A Rough Week in an Otherwise Incredible Month.

Hey guys,

I hope you’ve had a great week!

First off, I’d like to say a big thank you for all the kind words, comments, and messages I’ve received this week from the Abroad in Japan Patreon community.

It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, highs and lows, over the past week. I was immensely lucky that, against the backdrop of events, I was cycling in my favourite spot in Japan to take my mind off things while the video exploded. Soon after, I also found myself back in my old hometown of Sakata in Yamagata, alongside Sharla and Natsuki, which did me a world of good.

I’ve felt strange. You’d think the success of the most recent video and the tidal wave of support would be cause for celebration. But truthfully, the whole ordeal left me feeling unsettled and confused. I’m still trying to understand why.

I sometimes think it's because I like to be the unserious, goofy, sarcastic guy who just makes folks laugh and have fun. Abroad in Japan has always been about escapism after all. And to suddenly be thrust into the spotlight on a serious issue, I've felt a lot more eyes on me than usual. It may sound weird, but I don't particularly like being famous or standing out and speaking out about this matter drew a lot of attention and reactions along the way.

Overall though, it was an unfortunate distraction given we’ve just spent the entirety of October filming three amazing episodes for Abroad in Japan. I’d hoped to release an epic Nakasendo hike with Natsuki this week, but sadly, I had to postpone it to rush the most recent video out.

October kicked off with Natsuki and me undertaking a rather epic journey together, without our usual team or cameraman.

For three to four days, we hiked through forests and villages of Nagano in Japan’s mountainous interior, wondering if a bear would jump out at any moment and cut our adventure short.

We stayed in a tent, splashed around in a stream, and nearly died climbing three different mountains. It’s honestly one of the hardest but most rewarding videos I’ve ever shot. Having undertaken one of the biggest physical challenges of his life, Natsuki wasn’t thrilled to learn where I was off to next 😅

Days later, I joined Ryotaro on one of Japan’s most remote islands in southern Okinawa to spend a few days with the island’s population.

Against impeccable seas (and admittedly absurd humidity) we spent three days with the locals and heard their stories on an island that was home to more goats than people, where the night sky was nothing short of spectacular.

I then returned to the mainland, where Connor and I immediately embarked on a two-day cycle across the Shimanami Kaido island chain in the Inland Sea.

It had been almost exactly seven years since my last attempt (on the original Journey Across Japan with Sharla), and I was reminded why Japan’s Setouchi Sea is my favourite place in the country.

Straight after the cycle was complete, we dived headfirst into a Wacky Weekend shoot on the island of Shodoshima, the second largest in the Inland Sea, where Connor and I were honestly shocked at how incredible the island was.

We’d expected no convenience stores and a few disappearing fishing towns, like our previous trip to Oshima Island near Tokyo. Yet, we found a bustling island rich with its own distinct culture, from yokai creatures and sweeping vistas to olive groves and Japan’s rarest wagyu. It’s going to be a good one.

It's been obscenely intense this month. October and November are always my favourite months of the year to film in, after the long, unbearable summer months. Hence the ludicrous schedule!

But I can’t wait to share these adventures with you guys in the weeks ahead and get back to our regular programming.

Abroad in Japan Patreon Catalogue 🍿 50+ Bonus Episodes

On a important note, please don’t forget that here on Patreon we have a formidable catalogue of 50+ exclusive behind-the-scenes episodes!

These episodes are packed with outtakes, bloopers, and behind-the-scenes secrets. It can be a bit cumbersome navigating through all the old Patreon posts, so we’ve created a page listing every exclusive video we’ve ever released, neatly organised into sections.

You can access everything below - just insert the code below to watch the vides!

The most recent Patreon Exclusive episode was the making of the car racing video with Connor and Natsuki and the outtakes are genuinely hilarious.

🍿 https://www.abroadinjapan.com/bonus.php
Access Code: A6oDHKLN

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much again everyone.
I'm truly lucky to have you guys and this community.

Without it, I wouldn't be still here producing videos after a decade. I really do owe it all to you.

And now, as always, it's time to get back to editing!

Chris