Sharmeleon
{{Short description|Canadian YouTuber based in Japan}}
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| name = Sharla
| logo =
| logo_caption =
| image = Sharmeleon.png
| caption = Sharla on Instagram
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|04|23}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Canadian
| occupation = YouTuber
| partner = Chris Broad
| website =
| organization = Sekai Studios
| pseudonym =
| channel_handle = sharlainjapan
| channel_display_name = Sharmeleon
| years_active = 2011–present
| genre = Vlog
| subscribers = 787 thousand
| views = 122 million
| stats_update = January 1, 2025
| network =
| associated_acts =
| silver_button = y
}}
Sharla Katalin Hinskens{{cite web |title=Sharla Katalin Hinskens |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9860962/ |website=IMDb |access-date=July 26, 2021}}{{cite web |title=EXCLUSIVE: Interview with SharlaInJapan! |url=https://carlaalexa.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/exclusive-interview-with-sharlainjapan/ |date=May 31, 2015}} (born April 23, 1986),{{cite web |title=Sharmeleon |url=https://www.tokyocreative.com/learn/tutors/68749-sharmander |website=Tokyo Creative |accessdate=1 March 2020 |language=en |archive-date=27 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027021812/https://www.tokyocreative.com/learn/tutors/68749-sharmander |url-status=dead }} also known as Sharmeleon ("evolved" from Sharmander upon receiving 500,000 subscribers in March 2020) and Sharla in Japan, is a Canadian YouTuber who has been vlogging about her experiences in Japan since 2011.
Biography
Sharla grew up in Victoria, British Columbia.{{cite web |last1=Takaishi |first1=Maho |title=今注目のユーチューバーSharla(シャーラ)さんインタビュー |url=https://english.cheerup.jp/article/882 |website=Cheer up! English |publisher=Be.com |accessdate=1 March 2020 |language=ja |date=21 July 2014}} Her paternal grandparents were Dutch, her maternal grandfather Hungarian and her maternal grandmother English. She was brought up in a vegetarian household but did occasionally eat meat at her grandparents' house. Over her life, she had followed pescatarian and vegan diets but is currently following a flexible diet.
Her first visit to Japan was when she was 17 years old, as an exchange student between the sister cities Victoria and Morioka.{{cite web |author1=Breaker |title=日本で最も視聴者を集める女性インバウンド・インフルエンサー「Sharla in Japan」とマネージメント契約締結 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/pressrelease/115620/ |website=Oricon News |publisher=Oricon ME |accessdate=1 March 2020 |language=ja |date=8 February 2017}} She worked in Tokyo at age 19 as an English teacher, and went back to Canada in 2010.{{cite web |title=A foreigner living in Japan. A charm of Iwate from a YouTuber. Interview / Sharla |url=https://www.soumu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/17hisaichi/hp/douga/iwate10.html |website=Stories of Iwate |author=Tokyo Metropolitan Government |accessdate=1 March 2020 |language=en |date=2018}} When the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake hit, she moved back to Japan, due to stress from being in Canada and far away from her friends.{{cite news |last1=O'Mallon |first1=Finbar |title=Sharla in Japan |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2015/02/23/digital/sharla-japan/ |newspaper=The Japan Times |date=23 February 2015}} Around this time she started vlogging her daily life. Her videos, including topics where she discusses what she likes about Japan, were well received with foreign viewers interested in the country.{{cite web |title=熊本地震から立ち直り、未来へ希望をつなげるために――人気YouTuberとともに地元の魅力を世界に発信 |url=https://special.nikkeibp.co.jp/atclh/ITP/17/nttdocomov0915/ |website=Nikkei xTECH Special |publisher=Nikkei Business Publications |accessdate=1 March 2020 |language=ja |date=2017}}
On June 18, 2018, she announced her marriage to a Korean man, who wished to remain anonymous on YouTube, who had been an alumnus of Japan university after a seven-year relationship. They moved to his native Seoul where Sharla continued to vlog about her life there although she did continue to visit Japan. On March 5, 2019, Sharla announced her separation from her husband, eventually divorcing, and her intention to move back to Japan citing difficulties in living in an environment where she did not speak enough of the language in her current mental state and Canada not being exciting enough in this stage of her life.{{cite web |title=Why I'm Moving Back to Japan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aU7iDVFhjI |website=You Tube |access-date=15 August 2022}}
In September 2020, she started Neko Neko Post, a service to sell fancy Japanese stationery, of which she herself is a fan, to overseas customers in collaboration with friends.
In August 2022 she and the English YouTuber Chris Broad announced their relationship in two separate videos on their respective channels.{{Citation |title=Why I'm Dating a Canadian 🇨🇦 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czVMA5m3Jvk |language=en |access-date=2022-08-15}}{{Citation |title=A ✨juicy✨ Q+A #asksharla |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvG9-j8HVm8 |language=en |access-date=2022-08-15}} On February 14, 2023, Chris and Sharla announced their engagement, with the proposal happening at Durdle Door in Dorset, England.
She has translated the films Shin Godzilla (2016) and Terra Formars (2016) for the English subtitles, and also served as a dialogue coach assistant.
Since 2018, she has collaborated with Chris Broad and participated in his series Journey Across Japan.{{cite web |last1=Boyd |first1=Oscar |title=Episode 28: Chris Broad and Sharla — living the YouTube life in Japan |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/podcast/episode-28-chris-broad-sharla-living-youtube-life-japan/ |website=Deep Dive |publisher=The Japan Times |date=30 October 2019}} She has also partnered with local governments and organizations to promote local specialities.{{cite news |author1=Tokyo Creative |title=自然豊かな豊後大野市エリアの魅力を日本在住の外国人YouTuber SharlaがPR！総再生回数は10万回を突破！ |language=ja |url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000012.000036173.html |newspaper=PR Times |date=6 January 2020 |accessdate=1 March 2020 }}{{cite web |title=兵庫県×外国人YouTuberによる動画が総再生回数27万回を突破！～日本在住カナダ人YouTuber Sharla(シャーラ)が兵庫県の魅力をPR～ |url=https://web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/press/20210221_1700.html |author=Hyogo Prefectural Government |accessdate=1 March 2020 |language=ja |date=21 February 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222211536/https://web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/press/20210221_1700.html |url-status=dead }}
Neko Neko B&B
Sharla and her friend Ushka have totally refurbished two abandoned houses in Tokyo and created successful bed and breakfasts called Neko Neko B&B, https://nekonekostays.com/ They are currently working on a third house.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|user=sharlainjapan|title=Sharmeleon}}
- [https://www.nekonekopost.com/ Neko Neko Post official website]
Category:People from Victoria, British Columbia