Robert Bouchard & his ikigai moment

[Gaikoku-hito 2,154]

The off season started as normal for Robert Bouchard, maybe a bit longer then expected with Moscow up-ending the Prague Phantoms in game seven in overtime in the first round of the play-offs, not counting the wild card round in which Prague escaped the Riga Reign (some sorta cat?). As stated by the Rookie he was looking to take a few weeks and quote” I have already switched to off-season mode. I will take a break and what will feel like a few weeks we will be ready to start my sophomore season. This break seemed to include a trip to Japan for Ikigai.

 

So I already know the next question that comes to mind what is Ikigai? Broken down to the simplest form the words simple means “iki”; which translates to life and “gai”, which is used to describe value, or worth. Ikigai is all about finding joy in life through purpose.

 

Ikigai is what get you up every morning and keeps you going.

 

What is ikigai and how does it relate to your every day?

 

Gai is the key to finding purpose or value in your life. The best way to encapsulate the overarching ideology of ikigai is by looking at the ikigai Venn diagram which displays the overlapping four main qualities: what you are good at?, what the world needs?, what you can be paid for?, and what you love?

 

Boiling it down to its most basic theory, it’s within the crossover of these points where ikigai stands.

So on the morning of March 10th 2021, Robert Bouchard disappeared without trace from his North American home in New Brunswick, Canada without even a mention of where the young Canadian was headed. It was assumed he was headed back to Prague for further preparations for the start of the coming season but soon it would be discovered that wasn’t the case causing much panic amongst his family members and his agent Gaikoku-hito.

 

“I wanted to spend time in Japan with my agent” stated the Canadian youth when asked about his unexpected trip of Ikigai that lead him to his trip to Japan. “I boarded the plane from Halifax international for our first destination of Vancouver; where I boarded the second flight of the journey to “Land of the raising sun” and at this point I was very confident in my destination choice as I was 100% sure that Gaikoku-hito was from Tokyo right? Majority of foreigners and Japanese a like live in the major metropolis right?”

 

How wrong would the youthful Canadian be but nothing was complete out as a short train ride on the famous Shinkansen couldn’t solve plus a few local connecting trains but lets not dive that deep into how lost the Canadian was.

 

Shinkansen with Fuji in the background

 

The issues started with at the Japanese customs since Robert didn’t actually know where he was going and couldn’t provide enough details of his purpose of stay he was detained by the Immigration officers for 48hrs as they questioned the young Prague player about why he had come to Japan. “It wasn’t my finest moment but wouldn’t be the last learning that I would accomplish on this random of the moment trip to train in Japan with Gaikoku-hito.” Laughed the Canadian. “I don’t remember everything that they asked me or even what I answered to be honest but in the end one of the officers found my players agents card tucked in the back of my phone case with his address on the card. It was enough that they released me as I had at least stated enough times that I was coming here to visit Gaikoku-hito. So I was allowed to receive my 90 day travel visa, stamped my book and told to have a safe trip. It wasn’t until I was out of the airport on the train to the City center that I noticed that my phone was without power.”    

 

“I got off the train in Toyko and headed outside the station where I started asking around for where this place called Nagoya was and I thought I was doing very good since Nagoya couldn’t be that far from the train station?” Laughed again. Most simple pointed me back towards the trains station and kepts say densha, densha. Since they were pointing to south, I think as I never did get my bearings straight while in Japan. So I started walking in a southern direction towards Nagoya.”

 

“Not fair from the station was the Imperial place, which was a large park that I had to go around since the gates where closed. And I must have lost my way since I somehow ended down in Shibuya, that famous place that you see in Tokyo drift with the cars drifting between the people. It was more crazy in real life then I expected as people were everywhere. Here I must have looked lost or something,” another Chuckle. “Which I was and I had this random old lady come up to me and ask me if I required an help and I showed her the address on the card and without hesitation she started telling to head down the road, turn left at the traffic lights and go across this bridge and it should be on my left. I was like yes, I am close to my destination. I thanked her and quickly followed her directions. I turned left and their wasn’t a bridge. Okay I must have turned at the wrong location. So I back tracked and continued looking around but I never did find that bridge. Much later I realized that she must have just come an English lesson and wanted to practice giving directions, must have been the lesson so when she didn’t know how to explain how lost  was she gave me the lesson directions instead.”said Laughing and smiling.

Shibuya and all business as seen from the air

 

“I was luck at this point as I found someone that actually spoke English and I was quickly informed that I was almost 200KM away from Nagoya as Nagoya is a Centeral city in Japan and would require taking a train. It was late and I should find a place to stay. He took me to Shinjuku, again another famous place from that Bill Murray movie Lost in Translation. He bought me something to eat and we headed off towards some entertainment; yup we ended up in a Karaoke Bar. Where I had no clue if it was day or night, let alone the hour of the day.” Said with a smile adding. ”It was a great experience that I will never forget.”

 

“Somehow He managed to get me a place to stay for the night in a cube hotel or capsule hotel. Either way it was a bunch of cubes stacked one on top each other about four high and maybe twenty across on both sides of the room. So there could have easily been forty individuals staying in the place but one wouldn’t have known since the cubes were completely closed off to the outside world once you climbed into them and closed the curtain between you and the open space of the room. It would be one of the best sleeps I ever had in my life as it was the darkest of darks while inside the cube. It also came with a small fridge, fan and tv. Only porn or new on the television” he said blushing.

 

Capsule hotel in which Bouchard would have stayed

 

“Next came the most interesting experience I think I have ever had in my life to date” said again with a smile. “The dreaded Japanese bath with rules of what you can and cannot do. None of which I could remember but an old man laughed and showed me the way of placing the clothes into a shoe box holder, where to find a towels for washing and how to not complete make a fool of myself. All done without a spoken common language. I will never forget that old man, the situation and simply the kindness that he showed.”

 

“My train was leaving the next morning for Nagoya from Tokyo station and somehow I needed to try to figure out the underground/subway system to get back to the station. Luckily for me, if I remember correctly two lines would eventually get me back to the station but I had to leave early. So I sent the alarm for 6 and set off for my deepest sleep ever.” Stated with smile and a bit of fore shadowing.

 

“Well to my surprise I woke up before my alarm clock had gone off looked at the time and it stated 9 and I was like woah, I didn’t sleep very long but then it hit all at once, it was 9am, not 9pm. I looked at the clock in dismay and quickly figured out I had set the alarm for 6pm so I am luck I woke when I did. Dressed and quickly ran for the door skipping the rice breakfast that was included in the stay and I must say I somehow found my way to the subway without any issues but then the dread of which line and which stop did I need to get on/off to make it to the train station.”

 

“So I asked the staff at the subway station which train I needed and all he kept saying was Kore, kore and waving his hand at the red train that the doors just closed on and started departing the station.” Again grinning as he spoke about his experience in Tokyo, Japan.  

 

“To say the least I missed my train but I found that you could super charge your phones in these charger boxes, lock them and come back for them later. So I set about locking my phone into one of the boxes and when to find something to eat. Again an old lady came to the rescue as I asked her for a good place to eat and she asked American? I told no Canadian but she didn’t seem to understand so I simple re-answered yes American. She then pointed down the road and said Makudo. Sounded like a good place to eat so I head in the direction that she pointed looking for Makudo, which I never did find but I did find a McDonalds.”

 

Makudo also known as McDonalds

 

“I went back to collect my phone and must admit I am surprised myself that I remembered the code and didn’t lock my phone in the box until someone had to break it open for me.” Said again grinning from ear to ear. “I was able to call Gaikoku-hito at this point and he was clearly exasperated with me at this point to find out that I was stuck in Tokyo as they had figured out at some point over the previous two or three days that I wasn’t heading back to Prague just yet. He then booked me a highway bus to station closest to his hometown. Which I am still not sure how to say.”

 

“I passed the rest of the day looking around Tokyo from Roppongi Hills, Tokyo tower and even watched the sun set over Mt Fuji seen off in the distance looming over the city. I then headed for the bus station and a friend of Guikoku-hito was to met me at the Shinjuku; where I had stayed the night before. I was know getting used to getting around the subway system as I was also only traveling to places that I had already been and mainly stayed on one line the whole time so it was easy to find my way back to Shinjuku station.”

Roppongi Hills with Fuji in the back ground.

 

“But now the fun would start as I got to the station early around 5pm and my bus wasn’t leaving until 9pm. So I went looking for where the bus was going to collect me since I didn’t want to miss the bus again plus I had two hours before I had to meet Gaikoku-hito friend at the station for super.” Again a smile and gleam in his eyes as he started to speak again,” It quickly became obvious why he called in a friend to assist me in finding my bus as the Station area had two maybe three different highway bus stations and a huge city bus station in the middle area of the train station with people everywhere. I instantly became thankful for the help but now it was time to find his friend.”

 

“We didn’t have a clue what each other looked like but it would be easier for him I realised now as I was a big lost white guy in a sea of Asians. Phones in hand we started playing where are you? Using all the different objects in the station and city bus area to try to land mark each other. After about 30mins we were almost giving up when he stated I am by the elephant statue, where are you? I am standing at the elephant statue. Here I was standing at the back of the statue and he was at the front of the large statue.” Grinned the Canadian player as he recalled his experience. “Just before that moment I was starting to think I am going to be stuck/lost in this city forever.” Laughed Bouchard.  “Then I remembered I at least knew how to get back to the Tokyo train station and could take a train to where I was suppose to meet Gaikoku-hito as at least I had figured out some of the basics now.”

Shinjuku Station with the city buses loop out front of the station.

 

“We ate super at a Japanese style bar with fish with the head and eyes still one when served; which made me second guess eating the fish at first. It was good but it was a bit much when he dug into the eye popping it and eating it.” A pale look came over the Prague players face as he recalled the eye coming out of the socket.

 

“Now the dance started with trying to find the bus as it was 8:45pm and the bus was leaving at 9pm. He took me to one station, nope not correct, then another and another. None of the buses where correct and then my phone rang and it was an exasperated Gaikoku-hito screaming where the heck are you the bus is waiting for you? I guess they called him when I didn’t show up since he bought the ticket. I tried to explain what was happen when my phone rang and it was a lady with the bus company going off in Japanese. I told one second please and handed the phone to Gaikoku-hito friend; who quickly got the location where we were suppose to be and quick ran to catch the bus.” Stated looking a bit tired and frustrated.

 

Highway bus collecting passengers from the side of the road similar to the Bouchard was looking for.

 

“I would have never found that bus by myself and I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t locate the bus either as shortly after I got on the bus they were on the phone with other lost and we actually drove around the local area collecting them.” Stated laughing as I am sure it was stress fully but also a great experience.

 

“That was really the end of my experience as I arrived in a place called Toyohashi around 5am in the morning and was greeted by a very relived looking Gaikoku-hito. The rest of the trip was fantastic but I realized I should stay to what I know best and that is playing hockey.”

 

His ikigai moment when he realized that he is good at hockey, entertaining fans while being paid by Prague Phantoms to do just that.

 

(2603 words)

Claiming: March 21, March 28, April 4 and April 11th

[Gaikoku-hito 2,154]

Second claim March 28

[Gaikoku-hito 2,154]

Third Claim April 4th

[Seabass 593]

This was a very in depth story of Bouchard getting lost in Japan. Might I suggest hiring a guide in any future travelling plans cus he might not come back next time haha. I feel like I also got the opportunity to learn a little bit more about Japan and other cultures by reading this point tasks. I never heard of capsule hotels but I am curious on how much their charging people to stay in those cubes. I wish the article would've had more connections to hockey life but the media spot still contained a lot of interesting info to keep me interested throughout. This obviously took a lot of work and looks good with the added images.

 

9/10

[Gaikoku-hito 2,154]

4 hours ago, Seabass said:

This was a very in depth story of Bouchard getting lost in Japan. Might I suggest hiring a guide in any future travelling plans cus he might not come back next time haha. I feel like I also got the opportunity to learn a little bit more about Japan and other cultures by reading this point tasks. I never heard of capsule hotels but I am curious on how much their charging people to stay in those cubes. I wish the article would've had more connections to hockey life but the media spot still contained a lot of interesting info to keep me interested throughout. This obviously took a lot of work and looks good with the added images.

 

9/10

Capsule hotels range in price from $13 - $40 per night and the one that I stayed in years ago which featured in this story was about $20 since I added on the rice breakfast which I never did get!!

 

Yeah, I also understand the want for more hockey relation in the post but ............. (insert lame comeback)

 

They also have Love Hotels that can either be rented by the hour or the Night for around $30-$60, which is another cheap option and not like the Baitmans Hotel in horrior stories in North America.

 

Also Business Hotels meant for quick stays when you over-worked and cannot make it home as they can range between $50-100 per night.

 

A lot of different options when considering Hotels in Japan.

[Kisslinger 376]

9.5/10 

Article was super interesting and fun to read, I liked the pictures it added a nice touch to it. props for writing such a long article, I could never ahaha. I feel like I learned some stuff about Japan too! More connections to hockey would be ideal but as Seabass stated, it was super interesting and did not matter too much.

[Gaikoku-hito 2,154]

Last claim 4/4 April 11th