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Abroad in Japan

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Abroad in Japan

By: Chris Broad
Narrated by: Chris Broad
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

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.

©2023 Chris Broad (P)2023 Penguin Audio Asia Travel Writing & Commentary Funny Witty Feel-Good Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Village Imperial Japan China

Critic Reviews

From wide-eyed exchange teacher to seasoned youtuber, Chris Broad explores Japan in all its quirky glory, surviving earthquakes, North Korean missile alerts, cat cafe allergies and Love Hotel evictions. Endlessly fascinating! (Will Ferguson, author of Hokkaido Highway Blues)
Fascinating, fact-packed and very funny. Broad's wry humour, in-depth knowledge and adept storytelling make him an engaging guide to the bewildering Japanese experience. Accurately captures the excitement and dream-like disorientation of a foreigner discovering Japan. An excellent and enjoyable read for the Japan-curious. I loved it and learned a lot. (Sam Baldwin, author of For Fukui's Sake: Two years in rural Japan)
Chris Broad's wry, self-deprecating memoir carves a unique path across Japan bringing him into contact with far too many cats, heartening renewal in Tohoku, and even pizza with Ken Watanabe. This is a thoroughly contemporary book, a memoir of life in Japan that couldn't have been written at any other point in history. (Iain Maloney, author of The Only Gaijin in the Village)
All stars
Most relevant
Great insight into the elusive and sometimes secretive culture of Japan. Candid, funny and timely.

A must!

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An incredibly charming listen. Chris takes you an insightful journey off the golden route; exploring the whirlwind of the Japanese country side to the chaos of the metropolitan city. I felt moved by his honesty and ability to express how his experiences impacted him, despite what he described was embarrassing at the time.
A wonderful read I know i'll be reaching for again and again.

Moving

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I was excited to listen to Chris’s new audiobook as I’m a fan of his YouTube channel ☺️ It was such a pleasure to listen to him talking about his journey teaching in school and meeting amazing people along the way. It was never a dull moment in this book and I found myself giggling quite a bit in sections in this book especially when he was learning Japanese and teaching English to his colleagues haha 😂 even the way he hanged his voice to enrich the story from the perspective of the person talking. I was engrossed and made me miss this amazing Country 😊 Thanks Chris for never giving up on ou this book it’s a hit! And I’m sure even if you don’t know who Chris is, you will enjoy this book 😊

A wonderful insight into Chris Broad and his life in Japan

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Most of the stuff you would have heard from his YouTube channel but it’s still a great listen.

Not bored with Chris Abroad

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If you're a fan of the Abroad in Japan Youtube channel, you'll find this book is full of fascinating details about Chris' time in Japan and the origins of the channel. Think of it as a behind the scenes look. One thing I didn't expect, was being reminded of videos I'd watched years ago and feeling the urge to go back and watch them again after Chris discussed the circumstances surrounding their creation. I loved listening to every minute of it and was saddened when I heard Chris read the epilogue, knowing that this journey was now over. Fingers crossed for a sequel. :)

A fascinating look behind the scenes of Abroad in Japan.

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I liked how various cultural insights were interspersed with the author's stories of his adventures in Japan.

Well read and filled with humourous anecdotes

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The author tells his story wonderfully. Made me laugh while I learned plenty about Japanese culture. I've been to Japan a few times bit still learned a lot.

Entertaining and interesting

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Amazing book Chris! I listened to it all the way home from. Japan yesterday. You have certainly found your calling. Your storytelling and the way you see things is so relateable. I'm planning a permanent move from Australia to Japan for 2025 and your book couldn't have been more timely!

A gifted storyteller.

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The personal experience of a man fumbling through his living in Japan as a foreigner and loving (most of) it.
it's highly entertaining and I would wholeheartedly recommended it. His YouTube channel is pretty great too.

Interesting and Entertaining

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I have followed Chris on his journey and thoroughly enjoyed his videos in Abroad in Japan.
When I learned of this audiobook I quickly downloaded it and got straight to listening.
Chris' journey in this audiobook was very insightful and I couldn't get enough.
I loved how he told stories of his life in Japan, from the beginning to his highs and lows, it really was fascinating.

If you are interested in learning about life in Japan as a foreigner then please give this audiobook a go.

Thanks Chris!

Loved it!

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