INTERVIEW Tokyo No Jo is enjoying more and more success with his videos in which he dissects the cultural differences between France and Japan
Jo, 27, moved to France and now lives from the videos he publishes two to three times a month. — Tokyo No Jo
- Tokyo No Jo has been posting videos for four years on Youtube and TikTok.
- The Japanese influencer tells a lot humor the astonishing contrasts between his country of origin and his country of adoption.
- He will be signing on Saturday and Sunday at the Art to play festival in Nantes.
Agé 27 years old, Tokyo No Jo is more and more talked about on Youtube and TikTok whereù it has more than 650,000 subscribers. His specialty: humorous videos in which he compares the cultural differences between Japan, his country, and France, where he lives. he has been living since 2014. A subject that entertains as much as it pleases, the image of the growing interest of the French for manga and Japanese pop culture. Jo will be one of the guests of honor this weekend of Art to play in Paris. Nantes, one of the biggest festivals in the sector in France.
You grew up in Japan, your whole family lives there, but you are settled in Japan. in France for almost 8 years now. Why this choice?
I’ve studied French as a second language, a bit by chance, and one day I wanted to discover France for myself. Ç I liked it a lot and I decided to to settle there. Basically it was for a year and, finally, I stayed! I’ve been registered for two years at the Sorbonne, I also worked; in a travel agency, then in a company that organized repatriations. I’ve discovered the sea, other cities, I have friends, French food is delicious. I feel good here.
What surprised you the most when you arrived in France?
Perhaps people’s coldness at the start. People on the street, shopkeepers, waiters don’t smile, tell everyone. hardly hello, in any case to; Paris. I’ve also been shocked by the dirt in transport, delays, begging. You never see ça in Japan. I enjoyed it. the frankness of the French, it’s easier than in Japan to know what someone is thinking. While traveling, I’ve also been very surprised by diversity regions, dialects, pride. It’s like there are many small countries in one.
Why did you start to post videos?
As I am a bit shy, I started to get attention and try to make friends. The idea was to break the clichés about Japan, give my point of view on the differences with France, criticize the two countries while making people laugh. I didn’t think ça would be so successful. Today, I earn between 3,000 and 4,000 euros per month with YouTube and TikTok, not including partnerships. I devote myself entirely to; my videos, even if I post far less than most other Youtubers.
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In your videos, you make fun of the pitfalls of the French language. Has the learning been difficult?
It’s really been a hassle at first. In Japan, when you learn French, you mainly work on writing. The first weeks in France, I didn’t understand a thing; oral. There are notions that are not obvious, such as the masculine-feminine which does not exist in Japanese. And then there are many subtleties that can create misunderstandings. When a girl says “I like you” or “I love you very much”, it”s much weaker than “I love you” for example! Why? There are also French phrases or expressions which, when spoken, sound like profanities in Japanese. It’s quite unsettling (laughs).
One of your most successful videos is about supermarkets. You confide moreover that you spend a lot of time there…
I like it, yes. I find ideas there. When you look at shopping carts, you learn things about people, about their lives, about their tastes. And it must be said that the supermarkets here are quite different from Japan. There are security guards, lots of alcohol, lots of mineral waters, few fresh prepared meals… Customers tear the plastic from the milk or Coke packs to take only one bottle. Ça it’s unimaginable in Japan.
Another particularly popular video, the one dealing with parties…
In France, everyone comes late to the parties and it’s normal. If you arrive exactly at time, you will find yourself alone! The Japanese would have arrived ten minutes earlier! The other big difference is that the guests are chatting in every corner: on a couch, in the kitchen, in the hallway, on the balcony… It’s weird. In Japan, everyone is gathered around a table. And then for a classic evening in France, there are sweets, aperitif cakes, sausage, beers and it’s up to you. just about everything. Finally, quite a bit of cooking. But it’s cool, it’s more relaxed than in Japan I find.
You also talk a lot about romantic relationships, of course…
Because the codes are not at all the same. In Japan, we don’t call a woman we don’t know very well by her first name and even less kiss her! Things are going much faster in France. I also have the impression that the French women have more personality.
What ideas do the Japanese have of France?
For the generation of my parents, France was the top, the great dream of travel. To see Paris, drink champagne, everything ça… But I think ça has changed a bit. Young people have a somewhat snobbish image of France: gastronomy, elegance, castles, museums… An expensive and not necessarily cool destination for having fun. They are more attracted to the pop culture of other countries such as the United States or Australia.
And the French then? They are among the biggest manga readers in the world…
Some young French people are very knowledgeable, know manga much better than the Japanese themselves who , sometimes settle for One Piece or Naruto. Those who enter through manga are often then interested in Japanese culture, to its history, at the food. I think Japan is attracting more and more people. I get asked a lot of questions. his subject. But some clichés still die hard. Not all Japanese people are calm, polite and eat a lot of fish! (laughs)