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"I want to use my hobby to help people who sit at their desks."

Kohei Bao, 3rd-year master's student, Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences

We are in front of the ceramic sculpture by Tsuji Fudō on the first floor Building No. 33 on Toyama Campus. Kohei Bao is holding a silver plaque awarded by YouTube for reaching 100,000 subscribers and a gold plaque awarded for reaching 1 million subscribers.

Originally from China, Bao, a student in Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, posts videos  called #StudyWithMe to help him improve his concentration on his YouTube channel "Abao in Tokyo," which has 1.27 million subscribers, 200 million total views, and is viewed in over 100 countries worldwide Including his sub-channels, he has a total of 1.8 million followers! #Study With Me has now become an established video genre, and we spoke to Bao, who pioneered the trend in 2020, about what led him to study in Japan, his passion for video production, and his outlook for the future.

--Please tell us how you ended up attending Waseda University.

This work was created while he was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he studied fine arts.

After graduating from high school in Beijing, I went on to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States, aiming to become an artist. Taking art history classes there sparked my interest in East Asian art history, but American textbooks only summarized the art histories of China, Korea, and Japan in the final chapter. I wanted to learn more about Eastern beauty and share its value with the world. Searching for an environment more suited to the study of Eastern art, I was drawn to Waseda University, with its strong fields of Buddhist art and painting history and decided to study in Japan. I then studied for my university entrance exams while attending a Japanese language school and was admitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. I am currently studying at the  Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences researching the  Nan-Chao T’u Chuan, a picture scroll that originated in my hometown of Yunnan, China.

Left: Undergraduate days Professor Romi Hida A photo from the seminar. Bao is on the far left.
Photo on the right: Waseda University Antique Art Research Society A photo of Bao and his friends from the (official student club) at the undergraduate graduation. Bao is on the far right.

--What kind of videos are #StudyWithMe? Also, what prompted you to start a YouTube channel?

#StudyWithMe is a video genre that makes you feel like you're sitting at a desk with someone on the other side of the screen. To improve concentration during long hours of work, many people play videos as background music while studying or working, showing scenes of their desk or beautiful scenery alongside calming music or ambient sounds. Video editing was originally my hobby, but as the COVID-19 pandemic meant I spent more time at home, I wondered if I could use my hobby to create something useful for others, and so I began posting videos on YouTube and BiliBili (a major Chinese video platform). At first, I didn't create the same kind of content I do now; instead, I created content sharing Japanese language study methods and my own experiences for people living in China who were interested in Japan or considering studying abroad.

When I first started posting videos, the work video genre already existed, but most of them were just videos of dull studying scenes, and there were few videos with elaborate backgrounds like there are now. That's when I thought, "Maybe I can make something better," and that's what led me to start making #StudyWithMe videos.

A video featuring the scenery of Yokohama's Minato Mirai district received a particularly strong response. As of September 2025, it has been viewed more than 23 million times.

-What do you pay particular attention to when making videos?

I use the Pomodoro Study Method, a method of concentrating for long periods of time by repeating a set of 25 minutes of study followed by a 5-minute break. I personally had difficulty studying for long periods of time, but this method helped me a lot. That's why I wanted people who have trouble concentrating to try it out too.

Specifically, when students look at the screen after working for 25 minutes, they can easily visually recognize the passage of time by seeing the numbers on a timer and the subtle changes in the color of the sky.I often film from late afternoon through the evening or into the night, and aim to give viewers a sense of accomplishment, like "I managed to study until the sun went down."

Left: Camera equipment used for video shooting. He prefers Sony SLR cameras.
Photo on the right: Filming scene. He sometimes uses his own work desk for the videos.

--All of the scenery in your videos is beautiful, but how do you choose your locations?

I love Japanese anime culture, such as the works of Studio Ghibli and director Makoto Shinkai, and the Japanese landscapes depicted in anime, so when I create my own videos, I try to keep a "cinematic beauty" in mind. As a foreigner, I feel that Japanese landscapes have great cultural potential. Tokyo's urban landscapes and local trains running through the countryside may be familiar to people living in Japan, but depending on how you frame them, they can give off an extraordinary feeling, like a scene from a movie.

Left: His favorite scene he had used in videos so far. From the skyscrapers of Minato Mirai, you can see a magnificent cumulonimbus cloud, just like in anime.
Right photo: Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, early morning. This will be used in a video that will be released soon.

Recently, I opened two sub-channels in addition to my main channel. One, called Abao Ambience, does not include background music in the videos. While the Abao in Tokyo videos feature piano and other music commissioned from musicians, this content prioritizes sound quality and realism in response to the demand for realistic on-site sounds. The other, called Abao Vision, focuses on the visual aspect, including support for 8K resolution. I run these channels not only to meet specific demands, but also because I am motivated by my desire to capture the beautiful scenery of Japan as it is. The number of subscribers has exceeded 100,000 in just six months since their launch, allowing me to share the charms of Japan with even more people.

The #StudyWithMe genre, which is currently spreading around the world, has become a place for each creator to share what they consider to be beautiful scenery. I'm pleased that dramatic landscapes from all over the world are being made known to more people through work videos. I will continue to actively share the Japanese scenery that I feel "want to preserve for the future."

A video from the Abao Vision channel. This meticulously captured night driving video of Tokyo in 8K high definition has been viewed over 2.3 million times (as of September 2025).

--Please tell us about your future prospects.

Academically, I would like to continue my research into Buddhist art in the Yunnan region of China, so I am considering going on to a doctoral program. As a creator, I launched the video production company Vaibu Inc. in December 2024, systematizing the operation of existing channels and license management into a business. I am also challenging myself to create new business models that link learning and video, such as producing high-quality content using 8K video and original music and taking on contract filming and editing. As both a researcher and a creator, I would like to make the most of my hobbies and special skills and be active in the field.

907th

Interview, text and photography: Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC student staff)
Suhon Kanai, 2nd year student, School of Law

【Profile】

He attended graduation wearing traditional Chinese clothing, Hanfu.

Originally from Yunnan Province, China, he graduated from Beijing Huijia Private School. He is a fan of director Makoto Shinkai's works, such as "Weathering with You," and often visits locations depicted in anime, such as Shinjuku and Shibuya. His favorite way to relax these days is playing with his corgi, which he got this year. Incidentally, the name of his channel, "Abao," is a play on his real name, "Bao."

YouTube:
@abaointokyo
@abaovision
@AbaoAmbience
Instagram: @abaointokyo
X: @abaointokyo