[2024ver.]Japanese Food Youtube Influencers[My hot 10]

Introduction

In the post-pandemic era, people are once again able to travel, and Japan—especially Tokyo—has captured global attention, ranking as the number one city on the “Top Destinations to Visit” list.
(*Source: Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Destinations 2024)

So, what are these travelers seeking when they journey all the way to Japan? Undoubtedly, Japanese cuisine is one of the top reasons.

Japanese food is highly regarded for its emphasis on high-quality, fresh ingredients and its dedication to unique flavors and umami-rich dishes. This article focuses on introducing gourmet content and food-related YouTube channels that provide valuable information for international travelers.

We’ll highlight 10 creators in a ranking format, ranging from globally trending channels with massive audiences to uniquely Japanese gourmet creators. Be sure to check it out!

1. Bayashi TV

Bayashi TV is undoubtedly one of Japan’s leading cooking creators. With over 30 million followers on YouTube and more than 55 million on TikTok, he is a massive creator in the culinary world. His content focuses on mukbang, ASMR, and cooking, featuring popular videos that showcase his hearty eating style and the preparation of indulgent dishes, all presented with a fast-paced and engaging format.

Recently, Bayashi TV has collaborated with global celebrities and renowned creators, including Mr. Beast and Zedd, further solidifying his popularity not only in Japan but also worldwide.

2. Travel Thirsty

Travel Thirsty showcases street food and cuisine from Japan and around the world through high-quality video content. Its videos uniquely capture the preparation and cooking process, particularly the detailed handling of ingredients like fish, often presented in an ASMR style. The lack of narration eliminates language barriers, allowing viewers to enjoy the content through visuals and sounds alone, which is a major reason for its global popularity.

Additionally, the immersive experience provided by the content enables viewers, even those too busy to travel, to feel as if they are on a culinary journey themselves. The combination of travel and food creates a simple yet captivating format that keeps audiences coming back for more. Many viewers repeatedly watch the videos, seeking new cuisines and cultural experiences through this engaging content.

3. Niho’s Home

Niho’s Home is a cooking-focused YouTube channel that primarily shares simple and delicious recipes. The channel particularly features a wide variety of visually appealing desserts and sweets, which have great potential to go viral internationally. Currently, it has 7.74 million subscribers, many of whom tune in to enjoy the ASMR-style videos that highlight cooking sounds and ambient noises.

One charming aspect of the channel is the occasional appearance of an adorable pet cat in the videos. Additionally, the creator does not show their face, allowing viewers to fully focus on the cooking process—a feature that contributes to the channel’s popularity. Like many other creators, Niho’s Home produces content that does not rely on language, making it accessible and enjoyable for audiences worldwide. This approach has garnered significant support from international viewers.

4. Mainichi Amaimono Tabetai

Unlike the three creators mentioned above, his content stands out for its exceptionally high frequency of short video uploads. These short videos, which allow viewers to gather information quickly, are highly popular as they make it easy to access updates on the latest sweets and trending desserts in a convenient format.

A distinctive feature of his channel is the incorporation of Japanese trends more extensively than any other channel. Watching his videos provides viewers with a clear sense of what sweets are currently popular in Japan, making it a unique and valuable source of trend information.

5. Cooking Expert Ryuji’s Buzz Recipes

presence and eye-catching thumbnails, makes his content stand out. The channel features unique and intriguing titles like “The Ultimate ○○” or “Addictive ○○,” paired with highly reproducible recipes that are easy to make using simple ingredients and materials. This makes his videos particularly appealing and accessible, even for beginners in the kitchen.

One of the key aspects of his channel is the humor-filled commentary and entertaining nature of his content, which have earned him the affection of many Japanese viewers.

6. Chocolate Cacao

As the channel name suggests, this YouTube channel focuses on chocolate, offering a wide range of recipes from desserts to cacao-infused meat dishes. Like other videos in the same genre, it delivers high-quality cooking and ambient sounds during the preparation process, making it enjoyable as an ASMR experience that appeals to both the visual and auditory senses.

The creator’s background in culinary school adds a unique dimension to the content, allowing viewers to learn not only about cooking techniques but also creative aspects like food presentation and design. This combination of expertise and creativity has made the channel a favorite among its audience.

7. HidaMari Cooking

Hidamari Cooking is highly popular for its ASMR-focused content, featuring chewing sounds and visually appealing ingredients being prepared and enjoyed. Unlike other creators, great attention is paid to the thumbnails, incorporating visually striking elements that catch viewers’ eyes when paired with the video titles.

The channel features not only traditional Japanese sweets but also Western pastries and international desserts, making it diverse and appealing to a wide audience. Additionally, the videos are structured without the use of language, eliminating linguistic barriers and attracting many international viewers.

8. Dread Yamada

His channel is undoubtedly unique, characterized by his distinctive dreadlocks, vibrant personality, and visually impactful content featuring eye-catching ingredients. Specializing in ASMR and non-verbal content, he creates videos that leverage chewing sounds and ambient noises without the use of language, earning support from a wide range of viewers both domestically and internationally.

Since launching his channel in 2023, he has gained over 2 million subscribers in just six months, making him one of the most noteworthy gourmet influencers of the moment.

9. Moso Gourmet

Mousou Gourmet is a family-run YouTube channel where every member plays a role in the video production process. The father handles filming and editing, the mother takes charge of cooking, and the children contribute ideas, making it a unique channel created by the entire family.

The channel’s distinctive content focuses on creative “trick recipes,” such as cupcakes that look like ice cream or mashed potatoes shaped like donuts. With no background music or narration, the videos can be enjoyed by viewers from any country, and they also feature ASMR effects through cooking sounds, adding another layer of enjoyment.

10. Emojoie

With experience working as a chef in a restaurant in Paris, France, he leverages his culinary background to provide clear explanations of authentic recipes. His high-quality visuals and sound design add an ASMR element to the videos, creating content that is both visually and audibly engaging for viewers.

By not showing his face and focusing solely on close-ups of his hands and the cooking process, he adds a layer of mystery to his content, sparking curiosity among viewers about the person behind the videos. This unique approach enhances the intrigue and appeal of his channel.

Summary

This time, we introduced a total of 10 gourmet creators active on YouTube in a ranking format. Many of these creators focus on trending and viral content, highlighting just how popular food is as a viewing category.

At hotice Co., Ltd., we specialize in creator casting and can help promote awareness of ingredients and recipes that are not yet widely known in Japan, as well as strengthen brand recognition. If you are looking to expand into the Japanese market or face challenges in doing so, please feel free to reach out to us for assistance.