I Escaped Tokyo for a Day: It did me a world of good. (Patreon)

I often wonder if I were to go back in time and reshoot videos for the Abroad in Japan channel differently, what would I do differently?

To be honest, if I could travel back in time, I’d probably slap myself in the face first for my lack of self discipline when it comes to my diet. Why can I never learn?! Still, that’s a depressing time travel story for another day.

I’m incredibly proud of the 300 or so videos we’ve shot over the last 12 years; for the places, stories and of course, dishes that we’ve shared with the world, particularly in north Japan and Tohoku.

And I’m certainly proud of the cinematography, music, locations and humour we’ve managed to pack in along the way. But I often think if I were to go back, the biggest change I’d make is to interact more with the folks I encounter on my travels.

I’ve always had a bit of a knee jerk reaction to shut off the camera when running into strangers, or chatting with locals in Japan, mainly out of shyness. (Often Japanese strangers are terrified by cameras too).

But I look at other Youtube channels where they make the effort to prioritise those random encounters with a degree of envy. Granted, we’ve had our moments - terrifying Journey Across Japan biscuit lady springs to mind.

And it was also a ton of fun chatting with viewers in the most recent Abroad in Japan episode at the worst tourist traps with Pete.

So on this weeks cinematic Day in My Life video out in Yamagata - out this week - I really made the effort to say ‘yes’ to consciously filming every encounter I had in a single day.

And incredibly, there was some beautiful moments.

In the space of just one morning, I enjoyed a spontaneous encounter with a kind Buddhist monk called Otaki san, who was proud to show of an impressive statue built by his father in a school playground of which he was the Principal.

I chatted with an 'inventor' - a mean who’d allegedly patented the concept of a pizza that you can walk with.

(Genuinely patented or not, the pizza was delicious).

Hell I even ran into a Malik, a charming German viewer in an impossibly remote valley, who happened to be cycling to Wakkanai from Kagoshima! (Thankfully no broken mugs were involved).

We were both equally surprised to run into each other and it terrifies me that I almost drove away and missed the encounter, while thinking he was some crazed maniac chasing down my car! (Explained in the video 😅).

We even caught up with a prolific rockstar and beauty salon owner, who promptly crashed a big yellow bicycle into my car.

I'll get him back.

And we had a long awaited reunion with Tera chan, the perky bar owner of a British themed pub in downtown Sakata.

You may recall him from Natsuki the movie, as Natsuki’s former band mate who gleefully endures Natsuki’s questionable chupa chups 'magic' trick.

But all of these encounters, against the backdrop of my favourite corner of Japan, turned an unscripted Day in My Life vlog into one of the most surprisingly enjoyable videos I’ve shot this year so far.

For me, it’s a reminder we don’t always need blockbuster moments to make travelling rewarding. It’s those simple, memorable encounters with strangers that make life and travel fulfilling.

It also reminded me that for all the chaos in the world, most folks are out there happily living their lives day by day. Step away from the phone screen and there’s a lot of great things happening in the world - the world isn't ending after all.

At times I feel lost as a creator wondering what lies ahead and where to take things from here.

But wandering the streets of a remote Japanese town and having a spontaneous encounter with a friendly Buddhist monk is all the reassurance I need that things will be all right. If that's all I got to do for the rest of my days I'm happy with that.

And I intend to remember that for the videos that lie ahead. From here on out I'm going to strive to capture these moments with strangers as much as possible. The more people I encounter and the more stories I can share the better.

I'm really looking forward to sharing this Day in My Life episode with you later this week.

- And above all getting my damn Kei Car back from Natsuki 😉

For now guys, I hope you’ve had a great start to the week.

We’ve got a big month ahead...

- Chris

P.S. In case you missed it in the previous post, the Patreon Behind the Scenes episode with bloopers and outtakes from our most recent episode (and featuring Pete) is now up to watch!

Japan's Worst Tourist Trap | Patreon Exclusive Outtakes

🍿 WATCH: https://youtu.be/t2ZDC_RRR70

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