Hey guys, I'll keep it short and sweet - the next action-packed episode of Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers is now up on Youtube!
This time around we hop aboard a beautiful, luxury steam train that only operates several weeks of the year, devour a sushi restaurant and reach Japan's most extreme Eastern point.
There's some hilarious moments in this episode, including Natsuki dancing and Joey crying at the side of a railway. What more could you want from a JAJ episdoe.
The Patreon behind the scenes video will be dropping in a few days time. But for now enjoy the episode! Chris
The FIRST Patreon behind the scenes episode is now up for Journey Across Japan!
Hitmen, igloos, dog sleds and ice villages - what a start to our journey it was. But of course not everything went according to plan...
With a barrel of outtakes and deleted scenes, as well as the story of how it was made, there's plenty to learn in this first Patreon exclusive episode of four to come.
I've dreamt of writing down the crazy stories and experiences I've left out of Youtube for many years. Off screen there've been ups and downs, great moments and emotional ones, that I've never been able to share until now.
The book kicks off the day of my interview at the Japanese Embassy, goes through my life in rural Japan as an English teacher with no experience of teaching or Japanese and beyond through the decade spent living in and travelling the country.
The release date is AUGUST 3rd. BUT if pre-orders go well, a book tour might well happen! So if you've ever wanted me to hop on a plane and pop up around the world, this year could be the one!
Thanks guys and I'll leave you with the official synopsis and a few early reviews!
|| OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS ||
When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the language and zero teaching experience, was he about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history?
Abroad in Japan charts a decade of living in a foreign land and the chaos and culture clash that came with it. Packed with hilarious and fascinating stories, this book seeks out to unravel one the world's most complex cultures. Spanning ten years and all forty-seven prefectures, Chris takes us from the lush rice fields of the countryside to the frenetic neon-lit streets of Tokyo. With blockbuster moments such as a terrifying North Korean missile incident, a mortifying experience at a love hotel and a week spent with Japan's biggest movie star, Abroad in Japan is an extraordinary and informative journey through the Land of the Rising Sun.
🌟'Chris Broad explores Japan in all its quirky glory..Endlessly fascinating!' - Will Ferguson, author of Hokkaido Highway Blues
🌟 'Carves a unique path across Japan bringing him into contact with far too many cats, heartening renewal in Tohoku, and even pizza with Ken Watanabe.' - Iain Maloney, author of The Only Gaijin in the Village
🌟'Fascinating, fact-packed and very funny..An excellent and enjoyable read for the Japan-curious. I loved it and learned a lot.' - Sam Baldwin, author of For Fukui's Sake: Two years in rural Japan
Go and watch the first leg of our journey to Japan's most remote and underrated region, an epic 1,000km trip to the coldest, most extreme place in the country.
The first Patreon Behind the Scenes episode will drop in a few days, but for now enjoy the video. Things certainly kick off with a bang.
- Literally.
Was super pissed that John Wick 4 isn't coming out in Japan until September.
So instead we went out and essentially shot NATSUKI WICK for the opening scene of Journey Across Japan. It turned out rather well, haha.
A huge thanks for making this possible guys! This was entirely funded by Patreon and was a pleasure to produce from start to finish.
Delighted to share that the Patreon Behind the Scenes episode for our Kyoto Bar video is now available to watch guys!
Including the story of our awkward encounter with yakuza during our shoot and how I almost set fire to a priceless kimono, along with hilarious outtakes, deleted scenes and bloopers of our crazy week running a bar in downtown Kyoto.
What Running a Kyoto Bar was REALLY Like 🇯🇵 Patreon Exclusive Video
At long last guys, I'm delighted to share the trailer for Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers with you all here on Patreon!
A BIG THANK YOU to all of you for making this epic four-part series possible.
I'm incredibly proud that we're able to make Journey Across Japan the way we want, free from ads and sponsors and funded entirely by our viewership - AKA. you guys.
Having explored Japan's tropical paradise of Okinawa on our last outing, we've headed in the complete opposite direction, to the far flung region of east Hokkaido for this trip.
It's a region home to Japan's coldest town, the stunning snow train, dog sleds, igloos and ice breaker ships, as well as Japan's most Eastern point! Above all, it's an often neglected region that none of us had ever explored before and a place that completely blew us all away.
I really can't wait to take you along for the ride on this one. The trailer doesn't scratch the surface of what lies in store across the four part series, but it's a start.
The series starts this weekend (on Sunday) and every episode will feature an extended Patreon behind the scenes episode, featuring outtakes, bloopers, deleted scenes and commentary on what went on behind the scenes.
A huge thanks again for making it possible!
Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers | Official Trailer | Patreon Exclusive
I’ve spent the last few days experimenting with Chat GPT, the AI chatbot that’s taken the internet by storm.
And having asked the omnipotent God for 10 Underrated places to visit in Japan, it instantly blurted out a list of 10 fantastic locations around the country - some I’d never have thought of - but all of which we’ve visited at some point on Abroad in Japan.
Below is the list along with my rating of each one (from 1 to 5) and my personal thoughts on if each one is genuinely worth visiting or not. SPOILERS, they're all very good.
Enjoy!
---------
10 Underrated Places to Visit in Japan
1. Takayama
Abroad Review: I love Takayama and always go out of my way to visit the city when passing through central Japan. It’s home to my favourite museum in Japan, the 1960’s themed Showa-kan, where we filmed the Dr Jelly Ad. Meanwhile the town’s historic streets are a joy to get lost down and the street food is delicious. The only downside is it’s a bit out of the way, but the journey to Takayama itself is part of the adventure.
Abroad Review: One of the most remote regions in south Japan, Iya Valley is a real adventure to get to. When Connor and I drove there on our first ever Wacky Weekend outing, we found ourselves caught in a torrential storm, with waterfalls gushing all over the narrow mountain passes we precariously made our way down. But when the rain subsided, we found a valley of untouched beauty, abandoned buildings, terrifying rope bridge and an awful lot of scarecrows. A journey not for the faint hearted, but perhaps the closest to a genuine adventure on this list.
Abroad Review: Having failed to sleep on the long overnight train from Tokyo, Natsuki and I arrived bleary eyed in Tottori, standing upon the majestic sand dunes, towering over the Sea of Japan. They have their charm and I’d love to return well-rested to shoot a short film, but unless paired with a road trip or the overnight train, it may not be a worthy enough destination, solely for the sand tunes.
Abroad Review: Everyone loves Fukuoka. For the ramen, for the nightlife and for the high quality of life, it’s no surprise the city is a popular destination to move to for younger generations. As much as I enjoy the city, I generally don’t recommend it that often as a tourism destination, just as there are more rewarding cities and spots to explore on the island of Kyushu where the city is located. But if you’re in Japan for an extended stay, it's definitely worth a visit or to use as a jumping off point. Especially to see the largest bronze reclining Buddha on the planet at the stunning Nanzoin Temple.
Abroad Review: We were lucky to visit Yakushima on our first episode of Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands, staying on a farm, fishing and exploring the ethereal mountain forests which served as inspiration for the movie Princess Mononoke. If you’re an outdoors person looking to hike, the UNESCO world heritage forests are one of the best locations in Japan. Best of all, you might discover Natsuki’s lost pirate pants, which magically disappeared after he somehow fell into a waterfall.
Abroad Review: Often referred to as “Art Island”, I visited Naoshima about ten years ago and enjoyed cycling around the island, particularly as it was a glorious E-Bike requiring no effort to cycle. But given it was a bit of a trip to get to the island, which is located in the middle of Japan’s inland sea, I’m not sure it was worth the effort for what we saw. If you want the inland sea, go and cycle the Shimanami Kaido. And if you want to experience island life in a more dramatic location, try Yakushima or Sado.
- 3/5
No video sadly! Someday...
7. Aomori
Abroad Review: I realised recently, we may have featured Aomori in our videos more than any other prefecture in Japan over the years. That should be no surprise, given how culturally rich Honshu’s most northern prefecture is. From the most prized tuna in the world and Japan’s largest morning market, to delicious authentic cider, hot springs in waterfalls and even the so-called place where Jesus is allegedly buried, Aomori is perhaps Japan’s most epic prefecture to uncover, second only to its neighbour of Hokkaido, across the Tsugaru strait. Easy to access by shinkansen (3hrs north of Tokyo), but would recommend renting a car when you get there to explore it all.
Abroad Review: Forever remembered as the place I fell of a boat and ruptured my eardrum, before the agonising pain, I was rather enjoying the tropical paradise of Ishigaki. From diving inside a hidden cave and paragliding above the clear waters, to mouthwatering Okinawa ramen and lightsaber fights between Natsuki and Ryotaro, the island of Ishigaki has an undeniable spirit of adventure. But it’s the unspoilt seas and sandy shores that make it a real natural paradise and perhaps one of Japan’s most beautiful scenic backdrops. A bit of a journey to get to (3.5 hrs by plane), but well worth it when twinned with a visit to neighbouring Okinawa. That said, renting a car is essential.
Abroad Review: I love Kanazawa, I really do. Last summer Sharla and I went to visit for a rare weekend break without our cameras and came away wondering if we should move there. Kanazawa was once a rich merchant town dubbed 'Little Kyoto' and that wealth seeped its way through society to create a city packed full of arts and crafts, fantastic restaurants and izakayas with artisanal cuisine and seafood, and a beautifully preserved historic quarter, rivalled only by Kyoto itself in its splendour. However, for a first time visitor I’m not sure I’d recommend it, as it's a bit out of the way unless twinned with a trip to Takayama or Shirakawago village. The city is also quite well spread out, though it’s a joy to walk around, particularly alongside the riverbanks at night. We made one video there when passing through Kanazawa on the original journey across Japan featuring Omicho market and it's perhaps my favourite market in Japan. The food is to die for. (Not literally, that'd be tragic).
Abroad Review: I only spent a few hours in Kurashiki when cycling through the city on Journey Across Japan, but it made quite the impression. Japan’s answer to Venice is lined with stunning canals, being gently punted downstream with gawping tourists and quaint shops selling delicious street food to enjoy as you gaze upon it all. A great stop on your way to Hiroshima, I had an absolute field day photographing the town for the video and I hope to get back there before the year’s out and appreciate it without feeling half dead from cycling.
If you’d like more articles like this guys, let me know in the comments and below and what’s YOUR number 1 underrated spot in Japan. Share your wisdom with us all!
Right after Japan reopened last year, I knew we had to do something to celebrate. Ideally, I would have loved to invite the entire world to the Abroad in Japan ramen shop, but for spectacular insurance reasons, that was never going to be a good idea.
So when I received a tip-off about a bar in Kyoto that we could rent out, redecorate, and operate under the Abroad in Japan name, I set off to Tokyo with Natsuki and Sharla to turn our dream into a reality.
We have an awesome Patreon Behind-the-Scenes episode coming out in a few days that will detail how it all happened, including the ups and downs, as well as outtakes and bloopers of me humiliating myself.
But for now, a big thank you to all of you who showed up at our bar in Kyoto! As we promoted the event first on the Abroad in Japan Patreon, the majority of our customers were actually Patrons, which was awesome. This was similar to our event in London at Christmas and the Halloween Party in Tokyo.
When it comes to these events, we will always prioritize our Patrons, and it looks like there are a few more events on the horizon later this year, potentially coinciding with the book tour around the world.
I'd be lying if I said this bar wasn't a test run for bigger, more exciting things, and given it honestly couldn't have gone better, it bodes well for those larger plans.
For now though guys, enjoy the video, and keep an eye out for the Patreon-exclusive episode in the next few days, as well as the trailer for Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers!
“A wise man climbs Mt.Fuji once, only a fool climbs it twice.” - Over-referenced Japanese proverb.
First off, guys, many thanks for all the birthday wishes! 33 may seem like an unremarkable number, but it's one of the 7 or 8 times you get to enjoy the magic of having the same double digits in a lifetime.
As the years rocket past, it scares me to think it's been three years since I turned 30. I remember being 26 as if it were yesterday and giggling with glee at a friend who'd just turned 30.
"Just you wait. It'll be you one day," she bitterly remarked.
"BAH. I'll never turn 30!" I'd declared as I sipped triumphantly on my plum wine, an affable young man with the world at his feet.
Somehow that was 7 fucking years ago and I remember it clear as day. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I thought time would stop and I'd forever be in my 20's.
ALAS. The only thing we have is the present. Here and now. And if last year taught me anything, it's that the best moments seldom happen when I'm sat indoors at my desk.
You need to get out and get punched in the face in LA.
As I sat over dinner with Natsuki a few days ago, I cast my mind back to the first time we met in the streets of Sakata, almost a decade earlier and just two weeks before my ill-fated but ultimately successful previous ascent of Mount Fuji.
I remembered how he'd wished me - little more than a stranger at the time - good fortune on the climb ahead, and how he'd congratulated me with a beer when we met for the third time ever, just a few days afterward.
"Natsuki, you should climb it for your 50th birthday mate. We can go together this time."
It wasn't the first time I'd suggested it, but this time Natsuki agreed. It was now or never. Beyond 50, life throws a lot more curveballs after all.
And so, having embarked on my own fitness journey last year, I look forward to this year's project of turning Natsuki's health around. Not only that, but I want to dedicate a lot more time this year to working on videos and projects alongside Natsuki.
Whether we can get him to quit smoking remains a far more difficult question. First things first, let's get him up to the summit of Mount Fuji in one piece - and back down for that matter.
But to me, he's the soul of Abroad in Japan, and as he hits the milestone of turning 50 this August (I know, I can't believe he's almost 50 either!), I want to put him front and center this year on the channel.
We'll absolutely plan to document the journey and film his fitness progress in the weeks and months ahead and when all is said and done, it should be an epic journey taking us from the rice fields of Yamagata to the summit of Japan's tallest mountain. Hopefully we can inspire a few folks to get fit along the way too.
Looking forward to taking you along for the ride on this one!
Chris
P.S. And you'll be seeing Natsuki in the next few days in the Kyoto bar video guys! Keep an eye out.
What a month it's been so far! I've faced the daunting task of trying to find a new studio space in Tokyo and it's been bloody difficult. But we may finally have a winner. Later in the week I'll be taking a look around and if we get it, the location will be fantastic. Keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted!
Before I get into what else we've been up to, last week we had an Abroad in Japan episode on eating out on a budget.
Good god, don't ever try and film 12 foods/restaurants back to back. It was the most painful shoot since the Wankosoba noodle challenge.
But given how intense the shoot was lots of things went wrong and there's some amusing (and bloody humiliating) outtakes and bloopers to tuck into here on Patreon. Check it out below!
In between looking for a new studio, I've spent the last four days filming our first documentary of the year (and far from the last). It's the story of how a traditional inn here in Tohoku went from the bleak situation of facing bankruptcy, to turning it around in the space of 6 years and becoming one of the most highly ranked Ryokan Inns in all of north Japan.
It's an inspirational story and a real lesson in entrepreneurship that I think will be a fantastic episode - it certainly helps that the ryokan itself is absolutely stunning and has quite a few quirks that I'd never encountered before. But while I was filming the inn out in the mountains of Yamagata, by a stroke of good luck it happened to be cherry blossom season.
So when I had a spare hour while shooting the documentary, I popped off the town park and shot this video, trying to showcase the beauty of Hanami (flower viewing). It was a real joy to film! (So much so I shot it in 8k).
Japan's Biggest Annual Festival 🍿 Watch:https://youtu.be/sJMVbKZuR0Q Finally today, Natsuki and I wrapped filming a scene for the opening of Journey Across Japan, in a similar vein to Natsuki's epic yakuza showdown at the start of last year's series.
It was completely over the top but I think it'll make the most entertaining start to a JAJ series yet. (As seen below).
But before JAJ drops, our next video is the Kyoto Bar video! (Also featuring Natsuki). The video is one big love letter to Kyoto and one great big lesson on how to not to be a bartender.
I'll swing by with a preview of JAJ and the Kyoto bar in the next few days, but for now guys enjoy the two videos above and have a great start to the week!
Fresh off of the Kyushu Cycleathon, preparing to move to Tokyo for the first time in 10 years living in Japan and complete with a brand new haircut, it's time for our monthly Patreon live hangout!
I'll be revealing what really went on behind the scenes in Kyushu, how I feel about leaving Tohoku and what's coming up in April - as well as answering your questions of course, over some sort of alcoholic beverage. (Naturally).
It'll be tomorrow evening Japan time at 22:00 and in the event you can't make it you can watch it after at the link below. If you can't make it, leave your questions below in the comments and I'll answer them on stream!
Well guys, not only did we make it back alive from our 900km cycleathon around Kyushu, but somehow we were able to raise $550,000 for the Immune Deficiency Foundation.
Thank you to everyone who tuned in - no matter how brief or how long - during our 9 day journey. I realise many of you may have missed it due to work or unfamiliarity with Twitch (I feel like such a boomer using Twitch), but we shot the whole thing for an epic video coming out soon on Abroad in Japan.
This time around honestly made last year's Hokkaido cycle challenge seem like a five star luxury holiday. Kyushu's rugged mountainous terrain, combined with rain so hard it gave Noah's ark a run for its money, led to anything but pleasant conditions, cycling with soggy feet for 9 hours, with Connor falling off twice in one day amidst the conditions.
It wasn't all pain and gloom though, as we were rewarded with some spectacular scenery along the way and some heartwarming strangers with encounters, including a man who ran a karaoke shop and generous viewers appearing along the way to give us chocolate and biscuits.
But if the first cycle was a New Hope, this time around was very much the Empire Strikes Back of blockbuster moments. Plenty to look forward to on this one.
To celebrate surviving the cycle I'll be hosting a live show this Saturday on Chris Abroad where I'll be revealing secrets about our journey and discussing the impending move to Tokyo (more on that next week). It kicks off at 22:00 Japan time! Hope to see you there.
With the cycle out of the way though, it concludes the big three projects of Q1 including Journey Across Japan and the Kyoto bar! Next week I'll be sharing a sneak peek trailers for JAJ: Frozen Frontiers & the Kyoto bar with you guys, as well as releasing a video on Abroad in Japan about dining out in Japan on a budget, which we wrapped shooting today. Here's a photo of me hard at work on set today, looking like I've taken drugs :S
It was quite the shoot given we went inside over a dozen restaurants in search of bargain priced Japanese dishes, stuffing myself with unimaginable amounts of food for purely educational purposes. But it promises to be a fun video and essential viewing if you plan to visit Japan and don't want to break the bank!
We've also begun work shooting 14 Days in Japan, the ultimate itinerary video, that's quite possibly the most requested video ever. We'll be releasing an extended "21 Days in Japan" version to released exclusively here on Patreon as well to go alongside it.
BEFORE then though guys, here's the Behind the Scenes Patreon video of our recent Kyushu Wacky Weekend Road Trip, from Takachiho Gorge and the abandoned town, to Beppu Hot Springs and that god awful dinosaur hotel.
Outtakes, bloopers, and deleted scenes of a spectacular treehouse lie within!
Well guys, the day of reckoning is finally upon us.
Having arrived in Fukuoka and begrudgingly gone to Ichiran to carb load, we're all fuelled up and ready for tomorrow!
At 9am tomorrow Connor and I embark on our next epic cycle, this time around Kyushu and further than our previous manical journey across Hokkaido by around 100km.
I'm hoping I'll be able to get through it but my greatest fear is back pain! That was the main thing that almost defeated me on the last trip and I'm hoping it's not my downfall this time. Hunched over a bike cycling 100km everyday for a week certainly takes its toll.
Following on from the hugely successful cycleathon back in September, where we raised $300,000 for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, we're hoping to beat that target over the course of the week, especially as we have an extra day or two this time around!
Joining us mid-way is Pete Premier Two and Ian and Paul are back as the van gang, to help see us through to victory!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm looking forward to completing the original Journey Across Japan in 2018, given the videos never came out in the first series, as I was pretty ill and gave up on filming it all.
The cycle had gone well up until that point, but the Kyushu stretch turned into disaster when I was struck with a bad cold after almost a month of relentless cycling and filming. Now, at long last, I'm going to finish what I started, this time broadcasting the whole thing live on stream and delivering a big Wacky Weekend special at the end of it all over on Abroad in Japan.
But above all, I'm looking forward to hopping back on the bike! Once you get into your stride, cycling is the greatest thing in the world, especially in Japan where you can take in the jaw dropping scenery at your own pace, meandering through sleepy fishing villages and quaint, tranquil farming towns, hidden away in the mountains. There's no better way to discover rural Japan.
I'm hoping to capture that journey as best as possible this time around, so everyone watching the stream and the video on Abroad in Japan, can feel like they were there with us every step of the way. (Or rather, every pedal).
For now, I'm off to bed but the stream kicks off tomorrow at 9am Japan time on Connor's Twitch (5pm PT, 8pm ET, midnight UK).
So in case you missed it, this week we released an episode where Sharla and I visited Japan's worst-rated place, the prefecture of Ibaraki.
In this Patreon Behind the Scenes with extensive outtakes and commentary, I reveal how not everything went according to plan when I got fined by the Police during the shoot!
But it was a fun trip to an under-appreciated place and I'm glad we were able to go!
And in case you've yet to watch the main video itself, check that out here! 🍿 Main video: https://youtu.be/98p3ChrjkGk I'm currently gearing up for the Wacky Weekend Cycle around Kyushu which kicks off on the 18th of March. I'll post with more details the day before, but it'll be live on Connor's Twitch around 9:00am Japan time.
Until then, hope you're having a great week - enjoy the video!
As Abroad in Japan live shows are rather fast paced and full of questions, I want to make sure you guys are able to get your questions prioritised - especially as I’m sure many of you may not be able to make it due to the time (it kicks off around 11:00am Japan time).
With that in mind, please send me and Ryotaro your questions down in the comments below with the hashtags #AskAbroad just so I can filter through them easily and I’ll do my best to answer as many possible during the show and put them to the man himself.
TODAY we’ve just released a Wacky Weekend set in Miyazaki, Kyushu, an often overlooked part of Japan that I’d always wanted to explore. In what’s one of our longest episodes yet, we explore an eerie ghost town, destroy my camera in Japan’s most picturesque gorge, eat the most stressful noodle dish ever, and wander around a ridiculously themed love hotel.
Given all the crazy things we packed into this episode, we had to cut a few key scenes out including an awesome chicken restaurant and an abandoned treehouse - BUT the good news is, you’ll be able to see those on the Patreon behind the scenes video out later in the week!
As well as the Wacky Weekend tonight, we have the accompanying Chris Abroad video where Connor stayed in an absurd accommodation in Beppu - Japan’s largest hot spring town - which will be coming out tomorrow (I wanted to stagger things a bit).
And THEN, at the start of this week we have yet another video, where Sharla and I went and spent 48 hours in Japan’s most “unattractive” prefecture. But WHERE is it? See if you can guess…
On the subject of Wacky Weekend, Connor and I are just one week away from embarking on our next Wacky Weekend Cycle Special following on from last September’s hugely successful Hokkaido Cycleathon where we somehow raised $300,000 for charity and survived 8 days of continuous cycling (with an average of around 100km a day).
I hope I’m in good enough shape to pull this off a second time around, but I’m really excited about the location of this series given that it’s a perfect circle around the island of Kyushu!
On my original Journey Across Japan I was rather sick on the final days of the cycle and ended up cutting a few videos from the series as I completely failed in my role as a presenter. It was a shame given how spectacular Kyushu is and I’m delighted to revisit this stunning part of Japan once again and hopefully do it justice this time around!
As well as streaming everyday on Connor’s Twitch and Pete Premier Two’s Twitch for the second half, I’ll be filming another special episode for Abroad in Japan so FEAR NOT if you can’t catch the stream. All the best bits will still feature in the hour long special.
Expect to hear more about the series later in the week!
AND NOW for the long awaited diary entry from the final day of Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers.
EPISODE 4 | Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers
There’s one thing I’ve wanted to do in Hokkaido more than any other - ride the ice breaking ship Aurora across the sea of Okhotsk and witness the endless ocean of drift ice that sweeps down the sea from Siberia.
So imagine my frustration when we hopped aboard the Aurora on the ONE DAY, the ONE BLOODY DAY that there was absolutely no drift ice.
For me it was the biggest disappointment of the trip, as pleasant as the boat was. Weirdly, it was still absolutely packed with tourists eager to catch a glimpse of the ice and sure enough, we did indeed collide with one block of ice, in the most absurd scene committed to video.
In the empty sea, there was one solitary piece of ice floating calmly across the sea, when the Aurora turned around, carefully oriented itself and then drove head on into the ice, smashing it to bits in front of a cheering crowd of passengers.
The underwhelming hilarity almost overrode the bitter disappointment. Still Natsuki, Pete and Joey had a whale of a time and that’s all that matters.
Next up we visited Abashiri Prison, Japan’s most isolated and notorious 19th/20th century prison. A sort of Alcatraz but instead of being on an island, it’s on a remote corner of Hokkaido that spends half the year drenched in snow and formidable weather conditions.
The prison was impressive, but it was the story of the one convict who ever successful escaped that truly blew us away.
SPOILERS. A farmer who’d been convicted of a crime that he’d never committed (ah yes, that old chestnut), would pour his salty miso soup on the metal bars of his prison cell and on to his handcuffs, every single day for a year.
UNTIL eventually, one day, he was able to break through the rusted chains, break through the bars on his cell door and climb through the ceiling of the ward to freedom. It’s an epic story that demands a Shawshank Redemption style movie and I look forward to sharing it in the video!
En route to our log cain accommodation in Furano, we swung by a small local town snow festival with a spectacular sculpture and an unnerving crab monument in one of the most bizarre stops of our entire trip.
But it was the log cabin that stole the show; a huge, sprawling home complete with a bar, a dressing room that looked straight out of the opening scene of the movie Joker, and a table big enough for a ferocious game of poker.
The next morning was the final day of our trip and we finally got around to ice fishing, on a stunning lake in the heart of Hokkaido.
After a few setbacks, we were soon able to catch a ton of fish which we promptly battered in tempura and ate in celebration at the end of another trip well done.
Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers was a ton of fun to shoot (far less painful than the Okinawa series) and airs late March! It was an absolute blast discovering a side of Hokkaido you never normally see and I'm looking forward to sharing the four part series with you all soon.
A BIG THANK YOU guys for your support as it made the whole series possible and free of any ads/sponsors (which is always nice).
As always each episode will have an exclusive Patreon behind the scenes episode with outtakes, bloopers and deleted scenes!
Now enjoy Wacky Weekend and don’t forget to send us your questions guys! Chris
Hey guys, Pleased to announce this month's Abroad in Japan live Patreon hangout! We've plenty to discuss this month, from the recent shooting of Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers, to the sake bar in Kyoto this week and the upcoming cycle in Kyushu with Connor.
The live show will be on at 10am on the 26th Japan time tomorrow morning, making it the evening of the 25th for most of you!
Before we get into the next diary entry of Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontier, a few days back I did a live show on the Chris Abroad channel. Due to a busy evening I ended up starting it at midnight as opposed to my usual 10pm start time and I ended up feeling rather dead during the show!
As a result I hid the live stream afterwards so it was no longer visible publicly - however I know a few of you would like to watch it/listen into it, so here’s the link to it for anyone here on Patreon that wants to check it out!
Having survived our trip to Japan’s most Eastern point, today we headed in land to Japan’s coldest town of Rikubetsu.
Rikubetsu has the lowest average temperature of anywhere in Japan and was once recorded for dropping to an obscene -38 degrees celsius! Sure in Siberia or Canada, that’s your average Tuesday, but for Japan that’s a big deal.
So landlocked is Rikubetsu, we decided to stay overnight en route at Lake Akan, a frozen lake and popular ice fishing spot in the winter months. The town is also home to an Ainu village, celebrating the lost culture of Hokkaido’s indigenous people.
With streets lined with iconography and totem poles, it was visually strikingly and noticeably different from the rest of the Japanese town.
While there we indulged in the local dish - Deer meat and ramen - in an Ainu restaurant before heading to the most spectacular accommodation of the entire tip.
There’s always one day on Journey Across Japan where we stay in next level accommodation and for this trip, we stayed in a ryokan overlooking the frozen lake Akan, complete with an outdoor rotenburo bath.
It was absolutely stunning and while we got stuck into a game of poker in the evening, it seemed not everybody wanted to join in…
While at the ryokan Pete set Joey and Natsuki a challenge for the day to see who could make the best rap about Hokkaido in just 24 hours, to be performed in Rikubetsu the following day.
The loser would have to roll around in the snow topless. Ouch.
Hilariously, half the townsfolk of Rikubetsu came out to watch Natsuki and Joey rap battle it out by the local train station in what might be one of the stand out moments of the trip.
Who do you think won it?
As for Rikubetsu itself, ironically it ended up being the hottest day of our journey! While the day before on the most eastern point had been -16 degrees Celsius, in Rikubetsu it was -2!
Tune in tomorrow for the final entry in our Patreon diary where we hop on an icebreaker ship, stay in a swanky barn and fish our lunch out of a frozen lake.
With Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers wrapped filming in east Hokkaido, here’s the Patreon Daily Diary of what we got up to in the second episode of the series!
DAY 2: The Mythical Snow Train 🚂
Japan is the land of trains. Everyone loves a sleeper train or the Shinkansen, but few have ever covered the mythical Hokkaido winter steam train that operates for just a few weeks of the year.
On the second day of our trip we were lucky to bag tickets - albeit just two. Meaning none of the crew could come and only one other person could join me for the ride.
There was only one way to decide the lucky passenger; a sled race.
The race was over fast - Natsuki reached the bottom before Joey had barely even moved and like Charlie Bucket entering the Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, he was awarded the ticket to ride alongside me on the train.
Still everyone got to at least ride one train - we opened the video in an abandoned train station with a fully accessible train, not too dissimilar from the original Dr Jelly commercial!
I even got to pretend I was Spiderman. - Even if I allegedly look more like Doc Oc in real life.
But soon Natsuki and I were off and away, rocketing across the snowy marshes of Hokkaido, while a sad Joey looked on at the side of the track, dreaming of what could have been.
Within the train, it was almost like a party atmosphere. It felt like a scene out of the Great Gatsby, with everyone downing beer and eating snacks.
Natsuki and I fled to the cafe car to tuck into some snack and Sapporo Classic beer to while away our two hour journey. I'll save most of the interior shots for the video!
With the train out of the way, we headed two hours east to Japan’s most eastern point - Cape Nossapu.
The region is famous for its sushi and so on the last leg of our journey we tucked into a staggering amount of Tuna and salmon, fished out of the nearby waters in the Tsugaru strait.
At last it was on to the most eastern point, where we faced the coldest temperatures of our entire trip.
At -16 degrees celcius, it might just be the coldest weather I’ve experienced in Japan and we tried to wrap things up fast as we stood, woefully underdressed in my case, in the agonisingly cold winter winds.
Today was one hell of a day and tomorrow we head back in land to an Ainu village and Japan’s coldest town for the ultimate rap battle. Find out more on the next Patreon diary post!
I want to say a big thank you to all the kind words regarding my engagement to Sharla. It means a lot and I’ve been genuinely moved by how amazing everyone has been about it all! If you want to find out how the proposal didn’t go according to plan at first (thank you British weather), I recommend checking out the most recent Abroad in Japan Podcast episode!
I’m pleased to say filming the latest series of Journey Across Japan series is now finally over and it all went rather well - over the course of the week we travelled by dog sled, steam train and ice breaker ship on an 800km expedition around the east side of Hokkaido.
It’s a region that none of us had ever explored before, which is wild given how often we’ve shot videos in Japan’s largest prefecture! But Sapporo, Hakodate, Noboribetsu Spring and even Wakkanai reside on the west side of the island with the far east separated by several mountain ranges.
Joining us on this journey we also had Pete Premier Two who took Anpanman’s place as a challenge master figure and he brought a hilarious new angle to the trip.
Here’s the first entry in Journey Across Japan Patreon Diary covering the first episode of four, from Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers!
DAY 1: A Song of Ice and Dog Sleds
Hokkaido was once home to the Ainu people, an indigenous population that has mostly disappeared sadly. But there are traces around that we planned to film on our trip.
On our first day we travelled by around using the traditional dog sled favoured by the Ainu. Rocketing across fields of snow in the morning sun on dog sled was quite the experience, with Joey on the back guiding the sled and me on the front trying to film it.
It quickly transpired that my faith in Joey had been sorely misplaced when he took a corner too sharply, causing us both to fly off into the snow, while the dogs simply carried on without us. (Luckily we captured the whole disaster on 360 camera).
Next up we visited some real life igloos nestled on a frozen lake, while Joey and Natsuki incinerated their feet in a natural hot spring foot bath.
But the aim of our first day was to explore an entire village made of ice - somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.
Drinking cocktails out of a block of ice was surprisingly pleasant, even though it’s practically impossible to hold the damn thing without gloves.
We even watched an Australian tourist eating his ice glass in the corner of the bar, just like Australians do.
Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the ice village was the convenience store, selling food and drink. However, given it was in a frozen igloo, all of the drinks had frozen accordingly as well.
While some may think that’s pretty cool (literally, teehee) for the most part it was straight up fucking impractical. Dying for a bottle of water, I realised there was little point in buying one and waiting an hour for it to thaw out.
Worryingly Pete and Natsuki nearly burned the village down when Pete dropped his flaming marshmallow.
One of the highlights of our first day was the accommodation itself - to fit the whole team in, we booked a huge room overlooking a ski resort, with a Las Vegas style bathtub and sauna IN the room itself.
Escaping the cold and immersing ourselves in the tub, it was the perfect end to a great first day of snow, igloos and ice. At least it would have been if Natsuki and Joey let me in the bloody bath.
TUNE in tomorrow folks for the next diary entry on Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers! It may well be my favourite day of the trip...
(Also: This may have been my favourite shot of the day!)
Hey guys, So three pieces of exciting news to announce today!
The first is that we’ve just started shooting Journey Across Japan: Frozen Frontiers in the snowy wilderness of east Hokkaido!
It’s a part of the island none of us have ever explored and two days in, it's already been fairly damn eventful. We've fallen off things at high speed, almost frozen to death and eaten some absurdly good food. I can't wait to take you on the incredible journey across the hidden side of Japan's largest island and in the next few days, expect a diary of our trip here on Patreon, sharing with you the ups and downs from our journey across the coldest place in Japan.
This time to mix things up, we’ve invited along Pete (Premiertwo) who’s been acting as a challenge/quiz master figure in place of Anpanman. With his American wit and charm, it’s been incredible fun having him along and brought back memories from our last trip to Japan’s most northern point.
With that In mind, the second piece of exciting news is this is for the first time ever, we’re actually streaming this series of Journey Across Japan over on Pete’s twitch channel Premiertwo, using his super IRL streaming backpack. We tested it out today for the first time and it worked beautifully and added a cool new dimension to the day.
Now we’ve ironed it out today, over the next few days I’ll be promoting it across Twitter/FB/Instagram so keep an eye out. But you can watch along on https://www.twitch.tv/premiertwo
I may do some live streams over on the Chris Abroad channel as well. We’ll be a bit strategic with when we start/finish streaming so as not to spoil the series, but similar to the cycle across Hokkaido, it adds a dynamic angle to the series! It seems all pioneering streams happen in Hokkaido.
AND NOW for something completely unrelated.
Exciting news number three - I’m opening and running a bar in Kyoto in three weeks time! Best of all you can come on down and swing by!
A friend of a friend had a bar lying around empty in Gion, Kyoto and we’ve decided to take it over for a week, serve up sake and produce a documentary on the experience. We’ll also be live streaming it, but during the time it’s open we’re selling tickets for anyone who wants to come down.
BEFORE we announce it publicly tomorrow evening, I wanted to give you guys here on Patreon a 24 hour head start!
We’re treating it almost like an event, so if you want to come please reserve tickets online below, at one of the days/time slots - simply because it’s not a huge bar, and it’d be a nightmare having hundreds of folks turn up as there’s no way we’ll be able to keep up with demand.
This means it’ll be a more intimate setting with no more than 16 guests at one time in the bar.
Included in the price is: - A flight of premium Kyoto sake (3 glasses) - Otsumami (snacks) - Abroad in Japan gift bag - On two of the dates, we’re having a tea master come in to prepare Matcha green tea (hence the slightly higher price) - Special guest appearances from the Aij Cinematic Universe
So if you’re in Japan Feb 26th - March 1st, come on down and be a part of Abroad in Japan history and if you can’t make it, not to worry we’ll be streaming certain days and filming the whole thing!
So we recently set off down the Nakasendo trail deep in the mountains of central Japan - a stunning route of 69 villages and towns, on a route that once connected Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto.
We were blown away by what we found; quaint streets with gushing streams, mysterious peaks looming overhead above villages lined with traditional wooden inns.
The Patreon exclusive episode is now up with deleted scenes and outtakes, as well as commentary on our trip and how we almost never went (originally we had a totally different trip planned).
Would love to revisit later in the year and actually hike the whole thing. I'm delighted how well the video was received and it's currently #20 on Youtube trending apparently (at least in the UK)! Here's the itinerary of our trip including where we stayed if you want more details: https://www.funliday.com/abroadinjapan/journals/72736
NO.1 TOKYO GETAWAY SPOT?
Completely unrelated, but I often get asked for advice on day trips outside of Tokyo and I officially have an answer.
Today, I just got back from a catch up with Dr Jelly himself where we climbed up stunning Mount Takao, a peak caked in shrines and temples, just an hour outside of Tokyo.
It was my first time there and our 90 minute climb was rewarded with spectacular views of Mount Fuji. But if you're looking for a day trip one hour out of Tokyo, it might just be my new no.1 recommendation! (Alongside Kamakura)
So after an epic 14 hour journey from London to Tokyo, I find myself back once again, basking in the warm afternoon sun shining through the windows of the Abroad in Japan studio. It feels so good to be back, from the longest trip I’ve had outside of Japan since 2015.
To many it appeared as though I was on holiday, but the reality is it was anything but - not that I can complain! Over the course of December and January, I travelled to LA to battle it out in a chess boxing match watched by over 300,000 people worldwide, somehow walking away victorious, against the odds!
A week later, I was in London hosting the first ever Abroad in Japan London event with over 500 viewers, featuring Natsuki, Sharla, Chiaki and both Petes. It couldn’t have gone better and it was a pleasure to meet so many of you.
And straight after the event, for the entire month, I spent the vast majority of it locked away in an attic in south England, writing an 80,000 word book for Penguin Publishing, that releases in the summer! At long last, the Abroad in Japan book is a reality and in the coming weeks, I’ll be posting links on where to buy it internationally.
As you know by now, last year I took my eye off the ball somewhat when it came to the Abroad in Japan channel, Youtube and Patreon. In the first half of the year, things sort of went wrong amidst the earthquake, the punctured eardrum and undeniably a bit down from not seeing family for almost 3 years during covid.
To match that, as Japan was closed I felt my hands were tied on producing Japan travel content. Tons of videos I wanted to release or produce were held back as Japan delayed its re-opening over and over again. And so, fed up and in poor health, I embarked on a fitness journey that would challenge me like never before. To this day I have no idea how I quite pulled it off, from the 750km Hokkaido cycle and Spartan Race to fighting in a ring for three rounds of boxing.
Nothing about last year really makes sense, when I look back at it. I’m a god awful multi-tasker, but when I focus on a target or goal, I’m often good at pushing myself in ways I never thought possible - even if it comes at the cost of all else.
That might explain how I pulled off the physical feats that would have seemed unthinkable only a year previously.
But everything comes at a cost.
And the cost for me was the Abroad in Japan channel tanked and my engagement with the community plummeted, particularly here on Patreon. And for that I wanted to apologise and say sorry. Throughout the last few months, as I trained like a maniac in boxing rings and sprinted on treadmills, I felt increasingly uncomfortable as I neglected the videos and Patreon.
I feel immense pride in the community we have here on Patreon and within the Abroad in Japan community. It’s a community that’s taken over 10 years to build, through countless adventures and 250 videos along the way.
This is the year I give back and throw everything I’ve got at Youtube once and for all.
Not only will I be ensuring I’m far more active here on Patreon over the coming weeks and months, but for the first time ever, we’re setting the target of moving to weekly video releases and more importantly, allocating resources to making it happen. It's no longer a pipe dream. We first took steps toward this last year by hiring Dave, a fantastic editor who’s releases include everything from the Nakagin Capsule tower documentary and 12 Things I Hate about Living in Japan, to last week’s release Walking across Tokyo in a Day. Thanks to him, the videos have maintained the high production standards we strive for on Abroad in Japan.
But given an Abroad in Japan video can take 10-14 days to edit on average, I’ve still been editing many videos myself along the way, meaning there’s still been a lack of progress. So not only have we recently brought another brilliant editor on board - Paul of van gang fame, who joined us on the Wacky Weekend cycle - but we’re currently working our way through 50 applicants who are keen to join the team.
Inevitably, there’s been some concern that without me editing Abroad in Japan, it’ll lose its sense of identity, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. But rest assured, I still have a hand in watching over the videos during editing and ensuring they’ve got the same old Abroad in Japan vibes. (Basically a piano drop every three minutes). But by next month we’ll have no less than three editors working around the clock to edit the many projects we’ve got lined up, from Journey Across Japan: Far East, a new series that promises to be the snowiest season yet, to a Wacky Weekend series cycling across Kyushu.
And now Japan has at last opened its doors and tourism is back on the agenda, we can finally produce the 12+ travel videos I’ve had to hold back for almost two years now.
With my time finally freed up to focus on scripting and shooting videos, we can finally make the impossible dream of weekly videos a reality at last. That’s my only goal for 2023: to produce more videos than ever before in a single year on Abroad in Japan, without excuses and without compromising on quality.
(Alright, I might have a second goal - to get a damn six pack 😋).
It may seem like a tough target, but after standing in a boxing ring being hit in the face in front of a few hundred thousand people, no target seems impossible anymore.
And despite all the stress and struggles battling through the physical challenges of the last six months, it's not a chapter I regret. I enter this year fitter than I've been in years and physically and mentally prepared to take on anything that comes my way.
Excitingly, this year also marks Natsuki’s 50th birthday and we have some plans in the works for a follow up documentary on his life - a sequel to Natsuki: The Movie of sorts to celebrate the occasion!
Once again guys, please accept my apology for a less than good few months, but I will absolutely make it up to you in the days and weeks ahead. This week alone, we have no less than three videos being released, from the Tokyo in a Day video that came out over the weekend, to an epic trip down the stunning Nakasendo mountain trail with Ryotaro and Sharla, in search of Japan's mountain villages. It's out Thursday on Abroad in Japan! (Below)
Then on Sunday, at long last we'll be seeing Ryotato again as we battle it out to eat all the sushi at Japan’s biggest conveyor belt sushi chain.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for Thursday’s video on the Chris Abroad channel - the Patreon behind the scenes episode will be out for Nakasendo in the next couple of days.
If there's a particular travel video or topic you want us to cover this year, let me know in the comments below! I'll be keeping an eye out!
As always though guys, a huge thanks for being a part of this incredible community. I look forward to being more active here every week going forward and keeping you up to speed on everything that's going on!
Chris
P.S. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the fitness journey either! It'll be toned down a bit publicly, albeit with the Wacky Weekend Kyushu cycle and some mountaineering thrown in. Six pack here we come.
Hey guys! At last, I'm finally back in Japan, recovering from horrendous jet lag after an almost 14 hour long journey from London to Tokyo.
That being said it was a decent flight as I managed to binge watch Tokyo Vice featuring our beloved Ken Watanabe. I recommend giving it a watch for the great characters, decent script and wonderful cinematography!
Our first live hangout of the year will be tomorrow, as we take a look at what lies in store for 2023 here on Abroad in Japan. With the fitness journey out of the way (though very much continuing behind the scenes), I'm throwing everything we've got at Youtube this year, so it promises to be a good one.
Especially now tourism is back on the agenda, we can finally focus on more travel content as well!
And we're hear to answer the question: How far can you walk across Tokyo in an entire day?
I set off across the world's biggest city on a 25km odyssey through Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara, Shimbashi, Roppongi and Shibuya,
Here's the Patreon behind the scenes episode featuring bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes! As well as tips and advice for folks travelling Tokyo for the first time.
As of tomorrow, I'll be back in Japan and ready to dive back in, having spent the last few weeks hiding in an attic, finishing up the Abroad in Japan book for Penguin Publishing. AT LAST, it's done. And it's going to be a fun read, charting 10 years of adventures in the land of the rising sun, albeit weighted heavily to those first three years, living in rural Yamagata as a teacher, with plenty of interesting characters and untold stories to discover.
But now the book is wrapped it's great to be back to Youtube, kicking off this week with a video on the Nakasendo trail, the iconic mountain route through the towering peaks of central Japan, as well as a video with Ryotaro, packed full of sushi.
We're also gearing up for a new series of Journey Across Japan that starts shooting in little over a week!
Expect a proper update in a few days when I've settled back in and overcome the jetlag, but for now, I hope you had a great weekend and enjoy the videos!
And wish me luck on this bloody 14 hour flight across the planet. Oh boy.
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! I hope no matter where you are in the world today, you have a great start to 2023.
We’ve had quite the year and before I reveal my top 5 favourite Abroad in Japan episodes from 2022, first things first, here’s what you can expect in 2023.
These last 6 months the fitness journey has been front and centre. The journey took us from Hokkaido, the mountains of Niigata for the Spartan Race and even downtown LA to get punched in the face. It’s been an extraordinary few months.
The only problem is Abroad in Japan kinda took a back seat to it all leading to a lack of videos this year.
While we’ve been able to achieve incredible things over the last 12 months, it seems I’ve failed to learn my lesson once again - that being a dickhead control freak will always hold you back.
But I’ve genuinely learned my lesson once and for all and so next year, I’ll be expanding the team behind the scenes, hiring additional editors and even a Manager to help run everything.
At the end of the day it can feel a bit like playing whac-a-mole, as I dart between shooting a video, to presenting a podcast, to having meetings, to writing a book, to boxing training and editing a video. By trying to be a control freak who’s everywhere at once, we’re ending up nowhere at all. I’ve not only held myself back but the channel.
The ONLY thing I should be doing at this point is focusing on Youtube (and the Podcast), where I can script and present the videos, so we can hit the target once and for all, of producing weekly videos. The holy grail I’ve failed to reach every single year this last decade.
With the new team on board we’re currently planning out a wishlist for 2023 and so far the projects we’ve got in the works include; Journey Across Japan: Secret title, Wacky Weekend Epic Kyushu Cycle, two Documentary projects, a massive series focussed on travelling Japan (now that Japan is finally open at last), several videos outside of Japan, a Short Film project and a partridge in a pear tree.
It all sounds comically vague and that’s because I don’t want to get ahead of myself or spoil anything too soon.
But know this. I’m throwing everything I’ve got behind 2023. One of the reasons I wanted to get fit by the end of this year was to prepare myself physically and mentally for what’s planned next year. A year that I’m confident will be the most epic year yet for the Abroad in Japan channel and our amazing community.
And providing the Abroad in Japan book sales go well, I could be touring the World and meeting you guys in person as well! While I still haven’t formally announced it publicly, you can find the pre-order page here guys.
The book covers 10 years of living in rural Japan and everything I’ve learned along the way. (Mainly that Family Mart chicken is indispensable).
Above all though, a massive thank you for watching and your continued support! Now here are my top 5 favourite Abroad in Japan videos of 2022! Let me know your favourite in the comments below.
------------------------------ MY TOP 5 ABROAD IN JAPAN EPISODES | 2022 ------------------------------ 5. I Drove to Japan’s Snowiest Town | Wacky Weekend You can’t beat a good road trip and for this one, Connor and I ventured into the deepest train station in Japan, drank the sake vending machines dry and saw the snow monkeys of Nagano. Given Connor’s love of monkeys and delight at encountering them lazing around the hot springs, it made the snow-filled adventure all the more memorable.
4. Why NOT to Teach English in Japan Sometimes the best videos are the simplest. Two guys at a bar, recounting the absolute horror that was their careers. Having spent over a decade teaching English in Japan, American Pete finally escaped the job and gave us one hell of a rollercoaster ride that’ll make anyone think twice about teaching English in Japan. From the story of how he taught English to a literal foetus or was thrown in the deep end by his employers on day one, from start to finish his story was one of the funniest highlights of the year.
3. I Spent a Week with Japan’s Biggest Movie Star | Ken Watanabe We never thought this would actually happen. To meet Ken Watanabe, let alone spend an entire week with him, was the most trippy experience of my career. But what made the video special was sharing the inspiring story of how a town had been reborn from the destruction of the tsunami, and how Japan’s most famous actor had played a huge role in the local community. From the awkward opening at the coffee shop to spinning the spinner from Inception in the closing moments, I feel absurdly lucky to have had Ken Wanatabe appear on Abroad in Japan.
2. I Cycled 750km Across Japan in a Week | Hokkaido One of my proudest achievements of the year was somehow cycling 750km across Hokkaido, raising $300,000 for the Immune Deficiency Foundation with Connor, pushing us both to our mental and physical brink. A real team effort thanks to Connor, Ian, Paul and Pete (aka. Van Gang), it was the adventure of a lifetime, as we battled through wind and rain. I’ll never forget the immense sense of relief that came when pulling into the finish line at Hakodate station. It was a miracle we pulled it off and an even greater miracle that we were able to pack it all into an epic 40 minute episode.
1. I Rented Japan’s $800,000 Yacht in Okinawa Don’t be fooled by the annoying clickbait title. Packed into this epic video we had; Natsuki take on the yakuza, a dinner in a traditional Okinawan home, an afternoon on a spectacular yacht with the most incredible waters and the spiciest food on earth. From the ridiculous cinematic sketch with Natsuki at the start to Chiaki’s Father’s shrine of Colonel Sanders, there were brilliant moments throughout and even an expensive soundtrack licensed from Spandau Ballet. Blockbuster Abroad in Japan at its finest, even though the rest of the series struggled to match it, despite appearances from Dr Jelly and a Ryotaro vs Niatsuki lightsaber battle. I wish every episode could be this good.
So there we have it guys - let me know your favourite and above all, have an amazing start to 2023. I’ll see you all on the other side of the New Year!
Chris
P.S. Many of you guys have asked for an equipment rundown video and I recently appeared on my friend Joe Allam’s Youtube channel where we chatted cameras and producing Youtube videos behind the scenes. You can give it a watch here! https://youtu.be/kPMx5oESH7I
Hey guys, Hope you've had a wonderful post-Christmas few days!
I'll openly admit, it's my favourite week of the year, bridging the gap between Christmas Day and the anticipation of the New Year and I'd like to share tomorrow with you on our monthly Patreon live hangout.
We'll be discussing the year's many events, from my thoughts on America and LA, to the Chessboxing match and our London event, as well as what lies in store for 2023 with some large changes (for the better) and bold projects. As I'm in the UK it'll be a slightly different time than usual meaning most of Europe and America can actually tune in at a reasonable time for once as well! It's a real life Christmas miracle. Show starts 9pm UK time - hope to see you all there!
Today is quite possibly my favourite day of the year and not only do I get to enjoy it back home in the UK with the family for the first time in 3 years, but we were very lucky to have American Pete (Premiertwo) over as a special guest. It was a bit surreal but he entertained the whole family with his Midwest American charm.
We watched Die Hard, played Monopoly (I lost), Poker (I won yay), I beat my cocky Dad at Chess (at last all the training paid off) and are a staggering amount of turkey and cheese.
I suspect there’ll be a lot of running needed this January…
Seriously what a crazy year it’s been - from the eardrum bursting beaches of Okinawa and snowy mountains filled with monkeys in hot springs to the streets of Los Angeles and even Ken Watanabe’s coffee shop.
It all ended with a punch to the face in LA and the ultimate Abroad in Japan Christmas party in London which I'd love to share with you here on Patreon, given how many of you were unable to make it! But I'm pleased to say the event was so successful that we're considering more events for next Summer.
The full 90 minutes of mayhem is available to watch right now, from Natsuki's big entrance, to an epic Yakuza battle and a quiz show that got out of hand.
Also today, we released the video on Chess-boxing and my journey through Los Angeles. It was one hell of a week and certainly a baptism of fire for my first time in America in 14 years! But we left victorious and with one hell of a story to tell.
As a bonus present this Christmas, we've compiled almost EVERY single Patreon Behind the Scenes exlusive into this wonderfully curated list of content below. Hopefully you'll be able to find an episode you missed in the nice and easy to navigate list!
We still have so many videos lined up to release in the coming two weeks, so there's still some entertainment to come over the holiday season.
But for now guys, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas - enjoy the videos and I'll see you before the New Year here on Patreon to celebrate the end of the year!
Chris
———————————————
50+ PATREON EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS: CONTENTS
1. Abroad in Japan + Wacky Weekend | Behind the Scenes Episodes 2. Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands & Escape to Paradise 🌴 3. Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji (Making Of) 🗻 4. “How I Created It” Series 🎥 5. Tokyo Creative Learn Series ⛩️ 6. Travels with Natsuki & Ryotaro 🧳 7. Stories on Learning Japanese & Travelling Japan 🇯🇵 ———————————————
1. ABROAD IN JAPAN PATREON BEHIND THE SCENES Series (2021)🍿 Every Abroad in Japan video releases with a dedicated Patreon Exclusive episode, sharing behind the scenes outtakes, bloopers and making of commentary, including Wacky Weekend episodes. Here’s the full list.
2. JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN: ESCAPE TO PARADISE (Making Of) Three Patreon Exclusive Episodes featuring behind the scenes bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes from Journey Across Japan: Escape to Paradise)
JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN: The LOST ISLANDS (Making Of) Five Patreon Exclusive Episodes featuring behind the scenes bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes from Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands.
3. JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN: ESCAPE TO FUJI (Making Of) Four Patreon Exclusive Episodes featuring behind the scenes bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes from Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji.
4. “HOW I CREATED IT” Series 🎥 Producing a documentary can be challenging; in this series I reveal how I make a Youtube video from start to finish, the pitfalls of filming Natsuki: The Movie, and how or why I choose to shoot the videos the way I do. Essential viewing if you plan to go into Youtube or filmmaking and fun for anyone wondering how Abroad in Japan videos get made.———————————————
How I Produce a YouTube Video: From Start to Finish
Making a decent video isn’t as simple as switching on the camera and hitting record. From idea creation and scripting, through to filming and editing, with insider tips and behind the scenes footage - including hilarious outtakes of Ryotaro - in this episode, I talk through the filmmaking process and how to produce quality over quantity, to give yourself the edge on YouTube.
A brutal, honest look at the nightmarish production of Natsuki: The Movie. As my first hour long documentary that took 6 months of filming (on and off) and many months to edit, no other video or project I’ve undertaken has come close to this, in terms of teaching me what no to do as a filmmaker. With behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes and outtakes of Natsuki losing mind (along with myself), discover how it was made.
How I Made the Driving in Japan Video | Behind the Scenes Unsurprisingly, not everything goes according to plan when filming an Abroad in Japan video. In fact it's a bloody miracle if everything goes right.
From dodgy equipment and bad weather, to painful decisions to remove entire scenes from the video, I reveal the the ups-and-downs, mishaps and lessons learned in the "Driving in Japan" episode on Abroad in Japan.
How I Made the Japanese TV Video | Feat. Abroad in Japan Meme Review
Since realising this video many of you guys have been asking me how I pulled off the blue screen scene in the recent "Why I Don't Watch Japanese TV" video.
I reveal all (and to be fair it's a lot simpler than you'd think).
Pete and Chris film the process of recording a podcast episode from start to finish at Absolute Radio in London and give Pete a quick fire Q&A with questions sent in by listeners.
Natsuki: The Movie | Director & Actor's Reaction & Commentary
Chris and Natsuki sit down to watch the full 50 min documentary and react to the mayhem that unfolds on screen, with behind the scenes insights and thoughts on what it got right, and where it went wrong.
A truly awkward and disturbing situation. I face a difficult decision on how to act when someone steals my video by re-enacting it scene by scene, joke-by-joke and thinking they can get away with it. The internet is a strange place.
26 Traits Japanese Girls Want in a Guy: Outtakes & Bloopers
When my good friend Chiaki and I sat down to work our way through a list of characteristics Japanese girls allegedly want in a guy, it was both eye-opening and disappointing (given my dreadful performance). Some of the best scenes didn’t make the final cut, and as always some of the most fun happened in the outtakes and bloopers! ► Watch: https://youtu.be/g9USxWjRTRk
———————————————
5. TOKYO CREATIVE LEARN SERIES ⛩️ Drawing from my experiences in moving to Japan and building a Youtube channel, last year I produced a series of educational learning videos for Tokyo Creative.
These slickly produced videos were featured on their site, but they were kind enough to allow me to feature them on the Abroad in Japan Patreon.
———————————————
Understanding the Japanese Mindset | 3 Key Concepts Explained
The Japanese way of thinking is often impenetrable and difficult to understand from a western perspective. In this video, through my awkward experiences and encounters in everyday life, I reveal some key expressions and concepts, that’ll quickly unravel the mysteries of Japan; including why people like to suddenly go silent amidst a conversation and why everything in Japan works UNLESS you start to go off script.
6 Amateur Vlogger Mistakes | Creating a Youtube Channel Essential viewing for those of you considering setting up a Youtube channel as a hobby or career, or just interesting to hear about the production process of creating a video. Here’s 6 common mistakes new Youtube creators make. ► Watch:https://youtu.be/-swMWoQviYU
———————————————
How I Make Youtube Thumbnails
Arguably the biggest factor in whether a video on Youtube is successful or not is the thumbnail (second only to the title). That small image summarising your video is the difference between 1,000 views and 100,000. So is there a formula for success? Well yes, and in this video we discover what it is. Essential viewing for budding Youtube creators.
It's something of a reflective story about how at the the age of 18 I was shy, aimless, unmotivated and fairly pessimistic about my future. Yet somehow in a three year period I randomly moved to Japan, started a Youtube channel and reinvented myself after finding a sense of motivation. In this video I discuss how motivation is a lot easier to find if we think long term. I hope my own experience will be of use to those of you feeling slightly lost or aimless in life at the moment.
In this series, I filmed Patreon episodes throughout the years hanging out with Natsuki (and god forbid, Ryotaro). Join us on our secret travels when we’re not filming Abroad in Japan videos!
———————————————
Staying at a Traditional Japanese Inn with Natsuki
To celebrate my birthday, Natsuki takes us to a traditional Japanese inn, where the rooms come with their very own private baths. But in typical Natsuki fashion, things go wrong very quickly when he unleashes a toy drone inside the room.
Lunch with Ryotaro! Chris and Ryotaro test out the new drone - trying not to crash it into the sea - before indulging in a bowl of Sendai’s delicious local ramen. ► Watch:https://youtu.be/In96wZQLDYk
———————————————
How Would Natsuki Kill Me? | Q&A with Natsuki We interrogate Natsuki with all of your bizarre questions as he teaches us his invaluable insights and life advice. Including, rather worryingly, how he’d kill me if the situation arose. ► Watch: https://youtu.be/buedVfJVzrs
———————————————
Natsuki Star Wars We re-enact an infamous Star Wars scene from the prequel trilogy. Only true Star Wars fans will appreciate this one! ► Watch: https://youtu.be/6sezuSyvJC8
———————————————
7. STORIES ON LEARNING JAPANESE & TRAVELLING JAPAN 🇯🇵 In this frank and open series, I reveal my struggles to learn Japanese over 2 intense years, and tips and tricks for living and travelling the country. There’s also an exclusive Patreon Podcast I recorded with Norm from Tokyo Lens, discussing our experiences in Japan.
———————————————
How I Learned Japanese: 2 Years in Detail
Thrust into my job as English teacher with no Japanese knowledge, for my first two years in Japan I studied harder than ever before. As someone who wasn’t great academically and had always failed at learning languages, I had little self confidence or optimism that I’d be able to converse in Japanese at all. However, after uncovering some invaluable study techniques from friends and quickly seeing results after 6 months, I learned to push myself in a way I never thought was possible. In this video I chronicle those experiences and share tips and tricks for fellow learners of Japanese who find themselves struggling through those tough early years.
Where Should You Stay in Japan? | Kyoto Hotel Room Tour
Where's the best place to stay in Tokyo & Kyoto? Is Airbnb Japan safe to use these days? And am I a good tour guide? We cover the different types of accommodation in Japan and which ones I personally recommend, as well as giving a room tour of a Kyoto hotel! ► Watch: https://youtu.be/lv8DxTWUJwg
———————————————
INSIDE a Japanese Log Cabin with Pete & Sharla
Half way through the original Journey Across Japan series, we find ourselves in a log cabin on a mountain in Kobe. Pete Donaldson and Sharla give us a tour of this bizarre location.
The Reason It’s Hard to Make Friends in Japan | Patreon Q&A
Making friends in Japan can often be more difficult than you’d think. But why is that? And how can you get around it? Also, is it ok to refuse alcohol on social situations? And am I different on camera to how I am in real life? Is it all a charade?! In this Patreon Q&A episode, we uncover the answers to all of these questions and more.
What an incredible night guys! For months this Chessboxing fight has loomed over everything I’ve done, haunting me day and night.
Last night over 350,000 watched the madness unfold as I came close to checkmating my opponent swiftly early in the fight, before I blew it and lost the Queen leading us into a 7 round nightmare.
But my mistake led to a far more entertaining fight for it. Be advised, it's the most stressful thing you'll ever see, haha.
I walk away with a great respect for boxing and the discipline required to fight and I absolutely intend to keep the training up next year. The fitness journey is just getting started.
Enough talk though, be sure to check it out if you missed it guys including our epic intro featuring myself, Nic, Pete and Connor - my personal highlight of the evening.
A huge thanks to you all for your support throughout all of this this. With this out of the way, I look forward to getting back to the videos after a chaotic month! 🍿 ABROAD IN JAPAN EPIC WALK OUT (WATCH THIS) https://youtu.be/tbOObK-talE
