KimochiCafe – VTuber Running the Kimochi Cafe Where Viewers Can Stop By, Hangout and Grab a Drink

Tell us your history with video games 

Gaming has been a major part of my life since I was six years old. I believe the first game I ever played was Pokemon Red on the Gameboy! Everyone in my first grade class was playing and I wanted to fit in with my friends! However, most of my game time was spent with my cousins growing up and we played everything together. Spyro, Jack and Daxter, Pokemon, Ratchet and Clank, Digimon, Sly Cooper, and many other genres of games! Even though we’re adults and our paths have separated, my cousins and I still get in touch once in a while to game together or talk about games we’re currently playing!

The more games I played and the more stories I felt myself immersed in, the stronger my passion became for gaming. I used to read a lot as a kid as well so gaming was a way to see into a story written by someone else, a place where I could get lost in and away from reality for a bit. It was such a beautiful feeling to me and that feeling has never died out since!

What’s your backstory and how did you get into streaming?

Growing up, I always watched people like Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, Pewdiepie, and a few others for gaming content but I also watched many animations, song covers, and many other types of content on YouTube. I really admired them because it felt as if streaming was a way to be yourself and do everything you love on your own terms while also making money. Even if the startup is slow, it was fun to imagine the ideas and creative ways I could do content if I ever became a YouTuber or Streamer!

I eventually decided to become a streamer because I had gone to school multiple times and I was never truly happy with my choices. I could only ever think about streaming and doing projects regarding gaming, voice acting, or singing. Of course I knew growing as a content creator would be hard work (just like any other job or school) but as I said prior: It’d be on my own terms.

I finally decided to start back in 2018 and I was a no-cam streamer. I streamed for approximately ten months and after six months I gained affiliate status but I ended up taking a long break due to some issues at home. During the pandemic of 2020, I had tried going back to school and as prior tries: I was unhappy. I decided it was time to go all in on streaming. I’d do my best and work extra hard! I saved up my own money and even had the help of my girlfriend at the time help me starting financially. If it wasn’t for her then I doubt I’d have been able to start as strong as I did. I bought panels, emotes, a logo, a profile picture, and even decided to become a VTuber after I had found my two inspirations: Shinominya and YozoraAoi. Everything was so expensive but I truly believed the investment was worth it. I never thought I’d come as far as I have and I don’t regret it in the slightest!

Tell us about your channel and community

My channel has always been one where I can help others grow as people and to support their dreams via kindness, proper mental-health care, and love. As a streamer I love that I can play games, entertain, but also to help others in other places that aren’t addressed in other streams. I feel as if many streamers are expected to hide things from their viewers, such as their mental/emotional health, and I don’t think that’s fair to us because even if this is a job: We’re still human. It’s why I advocate for proper mental-health and I myself am always willing to be honest and true to my community about who I am or how I feel. I don’t want to always be sad or upset on stream of course but I won’t lie because I’m not just an entertainer, I’m human and it’s harder to relate to me if I’m always putting on an act. I want to be the shining example of how to grow and be kind so that others can be inspired to do the same!

Away from the topic of the focus of my channel, as a variety streamer I tend to play a variety of games ranging from FPS, RPGs, Fighting Games, Strategy, and even Horror (sometimes). However, I also tend to sing or learn new skills during my stream but those are a bit rare compared to my usual which is gaming. My favorite type of games tend to be FPS games such as Valorant or Apex Legends! I just love the fast paced action and it gives a bit of a thrill when you win in a situation where it felt like you would lose.

Regardless of streaming, I grew up playing a variety of games and would still be playing them but streaming just adds a bit of spice to what was already fun! I can play with my community, other streamers, or my friends as I enjoy something I’ve always done since I was a child! There are times where I had a 24 hour stream but I needed to sleep so my mods or fellow streamers would host community events for our viewers while I was resting, which I have rarely ever seen other streamers do during a sleep stream.

I’ve talked quite a bit about my channel so I’d like to talk about the people I tend to entertain: my community! My community feels very tight-knit and it makes me happy when I see them in other channels that I’ve raided because they found other unique streamers that they love. I’m very proud of them as they are what I look forward to in regards to my stream! I love hearing about their day and seeing how they’re doing. It feels like one big family and they’re absolute sweethearts to new viewers as well! They help me welcome new viewers or friends when the new viewer speaks in chat and in turn that makes the new viewer happy because they’ve been welcomed in so warmly! They also are so kind and supportive to each other during good and bad days. I love that the focus of my stream is the normal for my viewers and as it becomes a natural part of them then they can spread that to others as well which creates brighter communities for other streamers! I’m so proud of them and it makes my heart soar to see how far we’ve come together.

Tell us about your brand and how you’ve been able to obtain success

My brand has always never been solely about myself which I feel is a bit unique in regards to streaming. There are many people who usually choose a name for themselves but I named my stream KimochiCafe because even if I am Kimochi (aka Kim) the Cafe portion is my community. I’ve always strived to make a place about proper growth, mental health, support, love, and somewhere people can come to just to forget a place while also being able to make new friends. I want it to feel like a real cafe where you can come in and just hang out while you study or come in to relax and meet new people! I’ve only ever wanted to make the world a better place and to be myself as I do what I love.

It took some time to grow my brand as I needed to network a lot. It took a lot of time out of my day to meet new people and make new friends. I would often look for new streams and try to hangout in as many as possible while forming friendships with the streamer themselves and viewers as well. I’d never actively say I’m a streamer unless asked and I try to avoid ever saying that I had to leave to stream because I never want people to feel as if they’re just a tool of sorts. I genuinely love meeting new people and because of that I was able to make connections with many streamers who supported me and I supported them. We’d share a community and I wanted to grow together as streamers!

Aside from networking, I always had to check my analytics off-stream and to see where my consistent average viewership was in terms of scheduling and to work my way up from there which is a big reason I was able to hit Partner within five months of becoming a VTuber. However, I also had to self-reflect a lot and to see what was working or what wasn’t. Did this game do good? Was this event successful? Did people make a ton of funny clips? There are many resources on our channels that show us whether we’re improving or not. Streaming is the fun part of the process but the hard work is growing your channel and yourself.

What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received from a viewer?

Best piece of advice was probably when they help me if I forget things such as turning on my sounds or if my mic is accidentally muted. Back in the past they’d tell me quality was dropping and that helped since I needed to change my bitrate.

What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you because of your streaming?

The most interesting thing that has ever happened to me is that I was able to be friends with both of the people who inspired me to become a VTuber! Because of both of them, I was able to grow as a streamer and more opportunities came into my life such as being able to test a game on stream during a closed Alpha and even being invited to numerous websites as a potential partner with them.

Shinominya was someone I found randomly one night and fell in love with her content but now we’re good friends and I’m even part of the Dango Fam (her close circle of friends)! She inspires me to create content such as singing covers or making silly videos that I can post on Twitter or TikTok.

YozoraAoi is the other streamer who inspired me to become a VTuber and now she is my Senpai. She helps me grow as a streamer and teaches me about analytics while also helping me see opportunities or ideas I would have missed otherwise.

How do you balance streaming and your day-to-day life?

I tend to stream a lot as I just naturally love streaming! My usual schedule tends to go from Monday to Wednesday from 6pm - 6am (PDT)! I usually play games alone but there will be times where I can play games with friends and have funny moments or I’ll even set up a time to play with viewers in between somewhere.

The days I don’t stream I’ll either be working, doing streamer workshops (where I teach others about streaming stuff in my Discord), community nights, guerilla streams, or just gaming/spending time with close friends! My passion for streaming burns bright and I wish to make my career for as long as I can.

Tell us what tools you use for your stream

• Streamlabs OBS (Streaming/Recording Software)
• VTube Studio (VTuber Face Tracking)
• StreamElements (Bot)

In terms of graphics and overlays most of them were bought or created by myself, sellers on Fiverr, or my Kouhai (HoneyKub). Most of my emotes are a mix that I commissioned from people on Fiverr or my Kouhai. I want to have it become more consistent sometime in the near future though!

I also use extensions and recommend these specifically:

• Sound Alerts - Make a tiny bit of money off sounds, via bits, you make or made by others or add some fun channel point redeems for your viewers! (Be careful of TOS!)
• Streamlabs Schedule and Countdown - Helps others know when you go live if they don’t follow you on Twitter or are not in your Discord!
• Stream Closed Captioner - Simple to use and allows those who are deaf to be able to enjoy your streams! (I’ve been thanked by many for this one! HIGHLY recommend it.)

Last of all, I highly recommend checking your analytics because I’ll put it bluntly:

The analytics section of your page is what tells you whether you are growing and/or succeeding. Don’t focus on the highs or lows! Focus on consistency. I hate to say this but if you truly want to grow then I want to be honest so you can get to where you want to be: Focusing on the highs or lows are bad if they’re not consistent! Many streamers I have seen will do gimmicks that get them high views for a few days then when they stop, their average is back but they’re Partner Pushing while their viewership returns to the levels that are nowhere near Partner levels. Focus on your average that is consistent and work your way up from there!

Which 3 streamers inspire you the most?

1. Shinominya - Her energy, attitude, and how she holds herself during streams is infectious, you can tell that she is always being herself and having fun while doing it! She also posts content such as covers, art, or skits sometimes and it’s inspiring to me as a content creator!
2. HarukaKaribu - Shinominya’s close friend and a big streamer! Haruka is someone who has inspired me and also taught me quite a few things about creating unique videos to post on Youtube, TikTok, or Twitter.
3. YozoraAoi - My chaotic energy streaming Senpai who is always true to herself but is also very smart. She helped me during my Partner Push and always gave me information regarding my analytics which helped me understand the way it worked.

What are your top 3 streaming tools? 

1. Streamlabs OBS
2. VTube Studio
3. GoXLR Mixer

What advice would you give to small channels trying to reach Partner? 

Grow a community! Plan events, do small giveaways, and spend time with the in or out of stream but don’t forget to be true to yourself; if you're not having fun then it’ll reflect in your streams! Also as I said earlier: Analytics and grow from your average (NOT gimmicks or special events)!

If you could change one thing about Twitch, what would it be? 

I’d probably ask that affiliates get a few more emote slots! They don’t need as many as Partner or anywhere close but I believe that they should have 5 slots for Tier 1, 3 slots for Tier 2, and 1 slot for Tier 3! It would be a bit nicer for viewers who want to support smaller streamers to be rewarded a bit more!

What are your plans for the future? 

I don’t really have any set plans besides The Senpai Project and trying to make this a viable way for me to live comfortably. I don’t need too much in terms of life as I enjoy streaming as work and as a hobby together!

In regards to The Senpai Project, it’s basically my Twitch Team which follows the ways of groups like Nijisanji or Hololive but it’s far less strict and comes out of my pocket personally. It’s mostly to help new VTubers who want to grow and learn more about streaming from people that we included that have experience!