Abroad in Japan

Chris Broad
Broad in 2017
Born (1990-04-21) 21 April 1990
Maidstone, England
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • documentary filmmaker
  • podcaster
  • writer
Years active2012–present
PartnerSharla Hinskens (engaged)
YouTube information
Abroad In Japan logo
OrganisationSekai Studios
Websiteabroadinjapan.com
Channel
Genres
  • Culture
  • food
  • travel
Subscribers3.21 million[1]
Views564.2 million[1]
Associated acts
Silver Play Button100,000 subscribers2014
Gold Play Button1,000,000 subscribers2018
Last updated: 1 August 2025

Chris Broad (born 21 April 1990) is an English YouTuber, documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and writer. He is best known for his YouTube channel Abroad in Japan, where he creates videos about Japanese culture, food, and travel, primarily in the Tōhoku region.

Early life

Broad was born in Maidstone[2] on 21 April 1990.[3] His interest in filmmaking began at the age of eight, when he filmed his aunt's wedding in Vancouver at the behest of his grandfather, who could not travel from England to attend it.[4] He briefly appeared on Robot Wars, where he and his father used their robot Killertron.[5] He studied English and business at the University of Kent from 2009 to 2012. While there, he developed an interest in Japanese culture. After graduating, he worked in the office of an energy company and as a porter at Leeds Castle.[6]

Career

YouTube

In 2011, Broad successfully applied to be an assistant language teacher on the JET Programme, which relocated him the following year to Sakata, Yamagata; he then began creating videos about his experience as a foreigner in the rural Tōhoku region.[7][8] One of his first videos to gain widespread attention was a review of McDonald's limited edition McChoco Potatoes (chips covered in double chocolate sauce) which were available only in Japan.[9] Other subjects of his early videos included love hotels, driving in Japan, and the Japanese habit of eating KFC every Christmas. He left the JET Programme after three years and moved to Sendai to advance his YouTube career.[10][11] He began to create more travel videos as his channel grew, including a video describing a trip to Aomori, where he visited the city's Nebuta museum, and another in which he travelled to Hokkaido with his friend and frequent collaborator Natsuki Aso.

On 29 August 2017, Broad was visiting a town in Aomori Prefecture near the Shirakami-Sanchi wilderness area when he was woken by the J-Alert being triggered by the North Korean August 2017 missile launch over Japan. He posted a video in which he joked about the rudeness of conducting such a test so early in the morning, criticised the regime of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and disparaged foreigners who legitimise North Korea by visiting it; the video quickly trended on the day of its release.[12] It attracted national attention in Japan, leading to Broad being selected to represent the term "J-Alert" in Japan's annual Words of the Year event.[13]

On 31 May 2018, Broad released the documentary film Natsuki: The Movie, which tells the story of his journey to Europe alongside Natsuki.[14][15] That same year, he launched his Journey Across Japan series, featuring YouTubers such as The Anime Man and other friends as Broad cycles across Japan, documenting local customs and daily life along the way.[16] A sequel to the series was produced in 2020, featuring The Anime Man and Natsuki on a road trip originating in Tokyo, primarily set in the Chūbu region, titled Journey Across Japan: Escape to Fuji.[17] In early 2021, he began filming a third entry, titled Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands with The Anime Man and Natsuki, which takes place in the region of Kyushu.[18] In June 2021, he released the single "Too Much Volcano!" featuring The Anime Man and Natsuki on the iTunes Store and Spotify; the song and its accompanying music video were recorded during the production of The Lost Islands and centre around Mount Aso.[19] The song peaked at No. 14 on the UK iTunes downloads chart on 22 June 2021.[20]

In December 2021, Broad unveiled his new YouTube studio, constructed by the set design company Jiyuro and inspired by 1960s Japanese shopping arcades and the film Blade Runner (1982).[21] The studio was damaged by the 2022 Fukushima earthquake.[22]

Documentary work

Broad's YouTube channel features several documentary-style videos. In addition to the previously mentioned Natsuki: The Movie, Broad created a documentary focusing on the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on the citizens of Kesennuma and how they and external organisations worked to rebuild their city's image and livelihood.[23] He expressed concern about the aversion to the area stemming from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which motivated him to create documentaries about the region, including one in development that will focus on the positive aspects of life in Fukushima.[24]

In December 2019, Broad released a documentary interview with rock musician Hyde, capturing his performances at Zepp Tokyo.[25] He revisited the disaster area in a second documentary in 2020, focusing on the region's recovery.[8] YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki praised his work,[26] while the Cabinet of Japan commended him for his ability to capture "the heartbreaking sorrow of the disaster victims and the hopeful steps being taken towards recovery" in his documentaries.[27]

Podcast

Abroad in Japan
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreCulture of Japan
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Length30 minutes
Production
Audio formatMP3
Publication
Original release2018
Related
Related showsTrash Taste

Together with Pete Donaldson, Broad presents the twice-weekly Abroad in Japan podcast on Radio Stakhanov, focusing on Japanese culture, current events, and cuisine. Some recurring topics in the series include the Lotte soft serve, Coolish, and a pizza vending machine that once operated in Hiroshima.[28] The pair also discuss Japan-related stories and questions submitted by their audience via email in a segment they call the Fax Machine, a jest towards the obsolete method of communication that remains commonly used in many Japanese workplaces.[29][30]

Other ventures

Broad spoke at a TEDx conference at Tohoku University, where he presented on the power of YouTube and encouraged the audience to share their experiences with the world through the platform.[31] In 2017, Broad hosted a documentary about cats in Japanese culture called Cat Nation, where he (despite being allergic to cats) travelled throughout Japan to document cat-centered activities and places, such as visiting the Wakayama Electric Railway, where a cat named Tama became a tourist attraction after it was appointed the station master of Kishi Station.[32]

Broad hosted an episode of Explore Regional Flavors: Visiting the Hidden Village, a documentary about Japan's local cuisine, which was broadcast on NHK World in August 2017.[33] In 2022, he appeared in an interview with the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and received an honorary one-year membership.[6] In December 2022, he participated in a chess boxing match against PJ Brittain at the Mogul Chessboxing Championship, held at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.[34][35]

In 2023, Broad published the autobiography Abroad in Japan: Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun.[36] It received positive reviews and was a Sunday Times Bestseller in August.[37]

After hosting a pop-up sake tasting bar in Kyoto for a week in 2023, Broad and Sharla "Sharmeleon" Hinskens opened a bar in Tokyo's Shibuya ward named Lost the following year.[38][39]

Charity work

In 2022, Broad and Japan-based Welsh voice actor Connor "CDawgVA" Colquhoun collaborated on an eight-day 750 km (470 mi) cyclethon across Hokkaido to raise funds for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. The event was streamed live on Twitch and raised over $310,000.[40] This was followed in 2023 by a nine-day 900 km (560 mi) bike ride in Kyushu, which raised over $555,000; in 2024 by a two-week 1,000 km (620 mi) bike ride from Yamaguchi to Tokyo, raising over $1 million;[41][42] and in 2025, raising just under $1.07 million.[43]

Personal life

In February 2023, Broad revealed that he was engaged to Canadian fellow YouTuber Sharla "Sharmeleon" Hinskens.[44] They moved to Tokyo together later that year.[45]

Work

Books

  • Abroad in Japan (Penguin, 2023) ISBN 9781787637078

Discography

Singles

Singles by Abroad in Japan
Title Year
"Too Much Volcano!"
(featuring The Anime Man & Natsuki Aso) 		2021

References

  1. ^ a b "About Abroad in Japan". YouTube.
  2. ^ Farrell, Simon (2 February 2021). "Cynic's guide to Japan". BCCJ Acumen. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  3. ^ Chris Broad [@AbroadInJapan] (21 April 2020). "I'd always hoped to spend my 30th birthday stuffing myself at a reasonably priced restaurant surrounded by friends. But due to self-isolation I'll be sitting indoors trying various alcoholic Japanese drinks while doing a livestream. Hope to see you there!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "外国人YouTuberの僕が、"奇妙ではない"日本のアイデンティティに惹かれた理由" [Why I was attracted to the "not strange" Japanese identity as a foreign YouTuber]. Yahoo News Japan (in Japanese). 14 February 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  5. ^ acast (4 April 2018). "Abroad in Japan: Myths about Japan! | Abroad in Japan on acast". acast. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Japan's Biggest Foreign YouTuber featuring Abroad in Japan (video). 5 October 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2024 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Atsuko Matsumoto (13 July 2019). "Videos 'like a party' look for the real Japan". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019..
  8. ^ a b Fujita, Hana (23 November 2020). "British YouTuber Chris Broad spotlights resilient locals in Japan in wake of 2011 tsunami". Mainichi Shimbun. Sendai. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  9. ^ "McDonald's Japan's chocolate covered fries: 'it works' – video review". The Guardian. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  10. ^ "A foreigner living in Japan. A charm of Miyagi from a YouTuber. Interview / Mr. Chris Broad". Stories of Miyagi. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  11. ^ Anderson, Shizuka (30 March 2018). "Get To Know Chris Broad from Abroad in Japan". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  12. ^ Saunokonoko, Mark. "Japan wakes up to TVs being taken over as North Korean missile whizzed overhead". Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  13. ^ "2017: The Winning Words". nippon.com. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  14. ^ Abroad in Japan (31 May 2018). "Natsuki: The Movie (Life in Japan Documentary)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  15. ^ Tessa Randello (9 June 2018). "Japan's YouTubers go long with crowdfunded content". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Journey Across Japan". Tokyo Creative. 2018. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  17. ^ "連載：クリス・ブロードの「ガイドブックに載っていない日本」（第0回） 外国人YouTuberである僕が「日本人が見落としている日本の魅力」を伝えるためにできること" [Series: Chris Broad's "Japan Not Listed in Guidebooks" (Chapter 0) What I can do to convey "the charm of Japan that Japanese people overlook" as a foreign YouTuber?] (in Japanese). Real Sound. 2 January 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands". Abroad in Japan. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. ^ @AbroadInJapan (18 June 2021). "IT'S OFFICIAL! By popular request, we've been able to get our crazy song "Too Much Volcano!" on the iTunes store (And Spotify early next week!) Anything we make from the song will go into the production budget for future episodes!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Abroad in Japan – 'Too Much Volcano! British iTunes Chart Performance". Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  21. ^ Boyd, Oscar (18 December 2021). "Inside his new studio, YouTuber Chris Broad finally has space to create". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  22. ^ Chris Broad [@AbroadInJapan] (17 March 2022). "The Abroad in Japan studio took quite the beating from yesterday's earthquake unfortunately" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "What Happened In Japan After The Tsunami?". YouTube. 1 February 2018. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  24. ^ Atsuko Matsumoto (13 July 2019). "Videos 'like a party' look for the real Japan". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  25. ^ "British YouTuber spends a week with HYDE". J Rock News. 22 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  26. ^ @SusanWojcicki (1 December 2020). "Susan Wojcicki on Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Broadcasting the Unknown Japan to the World". Kizuna. Cabinet of Japan. 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Pizza vending machine attracts crowds in Hiroshima". The Japan Times. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  29. ^ Martin Fackler (13 February 2013). "In High-Tech Japan, the Fax Machines Roll On". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Abroad in Japan- A Japanese culture broadcast". Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Your audience is waiting". YouTube. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  32. ^ "Cat Nation: A Film About Japan's Crazy Cat Culture.". Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  33. ^ "Explore Regional Flavors – Visiting the Hidden Village – Part 2". Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  34. ^ Schuyler Millar, Schuyler (9 December 2022). "Ludwig brings Chessboxing to the world of content creation with the Mogul Chessboxing Championship". Colorado Springs, CO: KKTV. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  35. ^ Angeles, Zen (12 December 2022). "Ludwig's Mogul Chessboxing Championship Results and More". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  36. ^ Broad, Chris (3 August 2023). Abroad in Japan.
  37. ^ Tokyo, Gavin Blair (17 September 2023). "Big in Japan: how an Englishman abroad turned his blunders into a bestseller". www.thetimes.com. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  38. ^ Michel, Patrick St (15 September 2024). "Chris Broad's new bar puts cocktails first, YouTube second". The Japan Times. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  39. ^ Bennett, Victoria (10 September 2024). "Lost: A Hidden Bar in Tokyo by the Creator of 'Abroad in Japan'". Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  40. ^ Michael, Cale (5 September 2022). "CDawg and Abroad in Japan complete 750km cycle across Hokkaido, raise $316,000 for Immune Therapy Foundation". Dot Esports. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  41. ^ Polhamus, Blaine (27 March 2023). "CDawgVA raises $552k for charity with 900km bike ride in second iteration of Cyclethon". Dexerto. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  42. ^ Bhattacharya, Richik "anarkiddie" (15 April 2024). ""Oh my god!": CDawgVA reacts to raising over $1 million for the Immune Deficiency Foundation with his Cyclethon 3". Sportskeeda. Nazara Technologies. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  43. ^ Fisher, Carver (27 April 2025). "CDawgVA raises over a million dollars for charity in Cyclethon 4". MSN. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  44. ^ @AbroadInJapan (14 February 2023). "When you're trying to take a photo of a geological wonder and Sharla keeps putting her hand in the bloody way" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ Abroad in Japan (11 August 2023). Day in My Life: Living in Tokyo (video). Retrieved 11 August 2023 – via YouTube.

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