Disclaimer: I'm a long time Chris fan, have been watching his videos since the 1st Journey Across Japan. What I mean is that I do not need an audiobook to be able to imagine him narrating all of this and I'm familiar with a lot of the moments shared in this book. My favourite thing about the channel is Chris's dry and sarcastic sense of humour, and that definitely crosses over into this book. I could almost hear his voice as I read along. This would certainly be a good audio book. It’s exactly what I expected - full of fry humour mixed with cool facts about Japan. When I was reading it, it felt like Chris was reading it in my head (his audiobook is coming out in September). As he says, he's been criticised on social media for presenting a 'warts and all' account ... but this comes from experience and actual immersion. At least he's lived there for more than a holiday, and seen more than a movie while sitting in the West!

Atsuko Matsumoto (13 July 2019). "Videos 'like a party' look for the real Japan". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019 . Retrieved 13 September 2019. . This biography of a living person relies too much on references to primary sources. Please help by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Broadcasting the Unknown Japan to the World". Kizuna. Cabinet of Japan. 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021 . Retrieved 17 April 2021. Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. ( July 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Natsuki Aso ( 阿蘓 夏樹, Aso Natsuki ) – presenter, amateur musician and owner of a beauty salon in Yamagata, JapanLoved hearing about Chris' journey across Japan. Found it enjoyable to read about his first three years teaching at a high school located in the north of Japan, and his struggles with trying to learn Japanese. The hilarious and insightful memoir of a Brit trying assimilate into life in Japan. Over ten years we follow Chris Broad as he unravels the wonders and eccentricities of one of the world's most mysterious cultures, rising from underqualified English teacher to YouTube sensation in the process.

The Winning Words". nippon.com. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020 . Retrieved 3 December 2020. Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands". Abroad in Japan. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021 . Retrieved 29 May 2021. I have watched the Abroad in Japan Youtube channel for many years, and as such was delighted that Chris wrote a book! Chris has a way with writing that transported me to Japan. He can across as authentic with a good sense of humour. I particularly enjoyed the early years in Japan when he was finding his footing at the school and learning the culture, language, and making connections.

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This simple quote has become my life motto when trying to learn new things; such as: driving on the left side of the road, going to sketchy izakayas, memorizing 3 different alphabets, and doing things I never thought I would do. Series: Chris Broad's "Japan Not Listed in Guidebooks" (Chapter 0) What I can do to convey "the charm of Japan that Japanese people overlook" as a foreign YouTuber?] (in Japanese). Real Sound. 2 January 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021 . Retrieved 10 January 2021. Most of all, the book is inspiring. To just get up and go to begin a new life in a foreign land is a brave thing to do. And then to build up a comfortable life there and then leave that behind to follow your dream of making videos could almost be called madness, but he did it, coming out clean on the other end. Follow your dreams! In 2022, Broad appeared in an interview with the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, and received an honorary membership for a duration of one year. [6] On 11 December 2022, Broad participated in a chessboxing match with PJ Brittain at the Mogul Chessboxing Championship, held at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, United States. [36] [37]

Explore Regional Flavors – Visiting the Hidden Village – Part 2". Archived from the original on 18 February 2022 . Retrieved 24 December 2020. Utterly fantastic, funny, and memorable! I just moved to Japan 5 months ago (March 2023) and I truly resonate with a lot of the feelings Chris had. My favorite quote, and one I tell myself every time I encounter something that gives me anxiety was "if I walk away, will I live to regret this?". Atsuko Matsumoto (13 July 2019). "Videos 'like a party' look for the real Japan". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019 . Retrieved 13 September 2019. I've been following Chris's Abroad in Japan Youtube channel for years. I've enjoyed watching the channel grow from simple videos of him teaching English swearwords to Japanese people, to full on professional documentaries about Fukushima. In December 2021, Broad unveiled a new studio that was built by set design company Jiyuro. It is inspired by the 1982 film Blade Runner and 1960s Japanese shopping arcades. [23] On 16 March 2022, the studio was damaged by the 2022 Fukushima earthquake. [24] Documentary work [ edit ]McDonald's Japan's chocolate covered fries: 'it works' – video review". The Guardian. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021 . Retrieved 3 December 2020. Lots of descriptions of food in the book. Which, if you’re a fan of the Abroad in Japan channel, should not be a surprise. Chris, if you ever decide to go down another career path, restaurant critic should be an option. Anderson, Shizuka (30 March 2018). "Get To Know Chris Broad from Abroad in Japan". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019 . Retrieved 17 December 2018.

Broad studied English and business at the University of Kent from 2009 to 2012. While attending the university, he developed interests in film making and Japanese culture. After graduating, Broad worked a number of jobs, including a porter role at Leeds Castle and an office job at an energy company. [6] After learning of and applying to the JET Programme, Broad moved to the city of Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture in 2012 while creating videos about his life and experiences in Japan. [7] He left the programme after three years and moved to Sendai [8] to advance his career as a full time YouTuber. Broad spoke at a TEDx conference at Tohoku University where he presented about the power of YouTube and encouraged the audience to share their experiences with the world through the platform. [33] Pizza vending machine attracts crowds in Hiroshima". The Japan Times. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019 . Retrieved 13 September 2019.Christopher "Chris" Broad (born 21 April 1990), [3] also known online as Abroad in Japan, is an English Sunday Times best selling author, YouTuber, filmmaker, podcast host, and former Assistant Language Teacher. He focuses on the creation of videos about Japanese culture, Japanese food and travel in Japan, primarily in the Tōhoku region. The book cover Chris's stay in Japan from arriving as a rookie English Teacher in a rural part of Japan to accidentally becoming viral and eventually becoming a famous Youtuber. Along the journey he meets some good friends (Natsuki) and has some sorry heartbreaks (like the Love hotel chapter which is tragically comic and a standout). He doesn't shy away from his struggles assimilating into the famously insular Japanese culture as a Gaijin (foreigner). He portrays and confronts his vulnerabilities, his fear and his anxieties very well with his typically sarcastic, punny and witty British humour that had me laughing out loud in several places. This rarely happens (unless it is Michael Palin and his adventures - this book compares favorably to him). Also because it is a memoir and a slice of life in Japan, I also could see that it can be a good contemporary companion book to Pico Iyers The lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto, which I absolutely loved.