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Merry Christmas guys!

Seriously what a crazy year it’s been - from the eardrum bursting beaches of Okinawa and snowy mountains filled with monkeys in hot springs to the streets of Los Angeles and even Ken Watanabe’s coffee shop.

It all ended with a punch to the face in LA and the ultimate Abroad in Japan Christmas party in London which I'd love to share with you here on Patreon, given how many of you were unable to make it! But I'm pleased to say the event was so successful that we're considering more events for next Summer.

The full 90 minutes of mayhem is available to watch right now, from Natsuki's big entrance, to an epic Yakuza battle and a quiz show that got out of hand.

The Abroad in Japan Ultimate Christmas Party 2022 πŸŽ„ Patreon Exclusive
🍿 Watch:https://youtu.be/eBuQdmSZYl4

Also today, we released the video on Chess-boxing and my journey through Los Angeles. It was one hell of a week and certainly a baptism of fire for my first time in America in 14 years! But we left victorious and with one hell of a story to tell.

Now witness me sit on Santa Monica Pier and eat a Japanese hot dog.

🍿 Watch: https://youtu.be/DMw3OttWVvQ

As a bonus present this Christmas, we've compiled almost EVERY single Patreon Behind the Scenes exlusive into this wonderfully curated list of content below. Hopefully you'll be able to find an episode you missed in the nice and easy to navigate list!

We still have so many videos lined up to release in the coming two weeks, so there's still some entertainment to come over the holiday season.

But for now guys, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas - enjoy the videos and I'll see you before the New Year here on Patreon to celebrate the end of the year!

Chris

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50+ PATREON EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS: CONTENTS

1. Abroad in Japan + Wacky Weekend | Behind the Scenes Episodes
2. Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands & Escape to Paradise 🌴
3. Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji (Making Of) πŸ—»
4. β€œHow I Created It” Series πŸŽ₯
5. Tokyo Creative Learn Series ⛩️
6. Travels with Natsuki & Ryotaro 🧳
7. Stories on Learning Japanese & Travelling Japan πŸ‡―πŸ‡΅
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1. ABROAD IN JAPAN PATREON BEHIND THE SCENES Series (2021)🍿
Every Abroad in Japan video releases with a dedicated Patreon Exclusive episode, sharing behind the scenes outtakes, bloopers and making of commentary, including Wacky Weekend episodes. Here’s the full list.

2022

What REALLY Happened Cycling 750km Across Japan with Connor
🍿https://youtu.be/2ITj90vWq5k

What Meeting Ken Watanabe Was REALLY Like
🍿 https://youtu.be/u73nShQ3ILA

Snow, Sake & Monkeys: The Wacky Weekend Winter Special
⛩️ https://youtu.be/BErCtZ6RxWc

What REALLY Happened on Wacky Weekend UK | Feat. CDawgVA & Joey
πŸ‘» https://youtu.be/is1kBzuryrg

How the Abroad in Japan Studio was Built in 3 Days
⛩️ https://youtu.be/tao69eBKO5I

What REALLY Happened in Tokyo's Most Expensive Hotel
🏨 https://youtu.be/9E1KEcWcaoQ

Why I'm NEVER Eating Noodles with CDawgVA Again
🍜 https://youtu.be/S6m7KcrHb3k


2021

Why Shooting on the SLEEPER Train was an Absolute NIGHTMARE
πŸš‡ https://youtu.be/Cf2watdL4OA

Making of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Documentary
🍿https://youtu.be/4ZxwbQkOOKA

What REALLY Happened in Japan’s Worst Hotel Room with Connor

🏨 https://youtu.be/fEVc5bDw-ow

Why Filming in Asakusa with Ryotaro DIDN’T Go According to Plan
⛩️ https://youtu.be/hnqVm2Ydf6I

The Day Natsuki Met Connor for the First Time…in an Abandoned Shipyard
🀑 https://youtu.be/NuFX0Q_By60

My FAVOURITE Spots in the Abroad in Japan 1980’s Ramen Shop
🍜 https://youtu.be/hMGPZNCo250

Why I’ve AVOIDED Filming in Akita
🍣 https://youtu.be/Nxs2tRUDW7k

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2. JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN: ESCAPE TO PARADISE (Making Of)
Three Patreon Exclusive Episodes featuring behind the scenes bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes from Journey Across Japan: Escape to Paradise)

Day 1 | What REALLY Happened in Okinawa | Yachts & Yakuza
🍲 https://youtu.be/RdQy0Nw7Btw

Day 2 | What REALLY Happened While Filming Dr Jelly
🌴 https://youtu.be/HjqaGrsjmGQ

Day 3 | Why I Almost Regretted Journey Across Japan in
⛩️ https://youtu.be/K7w-nJnPMJs

JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN: The LOST ISLANDS (Making Of)
Five Patreon Exclusive Episodes featuring behind the scenes bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes from Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands.

Day 1: Nightmare at 10,000 Feet
✈️ https://youtu.be/Zor0WXz82NE

Day 2: How to Make a Music Video in 9 Hours
🍿 https://youtu.be/Vrb1d3L-iyU

Day 3: The Cave of Terror
⛩️ https://youtu.be/eUj3jJ0brKE

Day 4: The Abandoned Island
πŸŒ‹ https://youtu.be/jtyG47FIhuY

Day 5: Dr Jelly in Nagasaki
🎀 https://youtu.be/-u_G25aJK30

3. 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 | UNCENSCORED Love Hotel
πŸ‘» https://youtu.be/932OBaMLLBA

Day 2 | Why Joey Didn’t Eat Hornet Larvae

🍲https://youtu.be/bCf9KDEpEgA

Day 3 | Bringing Back Dr Jelly

♨️https://youtu.be/ve_s6YIqG1Y

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

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4. β€œHOW I CREATED IT” Series
πŸŽ₯
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.β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”

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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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).

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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!
β–Ί Watch: https://youtu.be/g9USxWjRTRk

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5. 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.

β–Ί 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.
β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί Watch: https://youtu.be/AP_9AXDsOO0

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6. 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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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.
β–Ί 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.
β–Ί 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!
β–Ί Watch: https://youtu.be/6sezuSyvJC8

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7. STORIES ON LEARNING JAPANESE & TRAVELLING JAPAN πŸ‡―πŸ‡΅
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.

β–Ί 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!
β–Ί 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.

β–Ί 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.

β–Ί Watch: https://youtu.be/xcvlrto_zgA

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Files

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To celebrate 10 Years of Abroad in Japan we held an epic event with an all star cast from the cinematic universe in London! Enjoy!

Comments

Hayley Khan

the quality of this! So talented! Late to the party (excuse the pun!) but thank you for this, you give your patron members such value for money.

Nate Paulson

It's been a great year and I'm grateful to you that you would share yours! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Anonymous

Merry Christmas Chris, thanks for taking the time to arrange and do the show, was a great experience. Did Natsuki get a Greggs?

Jaziem

Merry Christmas Chris. And thanks for another master list for the Patreon videos. Thanks for another great year and can't wait to see what you have cooked up for 2023.. Though hopefully not your cooking. πŸ˜‚

Anonymous

Looking forward to reliving this, such a great day and everyone was so generous with their time afterwards. Enjoy some time off and have a Merry Christmas :) Then onwards and upwards next year :)

John Leitch

Merry Christmas Chris. thanks for all the entertainment this year and yes it was quiet for the last part of the year but i understand sacrifices had to be made in the endeavor for better health and prosperity. Like you I had a checkup with my doctor and didn't get overly positive results and so I have also made goals to lose weight and become somewhat fitter although not quite as ambitious as yours. Watching you and Connor complete the cycling across Hokkaido then you finish the Spartan Race and win at Chess Boxing, although not how you wanted to win. Thanks for not giving up and putting all your effort into everything you do and best wishes for 2023.

Anonymous

Dear Chris, congrats to you for 10 years of Abroad in Japan, and especially all you’ve achieved in 2022. Hope you are having the bestest Christmas holiday in the UK right now, and here’s to a diamond-studded 2023 for you and Sharla.

Satomi Arihara

Thanks for sharing the Christmas Party video! It's a nice Christmas present for meπŸ₯³ Happy holidays, Chris and everyone✨

Anonymous

Happy Holidays Chris! Thanks so much for compiling that list of all the Patreon videos, that's super handy!!

Laura Beaumont

Thank you for posting the live show! Wish I could have been there. Great to see Pete and Pete together! Natsuki mayhem is always hilarious as well! πŸ˜†πŸ‘

Karen P

Merry Christmas Chris! Thanks for all the great videos this year. I hope you and Sharla and the family all have a wonderful holiday.

Anonymous

American Pete was absolutely amazing in the live show! Congrats to him for smashing such a hard job. And English Pete was a hillarious highlight as always. Thanks for sharing this it's a great watch!

Ivy (edited)

Comment edits

2023-03-25 13:09:44 Both Pete r hilarious… and I love the short clip of how Natsuki came to London was fun to watch. And, Santa looks so young? No Aussie turned up to your party… Probably they have gone home for XmasπŸ˜‰! Btw, Chris & your team probably might have noticed the audio/sound wasn’t great. I mirrored it to my TV for watching & I needed to keep the volume up and down…
2022-12-28 02:14:14 Both Pete r hilarious… and I love the short clip of how Natsuki came to London was fun to watch. And, Santa looks so young? No Aussie turned up to your party… Probably they have gone home for XmasπŸ˜‰! Btw, Chris & your team probably might have noticed the audio/sound wasn’t great. I mirrored it to my TV for watching & I needed to keep the volume up and down…

Both Pete r hilarious… and I love the short clip of how Natsuki came to London was fun to watch. And, Santa looks so young? No Aussie turned up to your party… Probably they have gone home for XmasπŸ˜‰! Btw, Chris & your team probably might have noticed the audio/sound wasn’t great. I mirrored it to my TV for watching & I needed to keep the volume up and down…