Lemonade Stand Ep. 042 – “True Stories from Running a Japanese Business”

Podcast by: Vox Media Podcast Network
Hosts: Aiden, Atrioc, DougDoug (+ regulars Emily, Connor)
Guests: Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan), C Dog (Connor, Welsh Samurai)
Release Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a roundtable with British influencers Chris Broad and Connor (C Dog), who have built careers and businesses as foreigners in Japan. The discussion focuses on the realities—both the challenges and the charm—of starting and running businesses in Japan as foreigners, cultural and bureaucratic differences, the state of tourism, immigration, and the narratives around Japan in Western media. The conversation blends first-hand anecdotes, playful banter, and candid reflections on what it means to integrate into Japanese business and society.

Key Themes & Segments

1. Introducing the Guests & Icebreakers

Timestamps: 01:26–04:48

• Introductions to Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan) and Connor (C Dog / Welsh Samurai), both YouTubers with a combined 20 years living in Japan.
• Joking about the oddity of "five white guys explaining how Japan works," setting a self-aware and light-hearted tone.

Quote:
Aiden: “Welcome to the strangest episode of Lemonade Stand we've ever filmed where five white guys are going to explain how Japan works.” (02:20)

2. Forming a Career and Business in Japan

Timestamps: 05:17–10:30

Chris Broad’s Journey

• Started in Japan as an English teacher on the JET program; describes the system's logistics and pitfalls.
• Transitioned from teaching to full-time YouTuber with "100,000 subscribers" by his third year.
• Moved to Sendai, became a prominent Japan-focused creator.

Quote:
Chris: “You are used as a sort of human tape recorder for a lot of the time, really. And the textbooks are really awful.” (07:13)

Opening a Bar in Tokyo

• Anecdote about drunkenly agreeing to co-found a bar with an American friend (eventually followed through, with Chris/Charla handling marketing/design, partner handling operations).
• Bar situated in Shibuya; formerly a notorious “5am bar” for foreigners, required major renovations.
• Thematic connection to Abroad in Japan: drinks named after people/moments from the show.
• Observations on seasonality and foreign tourist fluctuations impacting business.

Quote:
Chris: “The most popular drink's called Go fuck yourself, because one of my Japanese friends says that a lot… People pay him money to tell my wife to go fuck herself.” (10:13)

3. The Realities of Japanese Bureaucracy and Business

Timestamps: 11:00–18:39

• Challenges for foreigners setting up businesses—harder without local connections, lots of paperwork.
• The role of the "hanko" (signature stamp), its frustrations, and stories of stamp-related bureaucratic absurdity.

Quote:
Chris: “In Japan it's like, get ready to die. It takes a few weeks. There's a lot of documents. We use this thing called a Hanko stamp. So instead of a signature stamp.” (14:24)

• Personal stories of being denied rental apartments due to not being Japanese (“Some landowners want peace of mind and see foreigners as a flight risk.” (22:40))
• Differences in expectation and process for property and company ownership for foreigners, even with permanent residency.

Paperwork & Everyday Frustrations

• Stories about convoluted hotel processes, pool rules enforcement, card payment issues.
• Cycling on sidewalks discussed as a uniquely chaotic aspect of otherwise highly regulated Tokyo.

4. Daily Life and Societal Integration

Timestamps: 18:39–26:13

• Foreigners face occasional hurdles but generally report positive, welcoming interactions—though language barriers and names (kanji registration) can complicate things.
• Even with permanent residency or citizenship, some aspects of daily life (like discrimination in housing) are slow to change.
• Permanent residency seen as comprehensive, but name and face still impact outcomes (e.g., rental refusals).

5. Anti-Foreigner Sentiment, Tourism, and Media Narratives

Timestamps: 26:26–37:56

• Wave of increased tourism since 2008 (from 8 million to 35–40 million visitors), leading to over-tourism in places like Kyoto.
• Sensationalist foreigner behavior (streamers, viral incidents) highlighted by Japanese media, disproportionately fueling right-wing or anti-foreigner sentiments.
• Most Japanese, especially in rural areas, are appreciative of foreign tourism and its economic benefits—but this nuance is often lost in international coverage.
• YouTube, Twitter, and other platforms foster “rage-bait” and viral negativity, distorting reality.

Quote:
Chris: “...all these overseas tourists have been really good for the economy of Japan because GDP or something like...having foreign tourists turn up, spend a few thousand dollars and then go home is great for the economy.” (32:38)

Notable Moment:
Doug: “The title from this is going to be the UK is failing in 30 days.” (106:36) (meta-joke on clickbait narratives)

6. Media Responsibility & Rage-Bait Content

Timestamps: 50:09–57:39

• Discussion about the responsibility of large creators to accurately represent Japan.

• Chris reflects on the ethical obligation not to exploit dramatic or negative narratives for clicks and influence:
  Quote:
  Chris: “Imagine if I went out round, you know, Shinjuku and I went, oh, Japan's guys, it's so bad. And I curated a series of images...I could manipulate millions and create this image of Japan that doesn't fundamentally exist.” (55:34)

• Increasing prevalence of rage-bait content and the monetization of negative engagement, especially since Twitter began revenue-sharing.

7. New YouTube Genres: “My Life in Japan is Bad”

Timestamps: 57:40–62:55

• Hosts notice a spike in allegedly authentic “POV of a salaryman” videos, which seem algorithmically optimized and potentially inauthentic.
• Debating authenticity—some channels never show the person, exaggerate harshness, and curate “misery porn” narratives.
• Consensus: these videos are likely manufactured for clicks rather than real, and reflect a trend of “reality bait.”

8. Traditional Work Culture vs. New Experiences

Timestamps: 63:04–71:18

• Connor describes entering Japanese corporate culture (through Maylene & a Kadokawa subsidiary), early visa/YouTube gray zone, and quirky business customs (nomikais, company events).
• After-Covid, drinking culture is somewhat reduced, but company parties serve as unique moments of emotional honesty—private/public personas (“hone” vs. “tatemae”).
• Work parties: all is forgiven/forgotten next day, unlike in the UK.

9. Life Quality, Safety, and Lasting Positives in Japan

Timestamps: 71:32–74:51

• Guests and hosts reflect on Japan’s high quality of life, personal freedom, and a strong sense of safety—even in chaotic city centers.
• Chris: “You can walk through the deepest, darkest stretches of Shinjuku and Kabukichore and it's like, oh, it's safe, it's fine.”

10. Work Culture Shifting?

Timestamps: 98:23–104:17

• Hosts/guests discuss whether Japanese work-life balance and "overwork" culture are truly improving.
• Remote work and flexible/hybrid models are increasing, with Covid-19 having forced some modernization.
• Bureaucratic inefficiency remains (long meetings, needing approval at many levels, scripting live events/panels).

Quote:
Connor: “There's a lot more companies that allow you to do remote on some days in the office, other days….it is changing. I mean, you know, it's like everything in Japan, it's slow, but it'll happen, you know, but like people want change, so it'll happen.” (98:45)

11. Running a Real Business: The Joys and Pains (Chris Broad)

Timestamps: 75:02–85:02

• Chris rejects cynicism about creators opening businesses “for money”—describes his book and bar as passion projects, not monetary windfalls.
• Importance of doing projects for enjoyment and personal growth, not empire-building.

12. Creator Brands—Doing Good vs. Chasing Growth

Timestamps: 85:39–91:01

• Hosts discuss balancing business expansion and maintaining personal/creative satisfaction.
• The necessity of hands-on creation for fulfillment; “when I outsourced too much editing…I realized this is the thing I love the most.”
• Optimistic message about content’s potential for community and positivity.

13. Concluding Thoughts and Messages

Timestamps: 105:48–106:48

• The episode closes with reflections on optimism, community-building, and the importance of mindful narratives:
• Appreciation from the hosts for Chris and Connor's realistic, positive portrayal of life and business in Japan.

Quote:
Emily: “There are people out there and intentionally or unintentionally, just being like, hey, there are good things going on in the world. There's good vibes and there's good. I appreciate that a lot.” (106:17)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Chris Broad: “In Japan it's like, get ready to die. It takes a few weeks. There's a lot of documents…” (14:24)
• Chris Broad: “The most popular drink's called Go fuck yourself, because one of my Japanese friends says that a lot.” (10:13)
• Connor: “Permanent residency is pretty all encompassing in Japan. It's pretty powerful, I think, like, you kind of just all the restrictions kind of waived.” (25:11)
• Chris Broad: “There are definitely utopian qualities to Japan that the world would [do well to] copy.” (72:52)
• Doug (meta-joke): “The title from this is going to be the UK is failing in 30 days.” (106:36)

Episode Highlights

• Getting started as a business in Japan is uniquely bureaucratic, often much slower and more paper-based than in the UK or US. The infamous ‘hanko’ stamp reigns supreme.
• Establishing a company (even as a YouTuber) can take weeks or months, as compared to minutes or hours in the West.
• Business and property opportunities are sometimes limited by xenophobia; permanent residents still face barriers.
• Despite an uptick in tourism and isolated bad behavior by foreign streamers, the broader Japanese attitude toward foreigners—especially outside the cities—is positive, mostly due to economic benefits.
• Bureaucracy and outdated technology slow some modernization (e.g., fax machines, paperwork), but there’s a deep cultural aversion to risk.
• Work and party culture are unique: company events allow emotional honesty, and what happens at the party is forgotten at work.
• Media representations—especially on Western social and news platforms—often distort reality for viral outrage or “rage-bait.”
• Responsibility falls on creators to counteract these narratives with honest, nuanced perspectives.
• Bar/business ventures by creators are rarely get-rich projects; more often, they are passion-driven and a way to connect with audience/community.
• The Japanese work culture is slowly modernizing (remote work, flexible schedules), but progress is slow.
• Participants end on a positive, grateful note—reminding listeners of the value of good community and realistic, kind-hearted storytelling.

Summary Takeaway

A wide-ranging, candid, and frequently funny discussion about how running a business as a foreigner in Japan is both frustrating and rewarding. The guests debunk stereotypes, confront messy realities of bureaucracy and culture shock, and highlight how positive, community-focused business (and content creation) can flourish amid a noisy, pessimistic internet. Despite the hurdles, they agree: Japan remains a fantastic place to live and work—and creators have a special role in helping global audiences see both its charms and its challenges.