I’ve known Nina around 2-3 years ago when her videos were trending in Facebook. I eventually subscribed to her videos and find her really adorable. A lot of people loved her and she literally is a star. A talented and wise American-Japanese girl was truly admired by viewers all around the globe. However, there came a point that I wasn’t able to watch her new videos and thus I was not updated anymore.
Today, I somewhat missed her cute smile and wonderful adventures so I visited her channel: Nina in Japan. There, I learned that her dad stopped uploading her videos, making it public for Nina’s sake. She’s starting school soon and they don’t want to jeopardize Nina’s youth. I think it was a hard decision for them but they of course choose what’s best for Nina.
In her dad’s channel, the last video uploaded was a collection of Nina’s best videos for the last 6 years. I’m sharing to you her video and feel free to get to know her since she’s barely 1 year old. Below the video is his dad’s message to all Nina’s viewers and that includes me.
The first video I ever uploaded to YouTube was of eleven month old Nina, just learning to walk (with help from Mama). I thought that my parents in the U.S. would enjoy seeing it and YouTube seemed to be the easiest way to share it. I made a few more videos, started playing more with adding titles, music, different kinds of transitions… and discovered I really enjoyed making these little “movies”. I told all my friends and family about them and at first I would get maybe 20 views per video. But, then, the views started increasing, and I started getting comments from people I didn’t know. At one point, YouTube featured the video “Nina Talks Insurance with Mama” and since then, the growth in viewers has steadily increased. I have never asked people to subscribe to this channel, or tried to solicit comments or ratings, as that was not my goal when I started it. Of course, I have appreciated all the wonderfully supportive comments we have gotten over the last few years. It has been extraordinary to see how people from countries all over the world have related to Nina’s everyday adventures. But, my goal was never to make Nina into a celebrity, and as she gets older and more aware of the camera, I sense that these videos might become less a chronicle of her growth, and more about making her into a public figure. Besides worrying about the negative effect being in the public eye can have on a child, I also think the videos would lose some of their charm if Nina were to start to perform for the camera. My wife and I have discussed this many times and finally decided that we would stop making these videos public before Nina starts elementary school, and that time has now come.
In the course of making these videos, Nina has learned to crawl, stand, walk, talk in two different languages, and ride a bike. She has played doctor, detective, barber, clerk, magician and political analyst.
Now, though, her life is more about friends and getting ready to start elementary school. She has secrets. She closes her bedroom door sometimes. I think it is time to let her disappear from the public eye.
So, as a parting gesture, we decided to pick through Nina’s videos for some of our favorite scenes from over the years. The first six years of a child’s life are a time of hyper-accelerated growth and change, where each month brings new abilities and perspectives. For me, this first chapter in Nina’s life culminated with “The Frustrated Little Shopkeeper”, where Nina’s social and linguistic skills were put on full display. I feel like Nina graduated with that video and now she’s ready to move on.
Thanks again for all the support and understanding!
I understand their decision and wish Nina a wonderful years ahead. May she be able to enjoy life as she starts a new chapter of her life. God bless you Nina!
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