＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
Recently, I heard about the TV personality and musician Nobuyoshi Kuwano, aka Kuwaman, making his debut as a “V-tuber” (virtual YouTuber).
１．What is a “V-tuber”?
The term “V-tuber” is a composite of the words “virtual” and “YouTuber,” and is a generic term for people who post and distribute videos using 2D or 3D “avatars.
Avatar” means ‘incarnation’ and refers to a character that appears as one’s alter ego in a virtual space on a computer network.
V-tubers had a breakthrough year in 2018, being named the “Internet Buzzword of the Year” in 2017, and their presence is becoming increasingly significant in 2019.
The boom was sparked by “Kizuna Ai,” who began her activities in December 2016. Kizuna Eye was the first to use the term “virtual YouTuber” to describe herself as a virtual being. Kizuna Ai’s channel subscriptions surpassed 1 million in December 2017 and became so popular that it exceeded 2.2 million subscribers in October 2018.
２．Advantages of V-tubing
In the case of “YouTubers,” the videos are distributed by “live people,” while “V-tubers” use “avatars” and have the following advantages.
(1) Less risk of scandal than celebrities
(2) They can move according to the plan.
(3) Can be sculpted to fit the promotion
３．Examples of use in government, municipalities and companies
(1) Government
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) appointed “Kizuna Ai” as an “Ambassador to Promote Visit to Japan” in March 2018.
Her specific activities include promoting Japanese culture overseas, mainly through video distribution, with the aim of making Japan better known to the world.
Its popularity quickly spread overseas, and now comments in English and other foreign languages are posted in the video comment section!
In October 2018, the BBC in the UK featured Kizuna Eye in a feature on “Japanese V-tuber culture”.
(2) Municipalities
Ibaraki Prefecture has appointed V-tuber Hiyori Ibara as its PR representative.
(3) Companies
Suntory has appointed “San Torinomu” as its official V-tuber.
Rohto Pharmaceutical has debuted “Nebasei Kokoro” as an official V-tuber.
I feel that the “popularity of V-tubers” is an extension of the “popularity of Japanese anime” and the “yuru-kyara” boom. If the “advertising effect” becomes clear, I believe that more and more municipalities and companies will adopt “V-tubers” in the future.