500 Million Video Views! Who is Tomohiro Yamashita, the Japanese Man Chinese People Are Crazy About?

In 2014 China, a sudden, frenzied "Yamashita Boom" erupted

Yamamoto: Mr. Yamashita went to China in 2012 and uploaded a video titled "A Gentleman's Roughly One Minute" on Christmas 2014. Within just five months, it achieved the astonishing milestone of surpassing 100 million views. A simple question: At that point in 2014, when text-based content was still dominant on Chinese internet platforms, why did you choose video content as your method to introduce Japan's appeal?

Yamashita: When I ask young people, "Where do you usually gather information?" those interested in Japan generally start with anime, so they're video-oriented from the beginning. Looking at China's "Bilibili Video," it has a system similar to "Niconico Video." So, by 2012, I already sensed that video was on the rise.

※Bilibili: A hugely popular video-sharing site among young people in China.

 

Yamamoto: When you say "young people," what age group are you referring to?

Yamashita: The people watching my videos are mainly university students, around 20 years old. Occasionally, even elementary school kids watch. So I've been tightening up my content a bit lately (laughs). Initially, I was targeting high schoolers and people in their early 20s, around the age of university graduates.

Yamamoto: Your most famous video is "Gentleman's Roughly One Minute." Why exactly one minute? Is it because Chinese people are impatient, or because one-minute videos are mainstream online in China?

Yamamoto: I feel like the speech is incredibly fast, the transitions are quick, and you get swept up in it.

Yamashita: That's probably the current trend in China—fast pacing. It just goes pata-pata-pata. Since smartphone screens are small, we think about how to keep viewers' eyes glued to the screen.

 

China's internet says "Live Streaming" is next!

Yamamoto: In our inbound work, clients often request PR articles for Weibo and WeChat. So, Yamashita-san, your prediction is that in China post-2016, video will be more effective than text-based platforms like Weibo and WeChat?

Yamashita: The next big trend in China has already begun: live streaming. The key is what kind of content we can create for it, how we can gather an audience, and how we can stand out. I'm preparing to start regularly myself, thinking about making every Tuesday my live streaming day. I've done occasional streams before, like for my video channel's first anniversary or my birthday from home, but I only started doing it seriously recently.

I have three friends who create videos at my place. Together, we introduce things like "This is trending in Japan lately," while Chinese comments keep rolling in. We use that to explore cultural gaps between China and Japan.

For example, when introducing Japanese real estate, we mention how properties with issues are incredibly cheap. They come with all sorts of drawbacks, and while Japanese people might think, "No way, I wouldn't live there," we ask Chinese viewers what they think. Compared to Japan, it seems like many people aren't as bothered by such things. It's really interesting to interactively pick up their reactions and have this back-and-forth about everyday questions like that.

Yamamoto: Are the three friends you just mentioned Chinese?

Yamashita: Everyone I live with now is Japanese.

 

The fact that I'm connected in real-time with young people in China is my value.

Yamamoto: Mr. Yamashita really understands what makes Chinese people laugh. Beyond cultural differences, when Japanese clients do business with Chinese people, how can they get the other side interested in them?

Yamashita: When it comes to humor, uniquely Japanese concepts are hard to convey. Especially the idea of "surreal" is really tough to get across. But the Chinese people around me watch anime all the time, so I think characters are super important.

My character "Lieben Diaosu" isn't exactly good-looking, but he tries to be cool and fails, or gets shot down coldly when he hits on girls. That kind of hopeless character core seems easier to relate to. They seem really happy when a foreigner like me speaks fluent Chinese internet slang or knows about Chinese youth culture. It's like how in Japan, if a foreigner says they love Akihabara or came to study Japanese culture like Zen, it really hits home, right?

Yamamoto: Starting from things we both understand makes it easier for everyone.

Yamashita: In terms of a common language, I realized when I went to China that today's young people, thanks to the internet, are consuming the same video content like crazy. You start talking to a young person, expecting to discuss anime shows, and suddenly they dive into deep conversations like "Which voice actor do you like?" They might even be more sensitive to trends than us Japanese.

What surprised me about the difference with Japanese people is that many Japanese work hard for the sake of something interesting, right? Like, putting effort into something silly just to get praised by everyone. In China today, people who can make money are the ones who get attention. The initial motivation for action is making money.

Back then, people like me, who went all out doing silly things, were rare, and I often felt a gap. But recently, with the emergence of video creator "Papi酱," a new norm has emerged: "Doing funny things can make you rich." This is huge. I expect that from now on, more people will seriously pursue silly things, and the Chinese internet world will become a lot more fun.

※Papi酱: A currently hugely popular Chinese internet celebrity known for video posts (similar to a Japanese YouTuber)

 

Yamamoto: Fool Japan is turning into Fool China! (laughs)

Yamashita: I bet it will!

 

Promoting cultural exchange between Japan and China, aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Yamamoto: It's about introducing various aspects of Japan to foster understanding, aiming for true Japan-China friendship, and then going for the Nobel Peace Prize, you know? (laughs).

Yamashita: Exactly! (laughs).

Yamamoto: How are China's media regulations? Outrageously edgy expressions still get flagged, right?

Yamashita: Yes. Papi Jiang even got reprimanded for using slang in her videos. It's common in online videos, but I think it happened because she became too famous and influential. I'm gradually developing a gut feeling for that kind of thing, understanding it more intuitively.

Major Chinese media can't actively report on Japanese culture due to the prevailing atmosphere, which means they're failing to show what Japan is like today. That's precisely why young people are intensely seeking out Japanese information, especially online. There's a huge Comiket and cosplay boom across China, with cosplay events and doujinshi sales happening somewhere in China every single weekend.

During summer vacation, events happen at 20 to 30 locations nationwide in a single week. For example, people cosplay as Japanese anime characters and dance together to songs from anime like "Love Live!" right now. Tens of thousands gather at a single event, and these events spread spontaneously across the entire country.

These Japanese fans actively seek out information, find their way to these events, and do things their own way. They're incredibly loyal and high-quality fans. They're passionate about Japan and eager to learn more about it. I believe there's a real opportunity to build an even better relationship, and I'm confident I can keep sharing more fun things myself.

Yamamoto: As a Japanese person in China and a Chinese person in Japan, I'd love to collaborate on various projects together going forward! Thank you for today.