John Daub
John Daub | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Virginia, US |
| Education | Ohio State University |
| YouTube information | |
| Channels | |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Genre | Travel |
| Subscribers | 697,700+ |
| Views | 116,813,240 |
| Last updated: 16 August 2026 | |
| Website | onlyinjapan |
John Daub is an American YouTuber and television presenter. He is best known for his YouTube channel Only in Japan, which focuses on Japanese culture, food, history and travel.
Early life
[edit]Daub was born in Virginia and grew up in New Jersey. He is a graduate of Ohio State University, where he studied English and economics. He first moved to Japan in 1998, where he initially worked as an English teacher.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Television
[edit]Daub launched a production company in Japan after filming his first professional video in 2003, and was contracted to create comedy videos in English. He would later join NHK World-Japan as a reporter and presenter, contributing to such programs as TOKYO EYE.[1] He has also reported for the TBS daytime news program Hiruobi.[3]
YouTube
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Following the Great Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011, Daub decided to take his experience reporting for NHK World's Tokyo Eye program to YouTube to help promote Japan after the misunderstandings about the country caused by incorrect portrayals in Western media, especially regarding Fukushima and Tohoku.[5] 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.[6] The program is lauded for its high production quality. On February 28, 2013, Daub launched the WAO RYU!Only in Japan[7] 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,[8] 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 [4] YouTube FanFest Japan 2019 cementing him as one of the top YouTube creators in Japan.[5][9] 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.[10] 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.[11][12][13]
Personal life
[edit]Daub is married to a Japanese woman named Kanae.[1] They have one son, Leo.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Asakawa, Gil (May 10, 2019). "Nikkei Voice: YouTuber John Daub Is Your Tour Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture". Japanese American Citizens League. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
- ↑ Jeffs, Angela (March 27, 2004). "Ability to get up and go anywhere is true power". Japan Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ↑ "NYタイムズ「2025年に行くべき52か所」今年は富山と大阪【ひるおび】". TBS Television. January 16, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "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.
- 1 2 Michel, Patrick St (2020-07-31). "YouTube traveler John Daub faces a new online landscape". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ Highway through a Building Story ★ ONLY in JAPAN, 12 March 2017, retrieved 2021-03-30
- ↑ Rao, Mallika (2013-03-14). "Japan's Subcultures Get An Online Channel". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "How to Travel Japan for Free". YouTube. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ↑ "ONLY in JAPAN series moves to new YouTube channel". Japan Today. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ "John Daub has uploaded a video about Kanazawa on YouTube". Kanazawa Culture and Sports Commission. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Cheapo, Japan. "ONLY in JAPAN YouTube Channel Organizes Online Festivals for Japan Fireworks Industry | Japan Cheapo". japancheapo.com/. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ "Japan YouTuber John Daub Looks to Reignite 2020 Hanabi Season". Tokyo Weekender. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2021-01-28.