The Future of Abroad in Japan

For the first time since February, I’ve been on a break and it’s done me a world of good.

August came at great cost; in the space of one month we launched Lost Bar in Shibuya, shot three videos and one major documentary and I handed in the first chapter of the second (and in all likelihood final) book that I plan to write. 

All the while scurrying like a rat between various buildings in Tokyo, desperately seeking shelter below roaring air conditioning units, away from the formidable summer heat, which has been the highest ever on record.

As a result, I spent a week in bed ill and started to wonder what on Earth I’m doing with my life. Admittedly, it was unfortunate the bar launched two months late (due to some frustrating interior designers) and collided with the production of the long planned documentary, which I’ll get on to in a moment.

But despite all the chaos of August, to my immense relief, Lost Bar has been a fantastic success so far, rammed every night and off to a very encouraging start. Hell, the Japan Times wrote a wonderful article which you can check out here, complete with my cackling, maniacal, Bond villain face. What a photo.

🌟 READ: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/09/15/food-drink/lost-bar-chris-broad-abroad-in-japan-shibuya/

I’ve swung by over a dozen times since the doors opened, perched down alongside bemused viewers and promptly drank the night away. One night I sat down next to a lone pilot at the bar counter and discovered the secrets of being a long haul freight pilot over a small mountain of cheese.

Another time, I sat down with a couple that had got engaged the night before in Yoyogi park and celebrated with a round of Too Much Volcano. For all the hell spent preparing and launching the bar, any regrets have been swept away since the doors opened to the public.

Consumed with the launch of the bar for almost the last two months though, at last I feel unshackled to get back to work on making videos and today I want to chat with you guys about what lies ahead.


First off, we’ve got an awesome event compliments of the great Ian Rudd - the legendary producer behind every single Journey Across Japan series and all three of the epic Cyclethons. In October, he’s holding a week-long event dedicated to showcasing artists in Tokyo through his brand Artedly. 

And it kicks off with a Journey Across Japan event, where I’ll be joining to sit down to chat about the highs and lows of JAJ, and do a fun Q&A with the audience. Before I promote it publicly, as always I wanted to share it with you guys here first!
It’s on Saturday 5th October in Tokyo, 7pm - 10pm.

Event: https://artober.tokyo/event-journey-across-japan-retrospective
Tickets: https://journey-across-japan-event.peatix.com/

As I mentioned at the start, I’ve been on a holiday. And I use the word ‘holiday’ liberally, as instead of spending it on a beach rolling around in some sand and splashing in some water (the British dream), I’ve actually spent most of the ten days popping in and out of book shops in search of ideas and inspiration and just taken a step back from work.

On paper this year has been a pretty spectacular year, between the Abroad in Japan book being the No.1 bestselling book in the UK for six weeks, the $1m raised with Connor on the Cyclethon, the launch of Lost Bar and the trip to Buckingham Palace. And I’m generally pleased with the videos we’ve released this year such as the trip around the Yamanote Line, spending a day chatting with strangers in rural Japan for a day in the life video, and staying overnight in an inn without electricity (much to my companion’s dismay).

But there’s also this feeling that it’s all a bit business as usual. Entertaining videos go out, folks watch them and have a laugh and then forget about them. There’s not much in the way of lasting impact, no important message to be shared. (Unless of course, “pizza you can walk with” is a revelation I’ve underestimated).

For all the distractions of books and bars, I live for making videos. That’s what I love, that’s why I’m still doing this after 12 years. I enjoy it immensely.

But I know I can do better. 

Of all the times I run into viewers, it hasn’t gone unnoticed which videos get quoted the most; the few times I take myself seriously. The documentaries - from the episode on the Fukushima nuclear disaster to interviewing victims of the Tohoku Tsunami. These are the stories that matter. 

I’m proud that the former CEO of Youtube, Susan Wojcicki, who tragically passed away this year, was moved enough by the documentary to publicly share it.

And so with all that in mind, in the final months of this year, I plan to pivot the channel to producing higher end documentary form content kicking off with the most expensive single video we’ve ever produced on Abroad in Japan; an hour long special on the mega earthquake.

I’ve tried to keep it under wraps, as I’ve learned my lessons from the past when I rant and rave about a video and then something goes wrong, so I won’t spoil too much here today.

But over August we shot 80% of the documentary around Japan and interviewed some remarkable individuals whose stories I’m desperate to share. It’s shaping up to be an extraordinary documentary - all of which, I’m delighted to say, is funded entirely by you guys here on Patreon. 

All of the upcoming documentaries we plan to produce will be funded by Patreon, so we’ll be redoubling our efforts here on the platform going forward with more behind the scenes content.

But I look forward to making you guys proud for funding the videos we make in the coming months, both in this documentary and in the several others that are currently in pre-production. It's definitely a risky path, but one that feels right to pursue.


That aside, we’re also exploring producing another feature on Natsuki, as he’s a little older and wiser since Natsuki: The Movie (I think?!) and in a recent video discussing how Japan had changed, his segment was rather stark and profound. 

When he sticks to Japanese and talks about a serious topic, Natsuki is a compelling storyteller and I've come to believe there’s a whole side to his character that we may have neglected over the years. (Though let’s face it, it's also rather cathartic witnessing him telling people to go fuck themselves).

Also, while thankfully there are no plans for a ‘tubathon’, Connor and I have also been working on a large scale Wacky Weekend project, more akin to “Wacky Week” for the final months of this year, which should fill the void left by the absence of Journey Across Japan this year.

And on a final note, we’ve still got three videos coming out in the coming week or two!
The next one is an ‘Abroad Investigation’ travelling with the aforementioned Natsuki, to visit Japan’s ‘third most scenic sight’ to see if it lived up to the hype in a rather far-flung location.

The second video involves me eating a sandwich on a train.

And the third episode is the second longest video of the year; a MASSIVE in depth review of Japan’s quintessential dishes with an all star cast of characters joining us, as we work our way through a dozen of Japan’s top restaurants. It sounds like a dream, but it was a huge production to undertake and an even bigger edit to work through.

So know that while the last two weeks have been seemingly quiet, we’re gearing up for a very big end to 2024. I'm excited to dream up content that's less about getting views and more about covering meaningful topics. The time has come to really take things up a level and 2025 will be the year, I hope, that comes to define the channel in a new light and potentially have a much larger impact. I hope we can raise the bar for high end content here on Youtube.

In the meantime guys, if you can join our Journey Across Japan event be sure to snap up tickets fast (before they become public in the coming days) and in case you missed the epic Patreon exclusive Q&A be sure to check that out as well.

Patreon Exclusive: Ask Me Anything
🍿 WATCH: https://youtu.be/bxB9GIKukLA

Now back to the edit!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend guys - see you in the week,

Chris

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Also guys don't forget we have over 50+ exclusive Patreon Behind the Scenes episodes on a sleek easy to navigate page here:

Abroad in Japan Patreon | 50+ Bonus Episodes 

🍿 https://www.abroadinjapan.com/bonus.php

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