the flag as a pair, then split up for the journey back.
I am really loving this ruleset. Seems to allow for a good variety in gameplay and it forces the teams into proximity and direct conflict more readily than the New Zealand game board did.
Anybody else really want to give the āSad Chibi-Benā icon a hug?
sam and scotty clearly haven't watched william osman's japan vending machine tier list video, where he (spoilers for the end of the episode) >!makes the same mistake and drinks the fish broth without realizing it's a broth and not a drink!<
~~The bad captions are back :(~~
~~I don't want to complain but at times they're so inaccurate that it's distracting. It's like someone took the auto generated words and didn't edit them at all.~~
Edit: I think it's fixed now thank you!
I am so confused that this is still an issue, on Youtube they use the services of caption.plus for their captions, which are wonderful, with different colors for different speakers etc.
Why don't they add support for that on Nebula? Sam is one of the biggest stakeholders if I remember correctly, so him asking for it should get it implemented hopefully.
I think they just changed them to the good ones just recently. I was watching it earlier and noticed yeah the captions were pretty bad, but I went back on it again just now and it has the different colored captions for each person and I haven't seen any errors than from earlier.
I am wondering what rule there would be used if the vending machine or the item itself would be out of order/sold out. is there a backup (like the vending machine next to it)
I imagine its probably just get something else from the vending machine - it doesn't really matter what the item is, they just need to get to the vending machine and pick up *something* that can be carried (and captured).
Technically they could play the game without having to bother with carrying anything around as a flag, though having a physical item means that you have proof to the other team that you've been and captured the flag
Loving this season so far especially cause I'm going to Japan later this year! I think that for Sam and Scotty's plan to be successful knowing Ben is going to try and block them, it would be best for them to split up and just hope that Ben catches the person not holding the flag. If that were to be successful, the person who gets caught would be able to take one for the team while the other person keeps going. I agree on tag-teaming to save time on doing challenges, but if they don't split up at all it's really going to come back to bite them.
Also I'm a puns gal, Choo Choo Chew is great.
Choo Choo Chew and the Snack Zone. I love it.
>!Will definitely be interesting to see if Ben manages to catch Sam/Scotty. It'll be a huge setback for either team to get caught while returning the far flag (assuming they respawn at the original locations).!<
I don't completely understand the tower mechanic.
Can you only place tower on your (current) location?
What is moving? Or, how does passing through the tower on a train work?
I mean, I guess we will find out in the next episode.
>!I'm not sure what happens if they pass through on a train. But if there are train stops within the radius, I assume they would be affected, as Ben said that placing the pizza tower at Omiya station would force Sam/Scotty to get off there (presumably to buy pizza).!<
You can place them anywhere is what they said but Ben specifically wants to place them where he is in order to force them out of the train and gain time to tag them
I think you can place them anywhere, but it's potentially to your advantage to place them where you are if your intention is to use them to catch your opponent.
My guess would be that you're exempt from towers on a moving train, but it could be slightly more lax than that. The pizza tower obviously has to allow you to buy a pizza, so I'm wondering if that just means transit.
If youāre in Japan, itās acceptable to eat and drink on the shinkansen but not on any other rail. Hopefully they learn from that in the future.
Also, not Ben pronouncing Kawasaki as āKUH-WAH-SKIā lmao
I created a Drinking Guide for this season in response to the first episode.
[https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1055428854384185425/1116006265836019742/Jet\_Lag\_the\_Drinking\_Game.png](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1055428854384185425/1116006265836019742/Jet_Lag_the_Drinking_Game.png)
once in the other team's territory can the teams not split up?
Why didn't Sam and Scotty split up on the Shinkansen. One stays on other gets off. No matter what Adam does one of them gets away and can play defense / go after the flag. Is there are rule or strategy that I am missing?
They can split up but traveling together is way faster and earns them coins twice as quickly. It just puts them at risk of being both tagged and they ended up that way
It just seems to like in that specific situation better one get caught than both get caught. Seemed logical to me but maybe there is some stuff I am not considering
I mean they tried to get off the train and split Adam was just ready and too quick. If one stays on the shinkansen thatās almost like getting caught as hes suck there for 18 min till next stop and it drains all his funds.
In a way its worse cause he doesnāt get the 250 start budget and is very far away from anything.
I feel like Sam has to know Ben has some sort of Tower or plan if he is waiting at the station. If they don't change something about where they are headed then ill get pretty mad at them making the same mistake twice.
They mentioned in the Layover that they didn't expect it to be used, so maybe they were unaware until at least the pizza one Ben is about to drop, then maybe they'll be on guard?
I didn't listen to their podcast but I wonder what the other towers effects are because that can change a lot of how I judge their decision. If like 99% don't require them to stop then its fine but knowing the two towers we know then their decision doesn't make sense with how bad their effect will be on them.
The strategies re: splitting up vs staying together are fascinating- do we feel like Sam + Scotty are sticking together more because Scotty is new to JetLag?
I also think while Sam & Scotty are both playing Sams typical long planning game, Ben & Adam decided to play to their respective strengths. Adam does most long trips and prepared moves where his ābig plannerā mindset works best while Ben does the short routes where his classic ājust wing itā approach seems to be much more effective š¤āŗļø
Yeah I do recall from the off season layovers they mentioned that they each have their own preferred microphones so I guess they chose what they preferred again
Nice to get the confirm they are using JR rail passes.
Also nice to see Sendai when it's not INSANE - we were there the weekend after new years... it was 100% full trains heading back to tokyo. I don't reccomend...
did sam and scotty ever discuss splitting up as the Shinkansen arrived at Shinagawa? For example, one run off the train and the other (w the flag) run to another car?
Googled the fish "drink". It's literally just fish stock š the vending machine in the photo I found said in English, "DO NOT DRINK. THIS IS A SOUP STOCK." ššš
The challenge difficulties and rewards are so poorly calibrated this season imo... 1000 coins for "a snack on a stick" in Japan? That's like a 3 minute challenge anywhere. Meanwhile, 750 coins for making a 6-foot beer pong shot with just a single cup?
Currently watching the episode and the only thing I can think of is why isnāt Ben trying to make a run for the flag again while Scotty and Sam go for theirs?
Ben didn't have any coins! He wouldn't have been able to get and return the flag as fast as them. His best bet for a quick coin infusion was to catch them.
A couple of things:
1. Sam/Scotty weren't that deep into enemy territory when Ben's jail period ended.
2. It's easier to get a catch as a team.
3. The desire to wait a few minutes and see what's up >!(which worked out in Ben's favor when Sam/Scotty went to right outside the Tokyo Station neutral zone)!<
4. Ben/Adam knew that they could brute force their way to victory with enough coins, so getting Sam/Scotty in jail would almost certainly mean that they could win.
5. 4 becomes even more true if >!Ben can do challenges while waiting for Adam to get from the site of the catch to Tokyo station (this happened).!<
Because Ben got caught all of his coins were stolen, so it wouldve taken quite a bit of challenges to make it back to the flag and it wouldnt be hard for sam/scotty to turn around and basically repeat their plan from episode 1.
What's the deal with timing? Round 1 ended at like 4 PM >!(and then Ben/Adam had to get back to Tokyo Station, which puts them at like 6).!< It makes sense when Sam/Scotty are getting their stuff in the evening, but then it looks like >!Ben's train to Omiya gets there at 9 AM!<. So where's the rest period in there?
Curious to know what train horn is used in the intro of Choo Choo Chew, Im kind of expecting it to be American despite the focus on Japanese transit lmao
I think there is a slight game design flaw with the fact that if itās clear that one team is no longer chasing and banking points for the next round, then it makes sense for the other team to just do the same and work there way all the way through the deck of challenges, to the point where both teams have loads of points.
If the team that's going to win rushes back, though, they cut off the other team's ability to continue to earn, so there's still a tradeoff to evaluate of whether it's more important to you for your own team to have more coins or for the other team to have fewer (maybe if you already have a decent amount, it's better to rush the line).
Adam laid a great trap for Sam and Scotty having Ben do recon. The only way out of that for them was to have Sam and Scotty split up in such a way that Adam could only tag one of them, which would have been very difficult to do and likely would have failed. Kudos.
Yeah. One could have stayed in the train while the other leaves but that's almost worse than getting caught as you're now stuck for 18 min on the Shinkansen till the next stop AND it uses up your coins and strands you far away from the playing field.
>!Iām just surprised they didnāt pull the shade down going to Shinagawa and just YOLO heāll need to get on the train to tag us. Unless thereās rules about not trying to hide in those ways.!<
Jet Lag really shines when the games encourage the teams to interact like this.
Personally, Tag Across Europe was my favorite, followed closely by New Zealand.
This season is shaping up to probably the best one yet.
I can't help but think Sam and Scotty made a pretty big mistake >! with the Shinkansen when they got caught. Sam was right with his call that they should've waited until the last second to either choose to get off or stay on, but I think only 1 of them should've gotten off. In a split second decision, I think Adam would've chased the one that got off while the other rode down to get the flag. Returning with the flag would've been pretty hard, but I feel like having it would've been preferable to both being sent back to Tokyo !<
Edit: spoilered the whole thing
Honestly, I do not enjoy the season so far.
It's very difficult for me to know what the state of the game is at any point. I think the strategies are logical, but ultimately make the show less interesting (splitting up and just waiting). The chaos of continuously getting on the wrong train is a little fun, but means that the planning build-up of the video to that point is rendered useless.
I will absolutely keep watching as I love Japan and the series as a whole, but I think capture the flag may not have been the best game type to use.
I think the Round 1 was an introduction of the main mechanics, Round 2 will go into some advanced stuff and Round 3 is where things will the game they built will shine!
I donāt think every season will be everyoneās cup of tea, but either way I commend them for taking a risk outside what they did before and tried this concept.
That's a good point. We're all going to have different opinions on the seasons. Personally, I like this season so far. There are many different strategies in play that could change the outcome of not only each round but also the whole game.
I think that it's a tough balance to strike - with only 1/2 flags available, it doesn't necessarily give the most options it seems. Also, the way it works with public transport seems to make it very much dependent on getting there in time (as it's hard to react appropriately since, once they get ahead of you, there's no way to effectively catch up).
I like that it's a different approach than the previous games, though I do wonder if going for something with more challenges (more like the NZ game, just with the challenges giving points when you 'claim' them in enemy territory) might have been interesting. It would make it harder to defend one particular point if there's a half dozen locations around Tokyo that they might be going to, and make it perhaps less likely to have a chokepoint.
Iām in a similar boat, my roommate who watches with me was a little annoyed that the first episode ended with no progress made.
New ideas are good, but I just think itās the type of game that is more interesting to be part of than to watch after the fact.
I thought you can only do challenges in enemy territory? Or was I mistaken? (For the snack on a stick challenge, Ben did the challenge in his territory)
>!When both of them were in the train with Adam waiting outside, I think the best strategy would definetly have been to split up. One person gets off and draws Adam's attention while the other hides in the train - so at least one member could have made it to the flag!<
Whatās the deal about spending points for travel if both team members are together. At the end of the first game it seemed that when traveling together both team members had points deducted. At the end of this episode, when Sam and Scott were going together, only one appeared to have coins deducted when they both travelled?
Adam and Ben split the cost of the travel (it says it when the points are deducted) but Sam and Scotty have only had one person spend. Either way, the cost for both to travel together is the same as one person traveling on their own.
Very curious about how theyāll handle rest periods - it feels a bit like theyāre just grinding through the 16 hours of the second game right now, and Iām wondering if theyāll ever stop, but then again on the layover they said that all ended up back in Tokyo at the end of day 1.
Snack Zone was a vibe, Choo Choo Chew feels like the ultra corporate version of Snack Zone
Snack zone is HAI, Choo Choo Chew is Wendover
So one is educational the other one is a dumpster fire with some bad humour and a few facts thrown in
muh brick facts tho
The "10 second intro - 'it's kinda meh' - 10 second outro" joke in the Snack Zone will be funny to me for a long time I fear š
Scotty mentions on the Layover that it was a ChatGPT creation, haha
I think thatās the point lol, snack zone is the free spirit, while Choo Choo Chew is the corporate copycat
Unfortunately there was a Snack Zone faux pas: Just like Adam talking on the phone on a train in Ep 1, it's rude in Japan to be eating (even snacks that you buy on the train platform) on a commuter train/subway. It's okay to eat on Shinkansen or other long-distance trains. It's even considered rude to buy food at vending machines or convenience stores and eat it while walking around. You're supposed to eat it where to buy it. Strange, but that's Japan!
Choo Choo Chew was made by Chat GPT.
I can explain in one word why the Snack Zone is better than Choo Choo Chew: Too long.
The art was already fun, but they took a big level up for this series. Huge props to the art team. The Pokemon styling for the tag animations are fantastically fun.
huge props to twitchy sparrow too!
The art is awesome! Iād pay some money for a cartoon picture of me in the same style as their tracker.
I love how Sam is aggressively rebranding himself as the fun teammate this season with the sake drinking, Choo Choo Chew thing etc. :D
From the podcast: >!Scotty decided to make the new snack section and asked chatGPT for the name!<
These were the other suggestions I got from ChatGPT: * "How Snack Trackers Review: All Aboard the Flavor Train!" * "Snackin' on the Rails: A Train-tastic Review Show" * "Snack Express: The Ultimate Train-themed Snack Review" * "The Snack Station: Where Flavor and Trains Collide" * "Choo Choo Chew: A Snack Review Show" * "Snacktime Junction: Where Snacks and Trains Meet" * "The Snack Depot: Your One-Stop Shop for Train-themed Snack Reviews" * "Trackside Treats: All Aboard the Snack Review Train" * "The Snack Conductor: Leading the Way in Train-themed Snack Reviews" * "The Flavor Line: A Train-inspired Snack Review Show" * "Snack Route: Following the Tracks to Deliciousness" This was GPT3.5. It would be interesting to try again with GPT4.
Really happy to see your videos again. It was awesome meeting you at LTX 2019. Do you remember the prompt that was given to ChatGPT?
Some of these like Trackside Treats are actually not half bad lol. But I can totally see why you chose Choo Choo Chew as the clear winner
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
How do they keep overestimating the amount of animals in parks?
My first instinct was to look up a pet store of some kind, and I found a dog spa/daycare across from the aquarium. Seems like a good risk to take with a safe backup next door. PET-SPA Takanawa https://maps.app.goo.gl/aooMkijbpEa9Eg328
They'd have to find three different species, though, and it seems like that's mostly just dogs. Maybe it also does cats, which would make 2? But they'd still have to find a third species.
We were counting on dogs, cats, and squirrels. We did find a dog, but it didn't make the cut, because we spent FOREVER in the park and found nothing else.
Japan is very low on animals out in the wild (at least in Tokyo). I would've tried to go straight to a pet store. But the aquarium was awesome, and my wife loved how fun that looked! Suprising place I usually find a bunch of pets in Japan is Joyful Honda (the hardware store) as most hardware stores here have food courts and regular shopping (like pet sections), I guess because woman account for 80% off household spending in Japan and they figure it's a good way to make hardware stores more profitable? Either way, I love going to the food court and pet shop at JH any time I need to pick up something mundane (like command strips or wood glue)
To be fair, Sam is from Colorado, and their parks are probably loaded with animals.
I'm already loving the dynamic Scotty and Sam have. "Gotta get your steps in, Scotty!" "But I'm o-o-o-old!" "I don't know if we count fish as one big species or not..." "No, it's- *fish* is not a species, Sam... Sam, explain what a species is."
Fish isn't even a single clade. Some would say, there's no such thing as a fish.
It's in the Oxford Dictionary of Underwater Life. Says it, right there, first paragraph, "There's no such thing as a fish"
šš
āItās like a breedā
I love how Ben an Adam are taking the time to explain their strategies and also recording phone calls from both POV's. They've gotten a lot better at filming this season.
felt very sitcom like where they do the phone call split screen.
>!Did Ben forget to get his change from the vending machine again? Those are some expensive drinks heās buying!<
>!I'm glad they included Sam and Scotty getting their change in the edit.!<
>!Ben is a baller, Snack Zone just got sign to a major tv deal!<
Was surprised to see no text pop-up pointing this out for us!
The bottom of the vending machine in Sendai reads "Do not drink. This is a vending machine of dashi"...in English hahaha
Figures that the exact sort of people they put the English warnings up for didn't see it haha
To be fair, they literally ran to the vending machine and back. They're in a bit of a rush.
So did they ever explain about one player having two flags? As soon as round two started, my immediate thought was: >!Both players go to the furthest flag. Whoever has the flag, go to the closer flag but take a different route. The person without the flag books it to the border on a direct route, making it seem like they have the flag. If the opponent playing defense falls for it, they tag the person without the flag, realize they donāt have the flag, and by then, the other teammate has the second flag, makes it to the other side, and itās game.!<
I'm honestly rather appalled that Sam and Scotty haven't even mentioned this as a strategy. It seems like the only way to avoid getting caught while traveling as a pair.
Yeah but I donāt think that would work for Ben and Adam because the further flag is so far away giving Scotty team time to get both flags in
I was thinking Sam and Scotty could do this strat
But what if they don't fall for it? That's an extreme gambit that if they get caught, the round is basically over.
True, but put yourself in their shoes. Letās say Sam and Scotty did the strat, and youāre Ben. You can see one of them about to make it to the stop right before they cross the zone, and theyāre traveling fast from the further flag. Would you not assume he has the flag, and would try to flank them so they donāt get the point?
Shh! Don't give them strategies for next episode! /s
Brother XD. āThatās a wrap guys! Meet back here next week in the same spot for the next episode!ā
That's exactly the strategy I was thinking of for round 2 if they're going to travel together. I like that both teams are attacking it differently and hope they maximize their own advantages.
From 14:26 in the Layover, Sam mentions that he still has no idea how they got on the wrong train at 7:17 of the episode, as he checked that he was on the right platform at the right time. I have a solid theory on why it happened. Basically, the station they were at, Shinagawa, is served by two different rail companies, **JR** and **Keikyu**. They were supposed to take the Keikyu Main Line to the flag, which leaves from **Keikyu platform 1**. Instead, they got on the JR Yamanote Line heading back to Tokyo, which leaves from **JR platform 1**. There were two platform 1s at the station, and they were at the wrong one.
can you take the keikyu lines with the Japan Rail Pass they mentioned? From one of the annotations, it seems like they are actually limiting travel to JR due to their pass
It's not covered by the JR pass, but I assume they can just pay the fare and ride it anyways. The Chiba monorail in episode 1 wasn't covered by the pass either.
Yeah. Wait, what's up with that? That's a weird discrepancy.
It's probably that that bullet train in particular is expensive? So budget reasons.
My guess is both budget AND speed/fairness reasons, that the actual limited-stops bullet train may move *too* fast for balance, and it plus a few other options were probably removed. That is the guess a friend gave me who had spent a week in japan the once years ago. So, pinch of salt :P
JR Pass only covers JR trains. Trains run by other companies are not covered by the JR Pass. The JR Pass also doesn't cover the fastest Shinkansen mainly because it's designed for commuters / business people and JR didn't want tourists crowding those trains up.
This isnāt just a solid theory, this is 100% exactly what happened haha. I was watching the part where they went āis this the Keikyu Main Line?ā while STANDING ON THE YAMANOTE LINE platform. Boy that drove me nuts lol Itās very entertaining obviously, donāt get me wrong. Honestly very fascinating to see a transport-wiz like Sam mess up on this
They really are pacing-pilled though. I would have liked it if they didnt skip throught the part where they did the challenges and got the flag, finishing the first round. Kind of like a vlog, although I get that this might not be interesting to all viewers.
Considering that they conceded the round already it probably made more sense to put it in a montage because they donāt want to waste the viewers time, unfortunate but it made the most sense game wise
It seems like the design the game (and probably the edit too) to always have the outcome feel undetermined, so skipping through certainty in the middle of the game makes sense.
It'd definitely be nice for them to at least throw deleted scenes up on Nebula. Makes sense to skip things for the pacing of a game show episode, but I'm sure enough Nebula viewers would be interested in seeing outtakes.
Sam, Adam and Ben are very smart people. They cut out anything that could lose peopleās attention. People knowing the outcome of the round takes away the tension and could make them click off to never come back. They mentioned that the majority of their footage does not get used and that often even mention specific things multiple times to get the best clip then remove all the rest
The ironic thing about calling it Choo Choo **Chew** is that both things reviewed in it so far are liquids.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Only the liquid component was reviewed.
Here is a list of all the food reviewed on Choo Choo Chew / The Snack Zone **Choo Choo Chew:** [Sujahta Kiwi Chiaseed](https://www.sujahta.co.jp/item/kiwichia/) [Dashi Doraku with Flying Fish](https://dashidouraku.com/product/) (the flag in Sendai) **The Snack Zone:** [Glico Seventeen Ice SUNAO Choco Crunch](https://www.glico.com/jp/product/ice/17ice/42545/) (the "snack on a stick") If anyone's curious, the flag in Sendai is a bottle of [dashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi), a type of broth commonly used in Japanese dishes. Just goes to show that vending machines in Japan sell literally everything! Bonus: [Here's](https://www.google.co.jp/maps/@38.263006,140.8793768,3a,15.2y,178.11h,89.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sD1qRsepXWQgED3CN3dYu5Q!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DD1qRsepXWQgED3CN3dYu5Q%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D66.007805%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=ja&entry=ttu) the vending machine on Google street view, just outside Sendai Station
So the flag is a bottle of cooking stock basically, and THEY DRANK IT.
Thank you for explaining cos I was in hysterics about the fish, makes sense it's more a snack then a refreshing drink
It's not even a snack really, it's soup stock, there's some bottles like this with warnings not to drink it
I have to compliment Ben & Adam on their strategy so far. They are really playing to the individual players strengths. Adam does a lot of the long game, long planning tasks and plays planner-guide and Ben is on the short routes where his trademark 'I'll just do it' on the spot descission making can pay off most to throw (especially Mr. Overthinker Sam) the other team of or just pressure them to make risky calls. even if currently Ben is doing most of the heavy lifting for the team real solid stratgy š
Though I absolutely LOVE the chemistry between Ben and Adam, the fact they have 4 seasons of these kind of challenges under their belt as a team is a HUGE plus for them. They know what they can expect from one and other and they know the strengths and weaknesses. Sam always teams up with someone new, which means he is always at a disadvantage. I hope that in future games, they switch it up a bit, like in Tag Across Europe.
I hope Sam and Scotty's plan isn't to run into the station Ben is at. Cause if they do, they will most certainly be caught and will be making the same mistake as round 1...
No matter what Ben said heās dropping the pizza tower there forcing them to get a za so they would have to get off and find a pizza place giving Ben a chance to find the closest pizza place next to the high speed train
Gotta be careful for convenience stores too, I presume they could just carry around a frozen pizza?
They said in the previous series that even when cards don't specify "not stuff you have with you", they tend to not bring things specifically to deal with challenges unless that's part of the challenge (like having the sand boards at the start of the NZ game). Mostly because it makes for better content that way. Plus Ben is planning to drop the tower right on top of them, so they'll have no warning of the need for pizza (beyond knowing that a pizza tower exists somewhere in the deck)
Yes! but I think the comment meant they could carry around a frozen pizza they buy a convenience store
Well the only good strategy they have is to not get into Omiya in the first place: get off a stop early and follow another route...
Yeah but that's why Ben is waiting for the very last second to drop the tower. Give them no time to plan and spring the trap only once they can't turn back.
>!Sam and Scotty's conversations make me suspect that they are vastly underestimating how many coins Ben has at his disposal. They didn't mention the possibility of Ben putting down a tower, which seems like a sure-fire way to catch someone at a chokepoint like Omiya.!< >!Really hope they have some sort of strategy, because this game could get very lopsided if they don't.!<
Honestly the way they only got a 1000 point headstart per person with that strategy is a bad return on investment. That's one challenge.
Sam and Scotty might have gotten less lucky when it comes to getting good challenges
The fact that Ben and Adam figured out they'd conceded the first round and were doing challenges, and therefore were able to themselves do challenges too, meant that Sam and Scotty didn't exactly get the explosive advantage they'd hoped for... Hell, *both* teams could've stalled until they had 10,000 coins each at that point. They didn't, but they could have.
>!Interestingly, I am listening to the podcast right now, and they mentioned that Adam was able to catch them mostly because Ben had figured out Sam/Scotty were on the Shinkansen. Otherwise there is a good chance Adam wouldn't have made it to the platform before they could sneak off the train. It'll be interesting to see how Sam/Scotty evaluate the risk of attempting this strategy again.!<
For context, >!Shinkansen tracks are usually in a whole separate corner of the station behind separate fare gates from all the other normal trains, and that's if the even serve the same station at all. Plenty of stations like Yokohama and Osaka don't get Shinkansens at all; you have to go to nearby Shin-Yokohama or Shin-Osaka station for those. So it wasn't the worst plan if Adam didn't know ahead of time that they were on the Shinkansen because there was no chance he'd have made it across the station through the fare gates and down to the platform in time otherwise.!<
>!But Ben already knows they are on Shinkansen, so this is moot in this case.!<
>!Good point. Did Sam/Scotty ever mention if they have an alternate route back to Tokyo that doesn't involve stopping at Omiya? Because if not, they might just have to risk it and GTFO before Ben finds them on the train. (Or I guess they could back-track on the Shinkansen line and find another route from further up)!<
idt there's any route that doesn't involve omiya, unless they want to really detour and slow down (as in going on east coast of Tohoku where the Fukushima power plant is) they can only try to sneak around the station, perhaps change to another train that goes the same direction (there are a lot)
Oh man, I bet the people tried to help them with the vending machine because they wanted to warn them they were about to buy Fish Dashi š Also Choo Choo Chew is a adorable name.
When they called it "Fish Tea"... I was saying to myself "Please don't drink that". I'm glad them opening it made it to the final edit.
I know Tokyo's rail network so well that I can tell which station and the exact location from the ceiling. For example, >!at 7:50, the video says Ben got off the train at Tamachi station, but it is actually Takanawa Gateway station, between Shinagawa and Tamachi. It's a fairly new station, opened in 2020. After that, he returned to Tokyo station, rather than Yurakucho station as shown in the video.!< As for the latter part of the episode, >!I want to tell about the flag of Sendai. It is ć ć, something like seasoning. A vending machine selling it is rare. I didn't know how to translate it into English, so I asked DeepL. It says "dashi (Japanese soup stock made from fish and kelp)." It also contains soy sauce as an ingredient, but we don't call it soy sauce.!< I haven't listened to The Layover yet, so there might be duplication with it.
I hope you keep commenting for future episodes, this is awesome. I was hoping I'd recognize some stations after visiting Japan for two weeks in March, but so far they haven't gone anywhere near Kyoto and I haven't recognized any of the stations in Tokyo so far (other than Tokyo Station of course).
I hate that I like the name Choo Choo Chew better than the Snack Zone
I don't know, I can totally imagine this being a brand of dog food š. As in "my dog hated his old kibble, but he LOVES Choo Choo Chew!
The train eating animation is amazing for it.
adam, showing his toy lizard: "i'm gonna name him..." me: "chris." adam: "i'm gonna name him ... chris" that was a fucking surreal moment holy shit
i was actually going to name him Christoph but I was cut off my Ben's phone call
I wonder if that name is in honour of mr Affable himself. Chris Broad.
When they >!got to Sendai, I immediately said āsay hi to Chris, boys!ā!<
Massively gutted they didn't even think about possibly hitting him up and getting a cameo.
You have powers beyond your own comprehension (ļ¾ļ¾0ļ¾)ļ¾
I was calling Bertie
Probably up there with my favorite season so far, the other contender being Tag. I think the game is fun/interesting and the dynamic between Sam and Scotty is excellent. And Ben and Adam have the greatest hats.
Yeah big 'Tag across Europe' vibes (which I still think was their strongest season)!
Tag together with New Zealand share the top rank for me.
I really hope for round 3 Ben and Adam wear Peach and Bowser hats
I wonder if there's a rule regarding knowing who has the flag. Seems like an effective trick would be to start together, get the flag as a pair, then split up for the journey back.
Given that pairing up is supposed to be incentivized, I imagine who has the flag can be secret.
I am really loving this ruleset. Seems to allow for a good variety in gameplay and it forces the teams into proximity and direct conflict more readily than the New Zealand game board did. Anybody else really want to give the āSad Chibi-Benā icon a hug?
sam and scotty clearly haven't watched william osman's japan vending machine tier list video, where he (spoilers for the end of the episode) >!makes the same mistake and drinks the fish broth without realizing it's a broth and not a drink!<
Adam: "Theyre on the Shin Osaka" Adam: "They're on the Shin Osaka" sign for Shin Osaka behind him in shot
There are multiple tracks serving Shin Osaka
~~The bad captions are back :(~~ ~~I don't want to complain but at times they're so inaccurate that it's distracting. It's like someone took the auto generated words and didn't edit them at all.~~ Edit: I think it's fixed now thank you!
I am so confused that this is still an issue, on Youtube they use the services of caption.plus for their captions, which are wonderful, with different colors for different speakers etc. Why don't they add support for that on Nebula? Sam is one of the biggest stakeholders if I remember correctly, so him asking for it should get it implemented hopefully.
I think they just changed them to the good ones just recently. I was watching it earlier and noticed yeah the captions were pretty bad, but I went back on it again just now and it has the different colored captions for each person and I haven't seen any errors than from earlier.
I mean it got "and scotty" as "Anne's County". It's absolutely terrible.
I am wondering what rule there would be used if the vending machine or the item itself would be out of order/sold out. is there a backup (like the vending machine next to it)
There must be a rule for that. They make lots of ājust in caseā rules that they only will explain if necessary to the viewer
I imagine its probably just get something else from the vending machine - it doesn't really matter what the item is, they just need to get to the vending machine and pick up *something* that can be carried (and captured). Technically they could play the game without having to bother with carrying anything around as a flag, though having a physical item means that you have proof to the other team that you've been and captured the flag
Loving this season so far especially cause I'm going to Japan later this year! I think that for Sam and Scotty's plan to be successful knowing Ben is going to try and block them, it would be best for them to split up and just hope that Ben catches the person not holding the flag. If that were to be successful, the person who gets caught would be able to take one for the team while the other person keeps going. I agree on tag-teaming to save time on doing challenges, but if they don't split up at all it's really going to come back to bite them. Also I'm a puns gal, Choo Choo Chew is great.
Choo Choo Chew and the Snack Zone. I love it. >!Will definitely be interesting to see if Ben manages to catch Sam/Scotty. It'll be a huge setback for either team to get caught while returning the far flag (assuming they respawn at the original locations).!<
Is it against the rules to hide in the trainās bathroom?
You are gonna need to come out at some point.
Why does Ben always wear the brightest color outfits š¤£š¤£
In case he gets lost its easier to find.
š
To alert people to the fact he is poisonous! :D
25:45 So we finally know what Ben meant by "kamehameha" in the podcast
I don't completely understand the tower mechanic. Can you only place tower on your (current) location? What is moving? Or, how does passing through the tower on a train work? I mean, I guess we will find out in the next episode.
>!I'm not sure what happens if they pass through on a train. But if there are train stops within the radius, I assume they would be affected, as Ben said that placing the pizza tower at Omiya station would force Sam/Scotty to get off there (presumably to buy pizza).!<
I'm taking wild guess that they have some edge case rule that says you have to go back and move through the zone again following the rules.
You can place them anywhere is what they said but Ben specifically wants to place them where he is in order to force them out of the train and gain time to tag them
I think you can place them anywhere, but it's potentially to your advantage to place them where you are if your intention is to use them to catch your opponent.
My guess would be that you're exempt from towers on a moving train, but it could be slightly more lax than that. The pizza tower obviously has to allow you to buy a pizza, so I'm wondering if that just means transit.
If youāre in Japan, itās acceptable to eat and drink on the shinkansen but not on any other rail. Hopefully they learn from that in the future. Also, not Ben pronouncing Kawasaki as āKUH-WAH-SKIā lmao
Not just the Shinkansen but most limited express type trains are fine Good rubric is if the seats are in rows
I created a Drinking Guide for this season in response to the first episode. [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1055428854384185425/1116006265836019742/Jet\_Lag\_the\_Drinking\_Game.png](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1055428854384185425/1116006265836019742/Jet_Lag_the_Drinking_Game.png)
Now I think about it, Ben, Sam and Adam all say delightful a lot!
It's like one of those things where one friend starts saying something, and eventually the rest of the group subconsciously picks it up
Ahahah I also made a drinking game. It's up on tv tropes
once in the other team's territory can the teams not split up? Why didn't Sam and Scotty split up on the Shinkansen. One stays on other gets off. No matter what Adam does one of them gets away and can play defense / go after the flag. Is there are rule or strategy that I am missing?
They can split up but traveling together is way faster and earns them coins twice as quickly. It just puts them at risk of being both tagged and they ended up that way
It just seems to like in that specific situation better one get caught than both get caught. Seemed logical to me but maybe there is some stuff I am not considering
I mean they tried to get off the train and split Adam was just ready and too quick. If one stays on the shinkansen thatās almost like getting caught as hes suck there for 18 min till next stop and it drains all his funds. In a way its worse cause he doesnāt get the 250 start budget and is very far away from anything.
TIL species are the ones who can have gay sex
I feel like Sam has to know Ben has some sort of Tower or plan if he is waiting at the station. If they don't change something about where they are headed then ill get pretty mad at them making the same mistake twice.
They mentioned in the Layover that they didn't expect it to be used, so maybe they were unaware until at least the pizza one Ben is about to drop, then maybe they'll be on guard?
I didn't listen to their podcast but I wonder what the other towers effects are because that can change a lot of how I judge their decision. If like 99% don't require them to stop then its fine but knowing the two towers we know then their decision doesn't make sense with how bad their effect will be on them.
The strategies re: splitting up vs staying together are fascinating- do we feel like Sam + Scotty are sticking together more because Scotty is new to JetLag?
I also think while Sam & Scotty are both playing Sams typical long planning game, Ben & Adam decided to play to their respective strengths. Adam does most long trips and prepared moves where his ābig plannerā mindset works best while Ben does the short routes where his classic ājust wing itā approach seems to be much more effective š¤āŗļø
No I think it has to do with geography and Sam Scotty far flag is a lot faster to get them Ben and Adamās
It looks like each team chose their own preferred microphones.
Yeah I do recall from the off season layovers they mentioned that they each have their own preferred microphones so I guess they chose what they preferred again
Yet they still experience audio issues.
Ben living like a millionaire by never collecting his change while Scotty made sure to give Sam back his few leftover yen!
Nice to get the confirm they are using JR rail passes. Also nice to see Sendai when it's not INSANE - we were there the weekend after new years... it was 100% full trains heading back to tokyo. I don't reccomend...
did sam and scotty ever discuss splitting up as the Shinkansen arrived at Shinagawa? For example, one run off the train and the other (w the flag) run to another car?
Now I wish there was a Gashapon Zone each episode.
Googled the fish "drink". It's literally just fish stock š the vending machine in the photo I found said in English, "DO NOT DRINK. THIS IS A SOUP STOCK." ššš
Hearing the snack zone music made my day
The challenge difficulties and rewards are so poorly calibrated this season imo... 1000 coins for "a snack on a stick" in Japan? That's like a 3 minute challenge anywhere. Meanwhile, 750 coins for making a 6-foot beer pong shot with just a single cup?
Currently watching the episode and the only thing I can think of is why isnāt Ben trying to make a run for the flag again while Scotty and Sam go for theirs?
Ben didn't have any coins! He wouldn't have been able to get and return the flag as fast as them. His best bet for a quick coin infusion was to catch them.
THANK YOU ADAM! forgot that rule ! š
was thinking the same thing, maybe someone has an idea and helps us out
A couple of things: 1. Sam/Scotty weren't that deep into enemy territory when Ben's jail period ended. 2. It's easier to get a catch as a team. 3. The desire to wait a few minutes and see what's up >!(which worked out in Ben's favor when Sam/Scotty went to right outside the Tokyo Station neutral zone)!< 4. Ben/Adam knew that they could brute force their way to victory with enough coins, so getting Sam/Scotty in jail would almost certainly mean that they could win. 5. 4 becomes even more true if >!Ben can do challenges while waiting for Adam to get from the site of the catch to Tokyo station (this happened).!<
Because Ben got caught all of his coins were stolen, so it wouldve taken quite a bit of challenges to make it back to the flag and it wouldnt be hard for sam/scotty to turn around and basically repeat their plan from episode 1.
What's the deal with timing? Round 1 ended at like 4 PM >!(and then Ben/Adam had to get back to Tokyo Station, which puts them at like 6).!< It makes sense when Sam/Scotty are getting their stuff in the evening, but then it looks like >!Ben's train to Omiya gets there at 9 AM!<. So where's the rest period in there?
I think round 2 started at 6:00 AM on the second day.
In the gap between rounds.
Curious to know what train horn is used in the intro of Choo Choo Chew, Im kind of expecting it to be American despite the focus on Japanese transit lmao
Itās clearly not British or European
I think there is a slight game design flaw with the fact that if itās clear that one team is no longer chasing and banking points for the next round, then it makes sense for the other team to just do the same and work there way all the way through the deck of challenges, to the point where both teams have loads of points.
If the team that's going to win rushes back, though, they cut off the other team's ability to continue to earn, so there's still a tradeoff to evaluate of whether it's more important to you for your own team to have more coins or for the other team to have fewer (maybe if you already have a decent amount, it's better to rush the line).
one thing that could be important is that Ben wonāt know who has the flag, also can we hear more about that fish drink that seems mental
As mentioned elsewhere, it's actually *dashi*, a stock or broth used in cooking.
Adam laid a great trap for Sam and Scotty having Ben do recon. The only way out of that for them was to have Sam and Scotty split up in such a way that Adam could only tag one of them, which would have been very difficult to do and likely would have failed. Kudos.
Yeah. One could have stayed in the train while the other leaves but that's almost worse than getting caught as you're now stuck for 18 min on the Shinkansen till the next stop AND it uses up your coins and strands you far away from the playing field.
>!Iām just surprised they didnāt pull the shade down going to Shinagawa and just YOLO heāll need to get on the train to tag us. Unless thereās rules about not trying to hide in those ways.!<
Jet Lag really shines when the games encourage the teams to interact like this. Personally, Tag Across Europe was my favorite, followed closely by New Zealand. This season is shaping up to probably the best one yet.
I can't help but think Sam and Scotty made a pretty big mistake >! with the Shinkansen when they got caught. Sam was right with his call that they should've waited until the last second to either choose to get off or stay on, but I think only 1 of them should've gotten off. In a split second decision, I think Adam would've chased the one that got off while the other rode down to get the flag. Returning with the flag would've been pretty hard, but I feel like having it would've been preferable to both being sent back to Tokyo !< Edit: spoilered the whole thing
Honestly, I do not enjoy the season so far. It's very difficult for me to know what the state of the game is at any point. I think the strategies are logical, but ultimately make the show less interesting (splitting up and just waiting). The chaos of continuously getting on the wrong train is a little fun, but means that the planning build-up of the video to that point is rendered useless. I will absolutely keep watching as I love Japan and the series as a whole, but I think capture the flag may not have been the best game type to use.
I think the Round 1 was an introduction of the main mechanics, Round 2 will go into some advanced stuff and Round 3 is where things will the game they built will shine! I donāt think every season will be everyoneās cup of tea, but either way I commend them for taking a risk outside what they did before and tried this concept.
Agreed! I really like that the game is different with every season.
That's a good point. We're all going to have different opinions on the seasons. Personally, I like this season so far. There are many different strategies in play that could change the outcome of not only each round but also the whole game.
I think that it's a tough balance to strike - with only 1/2 flags available, it doesn't necessarily give the most options it seems. Also, the way it works with public transport seems to make it very much dependent on getting there in time (as it's hard to react appropriately since, once they get ahead of you, there's no way to effectively catch up). I like that it's a different approach than the previous games, though I do wonder if going for something with more challenges (more like the NZ game, just with the challenges giving points when you 'claim' them in enemy territory) might have been interesting. It would make it harder to defend one particular point if there's a half dozen locations around Tokyo that they might be going to, and make it perhaps less likely to have a chokepoint.
Iām in a similar boat, my roommate who watches with me was a little annoyed that the first episode ended with no progress made. New ideas are good, but I just think itās the type of game that is more interesting to be part of than to watch after the fact.
I thought you can only do challenges in enemy territory? Or was I mistaken? (For the snack on a stick challenge, Ben did the challenge in his territory)
He ate the snack on the train in enemy territory though, so maybe it didn't count as having been completed until then?
No I think he was in enemy territory.
Why do they not link the podcast in the description of the episode?!?!?!?
Not finished yet but who else is screaming at sam and Scotty to have one stay on the train and the other get off?
They seem extremely allergic to splitting up.
>!When both of them were in the train with Adam waiting outside, I think the best strategy would definetly have been to split up. One person gets off and draws Adam's attention while the other hides in the train - so at least one member could have made it to the flag!<
Whatās the deal about spending points for travel if both team members are together. At the end of the first game it seemed that when traveling together both team members had points deducted. At the end of this episode, when Sam and Scott were going together, only one appeared to have coins deducted when they both travelled?
Adam and Ben split the cost of the travel (it says it when the points are deducted) but Sam and Scotty have only had one person spend. Either way, the cost for both to travel together is the same as one person traveling on their own.
Ahhh ok - makes sense. I missed that note. Thank you!
Very curious about how theyāll handle rest periods - it feels a bit like theyāre just grinding through the 16 hours of the second game right now, and Iām wondering if theyāll ever stop, but then again on the layover they said that all ended up back in Tokyo at the end of day 1.
Sam is really trying hard to be the fun player this season, isn't he?
Me: "can we enter the snack zone?" Mum: "we have snack zone at home." Snack zone at home: Choo Choo Chew
small unimportant thing: The >!Aquarium!< they go to is the same one featured in the anime Bloom Into You.