The Last Challenge of a Lifetime! My Mom, the YouTuber.

I've become a YouTuber!

One day, I received a LINE message from my 68-year-old mother living in Akita. A video was attached to the message, and it turned out my mother had become a cooking YouTuber.

Since she doesn't own an iPad or a computer, it seems she is filming everything with just her smartphone.

I was surprised. Why a YouTuber?

It's an era where even a 90-year-old, older than me, can become a YouTuber! I thought I could do it too.

When I asked for more details, it turned out my younger brother had encouraged her to become one. At first, she didn't really get it, just thinking, 'Hmm, a YouTuber, huh,' and didn't pay much attention to it.

Then another LINE message arrived. She had uploaded a cooking video, but she was worried because the view count wasn't growing.

I started thinking about how I could help her.

Why don't you film yourself cooking on a portable gas stove? And add the reason why you ended up cooking on a portable stove instead of having a gas contract! When I gave her that advice, she created a video filled with heart.

When I watched the test video she made, the crucial part—the portable stove—wasn't even in the frame. Why? I immediately sent her a LINE message saying she should show the stove. My older brother and younger brother agreed, so my mother filmed more footage and combined it with the first video to create one final piece.

That video became a massive hit in no time! It reached 860,000 views and she even succeeded in monetizing it.

My mother was so excited, saying, 'No way! I can't believe it!' It seems she only truly realized she had gone viral when she saw her bankbook with the first deposit from Google.

Using the money deposited by Google, my mother came to visit me in Tokyo.

Just at that time, my husband had been transferred to the Hokuriku region for work, and since I was helping with the move and working until 10 p.m., I felt so relieved that my mother came to Tokyo; it felt like a lifesaver. Without her help, I probably would have collapsed. After all, I have a history of being hospitalized twice (laughs). My mother is still active as a YouTuber today. Even though she succeeded in monetizing, it's not like she's a huge success. Currently, her monthly earnings have settled down to about the price of a lunch.

Reality is not that sweet.

Just because you had one big hit video doesn't mean it will happen again. It's not easy to keep people's attention on you.

The world of video is harsh. Currently, she only gets a few hundred views.

My mother had been posting cooking videos for a long time. When she seemed to be in a rut, I gave her this advice: 'Why don't you make a video about getting rid of the wedding chest you've had for 47 years?'

The video about getting rid of the wedding chest got over 800 views for the first time in a while, becoming a minor hit.

Not a big hit, not even a hit, just a minor hit.

I wonder how I should judge this. But thanks to this video, she seems to have relaxed, realizing that 'I don't have to stick to cooking for my content.' And now, she's motivated to try posting not just cooking videos, but also videos about end-of-life planning and senior lifestyles.

The reason I'm supporting my mother so much, to be honest, is that I want her to come to Tokyo again. I want her to make another hit video, use the funds as capital, and come to Tokyo. For that sake, I keep contributing both money and time to her.

The things I've contributed include a kettle that appears in the videos, dish towels, placemats, towels, hair ties, blouses, aprons, olive oil, tableware, paper napkins, sponges, dressing containers, a Marimekko pot holder, and a Ballarini frying pan.

The time I've contributed includes brainstorming video ideas, creating thumbnails, and providing feedback after videos are uploaded.

My younger brother gave her a kitchen knife and a mill-mixer, and my older brother and his wife paid for the renovation of the kitchen wallpaper that appears in the videos.

We are all supporting our mother, wanting her to 'experience being in the spotlight at the end of her life.' Since she has lived her life in the shadows to support our family, we want her to have one final act where she can shine—and by her own power, at that. We want her to deliver the super energy of a senior living in a rural town to the world.

Even so,

Creating something is painful. I know how hard it is to keep creating. When that happens, it's okay to take a break. My mother took a two-month break this time. I think that was a necessary rest for her to create things.

My mother is turning 70 soon. Strangely, she looks younger now than she did in her early videos. Is it because she's conscious of being watched by others?

Why do I want you to watch it?

In this era where everyone is a creator, the number of people posting content is increasing. It might seem boring to watch videos of a 69-year-old living in a rural town surrounded by rice fields.

However, her kitchen, though old, is organized down to every last corner, which is pleasant to look at, and her kitchen organization videos are well-received, with people saying, 'It's like a room of its own!'

I won't say anything lukewarm like 'I hope you'll be even a little bit interested.'

To put it bluntly,

Please watch 'Ryoko's Kitchen TIME'!! (lol).

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[Update]
The video on "disposing of wedding furniture" that I introduced in this article gained traction after I wrote this note.

• 5/19 → 800 views

• 6/16 → 1400 views

• 7/9 → 2600 views

• 7/14 → 3000 views

• 7/21 → 3500 views

Thank you very much.

A year has passed since the video was released, and it has surpassed 250,000 views. In the case of videos, views usually spike right after release and then taper off. It is rare for a video to continue being watched long after it has been published.

Watching my mother's long-running hit video, I wondered, "Why has it been watched for so long?"

I believe it is because it combines being "useful," "informative," and "rare."

Currently, due to the overlap of caring for my father and my mother's own hospitalization, she is taking a break, but the video is still being watched. That has become a source of support for my mother.

To all the viewers who watched it, the fellow noters who supported us, and everyone who read this note, thank you very much.

On September 1, 2025, it surpassed 270,000 views. This is all thanks to everyone. Thank you for your support.