Abroad in Japan: The hilarious, Sunday Times bestselling memoir of life, travel, and adventure in the Land of the Rising Sun

Chris Broad

Aug 2023 · Random House

About this ebook

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING MEMOIR ABOUT LIFE IN JAPAN

WINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG NON-FICTION AND READERS' CHOICE AWARDS 2024

Readers love ABROAD IN JAPAN
'Undeniably the best book I've ever read' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Experience Japan without ever setting foot there' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A heartfelt, humorous journey into Japan and its culture' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I 1000000% reccommend it!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A must-read for Japan enthusiasts' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the language and zero teaching experience, was he about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history?

Abroad in Japan charts a decade of living in a foreign land and the chaos and culture clash that came with it. Packed with hilarious and fascinating stories, this book seeks out to unravel one the world's most complex cultures.

Spanning ten years and all forty-seven prefectures, Chris takes us from the lush rice fields of the countryside to the frenetic neon-lit streets of Tokyo. With blockbuster moments such as a terrifying North Korean missile incident, a mortifying experience at a love hotel and a week spent with Japan's biggest movie star, Abroad in Japan is an extraordinary and informative journey through the Land of the Rising Sun.


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Ratings and reviews

Great overview of moving to and experiencing Japan from the POV of a typical Brit. Plenty humour and sarcasm in there. Just note that this book was ideal for me as while I had only seen a handful of videos on the "abroad in Japan" channel, so a lot of the experiences described in this book were 100% new to me. Someone who has been watching the channel since day one, or had enough chance to binge their way through all of them, will get a little less out of this book. Having said that, this book will have events that weren't recorded on camera at the time they were happening, and Chris gives more of his feelings in words than he may have done for the filming This book covers his entry into m teaching English in Japanese schools. It also covers his initial transition into living accommodation, learning the japanese language, his experiences with teaching and teaching staff, humble start to youtubing, the food, earthquakes and way more

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a way to escape reality on stressful days by allowing me to view the country in the author's eyes as a local. Not as a documentary. His sarcasm made me giggle on several ocassions, something much needed on those difficult times after a long day at work. I also loved that you could reference to his videos on Youtube and his documentaries. It is not a thriller, or a book intended to teach you life lessons. This book feels like a friend, just telling you about life abroad. That being said, I do recommend this book.

This book is a wonderful read. I was very inspired by Chris' growth and challenges in Japan. The book is also great, as it provides additional perspectives to the author's Youtube videos. You can watch his videos as you read along the book. I don't read books too often, but I had to hear the story of Chris Broad. Thank you Chris for the fantastic tale of Japan and yourself.

About the author

Chris Broad is a British filmmaker and founder of the Abroad in Japan Youtube channel, one of the largest foreign Youtube channels in Japan with over 2.5 million subscribers and 400 million views.
Over 10 years and 200 videos, Chris has visited all of Japan's 47 prefectures, focussing Abroad in Japan on travel, culture, food and covered contemporary issues through documentaries on the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. His experiences have made him a sought after voice on life inside Japan, featured on the BBC, Tedx, NHK and the Japan Times.