The Chicken Man

The Chicken Man

Once upon a time, there was a Japanese man who always bowed to whomever he met. He was 28 years old. He worked very hard at his company. He usually worked until 10:00 PM. He even worked on Sunday once or twice a month. He had never requested a paid vacation. He did not drink or smoke. He did not even have any hobbies. He had never been to any foreign countries even though he had some savings. The only thing he knew in life was working at his company. 

In the summer of 1978, the man and his boss were called in by the personnel department of his company. He was told that he should take a paid vacation of at least ten business days immediately. His boss suggested that he would travel to the United States so he could experience a big country. His boss said, "Everything is big and great in America!" 

At that time, he knew a young woman who was a graduate student at USF, University of South Florida, in Tampa. Her name was Naomi. She had worked as an English class instructor, at the same company he worked, for one year before she left for the U.S. The man was one of the students in Naomi's English class. The company had provided the class for the employees for free so he took the class once a week. Naomi was a 23-year-old Japanese woman who spoke English as her second language and French as the third language. The man wanted to visit her in Tampa.

The next week, the man flew to Tampa. He took a taxi from the Tampa Airport and went to a small motel. He received the key for his room as he checked in. The motel had a small pool between the lobby and his room. He walked to the poolside, bowed to everyone there, and said hello. However, there was no response. The man thought that people in Tampa might be shy. Anyway, he entered his room and began unpacking his baggage. Then, he heard a lot of laughing voices, "Chicken man!" He also heard a sound outside his room. He thought that someone probably whistled through his or her fingers. The man remembered this experience for the rest of his life. 

The next morning, the man went to the pool again. He bowed to the people. One big guy said to the man, "Hey, Chicken Man! Are you from Japan? What's your name?" The man answered, "Chicken Man is fine. Please, call me Chicken man." He stayed at the poolside for a half an hour, then had breakfast. Then, he took a taxi and left to go to USF campus.

The man was surprised, "Is this a campus or a town?" He looked at the information board. There was a campus map on it. He began walking toward the cafeteria on the campus. After walking for several minutes, he felt that he might be lost so he asked a student how to get to the cafe. The student said, "Oh no! You should ride a campus bus." The man found Naomi at the cafeteria. She looked like a different person. She was wearing sunglasses and her hair was permed. She often moved her hands while talking. The man said to Naomi, "You look like a fish which got water!" The expression "a fish which got water" is an idiom in Japanese, meaning "a person full of energy in the new environment." 

The next day, Naomi drove him to Kennedy Space Center. It was a long drive. The man asked, "Are you okay? Aren't you tired?" She said,"I'm okay! It's not my first time driving this far. I also maintain my car by myself." The man thought that she had become a strong woman. 

A week passed quickly. The man left the U.S. During the flight, he muttered to himself, "Chicken man, chicken man....."

In 1979, the man quit the company. He was tired of his job. He felt that he was completely burned out. He flew to the U.S. again. He had registered in ESL, English as a Second Language, courses at the Language Academy of USF, Tampa Campus. He was already 29 years old. First he took the beginner course for three months, then the intermediate course for three months. However, he did not take the advanced course at the Language Academy. The tuition was too expensive for him, and he needed to save money for food. 

One of his Japanese classmates at the language academy, Keiko, informed him that there was a cheaper language school which would also support a student visa. She was 30 years old. She told the man that she had also been tired of her job and quit her company in Okinawa, Japan. Keiko and he applied to the school together. 

They attended the ESL classes for one year. They tried to speak English when talking to each other. They enjoyed not only speaking English but also shopping, eating and driving in Florida. 

One year passed very fast. Keiko returned to Okinawa, the man returned to Tokyo. Keiko and the man had spent a lot of money in the U.S. but they did not regret for ESL courses.

As soon as he returned to Tokyo, he began searching for a job. Then, he encountered a problem. No company wanted to hire a 29-year-old man who had a blank in his career for one and half years. The man sent his resume to more than a hundred companies but all were returned to him. 

Some of his former coworkers told him that he was stupid. The man felt that he had lost everything. He walked by Kanda riverside and spent his time at a park every day. 

One evening, he had supper at a small chicken restaurant. The restaurant seemed to be run by an individual person. He ate chicken salad, and it was very delicious. 

The restaurant had a 'Help Wanted' sign posted on the wall. As he finished his supper, he asked an old man who looked like he might be the owner, "I'm wondering if I can work here. I'm 29 years old." The old man answered, "Let's talk tomorrow; you can have lunch here for free." The next day, the man got the job but the pay was only minimum wage, less than his fellow worker who was only 20 years old.

The man worked very hard at the restaurant. The owner taught the man many things about running a restaurant. 

One day, the owner said to the man, "I'm getting older and older. I'm thinking of closing this restaurant." The man said, "No way! Please don't close it!" The owner asked, "Do you want to buy this business from me?" The man answered, "I wish I would do it but I'm not sure if I can borrow money from a bank." The old man said, "You can make monthly payments. I only need enough to support my life." The man said, "Can we live here together? I will take care of you as my dad." The owner and the man began living together on the second floor of the restaurant building. The man took over the management. The old man enjoyed talking with his old customers in the restaurant every day. 

Three years later, the owner passed away, leaving a legal document which authorized that he would give the whole building and his savings to the man as a gift. The man received everything from the old man.

In 2010, the man visited Tampa again. He checked in at the same motel where he stayed in 1978. He unpacked in the room, then went to the poolside. He said hello to people and bowed. 

A big man asked him, "Where are you from?" The Japanese man bowed to him again, "I'm from Japan." The big man said, "I remember I saw a Japanese man who bowed in the same manner as you." The man answered, "I stayed this motel in 1978, and also remember people called me 'Chicken Man'." The big man said, "Oh! Were you him? Well,...sorry for that." The man replied, "No problem. Chicken Man is fine. I like this nickname." 

The big man asked, "By the way, are you on vacation now?" The man answered, "No, this is a business trip. I plan to open my second restaurant in Tampa near USF campus." The big man asked, "What's the name of your restaurant?" The Japanese man bowed again and answered, "The Chicken Man!"

(Thanks, Kathleen Nathalie, J.J. and Jacqueline!)

Japanese version : チキンマン