ABROAD IN JAPAN | 25+ Patreon Exclusive Videos! (Megapost) (Patreon)

GOOD NEWS! The official trailer for Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands is now finished and I'll be releasing it here on Patreon later this week! (And publicly later this month).

When we finished filming the series, Natsuki, Joey and I all agreed it was the most action-packed week of our lives, and watching the trailer certainly reminds me why.

But to celebrate the impending release of Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands, which is of course a Patreon funded series, I’ve curated over 25 of the best, exclusive videos, tutorials, and behind the scenes episodes from the Abroad in Japan Patreon, into an easy to navigate guide below.

Whether you’re looking for self help episodes on how to learn Japanese and move to Japan, start and build a Youtube channel, or want to watch how an Abroad in Japan video is made from start to finish, with behind the scenes outtakes and bloopers, have a look below and see what you’ve missed!

Like the videos on Abroad in Japan, many of these videos were produced to be timeless, so even though some episodes were filmed as far back as a couple of years, the lessons they teach and the stories they tell are still absolutely relevant and useful today.

Dive in and see what you can find below!

And on behalf of myself, Natsuki, Ryotaro and Pete, once again a huge thank you for supporting and believing in Abroad in Japan.
Chris

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25+ PATREON EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS
CONTENTS

1. “How I Made It” Series 🎥
2. Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji (Making Of) 🗻
3. Tokyo Creative Learn Series ⛩️
4. Travels with Natsuki & Ryotaro 🧳
5. Stories on Learning Japanese & Travelling Japan 🇯🇵
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1. “HOW I MADE IT” Series 🎥

Producing a documentary can be challenging; in this series I reveal how I make a Youtube video from start to finish, the pitfalls of filming Natsuki: The Movie, and how or why I choose to shoot the videos the way I do. Essential viewing if you plan to go into Youtube or filmmaking and fun for anyone wondering how Abroad in Japan videos get made.

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How I Produce a YouTube Video: From Start to Finish

Making a decent video isn’t as simple as switching on the camera and hitting record.  From idea creation and scripting, through to filming and editing, with insider tips and behind the scenes footage - including hilarious outtakes of Ryotaro - in this episode, I talk through the filmmaking process and how to produce quality over quantity, to give yourself the edge on YouTube.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/VRSN9AUnM0A

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8 Lessons I Learned Making Natsuki: The Movie

A brutal, honest look at the nightmarish production of Natsuki: The Movie. As my first hour long documentary that took 6 months of filming (on and off) and many months to edit, no other video or project I’ve undertaken has come close to this, in terms of teaching me what no to do as a filmmaker.
With behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes and outtakes of Natsuki losing mind (along with myself), discover how it was made.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/5xxCsQyjxnM

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How I Made the Driving in Japan Video | Behind the Scenes
Unsurprisingly, not everything goes according to plan when filming an Abroad in Japan video. In fact it's a bloody miracle if everything goes right.

From dodgy equipment and bad weather, to painful decisions to remove entire scenes from the video, I reveal the the ups-and-downs, mishaps and lessons learned in the "Driving in Japan" episode on Abroad in Japan.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/Kg0k14Jp12I

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How I Made the Japanese TV Video | Feat. Abroad in Japan Meme Review

Since realising this video many of you guys have been asking me how I pulled off the blue screen scene in the recent "Why I Don't Watch Japanese TV" video.

I reveal all (and to be fair it's a lot simpler than you'd think).

► Watch: https://youtu.be/Ow-xr_wgzVk

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How We Make a Podcast | From Start to Finish

Pete and Chris film the process of recording a podcast episode from start to finish at Absolute Radio in London and give Pete a quick fire Q&A with questions sent in by listeners.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/sHRdu5MiY5w

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Natsuki: The Movie | Director & Actor's Reaction & Commentary

Chris and Natsuki sit down to watch the full 50 min documentary and react to the mayhem that unfolds on screen, with behind the scenes insights and thoughts on what it got right, and where it went wrong.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/iQwHf22L5TE

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Someone Stole My Video in a Really Creepy Way

A truly awkward and disturbing situation.
I face a difficult decision on how to act when someone steals my video by re-enacting it scene by scene, joke-by-joke and thinking they can get away with it. The internet is a strange place.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/dGZE3cQmKPw
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26 Traits Japanese Girls Want in a Guy: Outtakes & Bloopers

When my good friend Chiaki and I sat down to work our way through a list of characteristics Japanese girls allegedly want in a guy, it was both eye-opening and disappointing (given my dreadful performance). Some of the best scenes didn’t make the final cut, and as always some of the most fun happened in the outtakes and bloopers!
► Watch: https://youtu.be/g9USxWjRTRk

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2. JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN: ESCAPE TO FUJI (Making Of)

Four Patreon Exclusive Episodes featuring behind the scenes bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes from Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji.

Day 1 | Uncensored Love Hotel
👻 https://youtu.be/932OBaMLLBA

Day 2 | Why Joey Didn’t Eat Hornet Larvae

🍲Watch: https://youtu.be/bCf9KDEpEgA

Day 3 | Bringing Back Dr Jelly

♨️Watch: https://youtu.be/ve_s6YIqG1Y

Day 4 | Why I Felt Disappointed
🏨Watch: https://youtu.be/R2hnT0dqNjs

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3. TOKYO CREATIVE LEARN SERIES ⛩️
Drawing from my experiences in moving to Japan and building a Youtube channel, last year I produced a series of educational learning videos for Tokyo Creative.

These slickly produced videos were featured on their site, but they were kind enough to allow me to feature them on the Abroad in Japan Patreon.

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Understanding the Japanese Mindset | 3 Key Concepts Explained

The Japanese way of thinking is often impenetrable and difficult to understand from a western perspective. In this video, through my awkward experiences and encounters in everyday life, I reveal some key expressions and concepts, that’ll quickly unravel the mysteries of Japan; including why people like to suddenly go silent amidst a conversation and why everything in Japan works UNLESS you start to go off script.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/3ZOhxjhOBSU

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6 Amateur Vlogger Mistakes | Creating a Youtube Channel
Essential viewing for those of you considering setting up a Youtube channel as a hobby or career, or just interesting to hear about the production process of creating a video. Here’s 6 common mistakes new Youtube creators make.
► Watch: https://youtu.be/-swMWoQviYU

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How I Make Youtube Thumbnails

Arguably the biggest factor in whether a video on Youtube is successful or not is the thumbnail (second only to the title). That small image summarising your video is the difference between 1,000 views and 100,000. So is there a formula for success? Well yes, and in this video we discover what it is. Essential viewing for budding Youtube creators.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/_G4Q2hvGWyA

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How to Find Your Motivation in the Long Term

It's something of a reflective story about how at the the age of 18 I was shy, aimless, unmotivated and fairly pessimistic about my future. Yet somehow in a three year period I randomly moved to Japan, started a Youtube channel and reinvented myself after finding a sense of motivation. In this video I discuss how motivation is a lot easier to find if we think long term. I hope my own experience will be of use to those of you feeling slightly lost or aimless in life at the moment.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/AP_9AXDsOO0

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4. TRAVELS WITH NATSUKI & RYOTARO 🧳

In this series, I filmed Patreon episodes throughout the years hanging out with Natsuki (and god forbid, Ryotaro). Join us on our secret travels when we’re not filming Abroad in Japan videos!

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Staying at a Traditional Japanese Inn with Natsuki

To celebrate my birthday, Natsuki takes us to a traditional Japanese inn, where the rooms come with their very own private baths. But in typical Natsuki fashion, things go wrong very quickly when he unleashes a toy drone inside the room.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/UA0H9Tb2MKQ

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Road Trip Across Japan to Natsuki

We drive across the mountains of snowy Yamagata to meet Natsuki for dinner, answering your questions, stalking cats and drinking various beverages.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/ajINbujMtT8

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Lunch with Ryotaro!
Chris and Ryotaro test out the new drone - trying not to crash it into the sea - before indulging in a bowl of Sendai’s delicious local ramen.
► Watch: https://youtu.be/In96wZQLDYk

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How Would Natsuki Kill Me? | Q&A with Natsuki
We interrogate Natsuki with all of your bizarre questions as he teaches us his invaluable insights and life advice. Including, rather worryingly, how he’d kill me if the situation arose.
► Watch: https://youtu.be/buedVfJVzrs

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Natsuki Star Wars
We re-enact an infamous Star Wars scene from the prequel trilogy. Only true Star Wars fans will appreciate this one!
► Watch: https://youtu.be/6sezuSyvJC8

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5. STORIES ON LEARNING JAPANESE & TRAVELLING JAPAN 🇯🇵
In this frank and open series, I reveal my struggles to learn Japanese over 2 intense years, and tips and tricks for living and travelling the country. There’s also an exclusive Patreon Podcast I recorded with Norm from Tokyo Lens, discussing our experiences in Japan.

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How I Learned Japanese: 2 Years in Detail

Thrust into my job as English teacher with no Japanese knowledge, for my first two years in Japan I studied harder than ever before. As someone who wasn’t great academically and had always failed at learning languages, I had little self confidence or optimism that I’d be able to converse in Japanese at all. However, after uncovering some invaluable study techniques from friends and quickly seeing results after 6 months, I learned to push myself in a way I never thought was possible. In this video I chronicle those experiences and share tips and tricks for fellow learners of Japanese who find themselves struggling through those tough early years.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/BWhVHkyhnww

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Where Should You Stay in Japan? | Kyoto Hotel Room Tour

Where's the best place to stay in Tokyo & Kyoto? Is Airbnb Japan safe to use these days? And am I a good tour guide? We cover the different types of accommodation in Japan and which ones I personally recommend, as well as giving a room tour of a Kyoto hotel!
► Watch: https://youtu.be/lv8DxTWUJwg

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INSIDE a Japanese Log Cabin with Pete & Sharla

Half way through the original Journey Across Japan series, we find ourselves in a log cabin on a mountain in Kobe. Pete Donaldson and Sharla give us a tour of this bizarre location.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/CilNWwHRASE

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The Reason It’s Hard to Make Friends in Japan | Patreon Q&A

Making friends in Japan can often be more difficult than you’d think. But why is that? And how can you get around it? Also, is it ok to refuse alcohol on social situations? And am I different on camera to how I am in real life? Is it all a charade?! In this Patreon Q&A episode, we uncover the answers to all of these questions and more.

► Watch: https://youtu.be/xcvlrto_zgA

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At Home in Japan Show | Feat. Abroad in Japan

For 50 minutes Norm from Tokyo Lens and I chat and share our stories and experiences from our travels across the country, answering questions such as:

- What are the two best restaurant chains in Japan that nobody knows?

- Which equipment do we both use to film videos?

- Where would I choose to live in Japan if I decided to move?

► Watch: https://youtu.be/0_2VWP2sdJk

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I’ll be updating this HUGE megapost of exclusive Abroad in Japan Patreon videos later this year!