The aim of this explorative study is to investigate the properties of L2 German instruction videos available on YouTube. A total of 200 instruction videos (10 videos of 10 German and 10 Japanese YouTubers respectively) identified through YouTube’s search function have been analyzed according to their contents, as well as formal and didactic properties. The results of the content analysis reveal that Japanese YouTubers focus on grammar, L2 expressions, cultural aspects and learning strategies in their videos, while German YouTubers prefer to deal with vocabulary, pronunciation, and communication. As far as technical and formal characteristics are concerned, the results indicate that videos on grammar instruction often use illustrations and diagrams, while videos on L2 vocabulary and expressions make more use of translations and transcriptions of the words to be taught. Cultural videos, on the other hand, rely on sound effects, subtitles, audio visual materials such as pictures and video clips as well as authentic objects for teaching purposes. Compared to German YouTubers, Japanese tend to use more acoustic and visual effects to support their explanations, in particular texts, subtitles, background music, sound effects, and emojis.