Wow!

Hello and welcome to the Abrundra PAN podcast, probably the best way of learning about life in Japan without actually being in Japan.

I'm a host to Chris Broderber, join as always my England's top Japan enthusiast, Mr Pete Donser Pete. How you doing?

Oh, I'm enjoying that little giggle you had in your voice there, very enjoyable. Yeah, I'm good man, I've got a cup of tea, it's starting to warm up here in Hartfordshire.

I've just noticed in the last couple of hours that I've actually got like a blossom tree just outside my house, who needs to go to Japan, who needs to head to the Hanami festival? Who cares anymore?

I quit, I've got a blossom tree outside my window, I don't give a shit. You're the winner Pete, you're the winner.

We can't even look at cherry blossoms in Japan this year, the Hanami festival has been banned this year because the coronavirus, nonsense and bloody coronavirus thing.

We can't sell under the trees, never beer, have a picnic, enjoy the cherry blossom.

I think my local park for example has got like a big sign saying don't come here, no fun allowed.

No, no cherry blossoms, you've won, well done. I think it'll kind of pull it to sharp focus. The ridiculousness of just having a bento box on a beer underneath a cherry blossom tree, I can think of no good reason why anyone would do that at the best times.

It's a big spectator spot in Japan but it's something that draws tourists to the country but I just do sort of find it a little underwhelming.

It's very beautiful. It is cool because obviously you can drink in public in Japan right? You get your favourite beers, you get your strong zeroes and your peach and your sandwiches.

One cup sake. One cup sake if you're mental and you go down the park and you simply friends, have a laugh, get drunk and you know, soak up the afternoon sun.

I think up to a few years ago there was a, what was they call it? YouTuber Hanami meet up in Tokyo, all the YouTubers would like meet up and get drunk and networking stuff.

I never actually went because I didn't live and I continued to not live.

It's miserable. I'm above them though. I just, it's a bit far off to go down the taxi especially for that. I've actually spent my afternoon looking at photos of Utah because a few weeks ago I did say on this podcast the place I want to go to the most in the world is Utah mainly because of the scenery.

We've got loads of listeners in Utah at 10s out and half of them are like, why the hell do you want to go to Utah? The other half are like, yeah, it's good and they've sent me lots of photos of sweeping national parks and beautiful canons and I really want to go now.

I like when you pick someone out that you want to go and then instead of like being not welcoming but some people are going, oh yeah, come, it's beautiful. I recommend this place. I recommend this place.

I just sort of got why you come. Everyone went to, I remember last year when I went to Milwaukee. Oh, the year before last rather. I went to Milwaukee getting the trade up from Chicago. And it's like, if I was like, what the hell are you doing here? Why are you in Milwaukee? I was like, well, Milwaukee's on this place. The people talk about on film. So what have a look what's going on?

And that's the only reason. No, I'd love to go. I have to go some of these more kind of obscure places in the US and I'd be kind of cool to go from Tokyo to Utah. How trippy would that be? Is there a plane to Utah? Probably.

Probably, you probably have to, you probably have to change in Los Angeles or Atlanta or somewhere. We'll make it happen. We'll make it happen.

Oh, man, well, you've got a story this week from Aden from Scotland. He says, dear Chris and Pete, I have noticed that Chris has an obsession with being eaten by bear.

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