WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Paul Holt, 22, has announced that he will be embarking on his first solo trip overseas to the island nation of Japan. Holt, a recent graduate from Purdue University, is well known to his close friends for binge-watching anime, listening exclusively to J-pop, and spending a questionable portion of his federal student funds on character goods. Holt remains adamant that the trip is important for “life experience and cultural enrichment purposes”.
“This guy came in to our agency trying to schedule a trip to Japan and seemed completely set on going no matter the cost,” travel agent Melissa Cooper told Anime Maru. “I asked him what kind of historical or cultural locations he was interested in seeing, but he just sort of gave a blank stare before muttering something about temples and Mount Fuji. At that point I realized he was one of those people. We probably get one of them in here every other week.”
When asked why he chose Japan for his first trip, Holt stated, “I’ve heard Japan is just completely different to our culture and way of life over here in the states.”
“I won’t lie completely, I have seen Lost in Translation once or twice, and that definitely did influence my decision.”
Holt’s trip, which coincidentally lines up with this summer’s iteration of Comiket, has him staying in a capsule hotel located in Tokyo’s heart of otaku culture – Akihabara. Holt insists that the occurrence of Comiket during his visit is purely coincidental, but since he’ll happen to be in the area he might as well take advantage of it.
While none of Holt’s friends seemed to believe the man’s failed attempts at justification, none seemed to have much issue with it either, agreeing that any reason for visiting a country besides using it solely as a way to get footage for a vlog was a fair enough reason to go.