Big Sound Temple

She's become something of a Youtube sensation. A young, attractive American woman who lives in Japan and speaks the language perfectly. 'Emily Applemilk1988' - for such is her Youtube username - makes her living doing a number of different things, such as posing in her underwear for Japanese men's magazines. (See above, if by any chance you hadn't noticed already.) This has made her what is known as a gravure idol.

Emily posts various videos, some based around her 'pretty intense' (as she describes it) Japanese lessons. Another video, however, has her bemoaning (in Japanese) the fact that her increasing fame has led to something of a 'net-based hate campaign. And it's true that a certain 'Wikipedia' imitation site - which doesn't deal in anything remotely factual - has superimposed her face onto a number of pornographic photos.

Others got a bit miffed when she humbly requested that her 'dai (big) fans' send her whatever money they could - typically ten dollars - so she could afford to attend university in Japan. (Obviously sitting around in your pants all day being photographed doesn't pay so good.) However, she then allegedly went out and blew her accumulated windfall on renting a fancy apartment, clothes etc.

Me, I don't mind her. And not just cause she's an attractive woman who frequently doesn't wear very much. (But it helps, y'know.) And not because I've never sent her any money, either. Her videos help my Japanese - she even sticks in subtitles for the more advanced ones, which is kind of where I am in my learning - and, whilst sometimes appearing just a little bit freaky, she certainly has that all important quality: charisma. But don't take my word for it, minna-san, judge for yourselves...