Best YouTubers in Japan – Discover Life in Japan with these 10 Channels

Best YouTubers in Japan – Ever wondered what it is like to not only experience traveling through Japan over the course of a few weeks, but to actually live there? The excitement of making this crazy and culturally-rich country your second home might make certain people excited beyond belief and immediately begin planning their move.

These days, there are actually thousands of foreigners living in Japan who manage YouTube channels with videos that describe what it is like to live in Japan. They document everything from their everyday life in Japan, to experiences you wouldn’t come across if it’s your first or second time in Japan.

Best Youtubers in Japan

They also cover things like what it’s like to live in Japan as a foreigner and various other interesting topics and themes. Some of these channels are so wholesome, well-edited, and fun that some dedicated viewers might say you won’t even need to leave your bedroom and you’ll still feel like you’ve experienced ‘traveling’ to the country.

Life in Japan

These YouTube content channels are also a great source of information for those who prefer watching and hearing about experiences rather than reading about them. If you’re keen to try an activity or visit an attraction but unsure about whether it’s right for you, head to YouTube. Chances are, someone would have recorded their time at this attraction and given pointers such as who might like it and when it’s best to go.

Sugoii Japan Youtube Channel

Sugoii Japan Youtube Channel

Before to start to explore our list of favorite youtubers in Japan, we invite you to have a look at our new Youtube Channel! The concept is simple, we want you to “enjoy Japan from home” by sharing immersive 4k videos in our favorite spots in Japan. While videos will never replace a real travel experience, we want to give you the closest feeling of visiting Japan.

No comments, no interviews, we will share just raw footage of how Japan looks like in daily life. If you like the idea, make sure you follow our Youtube channel and activate the notification bell.

Top 10 Youtubers in Japan

Here is our list of our 10 favorite Youtubers in Japan. Their videos are incredibly diverse and entertaining to watch, and we highly recommend that you begin your planning with these guys right here.

  1. Sharla in Japan / Sharmeleon
  2. Kelly Morita
  3. Rachel and Jun
  4. Abroad in Japan
  5. Micaela ミカエラ
  6. Tokidoki Traveller
  7. PeachMilky
  8. Life Where I’m From
  9. ONLY in JAPAN
  10. TokyoStreetView

1. Sharla in Japan / Sharmeleon

Sharla in Japan is a channel that’s bright, quirky and colourful. The main content creator is Sharla, who was originally in Canada. She now resides in Northern Japan, but films content all around Japan.

If you visit her YouTube page, she has created playlists that easily separate the types of videos she creates, such as learning Japanese with Sharla, Japanese dishes, and her own Shikoku travel series. However, her most popular playlist would be her ‘Fun Spots in Japan’ which takes you through various popular attractions and hotspots in Japan to show you firsthand what you can expect. Several of her videos on this playlist have over one million views! They include ‘Thrift Shopping in Harajuku, Japan!’ ‘The Most Beautiful Onsen in Japan | Tsuru no Yu’, and ‘What CAT CAFES in Japan are like!’.

Since creating ‘Sharla in Japan’ she has since created a new channel called ‘Sharmeleon’ where she continues to upload videos of her adventures in Japan.

You can follow her adventures at Sharla in Japan / Sharmeleon.

2. Kelly Morita

Kelly Morita is a vlogger who has lived in Japan for a total of seven years. Her YouTube channel is aimed at showcasing to people the real life depiction of what it is to live overseas in a country like Japan. She also tries to help those currently living abroad maintain a healthier, happier lifestyle.

This YouTube channel provides a more personal, in-depth approach to actually living in Japan. Whilst she does do fun and exciting videos such as ‘Sake Tasting & the Biggest Rice Ball in Japan’, and ‘Manga Themed Hotel Tour’, her main themes are her everyday life and discovering new and different aspects of living in Japan.

You can follow her journey through various playlists such as ‘Lifestyle & Mindset Abroad’ and her ‘Girl Abroad’ series, which are her most popular uploads. She has also married a Japanese person so she documents their lives together as well, and the videos are super adorable (such as the ‘Meeting the Parents for the First Time!’, video!)

Watch more of her videos at Kelly Morita.

3. Rachel and Jun

We can make a list of Youtubers in Japan without Rachel and Jun!

This YouTube channel is run by a Japanese/American couple who currently reside in Fukuoka. They make videos of their lives in Japan as well as fun and interesting videos about Japan itself. They boast more than 2.66 million subscribers on YouTube!

They separate their videos into playlists that each have different themes. If you’re new to their channel or just new to watching these types of videos in general, we recommend going through their entire ‘Best Of’ playlist. This playlist features all of their most popular videos, some of which have garnered more than ten million views! These videos include exploring Japan videos such as ‘The Water City | Gujo Hachiman’, and ‘Fox Village in Zao Japan’, and also include general everyday life in Japan videos, such as ‘Being Tall in Japan’.

If these sound interesting to you, check Rachel and Jun out here.

4. Abroad in Japan

Abroad in Japan is run by Chris Broad, a British blogger and vlogger who details his lifestyle and work in Japan (mainly within the northern Tohoku region) through his website and YouTube channel.

If you have a quick browse through his YouTube channel, you can see that he definitely has a humorous side to him, making him come across easy going and real in his videos. His large following is a testament to how engaging his Japan videos actually are. They’re described as incredibly fun and informative, both for people who want to visit Japan for a holiday and also for those looking to move to the country as well, e.g. ‘Inside Japan’s Most Expensive Bullet Train’, and ‘What NO-ONE Tells You About Japan’.

If he sounds like your kind of entertainer, check out his videos here.

5. Micaela ミカエラ

Micaela is a Canadian who has been living in Fukuoka for more than 14 years. Her YouTube channel shares various videos on her life in Japan, such as ‘Does It Get Easier? Ten Years in Japan’, travel information regarding her hometown in Japan, such as ‘Fukuoka’s Oldest Shopping Arcade’, and secret tips to exploring areas of Japan that you don’t see on the main tourist websites, such as ‘Untouched Land of Iwojima’.

A unique topic covered by her includes when she was asked to move to Aya, Miyazaki for a temporary work contract. She details her move there and what life is like in countryside Japan. This gives people a unique perspective on life in Japan outside of the city. You can check out her video here, called ‘We Moved To The Countryside’.

To watch more of her videos, check out her channel here.

6. Tokidoki Traveller

The YouTube channel TokiDoki Traveller is owned by bright and sunny Emma, an Australian girl who is currently residing in Tokyo. If you’re looking for a well-rounded YouTube channel to get started on learning about living in and exploring Japan, this is a great place to begin.

With all her videos easily separated in basic playlists such as ‘Day in my life’, ‘Travel Outside Tokyo’, and ‘Explore Tokyo’, you will be able to find specific information to your travel plans quite simply. Some uncommon videos that you might find interesting include ‘Picnicking under the cherry blossoms by myself’ (great for solo travellers!), and ‘Eating All The Food at Tokyo Disneyland For Halloween’. This is actually something that we here highly recommend which doesn’t get enough rep – food at Disneyworld Tokyo during Halloween is amazing!

She also uploads apartment-related videos if you’re interested in her everyday life situation. Here, you will see her chatting away to the camera whilst making a meal for herself in her kitchen – a great way to unwind after a long week of work.

Check out Emma’s videos here.

7. PeachMilky

The YouTube channel PeachMilky is owned by Sophie who is from Northern Ireland. She identifies as a model, cosplayer, vlogger, and streamer, and currently lives in Tokyo. Her content is not solely based on Japan and its culture and lifestyle itself. It also encompasses her gaming, cosplay, product views and beauty aspects of her life.

If you’re into the kawaii culture of Japan and all things adorable and sweet, then we highly recommend checking out her YouTube channel. She will take you through experiences such as the Maid Cafe, exploring Harajuku, and renting kimonos.

Watch her aesthetically pleasing videos here.

8. Life Where I’m From

As you can tell from the title, this particular YouTube channel places high focus on showcasing life in Japan. Unlike the aforementioned YouTubers in Japan, this channel was created by a Canadian named Greg Lam back in 2015 to show interesting and educational insights into the everyday aspects of Japan. It’s unique aspect is that it often features (and is narrated by) members of his family as well, including his Japanese wife and two children.

Whilst there is a playlist dedicated to traveling around Japan which includes some interesting videos including ‘Tokyo’s Volcano Island: Oshima’, the content mainly focuses on topics more targeted towards those living in Japan. He touches on issues not commonly covered in mainstream media, such as ‘Being Muslim in Japan’, and shares insights on random general ‘good-to-know’ topics such as ‘How Tokyo’s Subway Keeps On-Time, Clean and Safe’. He also produces documentaries that he describes as ‘a little different from the regular videos’, such as ‘Traveling With a Physical Disability in Japan’.

For some interesting insights and random knowledge about Japan, Life Where I’m From is a great channel to explore.

9. ONLY in JAPAN

ONLY in JAPAN was created by John Daub in 2012, and is a channel that highlights Japan’s unique culture. It shows off a multitude of different traditions, events, attractions, and locations around Japan, and also gives helpful information on how to truly get the most of your experience.

If you’re planning to travel to Japan and need some pointers on what to do, this is a great destination to get information. Rather than share his everyday life, John focuses on the adventurous side of living in Japan and likes to showcase unusual and exciting things that you can only experience in Japan. If you’re into food adventures, cultural experiences like onsen bathing, and wacky activities such as volcanic sand bathing and square watermelon farming, check out his videos here.

10. TokyoStreetView

To finish this list of the top Youtubers in Japan, we will mention a pretty unique channel.

Whilst the majority of the aforementioned channels all offer a somewhat personal spin on their videos, TokyoStreetView is not. Rather, it is a project born from the passion of photographers and videographers based in Japan who have come together to produce (extremely) high quality videos of the culture of Japan. These videos are unmistakably professional, and capture the beauty and essence of Japan in many ways that vloggers unfortunately do not.

One thing to note is the high emphasis on the sound quality of these videos. They are produced in a way so that you could close your eyes or block your ears, and either way, it will be as though you’re fully immersed yourself into the experience right at that moment. These videos are true works of art. Anyone can enjoy these videos, but if that trip to Japan seems a little out of reach at the moment, watching these videos will help ease that sadness for a little while.

Check them out here – we’re sure you’ll be exploring this channel for a while!

I hope you enjoyed our blog post about the best Youtubers in Japan!

From the sounds of it, you might have a few hundred hours of YouTube-ing ahead of you. Even though some topics are covered by more than one person, it doesn’t mean they’re all not worth watching.

Different people experience the same things differently, and, as always, varying perspectives allows you to appreciate things more deeply. Whether you’re after a relaxing and fun video of the whacky Harajuku street, or an emotional video of the mountains of Wakayama, these top YouTubers in Japan will be able to entertain you for hours on end.

If you are into Virtual Youtubers, feel free to check out our list of the 10 best Vtubers to follow.

Are you learning Japanese at the moment? You can also check out these Youtubers to learn Japanese for free!

And if you are more into Instagram, we also made a great list of our 10 favorite Instagram accounts about Japan!

4 Comments
  1. Kelly Morita is self obsessed. Sharla is super meh. See Nobita Japan, Tabi Eats, AskJapanese, Nobita, and Rambalac if you want a well-rounded experience.

  2. I’ve watch everyone in this list but Paolo From Tokyo is the most entertaining, value for time. Paolo is such a trailblazer on his contents and very wholesome!

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