Japan or Bust! Vlog Startup

Please excuse my smartphone camera's crazy autofocus in the startup video! This is exactly why I'm running a startup, to get functional, quality equipment to shoot on! (*'▽') All photos, artwork, and cooking featured in this startup were created by me and a preview of what's in store for the channel!

 みなさんこんにちは！

Hi, folks. I’m Buster Holiday, creator and host of a brand new vlog and Youtube channel, Japan or Bust! (⬅ click here to visit it)

Welcome to the start of an exciting journey. 
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

This startup fund is here to help me launch the channel, which follows the journeys of a working-class adult in my quest to learn Japanese and fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting and exploring Japan.  Unlike most vlogs of its kind, I’ll be starting from the very early stages of language learning to help others like me find continuous motivation and fight through their urges to throw in the towel, but on the flipside, I already have a lot of experience learning about and seeking many aspects of Japanese culture outside Japan, and I want to share those experiences and help viewers start on a journey of discovery that doesn’t have to start on an airport tarmac, but can start in your own neighborhood.

The funds raised in this startup will be used to purchase video production equipment so I can bring you high-quality, well-edited videos, photos, and sound. I've got a lineup of sweet backer perks I'm offering to donors, so if you're interested in that, make sure to read on ahead, or skip to that now, and follow the instructions to receive them!

I intend to grow Japan or Bust into a successful, regularly updated, and ongoing resource for people curious about Japanese culture and Japanese language, with a down-to-earth approach that’s easy for audiences to follow and a “you can do it”  attitude that engages viewers and challenges them to explore Japanese culture in and around their own neck of the woods, whether they’re working on a personal goal of visiting Japan or not, or are simply missing Japan after a prior visit.

Photo: Japanese cherry trees in bloom in Kansas City

For a non-exhaustive rundown of topics I intend to make videos about on this vlog, check out this bullet list!

·         I’ll make videos about every angle of Japanese language learning as I gradually increase my ability, including crucial and difficult steps that all language learners have to tackle, like my first attempts to speak Japanese to native speakers in public.

·         I’ll find local Japanese guests to bring on the show and converse with, so we can learn from them about Japanese culture and language, and I’ll seek out and interact with local and online Japanese culture communities to show viewers how they can branch out in this too.

·         I’ll cover local Japanese events and festivals in my home city in the USA.

·         I’ll visit local Japanese-owned businesses and give walk-throughs of places that sell Japanese products like Asian supermarkets so viewers can learn how to identify and find the things they’re looking for.

·         I’ll create videos where I try out many Japanese products and learn more about them, ranging from foods, drinks, sake, tea, Japanese incense, cooking tools, and a lot more.

·         As an experienced learner and home cook of authentic Japanese cuisine, I’ll share Japanese recipes you can make at home and all the best shortcuts you can take to adapt them to what ingredients and kitchen tools are available to you outside of Japan, including gardening your own Japanese herbs and vegetables.

·         As an experienced tea hobbyist, I’ll walk you through the world of Japanese teas, and teach you where you can get them and how to brew them.

·         I'll make videos about Japanese holidays and traditions you can celebrate even outside Japan.

·         I’ll mix it up with comedy skits to keep things fun and give your brains a rest from all the learning. (Though, many will be in Japanese with subtitles so you’ll be learning anyway!)

·         As this channel focuses on goal acquisition and life challenges, I’ll sometimes make videos that talk about strategies for setting and achieving goals, structuring and managing health, mental health, daily routines, and so on. All of these things are vital to such huge undertakings as learning a new language and visiting a new country, so I don’t intend to overlook them!

·         In a few years’ time, if all goes well, I’ll reach my goal of traveling to Japan and begin to make videos there. By then, I intend to grow this channel into my primary job so I can travel to Japan often and continue to introduce great videos from Japan on a number of different topics that viewers are curious about.

·         But even when I’m back home in the USA, that’s not the end of the journey! Language learning is a lifelong process, so as long as I can grow this channel in a sustainable way, I’ll continue adding new language and culture learning content to encourage people of all levels of learning to continually improve and set new goals for themselves.

Photo: Salmon onigiri, dashi steamed vegetables, and osuimono (Japanese clear soup)

=WHY ME?=====================================================

·         I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Video Production and industry experience in the field, so I am fully prepared to produce high quality videos and photos that will only improve with time. Getting equipment is the only hurdle. My goal is to make Japan or Bust! my primary job ASAP.

·         I’m really fascinated by Japan and have been studying and exploring aspects of Japanese culture for years. I already have a lot to share and want to continue learning more! In short, I already do this stuff all the time. Why not film it and help others learn too!?

·         I’m a Japanese language noob and want to take you on a full journey of language learning with me, including helping you find the most affordable (or free) relevant resources to fit your learning plan, and helping you identify important areas of language learning you might be forgetting!

Photo: Matcha tea session design

Are you totally stoked yet? Interested in what kinds of awesome perks are waiting for backers of this project? You’ll find that just ahead, but first, I want to be transparent with you and give you a rundown of just what I’ll be using the startup funds for…

=EQUIPMENT FUNDED SO FAR AND ESTIMATED COSTS======================

Sony α6600 premium E-mount APS-C camera with 18-135mm zoom lens
$1800 - Great and versatile camera for HD video (up to 4K) and high quality photos - FUNDED!*

Video Editing Software Corel Video Studio Ultimate or Pinnacle Studio Ultimate
$80-120 - For high quality editing, screen-sharing, on screen images, animations, text, etc. - FUNDED!*

256GB SanDisk Extreme Pro Memory Card
$70 - Memory card for the camera, necessary to store footage. - FUNDED!*

*Actual costs of these three items ended up being $1886. I found a bundle deal on the camera that included the editing software.

Why does the fundraiser show less money raised than these items cost? Because I paid for these items with a combination of the prior donations as of 3/14/21 ($300) and personal funds that I was able to pull together since the time I launched the fundraiser.

BEYOND THE STARTUP FUND GOAL

               Any donations received beyond the goal are greatly and humbly appreciated and will be used for channel-related expenses, whether that’s materials and goods featured in the videos, travel, additional production equipment (like lighting, etc.), service costs, or educational materials to help me learn and share more content with the community.

WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT WITHOUT DONATING?

                Share this startup on social media! Or subscribe to the channel on YouTube!

Photo: Okonomiyaki anyone?

=BACKER PERKS===============================================

If your donation meets or exceeds any of the donation amounts listed below, you will receive a backer perk as a thank you for donating! All of these perks stack, so you will not only receive the perk for the highest tier your donation meets but you’ll also receive the perks from EVERY tier below that one. For example, a backer who donates $100 (Tier IV) will receive the perks for Tiers I, II, III, and IV.

HOW TO GET BACKER PERKS

1.       After donating, please email me at [email redacted] with the subject PERKS so I have your email address to send the perks to. If your email doesn’t already display the same name you donated under, please let me know the name you donated under so I can verify your donation.

           Note: This is available even if you donate anonymously, as GoFundMe still shares the names of donors with the creator of the fundraiser, it just isn't shown publicly.

2.       Check the backer perks list below and for the perks your donation qualifies for, check the “*info I need from you” section and email that info to me as well. This can be in your initial email or you can email me later on whenever you are ready.

HOW TO OPT OUT OF BACKER PERKS

                If you’d like to simply donate and not receive any backer perks, then you don’t need to do anything further after donating. If you'd like to only opt out of specific perks you qualified for, just let me know which ones in an email.

=BACKER PERKS LIST===========================================

Note: You can donate any whole dollar amount amount starting at $5 (that's the minimum GoFundMe allows), and I do appreciate any amount. ♪(´▽｀)

Tier I      $10

Your name in the credits

                Your name will be featured in the credits at the end of JoB! videos for at least a year. You choose how you’d like it listed. This can be a real name, nickname, screen-name or gamer tag, and can be abbreviated or spelled out however you’d like.

*Info I need from you

After donating, email me at [email redacted] to let me know how you’d like your name listed in the credits.

 
Tier II    $20        

Dependable Japanese Recipes eBook (+ Tier I perk)

You’ll get a PDF copy of my eBook, Dependable Japanese Recipes. This recipe book contains my favorite authentic, delicious and uncomplicated staple Japanese recipes that I find myself coming back to again and again, and is specifically designed for people living outside Japan who have busy lives. The recipes crafted for this eBook can be enjoyed by beginner and experienced cooks alike, don’t take a lot of time, and don’t require difficult-to-find ingredients (nothing a trip to your local grocery store’s Asian section, a local Asian supermarket, or an Amazon order won’t solve). Tier II backers will get early access to this eBook in late 2020 or early 2021, and will have unlimited access to any updates the eBook gets in the future. 

Vegans: As a heads up, many of the recipes are versatile and can easily accommodate vegan diets, and I’ll mention vegan options for ingredients where possible, but some recipes contain key ingredients such as eggs or Japanese mayo that are difficult to replicate with vegan ingredients or might taste very different from available vegan products. In these cases, you may need to do a bit of external research to find the best ingredient replacements.


Tier III   $30        

Verbal shout-out in a JoB! video + your question answered on video (+ Tier I & II perks)

                You will get a verbal shout-out in a JoB! video on the YouTube channel. In addition to this, you can ask me a question about anything related to the vlog’s topics (anything Japan, Japanese language learning and culture, tea, travel, cooking, food and drinks, life goals, etc.) and I will do the research and answer your question in the video! What are you curious to know? Let me know! This might be included in any video on a specific topic or it might show up in a "mail bag" style episode where I answer questions from viewers.

*Info I need from you

After donating, email me at [email redacted] to let me know how you’d like your name in the shout-out and what question you’d like me to answer! There’s no real deadline for you to come up with a question, so just let me know at some point when you come up with one!

               
Tier IV   $100      

Original pixel art portrait drawn by me of YOU (or your original character) + it’s displayed next to your name in JoB! video credits (+ Tier I-III perks)

                To show my appreciation for your awesome contribution, you’ll get a custom hand-drawn digital pixel art portrait featuring you or your original character, and an avatar medallion of this art will be displayed next to your name in the credits of JoB! videos for at least a year. My art style is sort of an anime/toon/comic style. I’ve drawn an example image of myself here! Check out the graphic below to see what you’ll get!

Please excuse how GoFundMe has compressed and cropped these images. CLICK HERE  to view the original pixel portrait promotional image in its native resolution and intended quality.


               The files you receive are yours to do what you want with. You can use them anywhere, reproduce them, or alter them to your liking. Background colors will vary to suit each portrait.

*Info I need from you

After donating, please email me a reference photo (or a few, if you can) at [email redacted] of you or the original character you’d like me to draw, and let me know a basic expression or emotion you’d like (really whatever you want as long as it’s YT appropriate). By original character, I mean a character you designed and that isn’t copyrighted by someone else. For example, an original fictional character you’ve created, a D&D or other Role-Playing character you act as, a fursona, a customized character you built with a character creation tool in a video game, etc.

You must have at least one image of whoever you want me to draw, as I will not be drawing these portraits from descriptions alone. Same goes for the clothing you’d like shown in the image. It needs to be in one of the images you send me, or send me reference pictures of the clothing as well. Keep in mind this portrait only shows the head and shoulders so only what fits within this square frame will be visible. The portraits will all be drawn on the same canvas size for consistency.

Finally, if you are sending me real images of yourself, please avoid sending handheld selfies if you can, as close-up shots from front-facing cameras tend to exaggerate facial features. If you want me to use a current picture and don’t have one already, please have someone else take one of you, or take one of your reflection in a mirror, as this helps prevent the distortion caused by selfies. Either way, just make sure it’s clear, well lit, and I can see your face without obstructions. It's best if you can just send a head-and-shoulders or upper body shot rather than full body, unless you've got a high enough resolution picture that I can zoom in on your face and still see the details clearly.

These images will be drawn and sent out in the order I receive qualifying donations. As these are hand-drawn images (created on my computer using a digital drawing tablet), this will take some time, depending on how many donations I get that qualify for this perk, so please be patient! I will do my best to get them done without much delay, but depending on how many I draw it could take several weeks after donating to receive yours.

These portraits are limited to one person per portrait and one portrait per qualifying donation.


Tier V    $150      

Choose the topic for a Japan or Bust Video! (+ Tier I-IV perks)

Got a particular interest in something that warrants more than just a quick answer? With this perk you can request me to make a video about it. Virtually anything related to Japan, Japanese language or cooking, tea, cooking in general, food and drink, life goals, or any other skill I have to offer, you can request as a topic, but the more specific the better. I will have to approve the topic to make sure it’s one I can do but this can be flexible and should be something I can do while I’m stateside (unless I end up staying in Japan for an extended period later on, but I can’t guarantee that).

Here’s some totally random examples I thought up:
“How to make and customize your own teriyaki sauce.”
“How to write your name in Japanese.”
“Top 10 anime movie recommendations.”
“How to play Hanafuda Koi Koi!”
“Japanese ghost stories.”
“A brief history of Japanese fart jokes.” (I mean it’s YOUR choice, so…)  ¯_(ツ)_/¯

What are your wildest curiosities about Japan? What do you want to learn more about? Let me know! I will do the necessary research and make a video! I can’t guarantee a timeline on this, but I will prioritize these videos when they can best be made.

*Info I need from you

                After donating, email me at [email redacted] and let me know a video topic you’d like to see made! You can take your time figuring this out. There’s no real deadline, so just let me know when you come up with something and I’ll let you know if that topic is doable.


Tier VI   $200      

Private personal video call for a Japanese cooking or Japanese tea workshop (+ Tier I-V perks)

                Are you interested to learn more about Japanese cooking or tea but don’t know where to start? Or is there a specific recipe you’d like someone to teach you step-by-step? You’ll get a private personal video call where we’ll workshop it together and you can ask me all your questions. Bring a buddy or two or family along if you’d like. If you choose to do a Japanese tea workshop I’ll mail you a sampler of the different teas I’m teaching you about so you can brew along with me or later on your own to try them yourself. For Japanese cooking, I can do an “essential Japanese pantry” walk-through of common kitchen items you’ll need for Japanese cooking, including some demonstrations, or we can focus on a specific recipe or set of questions that interest you.

                We can spend as much time as it takes to go through this but I’d like to limit the session to roughly an hour or so.


Tier VII $300      

Co-star in a Japan or Bust video! (+ Tier I-VI perks)

Want to have fun and be in a YouTube video without having to do the technical work? With this perk, you can! And if you’d like, you can invite a friend! You choose the topic, and as long as it’s within the scope of the channel and I can approve it as doable and appropriate, we’ll do it!

For example, we can make a video where we explore something together, such as how to cook a Japanese recipe (and we eat it!), or we can taste-test Japanese foods, teas, sake, beers, etc. or learn about and try various Japanese incense. We could do Japanese language learning and practice, potentially with native speakers, or learn to play a traditional Japanese game (like Go, Hanafuda, Shogi, etc.). There are many different topics we could cover, so if there’s something you think you’d have fun doing, let me know! It’s your choice! I’ll provide the things we need to do the video, including the food or products if we do a recipe or a taste-test kind of thing.

Alternatively, if you’re already very experienced with something related to the channel topics and want to share your special knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm in a video, we can focus on you and make a video of what you’d like to share!

Special Requirements for this perk:

1.  Firstly, to ensure this is a memorable and safe experience for everyone, this perk is limited to people who know me personally. If we’re at least acquainted, or we’re in a shared community group or have a friend in common, great! Let’s go!

2. Second, the backer must live in or be able to travel to the Kansas City area to make the video, and must have their own local transportation (unless of course we’re friends or family, then don’t worry, I got you).

3. Third, the video will have to be produced when social distancing due to Coronavirus is no longer necessary, unless we can arrange to do it within reasonably safe social distancing standards (really depending on the video topic/activity). Alternatively, if the backer prefers to do this video remotely via a dual stream online, that could be a possibility. Either way, there is no real deadline for this perk so we could hold off on this project as long as we need to. No problem! Hopefully things get better soon.

*Information I need from you

Just think of a topic you’d like us to explore in the video, and email me at [email redacted] so we can discuss it!

DONATIONS BEYOND THIS?

Wow, if you’re seriously considering donating more than this, I’m humbled. You’ve reached the end of the perks list. This is all I have to offer aside from my sincere gratitude! If you really want to lend more financial support to this project you are welcome to contribute whatever amount you’re comfortable with.

Or, you could give the extra money to a loved one and let them donate it for perks too.

 

Photo: Japanese cherry trees in bloom in Kansas City