First Vlog: My Audition for “Who Wants to Come to Japan?”

Well, after toying with the idea for a while, I’ve decided to create a Geri Draws Japan YouTube channel! For my first vlog, I’ve decided to share my original audition video for my appearance on TV Tokyo’s 「世界！ニッポン行きたい人応援団」(Who Wants to Come to Japan) program in February 2017. 

It’s a little embarrassing, but my excuse is that I had half a day to film it and half a day to edit it all together before the submission deadline. I promise my next videos will be a little more polished!

One of the funny things about this audition video is that I’m not entirely sure if the directors actually saw it or not. I ended up auditioning a second time at the London Japan Matsuri in September 2016, which was immediately seen by the film crew and director who were present at the event. Even then, I didn’t hear back on the second audition until late December, when a Japanese friend messaged me on Facebook and told me she saw me on TV. I was completely shocked and had no idea that my audition was aired! The very next day, I got a message from a London-based talent search company where it was confirmed that a director and cameraman would be coming from Japan to film me making okonomiyaki in my home in Nottingham in January! Needless to say, it was the best Christmas present I could have asked for! 

So, regardless of the director seeing this audition or not, I’m still happy to say I made the cut and the work I put into this video was still worth it!