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Extract from an impromptu student interview a few years back - (real, but truncated and slightly embellished)
So we looked for and found a riding club in Okazaki. Compared to Australia (my all time favorite ride was a gallop along a vast deserted beach in Broome in the far northwest of Australia followed by an afternoon of solo sailing on the Indian Ocean in a small rented catamaran) the amount of space available for riding horses in Japan is err, not much. It isn't impossible in Japan, but to ride a horse in wide open spaces, as opposed to designated tracks/courses, you need to move to rural areas or distant places such as Hokkaido, and that is something I'm not overly keen to do - despite the obvious attractions. Put simply, riding one of these beautiful animals on an occasional basis is about the sum total of my interest in matters equine. I don't own a horse. I'm not likely to buy one. I'm not even likely to buy a pony. Living in a rented house with a no pet rule can have its drawbacks, and even a wooden rocking horse might find its surroundings a bit restrictive.
Can't say I go to racetracks either, and in fact I've only ever placed one bet on the horses in my life. So it was kind of perplexing when sometime around 1999 I started to get a couple of confusing emails regarding horses, racing, and the thoroughbred business in general, particularly in regards to racing in Hong Kong, Macao and southern China. Not a mountain of email of course, initially it was about one little lost inquiry every 3 to 6 months or so. Most of them are what I now term "horsey", though others are a little strange, and some are (to me) completely incomprehensible.
My favorite so far is the one that left me rolling around on the floor of my office laughing until my sides ached - How long does it take to get from Tokyo to Happy Valley on the "shinkansen" and how much is the total train fare? Happy Valley being the famous racecourse in Hong Kong. In another email I was congratulated on my bravery and asked if I had fully recovered from my accident. Apparently I had broken my skull in 8 places! That email alone brought on a hell of a headache, at the end of which I suddenly wasn't sure if I had fully recovered or not. And all in all, the emails were consistent enough to leave me scratching my head over a few dozen pints of Guinness until I finally sussed it all out.
Its kind of funny in a way - even when participating in an obscure "not quite usenet" newsgroup concerning life in Japan, I've had a mysterious poster delurk and ask me completely out of the blue - Are you the former jockey in Hong Kong? I replied "You mean Declan Murphy? No. I have a beard. You must be thinking of Declan Murphy".
Apparently Declan Murphy was a pretty good jockey in Hong Kong too, as he bloody well should have been. What I mean is that it would be one thing being mistaken for a jockey, but another thing entirely to be mistaken for a jockey who sucked. Despite my frequent visits to Hong Kong, we've never met. I guess we must move in different circles. Also, I somehow doubt that Declan Murphy gets asked many questions about learning Japanese or Japan. However if you're looking for Declan Murphy, its my pleasure to inform you that you can find Declan Murphy's website at http://www.dmbloodstock.com, just as you can find Declan Murphy's website here. If you have a bit of time on your hands, are incredibly bored, or are feeling a little mischievous, ask Declan Murphy a question about Japan, or leave a message and tell him that Declan Murphy sent you.
Cheers big ears,
Declan Murphy.
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