But what do people in Japan think of the top YouTuber possibly moving to their country?
One of the biggest names in the YouTube community is a Swedish YouTuber called PewDiePie. If you’re one of the few people who haven’t heard of him, the 29-year-old, whose real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, rose to fame after he became the most-subscribed user on YouTube in 2013, and though he’s since been pipped from the number one spot by Indian record label T-Series, PewDiePie’s popularity hasn’t diminished in the slightest, with 101 million subscribers and millions of views on his videos every time he uploads.
While PewDiePie is best known for his gaming videos, the YouTuber has also released a series of travel vlogs from his annual trips to Japan, a country he’s unashamedly in love with. And while his followers aren’t surprised to see their favourite YouTuber out and about in Japan, they were left speechless when he made the offhand announcement that he’d just bought a house in Japan.
▼ Take a look at the announcement at the 19:05 mark in the video below
In the video, PewDiePie says:
“Hey, remember a while back when the last time I was in Japan I was like, ‘Oh, I’d really like to live here’? Well, we bought a house here. Yeeeah! And we’re just here for a couple days, setting up. That’s why I don’t have my whole setup and everything’s terrible. But I did just want to say, thank you, it’s a dream come true, in a way, and, uh yeah…”
And with that, the Internet lit up with questions, as people began to wonder if that meant PewDiePie would be giving up his digs in England’s Brighton and Hove and living in Japan permanently. People also began wondering what part of Japan he’d purchased property in, with Osaka being one contender, given that he’d travelled there just last year.
More recently, PewDiePie visited Meguro River in Tokyo during cherry blossom season with his now-wife Marzia Kjellberg.
▼ Yamanashi is beautiful, but a bit further away from big cities like Osaka and Tokyo.
Looking back at the YouTuber’s Instagram account, PewDiePie actually hinted at the move half a year ago with this post, taken at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto.
▼ “Big trees, big moves”
So what did people in Japan think when they heard the news that PewDiePie had bought a house in Japan? Let’s take a look at some of the comments:
“OMG The world’s top YouTuber is coming to Japan!”
“Nintendo games have this kind of power to connect Japan to the world. We need to thank Nintendo for this!”
“I’m always so happy whenever people from abroad come to Japan!”
“With the money this guy is raking in, he can afford to buy a house anywhere in the world.”
“He could buy a castle instead of a home!”
“Bill Gates has a huge mansion in Karuizawa, so he’s not the first rich foreigner to buy a place here.”
“I bet it’s just a vacation home.”
Given Japan’s new immigration laws, it’ll be interesting to see what type of visa PewDiePie will be able to obtain while living in his new digs in Japan. Regardless of whether the YouTuber decides to use his new place as a permanent residence or a vacation home, though, we’re hoping he’ll eventually reveal his new neighbourhood in a series of travel vlogs in the near future, maybe even featuring a tie-up with Japan’s famous YouTuber Hikakin.
Source: YouTube/PewDiePie via Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Instagram/pewdiepie
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