Let’s face it: Japanese YouTube channels redefine what it means to go above and beyond for online entertainment.
Content creators in Japan wear a lot of faces — both literally and figuratively. They’re propelled by outlandish challenges, mukbangs and squeamish close-ups of fish cutting. We’re talking about consuming ten packs of fire noodles in one seating and cracking open sea cucumbers and poisonous starfish.
But behind the questionably thick veil of Japanese Youtubers, a lot of Japanese Youtube channels have dedicated themselves to helping their international audience learn the Japanese language and culture, proving that YouTube can be an educational platform, too.
So where do you go when you’re looking to climb out of the rabbit hole of freaky Japanese content — and into something more, say, digestible?
Of all the many gathered in the digital creative landscape, we’ve collected 50 of our top Japanese YouTube channels you should subscribe to. A lot of them provide free online Japanese learning resources.
Regardless of whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced, there are Japanese YouTube channels waiting for you.
We’re breaking them down into three categories: Teachers, vloggers and Japanese culture content creators.
Don’t know where to start? Check out Coto’s YouTube account or Coto’s blog section for more helpful Japanese tips and learning materials.
Japanese Youtube Channels: Japanese Teachers
JapanesePod101.com
Recommended for beginners, JapanesePod101 is a channel that covers topics ranging from grammar to vocabulary to reading and many more! It is a verified Japanese Youtube channel with over 2.3 million subscribers. They would host daily YouTube live streams for Japanese listening, speaking and writing.
Kendra’s Language School
This channel has listening practices. Not only that, the videos give you practice and they have romaji and Japanese words on the screen. It would be easy to follow. Their videos cater to both English and Chinese learners.
Nihonhonomori
This channel has listening practices. Not only that, the videos give you practice and they have romaji and Japanese words on the screen. It would be easy to follow. Their videos cater to both English and Chinese learners.
Minori Education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ba3Wx7JiQ
Minori is perfect for beginners learning N5 and N4 who want to take a challenge. All of their videos are in Japanese to hone your listening skills, but you can always turn on their multilingual subtitles if the lesson goes a bit too hard. The YouTube channel uploads almost daily, and all of the Japanese tutorials are designed for students to map smooth progress. They break down vocabularies, grammar structures and questions. You will also have a practice session at the end.
NihonGoal
There’s an ongoing debate among the Japanese learning community about textbooks: Minna no Nihongo, or Genki? Helmed by Rose, you pick the prior, then NihonGoal is the perfect YouTube channel to walk you through the book. They break down the study into three series: vocabulary, grammar and Kanji. Rose isn’t a native Japanese speaker, though, so if you are focusing on speaking and Japanese pronunciation, head somewhere else.
Tokini Andy
Andy’s presence is unmatched. Combining playful monologues and great presentation skills, Tokini Andy becomes a channel to help Japanese learners nail Japanese conversational fluency — all while having fun. The textbooks he uses are also the Genki books, and his videos are aptly slow and practical. You’ll get sample sentences, extra tips for Japanese grammar and useful vocabulary. He also has his own Patreon.
Dogen
If you hear him blindfolded, you might assume he’s a Japanese — or at the very least, ahafu —but Dogen is one of the few talented international Youtuber who just so happens to nail that spot-on Japanese native-level accent. His YouTube channel primarily consists of comedic skits and quirky storytelling about very relatable Japanese antics that foreigners will understand if they live in Japan long enough. You can head to his Patreon for more thorough (and serious) Japanese phonetic lessons.
Japanese Ammo with Misa
Japanese Ammo with Misa is flexible for both beginners and advanced learners. She gives lessons on Japanese grammar and vocabulary. There are also videos for useful Japanese phrases as well as topics on Japanese culture. The channel has many playlists that can help you enhance your Japanese learning.
Miku Real Japanese
Miku’s videos are a fun and effective way of learning Japanese. Her playlist has grammar and listening to videos for practice for beginner to intermediate learners. Not only that, you can practice your speaking skill, as well as she has a playlist called “speak with me”. She also does videos on learning Japanese with Terrace House as it would be interesting and fun to take it out of the classroom. You’ll also have access to extra videos if you sign up for her Patreon.
Learning Kanji
This is one of our recommended Japanese Youtube channels that’s perfect if you are considering taking the JLPT exam. The person goes through questions about how to answer and tips on how to answer them. He explains vocabulary to suit everyone’s needs. His videos have a variety of question papers from JLPT, kanji, grammar, hiragana, and katakana. As for JLPT, he has N5 to N2 practice papers which he goes through it. He also does a video on the MEXT scholarship exam.
BondLingo
Learn Japanese Online with BondLingo upload videos about the Japanese language and cultures. Not only are there online lessons, but there are apps on mobile as well. Their playlist consists of the JLPT practice exam – grammar, N5 to N2 but also pronunciation videos as well! They also have live streams for Japanese study sessions, and it’s always good to join the room to make your learning journey less lonely.
Learn Japanese
This Japanese Youtuber gives free videos for JLPT preparations ranging from all levels. His lessons are pretty laidback and chill, and he even has some content dedicated to learning Japanese from anime. He has a dedicated playlist called the Writing Systems for introductions to all aspects of the Japanese writing system: hiragana, katakana and kanji.
Learn Japanese From Zero!
Learn Japanese From Zero is an informative channel that posts videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Every video goes through a respective lesson on the channel’s textbook, and materials are only available online. This makes it easy for anyone to learn Japanese and take notes. He also has his own Japanese textbook.
Yuko Sensei
Yuko Sensei has been teaching Japanese at the university level for 20 years, so to say that she is a Japanese language expert would be a safe bet. Her videos discard any boring PowerPoint, and instead focuses on interactive color-coded animations to help you understand Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and scripts. For those learners who cannot attend classes or do not know where to start learning, this channel is good for online learning courses. She also offers free trial courses.
PuniPuniJapan
PuniPuniJapan’s videos are well-illustrated and narrated with clear explanations. It is more recommended for beginners who started learning Japanese. They cover topics such as katakana, grammar, vocabulary and more. Besides that, PuniPuniJapan also uploads videos about Japanese culture.
Tae Kim
The channel provides step by step learning. They have different episodes and on the episodes, they teach learners different topics such as negative state, adjectives and sentence ending. This channel has a lot of different variables when it comes to learning Japanese. Their video areas are very classroom-based and it is very easy to follow.
ライト Japanese Library
ライト Japanese Library features Light, who is a foreigner who speaks Japanese, English, and Afrikaans. On his channel, he has videos teaching Japanese as well as some daily vlogs with his daughter. He also gives many different tips for living in Japan.
WORDPIE
This channel is good to learn Japanese because their videos are in songs. Their videos are appealing and it is easy to follow as they have Japanese words plus English words are well. Not only that, their videos are all about Japanese vocabularies.
Kanji – Link
It is very easy to learn Japanese grammar and kanji on this channel. Their videos have an animation of a teacher teaching. Their video content is also very easy to understand. Their kanji videos are step by step and it teaches you basic kanji and how to write it.
Organic Japanese with Cure Dolly
This channel is very good at making simplifying Japanese and making it easier to understand. Their videos are taught by an “android sensei”. Their explanations are very good and their content is original and engaging. Her methods of teaching Japanese are a little unorthodox, but very effective. Unfortunately, the owner of the channel has passed away, but the channel remains up and is still a very good resource.
FunNihongo
This channel is good to learn basic Japanese because they make learning videos into songs so it would be easier to learn. The videos are interesting as well. They only have 1 playlist of videos such as day of the week song or the hiragana song. This channel is good for both adults and children.
わさび Japanese Teacher Vtuber
わさび or Wasabi is a Japanese Vtuber teacher that makes videos that are great for Beginner and Intermediate learners. She makes grammar and listening videos as well as a lot of YouTube shorts that go over vocab words. She is a much smaller creator, and is able to respond to a lot of questions in her comments.
Nami Ohara
Nami Ohara is another tJapanese grammar, vocabulary, and listening. Also, there are many videos on Japanese culture. Another feature of this channel is that there are many listening quizzes and tests for you to practice your listening skills. Not only that, they have many videos on learning Japanese through songs.
Masa Sensei
This channel is great for beginners in learning Japanese. Masa Sensei, the creator of this channel, makes weekly videos on Japanese grammar. In every video, she explains what grammar means and how to apply it. She also gives clear illustrations and examples in her videos.
三本塾 -Sambon Juku-
This channel is very good for Intermediate and Advanced learners. Sambon Juku has multiple playlists for everything from Phrases to Hiragana. He also has series going over N3, N2 and N1. He has very clear explanations and example sentences. His videos are narrated in Japanese, but he also has English subtitles if needed.
myjapanese
myjapanese is a channel covering levels from beginner to advanced. The topics covered are hiragana, kanji, JLPT, and business Japanese. There are many informative videos and are all well narrated and explained in English. The channel posts a new video every week.
Easy Peasy Japanesey
Watching anime and Japanese TV programs is a great vehicle to accelerate your Japanese skill. Easy Peasy Japanesey disects scenes from iconic anime likeAttack on TitanandDemon Slayerand breaks down the Japanese vocabularies and grammar structure involved. It’s a great, seemingly effortless away to learn Japanese — just don’t binge watch them all at once if you’re an anime fan who’s avoiding gut-wrenching, tear-inducing spoilers.
Yumi Ura
Yumi Ura is a channel that is especially good for Japanese students preparing to take the JLPT N2 and N3 level tests. All the videos in this channel are on topics for the N2 and N3-level tests. Their videos allow viewers to practice their listening skills as it is everything is explained Japanese.
Japanization
Japanization is good for learning basic Japanese. Started by a native Japanese, he makes lesson videos on Japanese grammar and vocabulary, as well as on different aspects of Japanese culture. He explains well in English in every video too. Thus, making it easy for non-Japanese listeners to follow.
Clayton MacKnight
Registering for a JLPT exam can be unnerving, let alone preparing for it. Enter Clayton MacKnight, your perfect virtual study buddy. He’s currently residing in Osaka and has recently passed N2. His channel that features a variety of videos to help those taking JLPT. Expect all things Japanese covered in his channels, from grammar and kanji to study guides to Japanese culture. It’s also great to get a learning support from a foreigner. The videos have graphic illustrations to them more engaging. .
Michiyo Wojnovich
Michiyo Wojnovich is a good channel for those learning Japanese with Genki textbooks. All the videos on the channel cover topics from the Genki textbooks. The teacher, Michiyo, narrates and explains each topic in every video in English.
31. Japonin
6 thousand subscribers
Japonin is a channel that can help learners to improve and enhance their Japanese reading skills. There are many videos that feature a text with clear narration. There are also various cultural topics such as ‘imported words’ and ‘origami’ for learners to enhance their Japanese culture knowledge.
Plain Japanese
Plain Japanese’s online lessons are being taught by a native Japanese teacher. Their videos are well-illustrated and explained, covering many different topics on the Japanese language such as grammar and kanji. There are also other informative videos such as ‘Japanese Greetings’ and ‘Counting Numbers in Japanese’.
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Top Japanese Youtube Channels: Vloggers
Nihongo Mantappu
You can leave it up to Jerome Polin to give you a full angle of what it’s like to live in Japan as a university student. As a MEXT scholarship awardee, Jerome is enrolled at Waseda University. His videos started from a humble ground: to help potential Japanese international students learn Japanese and kickstart their life here. It didn’t take long for his channel to skyrocket. After several vlogs, collaborations and fun challenges with his university friends, Jerome quickly grew to be the biggest star in Japan’s creator platform. Now, he has more than 7.5 million subscribers, and the numbers aren’t slowing down.
Rachel and Jun
This channel is good for learning Japanese because they do vlogs about their daily lives. The channel, started by a Japanese husband and an American wife, who are both living in Japan. Rachel would speak in English while her husband would speak in Japanese. Sometimes both would speak each other’s languages. Their videos have Japanese subtitles so it would be easy to follow and learn about new words. Their videos are very interesting and sometimes funny too. They do not post on their main channel anymore, but still regularly upload on ‘Rachel & Jun’s Adventures!‘
Abroad in Japan
Abroad in Japan does vlogs which talk about how his interreaction experience with the Japanese culture and people here. Some of his interesting vlogs are “how to lose weight in Japan” and “Japanese thoughts on London magic man”
Life Where I’m From
Life Where I’m From has a series of Japanese documentaries and life in Japan starring their children. They give interesting and educational insight into their everyday. They also show how is life in Japan through a series of vlogs.
39. Bilingirl Chika
A Japanese Youtube celebrity with over 1.4 million subscribers. Her channel has videos in both English and Japanese. Having moved to America at a young age, she has many things to learn about Japan and shares about them on her channel. She also shared many vlogs on her daily life.
Tokyo Lens
The name of this Youtuber is pretty self-explanatory. Tokyo Lens offers an interesting, otherwise unseen, angle to Japan. From exploring Japan’s smallest apartment to visiting Japan’s most active volcano, his videos provide a unique take on living in Japan.
Tokyo Creative
Tokyo Creative is where all your favorite Japan-based Youtubers collab and make content for their fans. All the frontliners are there: Dogen, Abroad in Japan, Tokyo Lens and more.
KemushiChan
Not a lot of Japanese Youtube channels has a bilingual American girl talking in front of the camera. Her video content cover topics such as life in Japan, Japanese vocabulary, how to learn Japanese and more. She gives insights to foreigners who want to move to Japan or want to learn Japanese. She also does vlogs around Japan. She speaks fluent Japanese so you can also practice your listening skills as well.
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Top Japanese Youtube Channels: Japanese Culture
Paolo fromTokyo
Paolo shares videos on things to do in Tokyo as well as what to do all around Japan and anywhere else he travels to. He has many interesting and popular playlists on his channel such as ‘Japan Day in the Life Series’ and ‘Japan Guides’.
That Japanese Man Yuta
Yuta makes videos about Japanese culture and language from a Japanese perspective. He also does many street interviews in Tokyo on various topics. Some of his popular videos include ‘Do ‘Foreigners’ in Japan speak Japanese?’ with over 3 million views.
Kimono Mom
Moe, better known as Kimono Mom, uploaded her first YouTube video in 2020. Many of her videos went viral ever since. She was first featured on one of Paolo from Tokyo’s Day in the Life series and quickly launched her own channel. The highlight of her videos that is swooned by her fans? Her baby daughter Sutan, who seems to grow up with a natural talent to be in front of the camera. It’s through her lens that overseas viewers are provided a deeper look into Japanese culture, food and motherhood.
Nobita From Japan
Nobita talks about a variety of topics such as cultural differences and social issues from a native Japanese perspective. Not only does he talks about the positive side of Japan, but negative ones as well. He also does interviews with Japanese and foreigners so you are able to see a variety of different perspectives about Japan.
Ask Japanese
Cathy Cat, who is the video maker of the channel, is fluent in both English and Japanese. She does street interviews in Japan, Japanese culture, foreigners living in Japan, anime & Manga, and tourism. Her videos have subtitles in many different languages such as English and Vietnamese. Thus, even if you are not an English speaker, you are still able to learn Japanese.
JapanSocietyNYC
They have different playlists on Japanese culture and the Japanese language. Their language lessons go by episodes. There are some videos with a teacher teaching you, so it’d be easier to follow. Not only that, the language learning episodes have very cute and appealing for you to learn.
Onomappu
At first, Onomappu was a channel dedicated to going over Japanese Onomatopoeia. Now, they have branched out their content and make a wide variety of videos. They make educational content going over Japanese phrases and grammar, and also content that can introduce you to Japanese culture.
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