Japanese Reaction to PewDiePie’s Move to Japan
I would like to share my thoughts as a Japanese about PewDiePie’s family moving to Japan.
PewDiePie’s Popularity in Japan
PewDiePie is almost unknown in Japan. This is because most Japanese people cannot understand English. Japanese people also love YouTube, but they only watch content created by Japanese people.
The only Japanese who know about PewDiePie are those who are interested in who the best YouTubers in the world are. I am one of them and have seen some of his Minecraft videos.
His visit to Japan was partly covered as news in Japan. Some people expect him to convey the charms of Japan.
An example of news in Japanese:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/tokurikimotohiko/20220522-00297195
However, his visit to Japan does not change the fact that the majority of Japanese do not watch his videos. Because Japanese people do not understand English. To begin with, Japanese people do not even know how to pronounce PewDiePie.
There is much he can do if he wants to increase his Japanese audience. But that does not seem to be what he wants, and that is for him to decide.
What I was concerned about
To be honest, when I heard that Felix was moving to Tokyo, I was worried. Generally speaking, it is difficult for people who do not understand Japanese to live in Japan.
I was also curious as to why they chose Setagaya, Tokyo. Setagaya is one of the most famous upscale residential areas in Japan. It is known as a quiet residential area with easy access to central Tokyo.
Nevertheless, Setagaya is not a city where foreigners are particularly comfortable living. There are several other cities in Japan that are more livable for foreigners. For example, Kobe, where Andres Iniesta lives, is a port city that has always welcomed foreigners, so it is relatively easy to live there.
For this reason, I was worried that he might feel isolated and under a lot of stress in Japan.
But now I think my fears may be unfounded. I thought he would value spending time with his family and would not want to live in the limelight as a celebrity.
Even though he will have a lot of difficulties because he does not understand Japanese, I think he may be able to enjoy his life in Japan.
What I thought of his vlogs
I have not watched his videos before, but recently I have been curious about what his life is like in Japan, so I occasionally check his vlogs.
The Japanese scenery he videos is familiar to Japanese people, but I think his videos of Japan from his point of view are very unique and interesting.
What interested me most was his positive way of life. I think there is a lot to learn from Felix, who seems to enjoy living life with jokes.
If he wanted to address the negative things about living in Japan, there would be plenty of topics. Topics such as difficulties in entering and exiting Japan are a real problem. Nonetheless, he introduces us to things he has found interesting after visiting various parts of Japan.
As a Japanese, I am happy for him to come to Japan. I thought that Japanese people, including myself, should learn from him and turn our minds, which have tended to be confined since COVID-19, outward.
