First, a disclaimer: This post is about ASMR videos in Japanese. Unless you’re already deep in the ASMR soup, i.e., watching ASMR regularly, this probably won’t be your thing. That’s okay! I’ll choose a more general topic next time.
But for folks who do like ASMR:
I think watching ASMR videos in Japanese can be tremendously valuable, especially for language learners who are residing in or moving to Japan.
It can be difficult to find videos filled with daily-use Japanese expressions. For example, native materials like movies and TV shows don’t walk viewers through the minutiae of going through a doctor’s appointment or checking out a book from the library—that would be terrible script-writing. Language-learning resources do offer daily-use Japanese lessons, but they’re often adjusted to the learners’ level, so they’re not quite what you’d experience in real life. For example, keigo mostly isn’t covered until the JLPT N2 level, but you will hear it literally every time you’re in a Japanese 7-Eleven.
Japanese ASMR videos are not only a low-pressure way to become accustomed to daily-use phrases, but they can actually make learning keigo relaxing.
Prepare for Real Life Through ASMR
Consider this video, where the ASMRtist roleplays as a doctor diagnosing your with Meniere’s Disease. I was actually diagnosed with Meniere’s while in Japan. I can confirm this is basically word-for-word how it went, except much less relaxing:
I don’t normally watch dentist roleplays, but I actually just went to the dentist, and this video is a solid look at what that experience is like in Japan (only with an imaginary blanket!):
Within the first two minutes of the video, the ASMRtist gestures to a little box where you can put your bag and then goes (sorry for transcription mistakes):
宜しければ、手荷物をおいてください。ブランケットを掛けしますね。こちらの紙エプロンお付けしますね。頭の後ろをちょっと失礼しますね。
This is very normal dentist-office Japanese.
After that, she asks questions about your toothache. Again: These are questions I myself was asked in an actual dentist office this week.
Can you answer the questions in Japanese? Why not practice trying? I personally had to learn this Japanese through trial-and-error in actual doctor’s and dentist’s offices, but I wish I had done it all through ASMR.
Get Tips for Living in Japan
Here’s another example of mixing practical listening with little lessons about life in Japan. Heat stroke is really common during Japan’s subtropical summer months, and around 8:20 minutes in, the ASMRtist recommends OS-1 rehydration gel, which is a less sugary alternative to sports drinks like Pocari Sweat:
Okay. Maybe you don’t only want medicalized Japanese. Here you can learn how to comfort a friend:
Same here:
This video is practice for making a library card in Japan:
Or you can prepare for actually getting your nails done in Japan:
Or try a bunch of different (semi-)realistic scenarios in one video:
ASMRTwix makes videos that feature tons of different beauty consultants and salon staff talking about their services:
Or you can practice going to a salon yourself through roleplay. You’ll often here tons of keigo in these roleplays that are framed like customer service situations:
Become Accustomed to Different Kinds of Japanese
There are also lots of ASMR videos made by non-native speakers of Japanese, and I’ve found it interesting to hear their accents and notice the mistakes even high-level speakers make:
Lots of Possibilities!
Not so interested in roleplay/relaxation? Try an ASMR-style travel vlog:
Or learn specialized vocab, like in this video about stargazing:
This is an easy way to review vocabulary in a super relaxed fashion:
Get literary with relaxing readings by writers like Akutagawa Ryunosuke:
Or just straight up study for the JLPT while you fall asleep:
ASMR in Japanese has lot of possibilities! And if you have any recommendations yourself, let me know. <3
Thanks for all of the great channel suggestions! I fall asleep to ASMR almost every night and have been searching for more Japanese language channels to watch/listen to instead.