I’m familiar with Chris and his YouTube channel, cleverly named Abroad in Japan, after his own surname. I’ve seen a bunch of his videos here and there, however I do not actively follow him or his social media. I’ve seen enough though to be aware of Chris’ humour and his presentation/communication skills, and frankly, that was all the convincing I needed to get his book. I knew whatever it was about (like the title didn’t give it away, duh), I was going to enjoy his British, sarcasm fuelled humour.

And I did.

Actually, I enjoyed way more than just that.

Before I dive deeper into the actual review, for anyone unfamiliar with Chris Broad – British YouTuber, filmmaker and now author, with focus on Japan, its culture and even more modern topics.

First 2/3 of the book is a nicely paced retelling of Chris’ first couple of years in Japan – his initial journey over, learning the language, making new friends and his teaching career. Unfortunately, that pace is ruined slightly in the remainder of the book, where all that remains between then and now is crammed together – his YouTube career, including relating events such as note worthy videos or encounters that result from it. His relationships are skipped over as well, all of a sudden important people on his journey are mentioned as already well incorporated into his life, but not introduced to the reader prior. It’s a bit of a shame the book is arranged this way. I understand why, this isn’t a traditional memoir so to speak, but I’ve enjoyed the first half tremendously so for the latter to be skimmed over, it felt disappointing. Especially for someone who isn’t an avid fan and is not up to date on the events surrounding Chris’ life.

Regardless. it was a pleasure to read. Even if you’re not familiar with Chris, or his channel, I think this is still an enjoyable book for anyone interested to learn more about Japan, its culture and typical lifestyle. It gives an honest, personal perspective of someone trying to figure it out just as much as we are, with a good bit of humour to add to the charm.