Abroad in Japan
Abroad In Japan logo
Chris Broad in 2020
Personal information
Born
Christopher Broad

(1990-04-21) 21 April 1990
Maidstone, England[1]
Occupation(s)YouTube influencer, filmmaker, author
PartnerSharla Hinskens
Websiteabroadinjapan.com
YouTube information
Channel
LocationTokyo, Japan
Years active2012–present
Genre(s)vlog, podcast, documentary
Subscribers2.9 million[2]
Total views458 million[2]
Associated actsThe Anime Man, Premier Two, Radio Stakhanov, Tokyo Creative, CDawgVA, Pete Donaldson
100,000 subscribers2014
1,000,000 subscribers2018
Last updated: 28 October 2023

Chris Broad (born 21 April 1990),[3] also known online as Abroad in Japan, is an English YouTuber, filmmaker, podcast host, author, 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.

Personal life

Broad's interest in filmmaking began at the age of eight when his grandfather had him record his aunt's wedding in Vancouver since his grandfather could not travel from England to attend the wedding.[4] Broad briefly appeared on the TV series Robot Wars in the UK, where his father and team were regular contestants, with their robot Killertron.[5]

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.

In February 2023, Broad revealed on Twitter that he was engaged to fellow YouTuber Sharla Hinskens.[9] The couple moved to Tokyo later that year[10] to bring Sharla nearer to her other job of running a stationery business Neko Neko Post.

YouTube channel

Upon moving to Sakata, Yamagata to teach as an Assistant Language Teacher with the JET Programme in 2012, Broad decided to vlog about some of his experiences as a foreigner living in the rural Tōhoku region.[11] One of Broad's first videos to gain widespread attention was his review of the Japan-only McDonald's McChoco Potatoes.[12] Other subjects of his early videos included topics like what it's like to drive in Japan, KFC as a mainstay of every Japanese Christmas, and love hotels. He later moved to Sendai to remain in the region, but to be somewhere better connected to the rest of the country to expand his business opportunities as a full time YouTuber.[13] As the channel grew in notability, Broad began to make more travel-themed videos, such as a video describing a trip to Aomori where he visited the city's Nebuta museum and another where he visited Hokkaido with his close friend Natsuki Aso, who often appears in Chris' videos.

On 29 August 2017, Broad was visiting a town in Aomori Prefecture near the Shirakami-Sanchi wilderness area when he was woken up by the J-Alert being triggered by the North Korean August 2017 missile launch over Japan. He posted a video about how rude it was that they would carry out their test so early in the morning and proceeded to criticize the regime of Kim Jong-un, as well as foreigners who visit North Korea. The video was featured as "Trending" the day it was posted.[14] It then went on to attract national attention in Japan, with Broad being selected to represent the word "J-Alert" in Japan's annual Words of the Year event.[15]

On 31 May 2018, Broad released the documentary film Natsuki: The Movie telling the story of Broad and his friend Natsuki's journey to Europe.[16][17]

In 2018, Broad started his Journey Across Japan series featuring various YouTubers, such as The Anime Man, and his friends as he travels across Japan by bike, documenting local customs and daily life along the way.[18] A sequel to the series was made in 2020, featuring The Anime Man and Natsuki in a road trip adventure originating in Tokyo, but taking place primarily around the Chūbu region called Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji.[19] In early 2021, Broad began filming a third entry in the series, titled Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands with The Anime Man and Natsuki, which takes place in the region of Kyushu.[20] In June 2021, the single "Too Much Volcano!" by Abroad in Japan and featuring The Anime Man and Natsuki Aso was released on the iTunes Store and Spotify; the song and the accompanying music video was recorded during the production of The Lost Islands and is about Mount Aso.[21] The song peaked at number 14 on the UK iTunes downloads charts on 22 June 2021.[22]

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

The channel also has featured some documentary-style videos. In addition to the Natsuki movie mentioned above, one focused on the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on the citizens of Kesennuma and how they and external powers are working to rebuild their city's image and livelihood.[25] Broad noted that the aversion to the area because of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster bothered him and that caused him to work on documentaries about the area, including one that is in development that will focus on the positive aspects of life in Fukushima.[26] In December 2019, he released a documentary interview of the rock artist Hyde, during the artist's performances at Zepp Tokyo.[27] Broad revisited the disaster area in a second documentary uploaded in 2020 about the region's recovery.[7] YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki praised Broad's documentary work in reference to this second documentary about the 2011 disaster in a tweet she posted on 1 December 2020.[28] A publication by the Cabinet of Japan praised Broad's work on the documentaries for his ability to capture "the heartbreaking sorrow of the disaster victims and the hopeful steps being taken towards recovery".[29]

Podcast

Abroad in Japan
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreCulture of Japan
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Length30 minutes
Production
Audio formatMP3
Publication
Original release2018
Related
Related showsTrash Taste

Together with Pete Donaldson, Broad presents a twice weekly Abroad in Japan series of podcasts on Radio Stakhanov about Japanese culture, current events, and cuisine. Some recurring topics of the series are the Lotte soft serve, Coolish and a pizza vending machine that was once functioning in Hiroshima.[30] The pair also talk about Japan-related stories and questions submitted by their audience by email in a segment they call the "Fax Machine" as a jest towards the obsolete method of communication that is still commonly used in many Japanese workplaces.[31][32]

Other work

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] In 2017, Broad was the host of a documentary about cats in Japanese culture called Cat Nation where he (despite being allergic to cats) travelled throughout Japan to document the cat-centered activities or places, such as visiting the Wakayama Electric Railway where a cat named Tama became a tourist attraction after it became the station master of Kishi Station.[34] Broad hosted an episode of "Explore Regional Flavors – Visiting the Hidden Village", a documentary about Japan's local cuisine broadcast on NHK World in August 2017.[35] 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]

In 2023, Broad published the book "Abroad in Japan - Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun", an autobiography describing his life living in Japan as a foreigner for the past decade.[38] It received positive reviews, The Times' Richard Lloyd Parry calling it "A chortleworthy look at the land of karaoke, cat fanatics and chocolate-coated fries."[39]

Discography

Singles

Title Year
"Too Much Volcano!"
(featuring The Anime Man & Natsuki Aso)		 2021

Collaborators

  • Natsuki Aso (阿蘓 夏樹, Aso Natsuki) – presenter, amateur musician and owner of a beauty salon in Yamagata, Japan
  • Ryotaro Sakurai (櫻井 亮太郎, Sakurai Ryōtarō) – Co-presenter and Director of LifeBridge Inc[40][41]
  • Sharla (formerly Sharla in Japan and now known as Sharmeleon) – Guest (various appearances)
  • Pete Donaldson – Podcast co-host, former London radio DJ and Japanophile
  • The Anime Man – Guest (various appearances), co-host (Journey Across Japan)
  • CDawgVA – Co-host (Chris & Connor's Wacky Weekend series)
  • Trash Taste – Guest (various appearances)
  • Premier Two – Guest,[42][43] Twitch Streamer[44]

References

  1. ↑ "Cynic's guide to Japan". BCCJ Acumen. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 "About Abroad in Japan". YouTube.
  3. ↑ "Chris Broad on Twitter". Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "外国人YouTuberの僕が、"奇妙ではない"日本のアイデンティティに惹かれた理由" [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.
  5. ↑ acast (4 April 2018). "Abroad in Japan: Myths about Japan! | Abroad in Japan on acast". acast. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Japan's Biggest Foreign YouTuber featuring Abroad in Japan". YouTube.
  7. 1 2 Fujita, Hana (23 November 2020). "British YouTuber Chris Broad spotlights resilient locals in Japan in wake of 2011 tsunami". Mainichi Shimbun. Sendai. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "A foreigner living in Japan. A charm of Miyagi from a YouTuber. Interview / Mr. Chris Broad". Stories of Miyagi. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  9. ↑ @AbroadInJapan (14 February 2023). "When you're trying to take a photo of a geological wonder and Sharla keeps putting her hand in the bloody way" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "Day in My Life: Living in Tokyo". You Tube. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  11. ↑ 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..
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Saunokonoko, Mark. "Japan wakes up to TVs being taken over as North Korean missile whizzed overhead". Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "2017: The Winning Words". nippon.com. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  16. ↑ Abroad in Japan (31 May 2018). "Natsuki: The Movie (Life in Japan Documentary)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "Journey Across Japan". Tokyo Creative. 2018. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  19. ↑ "連載：クリス・ブロードの「ガイドブックに載っていない日本」（第0回） 外国人YouTuberである僕が「日本人が見落としている日本の魅力」を伝えるためにできること" [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.
  20. ↑ "Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands". Abroad in Japan. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  21. ↑ @AbroadInJapan (18 June 2021). "IT'S OFFICIAL! By popular request, we've been able to get our crazy song "Too Much Volcano!" on the iTunes store (And Spotify early next week!) Anything we make from the song will go into the production budget for future episodes!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ "Abroad in Japan – 'Too Much Volcano! British iTunes Chart Performance". Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  23. ↑ Boyd, Oscar (18 December 2021). "Inside his new studio, YouTuber Chris Broad finally has space to create". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  24. ↑ Chris Broad [@AbroadInJapan] (17 March 2022). "The Abroad in Japan studio took quite the beating from yesterday's earthquake unfortunately" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ↑ "What Happened In Japan After The Tsunami?". YouTube. 1 February 2018. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  26. ↑ 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.
  27. ↑ "British youtuber spends a week with HYDE". J Rock News. 22 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  28. ↑ @SusanWojcicki (30 November 2020). "Susan Wojcicki on Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ "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.
  30. ↑ "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.
  31. ↑ Martin Fackler (13 February 2013). "In High-Tech Japan, the Fax Machines Roll On". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  32. ↑ "Abroad in Japan- A Japanese culture broadcast". Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  33. ↑ "Your audience is waiting". YouTube. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  34. ↑ "Cat Nation: A Film About Japan's Crazy Cat Culture.". Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  35. ↑ "Explore Regional Flavors – Visiting the Hidden Village – Part 2". Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  36. ↑ Schuyler Millar, Schuyler (9 December 2022). "Ludwig brings Chessboxing to the world of content creation with the Mogul Chessboxing Championship". Colorado Springs, CO: KKTV. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  37. ↑ Angeles, Zen (12 December 2022). "Ludwig's Mogul Chessboxing Championship Results and More". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  38. ↑ Broad, Chris (3 August 2023). Abroad in Japan.
  39. ↑ Parry, Richard Lloyd (18 September 2023). "Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad review — an affable Brit's guide to wacky Japan". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  40. ↑ "Ryotaro Sakurai's LinkedIn". Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  41. ↑ 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
  42. ↑ I Drove to Japan's Most Extreme North | Hokkaido Road Trip, archived from the original on 27 July 2021, retrieved 27 July 2021
  43. ↑ Broad, Chris (1 May 2021). "ALSO a big shout out to my best American friend Pete for coming on the journey". Twitter. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  44. ↑ PremierTwo – Twitch, archived from the original on 27 July 2021, retrieved 27 July 2021
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