My original plan last month was to release a video titled 6 Things I Learned Before Turning 35, or perhaps The One Thing I’d Tell My Younger Self.
Yet, neither of those videos ever came out. Instead, the script slowly mutated into something else entirely: the story that became The Worst Thing I’ve Done in Japan, (since retitled to My Most Humiliating Moment in Japan).
Part of the reason was simple. I actually didn’t know ...
2025-07-13 12:10:19 +0000 UTC
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The volcano documentary is OUT at last!
A massive thank you guys for making this project possible, as an entirely Patreon funded project (like the recent Earthquake documentary & every Journey Across Japan).
We've now got documentaries on just about every disaster Japan has ever faced; Nuclear, earthquakes, tsunamis and now volcanoes.
As I've said before, over the years I've found more serious topics and documentary form content ...
2025-07-08 17:35:27 +0000 UTC
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We survived! Who'd have thought it!
For those who weren't aware, this passed Saturday 5th July was heralded as doomsday for Japan, after a ridiculous and somewhat creepy looking book called 私が見た未来 ("The Future I Saw"), claimed to hold a prophecy for a serious a natural disaster.
So serious was it, that thousands of tourists have avoided the country (particularly from Asia where superstition is a bigger deal).
2025-07-06 15:26:31 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
So I'm delighted to announce we're coming up to our ONE year anniversary at LOST bar later this month and to celebrate we're holding a Patreon exclusive meetup with Sharla and myself this July 15th.
We held a Patreon meet up last year and had a blast seeing everyone, so we're hyped to hang out once more.
DATE: July 15th | 6pm - 9pm
It's a ticketed event, which comes with two drinks...
2025-06-30 16:12:46 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys, hope you've had a smashing weekend!
Tomorrow we'll be holding our monthly Patreon live stream, where I share the usual gossip and behind the scenes news, have a jolly good chat and reveal what lies ahead on Abroad in Japan!
Abroad in Japan Patreon Livestream
🍿 JOIN: https://youtube.com/live/Fk1xAuVDpAQ
We've also got a public live ...
2025-06-29 12:54:17 +0000 UTC
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Three Idiots, One $200 Million Racetrack & Japan's Tiniest Kei Car: What Could Go Wrong?
This week we went full Top Gear. Picture it: Japan’s most exclusive private racetrack, $5 million worth of supercars, and three grown men behaving like escaped zoo animals.
In return for exposure, the utterly bonkers Magarigawa Club, a ludicrously luxurious race circuit in Chiba that costs $400,000 just to join, let Natsuki, ...
2025-06-27 10:38:22 +0000 UTC
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Here it is guys, the moment you've probably not been waiting for.
Set your phasers from stun to cringe, as we dive back to a horrifying incident that I've spent a long time running from. Years.
I saw a comment recently remarking "There seems to be a big piece of time missing in the Abroad in Japan history and in the book!" and the truth is, there's about 3 months of my life I've practically erased from the internet.
It's finally time to revea...
2025-06-24 15:13:16 +0000 UTC
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Have you ever done something so dreadful you tried to scrub it from existence, only to realise it left an awkward six-month time jump in your book?
Yes? Then congratulations, you're in excellent company.
I'm back! And I come bearing a Patreon-exclusive sneak peek of the next Abroad in Japan video.
You might recall in the last post guys, I mentioned an episode in the works titled Life Lessons from 12 Years in J...
2025-06-17 14:04:46 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
Hope you've had a great week so far!
Tonight I'll be in the Abroad in Japan studio for our Patreon live hang out, catching up on what's been going on behind the scenes, and what lies ahead in June!
In the last show I revealed I'd lost 5kg on the Cyclethon - but have I been able to keep it up? (Especially despite Connor's best efforts recently to stuff me full of sandwiches).
I shall reveal all tonight at 22:00 Japan time!
Patreon Live
2025-05-31 02:25:57 +0000 UTC
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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hurtling around Tokyo like a caffeinated pinball, filming 101 Things to Do in Tokyo, a title that sounded fun until I realised it meant doing, well… 101 bloody things.
From the historic streets of Kawagoe to the futuristic fever dream that is Odaiba, we left no stone unturned. No ramen un-slurped. No train unridden. We even went to Enoshima island, which is technically not Tokyo city but close enough if you squint and ignore the ma...
2025-05-26 04:24:36 +0000 UTC
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While I avoid Facebook these days now that it seems to exclusively exist as a homepage feed littered with AI generated artwork, I’m reminded that once upon a time it was useful.
Today, this photo popped up from 13 years ago (above).
There I am, hunched over a desk like Gollum doing a dissertation, surrounded by energy drinks, chocolate, crisps, and most bizarrely, a candle (what can I say, the scent of cinnamon once calmed me).
...
2025-05-15 08:02:15 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
Hope you've had a splendid weekend!
So this week I'll be shooting the annual Abroad in Japan Q&A, answering questions sent in by viewers from around the world. As I've just turned 35 I feel in a weirdly poignant, profound mood, which should make this all the more unsettling and fun.
Whether it's about Japan, Youtube, travel, language, books, philosophy, life, death, the universe or fried chicken, I'm your guy.
We source questions ...
2025-05-04 15:09:51 +0000 UTC
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One of the strangest things about finishing a massive project like Cyclethon is the comedown.
For two weeks, Connor and I were riding high — quite literally — through snow, cherry blossoms, and what I’m pretty sure was a bear-infested mountain range. And then, just like that, it’s over.
One minute you’re waving to a crowd outside of one of Tokyo's tallest towers, the next you’re sat alone in a room, wondering if your thighs will ever forgive you.
2025-05-01 08:11:32 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
Quick reminder we're kicking off our April catch up in 5 mins!
JOIN: https://www.youtube.com/live/l78P26-UMlo
Hope to see you there!
Chris
2025-05-01 00:57:07 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
I'm back at last from the epic Cyclethon from Hokkaido to Tokyo and ready to catch up on what went on behind the scenes!
I'll also be revealing if 15 days on the road actually led to losing weight this time (the results were interesting 😅).
Looking forward to answering any questions you guys might have and sharing what lies ahead on Abroad in Japan in the months ahead!
JOIN: 2025-04-30 11:03:01 +0000 UTC
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53 YEARS OLD TODAY! (According to my birthday present)🎂🎉 Honestly, this photo is the shocked expression of someone whose never seen so much cheese in Japan 😅
✨Thank you to everyone for all the warm birthday wishes. It was a spectacular day - it started with a painful 65km cycle over a mountain range and ended with Japan’s biggest cheeseboard surrounded by amazing friends.
We’re now 9 days into our Cyclethon and my legs are beyond repair. But thanks to this incredib...
2025-04-21 13:08:25 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
Hope you're having a fine weekend!
I'm currently holed up in a rural Hokkaido hotel room that looks like it's been transported from the 1960's, with barely less than 12 hours to go before Connor and I begin our epic Cyclethon from Hokkaido all the way to Tokyo!
It's our biggest cycle yet and honestly I worry we've not done as good a job promoting it as...
2025-04-12 13:18:26 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
Quick reminder that the Abroad in Japan Patreon live show kicks off in 30 minutes.
JOIN LIVESTREAM
🍿 https://www.youtube.com/live/4Z-csrGHAVk?si=CtaUQy5yNjup1e9A
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Chris
2025-04-05 12:23:00 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
FIRST an apology - as you know I like to hold our monthly Patreon livestreams in the last few days of the month (or weekend preferably). However, I spent the last few days of March feeling a bit under the weather (presumably as working on two videos in one week took its toll).
The stream wouldn't have been a whole lot of fun, with me lying face down on a floor in a wreck. With that in mind, the March stream will be this coming weekend on Saturday 5th A...
2025-04-01 15:13:16 +0000 UTC
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Two videos in one week?
It must be an April fools!
Or did I get abducted by aliens and unlock the secrets of space, time and physics? Sadly not. But it has been a crazy week.
I think the closest thing I've seen to an April fool this week is that Ryotaro is randomly in Uzbekistan! I thought maybe he did get taken and dropped off in the wrong place, but turns out he was just on a long awaited family holiday (hope he's having fun!).
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2025-04-01 03:21:29 +0000 UTC
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Beam him up.
Please.
Next up on Abroad in Japan we catch up with Ryotaro and go on the hunt for UFO's at Japan's most active UFO hotspot in the remote mountains of Fukushima.
It's there that we practically beg the UFO's to take Ryotaro away, back to his home planet.
Over the years you may have heard me allude to my interest...
2025-03-22 03:46:24 +0000 UTC
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And we're back on the road...quite literally. Well guys on today's episode Natsuki and I squeeze in to Japan's smallest car and find out
And we're back on the road...quite literally.
Well guys on today's episode Natsuki and I squeeze in to Japan's smallest car and find out just how far it can travel on a single tank of fuel.
Expect dinosaurs, fried chicken and Ray Charles. Naturally.
Honestly, ever since we p...
2025-03-13 17:46:25 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
Hope you've all had a great week! (Also, where the heck did February go?!)
Either way, it's time for our livestream catch up, where we take a look at what lies ahead in March, and chat about my revenge plot on Connor in the most recent Wacky Weekend episode.
I also be answering your question on ANYTHING along the way - be sure to come armed with a drink.
JOIN: 2025-02-28 03:19:12 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone, I hope your weekend’s going better than Connor’s did in our ill fated train episode.
If you haven’t seen the latest Wacky Weekend, in which I systematically break Connor’s spirit over two days in Kyushu, then be sure to give it a watch on Youtube!
Now, I assumed people would be outraged at the psychological and physical torment I inflicted on him—but no. The real controversy?
2025-02-23 12:10:29 +0000 UTC
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Wacky Weekend is finally out!
Apologies for the delay guys, had a few copyright issues with a 1980’s classic featured in the video. As you’ll see though, it was (probably) worth the wait to get the song cleared…
In this rather epic episode we:
✅ Enjoy the worst ever noodle dish
✅ Discover the original Bond villain’s lair (for real)
✅Nearly die on a toboggan
✅Fly in a helicopter over the biggest vol...
2025-02-22 14:42:25 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
I've returned from my many travels to the UK and Canada. I'm once again Abroad in Japan and I'm ready to get back to work.
That's not to say the last few weeks haven't been busy - the team and I have been working on the first video of 2025, an epic, revenge-filled episode filled with cats, noodles, trains, helicopters and volcanoes. (Revenge for Connor's attempts to burst my eardrum on last year's final outing to Okinawa to do water sports on his ...
2025-02-01 05:31:44 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys,
It's been a while since we caught up, there's a post coming up on Patreon later today with lots of awesome updates and a preview of the upcoming Wacky Weekend episode.
But after spending time back in the UK and Canada, I'm finally home in Japan this week and ready to really dive into 2025.
Lots of awesome news to discuss and I hope you'll join me for the live show tomorrow!
It's a slight earlier time than normal for me at 8am (don't worr...
2025-01-31 05:43:15 +0000 UTC
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Well guys as we head over the border into 2025, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your support this year.
It's hard to put into words how grateful I am to the Abroad in Japan Patreon community that's stood behind us over the course of the last half decade and allowed us to do extraordinary things. I've only ever wanted to do you all proud!
So what did we get up to in 2024?
🌟 In January, we concluded our epic 17-part travel series <...
2024-12-31 17:24:13 +0000 UTC
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Merry Christmas guys!
2024 has been quite the year and it's time for one last hangout as we round up the year's events (and gossip) before diving head first into 2025.
I'm delighted to announce it'll be tomorrow afternoon, when I'll have fully recovered from my relentless overconsumption of cheese.
LIVE: https://www.youtube.com/live/LZ93f_iuC5g?si=07kMZyLkx-aZGOzW
...
2024-12-27 23:09:20 +0000 UTC
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Wishing you a wonderful Christmas wherever you might be out there in the world today guys!
In terms of presents I got a stylish phone case, a shiny new rucksack and a jumper that almost fit. Still something to aspire to fit in for 2025.
Christmas dinner was exceptional - the juiciest turkey I've enjoyed this year.
Watched 'The Holiday'.
Suffice it to say, I should have stuck with a Christmas Carol or Die Hard!
Jack Black and Kate Winslet’s romanc...
2024-12-25 21:00:30 +0000 UTC
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