It's been such a long time since I've uploaded a video.

I'm sure some of you guys were worried about us

wondering if we were coming back or not.

But here we are.

As many of you may know

we returned to Japan from Malaysiain early April

and we received lots of criticism on our decision to do so.

Some of the comments were hateful

and it has taken me a while to digest it all.

Today, I wanted to let you know that we'll be uploading videos again

but also share with you what I've been feeling the last 4 months.

In June, I entered my 10th year on YouTube.

I've been doing this for quite some time,

but it's my first time experiencing anything like this

and I honestly didn't know how to deal with it or respond to it.

But this experience has made me

think deeply about what we do as creators in the public eye

having a lifestyle with no clear line between our professional and personal life.

We realize there are changes we need to make.

Looking back,

our decision to come back to Japan at that time was not an easy one to make.

and we discussed it thoroughly as a family.

We were in lockdown for almost a month in Malaysia,

but to avoid any risk during our travel

we were extremely cautious.

Luckily, there weren't many people in either of the airports

and we were able to maintain social distance throughout out trip.

But regardless, we wore our face shields and put on our windbreakers/rain jackets at the airport,

clothing that we could easily get out of

and too necessary safety measures.

After getting tested for COVID-19 at Narita Airport,

we avoided public transportation, and rented a car to get back home.

We received our test results via email. We tested negative.

And we spent the 2 week quarantine period at home.

We made sure to follow the rules and did all that we could to be safe

but as COVID-19 was starting to become serious in Japan

we knew we would receive some criticism.

But as a single human being

it was hard to take in the opinions of tens of thousands of people.

Some of the comments included things like

Don't you bring the virus here! People are dying because of you!

comments that made us feel like criminals.

Others told us to die, that they'd kill us, that we should be careful when we're out at night

comments that made us feel unsafe.

Some creators made hurtful videos about us.

Some people started making things up about us.

Attacking us with accusations with no grounds whatsoever.

It was hard.

I honestly didn't know how to go about sorting out my feelings,

but as I was battling all of my emotions, I came across this quote.

Open-minded people don't care to be right.

They care to understand.

Everything is about understanding.

What this quote made me realize

is that, in order to move on

I can't just keep defending what I think is right

but need to try to understand where people are coming from.

In the comments that we received

there were people who were genuinely worried about us

suggesting we stay in Malaysia for our own safety.

Some people objected because they cared.

Because it was such a hard decision for us

Because it was such a hard decision for us

we felt like we had to defend ourselves.

I'm sorry that we didn't have the emotional capacity at the time

to try to understand your situation or your feelings

or to try to consider why some of you might have said what you said.

I think that we came off as only caring about ourselves

and we feel terrible if we made any of you feel that way.

It was hard confronting all the different opinions we received

It was a scarring experience.

but it also made us realize the things that we need to work on going forth.

We will be going back to our regular uploads starting with the next video.

And this was also a difficult decision

but we've decided to turn off the comment section for the time being.

It's because of your supportive comments that I've come this far on YouTube

and because of your feedback that I've been able to grow as a creator.

So it was truly a hard decision to make,

but because of this incident we've been receiving lots of hate

and are being attacked for things we haven't even done.

It was really hard to read some of the comments

scary even.

I couldn't get myself to open my socials,

I couldn't even open YouTube.

I think these comments may have made some of you Chikatomos feel upset as well.

Furthermore, viewers began attacking each other

and it was no longer people expressing opinions, but expressing hate.

Seeing what's been happening

it's not safe nor healthy. and we felt we needed to do something about it.

so we've decided to close the comment section.

But that doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you!

Please send us your messages via the form linked in the description.

Please send us your messages via the form linked in the description.

Please send us your messages via the form linked in the description.

It's not as easy as commenting on YouTube

and it might be a bit of a hassle

but I hope to continue hearing from you there!

With so many different perspectives,

opinions and expectations,

I can't answer to it all.

In a world where you can't make everyone happy

what can you do?

You can believe in yourself.

I believe there's more I have to do

more I want to do

I believe there are people are waiting for our videos

and with that, we have to move forward.

We've been receiving messages of encouragement and support every single day.

Thank you guys so much for that!

We also want to thank those of you who showed us support for our decision

you really helped us get through a tough time.

Some of you have been asking about Pudding.

She is doing very well.

Watching her grow every single day has been extremely energizing

but exhausting at the same time lol I've been having a hard time keeping up.

No matter what situation you're in, kids are so joyful to watch

they make you smile

and bring so much laughter to your life.

To all of the Chikatomos around the world,

There's not a single person who hasn't been affected by what's been happening

Not just COVID-19, but natural disasters around the world,

problems of racism in our society,

tense international affairs,

Life is a lot to handle as is

and we've got these gigantic issues we're faced with.

Our situations and our problems, the scale of our problems may vary

but the one thing we have in common

is the importance of being positive

and creative.

We'll be uploading fun English videos for you guys again

and once the time comes, we hope to share our travels with you guys as well.

We will be uploading a new video soon!

Alright guys, thank you guys so much for watching!

The last little bit, I wanna share with you in English.

It's a difficult time for everyone all around the world.

Obviously, our problems and the size of our problems

vary among all of us.

But I think the one thing that we can agree on

is the importance of staying positive and being creative.

I think it's hard to see

what the future holds for us

with so many uncertainties right now.

But when you can't see the light

at the end of the tunnel,

you have to create one yourself

and light your way through the darkness.

I know that no matter what I say,

I can't make everyone happy

and there are always going to be varying opinions,

so all I can really do is to trust myself

and work towards the things that I believe in.

and that really is your light at the end of the tunnel.

What you believe in.

In a time when you are exposed to

so many different opinions

and so many voices,

it's so important to have your own voice

and trust that voice and move yourself forward.

Alright guys, thank you so much for watching!

So sorry that I haven't been able to

update you on my socials

and I know a lot of you were worried.

But we are back

and we're ready to start uploading videos

for you guys again.

We will have a new video coming out for you very soon.

Thank you guys so much for watching

and I will see you guys again soon.

Bye!