Club Members' Report

Journey to the East

My name is John Marshall, a Toastmaster of 5 years and online member of Narita Toastmasters (Area 2, Division G) which I attend from Sydney, Australia. I have long adored Japan, Narita being hybrid enables a small connection to your amazing country & culture.

I was a childhood fan of Nippon Television’s classic show "Monkey" known in Japan as "Saiyuki". It had been purchased by the BBC and dubbed into English for the anglosphere and transmitted regularly throughout the 1980s. It quickly became a cult hit with audiences enjoying the weekly adventures of Masaaki Sakai & colleagues fighting demons enroute to collect the fabled scriptures. Viewed from the west it was exotically foreign and magical, reflecting the title song “Monkey Magic” by the band Godiego, there was simply nothing else like it.  In those school days of long ago we frequently impersonated the characters at breaks, we loved it.

Many decades later, in the midst of the notorious Australian covid lockdowns, I randomly noticed a DVD boxset containing all the episodes, including some never shown beyond Japan but now retrospectively dubbed by the original UK voice actors years later. This typified the love shown in UK & Australia for the show, the dubbing cast wanted to ‘complete’ the series. I eagerly purchased it and was not disappointed. In time I saw there was an opportunity to leverage my new Toastmasters presentation skills and keep spirits high during the pandemic by creating a podcast reviewing episodes and comedically relate to our modern world.

I thought no one would be interested, nor understand my dry sardonic humour but mirroring the success of the show itself, my humble podcast which started slowly ultimately also grew into a cult international hit with subscribers in over 40 countries. I never dreamt I could one day be on Spotify or Apple but with 80 episodes comprising 40 hours content published, I am. Toastmasters gave me confidence, Monkey gave me content and Covid-19 gave me the time. All I needed was a microphone!

Why however am I writing this, now?

In April 2025 I saw on the internet that Mr Sakai, Monkey himself, was due to appear in a gala retro singing event in Tokyo. I would naturally love to see him perform even if I could not understand the lyrics, but could I go? What most reading this will not appreciate is buying Japanese concert tickets from overseas is very challenging. The lack of hiragana characters on computer, no local address plus language barrier usually means failure.

Could Toastmasters help? Of course, the wonderful President of Narita Toastmasters, Yuko Yoshioka-san agreed to assist. A very kind gesture and even better herself and other members, Noguchi-san and Ito-san also decided to attend and had an audacious idea to write to the organisers to ask….would Mr Sakai wish to meet an international podcaster?

I expected nothing, famous people often get such requests, but as I was sight-seeing in Shibuya, I was walking on air rather than the famous crossings when news arrived, “Yes!”

At the concert I finally met my boyhood hero, older yes, but unmistakeably still the man who played Monkey - the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven! There is an adage of never meet your heroes as they often disappoint but I could not agree less. Mr Sakai himself spoke good English and showed a genuine interest in my exploits to date in Japan enjoying the baseball and just how successful the podcast had been. He seemed genuinely touched that an acting job from the 1970s still held such fond memories overseas. I presented him a podcast t-shirt, albeit a little big as Japanese are so slim, and in turn received a signed copy of his autobiography and some pictures of this once in a lifetime meeting. A truly magical culmination of the many hours work spent podcasting, but worth every minute.

I visited other areas of Japan before returning to Tokyo before flying home. I had agreed to speak at a Narita club meeting which much to my surprise it included a tour of local sights, notably a Uema-san inspired visit to a sake brewery, a first for me. I was deeply honoured members from nearby clubs, some senior in District 76, attended to meet me. It was breathtaking friendliness from an amazing group of people in an amazing country.

Godiego’s song was “Monkey Magic” but I will now think as fondly of the magic created by the wonderful members of Narita who in many ways epitomise what being a member of Toastmasters is all about. A supportive learning environment, a willingness to help beyond borders and role modelling the audacity to step out of a comfort zone by attempting a meeting with my childhood hero. It would have all seemed impossible, but like my podcast itself, it was possible and is now a magical memory that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

John Marshall @ Sydney, NSW, District 70

Jp’s Monkey Magic Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple & all good podcast players

Narita Toastmasters is available Zoom/Hybrid on 1st & 3rd Tuesday each month