Visiting Japan with YouTube

Written by Sophie, February 2021

With lockdown continuing in the UK, and it looking like it’ll be quite a long time until we can travel anywhere, how can you feel like you’re visiting Japan?

The simple answer is YouTube! With so many people making Japan-centric content, I thought I’d let you know a few of my favourites.

Firstly, is Abroad in Japan. Chris Broad is an Englishman who has lived in Japan for the past eight years. Initially an English teacher, he now is a full time ‘youtuber’ making videos about everything from sushi to tsunamis. As he lives in Sendai (in Northern Japan), he visits fewer touristy places than many other (usually Tokyo based) people. His ‘Journey Across Japan’ series is particularly good and showcases so many wonderful places in Japan.

My second pick is Imamu Room. She is a Japanese native who now lives in Canada with her husband and daughter. To say this is a cooking channel would be an understatement. Each video shows her assembling a week’s worth of bento boxes, filled with onigiri, tempura, tonkatsu and so much more. Not only will these videos inspire you to cook new things, they’ll also up your packed lunch game when you return to the office.

If you want to experience walking through the streets of Japan with no voiceovers, then look no further than Rambalac. This is exactly what it says on the tin, a first person view of walking through the streets of Japan, with videos in places like Kyoto and Tokyo, as well as far more rural areas. Put one of these videos on while you enjoy a cup of sencha and pretend you are far away from the cold, grey, drizzle of home.

If you like documentary style videos, then you should try Tokyo Lens. Norm (a Canadian living in Japan) makes videos on interesting people and places in Japan. With incredible cinematography and attention to detail, his videos really show off the best of Japan. He is also a talented shamisen player, and his video about having a shamisen made by a Master Craftsman is particularly good.

There are so many more people I could write about (Sharmeleon, I Will Always Travel for Food, Kuga’s Travel, Life Where I’m From, Tokidoki Traveller and so many others among them) but the great thing about YouTube is that you can discover so many new and exciting creators yourself.

I’d love to know who your favourite Japanese content creators are!