PJHoutman88 Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Banner will be added after I reveal my choice of club Chapter One: The Emigrant September 14, 2017 I've been stuck in a rut for years. I won't call it a mid-life crisis; I'm turning 30 next year and I hope to live far beyond 60. But I can't deny that I'm getting bored over here. I've lived in the same town, Vlissingen, all my life. The same faces everyday, the same cycle to work. Going to the same bars to hear the same jokes from the same drunks. Playing football with the same guys, against the same guys, losing by the same scores every week. It's so mind-numbingly dull. I want to discover other cultures, other people. Interesting people. I make a good living, you know. Not "buying-a-jacuzzi" money, but it's fine. It's all...fine. I write about sports, mainly football. Most of my work is about tricking people into clicks and likes these days. What a wild ride. But I've decided. I've saved up for a few months and I'm taking a plunge. First stop: Japan. I need a culture shock, and Japan seems as fine a place as any. But where in Japan? It's many times larger than my native Holland, if I go without something resembling a plan, I'll get lost within a day. Tokyo seems far too large for me. I decide to visit Wikipedia and do some reading up. After about 14 hours of 'wiki-walking', including a two hour read about Buddhism in southern Russia, I decide on Okinawa. It's an 'un-Japanese' island in many respects, with large swathes of the islands covered in American military bases, much to the chagrin of the local population. Then, there's the fact many of the Okinawan people don't even really identify themselves with Japan. Conflict and stories will be in no short supply; it seems like a fine place to start. I'm not going as a tourist, though. A tourist always looks at a culture from outside it, but you need to experience the same struggles as the locals to truly understand them. I want to live as the locals do; I need a job. I don't speak a word of Japanese, so in that respect, Okinawa is ideal as well. Many Okinawans speak English out of necessity, and I might just be able to maintain some living standards while I'm learning the language. I consider myself reasonably intelligent and very sociable, so I'm sure I'll find something. And if not: I can always move on. I never wanted a jacuzzi anyway. In this save, I will play in Japan thanks to the database by Foss. I have selected J1, J2, J3 and the Japan Football League, with South Korea and China also active. Other leagues may be added or removed as the story progresses. Further info will be given once I've revealed my club choice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Ohayo gozaimasu! As someone who lived in Tokyo I am very much looking forward to this. Ganbatte kudasai. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJHoutman88 Posted June 29, 2018 Author Share Posted June 29, 2018 @King Jeff I hope I will meet your expectations Thanks for the comment. Banner will be added after I reveal my choice of club Chapter Two: AMS - HEL - KIX - OKA October 3, 2017 Three weeks of preparation preceded my departure, but now, everything was in order. I had given my boss my notice of resignation, the flights were paid for, and I had booked a hostel just on the outskirts of Okinawa, the biggest city on the island with the same name. Leaving from Schiphol airport, my first transfer was in Helsinki. On the flight there, I had intended to study from my "Japanese for Dummies", but I was distracted by having the misfortune of sharing a row with an impressively obnoxious and loud Welshman named Rhodi. This menace kept trying to strike up a conversation despite my obvious lack of interest, my short and snarled replies to his inane chatter discouraging him none. I was only granted peace when I finally, demonstratively, inserted my earbuds. Fortunately, the Finnish capital was this man's destination, and I would not be bothered by him for the remainder of my journey. Twenty minutes into the flight to Osaka, I profoundly longed for the time my Welsh friend had been beside me, for his place had been taken by a Japanese man, the stereotype of the successful Japanese businessman, who sweated profusely and offended my nostrils far worse than Rhodi had invaded my privacy. He was a lot friendlier though, and when he caught sight of my "Lonely Planet: Okinawa Prefecture", he revealed that he had a nephew on the island called Ryuji. Despite my mumbled protests, the man insisted I join him after we deplaned in Osaka, so that he could call his nephew and let him show me around the island. When we parted ways, I intended to mention deodorant, but I thought better of it and went on my way to the last flight of my journey: Osaka to Naha Airport. On that plane, I was next to an empty seat and I could finally get a little bit of study in, even if it was only a two-hour flight. When I landed, sure enough, there was a young Japanese man with a sign that somewhat resembled the spelling of my name. He introduced himself as Ryuji Takahashi. I attempted to greet him in Japanese, and his amused expression signalled that my pronunciation was nowhere near what I had hoped. He insisted I speak English to him and then asked me to let him show me around the island. It seemed rude to refuse, so on we went... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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