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  • Abroad in Japan

  • By: Chris Broad
  • Narrated by: Chris Broad
  • Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (117 ratings)

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Abroad in Japan

By: Chris Broad
Narrated by: Chris Broad
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Publisher's Summary

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
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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)

What listeners say about Abroad in Japan

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  • Overall
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A must!

Great insight into the elusive and sometimes secretive culture of Japan. Candid, funny and timely.

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Moving

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.

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A wonderful insight into Chris Broad and his life in Japan

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 😊

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Not bored with Chris Abroad

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

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A fascinating look behind the scenes of Abroad in Japan.

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. :)

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The passion showed for a great country which I have visited many times.

Liked Chris and his best friend relationship develops, and the respect he gets from the Japanese people.

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Best breastfeeding Book

You can honestly tell this book comes from the heart.
all the stories and the ups and downs are amazing writen and the performance really makes this amazing.

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Charming

It is an insightful true tale of the life of a westerner in Japan. Read by the affable author Chris Broad, this book is worth listening to.

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The storytelling makes this 5 star book even bette

So easy and entertaining to listen to. This informative book makes learning about another culture fun but with so much respect. I discovered Abroad in Japan on YouTube while researching for our family trip to Japan many years ago and have continued to view and listen to Chris since.

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Japan

amazing from Chris, would have loved a little more on the inital grind of being in Japan, Man has smashed it though.

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