The videos appearing on the EmiAly Mommy TV YouTube channel capture the daily life of a Japanese mother named Junko living in California. The uploads explore what may be run-of-the-mill happenings for most Americans, but can be fascinating looks at life abroad for Japanese viewers. Examples of her work include a video tour of her local supermarket and a look at her morning routine. In 2021, she added a video on getting vaccinated to her collection.
The recent upload follows her as she receives two doses of Moderna. She shows the process of being inoculated and the side-effects afterward — in all their gnarly details — highlighted by, in her case, a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. Her goal, according to the description, is to educate her Japanese viewers as to what is in store for them as vaccination appointments begin to open up here.
It’s much more than just lifestyle content. Videos and posts from Japanese people who have received COVID-19 vaccinations, often from abroad, provide the rare ability to cut through social media, which exists in a perpetual state of high anxiety thanks to a concoction of cynicism, outrage and conspiracy theories. Junko is an ordinary person who shows us exactly what us average Joes can expect, which might be more relatable than a Taro Kono clip (great shirt, though).