WHY the Abroad in Japan Podcast is now TWICE a Week | *Also* NATSUKI Becomes the Ultimate PIRATE (Patreon)

This week, Natsuki and I planned to be on a remote island in the Sea of Japan, digging up long lost treasure. It was going to be glorious.

ALAS yesterday's hellish stormy weather meant our boat was cancelled and we were forced to postpone our pirate themed adventure for another few weeks.

ALL was not lost however!

As the stormy weather temporarily subsided, the most stunning rainbow I've ever seen burst out of the clouds and illuminated the evening sky.  We didn't hesitate to exploit it as you can seen in the above photos of Natsuki decked out in his stylish pirate costume!

He's honestly never looked so suave.

We also used the spare time to film the ending to the upcoming Driving in Japan video, with the lengthy journey ending with Natsuki on a secluded rainy beach. It's the satisfying, beer-filled conclusion that the video sorely deserved.

You can also have a face-to-face with the man himself this weekend, as we're planning to do a live show on Abroad Perspective this Saturday at 10pm Japan Time. I'll be posting the link across social media (and here) on Friday!

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ABROAD IN JAPAN PODCAST
In other good news, I'm delighted to announce as of this week the Abroad in Japan Podcast is now being broadcast TWICE a week, every Sunday and Thursday!

It's crazy to think up until 2018, I had no idea what a Podcast even was, believing it to be some sort of forgotten relic from 2006.

In the 2 years since we've recorded 127 episodes and impressively - somehow - never missed a SINGLE week. It's a testament to how much Pete and I enjoy doing it. (And above all, Pete's ability to edit the episodes instead of me).

There's no single reason why we decided to broadcast the Podcast twice a week; firstly and surprisingly, we've continued to gain listeners over the last few months, even though a lot of people have stopped listening to podcasts in the absence of a daily commute.

Every week around 100,000 people listen in to the show from every corner of the Earth (especially Sweden), and it blows my mind to hear from listeners who religiously tune in from far off exotic lands like Brazil, Italy and Canada, to hear Pete obsess over coolish ice cream or to listen to me repeat a story about how I once got a shoutout from The Rock and won a Japanese speech contest.

Increased listenership aside, Pete and I just genuinely enjoy discussing the many strange, unique and bizarre goings-on from within Japan, that most western media outlets never report on.

We love the thrill of opening the fax machine and reading stories sent in by listeners, involving terrible accidents in hot springs and cultural faux pas.  And ultimately, we realised we were more than willing to sit down for an extra hour a week and record an extra episode.

So in a nutshell, a growing audience + enthusiastic presenters + available free time = more Podcasts.

The beauty being because Podcast are simpler to produce, they've never got in the way of my video productions - unlike the fucking weather.

We're also currently exploring interview segments with guests going forward  - something I've always been reluctant to do in order to maintain audio quality. (After all, most people don't have a condenser microphone lingering around). But it's something that's absolutely worth trying.

But I'm open to your ideas on how we can improve the Abroad in Japan Podcast; if you've got things you'd like us to try or do more of, please let me know in the comments!

There's no rulebook here.
We just make it up as we go along (as you can probably tell).

Whether it's pirates, driving in Japan or Podcasts, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts guys. I hope wherever you may be, your week is going well so far.

More updates to follow on Film Friday!
Chris