Sharla is a YouTuber and a Tohoku local, who started her Japanese adventure 16 years ago when she moved to Morioka in Iwate prefecture to teach English. One marketing and tourism degree in Tokyo later, she is now an established name in the j-vlogosphere with both of her YouTube channels having over 600,000 subscribers each! We talked to her about what drew her to Iwate where she returned after living in Tokyo. She is an authority when it comes to road trips in Japan and competitive soba noodle eating contests! We asked her for her top 3 spots you need to visit in Japan, so get your notebooks ready - you're in for a treat.
Hi, thanks for talking to us today. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi I’m Sharla! I grew up in Victoria, BC - an island city on the west coast of Canada. I first moved to Japan when I was 19 and after moving around the globe a little bit, I’m currently settled down in Northern Japan and have been living in the country for a total of 16 years now.
What drew you to working and living in Japan? How did you find it?
In high school we were allowed to choose a 3rd language to study, our choices being Russian, Spanish or Japanese. I debated between Russian and Japanese, ultimately deciding on Japanese because I wanted something completely different to anything I was familiar with. I stuck with it and by the time I graduated high school I had a pretty good grasp of the language so I figured I should probably move to Japan and make some use out of it! I started by teaching English, as most people seem to do, which was okay but certainly not something I saw myself doing long term. I went back to university to study marketing and tourism, with plans to do something tourism related in the future - but I somehow ended up making videos for YouTube full-time instead! I do get to put my marketing and tourism skills to use while creating videos though, so I feel like all that time I spent at university wasn’t a waste after all haha.
How did your YouTube channels Sharmeleon and Sharla in Japan come about?
It actually started as a homework project for my university. They requested that I keep a blog of my Japan experience for other students who were thinking about studying abroad in Japan. I’m absolutely horrible at writing so I asked if I could make videos instead. I started out just filming very boring videos with my laptop webcam, basically just sitting on my floor and listing off what I had done in class all day. For some reason it attracted the attention of strangers, and 10 years later here we are!
We hear you are based in Morioka in Iwate prefecture. What in particular drew you to Morioka and how did you end up settling down there?
Morioka is actually the sister city to my hometown Victoria, so they have lots of similarities and connections! In high school my Japanese class went on a trip to Japan (my first visit ever) and we stayed in Morioka for the majority of it! I found the countryside scenery with the golden rice fields surrounded by the beautiful mountains just so relaxing. And all the locals I met in Morioka were so kind and helpful, even though I could speak VERY little Japanese at the time. I fell in love and moved back when I was 19 for 3 years before eventually moving down to the Tokyo area for University. After graduating and starting my job as a Youtuber I was free to live anywhere. I tried Tokyo and Chiba for a while, but I had always wanted to come back to Morioka one day so I finally made it happen!
Can you give us any travel tips to Iwate for an authentic Japan trip?
I absolutely recommend a road trip down the coast and throughout Iwate Prefecture. I’ve got a little series on my YouTube channel if you’d like to see it, but the scenery is just amazing! It’s nothing like what you’d experience in Tokyo or Kyoto, so I always try to encourage visitors to add the Northern part of the country to their itinerary as well. Morioka is famous for noodles, so if you want the genuine Morioka experience you can’t miss “wanko soba” - the soba noodle eating contest where you try to scarf down as many bowls as physically possible. I think my record is 119, let me know if you’re ever able to beat it ;)
Over the years, you have filmed many areas of Japan as a YouTuber and even went on a one month road trip. If you had to choose, where would be your top 3 places to visit (other than Iwate) and why?
- Tsuruoka, Yamagata: Tsuruoka is somewhat of a hidden gem that is quickly becoming my absolutely favourite place in all of Japan. It’s located in the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture, and home to tons of cool stuff! At Mt. Haguro you can find a dense forest of cedar trees and the oldest wooden pagoda in Japan! I personally recommend the Tsuruoka Jellyfish Aquarium - the most impressive collection of jellyfish species in the entire world! And don’t miss out on the “sokushinbutsu”, self mummified monks who sacrificed their lives to become living relics that are said to bring good fortune and protection to their visitors. I could go on forever about cool things to do in Tsuruoka, those are just a few.
- Shimanami Kaido Cycle Route: Nothing beats a relaxing day of cycling and stunning views, and the tropical island scenery in this area will certainly not disappoint! It can be a little physically challenging but I promise you it’s worth it.
- Fushimi Inari: This is a very popular location that almost any Japan enthusiast will have heard of, but it is certainly not overrated. Waking through the thousands of red torii gates at Fushimi Inari is such a beautiful and memorable experience and 100% worth the hype. If you’re up for something different (and a little spooky), try exploring at night - but watch out for wild boar!
Any unexpected funny incidents or stories you've had while filming in Japan?
A group of high school girls thought I was Maria Sharapova once and asked for my autograph. They were so excited that I couldn’t bear to tell them the truth and signed a paper for them. Feel a little bad about it, wonder if they ever found out it wasn’t actually her, haha.
The past months have been long and tough, but hopefully we can take the broken pieces and make something beautiful. What is your favourite example of the kintsugi philosophy in Japan? (ie taking something that was broken and improving it, giving it a new lease of life)
It’s very important in Japanese culture to treat objects with respect, you’ll notice this when you pop into a thrift store. Even old items will be wrapped with care and more often than not still in near perfect condition! Because of this I’m able to save quite a bit of money and buy a lot of my household appliances, furniture and clothing at thrift stores and they still look brand new! It’s definitely one of my favourite aspects of Japanese culture.
Thanks, Sharla!
Curious to learn more about Iwate and the Tohoku region? Check out our specific pages for all you need to know on the best bits to visit and how to get there from Tokyo.
Otherwise, make sure to follow Sharla on her Instagram and Twitter, and check out her YouTube channel and special live stream channel!
