What Have I Secretly Been Planning | New Video (Patreon)

The new video is finally out, revealing the diabolical upcoming journey across Japan by bicycle (that most of you have known about for three months).

So first off, I feel a mixture of exhilaration and dread; exhilaration that people will now get to hear about this awesome plan, and dread that no matter what happens, I have to do it and see it through. And if it all goes to shit, I’ll be doing it under the watchful eye of a few hundred thousand viewers. (No pressure then).

Interestingly, since posting an hour ago, I’ve already received quite a few awesome email and offers for advice from cycle enthusiasts with ideas on how to succeed!

I must admit, I do worry I’ve failed to capture the scale and romance of this journey when talking to people about it; friends, viewers, you guys. I know the word “cycle” doesn’t necessarily ignite the fires of anticipation when you hear it (or maybe it does! leave a comment below), but there’s genuinely a lot to be excited about.
 

Even I re-discover how to smile again, when I picture all the beautiful places we’ll uncover on our journey, the people we’ll encounter, the ridiculous situations that’ll arise, and of course, the dishes I’ll stuff my face with and attempt to explain in increasingly complex adjectives, everyday for a month.

Over the next week though, I’ll be planning the trip out and working out how far I’ll need to cycle each day, although it’ll need to be 66km a day if we’re going on the basis of 2,000km divided by 30 days (I suspect that ultimately, it’ll be more like 36 days).
 

In terms of funding, it’ll be primarily through Patreon, and for the production crew we’ll have the support of Odigo and Tokyo Creative. They’re willing to offer their support, in return for making some separate videos and live streams for them along the way, which is a very fair trade.
 

Because with their support of a two/three man production team, I think we can pull off something special - something that’s never been done before in Japan; a cross country journey, with daily videos and live streams, filmed to almost TV production quality and watched and enjoyed by thousands.
 

If we pull this off, when I collapse at the finishing line in Kagoshima, I'll be sure to die with a smile on my face.
 

- Many of you may have questions about the trip though, and I’m happy to answer below! (And you've probably even thought of things, that I haven't even considered yet!)
 

In other news this week; we have another fun-filled Tokyo Creative video, taste testing Japan’s recent obsession of clear drinks (including Clear Coke).

And to be clear, I did actually trt Coca Clear on Tokyo Creative first and not in the new video (IT WAS ALL LIES). Watch it and see how Emma and I evaluated Japan’s finest clear beverages here:

Drinking Coca Cola Clear for the First time
► https://youtu.be/HtDY0JF09_s
 

And in the most recent Podcast, Pete and I discuss why and how Natsuki had his day ruined by an Earthquake, while we were recently shooting in Gifu prefecture. Bless him.
 

► PODCAST: http://hyperurl.co/nhgr30
 

There’s also another brand new Podcast out tomorrow talking about Japan’s bizarre rent-a-friend culture, that I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around.
 

But for now guys, I hope you're all having a great week and are looking forward to this journey across Japan and of course, enjoy the new video!

I'm filming with Ryotaro this week, so expect to see what's going on behind the scenes later this week.

Chris
 

P.S. Also, thanks guys for posting your ideas for a Natsuki/Ryotaro collab on the previous post. There’s a worryingly high level enthusiasm; so high that we may have to genuinely stick them both in a video together before the year is out. I think it would need to be some kind of challenge - probably involving food. Maybe we could tie into the cycle somehow?