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Abroad in Japan

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Abroad in Japan

By: Chris Broad
Narrated by: Chris Broad
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the language and zero teaching experience, was he was about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history?

Abroad in Japan charts a decade of living in a foreign land and the chaos and culture clash that comes with it. Packed with hilarious and fascinating stories, this book seeks out to unravel one the world's most mysterious and impenetrable cultures.

Spanning 10 years and 47 prefectures, Chris takes us from the chilling summit of Mount Fuji to the chaotic neon-lit streets of Tokyo. With blockbuster moments such as a terrifying North Korean missile incident, a Japanese national TV experience gone horribly wrong and a week spent with Japan's biggest movie star, Ken Watanabe, Abroad in Japan is an extraordinary and informative journey through the Land of the Rising Sun.

©2023 Chris Broad (P)2023 Penguin Audio Asia Travel Writing & Commentary Funny Witty Feel-Good Inspiring Thought-Provoking Heartfelt Village Imperial Japan China

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Critic reviews

From wide-eyed exchange teacher to seasoned youtuber, Chris Broad explores Japan in all its quirky glory, surviving earthquakes, North Korean missile alerts, cat cafe allergies and Love Hotel evictions. Endlessly fascinating! (Will Ferguson, author of Hokkaido Highway Blues)
Fascinating, fact-packed and very funny. Broad's wry humour, in-depth knowledge and adept storytelling make him an engaging guide to the bewildering Japanese experience. Accurately captures the excitement and dream-like disorientation of a foreigner discovering Japan. An excellent and enjoyable read for the Japan-curious. I loved it and learned a lot. (Sam Baldwin, author of For Fukui's Sake: Two years in rural Japan)
Chris Broad's wry, self-deprecating memoir carves a unique path across Japan bringing him into contact with far too many cats, heartening renewal in Tohoku, and even pizza with Ken Watanabe. This is a thoroughly contemporary book, a memoir of life in Japan that couldn't have been written at any other point in history. (Iain Maloney, author of The Only Gaijin in the Village)
All stars
Most relevant  
Been a viewer of Abroad in Japan for roughly eight or nine years now. Hearing Chris' accounts of his early and ongoing life in the land of the rising sun from his own viewpoint is interesting, funny and heartwarming.

The fact that Chris himself narrates the book adds much to the experience. it also allows his dry and witty sense of humour to shine through.

Great listen for fans or people interested in what life in Japan is like from the viewpoint of a Brit.

Interesting, funny and heartwarming

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What an absolute treat to experience such a concise timeline of a decade, finding your feet in a new country. I listened to the whole book in a matter of days as it was read so earnestly and I hope to listen to it yet more times. For now, I'll go back and take another look at his YouTube videos.

An excellent summary of a wonderful decade

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Even though my expectations for this book were pretty high knowing Chris’ work for years, I must say I’m highly surprised by the way the story is presented and explained. Chris doesn’t know it but he has a certain charm and calm in his voice. The book was highly enjoyable and kept me on the edge of my chair all throughout. It was Chris’ heroics which gave the confidence me to leave India for the UK. This book is as personal and as meticulous as you’d expect a well renowned author to write, which is quite surprising for a person writing his first book. All in all, Chris should keep us posted with his present and future in Japan or anywhere else in the world with a sequel of this book!
Cheers Chris for a job well done!
Arigato Hozaimasu and take care!

Chris can do nothing wrong!

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Long time fan due to being Dyslexic. I have been looking forward to this coming out. chirs was amazing, and stories were captivating as always.

Barry Chopsticks never misses.

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I love Chris and hearing all about his start in Japan was really interesting and his wit and how he tells the story was good

Amazing!

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Loved it, made me laugh, made me cry, if I could give it more stars I would.

Great stuff

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Excellent! I learnt so much from Chris’ experience abroad in Japan. Very interesting, revealing Japanese culture from a different lived perspective.

Excellent & Informative

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Yes! The absolute best narration on any audiobook ever! Absolutely gripped. Well done Chris! First audible review out of hundreds of listens… it’s THAT GOOD!

Best audio book?

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While many authors crumble when narrating their own books, Chris Broad brings it to a whole new level. He brings his trademark style with such a confidence it feels like listening to his YouTube videos. But different to those he is revealing here a more intimate and thoughtful side which is really endearing. And of course there are those hilarious moments where his wry sense of humour brings a big grin onto my face.
It was an absolute delight listening. Too bad it was way too short.

Chris is hands down an accomplished storyteller

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Chris has an amazing narrative voice. Sharing his experience of life so in Japan has been an amazing tale to listen to. I certainly will be recommending it.

Honesty

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