Joshua Thomson: ‘Comedy is a pill that's easier to swallow'

Japan Times

23-05-2025

Born and raised in Tokyo, 29-year-old Joshua Thomson offers a fresh perspective on Japan in his bilingual videos on Instagram and YouTube. Through comedy and dialogue, Thomson is expanding notions of what it means to be Japanese.
1. How is 2025 treating you so far? It's been interesting, if slow. Last year I returned to Tokyo from the U.K. and worked so much that I was exhausted by December, so this year was a slow start.
2. At this point, how tired are you of explaining your background? I used to be more tired of it. However, after living in the U.K. and traveling around Europe, I finally see it from a new perspective. I used to see myself as a person from Japan through and through, but now I'm more willing to explain who I am and what my background is. I still have days where I simply don't want to do it though.
3. Does your explanation change depending on your audience? It changes massively. I first try to ascertain their knowledge of the world — do they know what a senkyōshi (missionary) is? If they do, I tell them, 'My grandparents were missionaries in Japan in the 1950s and '60s.' If they don't, I simply say my parents moved here or I just say I'm British. But the moment they hear 'British,' that's all they see — and I don't want them to think that way. I never even set foot in the U.K. until I was 21.
4. Apologies then, but can we ask what your background is? My paternal grandfather is from Australia, and my grandmother is from London. My maternal grandparents are both from New Zealand. While my mom was born in Hokkaido, my dad was born when his parents were back in the U.K. for one year, and that's how I got my British citizenship. I also spent a few years in the States as a child, so at first I thought I was American.
5. How do you self-identify? I am who I am. I'm Joshua, born and raised in Japan, but I don't fully resonate with the culture here. I think my family has our own strong culture, which is not fully Japanese, not fully British, not fully New Zealand, Australian or American — it's a mix of all of those. I feel like we've made our own country, our own culture.
6. In three words, what was your school experience like in Japan? I loved it.
With roots in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand and multigenerational ties to Japan, Joshua Thomson says his family has made 'our own strong culture' that mixes all of the above. |
Courtesy of Joshua Thomson
7. You've now spent time in both Tokyo and London. Where do you feel most comfortable? I love the convenience of Tokyo and how things run smoothly, but it lacks diversity and freeness, the ability to just be yourself. London's a bit more laidback. Whenever I need to slow down and have more headspace, but (want to) hold on to that city life and diversity, I go to London. Honestly, though, I can't really say which one I like more. I wish there was a city that was a combination of Tokyo and London.
8. What's your favorite meal to eat in either city? In London, it's lasagna. There are so many good Italian delis in London. In Tokyo, I know it's cliche, but sushi.
9. You started your career by acting and modeling in Japan. How did you get into that? I grew up watching Japanese TV and I always wanted to be on it. Everybody around me told me I should be on TV because I was funny. I always knew I was meant to be in Japanese showbiz, so when I was in high school, I rang up all these agencies asking to sign up and started going to auditions.
10. What was your most unforgettable gig? I did a commercial for Uniqlo where we had to dance while they were showering us with water and feathers. I was just in the back, but it was really fun. It was so chaotic. I love chaos.
11. Did acting help you get more comfortable transitioning toward content creation? It was so much easier. When I was acting, I would be in front of 100 people and a big camera. By comparison, social media is a piece of cake.
12. How did you start your YouTube channel Joshua in London? My cousin Leanna was doing social media before me, and she really helped me get into it. We started a YouTube channel together first, then I went independent from there. My first channel was called Joshua's Japan Channel where I interviewed other foreigners that grew up in Japan in English, adding Japanese subtitles. It was doing OK, but not great. Then I switched to a Japanese-speaking channel and it really took off.
13. How has your channel evolved? After moving back to the U.K. for the second time, I thought, 'OK, I'm going to make a career out of it.' I started making Instagram reels to promote my YouTube channel, but my Instagram did way better than YouTube and I discovered a new direction I could take my work in.
14. Your YouTube videos are interviews, whereas your Instagram focuses more on characters and skits. How did this duality come about? Some days I want to be relaxing, chatting, sitting down and talking deeply. Other days I want to be crazy and funny. It's as if there are multiple people living inside me, and this is the outcome.
15. Which is your favorite character to play? I think people expect me to say Miki, the gyaru schoolgirl, but I actually love the controlling, micromanaging manager character I created.
16. How did it feel when your 'Japanese real estate agent renting to foreigners' skit gained media attention? That character was my revenge on the real estate agent that treated me like a dog in their office. You don't call a landlord in front of a client. I didn't want to hear a person rejecting me just because of my passport. I was 20 back then, looking for my own place, and it was a shock. I was also surprised that a lot of people related to that incident. I even made it onto NHK where they interviewed me on the matter and I explained why I made the video.
17. Have you found comedy useful for subverting and poking fun at stereotypes? People are more engaged when it comes to comedy. They want to watch comedy more than a serious discussion or someone aggressively demanding something. Comedy is received more smoothly; it's a pill that's easier to swallow.
18. What's your opinion of Japan's general approach to diversity? If you're talking about the kind of diversity you might find in the West, it's going to take decades for Japan to fully understand what that looks like. I do think the younger generation are more engaged and aware though.
19. What are your hopes for your work moving forward? I want to create something separate from social media. Something that's perhaps longer and dives deeper. Currently, I feel like my work is like all over the place, and I want to make something more self-contained, like a movie or a documentary.
20. What's your Japanese pop culture guilty pleasure? I love watching Japanese idols and their songs and their dances. I go really deep into the history of the '80s. I love listening to Hiromi Iwasaki, Momoe Yamaguchi and Akina Nakamori.
For more about Joshua, find him on YouTube at @joshuainlondon or Instagram at @jj.jj7.