45km. 30 Stations. Why I Took Part in the Tokyo Yamanote Line Marathon! 🍿 Abroad in Japan Returns to Trash Taste 🎄 12 Days of Christmas Series Returns!
Added 2022-10-29 05:30:59 +0000 UTCHey guys!
So Halloween is upon us and I’m currently working out what the bloody hell to do for a costume.
I love the ridiculous items you find while exploring stores like DonQuijote, including the above “Border Boy”. When you can’t afford the rights to Where’s Wally/Waldo, you get BORDER BOY.
But in case you missed this week on Abroad in Japan, our episode featuring the brutal Spartan Race is now up!
Originally when Nicholas asked me if I was interested, I felt like there no way in hell I could compete, particularly given most of the folks running it are amongst Japan’s top athletes.
I Tried Japan's Hardest Race | 20 Obstacles, 1,100m Mountain
🍿 Watch: https://youtu.be/mJ7vQo7Ks3Q
But fresh off the Hokkaido cycle with Connor and with a few weeks of training, fortunately I was just about fit enough to take part and come out unscathed. I walked away from it drenched in sweat, dirt and dust, but feeling like I could take on the whole world and win.
- Just as long as it didn’t involve monkey bars.
And by failing four of the obstacles (monkey bars x2, rope and javelin), I’ve got a powerful incentive to give it a shot next year as well.
To my delight we were even joined by Kyle - an Abroad in Japan Patreon supporter - who saw my previous post on here and decided to head on over from Nagoya to take part!
Not only that but I enjoyed my long awaited return to Trash Taste this week, where I sat down with the guys to discuss an awkward situation at a restaurant and while I was flying my drone in the UK. It’s quite long, so maybe put it on in the background - but it’s a hilarious episode.
Mr. Affable Returns to Trash Taste | Feat. Abroad in Japan
🍿 Watch: https://youtu.be/lqU0wEnhTW0
Also in the episode I made a bet with Connor to see if I could get a six pack by November 29th. With exactly 4 weeks to go the race is on! Right now I think it's 50:50 but I need to drop quite a bit of body fat to make it happen. Wish me immense luck, haha.
Continuing the fitness narrative, at the weekend I took part in the Tokyo Yamanote Line Marathon (Yamathon), with the goal of walking around the entire train line with 30 stations and 45km before the end of the day.
Given the amount of time, you don’t necessarily have to run or jog the marathon and in the case of my team we took it at a brisk pace with a few stops along the way for breakfast and lunch.
The aim is merely to endure the long distance and by the end of the race all of us could barely stand. But with a solid team of friends, it can make even the most painful physical experiences worthwhile.
I highly recommend the marathon as it’s a fantastic excuse to see so much of Tokyo - and I had a blast discovering neighbourhoods I often neglect such as Yanaka Ginza, the traditional shopping district north of Ueno and Asakusa. Even if you're not on the marathon, it could be a really fun challenge to undertake for your trip to Japan - to walk around the Yamanote line in one epic day.
During the Yamathon I encountered so many foreign tourists and it’s fantastic to see that everyone has returned to Japan so fast.
While numbers aren’t still quite where they were, it’s a promising start to Japan’s re-opening. And while plane tickets remain extortionate until the end of 2022, hopefully with extra flight capacity after Christmas, we’ll see the cost of travel to Japan dropping slightly after the New Year.
As to what lies ahead for Abroad in Japan in the coming two months, now that tourism is back on I’m looking forward to releasing a few new travel related videos - such as the Nakasendo trail we shot last week, as well as a couple of Wacky Weekend episodes with Connor in November.
But if there's any specific travel related videos you’d like me to make, let me know in the comments below - I’m keen to hear your thoughts!
And in the run up to the terrifying Chess-boxing tournament in Los Angeles, I’ve got a few more physical challenges in store to push me to the brink.
I’m also delighted announce that after last year’s successful “12 Days of Chrismas” series, we’re currently shooting the next series to broadcast throughout December and get everyone in the Christmas spirit throughout the month! It was a real joy moping around the studio producing the series last year - it absolutely helped me get through the disappointment of not being able to return to the UK.
In the next few days I’ll be posting a Patreon Megapost rounding up the staggering amount of Behind the Scenes content and videos we have here on the Abroad in Japan Patreon as it’s been a while and I want everyone to be able to easily navigate the 50+ behind the scenes videos we’ve produced on here!
But for now guys, a Happy Halloween to you all and in case you missed the Spartan Race video be sure check it out! I can’t recommend it enough to those of you looking to push yourselves in the New Year.
Chris
Comments
Travel video ideas: 1) walking tours of majors cities, 2) as it is Halloween "haunted Japan", 3) camping or hiking locations of Japan, 4) off the beaten path series where you visit areas of Japan with the lowest annual (pre-covid) tourists numbers, 5) travel for couples, 6) cruises within Japan's, 7) travels with locals series visits cities and have a local decide what you see and do, and 8) Never Done That series where you try to do something you never done before (such as fly a glider plane, bungee jump, eat at the most expensive restaurant in Japan, etc.)
bren
2022-11-02 16:12:12 +0000 UTCFor a video helping finind a play to stay you have said about booking.com but like to know the best areas to stay, anything to watch out for etc
Thomas
2022-10-30 10:27:14 +0000 UTCSo proud of you in your journey to better health! I just watched your latest video with Sharla. You look amazing! So all this effort is working! Looking forward to the Yamathon video as well as the Wacky Weekend videos (always funny!) and the 12 Days of Christmas! I will admit I am a bit worried about the boxing match...I hope you don't get hurt Chris! After you punctured your eardrum...that really made me worried. We all love you and don't want to see you get hurt! As for video ideas...I can't drive. So I'd be stuck taking the trains/buses to travel around Japan...maybe you could do a video about only using public transportation to get to places? So those of us that are unable to drive can have some idea of what is available to us and how easy/hard it might be to move around Japan?
Astor Reinhardt
2022-10-30 07:51:23 +0000 UTCMaybe the next JAJ could be the Tokaido Nature Trail walk from Tokyo to Osaka lol
Kyle Tobin
2022-10-30 06:17:03 +0000 UTCYou really are an inspiration Chris! Good luck at proving Connor wrong, go get that six pack! :D
Camilla Fontana
2022-10-30 05:59:30 +0000 UTCChris, You asked for travel video ideas. I watched a video recently of a first class train trip across Peru. Does Japan have an equivalent “sight seeing by train” cruise ship style first class train? It would be fun to see you and your friends enjoying some luxury for once after all the hard work you’ve been doing to get fit.
2022-10-29 19:55:12 +0000 UTCChris, I’m going to be Dr Jelly for Halloween at the Trash Taste show tomorrow! Hoping to sneak some jelly beans into the show to toss at Joey. 😆🙌🍬🎃
Laura Beaumont
2022-10-29 16:53:23 +0000 UTCIncredible job on both the Spartan Race and the marathon! Just make sure you don't completely wreck your body in the process. It's inspiring me to do something about my health as well. As for travel video ideas, maybe some hiking trails could fit in nicely with your new healthier lifestyle? I highly recommend you check out the Kumano Kodo hiking trails. I did some hiking there in 2019 and some of my fondest memories were made there. What I can definitely recommend is staying a night in Yunomine, a beautiful little mountain village (with onsen of course), and taking the trail to Kumano Hongu Taisha and Oyunohara. But I'm sure there's plenty of other very nice trails and temples if you look around the area. Great way to be at ease.
Bulldozer
2022-10-29 13:20:38 +0000 UTCWoo, shoutout! Also if you are looking for new and interesting things to make videos on in Japan, there's this great little prefecture you have been avoiding called Aichi, it may well be worth the trip. Get over to Toyota around the weekend of 11/19 and the leaves at korankei are incredible. As an added bonus there is a valley just a few miles north with 10000 shikizakura trees (y'know, those cherry blossoms that bloom in fall). Senmi Shikizakura no Sato seems to be the most notable specific place for it. Since the area is chock full of cherry blossoms and maple trees you get a nutty blend of yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks. Alternatively the weekend before that is the Rally Japan WRC event all over Aichi. If you wanted to do a car video that would be a neat shot.
Kyle Tobin
2022-10-29 11:43:53 +0000 UTCVideo Idea: How about a combination of Journey Across Japan and Whacky Weekend? Get Conner in there with Joey and Natski. (A logistical challenge to be sure) I have no doubt it would be hilarious. As far as what to do for it, well you could do a tour across a region going to various love hotels over the course of a few days. Then go to some grand final destination. Just a sprinkle of insanity lol Have Conner and Joey setup the trip. Just the horror of it lol
Michael Sunseri
2022-10-29 10:48:31 +0000 UTCYeah I recently saw a video on Yanaka Ginza which has definitely made me want to visit when I am in Tokyo next month. Certainly should be on everyone’s list.
Nick M
2022-10-29 10:06:45 +0000 UTCGood luck Chris, you got this 💪
2022-10-29 09:33:07 +0000 UTCGood luck on the six-pack. I hope you'll make it. For a video: Is there like an onsen-trail in Japan where you can walk from onsen to onsen (hotel included) as a vacation? I'm looking for a nice route for me and my mother. I want to walk the Yamanote line with her also. 20.000 steps a day for her is nothing, because she walks all day at work. So walking from onsen to onsen might be a good form of Japan vacation for us. (I'm also ok with walking alot. I walked from Koblenz to Calais when I was in university.)
Antonia Kampa
2022-10-29 08:22:31 +0000 UTC
