My original plan last month was to release a video titled 6 Things I Learned Before Turning 35, or perhaps The One Thing I’d Tell My Younger Self.
Yet, neither of those videos ever came out. Instead, the script slowly mutated into something else entirely: the story that became The Worst Thing I’ve Done in Japan, (since retitled to My Most Humiliating Moment in Japan).
Part of the reason was simple. I actually didn’t know what I would actually tell my younger self. But of course, not long after I uploaded that video, something clicked. A realisation.
And it came under the pressure of missing the deadline to hand in the manuscript for my second book in June. So here it is. Anyone who has ever worked with me knows my biggest flaw. I am always late. Deadlines come and go like passing trains I was never realistically going to catch.
Whether it’s my second book, Journey Across Japan episodes, or Natsuki the Movie long before that, which came out several months later than planned.
I am, without a doubt, the undefeated champion of lateness. And for the longest time, I didn’t really know why. I figured I’m just an idiot. It’s not as if I was going on holiday or running away from my camera or laptop. More often than not, half my day was spent staring at a screen. When I sat down recently to wrestle this second book into existence, I thought hard about it. Why does every project feel like a storm I’ve accidentally summoned?
Sure, part of it is simple: I take on too much. I say yes to everything. Like many, I relish the adrenaline of pressure and fear missing a great opportunity when it arises.
But underneath all that, I’ve realised that my procrastination isn’t ultimately about laziness or even disorganisation. In reality, it’s about finality.
The moment a video is uploaded, the moment a manuscript is handed in, it’s over. There’s no going back. No tweaking. No adding in the brilliant idea that showed up inconveniently after the deadline.
The best ideas always take time. They never show up on schedule. And knowing that, knowing that the second I hit “publish” I’m sealing the creative casket, that’s the thing that slows me down.
And paradoxically, it’s also the thing that’s kept me going all these years.
I’ve always believed that videos should only be released when they’re ready, not when they’re “due.” Because at least then, no matter whether it performs well or not, I can look back on it with a sense of pride, like the recent episode recounting the worst thing I’d done in Japan.
It was a story I’d sat on for years and wondered how the hell I could regale in a way that heightened the sense of dread (and comedy) of finding myself being exploited live in front of an audience of thousands.
I’d hoped to release the video within a week from script to upload, just as I had many other videos to finish working on, let alone the book to hand in.
Yet, as I immersed myself in the whole process, it ended up taking three long weeks, because every day a new idea or joke emerged, a sketch to be shot, a new soundtrack to be added. The script to be refined. Archive footage to be dug up. A shoji sliding door transition effect to be improved upon. All with the aim of making the video as entertaining as I could make it. To heighten the storytelling.
In the grand scheme of things, this ‘strategy’ is why I’m still here making videos and enjoying my life in Japan 12 years later.
Back when I started Abroad in Japan, there were dozens of J-vloggers uploading like clockwork. Meanwhile, on Abroad in Japan, I took my time, releasing videos with the consistency of British sunshine: sporadic, unpredictable, and occasionally a surprise treat.
My philosophy has always been: stuff fixed deadlines. That’s not to say I actively sabotage them. I never intentionally try to be late.
Over the years, we’ve worked with a few sponsors, and honestly, I can’t recall uploading a single video when they asked me to. Not out of malice. Not because I’m difficult. But because it wasn’t ready.
And every time, even if they’re momentarily annoyed, even if there’s a passive-aggressive email or two, once they see the finished video, they let me off the hook. They can see I’ve not been lazing around, so much as polishing up the video so it can be as good as it can possibly be. So viewers will hopefully enjoy it from start to finish.
And suddenly, all the issues around being late no longer matter anymore, as they can see I genuinely care about the things I create.
I used to feel guilty about all of this of course. There is a sense of letting people down, whether it’s casual viewers or you fine folks here on Patreon. I don’t want to make people wait for things.
But the older I get, the more I realise it’s not a flaw. It’s just the way I work. It really is just my creative process.
Ultimately, it’s how I stay creatively alive in an industry that burns people out en masse, on a platform where endless, forgettable content flows like a river of mud. It’s how I still enjoy doing this almost 13 years on, and how we’ve been able to produce 300 half-decent videos here on Abroad in Japan.
So, to the handful of you out there working in creative fields, let me say this: prize creative integrity over punctuality. Prize originality over output. Always.
Because no one remembers how fast something was made.
They only remember if watching a video, or reading a book, was genuinely worth their time. To respect your creative process is to respect your audience.
That’s the most important lesson of all, and perhaps the one thing I’d tell my past self.
- That and lay off the damn cheese.
All right. Now I’d seriously better get back to writing the book… Chris
P.S. And in case you missed it guys our volcano documentary is finally up on Youtube!
The volcano documentary is OUT at last! A massive thank you guys for making this project possible, as an entirely Patreon funded project (like the recent Earthquake documentary & every Journey Across Japan).
We've now got documentaries on just about every disaster Japan has ever faced; Nuclear, earthquakes, tsunamis and now volcanoes.
As I've said before, over the years I've found more serious topics and documentary form content doesn't seem to do well on Youtube. The original Fukushima documentary tanked at release and only through relentlessly promoting it, has it seemed to creep up in viewership over the years.
With each passing year as attention spans shorten, folks want more fast-paced, rapid fire content, no doubt inspired by TikToks, Shorts and Reels.
If we didn't have Patreon, going off for two weeks to shoot this documentary would have been hard to justify given the time, resources and cost that went into research, travel, filming and editing (my god, the editing). Credit where it's due, one of our two wonderful editors, Marcus, did an incredible job with this one. I only have my paw prints on the first 3 minutes, he did the following 25 minutes.
The same can be said for every single Journey Across Japan, which I was delighted to shoot almost entirely ad-free from 2018 to 2024.
I was inspired to shoot this episode after learning the tragic story of Katie and Maurice Krafft, pioneering filmmakers and volcanologists, who captured the most remarkable footage up close of active volcanoes, under perilous circumstances. Ultimately, it was the third volcano in this episode - the absolute monster that is Mount Unzen - that would be their last shoot. Anyway, for now, less talky more watching.
For now guys, enjoy this episode and know that thanks to you, a few hundred thousand people around the world will know a lot more about Japan's volcanoes than they did on Tuesday!
We survived! Who'd have thought it! For those who weren't aware, this passed Saturday 5th July was heralded as doomsday for Japan, after a ridiculous and somewhat creepy looking book called 私が見た未来 ("The Future I Saw"), claimed to hold a prophecy for a serious a natural disaster.
So serious was it, that thousands of tourists have avoided the country (particularly from Asia where superstition is a bigger deal).
Scheduled flights ran empty. Tourists hot spots abandoned. Even a few people I knew here went out and bought a backup battery, in case the power went out.
It was all a bit bonkers.
And in the end, the only really serious thing that happened was I got indigestion from eating too much cheese. The horror.
The existential survival of Japan aside, ironically the subject of this week's Abroad in Japan documentary is about the worst case scenario should Japan's biggest volcanoes explode.
We went in search of three of the country's most destructive volcanoes from Hokkaido to Kyushu, met the locals, wandered through post apocalyptic scenes and heard some chilling stories of untold devastation past, present and likely future.
At last though, the documentary is finished and being released in just a few days. In the meantime, I want to share with you a preview of what to expect, especially as this was an entirely Patreon funded project.
A huge thank you to all of you for making it happen guys. It's a beautiful thing to cover a serious subject and not have to force ads into it, in a similar vein to last year's earthquake documentary. (And every single Journey Across Japan series).
As for our next Patreon backed project(s), we've got an exciting series planned that goes back to the roots of Journey Across Japan and I've got 2-3 ideas that I'm particularly excited to throw myself into.
Still we've got plenty to look forward to this month ahead first, kicking off with this documentary.
For now, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the trailer!
So I'm delighted to announce we're coming up to our ONE year anniversary at LOST bar later this month and to celebrate we're holding a Patreon exclusive meetup with Sharla and myself this July 15th.
We held a Patreon meet up last year and had a blast seeing everyone, so we're hyped to hang out once more.
DATE:July 15th | 6pm - 9pm It's a ticketed event, which comes with two drinks included per person, snacks, and some cheeky LOST merch bundled in of course.
Tickets are limited, and if you miss out this time or can't make it, fear not, there shall be more events coming in 2025!
Also, as you'd expect from someone who's a Youtuber, we'll likely be waving a camera around at some point, so you may appear in an Abroad in Japan video on the day (I don't know if that's a good thing, haha).
Of course if you don't want your face on camera on the day, just let us know!
Looking forward to it - and in the meantime, we've got a big livestream with Ryotaro this Wednesday evening. Will send out a reminder on the day itself.
Tomorrow we'll be holding our monthly Patreon live stream, where I share the usual gossip and behind the scenes news, have a jolly good chat and reveal what lies ahead on Abroad in Japan!
We've also got a public live show with Ryotaro this Wednesday evening on the main channel (providing he makes it down Mount Fuji ok) - I'll share more details to follow in a separate post!
Hope to see you for the Patreon show tomorrow :D Enjoy what's left of your weekend!
Three Idiots, One $200 Million Racetrack & Japan's Tiniest Kei Car: What Could Go Wrong?
This week we went full Top Gear. Picture it: Japan’s most exclusive private racetrack, $5 million worth of supercars, and three grown men behaving like escaped zoo animals.
In return for exposure, the utterly bonkers Magarigawa Club, a ludicrously luxurious race circuit in Chiba that costs $400,000 just to join, let Natsuki, Connor and I grace its track for two days.
Fortunately, nobody asked us to pay. I assume they took one look at Natsuki’s driving record and knew it’d be a short membership.
In recent months we’ve tortured our beloved K-car in various absurd ways, most recently to see how far it could go on a single tank. This time, the question was: just how fast can it go before it bursts into flames?
So we took it to the track, strapped in, and did a proper time trial showdown. Then we let a professional racing driver have a go, who was able to put us all to shame.
We even got to drive a Toyota 86, a car that seems to have been solely optimised for fun. This whole shoot was meant to be a birthday treat for Connor and Natsuki. A wholesome gesture. But between the 35°C heat, the terrifying G-forces, and being flung around the track in a Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a Porsche, I now know how a potato feels in a microwave.
Somehow, we survived, but the real star of the show wasn’t us - it was the track itself. They literally carved a mountain in half to build it and the entire location looks like the headquarters of a Bond villain who has an unhealthy addiction to Gran Turismo.
This was one of the hardest shoots we’ve done all year, and I seriously underestimate how hard it is to film on race tracks every time (the previous drift episode with Ryotaro was no easy task).
But it was absolutely worth it – the footage is spectacular, the banter’s even better, and we’ve squeezed some laugh-out-loud moments into what should be a banger of a video. And at least it all ended with a great big smile.
There’s still loads coming before this episode too!
🔥 In a few days we’re dropping a sneak peek of the VOLCANO DOCUMENTARY exclusively here on Patreon – you’ll get the first look before it goes live on YouTube later in the week.
🗼 Next Tuesday, we also have a liveshow with Ryotaro! Japan's most man is attempting to summit Mount Fuji for the first time the day before, and in his honour we'll have a celebratory live show together in Tokyo.
It's there we'll catch up, hear about his Fuji exploits and hold a Q&A over a BBQ. We'll also talk about our upcoming Shikoku food special - the island is one of the few corners of Japan Ryotaro and I have never filmed together before, so I'm pretty excited to head south.
The show will be Wednesday 2nd July at 7pm (JST) and I'll give you guys a reminder on the day!
Here it is guys, the moment you've probably not been waiting for. Set your phasers from stun to cringe, as we dive back to a horrifying incident that I've spent a long time running from. Years.
I saw a comment recently remarking "There seems to be a big piece of time missing in the Abroad in Japan history and in the book!" and the truth is, there's about 3 months of my life I've practically erased from the internet.
It's finally time to reveal why - and for the handful of you who were potentially around to see it, re-experience the magic of the worst thing I've ever done in Japan.
Have you ever done something so dreadful you tried to scrub it from existence, only to realise it left an awkward six-month time jump in your book?
Yes? Then congratulations, you're in excellent company.
I'm back! And I come bearing a Patreon-exclusive sneak peek of the next Abroad in Japan video.
You might recall in the last post guys, I mentioned an episode in the works titled Life Lessons from 12 Years in Japan. It was a lovely, reflective piece. Or at least, that was the plan.
Instead, the video mutated into a dramatic retelling of the single worst thing I've done in Japan. A catastrophic moment that just so happened to occur at the most pivotal point in my career. For years, I’ve skilfully dodged this story out of sheer embarrassment (and also because I was waiting for the company involved to quietly drop dead which good news: it has).
I won’t spoil the episode here, but I will say this: the full story is coming soon, and it ties directly into a life lesson that I feature in the intro to the video.
Here’s that very four-minute extended intro from the video to whet your appetite. It might seem like a strange tangent, but trust me, it all makes sense in the end.
The video's currently being held up due to three pesky copyrighted tracks I’m waiting to clear. Once that’s sorted, the full video will be released publicly in the days ahead!
In other news, the charming Alex James from Blur swung by LOST bar last week! It was a pleasant surprise - he was over in Japan championing British food and drink and the powers that be deemed our bar a worthy stop. Most likely due to the absurd fact LOST is now the biggest dispensary of British cheese in Japan. His team filmed it so hopefully our chat will be out in the near future.
Tomorrow we're off for a Wacky Weekend shoot with Connor and Natsuki at a racetrack, that I'm very excited to share with you. More exciting photos and updates to follow in the days head folks!
But for now enjoy the preview of the Abroad in Japan video and have yourselves a wonderful Tuesday!
Tonight I'll be in the Abroad in Japan studio for our Patreon live hang out, catching up on what's been going on behind the scenes, and what lies ahead in June!
In the last show I revealed I'd lost 5kg on the Cyclethon - but have I been able to keep it up? (Especially despite Connor's best efforts recently to stuff me full of sandwiches). I shall reveal all tonight at 22:00 Japan time!
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 streetSpot the unimpressed man on the stairsAttempting to eat Japan's biggest senbei
In a cave with an epic shrine, light only by candle lightNatsuki 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).
While I avoid Facebook these days now that it seems to exclusively exist as a homepage feed littered with AI generated artwork, I’m reminded that once upon a time it was useful.
Today, this photo popped up from 13 years ago (above).
There I am, hunched over a desk like Gollum doing a dissertation, surrounded by energy drinks, chocolate, crisps, and most bizarrely, a candle (what can I say, the scent of cinnamon once calmed me).
I was revising for my final university exams, because although I was already lucky enough to secure a place on the JET Programme, I still needed the precious degree to officially qualify. A rather cruel technicality!
To this day, I have no idea what I was actually studying. Probably something to do with English linguistics. I wish I could reach through the photo and tell that past version of me: “It’ll be alright. One day, you’ll be equally stressed, but this time over far more interesting things like volcanoes, books, and running a bar full of cheese.”
Because here we are, 13 years later, and May has once again become my annual Month of Doom. Last year, we had almost no videos in May thanks to the Cyclethon, followed by an explosion of content in June. And this year? Well, the pattern continues.
So, what the dickens is going on off camera? Let me reveal all.
📘 Book #2: If my 21 year old self thought the exam was stressful, my 35 year old self is currently battling a book publisher’s deadline.
I’m currently deep in writing a second book, this time about travelling off the beaten path in Japan and shining a spotlight on unexplored regions from Tohoku to Shikoku to Kyushu and Hokkaido. I’m having a lot of fun with it as it’s a cross between a guide and a collection of short stories, with the perfect title to match.
That being said, it’s been significantly harder to write, mostly because this time I actually have to do research and reading for it. If all goes well, the book will be finished by summer and released next year. If it doesn’t, I’ll vanish into the woods of rural Yamaguchi and live off moss.
I always suspected I had two books in me, and I’m now confident that after this one, it’ll take a full decade and possibly a midlife crisis before I attempt another. So it has to be good.
The Abroad in Japan book continues to go from strength to strength too - just yesterday I received a copy of the German edition of the book which recently peaked at #12 in Germany’s non-fiction charts. It’s crazy stuff and thank you to German readers/viewers here on Patreon that grabbed a copy! I’ve no doubt the follow up will get the faithful German translation it deserves as well. (It’s also releasing in Spanish in the not too distant future too!)
🌋 The Volcano Documentary: Having wrapped filming just before the Cyclethon, the team has been editing our next documentary on Japan’s deadliest volcanoes. It’s been months in the making, shot across three locations, and it’s purely a passion project, entirely funded by you guys here on Patreon.
Amidst a country battling earthquakes and tsunamis, volcanoes often go under the radar, and yet they threaten communities and cities across the country. Coming from the UK where our greatest threat is poor political decisions, it’s sobering to stand in the shadow of a sleeping monster. And all the more impressive chatting with the locals who live nearby these ticking time bombs.
Right now we’re scheduled to launch in June and it should be a fascinating episode that I can’t wait to share with you all. Thank you for making it possible!
🍸 LOST Bar — 6-Month Update So many viewers have been requesting an update on LOST Bar.
Yes, it still exists. Yes, we still serve cocktails. And somehow, we’re now the biggest dispensary of British cheese in Tokyo. I’m not entirely sure what that says about the city… or us… but I’m calling it a victory. Every week we sell about 60 blocks of 500g of mature cheese!
A video will be dropping later this month (likely on the Chris Abroad channel) sharing what’s really been going on behind the scenes. Spoiler: running a bar in Japan is anything but dull!
🗼 Tokyo Travel Guide (feat. Natsuki) This week, Natsuki’s in town and we’re embarking on our most ambitious mission yet — filming what may well become the definitive travel guide to Tokyo. And not just the “here’s Shibuya Crossing, isn’t it mad” kind. We’re talking every corner of the world’s biggest city, from glitzy skyscrapers to noodle shops hidden in basements that smell faintly of socks and miso.
We hope this video will help travellers see the real Tokyo, beyond the usual sushi conveyor belts and robot cafes, and into the side streets, back alleys, and glorious weirdness that make the city truly unforgettable.
Wish us luck on the shoot!
🥪 All the Sandwiches in Japan In a moment of weakness, I let Connor talk me into filming a video where we attempt to eat every sandwich in Japan. And I don’t mean the nice café ones with sourdough and smugness. I mean every plastic-wrapped, convenience store monstrosity we could get our hands on.
What began as a light-hearted food adventure quickly descended into a mayonnaise-soaked fever dream. I now flinch at the sight of Lawson’s egg salad like a man haunted by war.
The video will drop on CDawgVA in the weeks ahead. Watch it so my suffering wasn’t in vain. 📽️ 13 Years on YouTube — A Retrospective And finally, I’m working on a more personal video looking back on 13 years of life on YouTube. I’ve felt more self reflective than usual recently, I think brought on by turning 35. But the video is part therapy session about the lessons I’ve learned, and part reflection on the many mistakes I’ve made along the way.
There’s plenty I’ve never shared, and this video is my attempt to look back with a mix of honesty, sarcasm, and just enough dignity to avoid a full emotional breakdown on camera.
So the pressure is very much still on. But at least this time it’s self-inflicted, slightly more meaningful, and involves fewer exams and more volcanoes.
For now guys, I hope you're having a great Thursday! Get ready for things to kick off in the weeks ahead.
Hey guys, Hope you've had a splendid weekend! So this week I'll be shooting the annual Abroad in Japan Q&A, answering questions sent in by viewers from around the world. As I've just turned 35 I feel in a weirdly poignant, profound mood, which should make this all the more unsettling and fun.
Whether it's about Japan, Youtube, travel, language, books, philosophy, life, death, the universe or fried chicken, I'm your guy.
We source questions from Youtube, Instagram, FB and Twitter (god forbid), but we always try to prioritise the questions sent in here on Patreon, so know there's a higher than average chance your questions will feature in the Abroad in Japan episode.
And for those questions that don't feature, FEAR NOT, as we'll also have a dedicated Patreon exclusive Q&A episode, where I'll answer as many of your questions as possible!
So without further ado, ask away with #askabroad! Have yourselves a great start to the week.
One of the strangest things about finishing a massive project like Cyclethon is the comedown.
For two weeks, Connor and I were riding high — quite literally — through snow, cherry blossoms, and what I’m pretty sure was a bear-infested mountain range. And then, just like that, it’s over.
One minute you’re waving to a crowd outside of one of Tokyo's tallest towers, the next you’re sat alone in a room, wondering if your thighs will ever forgive you.
Honestly, it happens every time. Whether it’s Journey Across Japan or Cyclethon, the adrenaline wears off and you’re left staring into space, clutching a coffee and a piece of Family Mart chicken, trying to process what the heck happened.
But now that the dust has settled — and the saddle sores have mostly healed and I thought I’d share a few thoughts!
Was it better than Cyclethon 3? Connor and I weren’t sure we could top it. That one had it all: Tokyo Tower, Mount Fuji, and me terrorising children with a water pistol at Legoland. And yet... somehow, we did it.
Not only did we somehow raise more money for the Immune Deficiency Foundation — over $1 million again — but this time, it felt like we had a bigger team spirit. Not only did we have legendary guests like Garnt, Felix, and Rob, but we also had Pete doing Pete things, and Ironmouse joining daily to raise our spirits. It never felt like just the two of us. It really did feel like a crew.
As for the route itself, gone was the epic urban grind through Hiroshima, Osaka" and Nara and more of an adventure across the literal edge of Japan starting in Nemuro. We pedalled through Hokkaido’s snow lined streets, into springtime Tohoku, and finished in the summer heat of Tokyo. Minus two degrees to plus twenty in two weeks. It felt like we cycled through the seasons, not just the country.
Physically, it was brutal. But here's the good news: unlike Cyclethon 3, where I somehow managed to gain weight (carb loading got taken too far, I can't deny), this time I dropped from 92kg to 88kg. Four kilograms down. Still a long way to go but it's an encouraging start!
And weirdly, despite doing absolutely no training — I hadn’t touched a bike since the last Cyclethon — muscle memory kicked in. My body seemed to go, “Oh yeah. This again,” and got on with it.
At the end of the day, that’s the real takeaway for me: I’m 35 now. Time to take health seriously. This Cyclethon, as ridiculous as it was, might just be the thing that kickstarts a long-overdue fitness regime.
Massive thanks to everyone who supported us — whether you donated, watched, commented, or screamed at us to eat more bananas every morning. The Van Gang were amazing, the guests were top-tier, and you guys made it all worthwhile.
Now it’s back to real life. Videos, book writing, and plotting the next absurd thing to put our bodies through. I’m already thinking about what comes next, especially in the absence of a big project like Journey Across Japan. It's time we conjured up a new series.
For now guys, hope your May’s off to a great start! Looking forward to sharing some new and exciting videos/projects with you shortly. — Chris
P.S. There's a highlight reel on Instagram I made called Cyclethon 4. Halfway through there's an awesome little video of Ian folding clothes in a rather cinematic looking laundromat. I bloody love it. He really is the unsung hero of all Cyclethons! He never gets all the praise he deserves!
53 YEARS OLD TODAY! (According to my birthday present)🎂🎉 Honestly, this photo is the shocked expression of someone whose never seen so much cheese in Japan 😅
✨Thank you to everyone for all the warm birthday wishes. It was a spectacular day - it started with a painful 65km cycle over a mountain range and ended with Japan’s biggest cheeseboard surrounded by amazing friends.
We’re now 9 days into our Cyclethon and my legs are beyond repair. But thanks to this incredible community, over $467,000 has been raised for the Immune Deficiency Foundation so far! Knowing I’ve been a part of this is seriously the greatest birthday present of all. (Though to be fair the cheeseboard was pretty damn impressive🤩).
Credit due to Connor for finding this impressive amount of cheese! Back on the road tomorrow across the plains of Iwate! It might just be the stretch I’ve been looking forward to the most given it’s mostly flat and Iwate’s plains are full of hidden shrines, temples and hamlets. We’re in for a treat!
Before this Cyclethon is over I’ll be sitting down to shoot a Patreon vlog letting you guys know how it’s all been going behind the scenes. But to be honest, I do think it’s my favourite series yet. We experienced winter in Hokkaido. Spring in Tohoku and soon summer when we arrive in Tokyo. 3 seasons in two weeks! With the scenery to match. Anyway best get to bed - long day ahead tomrorow.
Thanks again for all the support on stream and the birthdays wishes guys! ✨
Looking forward to taking good care of all that cheese on tomorrow’s journey 😋
I'm currently holed up in a rural Hokkaido hotel room that looks like it's been transported from the 1960's, with barely less than 12 hours to go before Connor and I begin our epic Cyclethon from Hokkaido all the way to Tokyo!
It's our biggest cycle yet and honestly I worry we've not done as good a job promoting it as we did last year - hopefully tonight's Abroad in Japan video will be a decent way of reminding folks if anything.
Both Connor and I have been in Japan many years now, and we sat down to discuss the 12 things that have driven us mad over the years! It's almost like a Podcast of sorts, but it was a fun video / discussion and dare I say, hopefully inisghtful.
The weather is looking pretty good for tomorrow albeit rather damn cold, but super excited to hit the road. I'd be lying if I said I felt prepared, but I can't recall a single cycle where I have in all honesty, haha.
I need to get myself to bed right now, but I'll be posting updates here on Patreon throughout the journey and over on Instagram (seems like the easiest place to share photos/videos).
Hope to see you on stream tomorrow! Kick off is 9am on Connor's Twitch. Wish us luck! - Chris.
P.S. Stuffed full of sushi right now too. East Hokkaido has the best tuna in Japan, my god!
FIRST an apology - as you know I like to hold our monthly Patreon livestreams in the last few days of the month (or weekend preferably). However, I spent the last few days of March feeling a bit under the weather (presumably as working on two videos in one week took its toll).
The stream wouldn't have been a whole lot of fun, with me lying face down on a floor in a wreck. With that in mind, the March stream will be this coming weekend on Saturday 5th April!
This means we'll have two streams this month - with the other later in the month after the epic cycle.
To be honest, I think it should be quite the entertaining spectacle to chat both BEFORE and AFTER the massive 1,000km journey and see what effect it has physically/mentally. An experiment of sorts, haha.
Two videos in one week? It must be an April fools!
Or did I get abducted by aliens and unlock the secrets of space, time and physics? Sadly not. But it has been a crazy week.
I think the closest thing I've seen to an April fool this week is that Ryotaro is randomly in Uzbekistan! I thought maybe he did get taken and dropped off in the wrong place, but turns out he was just on a long awaited family holiday (hope he's having fun!).
I’ve been juggling two ridiculously different projects simultaneously all week. On the one hand, I've spent my time buried in government documents, travelling to Fukushima, poring over UFO photos and unlocking the mysteries of humanity.
On the other, I've been sat in various Tokyo restaurants stuffing my face, consuming an ungodly amount of reasonably priced food. It's a reminder of what an utterly absurd job this is.
But the truth is, I knew the UFO topic might alienate (pun not intended) a fair few viewers. So I wanted something else to balance it out. And hopefully, regardless of how you feel about the UFO topic, you can gauge my enthusiasm for the subject.
I've also said the most rewarding part of producing Abroad in Japan videos is trying to challenge myself in terms of filmmaking and cinematography and even more enjoyable than covering UFOs, was lighting the studio and transforming it into the den of an investigative reporter. Though, admittedly, it looked more like a rambling mad man's shed.
Still the challenge of lighting the set, the props (and photos), the composition, colour grading and chromatic aberration made shooting in the studio incredibly fun and rewarding. The whole shoot was like a practical film studies course and I'm delighted with the end result.
Meanwhile because I know not everyone is interested in UFOs (and sadly, the video has done predictably not so great), I wanted a completely different video - and one that may be more useful to travellers visiting Japan.
I also came to a rather soul-crushing realisation this week: almost nobody seems to know about Japan’s greatest culinary treasure — a humble little restaurant chain called Ootoya. Frankly, this is a travesty. It’s cheap, it’s delicious, it’s everywhere, and yet for some baffling reason, it’s been entirely overlooked in favour of gimmicky conveyor-belt sushi and ¥12,000 slices of fruit.
I do realise that by mentioning it here, I may well have sealed my own fate. The lunchtime queues are already bad enough. But if I turn up next week and find I have to wait behind a busload of Abroad in Japan viewers, I won't complain!
With all that in mind I challenged myself to see how far I could get on ¥1,000 at five Japanese chain restaurants. And it's out now for your viewing pleasure.
Forgive me for the damn video thumbnail, I made it hastily last night. As we always put the effort into the content, never the marketing.
CYCLETHON 4: Kicking off April 13th But the rest of this month is shaping up to be... well, utter chaos.
We’ve officially kicked off preparations for Cyclethon 4 — our wildest, longest, most ridiculous cycling adventure yet, from Hokkaido all the way down to Tokyo. We announced it on stream last week, and I’m dangerously excited.
Hokkaido, as many of you know, is God’s gift to cyclists. Vast, empty roads, stunning scenery, and just enough bears to keep things interesting. Even Connor agrees with me — and that never happens. We’re kicking off at Cape Nosappu, Japan’s easternmost point — the kind of place where it genuinely feels like you could fall off the edge of the world if you’re not careful. I’ve wanted to return ever since Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers, though fingers crossed it’s not quite as cold this time (as last time it was -17 celcius). Otherwise, we’ll be cycling for all of six minutes before curling up in a snowdrift and quietly dying.
I’ve now got 12 days to get fit — which is, let’s be honest, not enough. So if anyone has any miracle cures for becoming a semi-professional athlete in under two weeks, do get in touch. Preferably before I’m hospitalised.
Before we hit the road, we’ve got one more video coming your way — a proper old-school moan with Connor in the Abroad in Japan studio, where we shout at clouds and complain about modern life for a good 30–40 minutes. Should be fun.
Until then — enjoy the latest videos, let me know what you think, and spare a thought for me as I attempt to become marginally less round before embarking on 1,000km of self-inflicted suffering.
Next up on Abroad in Japan we catch up with Ryotaro and go on the hunt for UFO's at Japan's most active UFO hotspot in the remote mountains of Fukushima.
It's there that we practically beg the UFO's to take Ryotaro away, back to his home planet. Over the years you may have heard me allude to my interest in UFO's in various places and I've been looking forward to making this video for a long time.
For 5 years now I've spent pockets of free time reading books and consuming documentaries on the subject and while I don't think I'll truly believe until I witness some hard evidence, there's no doubt something of interest is going on. Most notably in the US, where in recent year numerous high-ranking officials have testified under oath, that there are top secret UFO crash retrieval programs going on.
Either something odd is going on, or dozens of very high ranking individuals are being deceived and either option is both intriguing and worrying.
ENTER JAPAN. A town in Fukushima, centered around a strange mountain claims to have witnessed multiple UFO's on numerous occasions over the decades.
And Ryotaro and I were able to sit down with a first hand witness and hear his story. I realise the UFO subject can be a big turn-off for many, which is why I've been reluctant to cover it until now. And the honest truth is after many years, I still haven't found anything conclusive. Every piece of evidence is usually missing a crucial piece of data that undermines it.
But it was a lot of fun to cover the subject given how much time I've spent reading up on it over the years. And I hope viewers will come away surprised by some of the stories we'll touch on.
Unfortunately though, nobody ended up beaming Ryotaro away this time.
-------------------- CYCLETHON 4 Tomorrow I'm joining Connor for a stream on Twitch and it's there we'll announce the details of the hotly anticipated upcoming Cyclethon! It's set to take place in the second half of April, with a ridiculously long distance and a truly epic route that excites me even more than last year's journey.
I'll be able to share more details from tomorrow, but it promises to a spectacular month. Unlike previous cycles, I won't be shooting a video this time, simply as we've done it three times now and there's only so many times we can shoot scenes like "And then we got off the bike at 7/11. Then we got back on the bikes and cycled more." I feel like I'd rather go all in on joining the streams without needing to worry about making a video.
But on the flip side, I hope to chronicle the journey a lot better in real time, particularly on Patreon and Instagram with photos/videos and unique insights form our trip.
And for those of you who can't join Connor's streams, he'll be uploading an edited version thereafter. --------------------
AND FINALLY! As you guys may have seen in ad in the last Wacky Weekend, we've launched our own e-sim, Journey Japan eSim, offering up super-fast, reliable internet to travellers coming to Japan.
We launched it a month ago and since then over a thousand people have used it - including my parents while they were over for two weeks recently and it's been going very smoothly.
There's a lot of crappy companies out there exploiting overseas travellers with cheap prices, then throttling the data and causing stress and misery for those on holiday.
If you're planning to visit Japan this year, I can't recommend Journey Japan eSim enough. My parents were in awe at just how fast the internet was compared to the UK!
And if you're visiting this Spring and you grab one, we're offering a 500 yen discount off your first cocktail or mocktail at LOST bar in Shibuya. What a synergy haha.
For now though guys, have yourself a great weekend and keep an eye out next week for the new mini-doc with Ryotaro on Abroad in Japan!
And we're back on the road...quite literally. Well guys on today's episode Natsuki and I squeeze in to Japan's smallest car and find out
And we're back on the road...quite literally.
Well guys on today's episode Natsuki and I squeeze in to Japan's smallest car and find out just how far it can travel on a single tank of fuel.
Expect dinosaurs, fried chicken and Ray Charles. Naturally.
Honestly, ever since we picked up this tiny marvel at the start of Journey Across Japan and then proceeded to drive it non stop for 21 days whilst only needing to stop to re-fuel it 2 or 3 times, I had wondered just how economical it really was.
With only a tiny under powered engine and a lightweight chassis, the kei car very casually sips at fuel and we found out how far that can get you.
Check out the Patreon exclusive video to hear more about what the original plans were for the video, did it all go to plan and was any of it scripted? You can also see and hear Natsuki's rap, which was too obscene to publish. What a treat.
Hey guys, Hope you've all had a great week! (Also, where the heck did February go?!)
Either way, it's time for our livestream catch up, where we take a look at what lies ahead in March, and chat about my revenge plot on Connor in the most recent Wacky Weekend episode.
I also be answering your question on ANYTHING along the way - be sure to come armed with a drink.
Hey everyone, I hope your weekend’s going better than Connor’s did in our ill fated train episode.
If you haven’t seen the latest Wacky Weekend, in which I systematically break Connor’s spirit over two days in Kyushu, then be sure to give it a watch on Youtube!
Now, I assumed people would be outraged at the psychological and physical torment I inflicted on him—but no. The real controversy?
I didn’t cook a steak properly.
Let’s be clear: I CAN cook a steak. I just deliberately made it worse for Connor because I believe in balance. The universe gave him a deep, soothing voice and an abundance of youthful energy, so it was only fair that I gifted him food poisoning in return.
Also, if you enjoy exclusive bonus content, including 18 glorious minutes of deleted scenes, outtakes, and footage that was too awkward for public release, you can find it right here on Patreon.
It’s been a quiet start to the year publically, and you might be wondering why. The truth is, no—I haven’t been kidnapped, and I haven’t run off to join some weird rural cult that worships vending machines.
Over the past decade, I’ve been bloody lucky to traverse every prefecture of Japan, climb Mount Fuji twice, and consume a truly formidable quantity of FamilyMart fried chicken. But the one thing I have consistently failed to do?
Master the Japanese language.
Now, to be fair, my Japanese isn’t entirely terrible. I can read around 2,000 words with relative ease. Hell, I can order a fine meal in a rural town, converse with the locals over sake and then fall down a ditch thereafter.
But here’s the problem: 📌 I still can’t read an entire book without wanting to cry. 📌 My public speaking in Japanese makes me sound like I’m a possessed sat-nav. 📌 And worst of all, I’m missing out on amazing opportunities to produce documentaries via hindered interviews.
It's consistently been my only real regret living in Japan. That I've never become fluent to a native level. I've had plenty of time in between everything I've done to achieve it. There's really no excuse.
So, in the past few weeks, I’ve finally buckled down to sort this out. Not just to pass a JLPT test (which I might take), but more importantly, to rebuild my confidence in Japanese.
---------------------------------------- How I’m Studying (It’s Painful)
Now I realise this isn't the first time I've declared this. But this time, I'm announcing it over one month in to my studies. It's actually happening!
So far, progress has been good, mostly because I’ve forced myself into a daily study routine. I’m using SRS (spaced repetition software)—which sounds fancy but is basically flashcards on steroids.
🔹 The process? I get a sentence with a missing word, and I have to fill in the blank. 🔹 If I get it wrong, I get slapped in the face with it repeatedly until I remember. 🔹 If I get it right, it smugly disappears for a few days before coming back to test me again.
This brutal technique is insanely effective, and I plan to grind through 4,000 words this year. On average, I’m reading 300 to 500 sentences a day, which takes about an hour of my life I’ll never get back.
(FYI: It looks like this)
I then go out and use the new words in conversation, usually with Natsuki or Ryotaro, both of whom will feature in upcoming videos.
Speaking of which… ---------------------------------------- What’s Next?
We have a huge Natsuki road trip video . While I won't reveal what our ridiculous goal was just yet, we ended up crossing five prefectures in two days in my beloved kei car, which—until recently—was about as roadworthy as a shopping trolley on fire.
Shockingly, Natsuki fixed it.
Yes, he spent $1,000 replacing the battery, windows, and air conditioning—which means that the repairs officially cost more than the actual car.
This is not how capitalism is supposed to work. But I'll take it! The Jurassic Park clip at the top was taken amidst the shoot as we passed through Fukui.
As for Ryotaro, I'll keep that one under wraps for now. Suffice it to say, it's a really cool mini-doc that I've been wanting to shoot for a long time. ----------------------------------------
The Grand Strategy for 2025 (Or: How I Plan to Make Life Even Harder for Myself)
I haven’t fully figured out what 2025 looks like yet. But here’s what I do know:
✅ More documentaries—covering serious topics and intriguing stories ✅ Less travel content, more challenge videos—I still want to travel Japan but under the guise of undertaking certain quests with a purpose (like our next upcoming video) ✅ More creative risks—because I've been doing the same thing for almost 12 years now
I’ll be honest—I feel like I haven’t been incrementally improving as much as I used to. However, on the most recent Wacky Weekend, we experimented with new color grading, and my god—it looks stunning.
ALSO shoutout to Marcus, our editor, for some top-tier animation work on the Japanese history and myths section.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how YouTube has become a landfill of forgettable content. There are millions of videos being pumped out every day, most of which will be watched once, if at all, and then discarded like a used napkin.
My goal this year is to avoid becoming part of the content landfill.
I want to make videos that stick with people, that actually mean something.
Even if that something is simply “god help you if you take me to Okinawa to do water sports." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another reason I’ve been a bit quiet?
I’m writing another book. That's right, I’ve decided to put myself through another publishing deadline. God help me.
But that’s a story for another day.
For now, I’m heading back to editing the Natsuki road trip video. Have a great weekend, and thanks as always for the support!
Chris
P.S. Don't forget our epic collection of Patreon Exclusive Content guys! We've got more than any other Youtube channel I know.
⭐⭐ Abroad in Japan Patreon | 50+ Bonus Episodes ⭐⭐
Apologies for the delay guys, had a few copyright issues with a 1980’s classic featured in the video. As you’ll see though, it was (probably) worth the wait to get the song cleared…
In this rather epic episode we: ✅ Enjoy the worst ever noodle dish ✅ Discover the original Bond villain’s lair (for real) ✅Nearly die on a toboggan ✅Fly in a helicopter over the biggest volcano in Japan ✅Have our dinner stolen by cats ✅ And of course, Connor walks off the shoot.
It’ll be interesting to see if people think this was staged, but it was a genuine reaction. Is Connor gullible? Am I monster? I suspect the answer is somewhere in between. What are your thoughts?
That helicopter ride definitely made up for everything I put him through though let’s face it.
I really wanted to elevate the cinematography in this episode and do Kyushu’s jaw dropping landscapes. With that in mind, I really went all out with the drone shots where possible. I’m particularly proud of this shot of Kaimondake, the sea and our car.
I stood by the side of the road for 20 minutes while Connor drove back and forth in frustration. But I’d been wanting to get this shot for some years and I’m delighted to have pulled it off!
But we’ve got a thoroughly entertaining Patreon Exclusive episode of outtakes, bloopers and deleted scenes for you to enjoy, once you’ve made it through the massive 42 minute episode on Abroad in Japan.
Hey guys, I've returned from my many travels to the UK and Canada. I'm once again Abroad in Japan and I'm ready to get back to work.
That's not to say the last few weeks haven't been busy - the team and I have been working on the first video of 2025, an epic, revenge-filled episode filled with cats, noodles, trains, helicopters and volcanoes. (Revenge for Connor's attempts to burst my eardrum on last year's final outing to Okinawa to do water sports on his channel).
It might be one of my favourite Wacky Weekends yet, for the sheer variety of locations we packed in, with the usual bickering you'd expect from a weekend with Connor. Albeit this time, with more genuine drama than usual.
We've got a rather big Patreon bonus episode for this one, but in the meantime, I want to share with you guys the Patreon exclusive trailer. It'll do it justice better than words ever could.
I've also been working on a new book! I figured it made sense to get as much written over the quiet month of January as possible, before we begin filming again this week.
I'm immensely proud of the Abroad in Japan book and how well it seems to have done; it's been an incredible experience re-living the magic of those first three years. It's bloody awesome knowing thousands of folks around the world now know where Yamagata is! While I was meandering around the UK, it was utterly surreal spotting it in shop fronts and on bookshelves along the way.
If the first book was about the internal journey of self-discovery that came with moving to a faraway land, the next book is much more of a literal journey, covering off the beaten path locations for travellers to Japan. With the rise in tourism to Japan (a record 36m last year), there's never been a greater need to get folks out to more rural, unconventional sights, so the whole country can benefit from overseas tourism. And of course, so tourists can have their own unique travels here, as opposed to the usual Golden Route of Tokyo & Kyoto. I hope the new book hits that problem head on and brings together 12 years of amazing experiences into an exciting read. More on that later in the year though!
Every year I set myself new targets and goals and for 2025, the aim is simple. - To make videos that people remember. In this day and age, videos, shorts and reels spew out day and night onto our screens. We click, we watch, we forget and move on.
I want to do everything I can to produce original, entertaining, insightful videos that people remember and that stand the test of time.
This may sound like pretty obvious stuff, but I feel over the years I've become more of an outright Japan travel content creator, rather than being my own person. When I set out to do this, I want to be nothing more than a sarcastic commentator living in Japan - then Abroad in Japan slowly morphed into an amazing travel resource, diluting some of that personality along the way. I want to get back to being the repulsive character I created when I started doing this in 2012.
Following on from the success of last year's earthquake episode, I'd also like to produce more documentary content in between as well.
We've got a clear slate for the year ahead and a lot of exciting ideas to see through, including a first shoot next week with Natsuki! It's time we finally put our beloved, under-utilised Kei car from Journey Across Japan to the test after a year of neglect. We're going to be putting it through its paces for sure! For now though, what would you like to see on Abroad in Japan in 2025? Let your voice be heard, as many of the best ideas we've had over the years have come from the Abroad in Japan Patreon community!
In the meantime guys, have a great weekend and enjoy the trailer for the upcoming Wacky Weekend episode, dropping next week!
It's been a while since we caught up, there's a post coming up on Patreon later today with lots of awesome updates and a preview of the upcoming Wacky Weekend episode.
But after spending time back in the UK and Canada, I'm finally home in Japan this week and ready to really dive into 2025.
Lots of awesome news to discuss and I hope you'll join me for the live show tomorrow!
It's a slight earlier time than normal for me at 8am (don't worry I'm so jet lagged I've been getting up at 6am, so I won't be an early morning wreck!).
Well guys as we head over the border into 2025, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your support this year.
It's hard to put into words how grateful I am to the Abroad in Japan Patreon community that's stood behind us over the course of the last half decade and allowed us to do extraordinary things. I've only ever wanted to do you all proud!
So what did we get up to in 2024?
🌟 In January, we concluded our epic 17-part travel series Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop North, a massive Patreon funded series from the mountains of Yamagata, to the somewhat freezing islands of Matsushima.
🌟In March we released the Abroad in Japan Book in paperback, which went on to become No.1 best selling Non-Fiction book in the UK for six weeks!
🌟We also deprived Connor of electricity and wifi in Japan's most remote inn - one of my favourite videos of the year.
🌟In April, together with Connor and Pete we cycled over 1,000km raising over $1 Million for charity (and incredibly without injury).
🌟In May, we traversed the entire Yamanote Line in Tokyo, filming at every single stop and nearly going insane along the way.
🌟In June, in the most surreal and absurd turns of events, we visited Buckingham Palace to meet the Emperor and King Charles to celebrate UK-Japan relations (and drink all the wine).
🌟In August, we opened Lost Bar in the middle of Shibuya, Tokyo which has gone from strength to strength (and drank all the cocktails).
🌟In October, Natsuki and I shared the 12 Unspoken Rules of Japan with the world, in what's quickly become our biggest hit video of the year!
🌟End of November, I finally had a rant about Logan Paul that's been six year in the making.
🌟And this month we released our long awaited Earthquake documentary (entirely Patreon funded), shining a spotlight on the town of Wajima and a disaster that's sadly gone under the radar in terms of international publicity.
All in all, it's been an astonishing year and you've been there every step of the way.
It'll be a tough year to beat, but I've already got a ton of exciting ideas waiting to be unleashed in the months ahead. (And our first video of the year is a Wacky Weekend in Kyushu).
But what was your Abroad in Japan highlight of this year and what do you want to see us do the most in 2025? Let me know below - and it could well happen!
For now though guys, have yourself a very Happy New Year!
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas wherever you might be out there in the world today guys!
In terms of presents I got a stylish phone case, a shiny new rucksack and a jumper that almost fit. Still something to aspire to fit in for 2025.
Christmas dinner was exceptional - the juiciest turkey I've enjoyed this year.
Watched 'The Holiday'. Suffice it to say, I should have stuck with a Christmas Carol or Die Hard! Jack Black and Kate Winslet’s romance felt about as believable as my love for quinoa.
And in case you missed it, we had one last rant video pop up yesterday on Abroad in Japan!
So we took it to the track, strapped in, and did a proper time trial showdown. Then we let a professional racing driver have a go, who was able to put us all to shame.
Somehow, we survived, but the real star of the show wasn’t us - it was the track itself. They literally carved a mountain in half to build it and the entire location looks like the headquarters of a Bond villain who has an unhealthy addiction to Gran Turismo.
This was one of the hardest shoots we’ve done all year, and I seriously underestimate how hard it is to film on race tracks every time (the previous drift episode with Ryotaro was no easy task). 
There’s still loads coming before this episode too!
In other news, the charming Alex James from Blur swung by LOST bar last week! It was a pleasant surprise - he was over in Japan championing British food and drink and the powers that be deemed our bar a worthy stop. Most likely due to the absurd fact LOST is now the biggest dispensary of British cheese in Japan. His team filmed it so hopefully our chat will be out in the near future.
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).
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.
Right now we’re scheduled to launch in June and it should be a fascinating episode that I can’t wait to share with you all. Thank you for making it possible!
📽️ 13 Years on YouTube — A Retrospective
Over the years you may have heard me allude to my interest in UFO's in various places and I've been looking forward to making this video for a long time.
