2017-04 summary

The April 2017 recordings follow Daniel's lead-up to, stay in, and return from a trip to Japan to see his girlfriend. Before leaving, he was anxious about her distant communication; a later call attributed it to work stress and child-care. He then travelled to Japan, met her daughter and travelled around Tokyo and Nagano. He returned to England after an emotional airport farewell.

Dating and fidelity recur as themes. Daniel described using Tinder while in a relationship, a disappointing Tinder meetup in Margate, and reflections on boundaries after meeting a lang-8.com acquaintance in Yokohama. He also responded to viewer backlash.

Daniel repeatedly weighed his future, including staying in Japan versus returning to the UK, renting an apartment, working and saving, and whether the relationship is worth fighting for. By the end of the month his stated feelings were mixed and unresolved.

Several recordings looked back on earlier relationships and time in Japan and Korea: learning Korean, a near-marriage with a Japanese woman, and old keepsakes found while packing.

Other material covered a garden tree-felling near-miss, beer, loneliness, and Vainglory gameplay.

Backlash over Tinder use while in a relationship

Long-distance communication problems and clarification from the partner

A Tinder meetup in Margate and attraction preferences

Meeting and spending time with the girlfriend's daughter, and parenting reflections

Future residency, work and funding plans for Japan versus the UK

Past relationships in Japan and Korea, including Korean learning and a near-marriage

Leaving Japan and the unresolved future of the relationship

Garden tree felling and a near-miss with a shed

Catalog date 2017-04-02: Daniel described anxiety over his girlfriend's cold, sparse communication less than ten days before his Japan trip. After she vaguely replied that everything was overwhelming and going wrong, he paused further messaging.

Catalog date 2017-04-04: Daniel traveled by train to Margate to meet a Tinder match. He was disappointed that she looked different from her photos, and the meetup included a beach walk, an awkward meal and a film.

Catalog date 2017-04-05: A follow-up video addressed backlash over the Tinder upload. Daniel said he swiped while feeling lonely and abandoned, and that a twenty-minute call showed his partner was overwhelmed by work and child-care. Japan plans were unchanged.

Catalog date 2017-04-07: Daniel packed for Japan and went through old keepsakes, including documents and mementos from earlier stays.

Catalog date 2017-04-08: Daniel filmed his father felling a large garden tree. A rope snapped and the tree fell the wrong way, nearly crushing a shed.

Catalog date 2017-04-09: Daniel recounted learning Korean via Japanese textbooks during a relationship with a Korean guesthouse resident. Her departure disrupted his language school attendance, and they kept meeting over the following five years.

Catalog date 2017-04-13: Daniel finished a night shift and flew to Japan. He waited thirty minutes in the car park without seeing the online acquaintance, met his girlfriend and checked into a high-rise hotel.

Catalog date 2017-04-15: Daniel drove with his girlfriend to Nagano Prefecture and met her nine-year-old daughter, with a smooth first dinner. He checked into a compact hotel and planned an early bullet train trip to see a friend.

Catalog date 2017-04-16: Daniel reflected on relationship boundaries after meeting a lang-8.com acquaintance in Yokohama's Chinatown. He planned a train trip that evening to see cherry blossoms with his girlfriend and her daughter.

Catalog date 2017-04-18: Daniel left the hotel room for cleaning, walked the neighborhood in rain and mist after drinking, and weighed returning to the UK against staying in Japan.

Catalog date 2017-04-20: Daniel described outings with his girlfriend and her daughter and reflected on parenting and discipline. He also recorded daily observations about Japan and discussed the mobile game Vainglory.

Catalog date 2017-04-24: On his last day in Japan Daniel packed and moved to an airport hotel. After a long, emotional airport farewell he flew home to England, feeling conflicted about the relationship.

Catalog date 2017-04-26: Daniel described time in Tokyo and the trip to Nagano and showed souvenirs. He outlined plans to work, save and return to Japan, and updated his Patreon tiers.

Catalog date 2017-04-28: Daniel recounted a past relationship with a Japanese bakery worker, including a marriage-paperwork attempt and a breakup. A later message to her via Lang-8.com led her to block him.

Whether viewer dislikes and unsubscriptions were caused specifically by meeting women on Tinder while in a relationship was an assumption.

Before the trip, Daniel did not know why his girlfriend was distant. He was unsure whether to keep messaging and whether she would change her mind about meeting.

Daniel worried he might feel a similar lack of attraction when meeting someone in Japan, as in Margate.

Daniel was undecided about returning to the UK the following week or staying in Japan.

It was uncertain whether the girlfriend's daughter knows about the romantic relationship or could understand it.

Whether Daniel's girlfriend avoided asking about a friend's gender out of trust, lack of insecurity or fear of the answer is unclear.

After returning to England, Daniel was unsure whether the relationship is worth fighting for, whether he wants to see her again, and whether to return to Japan.

Daniel had not decided whether to quit his job, and it was unclear whether the trip would prove a poor life decision.

Whether Daniel will meet his former Korean girlfriend again, given that he currently has a girlfriend, was left open.

The format or content of videos to be made in Japan was undetermined.