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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
I enjoyed this book a whole heap when I read it back in 2023, and enjoyed the audiobook throughly this time around too, largely because Chris reads this as if he's narrating an extended episode of Abroad in Japan
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
I have not read much non-fiction so far, and I struggle to assign star ratings to non-fiction books, but I did enjoy this one a lot. I love Japan and have been a casual fan of Chris Broad's YouTube channel for several years, so this immediately piqued my interest.
The book takes the reader on a journey through Japan starting from Chris' days as an English teacher in rural Yamagata and all the culture shock and wonder that went along with being alone in a foreign country on the other side of the world. In the latter half, it also discusses the start and some highlights of his current career, with the chapters on the documentaries he made about the consequences of the 2011 tsunami as the stand-outs.
It was full of interesting anecdotes, Chris' dry sense of humour, and observations about Japanese culture that always felt respectful. The book was also my companion whenever I went to the local library to write my master's thesis. The thesis has been submitted and graded by now, so reaching the end of this book further boosts the sense of finality and accomplishment I have felt since I graduated.
The book takes the reader on a journey through Japan starting from Chris' days as an English teacher in rural Yamagata and all the culture shock and wonder that went along with being alone in a foreign country on the other side of the world. In the latter half, it also discusses the start and some highlights of his current career, with the chapters on the documentaries he made about the consequences of the 2011 tsunami as the stand-outs.
It was full of interesting anecdotes, Chris' dry sense of humour, and observations about Japanese culture that always felt respectful. The book was also my companion whenever I went to the local library to write my master's thesis. The thesis has been submitted and graded by now, so reaching the end of this book further boosts the sense of finality and accomplishment I have felt since I graduated.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Really enjoyed this funny, sympathetic, emotional, self-reflective, informative and inspiring memoir of a British man's life in Japan.
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Interesting memoir of teaching in Japan as a new graduate, and evolving this experience into a highly successful YouTube channel. Enjoyed the insights into Japanese culture and how this varies regionally and contextually. As someone who has come across his YT channel, the back story of its development was also interesting.
The author has been open about multitasking through a lot of this bookwriting process. And while perfection can be the enemy of done, I think that delaying the book release date might have given some time to make this book feel less lopsided. The first few chapters are excellent for detail and heart. But after the midpoint, it starts to rush and loses some of its grip on its own heart. As with a lot of materials made to sell to a large fanbase, it assumes that the reader has a certain level of familiarity with the author, and leans more into that parasocial knowledge than I tend to like in a memoir. I'd like to see what Chris Broad can do with a sophomore release, now that he's more familiar with the bookwriting process.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced