Abroad in Japan : : ten Years in the Land of the Rising sun

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	952.05 Br	4-week checkout	Due 02-10-2025
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Travel / Essays & Travelogues / Broad, Chris	4-week checkout	Due 01-19-2025

Over ten years we follow Chris Broad as he unravels the wonders and eccentricities of one of the world's most mysterious cultures, rising from under qualified English teacher to YouTube sensation in the process. 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 was 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 comes with it. Packed with hilarious and fascinating stories, this book seeks out to unravel one the world's most mysterious and impenetrable cultures. Spanning 10 years and 47 prefectures, Chris takes us from the chilling summit of Mount Fuji to the chaotic neon-lit streets of Tokyo. With blockbuster moments such as a terrifying North Korean missile incident, a Japanese national TV experience gone horribly wrong and a week spent with Japan's biggest movie star, Ken Watanabe, Abroad in Japan is an extraordinary and informative journey through the Land of the Rising Sun.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Summary / Annotation
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Great for fans of the channel submitted by Cherie on July 1, 2024, 7:45am I feel somewhat biased writing this review because I've been a long time fan of the Abroad in Japan YouTube channel. However, I also objectively feel this was a very well-written and thought out memoir chronicling Chris Broad's life in Japan.

I recall one of his earlier videos where he stated one of his reasons for going to Japan was sheer spite because an ex-girlfriend said he couldn't do it. I was hoping he would mention it in the book but I was a little disappointed when he didn't, instead focusing on the older couple he met on a different travel adventure inspiring him to do it. I do love a good story of near-impossible accomplishments started in spite of someone saying you can't do it. Oh well, it was still a fantastic book!

I can't recommend enough listening to the audiobook as Chris Broad narrates it himself, and he's got such amazing character and personality in his narration. Listening to him tell the stories of his adventures was like watching his videos all over again. He shares his very real and uncensored experiences of culture shock, language barrier, and prejudice, but also the very heartfelt and unadulterated sense of appreciation, wonder, and respect for Japan, its culture, and its people.

I laughed, I cried, and I felt an unrelenting sense of wanderlust. Highly recommended.