A young man from Singapore has finally found the elusive karate master who he was searching for in Japan.
Koh Tian Lin, a 25-year-old computer-industry worker, went to a remote village in northern Japan trying to fulfill the last wish of his dying father, who asked him to find a secret karate book held by the Japanese master.
His father, a karate teacher, gave his son only a little bit of information about his former master, including that his name sounded like "Soma" and he had two daughters.
Koh's search initially flopped when he had to be rescued from a car in the woods in near-freezing temperatures after he and two of his friends got lost during their search. But the karate master read news of his problems in a newspaper and arranged a meeting with him through the local tourism center.
The master turned out to be Shoen Fukuda, 61, a teacher in a small town who remembered teaching Koh's father 30 years before.
"I was moved that he visited Japan only because of his late father's wish," Fukuda said.
Fukuda, impressed by the respect that Koh had for his father, gave him an honorary title as karate master.
But he would not give him the secret book on karate skills.
"It is my treasure which my Chinese master gave me when I was training there," Fukuda said. (afp)
新加坡一名年輕男子終於在日本找到遍尋不得的空手道高人。
現年二十五歲、在電腦業服務的許天林（譯音）為了完成父親遺願，遂動身前往日本北部一處偏遠村落，尋找日本這位高手手中的空手道祕笈。
許天林的父親也是位空手道教練，他給許天林有關這位前師父的線索，只有他的姓名發音類似「Soma」以及他育有兩女。
一開始，許天林尋找高人的行動徹底失敗，他與兩名友人在尋人途中迷路，之後搜救人員在接近零度的低溫中，從樹林裡一輛車上救出三人。不過這位空手道高人在報紙上看到許天林的消息後，便主動透過當地旅遊中心安排兩人見面。
原來這名高手是現年六十一歲、目前在北部某小鎮授課的福田松園（譯音），他記得自己三十年前曾教過許天林的父親。
福田說：「他來日本只為一圓亡父遺願，這令我很感動。」
許天林對父親的那份尊敬深深打動了福田，福田因此決定授予許天林空手道高手的榮譽頭銜。
但他不會把寫有各項空手道絕技的祕笈交給許天林。
1. Why did Koh's father want him to find Fukuda?
a. To tell him his dying wishes.
b. To find his secret karate book.
c. So that Koh could learn karate from him.
2. How did Fukuda hear about Koh?
a. He read about him in a newspaper.
b. He rescued him from a freezing car.
c. He found him at the tourism center.
3. Why did Fukuda give Koh an honorary title?
a. Koh is really good at karate.
b. Fukuda had taught Koh 30 years before.
c. Fukuda was impressed by how much Koh respected his
father.
4. Fukuda would not give Koh the book because ...
a. it did not actually exist.
b. he wanted to keep it for himself.
c. it had been lost a long time ago.
Ans: 1.b 2.a 3.c 4.b
福田說：「那可是我在那兒受訓時，中國籍師父送給我的寶物。」
（法新社／翻譯：林倩如）
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