NHK World travel reporter by day; quirky, bilingual vlogger by night, Loretta Scott has made a living in Japan travelling around the country and documenting her experiences. Known as ‘KemushiChan’ on her YouTube channel, she’s seen wild success sharing Japanese-language learning hacks and snippets of her daily life as an expat in Japan. We talk to Loretta about initial culture shocks, her top travel recommendations and where she’s hoping to visit next.
Hi Loretta, thank you for joining us today. To kick things off, please tell us a little about yourself and all the exciting work you do!
Hi there! My name is Loretta and I’m a US-born personality in Tokyo, Japan. Many people know me as a travel reporter on NHK World as well as via my weekly antics on YouTube, showcasing my personal favorite travel tips, slow life, good eats and language mania here in Japan. In a past life I also worked as a project manager for a number of finance and tech startups in New York, so after moving to Japan to complete my Masters in Business, I also now spend many days speaking at events and consulting with major industry players here in Tokyo.
You started your Japanese-learning journey more than 20 years ago now; what was it that sparked your interest in Japan in the first place?
It’s insane to think that I’ve now been speaking Japanese for the majority of my life! Like many, I grew up as an eager bubble-age kid watching Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon over morning cereal. My high school at the time was close to Washington D.C. so I was even lucky enough to begin taking formal Japanese lessons at school with a Japanese teacher who connected us with study abroad, immersion events, quiz bowls and club activities.
Sharing big life events like starting at a Japanese University, moving my family (and dog!) to Japan has always been especially fun. I’m also a shameless language nerd so getting to geek out over different dialects while exploring the deeper villages and countryside towns has always felt like truly living the dream that most people expect when they imagine a backdrop of authentic “Japan”.
You currently live in Tokyo with your husband, newly-born baby (congratulations!) and dog, but you’ve also been coming and going from Japan before that for a combination of studies and work; tell us, what surprised you most when you first moved to Japan?
Thank you! One of the biggest shocks I experienced was food. I cooked with my Japanese friends at home prolifically, and even conducted a year-long fellowship on Japanese foodways before completely uprooting and moving here. That being said, when the dust settles and you run out of all the spices you brought with you, you start realizing you have to change how you think about, buy and consume food.
Coming from the states you’re used to buying virtually any item from any cuisine at any point in the year. In Japan, your standard grocery store will go through a re-arrange at almost every visit, meaning things like strawberries, blueberries, sprouts, salad greens, breads or butcher cuts may only be available for one month at most out of the year. Fresh items are stamped with what prefecture or farm produced them, and there’s even a schematic to waive your local taxes each year in exchange for putting those funds towards buying local goods from different regions. In Japan, eating local is a daily reality, not a movement, so you learn to approach your cravings with the caveat that you get what’s available, which is always a fun surprise.
It must have been incredible to see and experience how Japan has changed over the years; what would you say are the most interesting changes?
Japan is a lot easier to live in now, for sure. There's been a huge digital infrastructure shift in the last five years that makes credit cards/e-payments, SIM cards, WiFi, multilingual support more available for travel and daily needs. Not to mention long term, FAANG and other major global brands setting up shop at the same time means moving here doesn’t limit you to teaching English. There’s a real skill-based job market for global talent now, so while the salaries are still catching up to western counterparts, cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka are becoming realistic targets for a lateral move.
What’s a ‘lesser-known’ day trip from Tokyo you think every traveller should consider checking out?
Taking the Fuji-view train out to Yamanashi for food, hiking/cycling and Fuji-tastic views. Kawagoe for sweet potato delights and that unforgettable starbucks, or popping up to Aizu if you’re an adventure traveler who wants to recreate real “Tokyo Drift” at Ebisu Circuit or real “last samurai” vibes practicing authentic war sports like archery with locals at the Nisshinkan.
The stunning view of Mount Fuji from a Mt. Shakushi Gateway Camp "glamping" dome in Yamanashi prefecture, reviewed by Loretta in one of her vlogs.
Any Tokyo cafe or restaurant recommendations?
Repeat after me, ‘tachinomi’ and ‘tachigui’. These aren’t places but a STYLE of eating you’ll find across Japan. They literally mean stand and drink, or stand and eat, but googling them will bring you to some of the most memorable food experiences you’ll ever have, typically at night. Don’t worry, the idea is that you don’t stand for very long as this style of food-stall eating tends to lead to bar hopping, letting you peek into whatever corner your nose brings you to and enjoy the personal flair of local conversation.
Judging from your videos, you’ve covered quite a lot of ground in Japan outside of Tokyo, literally! If you had to choose, what are the top 3 places you’ve visited?
For truly tapping into a sense of “other-worldly”, cycling through Wakayama, Drone flying across Tohoku (Yamagata, Akita, Miyagi especially), and if you can make a picnic of it, taking the bucket-list boat to Ogasawara/Bonin Islands were unforgettable.
Is there anywhere you haven’t travelled to in Japan that’s next on the bucket list?
Believe it or not, I haven’t been to Hokkaido or Okinawa. I feel like I HAVE to eat my way through these two poles, but I’ve also got my eyes on cozy little film towns like Onomichi and the Iya Valley.
Thank you for talking with us!
