Cebu Island Stay: The Route to Laugh Tale

Laugh Tale is the name of the destination island that appears in One Piece. Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates, who became a rubber human after eating the Gum-Gum Fruit, is aiming for Laugh Tale.

The "One Piece" treasure exists on Laugh Tale.

Many pirate crews are enjoying adventures, seeking the One Piece and aiming for Laugh Tale.

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Well, I started this post by talking about my favorite manga, One Piece.

Currently, I am studying English at the EV ACADEMY English school on Cebu Island. About 20% of the students are Japanese, and many international students come here to learn English.

Older students like me are in the minority; there are many young people in their 20s. Some have just started their careers, while others have quit their jobs and are here in the gap before their next career move.

Talking to these young people, I have realized that they share something in common regarding their life plans.

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It seems that the average Japanese person draws up and executes their life plan with the ideal of running along this track: compulsory education → university → corporate employment → same company → retirement.

It is often described as a "life track." A steel track laid on the ground is firmly fixed. It cannot be moved easily.

That is probably why people feel secure running along that track, knowing they will surely reach the goal.

If they set a different goal, they would likely pull a lever at a junction to proceed onto a different track.

The lever at the junction is very, very heavy. That is why many people often give up. In the end, you can see the pattern of continuing to run on the original track.

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Let's return to the stories of the young people I meet at the English conversation school.

This is Cebu Island. The Philippines is an island nation made up of over 7,000 islands. Japan is also an island nation, but in the Philippines, sea travel is like the railway system in Japan. Cebu City is a major metropolis, but it has no trains.

When I listen to the life plans of these young people, it feels like they are not running on iron rails, but sailing across the sea on a ship. There are no fixed routes on the open sea. Their course might change significantly depending on the weather.

That is exactly what their life plans are like.

They do have a goal, though. Everyone is aiming for that Laugh Tale. They say things like, "A life where I master English and spread my wings to the world as an international citizen."

The general route is:
Study English in Japan → Study abroad in Cebu → (Study abroad in Malta →) Working holiday in Australia → Debut as an international citizen

It doesn't feel like they're running on rails, does it?
They are truly a pirate crew.
They all seem so lively, like an adventure party aiming for Laugh Tale.