![\"fukuoka](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/fukuoka-sunset-sailing-050313-2721.jpg?resize=640%2C427\")
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Jaap Mulder Jaap Mulder first sailed into Hakata bay with his wife Marijke in 1989, as part of a yacht race during Yokatopia Expo from Auckland, Fukuoka\u2019s sister city in New Zealand. The pair, who have \u201calways been on adventures\u201d, had set off from their home in the Netherlands five years previously on a self-built boat. They have since left three times to travel the world, visiting over 50 countries by sea, yet the pull of \u201cthe bay, mountains, seasons, and some good friends\u201d always brings them back to Fukuoka for more. Alishan, their current vessel, is now moored in Meinohama port alongside luxury catamaran \u201cFu Kyo\u201d, which Jaap skippers for Fukuoka Sunset Sailing. When not setting sail with his customers for an evening jaunt, he enjoys running, hiking and fishing, and helps out at the local fish market. Jaap says Japan is a \u201ccruising paradise\u201d as the sailing scene is still relatively quiet, it\u2019s safe and easy to moor a boat and there are many secret spots to discover \u2013 starting with the islands around Fukuoka, of course.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the story of Fukuoka Sunset Sailing?<\/strong> How would you describe your everyday life?<\/strong> What kind of experiences can your customers look forward to?<\/strong> Have you had any memorable trips?<\/strong> What about your own sailing adventures?<\/strong> You have a very unique lifestyle. What is it like to live on a boat?<\/strong> Are there any inconveniences to boat life?<\/strong> You\u2019ve travelled a lot, but often returned to Fukuoka. Why?<\/strong> How do you feel about life in Japan?<\/strong> How is the sailing scene in Fukuoka?<\/strong> Do you have any other hobbies?<\/strong> What different kinds of wildlife have you seen?<\/strong> How about the future?<\/strong> Have you ever visited Dejima (an Edo era Dutch trading island) in Nagasaki?<\/strong> For more details about Yaap\u2019s boats and Fukuoka Sunset Sailing, please visit http:\/\/www.syalishan.com\/<\/a>, http:\/\/syalishan.blogspot.jp\/<\/a>, and their Facebook page: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FukuokaSunsetSailing1<\/a>. Information for visiting yachts can be found at http:\/\/boatingjapan.blogspot.jp\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nHometown:<\/strong> The Netherlands
\nIn Japan:<\/strong> 24 years
\nIdentity:<\/strong> Skipper, Fukuoka Sunset Sailing<\/p>\n
\nMy wife and I originally sailed from Holland to New Zealand in 1984, and lived there for a while. Then in 1989 we did a yacht race from Auckland to Fukuoka, as part of the Yokatopia Expo. We ended up staying here for two years, and then cruised back to New Zealand. After another year and half there, we didn\u2019t like our jobs so we set sail again, back to Fukuoka. This time we stayed for 11 years, living on the boat and making friends in the Harbour. Three years ago our friends introduced me to someone who had just bought a catamaran and needed a crew. Together we went to the Goto islands, around the mainland to Kobe and to Okinawa, where we helped out with some charter sailing. Back in Fukuoka, we thought we should try something similar in this beautiful bay. Nobody had done it here before, so we had to figure out how to get the special licence and find a place to park the boat. But all that went well.<\/p>\n![\"fukuoka](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/fukuoka-sunset-sailing-050313-194.jpg?resize=640%2C427\")
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\nThree times a week I go running at 6am, then either work online, updating our homepage and Facebook, or do maintenance on the boat. Customers usually come in the late afternoon, so I prepare the boat, then we go out for the sunset. That\u2019s my sail boat life, but I also have a fish boat life! On Sunday mornings my wife and I both get up at 4am to help out at the fish market in the Harbour. The market specialises in live fish so I help kill the fish the Japanese way. On weekdays I often go out on the fishing boats too, all day and sometimes all night. I\u2019m actually trained to be a physical therapist, but I\u2019ve slowly learnt the Japanese fishing style by watching.On Sunday to Thursday my wife and I eat fish, then on Friday we have a special treat \u2013 chicken!<\/p>\n![\"fn184](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/fn184-in-fukuoka-073.jpg?resize=640%2C427\")
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\nPeople can experience being away from land, in a luxury boat. We do offer longer trips to the islands, but the majority of people come for sunset sailing, which is about three hours. You don\u2019t need experience, as we sail you around, but I really try and get everyone to help out. You don\u2019t need a licence to try driving the boat. Catamarans are very safe \u2013 a glass of wine will stay on the table, unlike on an ordinary sail boat. For about 90% of my customers, it\u2019s their first time on a boat and they are often amazed and ask lots of questions. <\/p>\n![\"IMG_0824\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/IMG_0824.jpg?w=640\")
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\nThere\u2019s an experienced sailor who has his own sailing yacht, but he comes with his friends \u2013 Fu Kyo is a party boat for him. Once five girls and five boys came on a group date, who had never met before. They were nervous when they came on board, then we went out on the bay, which is really relaxing. Of course, they were drinking a little, and by the time we got back to the Harbour, the atmosphere had totally changed. Most people are from Fukuoka, although a month ago a group of Russians came to the city with their own boat, who wanted to go fishing with us.<\/p>\n
\nWe\u2019ve met very interesting people and travellers, and we\u2019ve been to over 50 countries and travelled 80,000 miles by boat. I want to go again! The nice thing about travelling by sea is you have your own hotel wherever you go, with your own bed, books and cooking. If you like it, you stay, and if you don\u2019t, you move on. It\u2019s not so great if you want to go inland, though, as it\u2019s sometimes difficult to find somewhere safe to park the boat. For the last ocean trip, we\u2019ve been travelling in South East Asia. We also went 80km up a saltwater river through a jungle in Borneo, where we saw orangutans and crocodiles. One night we were woken up by three elephants crossing the river right in front of us. <\/p>\n![\"fn184](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/fn184-in-fukuoka-019.jpg?resize=512%2C768\")
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\nWe\u2019ve been living on a boat for 30 years and we still don\u2019t think about buying or renting a house \u2013 it\u2019s become a part of us. It\u2019s not easy in the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter, but we feel close to nature. I check the weather daily for the week ahead, as I want to be prepared for storms. Life can be much cheaper living on a boat. We worked to buy it and it\u2019s our house. A lot of people live on boats in the Netherlands, but we are very unusual in Japan. I don\u2019t know anyone else in Kyushu who lives on a boat. It\u2019s not illegal, but Japanese people are always surprised. <\/p>\n
\nWe\u2019re used to the movement of the boat. We don\u2019t have the luxury of a washing machine, as it uses a lot of water, and we have only limited electricity from solar panels. We have to go to the coin laundry. Our boat carries 600 liter of water and yes, sometimes the water tank is empty, so we have to fill it. And do other major maintenance, once every two years. I don\u2019t see many negative things though. <\/p>\n
\nWe were in our late 20s when we left, and we built our first boat ourselves. We have always been on adventures. Fukuoka is such a nice place. We have left three times, but each time we return to Hakata Bay, we are struck by what a beautiful city it is, with the bay, the mountains, its transportation, the four seasons\u2026 we have many good friends here too. <\/p>\n
\nOne of the major advantages is safety, and having a good place to moor the boat. In Australia and New Zealand there are lots of burglars, but not here. There are many secret spots that you can only reach by boat! We spent three or four days exploring an island off the coast near Yobuko called Madara Shima, where we met some local people. To be there was just magic, there were no other tourists. In the Harbour we saw a commercial fishing boat \u2013 half an hour later Marijke was eating fugu with the fishermen! Japan is a cruising paradise. It\u2019s easy to go off the beaten track. When we went down to Okinawa in 2006, we stopped off at lots of islands and people often knocked on the boat and offered us a shower or their cars to explore the island. It\u2019s give and take \u2013 we always invite people on board to see how we live, too. <\/p>\n![\"fn184](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/fn184-in-fukuoka-036.jpg?resize=640%2C427\")
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\nPeople are very keen on dinghy sailing and I see students from high schools training every day. Some Olympic medallists train at Odo, the next marina along from us. The yachting scene in Japan is way behind elsewhere, though. It\u2019s easier to import parts for the boat from abroad than to find them in Japan, as it\u2019s such a small market. In Auckland, every day there is a yacht race. I think it\u2019s because it\u2019s something new and people don\u2019t know how to enjoy it, and they don\u2019t like sitting in the sun so much. I think more people will sail in the future, but it\u2019s expensive and there aren\u2019t many marinas to park a boat. <\/p>\n
\nMy second hobby is running, and my wife\u2019s is bird watching. It’s good fun to sail to the islands and explore by running. I\u2019m involved with a group of hikers. We started by running half marathons on the road, but two weeks ago seven of us took the last train to Karatsu and ran 55km to Sasebo, through the night. I\u2019m off skiing in Hokkaido tomorrow and after that I\u2019m flying to Hong Kong for a marathon in the mountains. The sea and mountains seem to go together \u2013 my boat is called Alishan, which is the name of the most famous mountain in Taiwan. <\/p>\n
\nIn Okinawa, we ran into this bunch of dolphins, who played with us for about 45 minutes. It was so fun and exciting. Here in Fukuoka there aren\u2019t many dolphins, I only see a few sometimes when fishing outside the bay. There are turtles sometimes too, but if they come into the bay, they are usually sick. I\u2019ve seen whales and dolphins down in Kagoshima, and sharks\u2026 they come close to the beach, but don\u2019t worry, they\u2019re not the type that eat humans \u2013 the ones we catch have no teeth. We\u2019ve been snorkelling in the South Pacific likeTahiti and Bora Bora, and my wife never worries about sharks!<\/p>\n![\"fn184](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/fn184-in-fukuoka-114.jpg\")
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\nSometimes my boss of Fukuoka Sunset Sailing says, \u201cYaap, let\u2019s buy another boat and go to America!\u201d, and we both would love to go to Alaska one day. For now, I\u2019ve got a beautiful job here, and my wife is happy teaching a few classes at the elementary school. In Japan, I\u2019d like to go to Hokkaido. It\u2019s great to explore the stops in between. When we picked up this lifestyle, we decided not to have children, so we are only responsible to each other. We have two cats and we feel responsible to the community. We look out for the fishermen and they look out for us. When we left in 2006 to go to Singapore, it was quite painful, because they\u2019re more family to us than my real family back in Europe. At least once a week I get a phone call from the fishermen inviting me to have a bath at one of their houses! <\/p>\n
\nYes, that\u2019s fun. Nagasaki is great. Before Dejima, the Dutch were in Hirado. When the outsiders did business with Japan, the emperor said that the foreigners had to move to Dejima. When we first arrived here, we were cruising around a little and ended up in Hirado in one of the worst typhoons we\u2019ve had in Japan. The day after, when the typhoon was over, the city council came out, we were given flowers and were in the newspapers! Before coming to Japan, we had no idea about the history of the Japan\/Dutch relationship. <\/p>\n