Escapism: Digital 日本
From as young as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with the country of Japan. Probably stemming from anime and video games, I’m intrigued by this island nation and the sheer level of creativity they’ve shown when working with the constraints of fitting such a huge amount of people into limited space. From the cleanliness and convenience (コンビニ and 自動販売機) to an obsessive focus on perfection and minimalism, the culture and ingenuity of Japanese people is something that often lends a great deal of creative inspiration in my everyday life.
Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world. According to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo-Yokohama) of 38 million people had a total GDP of $2 trillion in 2012 (at purchasing power parity), which topped that list.
One day I hope to visit, but until then, I have to settle for socially distant forms of 日本. Here are a few of my favorite ways to get my Japan fix:
Rambalac
No talking, no titles, no effects. Rambalac’s channel is one that I’ve been subscribed to for some time. His minimal, walking videos capture a voyeuristic curiosity that’s hard to look away from. He records beautiful, long-form videos of walks he takes all over Japan, most of them in 4K and higher resolutions.
Life Where I’m From
Greg Lam, a Canadian-born Japanese citizen, creates intriguing documentary-style videos with his children, Aiko and Shin on life as a family living in Japan. Lately, he’s branched off into creating more in-depth looks into Japanese culture with more adult-focused topics.
What drew me to his channel initially was the kid-centric content involving his two children as they explored Japan and participated in seemingly mundane activities. The content and pacing was perfect for sharing with Ari. No quick cuts or crazy animations, just normal, everyday stuff with kids in a different country. The video below is one of Ari’s favorites…definitely a great find for those with kids:
DancingBacons
In a very similar vein to Rambalac, Dancing Bacon’s channel hosts minimal, POV videos of Japanese eating experiences such as vending machine restaurants and street food vendors. There’s some pretty crazy stuff on his channel and recently he’s been visiting other places as well such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Paolo from Tokyo
Paolo makes some pretty great Tokyo guide videos. Street food, etiquette, and hidden spots are his bread and butter, but some of my favorite stuff that he does is “day in the life” videos where he documents individuals in various careers and show what they’re daily routine is like.
Japan Style Originator (Netflix)
This variety show features topics revolving around cultural staples of Japanese history. They explore material such as how tofu is made and why Japanese gardens are designed the way they are. This is a slower-paced show that’s great for watching at the end of the day.
Studio Ghibli Films
Yes, they are fantasy films…but boy are they pretty. Little slices of Japanese life and history exist in a few of these titles, namely the ones not set in a European-Esque setting such as My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, From Up on Poppy Hill, and Spirited Away.
Hopefully, some of these will bring you joy and a sliver of fascination for Japan.
Sincerely,
