Takeo Ischi was born in Tokyo but a passion for yodeling led him to make his home in the resort town of Reit im Winkl on the German-Austrian border. The man locals call "der japanische Jodler" has been performing for over 50 years and he's found fame in recent years with a viral video for the comedy song "Chicken Attack" and even a stint with Taiwanese metal band Cthonic.
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00:00Meet Takeo Ishii. He's 77 years old, was born in Tokyo, and found his calling, literally,
00:10as a professional yodeler in Germany. He's made his home at the foot of the Bavarian
00:15Alps, where locals call him the Japanische Jodler, the Japanese Yodeler.
00:44It's been a unique career. Ishii originally moved to Europe to study mechanical engineering,
00:50but soon found a path that stretched back to his childhood.
01:15Yodeling for Ishii began as a hobby during his studies in Europe. But one night, after
01:20a few beers with a friend at a bar in Zurich, he showed off his skills. On the spot, the
01:26bar owner offered him a room and a regular gig.
01:30Ishii has made records going back to 1978, but he has since ventured into social media.
01:36He's now building an audience on TikTok. And a collaboration with the Gregory Brothers,
01:41a comedy kung fu pastiche called Chicken Attack, has millions of views on YouTube.
01:54Ishii sees a bright future for yodeling.
02:11Indeed, Ishii toured with Taiwanese metal band Phonic, contributing his signature vocals.
02:29He keeps a Japanese tea house at his home in Bavaria, where he lives with his German
02:33wife Henriette, with whom he has five children.
02:37Ishii's been yodeling for over 50 years, and he has no plans to stop.
02:57Until then, if you happen to be in the Alpine resort town of Reit im Winkel on the German-Austrian
03:03border, you might be lucky enough to hear the voice of the Japanese yodeler resounding
03:09in the hills.
03:10Justin Wu and Jonathan Kaplan for Taiwan Plus.