5 reasons Japan vloggers FAILED!

#livinginjapan #lifeinjapan #movetojapan #japan #anime #manga
#english #japanese
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/ @unrested

[@unrested]

All members of the channel are shouted out at the end as well are receiving a members only video tomorrow. Thank you to all members. You make my world a little brighter! If you want to join it’s a dollar and ninety cents only! Join here Join this channel kzbin.info/door/RQxXVZ8npH5KaeQIfHcQ4wjoin

[@MyargonautsJason]

I also started J-Vlogging in 2007 and it was fun while I was a teacher on the JET Programme. When I came back to Japan in 2010, I started a SUMO channel and that is the one I still work on to this day. I think the couple you mentioned are probably Ryosuke and Grace and their channel was Texan in Tokyo. She published a book thru kickstater of her comics and made a ton of money and then retired from YT.

[@unrested]

Oh dang I remember your channel too. See there are so many I am forgetting. Ahhh those were the good old days

[@MidnightGrind]

@@unrested​​⁠​⁠​⁠You two guys are the original reason I started a KZbin channel. In case I don’t thank you elsewhere, thank you both. I never became a JET, but I learned a great many things from both of you throughout the years.

[@flexingmecha]

Yup you two along with Tokyo cooney, and tokyoswan were staples for jvlogging

[@nyannyan123456]

I loved your channel Jason. I never planned on doing jet, but was interested in the stuff you talked about. You're definitely one of the originals.

[@talesofmichele]

Jason! Man where did time go? I watched your videos and others teaching in Japan then. Now I taught for 11 years and moving on to being a full time author. I loved your videos because they showed how fun it could be as a teacher. Having fun with the students and joy in the joy you brought them! The louder voice of teaching here is negative. 😢

[@TheDigitalPanther]

Those were the days man.... I was in high school in 2010 watching some jvlogs and dreaming of Japan. Kept watching through college until I ended up going to Fukushima City for a year working eikaiwa for AEON. Such an incredible year. I wish I could go back but the job market in Japan just sucks right now. I often reminisce of those days.

[@unrested]

Yeah it’s just not sustainable right now to stay in Japan unless you can get into another biz. But man those were some awesome years. 2010 was the best in Japan. Glad you got to enjoy it!

[@danieljohnson2005]

⁠@@unrestedI’m just curious, why isn’t it sustainable? Has there been a huge drop off of English language studying? I lived and taught English there for five years but left at the end of 2019, right before the pandemic. I used to tell my friends to start thinking of another career because I knew people were going to stop studying once the Olympics were over.

[@randomman057]

@@danieljohnson2005 From the American perspective, most ALT jobs in Japan require a college degree and many young graduates have student loans. Right now the Japanese economy is in a bad way and the yen has lost a lot of value. Throw in the inflation we've seen and the money is probably worse than its ever been.

[@lowang8831]

Gimmabreak man was an OG for KZbin not just J Vlogging. One of the first videos I ever saw on this website was Gimmabreak man getting drunk. It was featured on the front page of KZbin.

[@unrested]

lol those were the days ahhh.

[@chasemathis2016]

d'awww, he called us adorable! As for the whole "just sitting in a room talking into a microphone" thing... I like it.

[@RichLikesRamen]

Man, I miss doing stuff with the unresteam and all the connections I made in the JVlog community. I'm glad Sharla has been growing, but keeps her content the same as its always been. While there have been improvements, it still feels familiar. I will say, I consider Chris Broad an OG JVlogger, he was also nice enough then to review my JET application essay. I miss chatting with Tino (MexicanSamurai) and a couple of the other JVloggers on LINE. I often find myself reminiscing over the things I was doing, the plans I had for the community to grow, the people I met... Kinda happy, kinda sad to think about.

[@unrested]

Those were such good times. Like seriously so many laughs. You guys were the realest crew of friends ever. Always giving me a better perspective outside of my silly KZbin bubble and rooting me on even when I didn’t know what to do with channel. Sad it’s over happy it happened good memories all around

[@rogerpena4678]

One of your loyal subscribers for the past 10 years... keep doing your thing even if its "back to square one"... that's why I follow you Scott!!

[@unrested]

Hey thanks so much for sticking with me!

[@smithers4354]

Abroad in japan and a few others seem to be doing fine although I will say the kanadajin3 drama was the peak of J-Vlogging XD I think the standard for video and editing quality has gone way up since then as well as the fact that you have to stay on it and keep pumping out content to thrive

[@unrested]

lol oh man the Kanadajin saga. Everything went wacky after that lol.

[@matty6878]

kanadajin and danny (insidethecloset i think) were peak jdrama drama channel content lol

[@smithers4354]

@@unrested The sad thing is I really liked her content and it seemed like she broke down over it all when I believe she could have just apologized and learned how to take criticism in a better way... It was quite entertaining though

[@ReinhardOrDieTrying]

I started watching this channel I think about 13/14 years ago, I was just a middleschooler back then, now an adult with responsibilities, a lot has changed haha.

[@unrested]

Love it when I hear people’s stories of having watched this long. Thanks a bunch for all the views!

[@ReinhardOrDieTrying]

@@unrested I used to listen to the JFAQs on the way to school. Gets the nostalgia going!

[@darkangel8068]

Setup a mulit zoom call with all the old school JVloggers and some new school vloggers for a future video

[@unrested]

That would be awesome

[@bgran]

Please do that, this would be great

[@baemheadshot86]

Awesome to hear, that some of the old guard are still kicking! Especially Tokyo Cooney - there was a time where i desperately searched for his videos or any sign of life from that man on youtube. Maybe my google-fu just sucked, but i gave up thinking, that he stepped back from the internet entirely. I can't really remember, but i think there was also some drama about it. Damn.. stuff is so long ago now, that i can't really remember it. But hey, i got to fulfull my wish last october, when i was finally able to go japan for 3 weeks and repeatedly stuff my face with kura sushi and strong zero. I believe you were the first jvlogger i was watching way back when and you put that bug in my head ^^ Thank you so much for that! Also, really glad to hear you got more members - this is the way :D

[@unrested]

There was some beef between Tokyo Cooney and tkosam back in the day and another time when he was invited on 2.5 Oyajis and was super wasted and had like 10 tvs on blasting during the interview and the whole thing was a mess. To be fair to Cooney though he was going through a really bad time in his life. Later he got his life back in order and reached out and apologized to everyone and I think these days he is living a pretty calm and productive life. Man, what a crazy time back then. KZbin was really the Wild West of internet video uploads back then.

[@dubndrapwilwork]

would love you doing a video with some of these people you know. just talking about the old days. i started getting heavily into the jvlog stuff in 2011-12 and i think it would just be a fun nostalgia trip haha

[@unrested]

In May when I return to Japan I plan to hit some of them up. Hoping to get some collabs then

[@dubndrapwilwork]

@@unrestedheck yea looking forward to it

[@PeterNancarrow]

I remember Tokyoswan (Rodger Swan) who sadly died.

[@unrested]

Dang one of the OGs of Japanese horror reviews. May he be remembered as one of the harbingers of a great community

[@PeterNancarrow]

@@unrested I loved his video's - I remember his horror review - it started with the American version of 'The Ring'....

[@matty6878]

i remember when he passed. that shocked the entire jvlogging community which was probably a first type of event to happen on youtube. its nice still seeing people leaving comments on his channel.

[@Omegalux]

I was actually talking to him (Via KZbin) just 3 or so days before he passed away. I honestly thought I was loosing my mind when I found out what happened. Such an amazing guy.

[@dragonzord91]

You were definitely my favourite back then and you were instrumental in me being here in Japan on the JET programme currently. Thanks for everything Scott, I'm glad to see you doing well and looking healthier than ever, all the best dude!

[@unrested]

Thanks for sticking with me and congrats on JET that is no small feat!

[@Ichigo.K]

Good to see you are doing well and still remain authentic! 🤘🏼🤙🏼

[@unrested]

Thanks for sticking around for so long!

[@helloryuu]

Unrested!! I miss listening to OG J-Vloggers like you and Victor. Keep doing you man!! It’s just great to have you posting on the regular again! Cheers

[@unrested]

Thanks for sticking with me!

[@hanktank45]

I really enjoyed the more optimistic and positive outlook on this topic here. This is an incredibly nostalgic topic for me. Im nearing 30 now so when I was a teen and looking into the future I was super into these channels. I really loved watching and seeing that other people got out and did something I wanted to do. I still watch creators like Chris Broad, Sharla, rachel and jun. But it's really bittersweet looking back at Japan vlogging channels that havent uploaded in 7+ years.

[@unrested]

Yeah agreed. There are some that got way bigger than I ever did and I am confused why they stopped but at the same time everyone has reasons and even I have had nearly 2 year long breaks from all this. KZbin is both fun but sometimes very fickle.

[@Omegalux]

You know, I think my favourate "Jvlog" videos were Softypapa's nature walks. Where he would explore and show the natural land and countryside type locations. There was really nothing else quite like it, and it's quite surprising consider the amount of nature lovers and beauty of Japanese wildlife. His channel "Abandoned Japan" is something I still go back to and watch through to this day.

[@unrested]

I was a big fan of Kurt too. Just recently spoke to him as he did the whole move back to America then move back to Japan thing too back in the day. Abandon Japan always got me pumped to make more osoroshi Saturday vids

[@jessiepoo20]

I went to Japan from 2010 to 2012 and I watched so many of your videos. I’m pretty sure you were the first jvlogger that I watched. I lived in Hiroshima and Osaka. Good times.

[@unrested]

That’s awesome to hear hope you a good 2 years there

[@Jauffre-innit]

I've been wanting to do the JET programme since I was 16 (10 years ago), I even went to uni and did a software engineering degree just so I could apply. Covid lockdowns really fucked me over with anxiety, I cant even get a job anymore, none of the medications I tried work (the one that did made me sleep upwards of 14 hours a day - not by choice). I'm going to try and get on JET this year, I just have to work as hard as I can to fix myself and get recent work experience and get some savings. I always thought if I went to Japan I would consider making a vlog, just for me to work through my experiences and for my family to keep contact. I don't know, everything seems impossible sometimes. Also, back when I was younger and really all in on Japan and it was the only think on my mind, I loved your JFAQ series, sometimes I do go back and rewatch some. I even remember Regan's channel back before he went to Australia and did vegan content. And I cannot forget the entire shitshow caused by a video called dreamcrusher by Ryan Boundless.

[@unrested]

Dang sorry to hear about the Covid aspect. That messed up so many dreams. You can still do it I believe in you!

[@mokisan]

Thanks for the video!😊

[@betsybabf748]

I watched Texan In Tokyo and a few others, but the first video of yours I ever saw was about your friends dying of suicide. It was shortly after my own husband, father of our 5 children, took his life, and I had found him. I was in a bad place emotionally and remember just crying my eyes out watching. The video really touched me though.

[@unrested]

Wow that was a rough one. Hearing that it was something you watched while amidst your own tragedy I can only hope it helped in some way. Too much pain is hidden inside all of us as humans and my hope is we can all be more vulnerable with each other so that it’s not all bottled up to a point of driving such beautiful souls to irreversible and desperate measures.

[@elliefors6006]

I think your type of sit down talking videos are great! It’s like a podcast basically and it’s fun to listen to while being able to multitask with other things. Some of the other higher production videos can be difficult to watch because you have to focus fully on them. So your type of videos have a great merit too!

[@unrested]

That’s funny. I’m the same way about videos. I just wanna hit play and listen while I do a million chores or art. Glad to hear I provide that for others

[@randomman057]

Man, I was just thinking about how much youtube was promoting Jvloggers in the early 2010s.

[@unrested]

Yeah we had it good then haha but trends come and go and a lot of us never changed with the times. Now KZbin is on a whole nother level.

[@randomman057]

@@unrested Oh definitely, the sorts of videos that did really well back then, picking up a camera and just filming various places, foods, and cultural differences, just don't cut it anymore. I still fondly remember watching so many channels back then and absorbing so much about Japan. Almost even applied to the JET programme around 2014, but decided against it.

[@Thomas5k]

Did you enjoy doing Osoroshi Saturday? If so, bring it back. I used to listen to those while working overnights at 7-Eleven and really enjoyed them.

[@unrested]

Man I loved it. I should have made a separate channel for it. Here it did horrible. Who knows maybe one day I will. When I have my house paid off and can work part time I probably will

[@Thomas5k]

@@unrested Hindsight and all that. Regardless, I, and definitely others, enjoyed it. I'd love something horror or urban legend related, Japan or not. That may be too disconnected from your channel concept, though. Anyway, love the vids, dude.

[@ManInJapan]

As a failed jvlogger, this was a hell of a trip back. We met in 2014 or 2015, Osaka Hanami. It was a blast. I had only been there a few days at that point. For me, yeah, this about hits it on the head. Visa ran out, didn't have the right things in place to keep extending it, so I came home. Then life here kind of kept going and I haven't been back. Thought about youtube a few times here and there, trying out different stuff. Ultimately, it just fell off and I never got back into it. Thanks for kickin it old school with this one.

[@unrested]

Dude I remember that. That was such a great party too. If nothing else at least you had fun and got to keep the memories. Give KZbin a try sometime again. Just remember it takes a while to get things going. I’ll give you a shout out if you ever do!

[@lekosboy]

Oh man you make me want to come back to KZbin! You probably don't remember but we met at the youtube gathering in 2013 I believe feels ages ago.

[@unrested]

Oh man 2013 feels like a lifetime ago. You should come back to KZbin. Look at me I took 2 years off and came back and somehow the channel isn’t a complete ghost town.

[@tentomdrummer]

Don't be so hard on yourself I used to love your walk and talk videos! In fact I spend one to two hours every night when I get home watching 4K walking tours through Tokyo 😊 It all started with you my friend. Random question though! Here in America if you have a job at McDonald's You're generally considered to be unsuccessful and low class; how do the Japanese treat such workers? Are there certain jobs that are looked at unfavorably? Thanks man, You've always had the answers to the questions I requested🥹

[@unrested]

Thanks for the kind words I honestly loved editing the walk and talk vids. They were a lot more fun than just sitting at home. As for McDonald’s it’s a super stressful job in Japan. You have to be super fast if you work there and they are super strict that orders get out on time. In fact many young workers do that job and put it on their resume to show bigger companies because it’s a sort of badge of honor for being a known as a super fast Worker. As for jobs that are looked down upon I’d say izakaiya (small tapas restaurants) waiters get a lot of crap. They are usually teens who don’t make a lot of money and also don’t get tips so there isn’t a lot of motivation to work those jobs. Not that it’s a bad or lowly job I just see them take a lot of crap from customers. Probably cause those places serve a ton of alcohol and people sometimes get nasty when they drink.

[@drunkenprayer8390]

Your videos really helped me prepare for moving to Japan and it was great hanging out with you the few times we did. Scaring the crap out some poor salary man filming Cursed Urban. Gettin absolutely drunk beyond repair at the Osaka meet and others. Edit: I remember some of the drama. Some of it was pointless, but some of those involved were complete assholes. Like the prototype of that guy recently that went around harassing people and give foreigners a bad reputation. Damnit said the name at the end. Jonny Somali.

[@unrested]

lol filming cursed urban was a blast. Seriously sometimes I go back and watch those and am shocked we even made it cause it’s all so surreal. Running through abandon Japanese ghetto blocks in a 100 yen clown mask…well if nothing else we were original for the time and having fun

[@Felice_Enellen]

I think there's something to be said for the simple format you and Victor use. It might not be the best moneymaker, but it's like comfort food, it's just nice to sit and listen to someone talk about their life and the things they love.

[@unrested]

Yeah that’s why I stick to this format. If I did do high budget high production I don’t think I’d still be going with videos

[@talesofmichele]

I was there and still around. I remember being so shy and having a hard time connecting with jvloggers. Did go to the jvlogger party in 2012 🤔 Got married and settled in Kansai. Broke my back last year so quit teaching and writing novels full time. I do miss the old days and regret not trying to connect more with others. I didn’t evolve as well😅 I didn’t like taking my camera out when with other people. It’s just me and my life here in Japan. 🤷‍♀️ What is the real Japan? Spending ¥50000 on crane games or me who hasn’t been able to afford to visit the US since I got here in 2011? I’d love to know how life is going for some of the ones that stopped. For example NihonJenn. The couple you talked about, TexaninTokyo, updated in the last year. It was different time for sure. OG j-vloggers!

[@unrested]

I understand the whole not wanting to take a camera out when with others. Sometimes you just want to chill and the camera doesn’t always let you. Sorry to hear about your back hope you are doing well now. Yeah the price of travel is insane. Already bought my ticket back to Japan and am still trying to recover from the purchase on a teachers budget

[@shugyosha7924]

I loved watching those jvlogs back in the day. When Japan was this far away place I wasn't sure if I could ever visit. It was so cool to see people actually living there, living my dream. Fast forward to today, now I've been here for almost a decade. KZbin has changed so much in that time. I'm nostalgic for the old days.

[@unrested]

That’s so cool that you got here and are living the dream though

[@shugyosha7924]

@@unrested Yeah, I'm grateful every day haha. I'm actually planning to start uploading videos myself. It's come full circle!

[@matty6878]

kanadajin. she was wild. danny choo i never liked cuz he showed like this fanatical side of japan that weebs ate up. Tokyocooney - probably THE original jvlogger. venusangelic - oh god this poor girl... she has/had a hard life. she even got my original channel banned lol applemilk is back, just not in japan. myargonauts - still around but only for sumo. i liked his philosophy stuff and JET videos are still great insights. ryanboundless - "dream crusher" gathered all the incels to his videos lol namasensei/bumnumbah1 - he still streams every saturday on twitch (today if you catch him). my favorite of the bunch cuz he made mini-shows in japan while totally drunk off his ass. loved that more than gaijin showing vending machines. for some reason if you were a young white girl you struck gold in japan which sucks because we needed a more diverse voice at that time. my favs were the ones that just filmed themselves messing around (in a goofy dumb college kid way, not johnny somoli way) or started personal drama. they were fun and interesting and then at the end of the week victor would make videos about it and then people would get mad at him lol. great times! today, people are more professional and thats boring. thats what NHK World is for.

[@unrested]

Ryanboundless hahahaha that’s who I was thinking of….omg comedic genius. Starving on single ham slice sandwiches at the combini

[@williamadams7136]

applemilk is back?

[@matty6878]

@@williamadams7136 she streams on twitch and then uploads them to youtube. its not frequent but she's still active

[@Lolaliloo-Babaloo]

That is when i started watching youtube back then and just watched a bunch of J-Vloggers!!! Fun times!! You and Gimmeabreakman are the ONLY ones i am still suscribed to, i think a bunch of them stopped...

[@unrested]

Thanks for sticking around!

[@JynRoh]

Man i miss the "golden years" of youtube, Mullys another one who i always enjoyed watching

[@unrested]

Mully is a good one too agreed!

[@koltinn]

Texan in Tokyo i believe. I miss em. Oddly enough Softypapa is coming back to Japan actually.

[@unrested]

That’s what it was thank you. Yeah they are awesome. Great artist and awesome personalities but I totally understand their need to withdrawal.

[@TheCajunGaijin]

I haven't kept up with Kurt. I didn't know he was moving back.

[@destroyraccoon]

@@unrested they made an update video last year out of nowhere, seems they're doing ok

[@davidalexanderarnavat]

I remember first getting introduced to Jvloggers back in 2014 after visiting Japan. Oddly/ironically enough, the first vid I watched was Ryan Boundless' vid on Teaching in Japan. From there, I binged on Gimmeabreakman, your channel, Texan in Tokyo, Tkyosam, Hikosaemon, Piggles di Gaijin, Abroad in Japan, Internationate, Dave Trippin, ExJapter and many others. Now I mainly spend my time watching Rambalac's channel since he just does pure, drama free, walking vids.

[@unrested]

Yeah we shoulda all stuck to just doing stuff about Japan.

[@BellCricket]

As "fun" as drama can be... I did drop off watching a lot of jvlogs because of it. I just wanted to see what life was like, what people get up to, idk just chilling. I loved your walking videos. That was the kind of content that was fun. Thanks for that, it was always a nice watch on a lazy sunday.

[@unrested]

Yeah drama is like drugs. Everyone gets addicted and gets a short high from it but when the high wears off everyone is miserable and less productive. It really is a killer of communities and the better aspects of KZbin. I regret our community ever had any and that I got involved.

[@BellCricket]

@@unrested That's a really great analogy

[@davidoneill8158]

I remember the first J-Blogger i watched was Akita Tom back in 2008. He was an Australian teen in Japan as an exchange student, and that lead me to yourself, and all the other OGs at the time.

[@unrested]

Dang Akita Tom now that’s soooome deep jvlogger lore

[@LadySilence]

Yup been here since the Tokyo Cooney times and went to Japan myself soon after Rodger (Iwate Swan) passed away. Rip.. But good times way back And oh my. Youve got ads now 🎉 lol I like the one on one talking though. Feels more cozy

[@unrested]

Oh yeah we have ads whether we want them or not. But hey thanks being an OG viewer!

[@antichrist5583]

you guys inspired me to want to go to Japn when I was in highschool back in 2015. i finally went to tokyo in october last year, went back in January and even went to Korea. I looked up to y'all . especially you, gimmeaflakeman, piggles, etc

[@unrested]

Congratz on making your dreams come true. Also Piggles is a comedic genius. Seriously one of the funniest people I ever met in Japan.

[@antichrist5583]

@@unrested Thanks man!! & hell yeah lol he's wild funny

[@kurisu3000]

You guys started a snowball that us Japanese people truly despise 😂

[@unrested]

No need to say thank you. You are already welcome. 🙏

[@kingofpapaya]

It seems to me like a lot of vlogging of that older style has kind of fallen off in general. The evolution into the more produced style of video defintely seems to have taken it's hold. The again I'm not really seeking out vlogs too much anymore, so maybe they are out there. For japan vlogs now, I'd say Pewdiepie probably has the best actual vlog as opposed to a topical video of some sort, but he's kind of a special case I think. I do kind of miss those old school jvlogs too though becuase that's when I first really got into KZbin. Also funny you bring up Sam, I actually saw him cruising around Shinjuku last spring when I was visiting.

[@unrested]

Yeah really all of KZbin has evolved the only channels that make it chatting in a room is commentary. Nonetheless we had some good times. Glad to see viewers like you still around!

[@matty6878]

on youtube editing has gotten more "memey" which i never liked but thats the trend now. if you're a live streamer it's gotta be on twitch. not a fan of how japan vloggers organized itself that way but it is what it is.

[@mizuki_1516]

Remember Japan KZbin Space?!! XD I loved when y’all went to those parties and mingled haha

[@unrested]

Yeah that was some of the most fun I had with fellow KZbinrs

[@Najumomo]

I really miss those times.

[@unrested]

I hear that!

[@SuitUpDubstep]

I've always really missed this kind of content and the old school jvlogging content. It sort of felt like hanging out, instead of "content".

[@unrested]

Yeah that’s why I still do it. For me it feels more like a calm discussion with friends. Being out and showing off the awesome parts of Japan is cool but unless you are gunna go big on production and equipment there isn’t any reason for smaller channels like mine to try it anymore.

[@syrus3657]

Unrested, Sharla, OzzyAwesome were my favourites. Love all those random gaijins that uploaded their experiences back in the awesome 2000's and disappeared forever. I think big budget Jvlogging is overdone now and oversaturated. It's about personality, small town world, genuine experiences shared without being motivated by money. It's good that you keep uploading. Would like to see videos of you interacting with old school vloggers, even the ones I find annoying like tkyosam and gimmeaflakeman. Also please meet and do a video with rudi lmaooo

[@unrested]

Not sure why but KZbin censored this perfectly fine comment. I’ll never understand KZbin’s unwanted comment censorship. Nonetheless thanks for sticking with me. I’ll be attempting to meet up with Victor when I leave in week from now back to Japan. Tkyosam has blocked me on everything possible so I imagine I’ll never be able to run into him again. Rodi hahaha. I’m not sure what he is up to. I think he might still be in Japan cause I believe he had Japanese heritage. Nonetheless if some random event allows me to run into him I’d definitely interview or just had a chat with him. He always seemed like a really chill dude. Anyway thanks for sticking with me all these years. Ozzy doesn’t get enough love on KZbin and it’s upsetting his channel never got bigger. He deserved a lot more attention

[@Catman3131]

Those artworks looking grande man !!!

[@unrested]

Thanks I’ve been getting big into painting a ton recently

[@JoeMadds0]

Dude! I remember Claytonian! That guy was hilarious, I still check in on his channel every once in a while hoping to see something new lol

[@unrested]

He was my dungeon master for our dnd game in Japan for nearly 2 years. Great guy

[@silverstitch28]

I wanted so badly to work in japan but i was told i came to japan to late and i was too old. I loved watching jvloggers and i even got to attend a jvlog matsuri in yoyogi park! It was such a life highlight! I had to go home obviously since i was told i was too old to stay. But it was a magical short time for me.

[@unrested]

Really too old? I was still doing ok in my 40s finding jobs who told you that?

[@davidalexanderarnavat]

I second that, I got there turning 40 and had many offers. I know at 50 finding ESL jobs gets nearly impossible.

[@antichrist5583]

your art is still beautiful gang damn

[@l_spec]

Wow! What a stroll through memory lane. I stopped watching J-Vloggers when the majority of creators started becoming more influencer like... a lot of content felt forced and not very informative. Personally, I've always watched for the information over the entertainment, due to wanting to visit Japan for more than just tourism, but we all watch for different reasons and that's all good. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be a J-Vlogger living in Tokyo during the last 10 years, though. Maybe there's a chance of J-Vlogging coming back... Side note - After 5 years of the airline industry recovering in Canada, I'm finally returning to Japan this May to continue my automotive photojournalism adventures. While I'm not active on KZbin to utilize the membership advantages, I am certainly keeping an eye out for higher tiers to pay it back for the invaluable information over the years that got me to Japan in the first place. Keep it up, Scott!

[@unrested]

Thanks for sticking with me! Glad to hear you’re able to head back to Japan and work on some pretty awesome sounding hobbies. As for a higher tier level I have been thinking about adding the senpai level which would allow people to request entire videos that take time and research. I’m headed back to Japan for 2 months over the summer and don’t have to worry about a job during that time so I plan on doing some long form documentaries. I’ll throw the tier up there if you are interested, but please feel no obligation. Your subscription and viewership is reward enough!

[@TheCajunGaijin]

Those of you(American) who stayed in Japan long term, what did you do for all of your years abroad with US taxes? I feel this is especially appropriate for you since now you are back in the States and have a house. It was a shocker for me when I first came back and the US wanted taxes on the money I earned in Japan. I can't imagine living there 10+ years and them wanting taxes on all those years. The main reason this is of interest to me is because we still discuss the idea of moving back to Japan and settling there, but the headache involved with all the US based taxes and such make the idea of renouncing citizenship here almost worth it. But on the same token, moving back there is such a headache for future retirement, and inheritance, etc etc. That part makes staying in the states seem preferable.

[@unrested]

Wait I went to HR block when I came back and filed everything. The government wanted nothing. Did you transfer any of it to an American bank account?

[@davidalexanderarnavat]

File and declare any money you earned while living abroad under the Foreign Income exclusion section of the IRS tax law. From what I recall, any income earned abroad (while living abroad at least 330 days within a year) under roughly $90k USD was excluded. You still have to file yearly, though it can be done online via Turbo Tax (or a similar program). I did this in China for about 6-7 years and 1 year in Japan. Never paid US taxes during those times (legally).

[@harukaru84]

one unique channel I watch, is "The Black Experience Japan" he's a Jamaican guy who lives in Japan with his family, and interviews other black people who live in Japan. Some phenomenal inspiring individuals who have lived in japan for 20-30 years he also travels a lot around japan and speaks of his experience with meeting different japanese people etc really good vibes in general

[@unrested]

I’ve watched some of his stuff. Genuinely great stuff with awesome vibes.

[@noahgolden6258]

Back in the day I originally subscribed to you, Softypapa, Tokyo sam and a guy named quickrhino. God i was only in 8th grade and kind of a weeb not gonna lie, you and Kurt Bell just make Genuinely interesting content outside of Japan even if you were just shooting the shit with a camera faced to you. Other Jvloggers fail the same reason other KZbinrs fail they lose interest or cant take an once of critism or negativity. channels like Gimmeaflakeman and abroad in Japan make exceedingly good content but i couldnt personally relate to them so i never was a subscriber to them ironic considering they were and are the biggest Jvloggers left, maybe im a product of my generation but i just like the feel of smaller channels.

[@unrested]

Yeah losing interest is the big reason for a lot of jvloggers. I mean I get it somewhat, if you only lived in Japan a few months then moved on it may not have been life vlogging material. Awesome to hear you’ve stuck around so long! Much appreciated!

[@notspiritualenough3813]

I miss Tokyo Cooney

[@unrested]

The goat

[@LadySilence]

He did some videos about a year ago videoing his travels on the road with his dog and camping in different states. It was high key therapy. I think after that he just went back home and continued life as normal

[@notspiritualenough3813]

@@LadySilenceYeah I still keep up with him from time to time. He also hosted some shows traveling upstate NY if I remember correctly. I follow him on instagram. I remember in his later videos, he reached living in Japan for 10 years and got permanent residency (or some type of visa that didn't require him to renew it), so he reached his goal. I'm sure there were other reasons. Glad to know so many people enjoyed his videos, truly therapeutic. I still have hope that maybe he'll upload 1 video of him briefly visiting Japan in the future. Also, I'm really happy Unrested is still uploading videos.

[@bulgariastan]

Going to a chili cook off and not eating is practically treason. 😂

[@unrested]

lol I just wasn’t in the mood. It’s already 82 degrees out I’m sweating while painting little kids faces the last thing on my mind is “oh let’s test the Skoville level of some piping hot chili 🌶️ 🤮

[@bethanyui]

I miss Osoroshii Saturdays 🥲

[@unrested]

If I continue to get members on this channel and it becomes more sustainable I am seriously considering using my second channel as an osoroshii Saturdays channel. I wanna get back into that so much

[@LingerregniL]

definitely a lot of drama back then lol i remember cracking up during that whole fiasco with ryan boundless, dude was an odd ball.

[@unrested]

I think he is doing ok these days. To be fair to Ryan he had gone through a rough divorce and a series of jobs that were just making life rough. We all go through rough patches. Gotta commend him on being brave enough to upload that to the internet. I kinda just shutdown and hide when I’m going through the roughest stuff

[@LingerregniL]

​@@unrested yeahhhh you're correct, we all got our ways of dealing with stress. Last time i checked he moved to Africa, so hopefully he caught a break there. But yeah, I don't think I could upload a video then take on an entire community head on😂 that does take some kahonas

[@SIG442]

Still watching your vids man, and yes these do seem boring to others perhaps but I like them.

[@unrested]

Boeing is the new exciting. lol thanks for being an OG viewer

[@SIG442]

@@unrested Yeah, been here for quite a while haha.

[@hans8656]

Looking fit in that xxs shirt! What's the secret? Intermittent fasting, no alcohol, seaweed? You mogg us hard Scott.

[@unrested]

I don’t eat till I get home from work which is like 5 or 6pm. I go to bed at about 930 so that gives me 4 1/2 hours to eat. You can really only eat so much in a 4 hour setting so I think that keeps my calories pretty low. Not sure what I call this. Low calorie diet or intermittent fasting but it works for me and it’s really easy to follow.

[@rickyruffle]

I miss the Osaka flower festival meetups! Still in Kansai after 11-12 years. Can't believe how fast time has gone. Never thought I'd say this, but Pewdiepie and his wife make some of the best Japan vlogs that I've seen. They've got a chill, lo-fi, lazy Sunday kind of vibe. It's also refreshing to see Applemilk back (now @Sadappletea). She's mainly been streaming FromSoftware games on Twitch but still brings the same quirky personality from her OG videos.

[@unrested]

Oh wow applemilk is bask I had no idea. Agreed about Pewdiepies vids I think they are quite nice. I’m sad to see some complain about him being in Japan. Why can’t people just be happy for the guy?

[@mangArtist5]

Dude Scott can you play your OG intro?! "It's Unrested told you not to test him!"

[@unrested]

lol maybe. That song seems so caring now but anything for the viewers

[@ninaamore6852]

Quick question unrelated to video. What state of the USA are you back living in? I know you lived in Florida but you also lived somewhere else I can’t remember .

[@unrested]

Florida again central area these days.

[@rd400d]

@@unrested I grew up in Hillsborough county. I still live close by!

[@ninaamore6852]

@@unrested I wish you didn’t live so far from Ohio . I wanted to meet up with you if I ever visit Japan but I don’t plan on being in Florida anytime soon . Ever think of having a US meetup?

[@Enemtee]

Gimmeabreakman, you, Sharla, Chris Broad, Rachel & Jun, Texan in Tokyo, etc. Continued watching Only in Japan, Paolo in Tokyo, Dogen, the Trash Taste-crew, and weirdly Pewdiepie (his vlogs in Japan is great!).

[@unrested]

These are all amazing creators on KZbin I love everyone on this list!

[@michey1978]

Yeah, the ‘Johnny Somali’s’ of this world kind of ruined vloging, but behind that I felt there were two fundamental changes. Firstly, what the audience wants changed, people seem to want to see (1 short form videos that are often made to shock - Johnny Somali & TikTok et al - or (2 as you say, they want Chris Broad, nice, mostly kind videos about Japan. But secondly, the medium people want now is not always video, podcasts seem to be more popular. I think Chris Broad is at his best as a podcast and BusanKevin is still going as the 'Just Japan' podcast.

[@unrested]

Oh is he still doing just Japan? I thought he started something different

[@michey1978]

I has the 'Just Asia' podcast and others - Supernatural Japan for example - but its 'Just Japan' that gets the ,out clicks and views. @@unrested

[@turnerwright]

I think you're thinking of Texan in Tokyo?

[@unrested]

Yes

[@jamesohara4295]

Too much of a good thing :(

[@unrested]

True

[@elsamuraiguapo]

Tolokyo was another one. The goats were cooney and swan though hands down

[@unrested]

Yeah they were great!

[@nagoyajon]

TIL I'm adorable. Thank you! 🙂

[@unrested]

Of course you all are!

[@therealmcgimmick]

You should do a "best of" long-form video.

[@unrested]

Dang I’d love to. I need an editor lol

[@therealmcgimmick]

You're right it would be a ton of work now that you point it out. Love your content over the years! Amazing stuff. Cheers!

[@bodeasm]

Ryan Boundles, forgot

[@unrested]

Just covered Ryan in my vid “the jvlogger who hated Japan.”

[@Naturenerd1000]

Utopian group until Drama. A tail as old as time.

[@unrested]

So true

[@Its-Kat_]

You're thinking of Texan in Tokyo. Oh man with the high quality Japan vloggers you have a hard time getting any attention unless you follow suit. And now PewDiePie is here so got no chance 😂

[@unrested]

Yeah our time has passed as far as our style of vids are concerned. Plus blowing up as a big KZbinr is a younger persons game. You really gotta have a lot of hustle to make it these days

[@talesofmichele]

@@unrestedagreed! I feel about a decade off of current KZbinrs and other social media things. Especially short form content. It doesn’t come naturally and now as a self published author if I want to make it I got learn the ways. 😅

[@randomman057]

@@unrested Ah, I wouldn't say that. It may seem that way, but I watch plenty of KZbinrs who didn't start until they were well into their 30s or 40s who have successful channels. A lot of it comes down to being in a category that the KZbin algorithm seems to favor at one time or another. There's definitely a lot more nuance and work to it though. So, what you said about hustle is absolutely true haha.

[@Its-Kat_]

@@unrested So sad but it's true.

[@zirgo8866]

You remember quickrihno?

[@unrested]

Every long term viewer remembers the quickrhino arch.

[@zirgo8866]

@@unrested him and ryan boudless. Both of them seemed kinda mysterious. They comletely disapeared. By the way I was never interested in coming in Japan. I used to watch your video during a prety lonely period of my life and you helped get through it. Thanks a lot my friend appreciate the company all these years. Since I watch you so many years I feel I know you don't take it the wrong way :)

[@michaelstratton9728]

Do you have a discord or telegram? I'm interested in asking some questions directly with you, as I have a family split between the two countries. My wife is interested in spending a year or two in Japan, but I have my own worries regarding it. I understand if this is not possible, as they are personal questions.

[@unrested]

Hit me up at Scottmackerman at gmail

[@theshadowman1398]

Tokyo lens is a massive weeb who get's he knickers in a twist is someone criticises something.

[@unrested]

If you live in Japan are you still a weeb?

[@theshadowman1398]

@@unrested One is a weeb when he pretty much crawls before the Japanese and tries to make everything look good even if something clearly is not. And when you point out that some people in his video sounded like cult members he instantly bans you

[@antichrist5583]

he is still unrested so don't test him.

[@allaboutjapan237]

dude looks like he's 25, ageless wtf lol

[@unrested]

Haha thanks I recommend a lifestyle of sleeping during the day and only drinking blood as a dietary supplement at night. It’s kept me fresh and fit for centuri….i mean years

[@allaboutjapan237]

@@unrested “interview with the vampire” lol

[@aquamarinedream8304]

Love the nostalgic video. 🥲 It was a different time.

[@unrested]

Truly it was