Abroadinjapan

Abroad in Japan's real name is Chris Broad. He built the 'Abroad in Japan' identity as a brand name when he began documenting life as a British expat in Japan, and it has since become one of the most recognised English-language Japan channels on YouTube.

Chris Broad is based in Sendai, the largest city in Japan's Tohoku region in the north of the country. He settled there when he first moved to Japan to teach English, and it has remained his home base even as his content has taken him across every corner of the country.

CDawgVA is Connor Colquhoun, a British voice actor and YouTuber who is also based in Japan and one of Chris Broad's closest long-term friends. The two have co-starred in some of the channel's most popular series, and their comedic dynamic — usually involving Connor suffering through extreme challenges — has become a signature part of Abroad in Japan's identity.

Journey Across Japan is Abroad in Japan's most celebrated ongoing series, in which Chris and usually CDawgVA travel the length of the country — often by bicycle — documenting food, landscapes, and local culture across Japan's many regions. The series has run across multiple seasons covering different routes, and it is widely credited with turning the channel into an internationally known brand.

Yes — Chris Broad describes himself as a filmmaker and author in his own Instagram bio, and he has published a book rooted in his years of living in Japan. The writing reflects the same blend of cultural observation, dry British humour, and personal storytelling that defines his video work.

Yes, Chris Broad has been featured by the BBC as well as The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Mail, among others. He lists these appearances in his YouTube channel description, and they reflect the level of mainstream press attention his Japan content has consistently attracted.

Yes, Chris operates an active Patreon offering behind-the-scenes content that does not appear on his main YouTube channel. The link is promoted directly in his channel bio, making it one of his core revenue streams alongside the brand sponsorships he takes on YouTube.

Sakuraco and TokyoTreat are subscription box services that ship curated Japanese snacks, sweets, and cultural items to customers worldwide. Both have sponsored Abroad in Japan's YouTube channel, and the partnership is a natural fit given that his audience is predominantly Western viewers with a deep interest in Japanese culture and food.

Chris Broad moved to Japan in the early 2010s, originally to teach English, and has lived there for well over a decade. He started filming his experiences shortly after arriving, and the channel has grown continuously from those early slice-of-life vlogs into the polished travel and culture productions it puts out today.

Abroad in Japan has surpassed three million subscribers on YouTube, placing it in the Macro creator tier. What stands out beyond the size is that his engagement rate runs well above the category average — which is unusual for a channel at that scale, where audience interaction typically dilutes as subscriber counts grow.