Not long ago, at a homestay in Japan, I met a Frenchman who was cycling around the island. As far as I knew, cycling “around the island” wasn’t something commonly heard of in Japan, but his interesting story really caught my attention. Recently he told me that after half a year, he had completed his “island loop” and even found a job in Tokyo. He was already an amazing traveler — he had once spent over half a year cycling from France to Turkey (if you’re not sure about the geography, just Google how far that is), and this cycling trip around Japan was his second journey.
For us, these kinds of year-long or more “expeditions” are hard to imagine. To them — or at least to me after hearing many such stories — they seem perfectly normal, not worth mentioning. But the reasons behind his journey are what truly struck me.
It turned out that he hadn’t come to Japan to actually “cycle around the island,” but to study here. He majored in architecture and loved Japanese culture, so he hoped to pursue a Master’s degree in architecture in Japan. But upon arriving in Tokyo, he discovered a misunderstanding: his qualifications didn’t meet the requirements, and he couldn’t enroll. The issue hadn’t been noticed during registration because of a system error on the school’s part. He complained to the school but to no avail, so he let it go. Since he was already there, he decided not to go home right away. He thought he’d just travel around Japan for half a year and spend all his money before heading back. Then he thought, why not cycle around the island? It had been a small dream of his.
At that moment, I asked, “Aren’t you planning to apply to another university?” He said, “If not, I’ll just go home and think about it later. Maybe I can even find a job here in Japan.”
Because of this, his girlfriend also quit her job to travel with him. It’s common to hear about foreigners traveling across Southeast Asia or China, but Japan seemed to be a first. The day I met him was his girlfriend’s birthday, and they went to Universal Studios to celebrate. Seeing their expressions, I envied their happiness and admired their open-mindedness.
Most of us would have probably rushed to apply to other schools or gone home to “accept our fate.” Perhaps we’re just too used to this set way of life — we must follow the rules, we must conform to destiny. Going against the grain or having no plan? “Not worth the risk.” I believe that when it comes to “fighting for our interests,” we Asians are often better than Westerners. If it was the school’s mistake that “got me here,” wouldn’t we complain everywhere? And if the complaints failed and we couldn’t get what we wanted, wouldn’t it be normal to look for another school or go home to find a job as soon as possible? But for them, if you can’t fight for what you want, why not take this opportunity to forge a new path? You don’t have to stick to the same direction — you might just break into a whole new avenue.
You could call them “irresponsible” or “escaping reality,” but in their eyes, they were living by our sayings like “Every cloud has a silver lining” or “Things will naturally sort themselves out.”
When I heard that he had eventually found a new job in Tokyo, I sincerely congratulated him. He also mentioned that he hadn’t expected to land a job he liked without studying there. Of course, you and I both know that “these opportunities don’t really belong to us Asians.” As a Westerner, even with zero qualifications, in the eyes of many companies, he’s still more desirable than an Asian with multiple degrees. Let’s not dwell on this background of “discriminating against our own people,” nor be too envious. Just the fact that he was willing and daring enough to take the first step to wander and seek opportunities — that alone puts him ahead of many.
No matter how broad-minded we are or how beautiful our dreams are, I believe 90% of Hong Kong people, or Asians in general, ultimately have to think about “home.” Whether you’re between 18 and 30 and working holidaying around the world, if you’re lucky enough to get “PR,” congratulations. If not, by the time you turn 31, you’ll still have to “go home.” In fact, if you’ve really been abroad from 18 to 30, then this piece of land called Hong Kong probably won’t accommodate you anymore — unless you’re from a wealthy family or you start your own business. It’s hard to be like them, throwing caution to the wind, with no plans to return, spending all your money before calling it a day. That kind of courage isn’t for everyone.
This decision may not just be about being “cool” — it’s a way of life.
Of course, in their social culture, this kind of lifestyle is accepted, and it might even give them an easier chance to “start over.” What about our society?
Hm…..
But whether it’s travel or life, knowing when to let go of obsession, and being a bit more open-minded in certain aspects, can not only help you break out of rigid routines and see more unseen landscapes and meet more unexpected people (just like how I wouldn’t have met this amazing couple if I hadn’t ended up in that tiny Airbnb out of desperation), but might also lead you to new opportunities.
Taken at Koya River @ Kyoto, Japan
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