How to Use Google & YouTube in Japanese + Change Your Country

One of the keys of my Anywhere Immersion Method (A.I.M.) is finding ways to immerse yourself in Japanese as you go throughout your normal daily activities.

Most people use Google apps multiple times a day, including Google Search, Gmail, Calendar, YouTube, and more.

So why not use these apps in Japanese instead of English? And even better, localize your search and YouTube accounts to Japan so you get more Japanese-specific content?

In this post, I give you step-by-step instructions to do exactly that! You will learn how to:

• Use Google Japan to get more Japanese-specific results.
• Change your YouTube account to get more Japanese content.
• Change your Google account to Japanese to get more reading practice.

And don’t worry: if using these sites and apps in Japanese becomes too overwhelming, I’ve also included step-by-step tips to switch them back to English!

Use Google Japan

From a language learning perspective, there are two main limitations to using your home country version of Google Search:

1. The algorithm will prioritize results in English, not Japanese.
2. You will get fewer search results for Japanese-specific content.

The answer? Use Google Japan instead!

You will then get Japanese language results be default, and far more of them!

+ Access Google Japan

Change your location settings in YouTube

One of the most important changes you can make as a Japanese language learner is switching your YouTube location to Japan. Doing so will bring you Japanese videos by default, giving you far more opportunities to immerse in the language.

Here's how to change your YouTube location online. It only takes three clicks!

1. Click your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
2. Click the right arrow > next to Location (場所).
3. Scroll down and click on Japan (日本).

In the YouTube app (iOS or Android):

1. Tap your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
2. Tap Settings (設定).
3. Tap General (全般).
4. Scroll down and tap on Location (国 / 地域).
5. Select Japan (日本) from the list.

💡 Pro Tip: Create a separate Google account that you use just for Japanese language study. You can then set this new account's location settings to Japan but keep your primary Google account set to your home country.

Change your Google account display language

Changing your Google account display language to Japanese unlocks a powerful source of Japanese reading input. Each time you use Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, etc., you get exposed to useful, contextual, high-frequency Japanese words and phrases.

Here’s how to change your Google display language:

1. Navigate to your Google Account page (sign in first if needed).
2. Click Personal info in the left panel.
3. Scroll down to General preferences for the web.
4. Click the right arrow > next to Language.
5. Click + Add another language.
6. Search for "Japanese" and click on 日本語 (Japanese).
7. Click the up arrow next to 日本語 (Japanese) until it is in the Preferred Language box.

Your Google account and Google apps will now display in Japanese!

💡 Pro Tip: If you prefer, you can change the display language of individual Google apps one by one (e.g. you can keep Gmail in English but change Google Search to Japanese). See the instructions below for individual apps.

To switch back to English from Japanese:

1. Open your Google Account page again.
2. Click 個人情報 (Personal info) in the left panel.
3. Scroll down to ウェブ向けの全般設定 (General preferences for the web).
4. Click the right arrow > next to 語言 (Language).
5. Click the up arrow next to English until it is in the 優先言語 box.

+ Access your Google account language settings

Change Google Search to Japanese

If you only want to change the display language of Google Search, but keep Gmail, YouTube, etc. in English, follow these steps:

1. Click over to the Google Search home page.
2. Click Settings in the lower right corner.
3. Select Search Settings from the popup menu.
4. Click Other Settings on the left.
5. Click Language & region.
6. Click on Display language.
7. Search for “Japanese” and select 日本語 (Japanese).
8. Click Confirm.

To switch your Google Search interface language back to English from Japanese:

1. Click over to the Google Search home page.
2. Click 設定 (Settings) in the lower right corner.
3. Select 検索設定 (Search Settings) from the popup menu.
4. Click その他の設定 (Other Settings) on the left.
5. Click the right arrow > next to 語言と地域 (Language & region).
6. Click on 日本語 in the 表示言語 (Display language) box.
7. Search for “English” and select English (英文).
8. Click 確認 (Confirm).

+ Access Google Search settings

Change YouTube to Japanese

Here is how to change the YouTube display language to Japanese in your browser:

1. Click your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
2. Click the right arrow > next to Language.
3. Scroll down and click on 日本語.

To switch back to English in your browser:

1. Click your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
2. Click the right arrow > next to 言語.
3. Scroll down and click on English.

Here is how to change the YouTube display language to Japanese in the YouTube app (iOS or Android):

1. Tap your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap General.
4. Tap Language.
5. Select Japanese from the list.

To switch back to English in the YouTube app:

1. Tap your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
2. Tap 設定.
3. Tap 全般.
4. Tap アプリの言語.
5. Select 英語 (English) from the list.