Chris, the excellent YouTube video storyteller, has replicated his acerbic wit and love of the little things in life in this ever witty, yet ever poignant book. Tessa Randello (9 June 2018). "Japan's YouTubers go long with crowdfunded content". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 . Retrieved 22 February 2020.

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. 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. I found this book really interesting with useful advice that will be of use to anyone who plans to live in or visit Japan. Chris does a great job of not sugar coating his experiences, and will highlight the positives and negatives of Japanese culture. Nishiyama led me into the cavernous building, we passed two giggling schoolgirls sitting on a bench who blurted out ‘Hello!’ 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.I really enjoyed this small peek into his life in Japan. The book was so well-written, the story so well-told, that I never wanted the story to end.

A note about the writing style: Chris writes the way he talks. This makes sense since he's spent the last decade writing scripts, not books. When you are reading you'll hear the entire thing as though he's narrating it. I didn't mind this, although some areas of the books read like a video script, and could use some polish. Why I was attracted to the "not strange" Japanese identity as a foreign YouTuber]. Yahoo News Japan (in Japanese). 14 February 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021 . Retrieved 22 February 2021. Anyway, the book is about his first ten years living in Japan. The guy just jetted off there one day to teach English despite having no teaching experience and knowing barely any Japanese. 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 enjoyed traveling along with his every word, his personal triumphs, and his frequent insecurities about what’s next, while waiting right there with him to find out what’s coming around the corner. Will it be good? Will it bring something unexpected?

The last third of the book takes place after he leaves his teaching role and briefly chronicles the rise of his YouTube channel. For me this was the weakest part of the book. It reads like a series of unconnected anecdotes. While it's not bad, I feel like it's a drop in quality from the excellent first 2/3rds of the book. In a way, Abroad in Japan (both the book and Youtube channel) has been one large documentary about Japan, giving an honest (both good and bad) non-native view of the country. I have not had the opportunity to visit Japan yet but thanks to Chris's work, I almost feel like I have experienced it first hand. Having said that, I have a growing wish to go and experience a lot of it for myself. From the onsens to a perilous climb up Mount Fuji, I hope to one day have the chance to go through a fraction of what you have had the chance to experience in Japan. Your journey throughout Japan over the past decade was certainly inspiring and humbling. 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. . 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?".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. Your audience is waiting". YouTube. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020 . Retrieved 17 December 2018. TEDx Talks, Learning outside Japan, telling Tohoku to the world | Ryotaro Sakurai | TEDxTohokuUniversity, archived from the original on 18 June 2020 , retrieved 21 December 2018 Because I’m not familiar with the YouTube stuff, I felt like we hit fast-forward around 2016; I think he assumes we will be familiar with his journey. He did a reasonable job at bringing those of us that weren’t along for the ride but it felt like we glossed over more and sped up from that point onward. The focus became more about the filmmaking, which didn’t hold quite the same allure for me as the earlier sections.