We Travelled to Every Corner of Tokyo: Patreon Sneak Peek

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hurtling around Tokyo like a caffeinated pinball, filming 101 Things to Do in Tokyo, a title that sounded fun until I realised it meant doing, well… 101 bloody things.

From the historic streets of Kawagoe to the futuristic fever dream that is Odaiba, we left no stone unturned. No ramen un-slurped. No train unridden. We even went to Enoshima island, which is technically not Tokyo city but close enough if you squint and ignore the map.

There were highs. There were lows. At one point I was almost run over by a robot. But if there’s one thing this monstrous city does well, it’s serving up the ancient and the absurd in equal measure.

I’ll admit, after spending so much time in Tokyo lately, I’ve worried that Abroad in Japan risks becoming Stuck in Shibuya. So after this monstrous deep dive into the capital, the plan is to head back out to the mysterious, hidden corners of rural Japan I still love best. That said, walking around Odaiba with the sea breeze in my face and Tokyo’s epic skyline on the horizon, I did almost feel as relaxed as I used to in the countryside. Almost.

If you ever need a break from the relentless concrete jungle, let Odaiba be your escape hatch.

Now for the fun bit! Allow me to share a ton of photos from the journey. Weird, wonderful, and very much a sign of what’s to come.


Enoshima's glorious Nakamise street Spot the unimpressed man on the stairs Attempting to eat Japan's biggest senbei

In a cave with an epic shrine, light only by candle light Natsuki has a meltdown at Team Labs I must say Team Labs Planet's water exhibit was pretty awesome, waddling up to your ankles in water with a trippy live show. It was all very Willy Wonka.
Odaiba's characteristically bizarre views. We've almost had the whole world in our hands. Kawagoe's iconic bell tower is the centrepiece of the old town district. The time travelling aesthetic is admittedly marred by Natsuki holding a beer.
It's a stunning street and a real rarity in the Tokyo area! While Kawagoe was fairly crowded (as we went on a weekend), the backstreets get quiet very quickly. Can't recommend it enough. (It's about 45 mins from central Tokyo by train).

Couples writing down their wishes for romance on ema 絵馬 wood blocks. (A LOT of wishes).
The Yokohama Ramen Museum put the Abroad in Japan studio to shame.
The ramen itself was lacklustre, but the Showa era backstreets made it completely worthwhile.
And along the way Natsuki made a new friend.
And so did I - an adorable robot seal. (Far less messy than cats, yay).

This insane diorama at Small worlds Tokyo blew me away. If it didn't cost 1 million yen ($7,000), I may have bought it.
And these photos just scratch the surface of what we got up to.

It's going to be an epic episode dropping in June!

And before then we've got three videos, from recounting life lessons I learned in Japan, to sharing how Lost Bar has been going and eating all the Japanese sandwiches with Connor.

Tons of great videos dropping in the coming couple of weeks guys, stay tuned!

And if you've hit up any of these places in the video, let us know which you recommend (or found unworthy).

Have a mighty fine Monday!
Chris