Day 10 was one of the days I was looking forward to the least, for one simple reason: Nagoya, the infamous mega-city that I've ranted about endlessly over the last decade.
My first ever experience of the city was getting stuck in a traffic jam for almost three hours during my first year living in Japan. My second experience in Nagoya involved switching trains at the train station and eating some chicken wings, the local dish, which admittedly wasn't too bad. But, to be fair, I've never really explored Nagoya.
It's a mega-city with few discernible features, and rather than cycling through the centre of the city, which likely has some nice sights and scenes, such as the castle (at least I think there's a castle), we got to cycle through the industrial zone for almost six or seven hours straight. Yes, that's right, six or seven hours. The city's simply that big.
As we got underway, Natsuki joined us for the first leg of the journey, albeit his time on the cycle was somewhat short-lived. After just one hour, we hit a hill, and the man, the myth, the legend — puffing, wheezing, panting — relented and ended up going into the van, probably for the best. Towards the end, he was swaying a little bit, and I was worried that he would swerve straight into the front of a truck, which would probably bring an end to both Natsuki and the cyclethon.
Still, we're really glad to have had Natsuki on board. He brought a much-needed morale boost and it was a ton of fun as expected. As always, I'm proud and impressed that Japan's most unhealthy individual, who lives off a diet of coffee and cigarettes, was able to get from A to B unscathed and have some fun along the way.
As we cycled into Nagoya, it wasn't all bad. We had our first bowl of miso ramen on the trip, and it was simply delightful. I stuffed myself with miso cha-han rice, and gyoza. Best of all, after making a bet with viewers of reaching $500,000 in donations, we succeeded, which meant we got the ultimate prize - to go to Legoland.
I haven't been to Legoland since the year 2001. Even though I love Lego, I don't go out of my way to find the stuff. But, when we saw Legoland along our path, we had to make a pitstop. And oh my god, it couldn't have been more fun than it was.
Not only was Miniland incredibly detailed and spectacular, but on one ride - the Pirate Ship Adventure - bystanders get to squirt passengers riding on the pirate ship with a powerful water pistol. And boy, I really went ham with that water pistol, drenching families, loved ones, friends, individuals — nobody was spared from my treacherous soaking. That'll teach them to go on the pirate ship ride. They experienced the true meaning of Soak for Hope.
After Legoland, though, the fun was promptly over and it was back on the bike. For the next two and a half hours, Connor and I battled through endless industrial estates and tedious concrete jungles to reach our final destination on the far side of Nagoya.
Would I recommend Nagoya? Absolutely not.
Legoland might have been great, and the ramen was delicious. But my thoughts and feelings on Nagoya remain unchanged. I won't be back in a hurry.
Looking forward to the days ahead…
They're going to be tough, but I've always wanted to cycle through Shizuoka, as it's one of the few places in Japan I've truly yet to explore. And we're not far off the miracle of seeing Mount Fuji.
I won't lie — I was actively dreading this day more than most: 90 kilometres across Kansai, through the mega cities of Kobe and Osaka. After a thoroughly pleasant day cycling with PewDiePie to Himeji, today was going to be an onslaught of cycling, heatstroke, sun, and mountains.
While I love Kobe as a city to explore, I'd never wanted to cycle across it given the fact Kobe is built into the side of a mountain — a mountain I knew we would have to partially ascend to get around. And ascend we did. Cycling through a city is my least favourite thing: constant traffic lights, dodging cars and traffic. Every lorry feels like it's designed to kill you, with exhaust plumes blowing air into your mouth as you cycle. There's nothing fun about it.
Fortunately, in the latter half of our cycle, as we reached Osaka, we came across a fellow cyclist by the name of Toro. When he asked where we were going and we replied Osaka Station, it turned out that was also his destination and he kindly escorted us through the chaos of Osaka, safely to our end point. American Pete was graciously waiting for us on the steps, at the end of the first half of our cycle, injecting us with a much-needed morale boost for the rest of our journey.
Day 8
A day I had been looking forward to, as our shortest day of cycling at just 35 kilometres across Osaka to Nara. And it couldn't have started any better than it did with a visit to a huge pizza restaurant run by Alex Hughes, a wonderful chap that Ian had met on an airplane to London. My God, it was some of the finest pizza I've had in years. Powered on by pizza, we plowed into the mountains that reside between Osaka and Nara — a not so enjoyable aspect of the journey. However, our reward at the end was, of course, the cheeky Nara deer resting in the park. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any crackers. That wasn't so good. Luckily for us, some passersby took pity on us and gave us their crackers.
Day 9
If the stretch from Himeji to Osaka was the longest day, and Osaka to Nara was the shortest day, then the journey from Nara to Mie Prefecture was indeed the most gruelling day as we ascended a 600 metre mountain — I say mountain, but it was more of a mountain range — to get across over to Mie. It was nothing short of painful.
At one point, we had to walk our bikes up the mountainside and even that was incredibly difficult, such was the verticality of the mountainside. And yet, surprisingly, despite the immeasurable pain we experienced in the first two hours of our journey, as we cycled down the mountainside into the prefecture of Mie and the land of Iga, once home to the Iga Ninjas, we were rewarded with incredible cherry blossoms, hidden hamlet towns, rivers, streams, springs — nothing short of stunning, the closest thing yet I've had to reliving Ghost of Tsushima, the video game.
Somehow it was fitting that the most brutal day eventually rewarded us with the best views of the trip so far. And as an added bonus, halfway through the day, Natsuki joined us, having traveled all the way from Yamagata to be with us.
Everyone on the team was terrified of Natsuki cycling. However, he pulled through, and ironically, despite my fear of Natsuki falling off, it turned out I was the one to fall off the bicycle myself, stupidly while trying to film a corner with my camera and holding onto my bike with one hand. My front tyre hit Connor's back tyre, and off I went, tumbling into the pavement. Fortunately, a few scratches, cuts, and bruises were all I suffered from the slight mishap, and I remained as determined as ever to power on into the final five days of our epic, endless cycle trip.
A trip that feels like one big, long dream at this point, as each and every day blurs into one.
Thank you guys for continuing to give what you can. Your comments, donations and support are spurring us forward as we head onwards into Nagoya.
Chris
P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements, coming soon, about the Abroad in Japan book…
Of all the places we've started our morning cycle Onomichi was one of the nicest, with the sea breeze blowing in my hair as I made my way along the coastline with Connor.
We must have been the only people in the town with bikes who weren't cycling the iconic Shimanami Kaido and I almost felt sad that we weren't, as we passed the bridge that symbolises the starting point of the journey.
Still, the day took an intriguing turn as we were joined by our second guest - PewDiePie himself. I've known Felix for about two years now and to me he's just Felix the Swedish guy. A nice humble Swedish guy who seems to hate Norwegians. I often forget that he himself is a YouTuber with a massive empire and an incredible career and no sooner did we thrust him onto camera, were viewers delighted to see him back in action after his so called 'retirement' in Japan (though he does still put out videos, particularly ones involving his newfound drawing skills).
I was worried about Felix joining given he’s annoyingly fit with that bloody six pack that I envy greatly. However, he seemed to be at our level and we made a pretty good trio for our day of cycling as we reached Okayama City.
Halfway through the day Felix stole Connor's bike and returned with it fully pimped out with elaborate gear including a Welsh flag, a seat cover and some colourful flowers for the spokes on the bike - much to the delight of some passing schoolchildren waving and pointing with glee.
I won't lie, once again, I was sad that we missed out another iconic place - Kurashiki - the Venice of Japan, which we were lucky to visit on the original journey across Japan. Still we had a lot more time then (46 days compared to 14 days for this). So I can’t complain.
Day 6
Starting our journey from Okayama we found the harsh afternoon sun beating down upon us and burning Connors hands, which he failed to adequately sunscreen. Taking no risks myself, I practically dumped the entire bottle upon my skin no less than three times throughout the day. So far it seems to have done the trick as I'm not sunburned at all.
In a similar vein to the day before, with Felix pimping out Connors bike, halfway through the day today, he hilariously drenched our bikes in lubricant.
Initially he did Connors bike, much to my glee, smothering the seat and the handlebars. However, glee turned to dismay rather quickly when I returned to my bike and saw that I had also become a victim of Felix's annoying prank.
With lubricant all over the brakes on my bike, it wasn’t ideal. Still, karma struck back as Felix soon fell off his bike about 10 minutes later into the cycle and balance was restored. (Don't worry he wasn't injured).
One of the things I've been looking forward to the most on this cycle was seeing Himeji castle once again, and it certainly didn't disappoint at the finish line today. As throngs of people relaxed underneath the cherry blossom trees and we got swept up in the hanami season festivities, the final minutes of our day we battled through the crowds before reaching the grounds of Himeji castle.
Practically drenched in Cherry Blossom itself with the visually striking white facade glowing in the afternoon sun, it's been almost six years since I last saw it with Ryotaro when we finished the cycle at the same spot. It was the perfect end to Felix's stint joining us on on the cycle and to our surprise, Sweden's Fittest Man struggled slightly more on his second day, which, in a weird way made me feel good about myself, given I'd been so worried that he would destroy both Conor and I with his rugged six pack and tree trunk arms. Luckily he didn’t leave us in his dust after all.
Sorry to see Felix go, as tomorrow Connor and I cycle alone towards Osaka where, in the evening we'll be joined by Pete, who’ll be taking part in the rest of the cycle to spice things up.
Whether he gets on the bike himself remains to be seen and there's also one more guest joining just around the corner.
Some of these days are pretty damn relentless, cycling all day and through all elements. I’ll be sharing updates with you guys every few days, as we conquer each prefecture across our route. So for this one, it’s another day, another prefecture and another guest!
Day three of the never ending cycle, we find ourselves in Hiroshima and, after many years of viewers asking for it, Garnt and I are finally in a video together. Admittedly under not so very pleasant circumstances though. The weather was rain, followed by rain and even more rain.
In the previous cycle, Connor and I battled through some horrific conditions but today was equal in its trials, if not worse. The only upside while cycling across Hiroshima was for most of the day, it was flat. And for lunch, we got to enjoy a nice big Okonomiyaki pancake. And thankfully Okonomiyaki pancakes are just about the most calorific food in all of Japan, much needed, especially given the last third of the day, turned into a mountainous battle through the rain.
As we climbed ever higher, poor Garnt had to struggle harder and harder. While Connor and I had two days to warm up our legs and get some practice in, he had a brutal first day of the cycle.
His efforts weren’t in vain though, as we finished the day having raised over $175,000 and having covered about 80 kilometres. Luckily, Day 4 is the shortest day of the entire cycle. So not all bad and we celebrated with a healthy amount of Yakitori chicken when the day was done. I say healthy, it was more like a mountain, a mountain almost as big as the one we just cycled up!
Day 4
The next morning we awoke in Higashihiroshima to find the rain had gone, albeit dark clouds still remained. Thankfully though, we endured no rain for today.
Much needed after yesterday's traumatic experience.
It was Garnt’s last day and having suffered with us during Day three, his reward now was one of the shortest days of the cycle; a ‘mere’ 50 kilometre cycle, all the way to Onomichi - the starting point of the epic Shimanami Kaido cycle (which sadly, we won’t be doing this time around).
After a huge hill to kick things off, most of the day was spent going downhill, thank God.
Nevertheless, my legs were still very sore from cycling almost 300km. When we stopped at Hamasushi, a popular sushi restaurant for lunch, after a few bites, I found myself in a food coma, from the combination of the sheer physical exhaustion and the staggering amount of sushi that I devoured, such was my hunger for carbs. When you work out physically, you find yourself becoming hungry almost creepily fast.
To my absolute delight, we finished the cycle with a total of $213k raised, ditching the bikes at 3pm and spending the next half an hour relaxing on Onomichi docks, drinking beer and craft ginger ale, before diving into my bathtub to watch Shōgun.
I won't lie, I sat in that bath for two hours and it did my legs a world of good. Honestly, without this shorter day, I wouldn't be prepared for what’s to come; the next three days are nothing short of an onslaught of pain with the longest distances of the trip, and mountains and mega cities such as Kobe and Osaka to contend with.
Fortunately, we have PewDiePie joining us who will hopefully raise our spirits and I'm very grateful that Garnt joined us over the last few days. Without his presence, I'm sure Connor and I would have gone slightly mad along the way.
And we're off! 2 days down. Waking up, bleary eyed in Shimonoseki, I won’t lie, I was very nervous at the prospect of cycling 85 kilometres. The only preparation I’d done was not sleeping for two days straight (due to a previous work commitment), and a 10 kilometre cycle the previous week. What an idiot.
However, after sitting down on the bike and turning the pedals over a few times, our route was underway and my legs remembered how to cycle. Anxiety quickly turned to delight as we cycled along the coastline with sweeping views across the Setoguchi Inland Sea of Japan.
From the sheer euphoria of the first day of the cycle, our audience donated money quicker than ever before. We had raised $40,000 before lunchtime came around! In celebration we went to a nearby strawberry farm and gorged on the sweet taste of delicious strawberries, our bodies thankful for any additional sugar intake we could provide!
Lunch came in the form of a Coco Ichibanya curry loaded with cheese, rice, chicken and potatoes. Maybe I went too far, however, I maintain, that had I not had a highly calorific lunch, I might have failed in the afternoon.
The numerous hills were causing my legs to buckle somewhat, and the relentless sun beaming down on us lead me to start feeling fatigued, the beginnings of heatstroke no doubt. Fortunately though, I escaped any sunburn, but Connor wasn’t so lucky. Despite drenching himself in sun lotion, his pale Welsh skin still showed the effects of a full day’s exposure.
For me, it was a nostalgic route, as it was a similar path to the one I’d taken with my friend Ellen on the original Journey Across Japan Series in the episode where she learns Japanese for a day (admittedly with questionable results!).
The area is stunning and the countryside offers jaw-dropping views with many decadent houses showing off their stylish Kawara roof tiles that shine in the sun. These remarkable scenes were paired with smiling locals who were happy to wave and cheer us along, and it really reminded me of what I love about Japan.
When we finally arrived in the city of Hōfu we did so to the jubilant news that we had raised over $76k in the first day alone, a record for our Cyclethons and hopefully a good marker of things to come. Thank you guys for your contributions, it’s incredibly motivating to know we have such a supportive audience backing us on this epic challenge.
Now it’s off to bed, where I hope I’ll get some sleep for the first time in 3 days. If not, tomorrow might be a disaster!
Day 2
Today got off to just about the worst possible start.
Overnight Connor’s bike tyre had gone completely flat. Somehow in the closing moments for the first day, the wheel had been punctured. Fortunately for us, we had a guest bike which Connor could ride, while Ian went off to make the necessary repairs.
With the spare bike ready, Connor and I headed off into the mountains and began what, in hindsight, was a brutal day. With mountain after mountain and tunnel after tunnel, it wasn’t long before my legs were absolutely ruined. To make matters worse, as soon as Ian returned with Connor’s now repaired bike, the screw on my seat broke, rendering it unusable, and thus, I had to ride the guest bike.
While the guest bike is actually the most expensive of the bunch, a proper racing bike at a whopping cost of $6,000, there are several problems:
Number one: the bike seat is a form of torture as sitting on it brings instant pain. Unlucky for us, we didn’t bring a spare seat cover so having ridden it for the majority of the day, I fear I’ll never be able to sit down ever again.
Number two: the wheels are very thin, great for speed but terrifying for stability or quick manoeuvres. A concrete crack or bit of road debris can suddenly pose potential danger.
Nevertheless, we made it to the other end of Yamaguchi beaten and battered but, just about intact, and were rewarded on two fronts. Firstly, we had raised an incredible total of $125,000 across the two days. Secondly, I was reunited with my favourite bridge - The Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni.
The bridge was constructed in the 17th Century and lasted all the way through until 1950 when a storm tragically destroyed it. Fortunately, the residents faithfully reconstructed it in 1953 and today it has the striking design reminiscent of times lost. Even now, I can’t think of anywhere else in Japan with this style of bridge design.
Tomorrow Garnt joins us as our first guest of the trip which promises to mix things up a bit. However, an incredibly rainy day is forecast which could bring misery for us all. And we’re not talking about a little bit of drizzle, but what looks to be relentless rain, for the entirety of the day.
I do worry that the guest bike, with it’s two major flaws, could be a rather slippery, scary experience. We’ll find out tomorrow I guess…
I'll keep this short and sweet as in 12 hours time I'll have begun the biggest physical challenge of my life cycling with Connor to Tokyo for 14 long, nightmarish days.
In the last 48 hours we've released a ton of videos (my apologies). Half because I wanted to get the videos up before I'm on a bike and in prolonged physical distress and half to build up some hype for the cycle.
First off in case you missed, yesterday we released the long awaited Cyclethon 2.0 video on Abroad in Japan - almost 1 year after completing it.
I have my reasons as to why it took so long, explained at the start of the video. But give it a watch when you can as we showcased a lot of Kyushu and I'm immensely proud of what the team was able to achieve (raising $555,000 for the Immune Deficiency Foundation).
NEXT we launched the promo video for Cyclethon 3.0 featuring Natsuki who, SPOILERS, is actually joining the cycle this time for a couple of days! In case you missed my posts on social media, Connor uploaded it to his channel here. We hastily shot it last week in the studio and it turned out really well I think!
AND FINALLY today, we've just this minute released the first WACKY WEEKEND of 2024! After the camping trip debacle of JAJ, I make it up to Connor by taking him to a rather special hotel...
Sorry for the sheer amount of videos! It's a rare thing to complain about on Abroad in Japan, haha.
And be sure to tune into our stream this week - I'll be posting about it on social media, as well as keeping a diary here on Patreon, giving you behind the scenes gossip on what's going on.
For now though guys, enjoy Sunday and hopefully see you tomorrow! Chris
Whenever I hit a milestone on Youtube I’m always reluctant to post about it at first as it seems to good to be true. You half expect to lose a ton of subscribers all of a sudden and send the numbers back the wrong way.
Hence when we hit 3 million subscribers a few days ago, I decided to wait until it seemed ABSOLUTELY SURE we’d got there.
And we have!
Thank you so much guys for being a part of this wild journey to get here; for me, milestones are less about going forward and more about looking back and reflecting on the lessons learned and the experiences you had along the way.
It’s a fitting time for us to hit the milestone, as I prepare to embark on another crazy Cyclethon with Connor across Honshu.
More on that in a moment!
But in celebration of hitting 3 Million Subscribers, I’ll be filming a Q&A tomorrow on Abroad in Japan - send me your questions below about ANYTHING and as always, we’ll prioritise your questions and feature as many as we can in the final episode!
I won’t lie it’s been a hectic month trying to wrap up shooting in Hiroshima and Tokyo, while also producing several videos in the run up to the Cyclotron.
Over this weekend alone we have two huge videos being released…
The first is a long awaited Wacky Weekend, where in repentance to Connor for the horror show camping trip, I take him to a rather unique Japanese inn!
Back on JAJ in December, while researching the route I came across what might be the most isolated place in the country - an inn without both electricity and wifi, powered exclusively by oil lamps and gas heaters (a disaster waiting to happen).
To some people it may sound like torture (included Connor), but I thought it might be a wonderful opportunity for him to get away from the internet for a short while, as the world’s most phone addicted man.
Unsurprisingly he wasn’t too pleased, but at least I had a whale of a time! The inn was borderline magical and I can’t wait to share it with you in the episode.
The episode will be accompanied by a great, big Patreon Exclusive Behind the Scenes episode full of Wacky Weekend mayhem so keep an eye out for it this weekend too.
THEN we have the even more long awaited Cyclethon 2 video releasing on the Chris Abroad channel, almost one year since we undertook the cycle.
I explain why it took so long at the start of the episode, but it seemed like a fitting time to release it on the cusp of the massive, epic Cyclethon 3, as a reminder of what to expect.
As for Cyclethon 3 I’ll provide more details in a follow up post (we have a promo video out in the next day as well), but it kicks off Monday 1st April at 9am Japan time and will run until - GOD FORBID - April 14th.
This time we have a few guests joining the cycle as well including Garnt (Taken for Granted at last), Pewdiepie, Pete Premier Two and even, unbelievably, Natsuki himself.
And if you can’t make the streams, fear not. This time we’re aiming to release the Cyclethon video on Abroad in Japan just a couple of weeks after it ends. We’re not screwing about this time.
So buckle up, as April will be a genuinely massive month.
And keep an eye out for the Wacky Weekend Patreon BTS video that will also be dropping this weekend!
For now though guys, have a wonderful end to your week. And wish me luck in my last minute bike training, hehe.
First off guys, we’ve just released an epic bumper Abroad in Japan episode on How Expensive is it to Travel Japan in 2024, covering everything from hotels and transport, to attractions and food. It was also a great excuse to make it up to Natsuki, after the island camping nightmare (Connor’s treat awaits).
Now you may recall we covered this topic all the way back in 2017, however a lot has changed. Mainly, Japan is a lot cheaper thanks to a tanking Japanese Yen and the country that has embraced tourism to an incredible degree.
I won’t lie, this video was a massive undertaking, shot all over Tokyo (and bits of Kyoto). We must have spent two weeks stitching it all together. But I hope that in covering just about every aspect of travelling Japan, you’ll be able to estimate how much a trip will cost and take a step closer to coming to Japan for yourself.
Still, the highlight was easily Natsuki’s reaction to the capsule hotel.
Bloody hilarious seeing him experience it for the first time.
Meanwhile, Japan is treating tourism as though it’ll be the saviour of the economy, with 25 million foreign tourists arriving in 2023.
It’s not without its issues of course; just today Kyoto announced it’s banning tourists from areas of Gion, the historic quarter of the city, famed for the presence of Geisha.
I’m pretty sad to hear this; I was in Gion just last week, strolling through the alleyways taking it all in. It’s not an understatement to say it’s a magical place, with the cramped alleys packed full of traditional wooden Machiya townhouses, red lanterns swinging in the breeze, and the occasional sighting of a Geisha meandering quietly in between restaurants and quaint eateries.
There’s an authenticity to Gion; in the sense that it’s remained unchanged for centuries; a rare thing for a Japanese city, where buildings go up and down with unrelenting regularity.
The idea that I and other tourists won’t be able to appreciate that magic, because of moronic behaviour from individuals treating Geisha like theme park attractions, grabbing their kimonos, pulling their hair and trying to frame a selfie shot, fills me with sadness and anger.
Practically, I’m not yet sure how Kyoto can implement this, especially as the district is packed full of restaurants reliant on passersby for their custom. Apparently, the main street will still be open, albeit with the same signs plastered around, warning the public of the 10,000 yen fine for taking a photo without prior permission.
But it’s sad to see where things are headed, even if it’s hard to deny it’s a necessary step for the preservation of Kyoto.
The city has taken a bit of a beating in recent times, from bamboo trees being defiled and destroyed in Arashiyama and even a 1,200 year old temple being vandalised in neighbouring Nara by a foreign tourist (who was eventually fined for it).
(Image of Naha temple graffiti. Source: Japan Times)
As a Youtuber encouraging people to visit Japan, I feel a responsibility to ensure the folks I attract to come here don’t end up causing any problems, so I’ll likely address this in a video in the coming days.
But for now, not-so-great news aside, enjoy our epic video with Natsuki guys and have a great Friday one and all!
I'll admit, I've had something of a re-awakening this month. Somehow in the last few weeks I've consumed more Japanese related content, than in the entire previous year combined.
On Netflix, I watched ‘Age of Samurai’, an impressively produced show about the Sengoku period that ignited an interest in Japanese history. Then I watched the new Godzilla film (Godzilla Minus One) with an impressive and terrifying take on everyone’s favourite lizard, that likes to plod around Tokyo causing relentless insurance claims.
I watched a few episodes of Terrace House on Netflix (and quickly regretted it - my god, what an awful show).
Then of course I began the new series of Shogun and found myself blown away by the cinematography, acting and story - highly recommend it if you've yet to see it. Hiroyuki Sanada at his best! (Time to interview him next?)
And perhaps above all, I topped it all off by playing Ghost of Tsushima on PS5, completing a video game for the first time in 5 years, to name a few things I've watched or played.
I never seem to find the time to play games these days, but honestly, the game is a stunning revelation; a beautiful meditative play through experience, with jaw-dropping Japanese scenery, aesthetics, and motifs, punctuated with violent and explosive gameplay as a rogue Samurai armed with a sword and a plan to rid Tsushima of a cheeky Mongolian army.
If you’ve never played it, go and download it and thank me later. Even if you’re not into games, the most beautiful moments come less from swordplay and more from discovering a hidden crumbling temple on a cliffside, or an immaculate gushing hot spring nestled in a lush valley. It captures the essence of what makes travelling and discovering Japan rewarding.
I’ve now been living in Japan 12 years as of this year and much of the country and way of life here feels simply normal to me at this point. But through my recent binge of Japanese related TV shows, film, and video games, I’ve come to re-appreciate Japan in a way I’d perhaps lost in recent times.
Just yesterday I was trudging around Kyoto, grabbing some footage for an upcoming video, when I stumbled upon Kodaiji Temple - a temple I’ve not visited in many years. And as I was taking it all in, I discovered the history of the place.
While watching Age of Samurai, the documentary series covered the ups and downs of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, one of the three rulers who unified Japan, and after he died (spoilers!), I always wondered what happened to his legendary wife, Lady Nene, who he'd depended upon and who guided him through his turbulent life.
So imagine my delight to discover that Kodaiji Temple, nestled in the mountains over Kyoto, was actually built by Lady Nene, and I was standing in a bamboo forest overlooking the city, where she spent her final years after her husband passed away. It almost felt like a pleasant 4d conclusion to the show I'd been watching.
It was a nice moment and made me want to dig deeper into Japan's rich history, to help me appreciate the many places I end up exploring.
Over the years I've spent much time conquering Japan in terms of travel and locations in a quest to uncover the country. Travelling is somewhere between a hobby and an obsession at this point. Yet, for all that I've seen and done, maybe Japan has been right beneath my nose the entire time; it's not where you end up. It's the people you meet along the way. An interaction with a local teaches you far more than gazing at the scenery ever could.
For sure, I’ve done documentaries on extraordinary people, celebrities, owners of businesses, and friends, but could I do more, could I dig in deeper and get to know the locals in these places. For all my journeys around Japan, I think I could have done more to chat with people and hear their story, and going forward, I hope to do better on that front.
The barrier to this has always been the Japanese language or rather my lack in using it in everyday life. How can I hope to meet interesting people if I don't use it - outside of eccentric, wacky individuals like Natsuki or my good friend Yuki.
With that in mind, starting here and now in March I’m going to resume studying Japanese for the first time in god-knows-how-long, so I have the confidence to speak the language in conversation again, in a way that I feel I’ve lost in recent times.
It's not that I don't enjoy studying Japanese - it's very enjoyable as you can learn a new word or bit of grammar, and then find yourself using it the same day - it's simply a matter of time.
I've found it increasingly hard to justify the massive amounts of time spent studying Japanese, when I've been pursuing filmmaking vehemently in the last half decade. Once you can have conversations and get by in everyday life, going a step further and becoming truly fluent to a native level, is a goal that starts to almost feel unnecessary.
But it's clear that my lack of confidence and knowledge in Japanese has held me back from achieving the kinds of documentaries and even films I'd like to make here in Japan. Realising that recently, has been a very powerful motivator.
(Also the subtitles on Shogun are awful and want to be able to bloody listen instead, haha).
As to how I'll pull this off, I’ll be posting more about how I plan to study Japanese in a follow-up Patreon post. I know many of you guys are studying and maybe you’ll be able to get some ideas from my own methods. Today I simply wanted to explain my motivation behind restarting! And I welcome any ideas you guys might have on tools, techniques or media you use to study yourselves.
The language learning journey begins!
In other news, we've got a new video out today :D
As we all know, the Akita leg of Journey Across Japan didn’t exactly go according to plan. And so I returned to make things right - we hit up Tsuru no Yu, a legendary onsen in the mountains, stayed overnight in a renovated accommodation in the samurai town of Kakunodate, and I rolled around in the snow with my top off and nearly died of cold.
Give it a watch and in the next few days, we have a great big episode dropping over on Abroad in Japan featuring Natsuki to look forward to.
For now though guys, let me know any techniques you guys have uncovered for learning Japanese efficiently and I'll share my own in a follow up post to come.
We sit down with the great Natsuki for a long awaited Patreon Q&A featuring your questions! Thank to everybody who sent them in - we weren't able to get them all in but we'll be holding a Patreon Q&A again soon.
Natsuki and I wrapped filming on a big Abroad in Japan video that drops next week, so keep an eye out for that. And we're also back to Akita this time to do it justice.
Until then, enjoy the Q&A and the ridiculous catch up with Natsuki!
Hope you've had a great week - it's time to catch up here at the tail of February with the launch of two videos next week and as I prepare to get into shape before the next megacycle nightmare with Connor.
We'll talk all that and more in tonight's (or tomorrow's for most of you) Patreon live stream.
You know, for a while this week I thought my career was over after a post by megatech YouTuber Marque Brownlee revealed a company had started selling AI chatbots of YouTubers and Abroad in Japan was on the list.
After all, in the absence of my real self, I need never talk to anyone ever again.
And yet, any plans for retirement I might've had for retirement were quickly extinguished when one viewer asked the Abroad in Japan chatbot a simple question:
It looks like I might be around a little while longer yet 😂
- Unless the whole response was a actually an ingenious sarcastic comment, in which case it’s ahead of the curve and we’re truly stuffed indeed. In the world of Youtube, January is known as the month where everyone seems to go into hibernation after a busy end to the year and plan what’s ahead. But given we released four videos in January, instead February has been my reset month - a time to reflect and recover after a crazy two months.
(I also need to bloody hurry up and get fit as the biggest physical challenge I’ve undertaken with Connor lurks overhead, just over a month away. More on that later).
In the meantime though we’ve got a few videos out before the month is over - one of which includes Natsuki, who I’m trying to re-pay for his traumatic camping experience.
He’ll be swinging by Tokyo this weekend and along the way I’m keen to hold a fun little Patreon Q&A answering questions sent in by you guys!
So fire away - with hashtag #ASKABROAD please send us YOUR questions about ANYTHING below and I’ll put the questions to the man himself in person.
I’m also excited to say I'm currently planning a solo Japan travel series, where it’s just you, me and a camera, with the hope of discovering and exploring places in Japan we’ve never visited.
In contrast to Journey Across Japan and the big team, I wanted to dial things back and make a solo cinematic vlog (similar to the Day in My Life episode last year).
As I’ve mentioned before my favourite part of producing a Youtube video is holding a camera in my hand and filming the world around me, trying to get the perfect shot and I’m keen to get back to it this year (while of course, continuing to work with amazing cameramen like Paul on bigger projects).
Let me know where you’d like me to go and explore around Japan, as I’ll be filming next week and your ideas may well determine where I head to for our first episode!
Hey guys, Hope you’ve all had a great start to the week!
It’s now officially been a week since the dust settled on the final episode of Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop North and I’ve been able to sit down and reflect on the series for the second part of the Patreon Behind the Scenes videos exploring how we produced the show.
First off in case you missed Part 1 which came out halfway through the series, definitely watch that first, where we reveal the logistical aspects of producing the series and outtakes and bloopers from the first few videos.
In Part II, alongside plenty more amusing outtakes and bloopers, I go in-depth on what went wrong (and right) in retrospect, as well as a last minute decision that radically changed the ending of the series (for the better in my view).
Journey Across Japan | Will We Ever Do It Again? ⛩️ Patreon Exclusive (Part 2) Watch: https://youtu.be/ial3JVJN120
Every project is a learning experience, and we certainly learned an awful lot on this one in what not to do, haha. With Journey Across Japan out of the way at last, we can start focussing on 2024 and the road ahead, with a few videos currently in the works including the first major documentary of the year - the first in a new series of Patreon funded documentaries to feature on Abroad in Japan this year!
More on that to come, but for now enjoy the epilogue to Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop North 🍻🍻🍻
“Every morning, generally without fail, I get woken up by a hawk.
At least I think it’s a hawk. I don’t know a lot about birds and I don’t really care for birds much.”
The first ever sentence uttered on the Abroad in Japan channel finally gets spoken once again, in the exact same spot 11 long years later!
(2012 - back when I wore colours)
(2024 - trademark black shirt)
In the final episode of Journey Across Japan it all comes full circle, arriving at the very place the original series kicked off in Yamagata and revisiting my beloved original tiny apartment, which I gratefully home during my first three years living in Japan.
For that reason alone this may already be one of my favourite episodes in JAJ: Non-Stop North. And yet, before we even reach the apartment we’re treated to one of the most jaw-dropping locations of the whole series; the blizzard filled rustic streets of Ginzan hot spring. (Albeit under a somewhat bittersweet bloody scenario).
Before I jump into discussing yesterday’s season FINALE, the epic Patreon Exclusive BTS episode featuring outtakes, bloopers, deleted scenes and commentary will be dropping later this week!
Across 2,000km and 16 episodes, we explored over 30+ unique locations in Tohoku alongside six fantastic guests, it was certainly one hell of a journey.
And in the Patreon Exclusive episode, I’ll reveal what really happened off camera in the second half of JAJ. I’ll discuss the good, the bad and the ugly; if the series lived up to my expectations, what I loved / hate about it along the way and if I regret it. I’ll also rank my top 5 episodes from the whole season.
Keep an eye out for it, but now let’s jump into the finale and some radical changes we met to the video in the edit!
—————
A few days ago I saw on the Abroad in Japan Reddit that somebody had made a post wondering if we’d straight up lied about filming the series in December, due to the absence of snow throughout the trip!
Truth be told I was as disappointed as anyone at the absence of snowy weather, especially as we initially had a fair bit early on when Natsuki and I filmed the ramen episode in mountainous Kitakata on Day 3.
Turns out, it’s been an abnormally warm winter this year in north Japan - probably something to do with the size of Connor’s hellish fucking campfire from our island trip. I maintain there’s definitely a link.
Still my patience was rewarded at last, as I wandered out into the car park to find the Kei car had been completely buried overnight.
I’ve come to love snow for one reason. From November onwards, the grassless Japanese countryside - in particular the rice fields - is a depressing, muddy, colourless landscape. The snow does a great job window-dressing that ugliness.
Still nothing could window dress the nightmare that was Pete’s arrival and the subsequent challenge of being tied to each other for the day. Ian seemed particularly delighted at administering this challenge, though I’ll admit for safety reasons, he’d have done well to choose a day where snow and ice were bloody absent. It’s a miracle no-one broke anything.
At the time of filming Pete had just arrived back from an ill-fated trip to the UK with his wife Yuki, where tragically, she’d been pickpocketed while wandering around Big Ben, with both all their cash and passports stolen the day before their return to Japan.
The only upside to Pete’s arrival on the trip was he joined the Yamagata leg, where he was able to re-visit the hot spring town of Ginzan where he’d actually proposed to Yuki a few years beforehand.
It’s honestly shocking that I’d never covered Ginzan until now, given I call Yamagata my spiritual Japanese home and I’ve been lucky to visit the town 3-4 times over the last decade. We almost came close to realising a video there 2 years ago when I visited with Natsuki and Sharla to shoot a video where I tried speaking only Japanese for the day.
However, I ended up canning the episode as all that happened was I just stopped speaking, haha. (Though I’m determined to give it another shot this year with a bit more studying).
But Ginzan really is worth the hype; if the video did one thing I hope it’s showcase what a visually striking and stunning backdrop it really is - particularly at night when the gas lamps illuminated the wooden Taisho era ryokans and the snow billows down across the narrow streets and the steam rising from the foot baths around town.
(I’d highly recommend a visit - don’t be daunted by its remote location. It’s a simple journey on the bullet train up to Yamagata and then a bus ride away.)
I’d actually hoped we might be able to stay there but a victim of its own success, all the ryokans were full.
While looking for alternative accommodation, I actually came across a glamping campsite up on the mountains. However, I didn’t one a hellish re-run of the island episode and instead opted for a tent, albeit thankfully indoors.
The first thing that stuck out to me when booking Casa de Yoshi wasn’t the traditional interior, nor the roaring fireplace but the random tent set up in one of the bedrooms. I’ve still no idea why the mysterious Yoshi thought it was in any way a good idea.
To our surprise, in the morning when we checked out, a small truck appeared and a friendly Japanese guy in his 30’s hopped out - Yoshi himself! He seemed like a nice guy and utterly delighted that two random foreigners had chosen to stay at Casa De Yoshi, while passing through the usually overlooked Yamagata.
(I’d absolutely stay there again - don’t be deterred by the tent. There’s a bedroom with a rather comfy bed upstairs for the lucky few).
Originally, this final episode was actually two episodes ending with Pete and I huddled around the fire with the chain on and kicking off the next one on top of a mountain overlooking Yamagata.
However, it really felt important to end the series on a bigger episode and on the double whammy high note of awesome location (Ginzan) and emotional punch (revisiting the first apartment in Japan).
We also removed an entire challenge as well; the final challenge of JAJ was actually Pete and I making a mascot for Natsuki’s shop, which we painstakingly built out of items bought from the 100 yen store.
We’ll show some clips from it in the Patreon BTS as I feel bad that Pete’s impressive creation was sidelined from the finale.
Arriving in Sakata, we were surprised to find Natsuki and his awesome wife Asami eagerly awaiting us with an outstretched ribbon as we pulled into the car park. Any jubilation was quickly smothered as Natsuki exploded a party popper in my face and I accidentally inhaled a ton of smoke that made me feel physically sick for the next three hours.
Fun fact: about one year ago I’d tried to get in touch with the English teacher living in my old apartment to see if I could film. Unfortunately, the person in question at the time didn’t really want a random YouTube guy bursting in and filming their home (understandably) and I assumed I’d never be able to film there again.
Fast forward 10 months and straight after announcing JAJ: Non-Stop North, the new English teacher John got in contact. And unlike his predecessor he was very keen to let us in to film; a miraculous twist of good fortune given John was a long time viewer of Abroad in Japan.
I’d never expected to ever set foot in my old apartment again. I thought it may no longer be in use for English teachers altogether. So when John swung open the clunky metal door to reveal the glazed wooden floor panels that I saw every day for three years, it felt like I’d been transported in time, or that I was in some sort of dream sequence.
In a weird kind of way, I felt nostalgically sad and emotional.
To this day, for all the amazing experiences I’ve been lucky to have, practically nothing has come close to matching the sheer excitement I felt when I first moved into the apartment. I knew so little of Japan and felt endless possibilities for the road ahead.
And sitting back on the tatami mat floor at the very kotatsu heated table I sat at and studied Japanese, with the very same TV and mirror I’d used every morning was completely bonkers. In the moment, a hundred forgotten memories were unlocked and resurrected.
It also made me realise how long ago that life was. Because I think about that chapter of my life so often, especially last year when writing the book, I forget that I left the apartment behind 9 long years ago. And my frequent jokes about meeting Ken Watanabe from that era ended up becoming a reality - that I’ll never get over!
For my final act, completely stuffed full of KFC, I handed the car over to Natsuki who I know will take good care of it (even if he doesn't want it). Fortunately, not even Natsuki is daft enough to clean the bloody windscreen with a wellington boot either, so the windscreen should be safe for now.
Still we haven’t seen the last of the tiny Kei car. I predict a few road trips on the horizon later on in 2024 in our trusty Nissan.
Expect more details on what went down behind the scenes in the Patreon special guys, but a big thank you to all of you for supporting this series. I’m proud to say this Journey Across Japan was a Patreon backed project and you guys made it all possible.
Let me know what you thought of the finale in the comments but enjoy the final episode and I’ll be back with the big Patreon Exclusive later in the week!
And he’s come armed with an obnoxious song about himself.
Those of you guys that’ve followed Abroad in Japan long enough now, know that I’m not a fan of putting out videos that don’t meet a certain standard of quality. Sometimes in previous seasons of Journey Across Japan, entire episodes have been canned outright and wiped from history.
Perhaps due to boring content, bad weather, personal illness on set, etc.
And I’ll comfortably admit, this episode came frighteningly close.
It was nobodies fault mind you.
In everything I create, I always try to strike a balance between the content being both entertaining and educational and it certainly fell flat on the latter.
(Although I guess we learned that Akita's school have a depressing future).
Initially, the plan on this episode was to explore an impressive Edo era themed town called Kakunodate, famed for its rich history and quaint streets.
Stupidly though, we didn’t have a backup plan if the weather took a nasty turn and sure enough, the morning of filming, a storm rolled in turning half of north Japan into a scene straight out of Noah’s Ark.
One good bit of news is I recently visited Kakunodate to film a video there that'll come out in February, so you'll still get to see it next month!
(Below: Kakunodate)
To top it off, I’d been up with the team working till 4am the night before, meaning I was hugely sleep deprived for the shooting of this video. You can hear me slurring a few sentences in this one. Fortunately, this was a rare occurrence this series (save for the day after the island episode).
But I toyed with releasing this video on the second channel or not at all for a while, before deciding it wouldn’t have felt right to miss out a day of the journey. And honestly, when all is said and done, it’s still an entertaining outing thanks to Dr Jelly’s return.
Who knows, maybe I'm being too harsh on myself however, in some respects today’s episode is a real miracle!
Not only did we release a video, but turned a hastily shot and spontaneously planned song in with a catchy song hook. It may not be Too Much Volcano, but it turned out surprisingly well.
I’ve had a few folks ask me how I whip up all these songs on my phone and there’s an app called Launchpad, where you can combine loops to create an original track. While most ordinary folks are glued to Candy Crush or Super Mario Run, in my free time I blow off steam by trying to produce a catchy tune. What can I say, I’m rather weird.
Fortunately, Joey seems to spend his free time making music too (albeit in a more professionally trained manner) and between the two of us, we just about pulled this challenge out of the hat.
In an alternative history the weather was good, and Dr Jelly might have returned in a samurai battle in Kakunodate, but for now we can only dream of what might’ve been.
Joey’s time on Journey Across Japan is at an end and it was certainly a bizarre few days. The Animation Man pulled the short straw on interesting locations but won out on some of the most creative and fun challenges of the series.
Converting an RV into a bar, some ridiculous locations in a 90’s commercial and now bashing out a song in a matter of hours, is a feat only Joey could achieve given his creative ingenuity. And while locations are the core of what makes a great Journey Across Japan, for me the challenges are equally important as well.
At last though guys, we’re on the home straight!
Next up we’re joined by my 5th best American friend, Pete PremierTwo for the penultimate episode this weekend.
A genuinely epic day and one of my favourite episodes of the whole series, we’re off to an outrageously picturesque hot spring town deep in the mountains, combined with insanely heavy snowfall and hands down the worst challenge so far. It’s going to be a good one.
For now though, enjoy Dr Jelly’s latest outing and I’ll see you this weekend for the next!
We venture into Akita for today’s Journey Across Japan episode.
In our previous outing, Joey and I didn’t so much as journey, as drive in circles around Hirosaki solving crimes, like a shitty Scooby Doo (armed with a pig instead of a dog).
In stark contrast, in today’s outing we had one of the lengthiest road trips of the entire series.
Now I love Akita to bits. My first ever excursion in Japan was actually a weekend holiday to Lake Tazawa in October 2012, Japan’s deepest lake and home to some spectacular ryokan and hot springs. It was here I had my first ever ryokan experience, a precious and rare treat at the time.
Yet in the years since, despite many trips in and around Akita, we’ve only produced one decent episode in the region on an excursion with Ryotaro a couple of years back. In fact, I once received an angry email from a viewer, disappointed that we’d completely neglected Akita, like some sort of bastard child I’d sooner forget.
(Previously)
So why is Akita the bastard neglected son, while my favoured son, Aomori, features in well over a dozen videos on Abroad in Japan.
The truth is Akita is huge, sparse and a bit tricky to get around.
Every car journey across take a bloody eternity, and when it comes to scenery and hot springs, its neighbours Aomori and Yamagata have the edge. Meanwhile Iwate has the most stunning coastline, Fukushima has the best cuisine and sake and Miyagi is the most accessible prefecture, home to Sendai and glorious Matsushima Bay.
The two best spots in Akita are without a doubt Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate, an old fashioned samurai town and unfortunately on JAJ, as you’ll see in the next episode we got very unlucky with the weather and had to abandon a few plans we had.
The good news is we’ll be returning to Akita after JAJ wraps for another video, so we’ll be making up for it in due course.
But in today’s episode, in remote northern Akita, Joey and I had to track down no less than six unconventional attractions at a moments notice to fulfil the challenge of the day; producing two commercials for Akita in the style of 90’s tv commercials.
Our first stop was an abandoned water park which summed up the issue facing the region pretty graphically; Spa Resort Owani. Once an impressive and sprawling theme park costing millions and nestled on the border between Akita and Aomori, the park was only open a few years before coming to a close in the absence of visitors.
Now degraded and long abandoned after 30 years and a real tragedy. We wanted to go in and take a closer look but the facility was well and truly sealed off and as a rule of thumb, we only enter abandoned places if they’re easy to access and not fenced off with warning signs as we don’t want to trespass illegally - especially in 4k.
I was a bit weary of filming the Nipro Hachiko Dome as an empty stadium isn’t exactly content; but the design of the stadium was genuinely impressive given the sheer quantity of wood used. And apparently you can rent the dome out for fun; maybe it’s time for another camping trip?
(Or an epic paintball shootout).
If you’re ever in the neighbourhood it costs around 500yen to enter and stumble around.
Let’s not beat around the bush - the dog museum was pretty disappointing.
I’m not sure where all the dogs were, but the absence of dogs wasn’t the only thing I noticed while revising the dog museum (Ryotaro and I filmed there a couple of years back).
On the wall of the museum there used to be a photo section showing all the folks who proudly owned an Akita dog, with a great big picture of Vladimir Putin up on the wall. No doubt it’s currently being used as a door mat.
My highlight of the trip was actually the restaurant serving up what might just be the best Chicken meatball skewer I’ve had in 10 years living in Japan. That’s a pretty big compliment coming from someone who absolutely stuffs themselves with yakitori on an almost twice weekly basis.
It was so juicy and flavourful and the Yakitori-don bowl was one of the most delicious meals I can recall from the entirety of Journey Across Japan so far (the Gyoza is still no.1).
Our next stop was an artificial hill that claimed to be the smallest mountain in Japan and I’ll quietly glaze over this one, suffice it to say, if it wasn’t on our route we wouldn’t have gone near it.
Still our route did lead us to Godzilla rock and despite being utterly ridiculous, it was nice to get some fresh sea air while gazing at some absurd perspectivist art. You have to wonder if fate did indeed morph a rock on Japan’s windswept west coast into Godzilla’s head or if some locals took it upon themselves to carve out a makeshift local attraction.
Either way, I hate to admit it, but it was a fun diversion. I’ve driven passed signs for Godzilla rock a ton of times over the years and never bothered to check it out. I’m glad I can finally tick this must see attraction off my list.
The highlight of the episode was undeniably the commercials, hastily bashed out by Joey and myself in the evening. While this Journey Across Japan was edited by the ever cheeky Marcus (“Mr Contractually Obliged” from the previous episode), I was the lucky editor tasked with turning our awful commercials into something actually bearable to watch.
I’ll leave it up to you which commercial is better; Joey’s seems more faithful to an actual 90’s budget TV commercials and mine’s more absurdist, using advanced VFX to conjure up an elderly tour guide from your nightmares.
What I love about travelling with Joey on JAJ is that him and I make a pretty good creative team and the fact we were able to take a bizarre review from a random stranger called Natchy Ruinard and turn him into a grumpy elderly tour guide just about captures the essence, for me at least, of what makes these trips so great.
Only on Journey Across Japan can you find this unscripted, wacky, ridiculous kind of shit.
Joey returns for his final episode next up and unfortunately the weather really screwed us and shattered any plans we had for a good video. That’s not to say it’s terrible; a beloved character makes a return with an explicit rap and we have a read through of the worst challenges submitted by viewers (I think my favourite was simply “drive backwards for a day”).
There’s some brilliant outtakes and bloopers from this episode that’ll be appearing in the Patreon Exclusive Behind the Scenes video alongside the final JAJ video, but for now guys, enjoy the episode and have a great weekend. We’ll be back in a few days for the return of Dr Jelly.
There’s crime afoot on today’s Journey Across Japan tonight.
At last Dr Jelly himself has arrived as the 5th guest, however the fun is soon put on hold when we examine the massive scratch on the front of the windscreen.
Was it a harmless mistake or something more sinister?
Journey Across Japan returns at last, with the team having spent the last week editing the final five episodes to release this month. I actually edited today’s episode myself - the only episode in the whole series, given I wanted to at least contribute one video.
And this episode certainly takes quite a weird direction; in advance of Joey’s arrival, I booked some unusual accommodation - a hotel in the form of a renovated snack bar. Something I’d never seen before.
But after Joey arrives, as we stand over the car and examine the windscreen, I show him the nasty scratch that seems to have appeared; a mysterious scratch that certainly wasn’t there when we left Tokyo.
With some top notch CSI crime detective work over an Aomori apple pie and with the help of an annoyingly loud pig, the mystery was soon solved, amidst a bizarre side quest that dominated the first half of the episode. (I won’t spoil WHO was responsible here!)
Meanwhile in typical Joey fashion, while Sharla has to humiliate herself with a Lady Penelope impression and Connor rediscovers the meaning of ice age while camping on an island, Joey gets to eat apple pie and build a bar from scratch. A laughably pleasant challenge in comparison.
Tasked with turning the editing team’s RV into a bar to reward them for their hardwork, Joey and I set off to the only place in Japan that sells everything you’d possibly need to open a bar (at a reasonable price). Good old Daiso.
(BEFORE)
(AFTER)
As for the concept of the bar, given the desecrated windscreen, revenge quickly becomes the theme, as we have just one hour to convert the dull, drab interior, into the hottest ticket in all of Hirosaki. But with a bit of tinsel, a mountain of snacks, and a flashing light from the pimp my car episode, it all comes together far better than we could have hoped.
While the team celebrate their pop-up bar, I drag Joey off to our accommodation for the night in downtown Hirosaki’s shady red light district. Snack bars aren’t somewhere you typically associate with a good nights sleep. But here at the aptly named “Good Old Hotel” they’ve converted about a dozen former snack bars into bedrooms.
Freezing cold, unheated and absent of any staff, it all has a bit of a post apocalyptic airbnb vibe that I can’t say I’m a fan of. I’m all for turning run down, disused places into cool accommodation, but it all feels rather uninviting and unsettling as we find our room in a former bar known only as “Target”.
The one thing they did get right where the beds, which were surprisingly big and comfortable, given the eerie backdrop of the rest of the building. Still at 8,000 yen a night, it’s hard to see the appeal when for the same price, you can stay at the nice, cosy, Dormy Inn like everyone else.
Would I recommend it? MAYBE. Perhaps not in Winter at least.
And while there wasn’t much travelling in today’s episode given it was all shot in Hirosaki, we certainly make up for that in the next video as we cross nearly all of Akita.
Thank you for your patience though guys; it was important for everyone working on this to have a Christmas/New Year's holiday, which is why things slowed down. But we've been back editing like mad (and waiting to clear certain 80's songs in this video) and we're excited to wrap up the last leg of the epic journey alongside Joey and Pete.
We’ve also tons of outtakes and bloopers in these next five episodes, that’ll be bundled into our second big bumper Patreon Behind the Scenes Episode of the series.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! No matter where you are today in the world, I hope you've had a great start to 2024 🥂
(Just as I was about to post this, Japan had a major earthquake on the west coast with a tsunami warning. If you're in the area of Kanazawa / Ishikawa / Toyama, please be careful around. A not so great start to the year).
Every New Year’s on Patreon, before we plunge head first into the next year, I like to take one last look back over the last 12 months.
Honestly, 2023 has been an amazing year for the Abroad in Japan community. We’ve produced almost 40 videos (across both channels), expanded the studio in Tokyo, produced two epic seasons of Journey Across Japan, raised $500,000 for charity, taken the Podcast to Youtube and even had a Sunday Times bestselling book thrown in for good measure.
It’s genuinely going to be a tough challenge to beat 2023, but I’m willing to rise to the challenge together with our incredible team.
Be sure to share your highlight of the year below in the comments, but a huge thanks as always guys for making all of this possible. I really hope we were able to do you proud in the last 12 months.
And so without further ado, here are the top 10 Abroad in Japan highlights of 2023! (More or less in the order they happened).
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Opening a Bar in Kyoto After years of doom and gloom not being able to meet viewers in person, Japan finally opened up to the world and to celebrate, we decided to open a bar in Kyoto. We rented a beautiful space in the Gion entertainment district, filled it with sake, plum wine and expired snacks and hired Natsuki to run it. What could possibly go wrong. I loved getting to spend time in Kyoto and do something new though and as well as meeting a ton of awesome viewers, we met an Australian guy called Daniel who pops up again later on in this list!
2. Raising $500,000 in Kyushu on Cycleathon 2.0 with Connor While more brutal than the Hokkaido cycle in terms of distance, mountains and weather, we were able to raise $500,000 for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. That achievement took the sting out of everything. And while we still have a big epic video to release on Abroad in Japan, we’re currently holding off on its release until Cycelathon 3.0. is formally announced in a month or two, to get viewers hyped up for our biggest challenge yet in 2024.
3. VisitingJapan’s Coldest Town & Undiscovered Hokkaido We travelled to Hokkaido’s far flung and unexplored eastern side for an epic Journey Across Japan adventure, riding dog sleds, steam trains and ice breaker ships (with no ice) along the way. Along the way we fell off of the aforementioned dog sled, explored Japan’s coldest town (that wasn’t so cold) and enjoyed drinks in an impressive village made of ice. And what better way to kick it all off than a failed assassination attempt on Ryotaro, by Natsuki Wick.
4. Moving to Tokyo & Expanding the Studio After 10 years of living in Tohoku, north Japan, I finally took the leap to moving to Tokyo to be closer to the action. I soon managed to find a routine and being closer to friends was a bonus. Hell I even got to surf more often along the way. But it was doubling the size of the studio that stole the show and building a seriously impressive 1970’s Japanese living room. I can’t wait to spend more time in the studio in 2024 and put it all to good use!
5. Natsuki Reaches the Summit of Mount Fuji (3,776m) They said it couldn’t be done. Heck, I said it couldn’t be done. But incredibly Japan’s heaviest smoker somehow climbed up the towering Fuji for a once-in-a-lifetime view at sunrise. To avoid the crowds, we sneakily decided to go around the back of the mountain and instead faced a much harsher, rockier incline that almost got the better of us (and caused Natsuki to take a tumble). But against the odds, we made it and standing atop the summit with a man who’s only exercise is lifting cigarettes, was a moment I’ll never forget. 🍿 Watch: https://youtu.be/6DQYFfO7BQk?si=iY8UJtpZOU8XX-XD
6. The Abroad in Japan Book Becomes the UK’s Biggest Selling Book Almost a year after I began writing the Abroad in Japan, I arrived in the UK at the start of August to the news that the newly launched book had become the Sunday Times No.1 bestseller, meaning it had sold more copies than any other book in the whole of the UK that week. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the book would do so well and it’s incredibly exciting to think so many readers around the world have got to share my experiences living in rural Japan. And hopefully if it does one thing it convinces folks to visit Tohoku for themselves given that’s where most of the book is set!
7. Launching the Abroad in Japan Podcast on Youtube When Pete and I started recording the Podcast back in 2018, admittedly we never set out to be the biggest or the best. We simply wanted to have the most fun chatting about life in Japan and discussing weekly news that often gets missed in western media. In the five years since, we’ve managed to grow a steady but loyal cult following and it was a ton of fun to finally go beyond to Youtube this year and find a new audience, as well as see Pete’s cheeky face for the first time since the original JAJ! Expect to see more exciting things on the Podcast in 2024!
8. Wacky Weekend Island Adventure Connor and I seem to love spending time on islands recently. But our finest outing on Wacky Weekend this year was undeniably to the island of Oshima! Having met Daniel, an Australian English teacher working on Oshima, all the way back in the Kyoto bar in early 2023, he invited us over for a few days and we set off to discover the island on buggies, with snorkels and by tiny sauna plane. We also went a bit deeper culturally speaking, than previous Wacky Weekends as we met the locals, discovered a laid back way of life and above all, nearly had a panic attack in an abandoned school packed full of gigantic huntsman spiders. The trip was a real adventure and I can’t wait to shoot some more Wacky Weekends together in 2024 as the series goes into its third year!
9. 14 Days in Japan: The Ultimate Japan Itinerary Guide 10 years in the making and perhaps the most popularly requested Abroad in Japan episode to date, Natsuki, Sharla and I set off across the country to Kanazawa, Kyoto, Takayama, Osaka and Nara for a bumper Abroad in Japan episode featuring one of the most detailed itineraries ever made about Japan. It was a ton of fun to film the episode, especially given Natsuki had never properly explored Osaka, Kyoto and Nara before despite being a local and I hope the video serves as inspiration for many of you guys looking to visit the country for yourselves in 2024! 🍿 Watch: https://youtu.be/DBVAAnq1dHo?si=UUPgEG7QpsSetDqp
Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop-North With two thirds of the series now complete we’ve survived deserted islands, Natsuki’s driving and Japan’s spiciest ramen. We’ve stayed at haunted inns and eaten a mountain of tuna, as well as met a Geisha and revisited the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone. It’s already been an incredibly epic series in size and scale and with FIVE episodes left, featuring 2 guests and 2 prefectures, and including what may be the worst and most difficult challenges yet, there’s plenty to look forward to as the series wraps up in January.
AND of course as a personal bonus, I also got engaged to the ever awesome and supportive Sharla. I say supportive, but she undid a lot of that in today’s Journey Across Japan episode with a horrific food product.
In case you missed today’s episode featuring Sharla annihilating a British accent, give it a watch below!
Myself and the team will be taking a few days off, before releasing the final FIVE episodes of Journey Across Japan in early January. Can't wait to share what's ahead with you all!
But for now guys, have yourselves a great start to 2024. I'm looking forward to doing some incredible things together with you once more in the 12 months ahead!
And now there's one thing left to do - our final Patreon live show of the year. Join me tomorrow as we catch up, discuss what REALLY went on while shooting JAJ, take a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of 2023 and peer ahead to see what 2024 might bring.
I hope you’ve all had an amazing holiday season so far!
Did anybody get anything good? (Any Abroad in Japan books by any chance? Hehe).
As for me this Christmas, I received a Terry’s Chocolate Orange (my favourite chocolate), another pile of brand-less black T-shirts and an eerily realistic remote control snake that will no doubt frighten some cats.
I’ll level with you, this is the first December in a while that’s felt rather long for me (in a good way). Last year’s December went in a flash in between the chaotic LA Chess boxing, the London event and frantically writing the aforementioned book.
So it feels nice to look back over the last three weeks and think of all the amazing adventures we’ve shared together out in far flung Tohoku, amongst mountains and sea, with a wonderful production team and four guests.
And while we might not have realised my naive vision of daily uploads, it’s hard to look at Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop North as anything but a success.
The team and I loved making it, viewer feedback has been fantastic and the 12 episodes we’ve released so far have been viewed more than I could possibly have hoped given the upload frequency.
As I’ve mentioned in a few places, as for the daily upload schedule, we quickly found that Youtube simply doesn’t promote videos from the same channel when they’re released so aggressively. (Presumably as it doesn’t want the precious Youtube recommended watch page flooded with content from the same creator).
And fundamentally, when there’s an amazing team working absurdly hard on each video, we couldn’t run the risk of cannibalising video views. There’s nothing worse than when Youtube doesn’t share your videos with your audience. Releasing every 2-3 days seems to be the sweet spot for audiences as well so as not to miss an episode. And of course, the extra time is much welcomed to keep up the production quality.
Really I should have said “Shot daily, released almost daily” when announcing the series and that’s a blunder I’ll have to live with. Still, there’s no parallel with the original series of JAJ, when videos ended up being released weeks apart and I was a destroyed wreck during production.
We’re still releasing frequently and my mental and physical health are pretty good - save for all the crappy convenience store food I stuffed into my arteries every day of the trip. Something I’ll need to fix early on next year!
But let’s not overlook the fact that we've released around 35 videos this year!
We released our biggest Abroad in Japan episode of the year - the long awaited 14 days in Japan Travel Guide and then in just a matter of days plunged head first into releasing a mini Fukushima documentary, shooting an epic overnight island escape in Matsushima Bay, nearly killing Natsuki with Japan’s spiciest ramen and buying the tiniest car we could find in Tokyo.
It’s a genuinely impressive feat to release so many videos at such a high production standard and a testament to the amazing team we had along for the ride.
And the good news is, with six episodes to go, much of the best is still yet to come!
We’ve still got two more cheeky guests (three if we include a certain character), iconic moments and events that’ll likely define the series and amongst my favourite challenges of the entire trip - including by the worst challenge of all.
While we’re aiming to get Sharla’s ridiculous final episode out this week in Aomori, obviously much of the team is taking some well deserved time time off for the holiday season, and we plan to release the final five episodes rapidly in January. Five epic episodes set in and around Akita and Yamagata.
Hopefully though, if Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop-North’s achieved one thing, it’s show my passion for Tohoku. And having spent three weeks travelling to every corner of the region, I’ve got many new ideas for stories, people and places I’d like to share from north Japan in 2024.
Working with a larger production team has also ignited a lot of ideas as well and taken me a step closer to some documentaries and short film ideas I’ve been building in my mind for some time now. I end 2023 extremely excited for the year ahead.
Above all, remember that hiring this incredible production team was entirely possible because of the Abroad in Japan Patreon community. Without you guys, without your support, this series would simply not have been possible. It’s the most costly project we’ve undertaken to date on Abroad in Japan, and one that I hope you’re proud to have been a part of.
If you’ve enjoyed the series, a specific episode or a single episode so far, know that you willed it into existence with your support! Let me know what has been your highlight of the series so far!
But once again a massive, huge thanks for making it all happen.
While we’re looking at making a teaser trailer for the final chapter of JAJ and the remaining five episodes, today I wanted to share with you a sneak peek from the series with exclusive behind the scenes photos of what’s to come. Hopefully it’ll get you pumped for the weeks ahead!
(Feel free to guess what the hell is happening in each photo 😂).
I’ll be back in a few days to take a look back at the highlights of 2023 and a look at what 2024 may hold, but for now guys, please get back to enjoying playing with all your new toys, sipping mulled wine and rewatching Die Hard and Elf.
Well guys, It’s time to introduce the next guest on our epic journey, Sharla from Sharmeleon in Japan or something - to be honest, I had barely even heard of her before this. As mandatory with any guest on my channel, each video must start with an offering of doughnuts - and so as we tuck into a well balanced breakfast of sugar and sprinkles, we discover our challenge for today, as sent in by you: Take your guest to the scariest place you can find.
Not content with my suggestion that Sharla’s presence was scary enough, we start our quest for the paranormal in Kabushima shrine, supposedly famous for having the most seagulls in the whole of Japan. However on this day there wasn't a single bloody gull.
After considering locations such as Hakkoda mountain or Osorezan (literally ‘Fear Mountain’) - we decided it best to settle on somewhere that requires less walking, and so we set our sights on Ryokofuso Inn, considered to be the most haunted inn in the whole of Japan. Both of us have visited the inn before in the past, but both times had been with Ryotaro - so any potential horrors we may have encountered had already been bested by having to stay a night with that man.
There’s one catch however, there’s not enough room at the haunted inn. It’s like a Blair Witch Nativity.
With not enough space for our crew, we decided it best to film with just the two of us - and so accompanied by my most precious and valuable partner, my camera, we set out to hunt some ghosts.
You can’t hunt ghosts on an empty stomach, so we decide the best course of action upon arriving at the Inn is to enjoy the delicious Kaiseki dinner… to help with the challenge of course. For this particular dinner we were served up fresh sashimi. succulent pork shabu shabu, and a plethora of other smaller dishes. Of particular note however was Iwate’s juicy and crisp apples - but this time they BATTERED them as Tempura. Why don’t more prefectures take their famous foods and batter them? Brilliant.
People come from all over Japan hoping to have the experience of meeting the spirit at Ryokufuso, known as a ‘Zashiki Warashi’ in Japan - a ghost of a young child said to bring those who look upon it good luck.
Guests, hoping to entice the spirit into rearing its ghostly head even bring toys and snacks they think the spirit would enjoy and offer them up to the shrine located near the lobby.
Our hunt for the ghost started out slow, with nay a poltergeist nor phantom to be seen out in the shrine outside of the inn.
That was until an insane gust of wind swept through the grounds almost sweeping Sharla and I into another prefecture.
Taking shelter back in the hotel from the ridiculous wind, we walk the hallways looking for apparitions.
When I had previously visited with Ryotaro we were perplexed when a toy bird simply toppled from the cabinet, all on its own. It was an unnerving moment which I’m still unable to fully explain, almost as unnerving as staying in a hotel with Ryotaro.
While Sharla and I find little in the way of phantasms, we come across two other guests who explain that the videos they have taken on their phone have mysterious orbs of light suddenly move across the screen.
Conclusive proof of the boy’s ghostly being or simply some dust on the lens? You decide.
According to the visitor book, there are numerous incidents where guests experience something otherworldly. Handwritten entries describing unsettling events where folks experience a feeling like someone is sitting on their chest.
Looking back though we have had a pretty odd day.
No seagulls in a town known for having them in the thousands. An unexplained and violent breeze conjured from seemingly nowhere at the exact moment we mentioned the spirit of the boy. A ghostly apparition caught on camera by two ladies. And probably the most mysterious of all, proper nights sleep.
If you ever find yourself in Iwate, Ryokufuso offers a unique experience and an atmosphere you’ll never forget. You’ll also be likely to meet other guests in the hallway and most of them will be living.
While you may not find the ghost boy, you’re sure to find a great little memory that many who visit Japan will never think of doing.
Hope you folks enjoy the episode, which will be going up any moment now!
Hope you’ve all been enjoying the series so far. We're now roughly halfway through our journey across the North of Japan and the first Patreon Exclusive behind the scenes video is finally ready to share with you.
You've seen us survive hypothermia and endless amounts of Ramen, as well two days in the company of Ryotaro and much more, all whilst travelling around in a tiny Kei car. It's been a wild ride. 3 guests down and 3 more to come.
In this video I discuss the highs and lows of the trip so far, the ridiculously complex logistics, and introduce the team. And of course, its packed with bloopers, outtakes, and deleted scenes.
ALSO thanks once again for your support, it's been the highlight of my year and it wouldn't have been possible without you, so a big thanks!
Enjoy the video folks, we'll be back with more behind the scenes later on in the trip.
To the tomb of Jesus Christ. At least in an alternate universe, where Christ fled to an obscure village in Aomori
But our journey starts in Miyako on the picturesque Sanriku Coastline, one of the most beautiful stretches of coast in all of north Japan. The area holds a difficult history though, given it was badly affected by the tsunami in 2011 and travelling down the route, you’ll chance upon structures bearing the scars and serving as a reminder to future generations of the devastation that was experienced on 11th March 2011.
Our start point is the Tao Kanko hotel, which was struck by the wave, destroying the lower floors, though remarkably the building is still intact and accessible today to explore. (FYI: It’s not the hotel we featured in the previous documentary which was in Minami Sanriku). And today like most of the East coast, it’s protected by a 200km long concrete seawall, that’s been quite divisive with locals along the Tohoku coastline.
Having fully recovered from our 48 hours of hell on the island and having trashed my car with Connor’s guns and sex toys, our challenge of the day arrives and quickly proves to be the hardest challenge of them all - to be kind to each other for one whole day.
Oh dear.
Nonetheless, having recalibrated my brain to function in a world where I’m nice to Connor, we head off to find the final resting place of Jesus Christ.
Somehow appropriately, we faced our own trials and tribulations making our way to the tomb of Christ. On the winding roads to Shingo village, where the tomb is located, we face our first test when there’s only one box of Karaage chicken at Lawson. Rather than argue over it, I bestow thy chicken to Connor under the terms of today’s challenge. It wasn’t easy.
On our way to the tomb there seems to be a lack of signage, which makes navigating to the spot rather difficult, but then it’s often been said that everyone takes their own path to Christ.
We arrive at the tomb, where Connor immediately wonders why on earth we just made the two hour pilgrimage.
To summarise the story; Christ came to Japan at 21 to have a poke around, then left at age 33 for Judea, got in a bit of bother for which his brother was nailed (quite literally) for the crime, then finally returned to Japan where he settled in the village of Herai until he was 106.
What’s not believable about that.
The site is apparently visited by 20,000 pilgrims every year - a pretty impressive number for such an out of the way ‘attraction’. Thankfully, it’s maintained by a nearby Yoghurt factory for all to enjoy.
Come for the pilgrimage, stay for the yoghurt.
Jesus managed to feed the 5000, and I in turn must feed CDawgVA and for that we head to Hachinohe city, to the cheapest restaurant I could find.
Still, cheap doesn’t mean awful - not at Hanbey, the 1960’s Showa era restaurant chain. Surrounded by memorabilia from the post war era, posters, toys and sweets, we tuck into a delicious last supper of chicken, cheese and corn beef. The perfect way to end Connor’s 72 hours of madness on his first ever appearance on Journey Across Japan.
Thanks to my ‘dear friend’ Connor for joining us on the series.
Like Jesus, we too have gone through ‘the ups and downs’ of travel. (You’ll understand the reference when you watch the video…)
Our next guest is serial Pokemon copyright infringer, the Youtuber Sharmeleon. You may have heard of her! Tune in for the next episode where we explore Japan’s most haunted inn. Don’t say I never take her anywhere nice…
Chris
P.S The Patreon exclusive behind the scenes video is almost ready! Keep your eyes peeled. You’ll find extra footage from the trip, including bloopers from both the guests and the crew.
Thanks for all your positive comments on the last video guys!
The Journey Across Japan: Hypothermia Special was definitely one of the high points of the series and a credit to the entire editing team. It was a big challenge, what with the extended run time, so I'm glad it's gone down so well.
I know we may not have hit my lofty and foolish goal of daily vlogs, but what’s been achieved with this series has been far more impressive - almost daily regular Abroad in Japan quality videos. It’s not an understatement to say editing is an incredibly difficult and time-consuming endeavour and it’s a miracle that they succeeded in getting it out in just 2-3 days (especially given the almost 40 minute runtime).
Groggy from sleep deprivation and frostbite, and with our ears still ringing from Natsuki’s snoring, we headed to the nearest coffee spot to regroup. And fortunately for us, the challenge for today - pimping our car - doesn’t involve any threat to life or limb like yesterday.
If you don’t know the place already, Don Quixote is an attraction in itself. Rows upon rows of items are available to purchase and you can find almost anything inside the neon lined shelves. Deciding to up the ante, we set a budget to cap our spending at 10,000 Yen each (around $70). Mr Moneybags CDawgVA swiftly blew through his allowance though.
Having filled our baskets with all sorts of wacky and weird items we needed to find an inconspicuous place to make the necessary upgrades - our end point of Jodogama beach. Quite possibly the most stunning beach in all of north Japan.
Driving through the coastal town of Kesennuma, a town famous for seafood, Ken Watanabe and one of the biggest sea ports in North East Japan, an unusual building caught my eye. Pulling up to investigate the place, we discover the Koori no Suizokukan, literally ‘ice aquarium’.
While it can be said that a lot of Northern Japan is frozen in time, this is the first location we’ve visited that’s actually frozen. (Well except for our tents last night).
Entering into the giant freezer, there are thousands of fish on display, eerily stuck in position. Rainbow lights flicker and ambient music plays, probably in an attempt to distract visitors from their plummeting core temperature.
Any potential relaxation is soon eradicated when the music and lights inexplicably turn off, plunging us into utter darkness.
Narrowly dodging hypothermia for the second time in as many days, we promptly left the aquarium. With fish on the brain, Connor ordered a swordfish rice curry and I opted for the Kaisen-don bowl, or a seafood rice bowl.
Above all, we’re just glad to be out of the damn fridge.
Now it was time to transform the Kei car.
Our trusty companion had taken us approximately 500km thus far, so we wanted to show it some love (the car, not Connor).
Among the goodies we selected were: a microphone, a discoball, an oinking pig and a wooden shelf. You’ll have to use your imagination to see how such a bizarre array of items were utilised - I daren’t spoil the shit show that awaits you.
But our two long days of hell thankfully ended with a smile as Connor finally got his long awaited beer and bath, having operated on almost no sleep for 24 consecutive hours.
Join us on the next one when we explore the food stalls of Aomori City and make our own pilgrimage to a very special, very Holy, and definitely very legitimate spot…
Chris
P.S With a a good chunk of episodes now out, tomorrow we’ll be sharing the first Patreon exclusive behind-the-scenes video, featuring outtakes, deleted scenes and a peek behind the curtain of what we've been getting up to off-camera with the crew. We know you’ve been waiting for this so make sure not to miss it!
P.P.S Find the Non-Stop North merch here so you too can wear 3+ layers this Winter!!
Imagine you’ve won the lottery. How would you spend your winnings? Shop for a new house, splurge on a sports car… or buy a private island?!
Well, today’s episode may give you pause for thought.
We’re joined by the ‘great’ CDawgVA of Wacky Weekend fame and together it’s time to live out our pirate fantasies, discovering it’s not so much treasure and ‘shiver me timbers’ as much as shiver me hypothermia. Oh, and there’s a familiar terrifying monster who’s joining us as well.
A few weeks prior to Journey Across Japan, a friend of mine in Sendai discovered there was an island for sale in Matsushima Bay. After having a chat with the owner, my friend proposed that we shoot a video on it for Abroad in Japan and see what the hell $200,000 buys you when it comes to a Japanese island
But rather than merely wander around it, we got permission from the owner (an affable Japanese man named Ozaki san) to stay overnight and camp on the island.
We were warned there was absolutely no power, plumbing or infrastructure, so we stocked up with excessive food and equipment for our stay and set sail 20 minutes offshore to the remote island of Shirahama
Hidden amongst the crew and unbeknownst to Connor, our special guest worked away loading equipment onto the boat. And the plan was for the guest (Natsuki of course) to reveal himself before casting off.
ALAS. For some bloody reason, Natsuki just didn’t reveal himself, continuing to conceal himself behind his shady balaclava. Eventually, Natsuki did reveal himself on the island, but by that point Connor had sensed something was off and realised it was his biggest fan all along
The island itself was a lot of fun to explore; albeit with painfully little inhabitable camping space. One of the only times the island HAD been inhabited was by a Buddhist monk who spent three days meditating in a shallow cave on the island. Something we attempted to relive ourselves.
Connor nearly single handedly burned the entire island down and Natsuki almost poisoned us all, but it was the horrific icy weather and the pitifully thin sleeping bags that would prove our downfall. I’ve never camped in winter and having woken up at 3am shivering uncontrollably, and absolutely unable to heat myself on the island, I can’t say I’m keen to camp again any time soon.
Fortunately we suffered together. Connor, Natsuki, and Paul the cameraman all suffered the early onset of hypothermia in their neighbouring tents as well. What a great team.
Meanwhile on shore, the rest of the team splashed around in the warmth and comfort of the traditional ryokan hot springs. Bastards.
Apparently they’d been greeted at check-in with a multiple choice quiz about the local area, with the winners being rewarded with sake! They certainly got the better deal.
While undeniably the most hellish shoot of this year (so far), this will definitely be one of the best episodes of the series that people will remember and in all likelihood the longest.
The team have been frantically editing it for several days now and from the clips I’ve seen, it’s utterly hilarious. From the chaos of Natsuki dressing as Santa, to Connor chopping down half a forest, this is truly Journey Across Japan at its finest!
Enjoy it when it drops later today guys, and then onwards we continue - with Connor - into Iwate prefecture, for a thorough defrosting session.
Strap yourselves in folks, today we venture into Ryotaro’s lair!
To prepare ourselves for the house tour of a lifetime, we made a pit stop in Izaka Onsen, the Gyoza dumpling capital of Japan. Three years ago I ate the best gyoza of my life here, and I’ve been dreaming of returning ever since.
Here we meet Yoshiaki Sato, the proprietor of Danihiru, a tiny retro styled restaurant. The gyoza is made fresh, immediately upon placing your order. It’s an intimate setting - seated almost over the stove, you’ll hear the gyoza sizzle and crackle as they crisp up. The smell of pork and batter cooking, whilst sublime, is torturous as you await a full plate.
They nicknamed the dish ‘UFO gyoza’ due to the individual smooth rounded shape and overall presentation of the dish. It’s the crispy exterior that really distinguishes the style though and makes this place notable. Most gyoza is softer in texture whereas this place offers a special and delicious crunch.
It’s easy to see how the owner, by his admission, gets through 70-100 of these a week!
Invaded by innumerable gyoza, we head off to Ryotaro’s country residence. Zao is a resort town about 30-40 minutes from Sendai. It’s a great spot for those interested in skiing, hiking and relaxing in the hot springs.
Ryotaro, savvy business man that he is, bought the second home for rental (what a lucky sausage!). He gives us a special tour showing off the bedrooms, living quarters and multiple ‘storage’ spaces. Storage for what, you decide…
The jewel in the crown though is the master bathroom. All houses in the area are connected to the hot spring and, at the turn of a dubious looking red lever, you’ll have your own private Onsen.
He’s spent all his pocket money on this place and I hate to admit it, but it looks pretty damn awesome - I’m actually jealous! (but don’t tell him).
It’s been great hanging out with Ryotaro. It’s been a while since he’s featured on the channel as we don’t get to spend as much time together since moving to Tokyo. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of him in the near future.
The next episode sees us travel to a private island in Matsushima, to hang out with the owner and a familiar face. Join us as we battle freezing weather, lack of electricity and terrible poetry…
Back on the road and joined by a tyrannical new guest! Journey Across Japan: Non-Stop North continues!
Last episode we revisited the Fukushima Nuclear Exclusion Zone and explored some of the great work going on. Honestly, it made me wish we had longer to spend there but I’m glad we were able to visit at all. Thanks for all the kind words though guys - it’s fantastic to hear you enjoyed the episode.
For tonight’s episode we hit the road once more, heading to Koriyama, Fukushima’s second-largest city and Aizu Wakamatsu (again). Any residual feelings of positivity will be immediately erased as Ryotaro makes his long awaited re-appearance on Abroad in Japan, since we tried to eat every sushi known to man earlier in the year. (And of course Natsuki’s failed assassination).
Whilst the coveted title of ‘Chess Boxing Champion’ has been bestowed upon me, you guys know I’m no Bear Grylls, so today’s challenge, ‘Forage for your own food’, was quite the quest.
Thankfully Ryotaro immediately started working his way through his extensive phonebook and managed to track down a small restaurant - Unagi Kabayaki - through an acquaintance, where customers can catch their own dinner. Turns out he does have some use after all!
The only catch - other than the fish - was that we had to essentially go back on ourselves to Aizu Wakamatsu, which wasn’t ideal given we’ve barely begun our journey.
Turns out trying to catch a slippery eel isn’t so easy, even when they’re essentially presented before you in a bucket. Even the master chef who’d worked at the restaurant for 40+ years, admitted it was no easy task to grab an eel. The fact he had a plaster on his finger wasn’t overly encouraging either, as I plunged my hand into the bucket.
Saying ‘eel’ will cause most Brits to immediately recoil. Images of jellied eel, a UK ‘dish’ simply unfit for ingestion will spring to mind. Here though, eel is cooked to perfection.
Unagi is a prized delicacy, up there with wagyu in terms of price and rarity. At around $30-$40 for a good Unagi meal, most folks in Japan typically eat it a handful of times a year.
With its meaty taste, and sweet, sticky tare sauce, Unagi is a bloody delicious dish and well worth a try if you find yourself in Japan.
Seeing as we ended up in Aizu Wakamatsu, Ryotaro called up an old friend Koji, who offered to take us out for the night around town. Our adventure into the dimly lit underbelly of Aizu took us to a snack bar (a more reasonably priced and laid back form of hostess club), where we got to rub shoulders with Fuyuka, a real life local Geisha.
Fuyuka filled us in on life as a Geisha and even gave us an impressively choreographed dance, which was the highlight of the day. And fortunately, we managed to flee the bar, before Ryotaro got hold of the karaoke microphone.
After an afternoon of extensive ‘fishing’, and an evening exploring the nightlife we relax in the Ookawaso Hotel in Aizawakamatsu.
With its traditional ryokan style, a local shamisen player serenades guests for 2 whole hours every night in the ridiculously elaborate lobby. Visitors can also choose to unwind in either onsen as this place has not one, but TWO onsen hot springs. Much needed therapy after a long day with Ryotaro.
That being said, I hate to admit it, but it’s been fun to have Ryotaro join us and he’s sticking around for the next episode tomorrow as we take a peak inside his house, check out his exceptional reading materials, and fill our stomachs with a dish that’s truly out of this world! (Well, sort of).
Thanks for watching guys and more to follow tomorrow!
It’s been four years since making the documentary Inside Fukushima: What Happened After the Nuclear Disaster?
Back then a gigantic effort was underway to reduce radiation levels and repair some of the damage caused during the catastrophic events of 2011. Hundreds of trucks and diggers were at work terraforming the landscape, and thousands of black bags of contaminated soil piled high and blanketing the luscious countryside.
Hyperbole and misinformation are rife with anything Fukushima related.
Programmes follow the same boring, predictable format. Some muppet on screen, Geiger counter in hand, exclaiming imminent risk at any microSievert level.
Well, this time I’m the muppet on screen, but we’ll be sharing personal stories from residents that still live here, and discovering some inspiring ongoing initiatives to repair and revive the area.
Entering the exclusion zone, large signs are prevalent displaying current radiation levels. Road users are instructed not to stop or exit their vehicles. Undoubtedly there are no-go areas, still unsafe for return, but for the most part, our readings averaged approx. 0.13 microSieverts, akin to levels found in Tokyo.
Driving through the mountains we recorded a peak of 3.0 microSieverts. Comparable to receiving only an X-ray, it still raises the old heart rate watching as the counter flicks higher.
The town of Namie is located directly downwind from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, just 10km away. Included in the exclusion zone, the townsfolk were evacuated and only around 10% have since returned. Here we meet with Takahashi Daiju. A former politician who moved to the area with a mission to aid the recovery of the region and help local small businesses, including starting a farm and supporting artists in the town.
You may recall four years ago, we weren’t able to enter the grounds of Ukedo Elementary School, but incredibly now the building is open to visitors as a living museum.
The school was one of the first buildings to be hit, and it’s a miracle it still stands at all. Little remains of the classrooms, the force of the 15.5 meter wave clearly apparent. Furniture swept away, plaster ripped off the walls, metal handrails and taps distorted. Due to the quick thinking of the teachers and wider community, all within escaped and survived. A clock still keeps the time of impact, frozen at 15:40.
Former schoolgirl and survivor Wakana Yokoyama was kind enough to recount her memories of that day with us and share her aspirations for the future of the town.
It’s been a surreal day returning to the Fukushima Nuclear Exclusion Zone after 4 years. In Namie you wouldn’t know that anything had happened for the most part. The buildings are reconstructed, there’s a fully functional station, Takahashi’s farm is thriving and the disaster feels firmly in the past. But then coming south to Tomioka you see boarded up buildings, and rusted cars and you realise despite $200 billion spent and thousands of people working on this for over a decade, there’s still a long way to recovery.
Nothing about Fukushima is ordinary, and I strongly recommend people to come here. I think you’ll be both horrified and inspired. But it’s important to cut through the sensationalism of the media and see it for yourself.
Thank you guys for your patience awaiting this episode. The last Fukushima documentary took over a week to edit, we’re getting this produced in just 2 days! Can’t wait to share it with you tomorrow.
Well guys, it’s our third day on the road and we almost ruined our tastebuds indefinitely.
At risk of wasting away on this trip, we got up at an ungodly hour to visit the ramen shrine of Kitakata, AKA ‘Ramen Town’.
And despite Natsuki paying tribute to the ramen Gods, they certainly weren’t kind, as we received the formidable challenge of the day; ‘Eat at least 3 different types of ramen in a day’.
Kicking off the day, we visited Ramen Ippei for their morning ramen (literally Asa-ra). While all the restaurants in Kitakawa have their own take on the dish, they share some similarities including curly noodles in a thick, hearty broth.
Jito-Jito ramen, a dish containing heaps of pork fat, was originally designed for the local factory workers to set them up for the long, cold day ahead.
Despite our full stomachs we pressed on to order two bowls at Ajian Shokudo, a small restaurant absolutely rammed for lunch. The wasabi ramen beckoned and I took the liberty of ordering the 10/10 spicy red pepper ramen for Natsuki. Because I’m a good friend. The best friend you’ll ever have.
Natsuki took a mouthful and immediately nearly died.
The ramen was hotter than the gates of hell - perhaps the intense red colour should have served as a warning to us! I also had a mouthful and for the next 20 minutes my eyes were watering non-stop. Credit where it’s due to Natsuki he made a valiant effort but eventually conceded defeat.
If you visit Kitakawa, you can opt for more sensible options, such as miso ramen - a lighter, less dangerous option or hell, get the wasabi ramen. It was bloody good!
(Ellen our driver, ate the healthier Jiro ramen topped with beansprouts).
The last ramen of the day - thank God - was Tori Soba, chicken ramen. The broth itself is chicken based but don’t you worry, you still get several slices of braised pork.
Kitakawa has truly embraced the cult of ramen and put their own spin on the dish. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend eating ramen for every meal, it certainly wasn’t the worst challenge. Honestly, it was probably my favourite day of the trip so far!
To top it all off, we sampled some ramen ice cream - Natsuki loved it. I wasn’t so impressed. It just tasted like someone dunked a bottle of soy sauce on some vanilla ice cream.
Sadly, all good things come to an end, as our erstwhile companion Natsuki must head off back to Yamagata - his tastebuds undeniably obliterated along the way.
But don’t worry he’ll be back sooner than you think! And on the horizon, the spectre of Ryotaro looms.
The upcoming episode will see us head to the Fukushima exclusion zone, where I’ll be travelling solo to meet the people who call it home and to discover how the area has recovered after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. Especially in the last four years since our documentary.
We’ve decided to take an extra day on this edit, to ensure that we do the episode justice, given we're trying to essentially produce a mini-documentary in 48 hours! And so the next episode comes out on Tuesday before continuing daily throughout the week.
Thanks guys and hope you enjoy today's episode when it drops in a few hours!
To some people it may sound like torture (included Connor), but I thought it might be a wonderful opportunity for him to get away from the internet for a short while, as the world’s most phone addicted man.
