A Japanese Woman’s Impressive Appetite Leaves the Internet Hungry for More · Global Voices
N'Donna Russell

Screencap from Kinoshita Yuka's Official YouTube Channel
A Japanese woman named Yuka Kinoshita (木下ゆうか) is living the dream of being able eat a variety of food and a lot of it, apparently without any ill health effects.
Kinoshita, a self-described “professional competitive eater,” is also a dedicated YouTuber. According to her YouTube profile, Kinoshita also earns a living partly by promoting the restaurants where eating competitions are hosted.
To satisfy the demands of her fans, every day Kinoshita uploads videos that show her eating a large amount of food in short amounts of time.
For example, one video features Kinoshita consuming a beefsteak bowl weighing over seven pounds and clocking in at 6,625 food calories (kilocalories), and includes a cooking tutorial.
Another video demonstrates Kinoshita eating seven pounds of McDonald’s Big Mac sandwiches prepared with rice in a rice cooker.
Kinoshita's most ambitious meal features super-sized dishes traditionally made for children that total over 23,000 food calories (kilocalories).
Although Kinoshita shares the meal with others, she consumes most of the food, to the delight of her guests.
How is Kinoshita able to perform these whimsical flights of epicurean fancy?
In an English-subtitled Q&A video posted to YouTube last year, Kinoshita credits her success to her anatomy:
When I got examined by a doctor, it was determined that I have a very unique stomach… My stomach is able to expand and fill up all the spaces within my body.  That is why I can eat so much.
Kinoshita further credits her anatomy for her lack of weight gain. “My body doesn’t digest things at the same rate… and just passes them through.”
There is even a video that features her receiving a full physical examination.  She completes a series of tests along with a her fellow Japanese YouTubers and appears to be in good health.
Despite the professional eater's prodigious skill and resulting stardom, it's clear she doesn't take herself too seriously:
(^p^) pic.twitter.com/JOjAnhJLtf — 木下ゆうか Yuka Kinoshita (@mochiko0204) August 10, 2015
Photo caption: Useless adult
Kinoshita’s high level of spirited food consumption has earned her over 460,000 subscribers on YouTube and nearly 69,000 followers on Twitter. Thanks to the efforts of fellow YouTuber Aphexx, who has translated her recent videos into English, Kinoshita now has fans from all around the word.
Her fans show their appreciation for Kinoshita's craft by tweeting fan art as well as by generally offering praise for her work.
@mochiko0204 ゆうかちゃーん！！お腹すいたのら(。´Д⊂)美味しい食べ物の写真ほしいのらm(。≧Д≦。)m
— 生ハムの精 (@namahamunosei) August 15, 2015
Yuka! I'm sooo hungry now! (。´Д⊂) I really want pictures of delicious food!m(。≧Д≦。)m
服がスイカだ！！！かわいーい！\(* ¨̮*)/\(*¨̮ *)/ ♡ https://t.co/yFPbPV3HGL
— 木下ゆうか Yuka Kinoshita (@mochiko0204) August 14, 2015
ケージェイ – Q: Is that your boyfriend over there? A: Nope, that's Mochiko over there.\(* ¨̮*)/\(*¨̮ *)/ Yuka: My clothes look like watermelon! So cute!\(* ¨̮*)/\(*¨̮ *)/ ♡
私の動画の英語字幕を作ってくれるApexxさんが英語版動画サイトを作ってくれたよ！ そしてなんと！！！😳 そのサイトにケージェイさんがイラストを描いてくれたよ！ 素敵な仲間や視聴者さんに囲まれて、私はほんとに幸せ者！！✨✨ https://t.co/ngyWSb4wXy
— 木下ゆうか Yuka Kinoshita (@mochiko0204) August 13, 2015
Apexx, who does the English subtitles for my videos, has made an English website for my videos! And now this! [Twitter user] K-Jay drew this picture for me!
I am very happy to be surrounded by wonderful friends and viewers.
Kinoshita has also been featured on Japanese television program “Oogui” (大食い), where she travels to various restaurants around the country to eat enlarged portions of various restaurant's signature dishes.