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FIRST came Natsuki: The Movie. THEN came Journey Across Japan. AND NOW it's time for the next MAJOR project.

So, recently I’ve been feeling slightly empty. 

I feel like the captain of a pirate ship, and the ship is loaded with enough barrels of wine and enough tins of spam to sail wherever I want upon the high seas. Hell, the ship is even staffed with an enthusiastic team of the finest shipmates a captain could hope for. (Aka. regular Abroad in Japan viewers).

The only problem is, as Captain of this most prestigious ship, I haven’t a fucking clue which direction to sail in.

By now, two things are abundantly clear.

Number 1: This is a convoluted metaphor. 

And Number 2: I’ve been watching too much Muppets Treasure Island again.

From 2017 to 2019 I was more or less perpetually stressed by Natsuki: The Movie and then Journey Across Japan. I was out of my depth on both projects - mainly due to the fact I was too stupid to truly plan out either project in advance and was forced to rescue both through extensive editing thereafter.

This meant I spent months on end sitting in a room, editing relentlessly and consuming the world’s supply of junk food to get through it all.

And yet, amidst the stress, I felt like I had something to look forward to - with Natsuki: The Movie it was the day I released a 55 minute long documentary to hundreds of thousands of excited viewers.

For Journey Across Japan, it was the anticipation of revealing the next adventure-filled day on the unpredictable 2,000km journey.

To me, these ridiculous projects had a swashbuckling sense of chaos to them (excuse the pirate metaphors once more). I had an idea in my head what I wanted the documentary to look like and the 28 part Journey Across Japan series to become, but I never knew if they’d work or not. 

And yet now, almost 750,000 people have watched Natsuki: The Movie and experienced his whirlwind escapades - quite literally whirlwind, given he nearly broke his neck in a wind tunnel - of his trip to Europe and back.

Journey Across Japan may have been executed poorly in terms of its irregular release dates, but nevertheless it’s a relatively well produced series that’s been viewed over 15 million times by folks all around the world.

For all the hell I put myself through for these projects, it was completely worth it - I gained more knowledge than a hundred film courses, and came back with enough stories to fill a reasonably priced Autobiography (it’s coming one day).

And today, with my stress levels so worryingly low, that I feel almost broken, I know I’m doing something wrong.

I need that thrill that can only be brought on by embarking on yet another mega-project that’ll push me to the brink of my sanity once more, and get Abroad in Japan viewers fired up for the next challenge.

Now several months back you may recall I announced the idea of making Natsuki: The Movie 2 and put a survey here on Patreon to hear your thoughts on what you’d like to see. At the time, the concept was to get Natsuki to quit smoking - a task so difficult, it makes the Manhattan Project or Apollo Programme look like opening a tin of biscuits. However, as time passed, the more I thought about it, the less appealing the premise became.

Whilst the aim of getting Natsuki to stop smoking and save his health is undeniably a noble pursuit, I feel like it’s ultimately at odds with what viewers would like to see, what I’d like to make, and what Natsuki would like to feature in.

Because having known him for 6 years, I have no hope whatsoever that he could ever stop. To me his addiction and dependency on cigarettes is incomprehensible - but the idea of making it the focus of a documentary, with a lighthearted entertaining tone seems wrong. Not only that, but given the high probability of failure, it could be a bit embarrassing or humiliating for Natsuki and that’d suck quite a bit. 

Whilst I’m not ruling it out for a genuinely more serious future documentary on addiction, first things first, it makes sense to produce a more crowd pleasing series, that everyone can enjoy - viewers, Natsuki and myself.

The results of that questionnaire you guys did several months back revealed the following:

- Would you rather watch a movie or a series?
Movie: 29%
Series: 71%

80% said yes to him doing challenges, 83% really want to see him travel the world and 75% said yes to him interacting with strangers.

So it seems like we all want the same thing here. 

And as much as I'd like to overcomplicate this premise with more pirate-based analogies, I’ll come right out and say that it’s high time we made a swashbuckling six part travel series, with Natsuki at the helm.

6 episodes, each episode 20 minutes long. Filmed over a period of 2-3 months, edited in one go to completion and released back to back, aka. Every Sunday for 6 weeks. 

No erratic silly release schedules - a well produced comedic series, produced to tv quality standards, with Natsuki diving into these countries, trying local dishes, undertaking challenges, meeting locals and potentially viewers.

We’ll title each episode something like “Japanese Thoughts on Rome” or “Japanese Thoughts on America” and BANG we’ve got ourselves a buccaneering series that lies somewhere between Natsuki: The Movie and Journey Across Japan in terms of scale.

As for the countries and cities, the most likely candidates for the first series would be (subject to change):

America (New York / LA),  Canada (Montreal / Vancouver)
UK (London, Edinburgh)
Germany (Munich, Berlin)
Sweden (Stockholm)
Italy (Rome), Australia (Syndey)
Spain (Barcelona)
Switzerland (Verzasca Dam - that’s right, I haven’t forgotten the bungee jump off of that dam)

The things these countries have in common is that the Abroad in Japan channel has quite a lot of viewers in all of them, so hopefully we can bring the party to you guys.  And that in a nutshell, is one of the big things planned for next year! (Amongst some more mini documentary episodes like the recent Fukushima one).

It won’t be cheap, and with Natsuki’s damn schedule it won’t be easy, but I’m very excited about the idea. With some extra planning this time around and building on the lessons learned through 7 years of Youtubing, I think we could do something extraordinarily fun with this.

I need your ideas though guys - and more importantly your thoughts on all this. Questions remain, such as should there be an overarching story - WHY is Natsuki travelling? Maybe we don’t need one. Maybe the fact he’s only ever been to 4 countries is reason enough for his journey around the world.

But hopefully, by now you’ll know I’m not someone who just says things - I actually go and do them, and this is something I very much plan to get working on.

With that in mind, now the real work begins - let’s make this happen. And who knows, next year Natsuki could be coming to a town near YOU!

Now meet me in the comment section - before I go off and watch more pirate movies.

Chris

FIRST came Natsuki: The Movie. THEN came Journey Across Japan. AND NOW it's time for the next MAJOR project.

Comments

Montreal is a pretty good place to visit honestly. :)

I think the single only option to make him quit smoking is to rely on some hypnotic therapy. I myself managed to quit when I was a student in London - thanks to... eh... Paul McKenna ... because I bumped into one of his hypnotherapy audio book called Stop Smoking at Once (or whatever - I don't remember the title) in a local bookstore. It actually worked like within several days, partly because buying a copy made me so embarrassed about myself that I had no choice but to succeed. Re. destination - I recommend the Netherlands (where I live) because the country offers a special business visa treatment for the Japanese (as well as Americans) and it's super easy for Natsuki to obtain a long-term sole proprietor visa as a hairstylist there. His smoke-quitting journey might open up a new chapter in his life - moving to the EU!!!! (albeit without Britain) Oh, BTW, the Netherlands is a paradise for smokers.

When I saw Vancouver potentially being on that list I smiled like an idiot. Perfect cycling city (Stanley Park?) to bring out those bike skills and your love for biking across cities! (lol)

Rotterdam, City of Architecture, the Netherlands a idea? My friend is a architect and a guide there.

Judith Goudzwaard

Oh wow! Is it still going to happen? I’d come over from Moscow to meet you guys 😮😀

This is amazing.

I’m glad you trashed the stop smoking concept. Agree that it wouldn’t have been a good premise to base the whole video(s) on. A series of “Natsuki In ...” videos seems like a better idea than a single Natsuki 2 movie. No overarching narrative as it would feel forced if it doesn’t come together at the end. Like the Journey Across Japan initial format. Challenges are fun, can get ideas of where to eat from Twitter or Instagram followers, as well as things to do too!

PamelaSu

This is a great plan, mate! I don't think you need an overarching narrative (not one spanning the whole series, anyway). The mere concept of seeing Natsuki react to different cultures is easily a big enough draw. One thought I have is that you should leverage your fans in these various countries to help you plan the trip. It'll make it easier for you to figure it all out, mitigate risks of things going wrong, and bringing and presenting the country (to Natsuki and world) in a way deemed legit by your fans from that country. PS: I live in Brisbane, but I'll bloody fly down to Sydney to say hi to you guys! :D

If you do north america, I would recommend doing montreal, New York, LA and finish with vancouver. You can do montreal to New York in other means than an airplane. The flights between New York and LA should be cheaper than between montreal and vancouver. And theres a direct flight from tokyo to montreal. When planning, reach out to your patreon living in the areas. They can help reduce the costs with some local knowledge

Philippe Gosselin

Montreal to Quebec is 3 hours by car. You can actually make a round trip in a car but it is a long day. 1 day in Quebec might be enough, depending on the time of the year so it might be something that is completely doable

Philippe Gosselin

If you do come to Montreal, let me know. This is where I live and would gladly help you plan a visit

Philippe Gosselin

Im excited to have you both in Australia. There must be a video of Natsuki trying snacks from the different countries he visits. Maybe without the fisherman’s friends this time.

Don't worry we wouldn't go all the way to Switzerland just for a dam! (Probably).

Abroad in Japan

The dam in Switzerland is exciting but he should really do other stuff as well. The goal is to see other countries and jumping off a dam shows him/us what jumping off a dam is like, not what Switzerland is like. Other ideas: - Cities (e.g. Zürich, Geneva) - Hiking in the mountains (doesn't have to be strenuous) - Via Ferrata in the mountains - Fondue - Chocolate I can point to other stuff if you want more ideas.

Nope

LA and New York huh? Damn! I'd love to meet Natsuki in Chicago :(

Shaye Fleming

Haha I felt tired just reading your description of the production process of Journey Across Japan - it brought back a lot of memories. It's true though, I definitely fail to appreciate what I put myself through for the series. I think the problem was I spent a lot of time fixated on comments from people saying they were disappointed in the release schedule that it overruled the good work we were doing. But now that time has passed, and those comments feel more irrelevant, I'm able to take a step back and be proud of what we all achieved on the journey! Thanks for reminding me!

Abroad in Japan

That's actually a really fun idea - I'll definitely think about that. Would be fun to reflect on the film!

Abroad in Japan

I did think Dublin would be a lot of fun (having been twice myself). Definitely on the hitlist.

Abroad in Japan

As per Natsuki's reason for travelling, one idea did spring to mind: viewers/fans from each country designing a challenge at each destination. Upon completion of each challenge, Natsuki receives a letter/number for a password. Upon completing all challenges, he'll have a full password giving him access to some kind of chest/door back in Japan or at the final destination? For added fun, perhaps there could also be a code letter hidden at the end of each video for viewers, giving them a password to access a special video or website at the end of the series (okay, maybe I stole that one directly from 'A Heist with Markiplier', but viewers seemed to really engage with it!). Each task/challenge for Natsuki could be a cultural thing associated with the country he's visiting, helping Natsuki really see the world and interact with fans/locals. Just an idea that came to mind :) Really excited about this project, Chris! I feel like you also need to give yourself a bit more credit for Journey Across Japan – it was bloody good, mate! Also really like the ideas above about Edinburgh Fringe and potentially aging Japanese subtitles. Do agree that maybe doing London again might risk going around in a slight circle (though that said, I'm sure Natsuki has lots of fans in London!). Edinburgh and somewhere in Ireland could be fun. Just my $0.02. Looking forward to seeing the project come about! Cheers!

I can't believe you don't give yourself more credit for the Journey Across Japan series. It was a very ambitious project which involved getting multiple people to join you, go to many different places whilst undertaking various viewer challenges, strict time schedules, film the entire way which would've amassed an incredible amount of footage to trim and edit into a YouTube video and all that whilst cycling right across Japan! I thought it was a huge success and to this day am still amazed that the energy jelly company hasn't called up you and Joey for the rights to Dr.Jelly. Natsuki the movie was an instant win and I have not a single doubt about your next project with him being anything other than YouTube gold. Both of you are funny enough just sat in a room together with nothing but a camera and some fisherman's friend or English tongue twisters. If you're looking for something outside of London, I'll happily show you around Oxford and some of it's University campuses, Pubs etc... Sorry for the long message 😅

Aiden Gillett

As for why hes travelling, you could maybe have something he has to learn from it and you can "quiz" him back in Japan By that I mean like lets just say it was food. He has to go to these countries, taste local dishes and do stuff in those countries. And then when hes home, maybe you challenge him to cook one of the dishes he ate. Something along those lines. Food could be a good idea as Japan is known to have amazing food all over the world

One more idea for you and Natsuki — how about a video commentary track that you record and offer on Patreon for Natsuki the movie? Your viewers would turn on the movie on YouTube (adding more views) and then we head to Patreon and fire up the commentary track. That would mean just making the track with Natsuki and providing us with a magical behind the scenes experience. Thought you might like an idea that doesn’t require you to travel long distances. *producer hat off*

thefunkybrowngirl

At the risk of being pelted with rocks, have you two ever considered going to Vidcon in Anaheim in 2020? There would be nothing better than a sarcastic Chris at one of the craziest conventions in the US. Then we could have a proper meet and greet with *gasp* youtube fans. Just a suggestion. *hides from rock throwing*

thefunkybrowngirl

I expect you’ll want fairly fanless footage but if you could arrange meet and greets where we can support your journey and show our our appreciation to Natsuki, and of course you too Chris. 😜

Aiken

This sounds fantastic Chris! Just a Canada note that Montreal and Vancouver are very far apart (did know if those if that was an and or an or) but Montreal and Quebec City are “close” together and the thought of you and Natsuki checking out old Quebec are truly excellent in my brain. However I don’t know how many fans are in these locations (Quebec City is 6 hours from me so I would only be able to make it out on an extended weekend). You should poll us. I would travel to see you and Natsuki but only so far. I would recommend Japanese subtitles for this series. I know that is a major effort for you, but it doubles your audience. I suspect many Japanese people would love Natsuki’s antics and also exposure to the variety of cultures.

Another Random User

I also think you're right to choose locations where Natsuki can interact with the biggest number of fans. Also, since Natsuki hasn't travelled a lot yet, it makes sense for him to start with the more obvious places, to get to know what everyone is on about.

Completely agree that Natsuki travelling abroad is enough of a premise. And I think Natsuki doing gigs in the locations he visits would be fabulous. Would it be a totally crazy idea to get him to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe? With perhaps some local fans joining him as his backup band? I'd be glad to provide any help you need including accommodation.

I like the idea of a series. Seems like it'd be easier to edit and would most likely get more viewers

Great idea Chris. Would be hilarious to see Natsuki run amok in all these places. I would only suggest skipping London, as we have already seen him there and you may run the risk of repeating yourself. May I suggest my hometown of Dublin instead? Natsuki loves a drink, and if there is one thing we Irish do well, it's pubs. Also, Dublin is like London but without the stress.

Whatever you do PLEASE give us a heads-up when you are going to be in a certain location. Berlin is only a 2 hour drive away from where I live and I would love to meet you guys.

Jan Knoeschke

I love the idea! But bring him to Seattle, Washington, USA. He would love it (and it's the closest major city to myself, no pressure). No background story, just the two of you enjoying different cultures. I can't wait!

Oh .... and ANA now have direct flights here so it's pretty straightforward getting here these days. We'd be happy to help out if you needed it too.

Honestly ... if you're coming to Australia ... bring Natsuki to Perth and take him out to Rottnest Island so he can do Quokka selfies ... that's guaranteed viewing gold right there! (google Quokka ... you'll love them). Then you can take him out in the middle of nowhere so he can truly appreciate what open space feels like... and of course the beaches here are awesome. :)

Yes! 100% come to Australia (Melbourne though, not Sydney). My fellow Aussie's will get Natsuki drunk and you'll have all the footage you need. I'd personally fund a night of getting you lads & the crew drunk just to see that.

Yeah I think the episodes will need to be more like 25 minutes and for some countries, episodes will be broken down into certain cities - for somewhere like New York perhaps.

Abroad in Japan

It’s true they hand out free cigarettes here - you’ll be sitting in a bar or restaurant and someone from Marlborough will walk in and quite literally give you a free pack of your choice - often to try a new flavor they’re promoting. Absolutely crazy. But it’s a serious topic and I’m still very much interested in covering it and doing what I can to stop Natsuki, even if the chances of success may be worryingly low.

Abroad in Japan

It’s certainly up there with Muppets Christmas Carol ;)

Abroad in Japan

Haha Natsuki vs. deep fried mars bar would be solid entertainment

Abroad in Japan

"Natsuki Travels-Abroad" seems like a premise to me, Chris. "An Idiot Abroad" didn't have a premise other than its title and it was pretty well received. Natsuki is so bizarre I think it would work fine there, too. I'd esp like to see him in utterly opposite situations like Helsinki vs Botswana (or similar). If you do come to Montreal, it needs to be in the winter so you guys can go into the mini city Montreal has in it's winter-proof tunnels.

Michael Moore

Yeah I’m definitely keen to learn from JAJ’s biggest blunder (the erratic release schedule). This time it’d be edited in one go and released weekly - which would definitely help to keep viewers engaged as well. And I’m not ruling out more exotic locations - I think it’d be fun to send him to places where there are lots of viewers to maximize chances of interaction though, so viewers can feel Natsuki has come to them.

Abroad in Japan

I’ve always wanted an excuse to visit Madrid - certainly if we did go to Spain we’d need to do more than city! Madrid would be awesome

Abroad in Japan

Hahah, I’ve still got the giant A2 poster somewhere from the failed attempt to perform a magic show in Brighton. I’ll have to try and find it for this.

Abroad in Japan

Haha, brilliant. What better way to promote the upcoming Olympics. His “torch” will no doubt be a cigarette.

Abroad in Japan

Would definitely love to see Natsuki in Scotland I'd say Glasgow would be better than Edinburgh at least in my opinion. I've always seen Glasgow as our true capital city. As a Scottish person who's visited Japan twice I definitely feel like we have quite a bit in common with Japanese people. Maybe it's just my perspective and my experiences colouring my option. Can definitely say they both love a drink. As non drinker who's spent time with drunk people in both places. My friend shun said to me that he wished there was more people like me in Japan who didn't drink actually which was nice.

Marc Neilson

Love the idea of a series rather than a movie. I'm just worried that 20 minutes won't be enough to showcase Natsu in a new country in all of its glory. Can't wait to see it!

Joel Mitchell

Natsuki touring the world with his guitar, giving concerts in major cities.

Alev Akkor

Natsuki Grooms The World

Michael B. McLaughlin

So you're essentially considering doing an Anthony Bordain style travel show with Natsuki as the star. I really don't think you need to add anything more to it than that. Natsuki naturally charm and your bond together would be more then enough to carry this show. Throw the potential of hanging out with Viewers and you've got more then enough content to fill a 20minute episode!

You don't necessarily need an overarching narrative, although it would be fun to connect the episode in some ways by having him do the same task in each city, e.g. learn a tongue twister or ask for the way in the local language, teach someone some Japanese etc. I also think you might need a prologue and an epilogue to explain the concept & round things off without overcomplicating your first and last episodes. Although a quick intro at the head of each video might work too.

And I was just about to comment ditch Sydney for Melbourne :)

Farah

He should definitely watch the movie Midsommar as preparation (yes I made the obvious joke!).

Eels

I agree about there being no need for a particular narrative other than "let's unleash Natsuki on the world and hang out with fans, particularly the Swedish ones." When you have a loveable eccentric like Natsuki or Karl Pilkington at the center of your travel show you don't need much of a story. As for locations, I understand people preferring places off the beaten track but I assume it's easier to meet up with fans in bigger cities.

Eels

Come on Chris! Journey Across Japan is one of the best things that exists on youtube ❤️ Yes you did take a long time to release all 28 parts but when you make such high quality contents, it's bound to take more time. Looking forward to this new big project 😁😁 sounds very interesting.

Natsuki in Sweden, I want to see this happen! You should totally come here for Swedish midsummer, it would be perfect. I want to see Natsuki dance små grodorna and eat surströmming (fermented herring). This video actually explains it perfectly: https://youtu.be/u8ZLpGOOA1Q

Glad to hear Sydney is on the list of possible places! If you'd like some recommendations on where to go/what to do, happy to help :)

I don't know. Amsterdam seems to be crowded these days. Maybe somewhere like Utrecht or Zwolle would be better, if he goes to the Netherlands.

Xenin

Omg yes I love that idea!!!

Jette Nielsen

I LOVE the idea! And I think the fact that he's never been to most of those places is enough to base the series on.. I don't see any more reason than that is needed. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will enjoy watching Natsuki go to places he's dreamed of going and reacting in his wonderful Natsuki way. I see several people saying "Why not go off the beaten track?" and sure that would be fun but to me I like the idea of you guys going where Natsuki wants to go and has dreamed of. I loved the idea of seeing Natsuki try to stop smoking but I had the same worries as you about it ending in failure leaving Natsuki embarrassed and sad so I'm glad you kinda put that idea to the side but that you're still thinking about it as a serious documentary about addiction to smoking in general instead. especially in Japan I find smoking is still a big thing and if I recall correctly some tobacco companies hand out free cigarettes to people as samples? that would never happen here that's for sure. I think a documentary about that would be incredible to see but again I don't want Natsuki to feel like he is failing at something by not being able to stop smoking. I'm excited for the future stuff Chris Have a great day

Jette Nielsen

oh....on a very Brit-centric note.....egg and chips is a Catalan Specialty....sad but true.

As an expat in Barcelona this town is very much about Music, Food, Art, Food, Wine, Food and looooonnnggg leisurely days sat in some square or other....with food and wine. Check the concert schedules ahead of time, lots of great bands come through here. Good Luck.

I don't feel it needs a story or motivation behind it. Just to get out and have some fun and capture the natural mad events that happen along the way. Of course there can be challenges or events you could plan to go to, but let's be honest, the funniest events that happen are going to be the ones that are completely unplanned right? haha. But yeah, just seeing you guys on the road, checking out some awesome places, getting some insight into the localities of these places and observing any madness that happens along the way, sounds promising to me. + If you stop by London, Im there. ;)

Excellent post Chris! I really like the direction of a Natsuki travel series! Already looking forward to them! The Muppet Treasure Island part had me laughing hard! It's one of the few movies I exhausted the vhs and still have the dvd for. The best Muppet movies ever by far! Great for getting yourself ready for adventure!!!! Good luck Chris!

Edinburgh is amazing. Manchester or Birmingham (am I on the only American who enjoyed both those cities?) would be better than London. A whirlwind day in Las Vegas, with Hoover damn in the morning and a casino tour at night, though as a Las Vegas resident I may be biased. Whatever you end up doing, I look forward to it!

Robert Jon Mudry

As a Londoner, I'll echo the "not London again please" comments. He's musical, which might suggest other places he'd like to see in the UK: for example, Liverpool, home of the Beatles! And I like the idea of him visiting Edinburgh, but I'd LOVE to see him try to have a conversation with someone from Glasgow...

Sheepless

Chris we need some food challenges. Other posters have already mentioned Pasty & Haggis but there are loads of regional foods that could challenge Natsuki, deep fried mars bar, pies, liver & bacon. Our love for pickles : onions, branston, piccalilli etc. Sure you get the picture.

Natsuki travels the world. Sounds like an amazing time! I don’t think you need a reason WHY to take him on an epic journey... crazy antics are reason enough. 😆 Whatever you do be sure to make it fun and enjoyable for yourself as well.

Laura Beaumont

I'd love to see a 2min-3min section where he interviews a Japanese expat where possible about their feelings on the area. Though if you come to edinburgh, don't tell him about the 1 o'clock cannon till after it is fired lol.

Francis M. Gallagher

Love all the suggestions of not-the-typical locations. Perhaps take him to Prince Edward Island. Or Cape Breton, to expose him to some REALLY out of his wheelhouse music (which I think he'd love).

Dr Dia

Great idea! Do come to the US! I suggest San Francisco and the Silicon Valley together with LA (instead of NYC): it's easier to get to from Japan, beautiful drives along the Highway 1. Also there is Hawaii not too far from Japan, and it's such a strange mix of island culture, America, and Japan. I've always wanted to hear the impressions of a native Japanese person in Hawaii given the history and the sheer volume of Japanese people living there for several generations.

Great idea! As Natsuki loves his music maybe some kind of fusion mix with either iconic or cultural aspects from each of the locations. End result could be track additions to his iTunes.

Ok this does sound incredibly awesome, but I do have problems with some of the locations suggested here, places like: New York, Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Rome, Barcelona, Berlin. I mean if you plan on going to these countries, why not go off the beaten track? like for example instead of L.A and NYC for America, try Pheonix to see the Grand Canyon and Seattle, because that is where your American persona Dave Rogers is from. As for the U.K, forget London, for God's sake just take him ANYWHERE BUT LONDON, there is more to the U.K than that Chris. Germany, well Dresden is a nice place and Freiburg in Southern Germany is good as well. For Canada, Calgary, in case you want to do some Cowboying and Quebec City. Gothenburg for Sweden and maybe Malmo. For Italy perhaps Turin and Naples for Neapolitan Ice cream. For Spain, Bilbao and Malaga. For Australia, well anywhere but Sydney really like Darwin, Perth or Melbourne to visit Joey the Anime Man. As for Switzerland? well anywhere but Zurich, which is too well known. Places like Basel, Lugano, Lausanne, as well as the Verzasca Dam as mentioned. You know, places that aren't so well known. Word of warning, I highly recommend my Spanish choices because right now, Spain is facing a secessionist crisis in Catalonia and Barcelona might not be so safe right now.

Xenin

Sounds fun. If you come to the UK maybe don't do London. We've seen him there. Edinburgh is a great shout, you've got haggis right off the bat as a thing to try. Maybe you could both have a day with Pete up north? Newcastle maybe?

Also - well, I'm sorry but Natsuki has already "done" London. Why not bring him down the M4 to Bristol, where we have an excellent bungee jumping opportunity in Clifton?

I honestly don't think you need an overarching narrative. Just make something like a cross between "Challenge Anneka" and "An Idiot Abroad", and you've premise enough.

Loving the idea of a consistent weekly schedule, the anticipation for each episode of Journey Across Japan, did at times get frustrating. Clearly evidence of how much I enjoyed the content. Given your proximity to other Asian cities, would it not make sense to throw in a Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi or Shanghai? Western viewers will likely be intrigued to see destinations they likely haven’t visited, I know that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed JAJ.

Jashlo

Come to Madrid instead of Barcelona (it's a mess right now) and I can show you around.

rafa UGM

Film Natsuki saying "swashbuckling".

rafa UGM

Crossing my fingers that this series is secretly Natsuki's Magic Show: World Tour Edition that we missed out on from the movie. May I suggest the promotional art include a large portrait of the master magician with the phrase "I have eccentric power" below, or another equally fitting quote.

I think it's a fabulous idea, but... The distance between LA and New York, by shortest route, is 2790 miles. The distance between the European stops is considerably closer. Any chance you'd consider halving the distance and doing something in the midwest as well, like Oklahoma or more reasonably Dallas as it has the best airport? I've noticed that quite a few of us Patrons that show up for the live streams are located in Texas, btw. :-) Plus the midwest is NOTHING like the coasts, so he'd get a better idea of what the USA is actually like. Just a thought. I'm very excited to see him get the chance to travel some more.

This sounds awesome. I don't think you need a reason for him to be traveling, simply that he wants to explore the world and share his adventures with the rest of the world.

@MalaikaWolf

If you need any help or guidance for Munich, hit me up :) My wife and I would be glad to help. We also met Victor (the one and only) on one of our multiple trips through japan, maybe he wants to join you for some sweet photograph memories...? :D

Btw I will totally guide you in Stockholm if you stop by :)

As to the WHY of Natsukis travels, doesnt he like music? Most of the countries you mentioned has their own kind of music culture, mayby explore that? Or do something crazy, mayby you get invited to come visit a person, but you have to find them in the city by using provided clues.. xD

This has to be the "Absolutely No Way Official - I Cannot Stress This Enough, It's Really Unofficial - Natsuki's International Olympic Torch Relay". He can be Japan's ambassador for smoking, rocking out, cutting hair, superhero acting and drinking sake.

Hayden Williams

Haha good ideas - especially the sausages. We can end the debate once and for all.

Abroad in Japan

If you need any help getting around in Switzerland, I'd be glad to help :)

Sandro Huber

What would Natsuki like to see in each city/country? Other things he read about and would like to see that he thought he never would? Visiting the Hard Rock Cafe in each city? Maybe go off the beaten path and hit something the area is known for. Go to LA or the city of choice then one of the national parks-so many great parks in the area. like Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Or another well known site in the vicinity.

Sounds great! No idea how feasible it is, but doing a live music tour at small pubs & bars could be a good premise. Could even frame it as a "Rockumentary". It'd work well with Natsuki's love of music, and he'd get to live the rock'n'roll lifestyle for a bit, just more lolly-based magic tricks than chucking TVs out of hotel windows...

Ryan Butt

What a great idea and extremely ambitious (that's how we know and love you)! I'm sure your your patroen community is thrilled to help you out with your travel plans for each city (I could offer a true Berlin experience if needed and help drink gallons of Hefeweizen) :) - not sure if this fits in the overall narrative of the series you'd like to make but you could also include a segment "[country]'s view on Japan" and let Natsuki interview people from that part of the world.

Aireglin

I love the idea and am looking forward to what ever you have planned in the future, so keep the great videos coming.

I'll teach you both swedish tounge twisters

I wonder if it might be worth diverting away from the cities for a bit, of course everyone wants to see London and Edinburgh is well known, but what about something a bit more comparative to Yamagata? Trouble is, finding a video-friendly story once you get there... and it’s always possible Natsuki would wonder why he’s spending time in, oh I don’t know, Lincoln.

Amsterdam! It'd be so cool to see you guys chilling in a cafe and taking in the sights of the awesome architecture and museums :) And of course, Cornwall whilst you're in the UK for some of the best food in the world. That's right, I'm talking about a pasty of course.

Honestly, this sounds a LOT better than a stop smoking series. I like this change to a lighter comedic approach. Natsuki is just too fun for serious topics. I'd love to see one episode somewhere in Japan too though.

Zac Kelsey

Throwing my hat in the ring for a guide to NYC! This sounds like a fantastic idea. And for what it's worth, I think the algorithm will be kinder to this series than recent videos. From what I know of it, it tends to favor consistency and viewer interaction. It's nice to have another great idea to look forward to!

Argus9 (Jonathan)

While I'm disappointed about the diminished likelihood of Natsuki gaining clean lungs, I love the travel series idea! And it HAS TO include at least one fan meetup - you always mention how many Swedish fans the channel has so that would be top of my list. And Natsuki just needs to get out more - what better way to do that than this?

Nynke de Haas

If you need a guide when in Munich, I'd be happy to volunteer!

Johannes

This sounds like a great idea! Maybe the premise of taking Natsuki to all of these countries is a heart-warming gift from you to him for the fact that even though he does all of that hard work he does in his life, he still makes time to join you for escapades and frivolity. It's one of the best mutually beneficial bromances on the internet and it deserves a world tour! Speaking of world tour, maybe Natsuki could play a small gig in each country haha

Chris Hunter

I think it’s a great idea. I think having some sort of light, overarching story (such as a desire to travel and being tired of the same thing day in and day out) would be great. Also some sort of website (similar to the one used in Journey Across Japan - with locations visited, etc) would be awesome to see later on. Looking forward to it; maybe compare British sausages to German ones...

I'm pretty sure every Abroad in Japan viewer is secretly Swedish - it'd be a crime to miss it out.

Abroad in Japan

The whole premise sounds fantastic Chris! I think a good idea or reasoning for Natsuki traveling to these locations could be something like this: Instead of people having to go to Japan to experience the crazy eccentric scenery that so many want to indulge themselves in, you're bringing that eccentric lifestyle to them in the form of Natsuki (if he's ok with all of that LOL). Love the series ideas and can't wait to see more projects in the future!

What a fantastic and well thought out idea, Chris! You have our full enthusiastic support

Vanessa Walsh

Yes yes sweden pls


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