Shishiro Botan and Inugami Korone Travel to LA and Vegas
hololive's Shishiro Botan and Inugami Korone recently traveled to the USA, capturing their trip to Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV in a fun vacation vlog!
Watch the full vlog on Botan’s YouTube channel here:
DAY 1
In LA, they visited Venice Beach, ate ramen at the Michelin-rated Kazan Beverly Hills Restaurant, strolled along Hollywood Boulevard, and even learned about COVER's overseas subsidiary, COVER USA.
Botan and Korone spoke with COVER USA's Sales & Licensing Director, Max Sung Yoon Kim, asking insightful questions about why the subsidiary was established.
COVER recognizes the growing hololive production fandom in the US and aims to better understand local businesses through their new LA office.
COVER USA will focus on sales and merchandising collaborations, licensing opportunities, local event planning, and localizing business structures.
The subsidiary has a small team of 3–4 employees, but they are planning to expand and increase local hires. For those interested, keep an eye on their career site for US-based job openings!
See the career site here:
COVER Corp Career Site (EN)
image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74C9rG3li5s&t=1486s
DAY 2
In their trip to Las Vegas, the duo chose to travel in a「キャンピングカー」, or small RV, taking the scenic route along Route 66 and stopping at Calico Ghost Town along the way!
After a 7-hour drive, Botan and Korone finally arrived in Las Vegas, making their first stop at the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign.
They shared a bit of history about the sign, which was built and installed by Betty Willis in 1959. They were also met by a huge line waiting to take selfies and memorable photos in front of the iconic landmark!
DAY 3
The day after their arrival, Korone and Botan headed to the Las Vegas Convention Center to attend Evo 2024, also known as the Evolution Championship Series.
The duo watched attendees and players duke it out on Street Fighter 6 in front of huge crowds, even spotting esports professionals like Daigo Umehara and Naoki "moke" Nakayama.
Besides the gaming and stage areas, Korone and Botan also explored the exhibition hall, merchandise area, and artist alley corner.
They visited the 2XKO Booth, which showcased an upcoming 2v2 fighting game by Riot Games, featuring League of Legends Champions.
They also found an artist booth by Yokura that featured art goods of Korone! While there wasn’t any of Botan at this booth, they later found another booth selling art of her.
Korone even personally bought a plushie of Halo’s Master Chief at a different booth!
The duo stopped by Evo’s official merchandise booth, which featured clothing and other items branded with the Evo logo.
OMOCAT was also present at Evo this year, exhibiting their goods and clothing line that included various hololive production merchandise!
image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74C9rG3li5s&t=2781s
To wrap up the evening, Botan and Korone hit the Las Vegas Strip—but the night was just getting started! After 10 PM, there was still plenty more to explore.
They posed in front of Paris, Las Vegas, but their real target was Bellagio across the street.
The Fountains of Bellagio is a popular tourist attraction right in front of the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.
Not only is the show free, but it’s also held quite frequently, running every half-hour during the day and every 15 minutes into the late evening.
Of course, a trip to Las Vegas wouldn’t be complete without a little gambling!
Korone and Botan tried their luck at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas, and was even able to record the segment in their vlog!
Casino segment starts here:
They began with a round of “21,” also known as Blackjack, learning a bit more about the game with the help of a translator.
Korone ended up making a bet of over $1600 but ended up losing it almost immediately when her hand went bust with 25 points on four cards—an unlucky moment!
After Blackjack, the duo set off for the slot machines, where they had more luck on their side.
Starting with $5,000, Botan and Korone scored several big wins on slots! Something about beginners luck maybe, which Botan was also quick to attribute their success to.
Their total winnings ended up being $7,362—over $2,000 positive, or around 350,000 Yen!
After celebrating their winnings, the duo gave a good message to viewers to gamble in moderation!
Humorously at the end of the video, Botan and Korone told viewers that they were heading to the casinos after filming ended.
During the live reaction stream accompanying the video premiere, Botan admitted they eventually lose in the end.
It seems the house does always win, afterall!
It was an eventful three days between Los Angeles and Las Vegas,
Here’s a quick recap of their adventures:
In Los Angeles (Day 1)
Visited Venice Beach
Ate ramen at Kazan Beverly Hills Restaurant
Walked down Hollywood Boulevard
Saw the Hollywood Sign
Spoke with Max “SAIGOO” from COVER USA about the new overseas office
Travelling LA to LV (Day 2)
Drove along Route 66 in a small RV
Stopped at Calico Ghost Town
In Las Vegas (Day 3)
Attended Evo 2024 at the Las Vegas Convention Center
Watched the Fountains of Bellagio water show
Played Blackjack and Slot Machines at the Plaza Hotel & Casino
Won big (and lost off screen)
Video blogs like this one are especially interesting, as VTubers are usually tied to the digital world.
By using their hololive friends with u plushies to represent themselves in the real world, they can create content not only physically but also in public spaces, allowing them to engage face-to-face with real people while still being their VTuber selves.
