John Daub is an American YouTuber and Japan-based reporter who runs the YouTube channel Only in Japan, a documentary series focusing on Japanese culture, food, history and his travel around Japan.

John Daub
Personal information
Born
John Daub (ジョン・ドーブ)
NationalityAmerican
EducationOhio State University
Websitehttp://onlyinjapan.tv
YouTube information
Channels
Created byJohn Daub
LocationTokyo, Japan
Years active2012-present
GenreTravel
Subscribers305K[1]
100,000 subscribers2014
1,000,000 subscribers2019

YouTube series

edit

Following the Great Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011, Daub decided to take his experience reporting for NHK World's Tokyo Eye program [2] to YouTube to help promote Japan after the misunderstandings about the country caused by incorrect portrayals in Western media, especially regarding Fukushima and Tohoku.[3] He picked the name Only in Japan because it refers to the quirky and often ridiculous image of Japan portrayed on social and mass media, much of which was grossly misinterpreted. In the series, Daub visits all 47 prefectures of Japan covering a wide range of topics including Japanese food, culture, history, technology and tourist attractions.

One such video was "Highway through a Building Story" highlighting the ingenuity of threading a highway though a very thin building in Osaka, The video included the background on this unusual design choice and its history, before Daub drove through it to give viewers a unique perspective. It included inside shots and interviews and the video trended globally with 16 million views.[4] The program is lauded for its high production quality. On February 28, 2013, Daub launched the WAO RYU!Only in Japan[5] channel with the WAO Corporation. During his time as creator and producer, the channel amassed 1.35 million subscribers and 170,000,000 views, ranking in the top 100 YouTube channels in Japan.

In March 2017, Daub hitchhiked the length of Japan,[6] sharing the experience via a new all mobile livestreaming channel called ONLY in JAPAN * GO which has 314,000 subscribers as of February 2023.

He collected the YouTube 1 Million subscriber award at the [7] YouTube FanFest Japan 2019 cementing him as one of the top YouTube creators in Japan.[3][8] In 2020, Daub announced he was leaving WAO RYU!Only in Japan to launch his new channel ONLY in JAPAN * John Daub. The new channel has an animated opening created by American-owned, Tokyo-based animation studio D'art Shtajio.[9] With the launch of the new channel, Daub collaborated with the Japan Hanabi Association to crowdfunded an event to help Japan's fireworks industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11][12]

Daub has been a regular reporter for NHK World's Tokyo Eye program since November 2008 and has reported in over 50 episodes alongside host Chris Peppler to show the city's highlights through history, culture, and various attractions.[2]

He has worked on Journeys in Japan, Destination Kansai, and has been a guest on many other NHK Programs.[13] He has also been a guest on Japanese news program TBS ひるおび! as an inbound tourism expert since 2015. He has appeared on numerous Japanese and international television and news programs promoting Japan.[14][15][16][17] [18]

 
John Daub receiving the YouTube 1M Subscriber Creator Award from Hikakin at the YouTube FanFest Japan 2019 [7]

Personal life

edit

Daub has lived in Japan since 1998[19] working as an English teacher for children until 2005.[18] During that time, he lived in 16 different cities around Japan starting up new schools for an eikaiwa chain. He married a Japanese woman named Kanae and they have a son named Leo.

References

edit
  1. ^ "About JohnDaub". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b 500 Eye-Opening Tokyo Moments: Part 1 - TOKYO EYE 2020 - TV | NHK WORLD-JAPAN Live & Programs, retrieved 2021-01-28
  3. ^ a b Michel, Patrick St (2020-07-31). "YouTube traveler John Daub faces a new online landscape". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  4. ^ Highway through a Building Story ★ ONLY in JAPAN, 12 March 2017, retrieved 2021-03-30
  5. ^ Rao, Mallika (2013-03-14). "Japan's Subcultures Get An Online Channel". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  6. ^ "How to Travel Japan for Free". YouTube. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  7. ^ a b "YouTube FanFest Japan | 2019 年 12 月 4 日". www.youtubefanfest.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  8. ^ "ONLY in JAPAN series moves to new YouTube channel". Japan Today. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  9. ^ "John Daub has uploaded a video about Kanazawa on YouTube". Kanazawa Culture and Sports Commission. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  10. ^ Organization, Japan National Tourism. "A YouTube Star on the Joys of Japanese Fireworks Festivals | JAPAN Monthly Web Magazine | JNTO". Japan Travel. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  11. ^ Cheapo, Japan. "ONLY in JAPAN YouTube Channel Organizes Online Festivals for Japan Fireworks Industry | Japan Cheapo". japancheapo.com/. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  12. ^ "Japan YouTuber John Daub Looks to Reignite 2020 Hanabi Season". Tokyo Weekender. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  13. ^ "John Daub". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  14. ^ "John Daub Introduces Japan Destinations Online Via Youtube". 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  15. ^ "米国人ユーチューバー「布袋の大仏」に迫る ドーブさん撮影「動画配信し魅力伝えたい」:中日新聞Web". 中日新聞Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  16. ^ "ユーチューブでグッジョブ:北陸中日新聞Web". 中日新聞Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  17. ^ "価格.com - 「ジョン・ドーブ」に関連する情報 | テレビ紹介情報". kakaku.com. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  18. ^ a b "John Daub Introduces Japan Destinations online via Youtube". 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  19. ^ Jeffs, Angela (2004-03-27). "Ability to get up and go anywhere is true power". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
edit