I'm back from Japan and not going anywhere this week—except deep into YouTube land. In this episode, I share my mission to grow the Adventures Assemble YouTube channel from just 12 subscribers to the magical 1,000 needed to unlock monetization. I'm talking content strategy, upcoming nerdy adventures, and the weird, wonderful places I’m planning to visit (both near home and far away). From Snoopy statues to Star Wars retreats, Raiders of the Lost Ark filming locations to Atlas Obscura oddities, I’m figuring out how to turn nerd travel into a sustainable, fun business—and I’m taking you along for the ride.

📝 Show Notes:
In this episode, I talk about:

• 🎯 My YouTube goals and why 1,000 subscribers is the first big milestone
• 📹 New Adventures Assemble videos: How I’m learning video storytelling and editing
• 🏠 Why I’m starting with local destinations (like the Charles M. Schulz Museum!)
• 📚 The weird travel guides I’m using for inspiration, including Atlas Obscura and World Film Locations: San Francisco
• ✈️ Upcoming confirmed adventures:
  • The Charles M. Schulz Museum (coming next episode!)
  • A Snoopy statue challenge across Sonoma County
  • The Westword Crossword Tournament (June)
  • New York Comic Con (October)
  • The Halfling Marathon in New Zealand (March 2026!)

📌 Links Mentioned:

• AdventuresAssemble.com – blog, episodes, and travel tips
• Adventures Assemble on YouTube – please subscribe!

📣 Call to Action:
Got a weird or nerdy destination I should explore? Let me know and I’ll add it to my growing list of adventures. And if you haven’t yet—subscribe to this podcast, follow the blog, and hit that YouTube subscribe button!

I’m back from Japan! In this episode, I recover (barely) from the post-Star Wars Celebration plague and take you through the final stretch of my two-week nerd adventure across Japan. I recap my day trips to Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe—including sacred deer, curry that broke the internet, and the Osaka fried food fantasy known as kushikatsu. Plus, I share my emotional visit to Hiroshima, a last-minute return to Tokyo, and why I stayed in the wrong place in Tokyo. Spoiler: I’m already dreaming of my return.

Show Notes

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The lingering effects of my Star Wars Celebration Cold
• Why I wish I’d spent way more time in Kyoto
• What it’s like to feed sacred deer and visit the world’s largest Buddha in Nara
• Kobe’s gorgeous but eerily empty waterfront
• My hot takes on kushikatsu, okonomiyaki, and surprise udon shop bliss
• Staying in one hotel vs. hopping cities — how my base camp strategy paid off
• A powerful day in Hiroshima, including the Peace Memorial and that famous okonomiyaki
• Visiting Miyajima Island, the floating torii gate, and local oysters
• Why I skipped Kanazawa and doubled back to Tokyo instead
• My Shibuya redemption arc, Tower Records nostalgia, and ramen round two
• Nerdy adventures ahead: Hobbiton marathon, New York Comic Con, and more

Mentioned in this episode:

• Adventures Assemble YouTube Channel – for upcoming Japan videos
• AdventuresAssemble.com – sign up for updates and nerd travel content
• Sunny in Japan and Hoang Pham (YouTube travel guides I watched before the trip)
• APA Hotels – the “mirror universe” rooms I stayed in
• Koisus Curry & Tempura – the viral Kyoto restaurant I waited an hour for
• Jikasei Mensho – my ramen MVP in Tokyo

Subscribe to Adventures Assemble
New episodes drop every Friday! Hit follow and join me as I bumble through nerdy destinations around the world—awkwardly, enthusiastically, and one convenience store egg salad at a time.

✏️ Episode Description:

In this deeply personal episode of Adventures Assemble, I check in from Osaka with a raw and real update on my first week in Japan. From the highs of epic ramen and electric baseball games to the lows of jet lag and a 102° fever, it’s been a wild ride—and not quite the one I expected.

I talk about attending Star Wars Celebration 2025, getting lost (and found) on trains, bonding with fellow fans, and navigating sickness abroad for the third Celebration in a row (yes, again). This is not the fantasy version of nerd tourism—it’s the actual adventure, bumps and all.

Whether you're planning your own trip to Japan or just want to hear what it's like to power through the chaos of a dream trip gone sideways, this one’s for you.

📌 Show Notes:

What I Cover in This Episode:

• 🇯🇵 Arriving in Japan: flight details, customs tips, and first impressions
• 🚉 My chaotic train ride to Star Wars Celebration in Chiba
• 👕 Picking up my badge and missing out on exclusive merch (again)
• 💥 First impressions of Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025
• 📉 Why I bailed on panels and went temple-hopping in Tokyo
• 🦠 Getting sick (for the third Star Wars Celebration in a row!)
• 🥢 Ramen highlights: Jikasei Mensho & ICHIRAN
• ⚾️ Japanese baseball magic: Yomiuri Giants vs. Chunichi Dragons
• 🍜 Food adventures in Osaka: takoyaki, skewers, and gyoza redemption
• 🏞️ Visiting Kobe, the herb garden, and the waterfront
• 😷 Reflections on traveling while sick and making the most of it

Tips & Takeaways:

• Use Visit Japan Web for your customs QR code before flying
• If you’re staying in Chiba: it’s nice, but be ready for long commutes
• Bring fever meds, just in case... seriously
• Ramen in Japan might spiritually realign you
• Don’t shake a sick celebrity’s hand. Just don’t.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Star Wars Celebration 2025 at Makuhari Messe
• Jikasei Mensho (Shibuya) – mind-blowing ramen
• ICHIRAN Ramen – famous solo-booth ramen experience
• APA Hotels – consistent and budget-friendly
• Big Camera (Chiba) – your one-stop shop for... literally everything
• Yomiuri Giants vs. Chunichi Dragons – Tokyo Dome baseball!
• Dotonbori District (Osaka) – food, neon, and energy
• Kobe Herb Garden – peaceful escape with views
• Disney Ikspiari (Chiba) – not quite the Disney magic, but a change of pace

Next Episode Tease:
I head to Kyoto! Temples, geishas, nerdy surprises, and (hopefully) a fully functioning immune system.

In this episode, I’m just 48 hours away from getting on a plane to Japan—and I’m feeling a wild mix of excitement and nerves! I break down my full itinerary, from Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo to day trips out of Osaka, a visit to Hiroshima, and wrapping it all up in Kanazawa.

I’ve got my ticket, passport, money, and smartphone—everything else I’ll figure out along the way. I also talk about what I’m packing, how I plan to handle jet lag, the gear I’m bringing to create content, and the nerdy (and delicious) things I’m most excited to check out. Spoiler: egg salad is absolutely on the list.

Whether you're prepping for your own Japan trip or just here for the ride, come along as I get ready to launch into my biggest nerd adventure yet.

🧳 What’s in This Episode:

• ✈️ Countdown to departure: 2 days until takeoff!
• 🎫 Ryan’s travel mantra: Ticket. Money. Passport. Smartphone.
• 🌏 Full Japan itinerary breakdown:
  • 6 nights in Tokyo (Star Wars Celebration + ramen + baseball)
  • 4 nights in Osaka (with day trips to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe + Expo 2025)
  • 2 nights in Hiroshima
  • 2 nights in Kanazawa
• 🎥 New gear: Insta360 camera + podcast mic = content on the go
• 📺 Travel prep: YouTube recs and packing tips from fellow creators
• 🍜 Top goals: late-night izakaya crawls, weird museums, capsule toys, Japanese fast food
• 🤖 The travel vibe: nerdy, curious, and just slightly chaotic

🔗 Links Mentioned:

• YouTube: Sunny in Japan
• YouTube: Hoang Pham

🎧 Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss the next episode, which will be recorded straight from Japan!.
📸 New videos coming soon to the Adventures Assemble YouTube channel.

It’s officially happening—I'm just two weeks away from heading to Japan for Star Wars Celebration 2025! In this episode, I talk through everything I’ve got planned so far (and everything I still need to figure out). From panel reservations that didn’t go my way to plotting late-night food tours in Tokyo, the itinerary is finally starting to come together. I’m excited, overwhelmed, and trying to figure it all out as I go. Come along for the chaos!

Show Notes:

• My failed attempt at getting into the big Star Wars Celebration panels
• Why Andor is still one of my all-time favorite Star Wars stories
• My plan for surviving jet lag without… actually planning for it
• Tokyo adventures: izakaya crawls, sake tastings, and my upcoming baseball game at the Tokyo Dome
• Trying to choose between staying in Osaka or Kyoto (or both?)
• Why Hiroshima is a must-visit on this trip
• Real talk: I’m not a travel expert, but I’m learning along the way
• Updates on the podcast and YouTube channel—yes, I’m bringing my mic to Japan!
• What I still need to lock down (hotels, trains, tours... oh my)

👉 Follow along at Zoodletron.com for more blog updates, nerdy travel guides, and future episodes.

Thanks for being part of the journey—I can’t wait to share the adventure with you!

Description:
In this second episode of Adventures Assemble, I’m just three weeks away from boarding a plane to Tokyo for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025—and wow, there’s still a LOT to figure out.

Join me as I talk through the panel reservation madness, what’s been announced so far, and my thoughts on all things Star Wars—from the original trilogy to the Disney+ shows (spoiler: I still haven’t finished Ahsoka). I also share a rough outline of my Japan trip plans, my fears about traveling solo, and a list of things I probably should’ve booked by now.

This episode is for fans who love Star Wars, fellow nerd travelers figuring it out as they go, and anyone wondering just how chaotic convention planning can get when you’re winging it across the Pacific.

In This Episode:

• My honest takes on Star Wars movies and shows (yes, even the prequels)
• Which panels I’m hoping to reserve—and why Andor is my #1 pick
• What I’m actually doing in Japan beyond Celebration (spoiler: eating egg salad and petting deer)
• How I feel about going solo, not speaking fluent Japanese, and still making it work
• Early plans for Akihabara, Osaka, Kyoto, and Expo 2025
• A peek into future episodes and nerdy travel dreams (hello, Halfling Marathon)

Mentioned:

• Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 Panel Schedule
• Tokyo travel prep chaos
• My Millennium Falcon Metal Earth model (pray for me)
• My undying love for Andor
• Yomiuri Giants baseball tickets ✅

Let’s Connect!
If you’re going to Star Wars Celebration or just want to say hi, shoot me a message through Zoodletron.com. I’d love to meet fellow fans and fellow nerd tourists.

Subscribe & Stay Tuned!
The next episode will cover what panels I (hopefully) scored, updates on my Japan itinerary, and more pre-trip chaos. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe—it helps new listeners find the show as I build this thing from the ground up.

Welcome to the very first episode of Adventures Assemble! I’m Ryan Hecht, and I’m heading to Japan for Star Wars Celebration 2025—and no, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.

This podcast isn’t a polished guide from a seasoned world traveler—it’s a real-time journey from someone figuring it out as he goes. In this episode, I introduce the show, talk about what Adventures Assemble is all about, share the chaos of prepping for a major international nerd trip, and explain why buying tickets before you’re ready might be the secret to actually making things happen.

Whether you're a fellow fandom traveler or just want to hear what it's like to plan a trip to Japan without a clue, you're in the right place.

In This Episode:

• What is Adventures Assemble and who the heck is Ryan?
• Why I’m going to Japan (and why I booked it before figuring anything out)
• A quick look back at my past Star Wars Celebration experiences (2019, 2022)
• What we know (and don’t know) about Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo
• My very loose plans: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, ramen, egg salad sandwiches
• The myth of “I’ll go someday” and why action beats perfection
• My promise: I’m learning as I go, and you’re coming with me

Resources Mentioned:

• Zoodletron.com – Blog + guide for Star Wars Celebration 2025
• YouTube Channel (Coming Soon)
• Translator apps & Suica cards
• YouTube channel recommendation: Kensho Quest

Next Episode:
I’ll dig into figuring out where I’m going to stay, what I’m going to eat, and whether Tokyo Disney is happening. Also: more nerdy stuff!