This morning, Jan. 1, 2024, I woke up to news of a series of high-magnitude earthquakes on the West coast of Japan. What a way to start a new year. I particularly noticed these news items since I had literally finished reading Chris Broad’s memoir, Abroad in Japan, yesterday, Dec. 31st. Broad, known as the popular and famous YouTuber Abroad in Japan, does not go into agonizing soul-searching in the book, nor does he reveal anything controversial about his life in Japan. Two things struck me though. He experienced a real earthquake in Japan for the first time and it scared the bejeezus out of him. Japan is situated in an active earthquake zone and, like Iceland has its volcanic eruptions that are a part of normal life, so Japan has earthquakes and tsunamis. They deal with it. But it’s still scary.
Secondly, I noticed the specifics of how he was teaching English in Japan. This confirmed to me that the devil is very much in the details of these schemes of young Westerners to go and teach English in none-English-speaking countries. If you are a purist in terms of methodology, and you really care about actually teaching students the language, and you actually love English, then this job is not for you. Believe me.
The rising sun, earthquakes and tsunamis
Abroad in Japan – Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun, by Christ Broad (Travel Guide, Travel Essays, Popular Culture; Publisher: Bantam, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK; Aug. 1, 2023; hard cover; 320 pages)
So, I’m wondering this morning. How is our virtual friend in Japan? If he and his team are in Tokyo, on the opposite side of the country, and not on a road trip anywhere near Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan, they should be unaffected by this. I call him “our virtual friend”, since, for many years now, we have not watched daytime TV or cable TV. We follow various people’s streams and channels on YouTube and other platforms, like Abroad in Japan, and get our news on X or wherever. Chris Broad’s channel is quite entertaining and the production quality is excellent. It’s planned and professional in all respects, well-scripted and well thought out. His nickname is “Mr. Affable”. Yes, he is affable. I suspect that he is also shrewd, smart, and very careful about what he reveals about himself, the person behind the YouTube personality.
The memoir therefore only contains descriptions of things that any follower of the channel would know a little bit about, and expands on how these things came to be, for instance his friendship with the rather odd musician (I suppose you could call him that), Natsuki Aso, who is now more a feature on Broad’s channel than an independent artist.
Ah, young love
Me being a confirmed old romantic at heart, I was carefully scrutinizing the text for any hints on his love life. Right at the end, in the “Acknowledgements”, he refers to “Sharla”, the perfectly pretty blonde girl who consistently appears in his videos. She is Sharla Katalin Hinskens, also known as “Sharmeleon” and “Sharla in Japan“. She is a Canadian YouTuber who has been vlogging about her experiences in Japan since 2011.
He calls her “my partner and best friend”, and also his “fiance”. Yes, Chris, that’s the only typo in your book. Sharla is most certainly female, and “fiancé” is for men. It should have been “fiancée”. Oops. Better correct that in the next edition.
Chris Broad and his fiancée, Sharla (photo from X, Aug. 4, 2022)
His writing style is exactly like he speaks, or vice versa. It is often drily witty, and not very sweary, nor especially expressive or stylized. Workmanlike, I’d say, fitting for an affable person. It has been professionally published by Bantam, and nicely designed. No photos, but then, all the images associated with him are online. The contents is uncomplicated. I guess he wanted to avoid saying anything that might lead to a lawsuit, since the story starts in January 2012 and continues to March 2022, and the people involved are mostly still alive. He does mention, in a nice way, that he did have two relationships before Sharla, and that he is typically anxious, controlling and perfectionist. (But as I said, Sharla gets no mention at all until the “Acknowledgements”.)
A bit of culture shock
Broad’s writing is at its best when he describes the incidents of cultural alienation, and the surprises. that he experienced, things that he had to get used to in Japan, and situations that he got involved in by rushing in where angels fear to tread. As a gaijin, or Western foreigner in rural Japan, he was one of a minority and highly noticeable. Merely by being himself, he drew, and continues to draw, all sorts of attention. Like this instance:
“It’s not every day you get branded an ‘alternative theorist’. My stupid face was emblazoned across an online Australian article with the absurd headline ‘How Jesus’s brother did him the ultimate favour and took his place to be crucified, alternative theorist says.’ What sounded like a plot out of The Da Vinci Code had started out as a trip with Ryotaro to the far-northern region of Aomori, a prefecture famous for bluefin tuna, apples and dense snowfall. Yet we’d ended up going to the impossibly remote town of Shingo to gaze upon an impressive wooden cross protruding from a comically large mound of soil that claimed to be the true resting place of Jesus Christ.”
Chris Broad, Abroad in Japan, p. 237
Vlogging is not a career
Vlogging on YouTube is no way to earn a living. The income is not great and comes at a price in terms of quality and privacy. It isn’t a profession. It’s not a career. At some point all YouTubers run out of things to say, and just stop. They all get old. They all have private lives that put an end to whatever they do and make videos about. Eventually, they all have their real names and their real backgrounds revealed. Many have diversified into other, real occupations.
For instance, Ian McCollum, whose channel Forgotten Weapons has been going for more than a decade, has written many handbooks on weapons, and he is a consultant and subject matter expert on guns. Handsome Brandon Herrera, whose channel has his name, is the founder of The AK Guy Inc., has developed and produces a .50 caliber rifle, and is a Republican Party candidate for the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas. I can go on, but it seems that long-standing content producers who have millions of subscribers all eventually do something other than just produce YouTube videos. If they don’t, I sometimes feel really sorry for them, for dragging their sad selves all over the world, looking increasingly lonely and uncomfortable. (Johnny FD, I’m talking about you.)
The story that goes on
What will become of Chris Broad? Will he become a writer? He is actually a filmmaker, and produces promotional and documentary videos about Japan, with various partners. His focus is filmmaking, rather than presenting or acting, and this shows in his hundreds of videos. I suppose he will go on to make other types of films and videos, on other subjects. Though British, he has lived in Japan for more than ten years and therefore can get permanent residency. How long he will stay in Japan is another question. So too is the matter of whether there is another book in him. I’ll be surprised if there is. He has told the story of how he came to be the Broad in Abroad in Japan, and gained 2.96 million subscribers, and that’s that.
Though if he did publish another book, I’ll read it. For a debut, it is more than competent and was a quite enjoyable read.
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 
This morning, Jan. 1, 2024, I woke up to news of a series of high-magnitude earthquakes on the West coast of Japan. What a way to start a new year. I particularly noticed these news items since I had literally finished reading Chris Broad’s memoir, Abroad in Japan, yesterday, Dec. 31st. Broad, known as the popular and famous YouTuber Abroad in Japan, does not go into agonizing soul-searching in the book, nor does he reveal anything controversial about his life in Japan. Two things struck me though. He experienced a real earthquake in Japan for the first time and it scared the bejeezus out of him. Japan is situated in an active earthquake zone and, like Iceland has its volcanic eruptions that are a part of normal life, so Japan has earthquakes and tsunamis. They deal with it. But it’s still scary.
Secondly, I noticed the specifics of how he was teaching English in Japan. This confirmed to me that the devil is very much in the details of these schemes of young Westerners to go and teach English in none-English-speaking countries. If you are a purist in terms of methodology, and you really care about actually teaching students the language, and you actually love English, then this job is not for you. Believe me.
The rising sun, earthquakes and tsunamis
Abroad in Japan – Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun, by Christ Broad (Travel Guide, Travel Essays, Popular Culture; Publisher: Bantam, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK; Aug. 1, 2023; hard cover; 320 pages)
So, I’m wondering this morning. How is our virtual friend in Japan? If he and his team are in Tokyo, on the opposite side of the country, and not on a road trip anywhere near Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan, they should be unaffected by this. I call him “our virtual friend”, since, for many years now, we have not watched daytime TV or cable TV. We follow various people’s streams and channels on YouTube and other platforms, like Abroad in Japan, and get our news on X or wherever. Chris Broad’s channel is quite entertaining and the production quality is excellent. It’s planned and professional in all respects, well-scripted and well thought out. His nickname is “Mr. Affable”. Yes, he is affable. I suspect that he is also shrewd, smart, and very careful about what he reveals about himself, the person behind the YouTube personality.
The memoir therefore only contains descriptions of things that any follower of the channel would know a little bit about, and expands on how these things came to be, for instance his friendship with the rather odd musician (I suppose you could call him that), Natsuki Aso, who is now more a feature on Broad’s channel than an independent artist.
Ah, young love
Me being a confirmed old romantic at heart, I was carefully scrutinizing the text for any hints on his love life. Right at the end, in the “Acknowledgements”, he refers to “Sharla”, the perfectly pretty blonde girl who consistently appears in his videos. She is Sharla Katalin Hinskens, also known as “Sharmeleon” and “Sharla in Japan“. She is a Canadian YouTuber who has been vlogging about her experiences in Japan since 2011.
He calls her “my partner and best friend”, and also his “fiance”. Yes, Chris, that’s the only typo in your book. Sharla is most certainly female, and “fiancé” is for men. It should have been “fiancée”. Oops. Better correct that in the next edition.
His writing style is exactly like he speaks, or vice versa. It is often drily witty, and not very sweary, nor especially expressive or stylized. Workmanlike, I’d say, fitting for an affable person. It has been professionally published by Bantam, and nicely designed. No photos, but then, all the images associated with him are online. The contents is uncomplicated. I guess he wanted to avoid saying anything that might lead to a lawsuit, since the story starts in January 2012 and continues to March 2022, and the people involved are mostly still alive. He does mention, in a nice way, that he did have two relationships before Sharla, and that he is typically anxious, controlling and perfectionist. (But as I said, Sharla gets no mention at all until the “Acknowledgements”.)
A bit of culture shock
Broad’s writing is at its best when he describes the incidents of cultural alienation, and the surprises. that he experienced, things that he had to get used to in Japan, and situations that he got involved in by rushing in where angels fear to tread. As a gaijin, or Western foreigner in rural Japan, he was one of a minority and highly noticeable. Merely by being himself, he drew, and continues to draw, all sorts of attention. Like this instance:
Vlogging is not a career
Vlogging on YouTube is no way to earn a living. The income is not great and comes at a price in terms of quality and privacy. It isn’t a profession. It’s not a career. At some point all YouTubers run out of things to say, and just stop. They all get old. They all have private lives that put an end to whatever they do and make videos about. Eventually, they all have their real names and their real backgrounds revealed. Many have diversified into other, real occupations.
For instance, Ian McCollum, whose channel Forgotten Weapons has been going for more than a decade, has written many handbooks on weapons, and he is a consultant and subject matter expert on guns. Handsome Brandon Herrera, whose channel has his name, is the founder of The AK Guy Inc., has developed and produces a .50 caliber rifle, and is a Republican Party candidate for the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas. I can go on, but it seems that long-standing content producers who have millions of subscribers all eventually do something other than just produce YouTube videos. If they don’t, I sometimes feel really sorry for them, for dragging their sad selves all over the world, looking increasingly lonely and uncomfortable. (Johnny FD, I’m talking about you.)
The story that goes on
What will become of Chris Broad? Will he become a writer? He is actually a filmmaker, and produces promotional and documentary videos about Japan, with various partners. His focus is filmmaking, rather than presenting or acting, and this shows in his hundreds of videos. I suppose he will go on to make other types of films and videos, on other subjects. Though British, he has lived in Japan for more than ten years and therefore can get permanent residency. How long he will stay in Japan is another question. So too is the matter of whether there is another book in him. I’ll be surprised if there is. He has told the story of how he came to be the Broad in Abroad in Japan, and gained 2.96 million subscribers, and that’s that.
Though if he did publish another book, I’ll read it. For a debut, it is more than competent and was a quite enjoyable read.
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