Why I Want to Apologise.

Hey guys,

So after an epic 14 hour journey from London to Tokyo, I find myself back once again, basking in the warm afternoon sun shining through the windows of the Abroad in Japan studio. It feels so good to be back, from the longest trip I’ve had outside of Japan since 2015.

To many it appeared as though I was on holiday, but the reality is it was anything but - not that I can complain! Over the course of December and January, I travelled to LA to battle it out in a chess boxing match watched by over 300,000 people worldwide, somehow walking away victorious, against the odds!

A week later, I was in London hosting the first ever Abroad in Japan London event with over 500 viewers, featuring Natsuki, Sharla, Chiaki and both Petes. It couldn’t have gone better and it was a pleasure to meet so many of you.

And straight after the event, for the entire month, I spent the vast majority of it locked away in an attic in south England, writing an 80,000 word book for Penguin Publishing, that releases in the summer! At long last, the Abroad in Japan book is a reality and in the coming weeks, I’ll be posting links on where to buy it internationally.

Here’s the current landing page but I’ve held off promoting it until the new book cover is in place and the US stores have links:
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455290/abroad-in-japan-by-broad-chris/9781787637078

As you know by now, last year I took my eye off the ball somewhat when it came to the Abroad in Japan channel, Youtube and Patreon. In the first half of the year, things sort of went wrong amidst the earthquake, the punctured eardrum and undeniably a bit down from not seeing family for almost 3 years during covid.

To match that, as Japan was closed I felt my hands were tied on producing Japan travel content. Tons of videos I wanted to release or produce were held back as Japan delayed its re-opening over and over again.

And so, fed up and in poor health, I embarked on a fitness journey that would challenge me like never before. To this day I have no idea how I quite pulled it off, from the 750km Hokkaido cycle and Spartan Race to fighting in a ring for three rounds of boxing.

Nothing about last year really makes sense, when I look back at it.
I’m a god awful multi-tasker, but when I focus on a target or goal, I’m often good at pushing myself in ways I never thought possible - even if it comes at the cost of all else.

That might explain how I pulled off the physical feats that would have seemed unthinkable only a year previously.

But everything comes at a cost.

And the cost for me was the Abroad in Japan channel tanked and my engagement with the community plummeted, particularly here on Patreon.
And for that I wanted to apologise and say sorry. Throughout the last few months, as I trained like a maniac in boxing rings and sprinted on treadmills, I felt increasingly uncomfortable as I neglected the videos and Patreon.

I feel immense pride in the community we have here on Patreon and within the Abroad in Japan community. It’s a community that’s taken over 10 years to build, through countless adventures and 250 videos along the way.

This is the year I give back and throw everything I’ve got at Youtube once and for all.

Not only will I be ensuring I’m far more active here on Patreon over the coming weeks and months, but for the first time ever, we’re setting the target of moving to weekly video releases and more importantly, allocating resources to making it happen. It's no longer a pipe dream.

We first took steps toward this last year by hiring Dave, a fantastic editor who’s releases include everything from the Nakagin Capsule tower documentary and 12 Things I Hate about Living in Japan, to last week’s release Walking across Tokyo in a Day. Thanks to him, the videos have maintained the high production standards we strive for on Abroad in Japan.

But given an Abroad in Japan video can take 10-14 days to edit on average, I’ve still been editing many videos myself along the way, meaning there’s still been a lack of progress.

So not only have we recently brought another brilliant editor on board - Paul of van gang fame, who joined us on the Wacky Weekend cycle - but we’re currently working our way through 50 applicants who are keen to join the team.

Inevitably, there’s been some concern that without me editing Abroad in Japan, it’ll lose its sense of identity, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. But rest assured, I still have a hand in watching over the videos during editing and ensuring they’ve got the same old Abroad in Japan vibes. (Basically a piano drop every three minutes).

But by next month we’ll have no less than three editors working around the clock to edit the many projects we’ve got lined up, from Journey Across Japan: Far East, a new series that promises to be the snowiest season yet, to a Wacky Weekend series cycling across Kyushu.

And now Japan has at last opened its doors and tourism is back on the agenda, we can finally produce the 12+ travel videos I’ve had to hold back for almost two years now.

With my time finally freed up to focus on scripting and shooting videos, we can finally make the impossible dream of weekly videos a reality at last.

That’s my only goal for 2023: to produce more videos than ever before in a single year on Abroad in Japan, without excuses and without compromising on quality.

(Alright, I might have a second goal - to get a damn six pack 😋).

It may seem like a tough target, but after standing in a boxing ring being hit in the face in front of a few hundred thousand people, no target seems impossible anymore.

And despite all the stress and struggles battling through the physical challenges of the last six months, it's not a chapter I regret. I enter this year fitter than I've been in years and physically and mentally prepared to take on anything that comes my way.

Excitingly, this year also marks Natsuki’s 50th birthday and we have some plans in the works for a follow up documentary on his life - a sequel to Natsuki: The Movie of sorts to celebrate the occasion!

Once again guys, please accept my apology for a less than good few months, but I will absolutely make it up to you in the days and weeks ahead.

This week alone, we have no less than three videos being released, from the Tokyo in a Day video that came out over the weekend, to an epic trip down the stunning Nakasendo mountain trail with Ryotaro and Sharla, in search of Japan's mountain villages. It's out Thursday on Abroad in Japan! (Below)

Then on Sunday, at long last we'll be seeing Ryotato again as we battle it out to eat all the sushi at Japan’s biggest conveyor belt sushi chain.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for Thursday’s video on the Chris Abroad channel - the Patreon behind the scenes episode will be out for Nakasendo in the next couple of days.

If there's a particular travel video or topic you want us to cover this year, let me know in the comments below! I'll be keeping an eye out!

As always though guys, a huge thanks for being a part of this incredible community. I look forward to being more active here every week going forward and keeping you up to speed on everything that's going on!

Chris

P.S. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the fitness journey either! It'll be toned down a bit publicly, albeit with the Wacky Weekend Kyushu cycle and some mountaineering thrown in. Six pack here we come.