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Hey, Hikosaemon here
So, today I'm vlogging in English because I was recently contacted by the Japan Times
As part of an interview for their blogroll
The link for which you can find in the information below the video
And as part of that there were two questions
Which I thought would be interesting to answer by video
To give a more full answer
So that's what I'm going to do now so stay tuned
Japanese people tend to prefer to remain anonymous
There are some great Japanese vloggers like JetDaisuke, Hirokochannel & ThatJapaneseGirl
Who are on YouTube and making great vlogs
But generally speaking
In Japan of course Nicodouga is bigger than YouTube
The people over there for example rather than putting their faces on videos
They make mashup videos where they take anime and movie shots
And they mix it with music
And they remix the music themselves
And some people make music, or they use computer graphics
And they take all of these other genres
Which don't involve putting your face or identity on
And I think that's actually pretty cool
It's this kind of thing which is increasing now where
Shy Japanese people who are great with graphics and editing
Are linking up with YouTube people and collaborating
and sharing content so that
We can have graphics and we can have video content and we can mash it all together
And make an even better product
So I think there is a really exciting future ahead
With a format which allows people to be more collaborative
And will continue to push the quality video making
Who knows which balance that will be?
Whether it will be more like the Japan model
Or the American model
Whoever gets it right is going to be very rich
Because it's a growing and very exciting genre
And it's probably going to eventually replace television
Well, for a start, they've been around for a while
There have been sites like Stickcam, Blogtv which have been around for a long time
I've dabbled in that myself
I find it quite fun
I think that it's really complimentary to vlogging
In the same way that live talk radio or talk tv can kind of compliment a planned radio or tv show
And I think there are certain advantages that streaming live internet tv
Has over regular tv
Just for the fact that anyone can get in and access
And talk directly with the people who are there
So it's got a degree of truth and reality which really tv in it's current format can't match
I think that's why people are excited about it
There are already great streaming live tv shows about Japan
Done by J-Vloggers in Japan
Most notably I think the TokyoCooney Blogtv show
Which is on at 12 noon Japan time every Thursday
I think that's the best example
What's really interesting right now
Of course with all the money and attention going in
Is Dwango, the company that owns Nicodouga
Nicodouga, unlike YouTube has a dedicated livestreaming site
Where it's not just vlogger guys, but
But actually full on media companies with tarento and all that stuff
Actually making proper tv shows live
So they already recognize that
And I think that's what prompted the excitement about Ustream
I can tell you that I'm involved in projects at the moment planning out
I don't know how involved I'll be in front of the camera
But behind the camera there are lots of people coming up with ideas
They recognize that this is something which is seriously going to compete at least with satellite tv
And people are excited about the potential of it
And I think you are going to see it really blossom
And you are going to see a lot of really high quality streaming content coming from Japan
From Japanese producers if you want to watch Japanese tv
And foreigners, and of course mixed projects
With foreign tv shows doing more than just "Kore Ga Hen Dayo Nihonjin"
I guess the first thing that I really want to see more of
And a lot of people want to see
I often get asked "where can I find good Japanese language & Japanese people vlogging?"
And truth is that Japanese people are still a bit shy
There are some cultural things about putting your face on the internet in a way that anyone can see
Those barriers are getting broken down
And more people are getting into it
But I would love to see more Japanese people getting into the style of vlogging
That's really dominated by foreigners at the moment
And to see more good Japanese language content
For all the people who are studying and really want access to Japanese content of quality
And the main thing which I'm also looking forward to is
There's all this great content which is locked up in Japan
And it's locked up because of the language, primarily
And the shyness of Japanese people to get their stuff of these closed networks
Like Mixi and Nicodouga, and onto YouTube
Which I understand
It's kind of cultural but
It's so frustrating because
There's so much stuff here which could really have the power to change how vlogging and online video is done overseas
And I'm really looking forward to seeing that content become more unlocked
As language becomes less of a barrier
And as opportunities for collaboration increase
And I think it's going to be really exciting
So I think it's good to get familiar with the vlogging scene now
And I've got some recommendations
In the written information about people who I think are good people to watch
And just like everyone else, I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of vlogging and blogging in Japan in future
So, anyway, it's been a pleasure
And I look forward to getting your comments and feedback
Peace