Here is the 3rd and final installment of Youtubers in Japan. This time we will be focusing mainly on popular Japanese Youtubers and topics such as entertainment, gaming, and anime among other hobbies.
To start with we would like to recommend a few Japanese Youtubers who are very popular with Japanese viewers. For these, they range in topics but generally their videos are just meant to be entertaining/interesting or funny to the viewers.
First up in this category we have すしらーめん（りく）(Sushi Ramen Riku). Riku’s channel is mainly based upon making a ton of different and often weird experiments, inventions and stunts, as well as the occasional prank on his family. The experiments, inventions and stunts are often based upon supposedly aiding with everyday convenience, though to an extreme at times. Please do check out Riku’s channel for an interesting and fun but also very learning time.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/SUSHIRAMEN-Riku1
Next up is はじめしゃちょー(hajime). Hajime was the most subscribed to Youtuber in Japan until 2021. Hajime has three channels and on these, he films various content such as experiments like Riku but also hidden camera skits, product reviews, Q&As, lifestyle videos and promos. Wanna know more about one of the most popular Japanese Youtuber with over 10 million subscribers, then check out Hajime.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/0214mex
Lastly in this category we have HikakinTV who is currently the most subscribed to Youtuber in Japan since he overtook Hajime back in 2021. Hikakin makes videos in a format that are geared towards children who are coming of age, in a simple and fixed way that caters to the short attention spans of this target group. He started out with beatbox covers and tutorials but now mainly makes funny videos. Hikakin’s target group may be younger kids but even older Japanese people may know him, one of the Japanese professors at Ritsumeikan APU (University in Beppu, Japan), introduced him to one of his classes. Please do check out the most subscribed to Japanese Youtuber.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/HikakinTV
Next, we will talk more about Youtubers who make many hobby themed videos and especially regarding anime and manga which is a big part of Japanese culture and many foreigners interest “appetiser” to Japan.
First off is the Anime Man also known as Joey. Joey’s channel is based on anime, hinted at from the name, and manga but also discusses many cultural things that can seem weird, absurd, great and any other adjectives in Japan. Joey is half Japanese and half Australian, he is very honest and does not sugar-coat reviews of anime and manga and this is a big part of what made him renowned. Some of his most popular series on his channel are “#AnswerMeSenpai” and “WTF Japan”. Joey the anime man also has a podcast called trash taste with two other Youtubers, Gigguk and CDawgVA, whom we will introduce more in a bit. He has furthermore also done quite a few collaborations both with other anime Youtubers but also with some of the travel channels mentioned in the first blog post about Youtubers, such as Abroad in Japan and Tokyo creative.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAnimeMan
Up next is Gigguk who as mentioned is also part of the Trash Taste podcast along with the Anime man. Gigguk is a British Youtuber and one of the most inspiring anime influencers. His content primarily consists of very honest reviews of anime. He even quit a job at BBC to focus on his YouTube channel. Gigguk also makes other types of videos associated with anime, manga, and the otaku culture that often follows anime and manga.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/animezone
The last one from the Trash Taste trio is CDawgVa also known as Connor. Connor is a Welsh Youtuber and voice actor and has long been known for various impressions of anime characters especially Sebastian from the anime Black Butler, as his impression is very close to the character’s English voice actor. In more recent years he has made more comedy content however one being trying on low quality cosplay. Cosplay being dressing up as a character and in this case often anime characters. He moved to Japan in 2019 and ever since his content has expanded and he often makes videos on various different aspects of Japanese culture, where he tries it first-hand along with interviews people working in the profession, such as being a host, renting a Japanese mom, going to a butler cafe and many more.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/CDawgVA
Last but not least in the anime universe is Akidearest. Aki is an American Youtuber currently living in Japan with her boyfriend Joey the anime man. Aki is known for cosplay content and also Vocaloid (a singing software that enables users to synthesize "singing" by typing from a voice bank with over 1000 vocal phrases and audio samples) and visual novels. Aki also does anime and manga reviews and is known for her series “Otaku Monthly Favorites”. She has also participated a lot on the Tokyo creative channel.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/akidearest
Finally, we have two last recommendations both in regards to cooking but in slightly different ways.
Starting off with Kimono mom. Kimono mom shares her everyday life and Japanese culture on her channel but also makes many follow-along recipes for viewers to replicate and learn Japanese cooking. As implied by her name she is a mom of cute little Sutan and also cooks in the Japanese traditional wear, a kimono.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/KimonoMom
And lastly another cooking channel but very different, sure you can follow along but you might need to downsize a lot. Japan has a thing for miniature versions of everyday things and you can find sets or individual objects in specific stores around Japan and get your own miniature rooms if you like. These are often seen as part of the Japanese かわいい(kawaii) or cute culture. If you go to Miniature Space on YouTube you can see some of these miniature objects but more than that, you can see them be used for real-life cooking but on a much smaller scale. There is somehow something very satisfying about these videos.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/MiniatureSpace
That is all for our Youtubers in Japan series of blog posts! We hope you have enjoyed and found some awesome new channels to watch.
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