I've launched a YouTube Channel

Check out the first of a new series of video supplements to my essays!

As the title says, I’ve just launched a YouTube channel featuring video editions of the essays I publish here. Please subscribe if you’re so inclined! I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the audio voice-overs I’ve been producing for my most recent batch of essays, and the addition of video will let me explore these same topics in new ways — both for audiences who might not have the time or patience to read through a 1,500 word article, and those who might want a different take on the subjects. Unlike voiceovers, I’m not reading from a script. I’m speaking extemporaneously.

In some ways this is a return to form for me. I spent the years of 2015-2020 going on camera regularly for NHK World, as a co-host of the television series “Japanology Plus.” While those episodes had basic scripts, most of the interactions were ad-libbed. I very much enjoyed my time on the show — the staff were great, and so were the situations into which I found myself thrown. Many were one of a kind, such as getting to fly on a Japanese Blackhawk with a JSDF special forces search and rescue team. Working alone, I definitely miss having a talented crew of veteran producers, directors, camerapeople, and editors to rely upon. Not to mention a helicopter. But I have to say it’s pretty fun having free reign to personally pick the topics I want to cover.

I filmed the first video on a stroll through the charming Tokyo neighborhood of Shimo-kitazawa. It springboards off of my last essay, which was about the quest of Japan’s ruling political party to make their nation the “most AI friendly country in the world.” I plan to film more of these short, casual videos in the near future.

Emphasis on short and casual. Inspired in part by Peter Zeihan’s bite-sized hot takes on geopolitics, I’m endevearoing to keep these videos simple and to the point. Being only a one-person production “crew” limits how much time (and, frankly, skill) I can bring to bear. But I actually like the one-on-one nature of the resulting footage, which feels more like a conversation with you than a lecture. And I want to keep up that back-and-forth: if there are things you’d like me to talk about or expand upon, by all means suggest them in comments to my essays or videos.

Even with my experience on camera, the learning curve has been steep. There’s the devising of the format and the filming of the episodes; then there’s a whole other art to crafting titles and thumbnail images. You can see the thumbnail for the first video at the top of this post. I am not a huge fan of posting giant close-ups of my face, but faces are absolutely required for YouTube video thumbnails: combinations of them and bold text are proven to drive engagement among channel surfers there.

I know this and many other things thanks to a friend who is a veteran YouTuber: John Daub of “Only in Japan.” Before, during, and after several collaborations, he has never stopped suggesting that I launch a channel of my own, and contiunes to be unstinting in his advice and encouragement. Allow me to thank him by suggesting you subscribe to his channel, too.

Please stay tuned — both for more essays here, and for more videos in the not too distant future!