Abroad In Japan

Abroad In Japan by Chris Broad (2023 Bantam paperback 305pp) 

 

Call me stupid and out of touch but when I first heard the ‘buzz’ about this book I had no idea that the author, UK-born Chris Broad, was also a big time you-tuber with a channel of the same title which currently boasts a subscriber count of almost three million people (it took me a while to even get the gag of that title..). I was simply intrigued about the promise of a fresh, light-hearted view of an exotic land, a type of writing has somehow become a staple of my latter-day reading.

Shortly after graduating from University, Broad has a chance conversation with another passenger on a plane who tells him about the JET scheme where English speakers are paid to spend three plus years teaching the language in Japan. Much to his own surprise he passes the application and interview process and soon finds himself touching down in Tokyo. Advised not to request a posting in a major city he ends up in the remote town of Sakata. The results of economic and demographic changes mean times are tough in the region and as a result the entire district’s education system has been consolidated into a single mega-school and this is where Broad must learn to sink or swim.

There’s a lot of the expected fish-out-water thing but its handled well and he manages to avoid most of the usual cliches about Japan. Along the way he introduces us to many aspects of modern Japan rather than all the ancient traditions that other travel books have already covered umpteen times.

There are vivid portraits of the many and varied Japanese teachers he must try to work alongside. Lax standards in the recent past means many of the supposed English teachers either don’t actually speak English or lack an ability to even construct a written sentence. He is surprised to learn that English is just not seen as important enough to bother with for many of the Japanese people including past governments.

His students are also of various abilities and he slowly wins them over during his time in front of the class. Looking through his eyes we see the highs and lows of school life then learn more about life in general. Night time bar culture (Izakaya), the joys of Japanese convenience stores and of course the local food are all covered as he settles in to his new routine.

Soon enough his three years are over and to everyone’s (including the reader’s) surprise he decides not to apply to extend his teaching career. Meanwhile, he had started making videos about Japan and he sees this as his future going forwards.

After the teaching section the latter part of the book seems more of a grab-bag of his most memorable experiences of the past six or seven years. As his YouTube channel takes off, he’s soon accepting jobs fronting documentaries and making films about Japan for an international audience. He visits the aftermath of the Fukushima earthquake-tsunami-meltdown, goes viral after a possible North Korean missile attack and gets caught up in a major earthquake himself. All interesting stuff to be sure but seems a little lacking after the book’s strong start.

Abroad In Japan is often funny, sometimes eye-opening and always very readable. As his YouTube channel shows, Broad knows how to keep an audience interested and if you like contemporary travel books you won’t be disappointed.