WHY I Had a Surprisingly Good Day Today | ALSO *Film Friday* "Giri/Haji"

Oh, I had almost forgotten about Giri/Haji (you're SO RIGHT about lack of marketing, etc) and I'm putting it back on the top of my list. So many of you seem to love it!

Michelle Thong

Giri/ Haji is great 9/10 recommend

Jonathan Margi

Listening to his Soundtrack and watching your new montages makes me want to grab a camera and go record around my town! I recorded some ocean waves the other day and it felt relaxing to just bask in the sounds, much like your videos! What it means to live :) Thank you!

#AskAbroad Something that I've spent an irrational amount of time wondering about, is Japanese pronouns, specifically ones referring to yourself. There seem to be something like 10 different ones, not necesarrily tied to the gender of the speaker, like watashi, boku, ore, jibun and so on. I'd imagine that whichever one you use, is a more or less conscious choice, so as a foreigner in Japan, which one have you ended up using when referring to yourself? And do you have any general thoughts about who tends to use which pronoun?

Concur with the thumbnail thing.... the amount of times I have scrolled on by until out of sheer boredom I give it a go - and find some of the best viewing in a long time. Also some shite, but to be honest I have clicked on more shite because of a good thumbnail, than on gold with a shite thumbnail :P Swings and roundabouts right?

I love Giri/Haji, such a great series.

Aahzmandus

Who flew the drone/drove the car on your latest video if you were on your own? Surely you can’t do both at once? Hmmm.

Sam

Also, in your last video with Natsuki he kept mentioning Portsmouth when you talked about Tsushima. I think that was in reference to the 1905 Russo-Japanese War, where they signed the Treaty Of Portsmouth after the Russian Baltic Fleet got obliterated in the battle of Tsushima.

#AskAbroad Hey Chris. I was wondering what your thoughts are on discrimination/racism in Japan? What the differences between Jap/UK, have you ever been discriminated against during your JET years or in public?

This show was brilliant, and the dance scene was beautiful

Have been looking for something new to watch so this has come at the perfect time. #AskAbroad - what motivates you/how do you keep yourself moving toward your ultimate goal?

I loved Giri/Haji! Glad you ended up hearing about it through the grapevine, it deserves so much more recognition. Why is it not getting any marketing, Netflix??? #AskAbroad Chris, have you ever gone anywhere in Japan where you couldn't understand the dialect/accent at all and had to get someone to translate for you?

Thanks for the film fridays Chris, I make my husband watch them with me and we've enjoyed every single one :)

Everyone I know (live in London) was talking about Giri/Haji- even people not interested in Japanese culture. It was such a good series!!

Georgina Luxford

Very happy for the BAFTA that Will Sharpe has received though. Amply deserved for a fantastic performance.

"It’s bloody brilliant and it'd be a crime to miss it. Albeit, not as bad as the relentless violent crime featured in the show." And definitely not as bad as my ex, one of the location managers on this show, whom I was dating while they were shooting G/H. "Of course I'm single!" He even took me to one of the filming locations to cover up the fact that he was living with his other girlfriend! Turns out, I was only affair no. 17... Honestly, the filming can be as adventurous and full of twists as the show itself. Most of that relationship featured plot twists I wouldn't believe on screen. Admittedly, this has coloured my view of the series... but would still encourage people to watch it. It's bloody great.

Been sneaking around Giri/Haji for a while not knowing if it was worth a watch. Now I will give it a go.

#AskAbroad Was there a defining moment when you decided you wanted to become a filmmaker?

Eels

#AskAbroad In Journey Across Japan, did Ellen really leave on her own at the subway station in Fukuoka without a proper send-off? With the quarantine the last few months, I've binge-watched the entire JAJ series more than I'd like to admit, and I'm concerned she might still be lost in Japan looking for the airport. #AskAbroad Would you be able to add to the soundboard the "failhorn" sound effect used in your videos? I'd love to have this as a notification sound for certain people on my Contacts list.

Eric Sison

Eeyyy good call

Eels

#AskAbroad Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Satomi Arihara

#AskAbroad What is with the obsession with the Japanese chocolate industry making Kit-Kats in every flavour known and unknown to mankind? And why are they all so goddamn delicious?

Average Omar

#AskAbroad: How popular is VR in Japan? Have any of the Abroad crew tried it or shown an interest in it? It's come a long way here in the states, between lowering costs and more high-quality games coming out for it, so I'm curious what the response has been over there.

Argus9 (Jonathan)

Question for #AskAbroad Regarding Learning Japanese I’m wondering if you have any thoughts about learning Japanese without learning to write kanji. I’m not trying to take the easy route (well actually I am), but I’m wondering if it’s possible. I don’t feel the need to become completely fluent. I just want to be able to chat with people a little on my twice a year trips to Japan. I don’t do business there, so casual conversation in bars, taxi chat and directions, ordering in an izakaya, etc. is all I really want to achieve. I’ve been doing Duolingo daily for a few months now, plus a few other apps (and drilling vocabulary and basic kanji recognition — but not writing — with Anki). I’ve got the “kana” fully memorised for reading and writing. I realise writing kanji would be useful and aid in memorisation, but is it necessary? I dread diving into RTK, which I purchased on your recommendation, but have yet to crack open. Do you know anyone who is fluent through the Pimsleur method? It seems to be a programme based solely on listening and speaking. Thanks. Love all your content. Discovered you through the podcast. Keep up the great work!

Rodney is one of my favorite characters this year, I loved having some halfu representation :) . I watched the show after you talked about it on Twitter and loved it.

Liberty Anne Yanaga

I had to google the word rent boy but now I get why that line sounded so shady :). Thanks for the review - it does sound much more interesting than the thumbnail and blurb made it seem! And thanks for the Soundcloud tip :).

Nynke de Haas

My question for #AskAbroad is, have you ever been to Hakone, and if so what did you think of it. If not are you planning on going there? I have been twice and it is firmly cemented in my head as my happy place now! Amazing private onsen on my balcony, amazing public onsen downstairs, stunning lake with pirate ships and a great view of fuji, amazing outdoor art museums AND the worlds largest collection of Picasso originals, in Hakone of all places! What's not to love!

Chris Hunter

I'll need to add this to my weekend collective, absolutely! Currently finishing up Castlevania which has proven to be quite a bit more entertaining than i assumed it would be, and i will be needing something to start up thereafter. 😊 And i must confess, i have made a relaxing playlist of the music you choose for your videos, and putting a name to the artist here so as to find more magic like it, is completely exciting! 🎶😊 And I'll leave my same inquiry here as i did on the YouTube Q&A spot just to keep it easy. 😄 lol What might your most fondest memory or experience since being in Japan, be? Something that truly spoke to your soul... Captivated your mind... Confirmed youre right where youre meant to be? ✨🏯🌿 Quite enjoying the ominous tiny door large eyeball, i might add. Lol 😂 Cheers, Sir Chris! ☕

Jewel - (Freyja's Konjures)

I watched it a little while ago after seeing Eels mentioned it in a post . Rodney is a firm favourite of mine as well.

I too was surprised Giri/Haji didn't get more hype. I recommended it to several Japanese friends both in Japan and here in the UK, but only a couple already knew about it.

So glad you watched this! As you say, it seemed to be missed by lots of people.

Sian Smith

I really enjoyed Giri/Haji the first time so I will now binge watch the whole thing again.

Anna D

Wow that's great! Paying 50$ per track for a full license when you only want to listen without the otherwise charming "premium beats dot com" voice is rather expensive.