Travel book review: 'Abroad in Japan' by Chris Broad

Last Updated on September 19, 2025 by Home in the World

Having just returned, mind-blown, from my first trip to Japan, I was all about trying to devour as much literature about it as possible to keep the vibe alive and inspire me for future travels to that country. My research led me to the recently published Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad, who, it turns out, runs the most popular foreigner-made YouTube channel documenting life in Japan, with some 3 million subscribers.

While I had never seen any of his videos (though I am now a subscriber of his channel), the blurb of his book, which recounts anecdotes and experiences from his 10 years of living in the Land of the Rising Sun as an English teacher and then YouTuber, instantly appealed to me, so I decided to give it a go.

What is Abroad in Japan about?

As mentioned, Abroad in Japan is a generally light-hearted but nevertheless insightful ode to the author’s 10+ years spent in Japan, initially as a 22-year-old English teacher in the small town of Sakata in the country’s north, and later as a videographer and famous YouTuber travelling across prefectures and documenting various aspects of life in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The first ~60% of the book is dedicated to Broad’s early years in Japan, during which we witness not only his struggles with the language and cultural assimilation as the Brit learns to live in a small apartment surviving on Family Mart fried chicken and sleeping on a tatami mat, but also the gradual evolution of the relationships and friendships he forms with locals, as well as his various exploits in everything from Japan’s notorious love hotels and hostess clubs, to hot-spring etiquette, to climbing Mt Fuji.

‘Now, if there are only ever two Japanese Kanji you master, let them be male (男) and female (女). In many Japanese bathhouses, the toilets and changing rooms have no English signs, so learn these, lest you wander into the wrong one and get deported. Thankfully, when it comes to hot springs, the male and female changing areas have a noren curtain draped over the top half of each changing room, blue for male and red for female, so as long as you know your basic gender stereotypes, you can avoid making the ultimate faux pas.’

We meet quirky characters such as the KitKat-obsessed Komako sensei, the antiwar crusader-cum teacher Kengo, and the chain-smoking Natsuki.

We accompany Broad as he navigates all aspects of Japanese life, including doctor’s appointments, the dating world, bitter winters buried under Siberian snow, convenience stores and izakayas, the education system and uniquely Japanese practices such as the daikou taxi service, where a driver drives you home in your own car after a night out, while another follows in a separate car to pick the driver up at the end. Like Uber with a twist.

The last 40% of the book is dedicated to random memories from Broad’s more recent stint as a videographer and YouTuber, whose emerging channel ironically gained traction after a North Korea missile alert prompted him to upload a ranty video that subsequently went viral and saw him interviewed on international news broadcasts.

^{One of Chris Broad’s more sobering documentary videos on his ‘Abroad in Japan’ YouTube channel}

His experiences during this phase of his career include everything from the sobering assignment of delving deeper into the enduring effects of the 2011 earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Power Plant disaster, to spending a week with Japan’s biggest rock star and fulfilling a lifelong dream of interviewing Ken Watanabe.

What I loved about Abroad in Japan

Having only recently returned from Japan when I started reading this book, I particularly loved being able to nod along to some of the quirks and cultural aspects I, too, had noticed while there, despite only having barely scratched the surface as a tourist.

The way he describes, for example, the mind-blowing world of the konbini convenience stores, the ubiquitous $1 onigiri rice balls, the hilariously (but also concerningly, from an environmental perspective) overpackaged single bananas, the exhilarating experience of riding the Shinkansen bullet train, and the dizzying onslaught of signs and menus written in a mix of 3 alphabets were all things that resonated with me. Delivered with an ever-present dose of British wit and sarcasm, it often made me giggle.

‘Shelf after shelf was filled with the perfect crustless sandwiches and onigiri rice balls filled with everything from tuna mayo to pickled plum. Each came wrapped in dark green, crispy nori seaweed and they were presented in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most common being triangles, which sat upright, as if they were patiently waiting to be snatched up by a customer in a hurry. On the top shelf of the onigiri fridge, I noticed a bright pink plastic wrapper with the concerning words ‘Baked Sand’ slapped on it. Clearly Japanese cuisine was more complex than I’d imagined. Fortunately, on further inspection, it became clear the item was a sandwich wrap.’

As a language enthusiast who started learning a bit of Japanese before travelling there, I also personally enjoyed following Broad’s journey to mastering this very difficult language. The trials and tribulations of toiling away at Kanji, applying various memorisation techniques to learn thousands of complex characters, were fascinating to read about, and it was particularly inspiring to watch him build the confidence to participate in, and eventually win, a Japanese speech contest.

Another element of the book I appreciated was the insights into more serious sides of Japanese life, such as the bullying culture, the ever-present threat of earthquakes, the relatively poor standard of English language education, and the conundrum faced by Kyoto as it recovers from pandemic-induced bankruptcy while also suffering from overtourism.

The book certainly does not profess to be a deep dive into any of these issues, but the fact that they were not completely neglected, and that the country was not looked at entirely through rose-coloured glasses, definitely earned it a plus point.

I actually found some of the lighter elements educational and insightful too, such as the daikou taxi service mentioned earlier, and the country’s obsession with KFC at Christmastime! There is so much for outsiders to learn about this fascinating country.

Why read Abroad in Japan and where to buy it

Whether you’ve already visited Japan for yourself, are planning to visit there one day, or are simply an armchair traveller interested in reading about the culture of a country that is likely very different to your own, I think there’s a good chance you will enjoy Abroad in Japan.

Front cover of Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

Don’t expect it to be a scholarly essay intricately examining the complexities of the Japanese lifestyle. Approach it as a written form of a YouTube video – superficial and humorous enough to make it an easy, entertaining read, but equally raw and informative enough to give you at least a partial understanding of what it’s like for a foreigner to navigate this unique country, as well as some of its underlying issues and cultural quirks.

As Broad himself puts it: ‘The thrill of living in Japan is not quite knowing what surprises lie in store for you next. And if being here for ten years has taught me anything, it’s that there’s always one more wild discovery waiting for you, just around the corner, in the Land of the Rising Sun.’

If you’re interested in purchasing Abroad in Japan for yourself, you can do so here (an ebook version is also available).

** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **

For another good non-fiction read about life in Japan through the eyes of a Westerner, check out my review of Tokyo Junkie by Robert Whiting.

If you like travel-related books, you might also be interested in my reviews of My Tiny Atlas and the Accidentally Wes Anderson publication, which are packed full of stunning imagery and interesting facts of locales dotted all over the world.

For more of my recommended reads, check out the Books section of this website.

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And if you’re looking for Japan travel content, consider downloading my free, printable one-page guide to Osaka, as well as reading these blog posts:

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