As I lay on my hospital bed, looking at my hometown, which had completely changed, I thought all I could think about: “I want to bring back the sparkle to my life.” Document photo.
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Coincidence is a very interesting thing. If you keep trying and take action, you will definitely meet someone, even if you are more than 1000 kilometers away. I had such an experience once. This time I would like to introduce such an event.
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The origins of this event date back to 2011, just before the Great East Japan Earthquake. I was born in a town called Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture. He started judo at a young age, and used judo to advance through high school, university, and employment. He belonged to the Tokai University Judo Club, one of Japan’s most powerful schools. Things were smooth sailing for me at that time. In February 2011, as I was about to graduate from university, I envisioned winning an international competition in Canada, continuing my life as an athlete while working, and eventually winning a gold medal at the Olympics.
However, due to the effects of the sudden Great East Japan Earthquake and the illness that occurred around the same time, he was forced to give up on that path. As I sat on the bed in his hospital room, looking at his hometown that had completely changed, all I could think about was “I want to bring back the sparkle to my life.”
The turning point came suddenly. She saw the subtitles on a foreign movie she was casually watching and thought it was cool, so she decided to study foreign languages seriously after being discharged from the hospital. She decided to equip herself with the weapon of a foreign language. She chose Chinese because she saw the development after the Beijing Olympics. He believed it was necessary to study abroad in China, and persuaded his family to agree to it on the condition that he would pay for it himself. I worked as a live-in part-time worker for a year to save up money to study abroad and left for China, but just as I was completing my study abroad formalities, my phone rang. It was from someone related to my alma mater, Tokai University Judo Club.
When I heard about it, a Chinese youth judo team was coming to Miyagi Prefecture to interact with the disaster-affected areas, so I asked if I would be interested in showing up. That’s what it said. I answered immediately and went ahead with the day. When I went to the venue, I saw that the “Japan-China Friendship Qingdao Judokan,” which is supported by my teacher and JOC member Yasuhiro Yamashita, was there. When I told my teachers in Qingdao that I was going to study abroad in China from next month, they asked if I would like to come to Qingdao once before going to study abroad. I received the invitation. I responded immediately and immediately arranged a ticket from Sendai via Aoshima.
I arrived in Qingdao after my mother saw me off at Sendai Airport, but it was my first time in China. I was just amazed at the size of the city. As soon as I arrived at the dojo, I took part in the training, where I showed off my special skills and gave some simple technical guidance.After the training, the director told me that he would like me to help teach the dojo, so I went to Aoshima. I began a life of commuting back and forth to Yanji, where I was studying abroad.
Time passed by in the blink of an eye, and just as I was about to graduate, the director of the school approached me and asked me to work together here. I was so happy that I responded immediately and was officially appointed as the Japanese coach of the Japan-China Friendship Qingdao Judo Hall. As a later story, it seems that a lot of people helped me become the coach. Among them, Cui Yongyuan, a well-known announcer in China, seems to have provided a great deal of cooperation. I would like to repay Choi Young-won someday.
After that, every day was hectic. In the evening, she put on a judo uniform and faced children, and in collaboration with the Consulate General of Japan in Qingdao, she gave judo demonstrations at Jinan Normal University and Qingdao Japan Day to introduce Japanese culture. She also actively engaged in exchanges with Japan. She visited Miyagi Prefecture to host short-term judo instructors for Japanese university students and to interact with disaster-stricken areas. Although he was not used to life in Aoshima, he was doing his best every day. The most impressive thing for me was that the Japan-China Friendship Qingdao Judo Hall won the “Japanese Foreign Minister’s Award.” I was happy to receive an award from my homeland and be a part of it, so that day everyone involved in the dojo drank Aoshima beer.
A few years later, I decided to leave China, but my relationship with Qingdao continues. Currently, I am spending my days as an office worker in Sendai. Of course, he continues to do judo as an external coach for his alma mater, Tokai University Yamagata High School Judo Club. When the coronavirus infection situation spread in China, I sent a lot of supplies to Qingdao Judo Hall. Conversely, when the infection spread in Japan, he received supplies from Aoshima and donated them to his alma mater’s judo club. After the coronavirus is over, I plan to go to Qingdao once again to obtain the dan rank of the Chinese Judo Association.
This is how my relationship with the Japan-China Friendship Qingdao Judokan began. I’m still trying to find something I can do every day. I recently had the chance to participate in an online exchange with the Chinese embassy, and I conveyed to the temporary ambassador, Yang Yu, what I had in mind about Qingdao Judokan. The following is what he said. I would like to conclude this essay with this.
“I set new goals of wanting to study Chinese and study abroad in China, and overcame the Great East Japan Earthquake and illness to move to China in 2013.At that time, I had many choices, but… The choice of time is my pride. One for all, all for one. We, the young generation who hold Sino-Japanese friendship in our hearts, will build lasting friendships in this milestone year of our 50th anniversary. I would like to take this opportunity to pledge that we will continue mutual development, mutual understanding, and mutual learning.”
■Original title: 50th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations ~Delivering our thoughts to Qingdao~
■Author profile: Yoshiki Kimura (Kimura Yoshiki) Office worker
Born in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in 1988. In March 2011, graduated from the Department of Martial Arts, Faculty of Physical Education, Tokai University. While attending school, he was a member of the judo club. After graduating, he got a job, but quit due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake and illness that same year. During his medical treatment period, he decided to study abroad in China, and in 2013 he studied abroad at Yanbian University. While attending school, he was educated in Korean. After graduating, he became an instructor at the Japan-China Friendship Qingdao Judo Hall, where JOC Chairman Yasuhiro Yamashita and former China Central Television newscaster Cui Yongyuan are honorary directors. He returned to Japan in 2018. After returning to Japan, he worked in the travel and interpreting and translation businesses in Sendai, leveraging his ability to be trilingual in his native language, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. In addition, he serves as a director of the Miyagi Prefecture Japan-China Friendship Association and as an honorary reporter for the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s Overseas Culture Information Institute, promoting friendship between Japan, China, and Korea.
*This text has been reprinted from the 5th unforgettable episode of my stay in China, “A stay in China that was a series of surprises” (Dan Yue middle volume, Nippon Kohosha, 2022). The expressions in the text are basically written as they are in the original text. The essay is published with permission from Nippon Kohosha.
2023-12-02 19:03:22
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