American interviewed by Japanese kids in viral vid wants to ‘give them a gift in return’

Uploaded to YouTube on June 11, the highly viewed video shows Coleman Geiger, an American UX/UI designer and web developer, being interviewed by two Japanese boys while resting on the steps of a Japanese temple.

“Excuse me, we’re elementary school students. We study English. May I interview you?” the two boys ask Coleman in perfect unison, to which he replies positively.

The boys ask Coleman about his name, where he is from and his favorite Japanese food from an illustrated list. After signing their paper at the end of the interview, Coleman is gifted an origami samurai hat and dragon by the boys, who are accompanied by an off-camera adult.

Speaking to NextShark, Coleman, who is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, but is now based in Sydney, Australia, shared that the viral heartwarming moment was filmed at Nara Park on June 6.

“I was sitting down resting my legs (the park is quite big) and I noticed these kids walking around,” he said. “I began filming a few seconds before they approached me because I had an idea they would come up and talk to me. You can hear me giggling in the video because I thought it was so funny the boys were in sync like they had been practicing all day.”

Although Coleman couldn’t specifically identify the adult accompanying the boys, he believed the person was either their teacher or guardian, noting that he spoke English quite well.

“During the interview I almost forgot English wasn’t their first language,” he said. “They were so confident with their answers I assumed they knew what I was saying but I’m pretty sure they didn’t understand anything, which made it even more whimsical.”

Coleman’s video has attracted over 26 million views on YouTube and more than 28.4 million views on his Instagram page.

He admitted that he was surprised by the video’s popularity, telling NextShark, “I had no clue the video would blow up like it has.”

“I’m trying to document my life more and I think people enjoy taking a break from chaos to watch something wholesome and I’m glad I could be a part of that,” he added.

The heartwarming moment brought back cherished memories for Coleman. He said, “I was definitely shocked by how good their English was! I actually had a Japanese pen pal as a child so it made me think of my friend who wrote to me years ago.”

To return the favor, Coleman is asking for help locating the two boys, saying he would “love to stay in touch with” them and “give them a gift in return.”