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Autobiography Chapter 6: I Am Not A Rich Kid
31 December 1995The days I received training in Japan. I can describe it completely with the word "tough".
A lot of people don't understand why it's tough going to Japan, these advanced countries to study. The reason is very simple - just one word, money. I believe that a majority of people won't believe that I went to Japan to study and unexpectedly I didn't have any money to spend. But the reality is like this. There are a lot of people who think that Ting Fung was born in a rich family and so whatever I want I get. But in fact it isn't like this.
I lived in the countryside in Japan and not in the city. Due to the fact the place I lived was really far from the school, thus I had to wake up really early to go to school. I had to carry a guitar and books, you have to realise these thing add up to at least 25 pounds. And then I slowly walked to the train station. I had to ride it for two hours before I got to school.
As for my food, of course I didn't eat what sashimi or Japanese arrangement, these expensive foods, instead I went to the canteen to eat some very cheap food and that was it for food. If the canteen wasn't open I had to go to the supermarket to buy stuff to eat. Like buying a triangle rice bread for 100 Yen. I bought 5-6 in one go. I buy these round dumplings made from rice and then a bottle of milk to go with the food. I had to rely on this food to keep me going for the whole night. Apart from this I reserved a lot of canned food so if I really was still hungry I can use them to satisfy my hunger.
Even though Japan has quite a lot of entertainment facilities, but for me who didn't have any money of course I couldn't talk about any entertainment. Normally I wouldn't even dare to take a taxi, let alone going out and buying clothes and watching movies? That time I was in Japan, my biggest pleasure was taking work as entertainment. I performed in bars. One, I could train my own musically academic ability. Two, I didn't have to go home everyday to face 4 walls and be so bored. But once, after I finished singing in the bar, it was already 1 something. Because Tokyo's train station are already closed at 12, I only had a couple of thousand Yen, because I didn't have enough money I couldn't get home. At the end I had to sleep in a very old and shabby hotel. I will not forget this incident for all my life.
Living in this tough environment, the biggest benefit I got was not progress in music but was training in self-motivation. Especially when someone is completely isolated and with no help, only at that moment did I know what I had to do. In Japan, I always wore a ripped T-shirt, a jacket, a pair of jeans, a pair of old trainers, carrying on my back a guitar and a bag, only having a couple of thousand Yen on me. I wandered from place to place. That feeling is like a wanderer. In my life the most experiences I had was that time I spent in Japan. As for what I comprehended or what that feeling was like. It really is very hard to put it into words.