Wonderful Fool Wiki

**Wonderful Fool: Welcome to Japan!** (おバカさん: 日本へようこそ!; "*Obaka-san: Nihon e Yōkoso!"*) is a game adaptation of the book *Wonderful Fool* by Shusaku Endo. Developed and created by team wonderfulfools, it was released December 12th at 7:00 a.m. EST. For the purpose of raising awareness about the harms of nationalism, a global issue is integrated into the game's storyline, an interactive approach to its presence in the daily lives of people.

Hey! While you're reading this wiki, considering filling this interactive sheet out!

## Parts

### **Part 1:**

The game starts with a menu for the player to enter their preferred name. Once the player enters a name and presses START, the story starts with Y/N in a classroom. You are informed that you Y/N are a student in an IB English class taught by Mr. Not-Peña and that you have just failed yet another quiz on the book Wonderful Fool by Shūsaku Endo. The dismissal bell rings and Y/N, full of despair, exits the school and makes their way to the car line. Y/N walks out into the street without looking for potential dangers and is instantly hit by a white truck.

Y/N wakes up lying down in near darkness. Then they realize that the room is swaying from side to side and that there is a horrible stench in the air. Y/N, befuddled, looks around and sees that they are in the bottom bunk of a bunk bed. There is light coming in from a porthole, and they realize that they are in the hold of a ship. A sailor’s voice is heard loudly announcing that the ship has arrived in Tokyo, Japan. Y/N, who now “understands” Japanese and French, hears someone excitedly say in Japanese: “I am finally in Japan!” (The in-game dialogue shows the Japanese or French and then a translation in the player’s chosen language). Y/N looks towards the direction of the sound and sees an absurdly smiling Gaston Bonaparte. Y/N thinks, *What an idiot*.

Gaston, still smiling, sees Y/N and says in Japanese, “Hello stranger! I see you are also a foreigner coming to Japan. What is your name?” The player has the option to:

* > Ignore Gaston
* > Tell him your name
* > Greet him, tell him your name and ask for his name too

If Y/N ignores Gaston, Gaston looks sad but says “It’s okay, you must be tired and confused. You can stay here with me for a bit if you like.”

If Y/N simply tells Gaston their name, Gaston replies, “Hello Y/N! It is nice to talk with someone a little bit like me.”

If Y/N greets Gaston, tells him their name, and asks for his name, Gaston replies, “My name is Gaston! Oui, oui, it is nice to meet you, Y/N. I can see you are just as happy as me to be in Japan. You can be my travel buddy!” Gaston stays in the hold of the ship as other people are heard getting off. Feeling a little bad for Gaston, Y/N stays behind with him.

The text indicates that 20 minutes have passed and that Y/N and Gaston are still in the hold of the ship. Y/N hears someone coming down the ladder. They hear Takamori Higaki say “Gaston Bonaparte?” Gaston, startled, says “(French) Oui…(Japanese) yes, yes, yes.” You hear Tomoe Higaki gasp “Horse!” (All dialogue from Takamori and Tomoe is Japanese unless indicated otherwise). Y/N starts to experience déjà vu, feeling like the scene is familiar.

Tomoe, in an angry whisper, asks what to do with Gaston. Takamori, amused, replies that they will go through customs and get a taxi, which Tomoe will pay for. Y/N sees Tomoe and thinks, Wow, she’s pretty. Y/N sees Takamori and thinks He’s…interesting.

The narrative cuts to Y/N, Gaston, Tomoe, and Takamori getting out of the taxi and entering the sushi restaurant. They all sit down at a table and begin to eat. Y/N realizes that they are inside the book Wonderful Fool, and they are fairly sure that something went wrong inside this restaurant, but they cannot remember exactly what. Y/N gets lost in thought trying to remember, and they snap out of it when they realize that Gaston has tied the fundoshi around his neck and that the whole restaurant is looking at their table and laughing. Tomoe looks disgusted and appalled and Takamori seems to be at a loss for words.

The text indicates that several hours have passed. Y/N is in the room that he shares with Gaston. Gaston tells Y/N that he is going to sleep now and you wish Gaston good night. You start to exit your shared room, but then stop as you overhear Takamori and Tomoe talking about Gaston. Tomoe, with an angry expression, says, “Now I hope you’re satisfied…bringing that fool into our home. If he’s not a fool, he’s a fake. He has no common sense.” The player has the option to:

* > Keep listening to the conversation
* > Join the conversation and insult Gaston
* > Join the conversation and defend Gaston

If Y/N keeps listening to the conversation, they hear Takamori defend Gaston by saying, “He may surprise us all. All these characteristics are just surface level, and even Japan’s men of culture can be unsavory. He could be a great man who doesn’t care about appearances and trivial things. Even with me, Tomoe, you can’t see that I’m a man among men.”

If Y/N joins the conversation and insults Gaston, Takamori defends him with the same statements and tells Y/N and Tomoe to be patient with Gaston.

If Y/N joins the conversation and defends Gaston, Takamori says “See, Tomoe, Y/N has a good point,” and proceeds to defend Gaston with the same statements.

The text indicates that it is the next day. Y/N is sitting with Gaston at a temple watching children play and hearing doves coo. Y/N reminds Gaston about Tokyo Tower, the Japanese Diet, the Ministry buildings, and the Nichigeki Burlesque, which Takamori and Tomoe told him about. Gaston smiles at Y/N and replies that he is content to stay at the temple.

The text indicates that several hours have passed. Takamori asks Y/N and Gaston if they had gone to any of the places that he and Tomoe had suggested. When Gaston replies that he hadn’t, Takamori offers to take Y/N and Gaston to visit “the real Tokyo.”

Gaston and Y/N follow Takamori and Tomoe to eat and sightsee Shinjuku. Takamori suggests that the party goes to a bar. On the way there, Y/N and Gaston share their amazement and wonder of the city until they are approached by a strange man with his hands in his coat pockets down an alleyway. “Are you enjoying your time here, foreigner?” asked the strange man with a hushed voice. Y/N and Gaston proceed to tell the man that they’re having a wonderful time exploring with their friends. The man also asks if Y/N and Gaston want to see ‘Beautiful Pictures of Japan’. The player has two options:

* > see the pictures
* > tell Takamori and Tomoe about the pictures

If Y/N decides to see the pictures, the game will bluescreen with an error code saying that the contents are NSFW and the player can choose again.

If Y/N decides to tell Takamori and Tomoe about the pictures Takamori will come over and drag Y/N and Gaston away while calling the strange man a lout. Takamori will also fill Tomoe in of the situation, and Y/N will overhear.

“Watch who you’re calling names, mate. You looking for a fight?” is heard from the strange man threatening the party. Y/N and Tomoe hide behind Takamori in fear of this comment. In an attempt to scare the man away Takamori tells him that Gaston is the Brazilian boxing champion, Mr Gaston. Y/N backs up this claim by adding that they, Takamori, and Tomoe are staff of the ‘Daily Herald’. Takamori tells Gaston “Knock out this thug” in english which neither Gaston nor the man understand. The strange man runs away as Gaston confusedly walks over to Takamori. The party rush away from the alley.

The group are found in front of a bar set to a French aesthetic. The party reluctantly go in because there are no other bars in the area. Takamori describes the place as a terrible coffee shop where everyone inside resembles fish under the dim aquarium-like lighting. Y/N notices that everyone in the bar seemed enamored with France and the French lifestyle. Tomoe then calls someone over. “I’d like you to meet Mr Osako, who works in my office,” says Tomoe. Osako introduces himself, and Y/N can’t help but think that he sounds like a woman. “Osako, this is Gaston Bonaparte and Y/N. Gaston is from France and is staying with us.” At these words Osako’s face grows tense and he says “It is a great privilege to be able to speak with a real Frenchman”  to Gaston. Osako then invites himself into the group and talks about his interest in French art and admiration for the country. Y/N couldn’t help but notice that Osako’s tone sounded like he was putting down his own country while praising the French. Y/N also notices that Takamori is talking strangely and acting strange.

The scene then cuts to the group leaving the bar with an anxious Takamori, until they are stopped by a group of thugs. “All right, lay off” says Takamori in his most intimidating voice. Two more thugs then appear and begin dragging everyone to a dark corner of the Shinjuku station. Y/N notices that nobody is wanting to help them or the group as they go by many bars. Tomoe cries out “Please help us! These thugs are molesting us!” to two students that are passing by but are intimidated to leave by the leader thug. At that moment Osako flees screaming with a shrill soprano screech. Takamori then yells “Gas, Y/N, Tomoe, now!” prompting everyone to attempt their fleeing while the guards are temporarily distracted. Y/N manages to break themselves from their guard’s grasp while Takamori flings his weight onto Tomoe’s guard freeing her, grabbing her hand, and running away with Y/N and Tomoe close behind. Gaston is being left behind. The player is met with more options:

* > return to Gaston to make sure there is another person to fight off the thugs

* > continue running with Takamori and Tomoe

If Y/N decides to run back to Gaston they get caught prematurely by a guard chasing them and are knocked out to ensure no more escape. Then the player is brought back to the choice.

If Y/N decides to continue running, they will keep running until a police officer is met.

The narrative is now focused on Gaston, whos is alone with the thugs. Just getting a grasp of the situation and who the thugs are, Gaston falls silent. A thug asks, “Will you buy these pictures or won’t you?” The main thug then realizes that Gaston is not a boxing champion by looking at his hands. The main thug then allows one of the weaker thugs to beat up Gaston. The thug says “You damned Americans! Walking all over Japan as if you owned the country!” “Blue-eyed bastard!” Gaston finally caught his breath to fight back but he only covered his face with his arm and cried out “why! We’re all friends, right? Why!” The thugs leave in slight shame, leaving Gaston all alone, until Takamori, Tomoe, Y/N, and a policeman show up. Covered in blood, Gaston smiles that his friends came back for him and Y/N can only wonder in horror about what happened.

The group is now back at the Higaki home and Gaston has something important to discuss with Y/N and Takamori. The three go upstairs to listen to what Gaston has to say, and he declares that he is going to leave and explore Japan on his own. Gaston invites Y/N to come with him, though. The player is presented with choices once again:

* > stay with the Higaki family and experience their Tokyo

* > follow Gaston and experience Japan the way he wants to

If the player chooses to stay with the family, then the rest of Y/N’s trip is said to be uneventful and the game ends there, with a choice to go back and make a different selection.

If the player chooses to follow Gaston, then a cutscene is played where Gaston and Y/N are giving their goodbyes to everyone in the house, and they are walking away. Dog-san also joins Y/N and Gaston and the two are seen looking into the stars with Dog-san following behind.

### **Part 2:**

The narrative resumes with Gaston, Dog-san, and Y/N walking through the streets of Sangenchaya, on the outskirts of Tokyo, looking up at the stars. Feeling dejected, Gaston is exhausted by the events that had occurred earlier that night. He can’t help but reflect on his shortcomings and his never-ending failures throughout his childhood and in Japan. He talks with Y/N about being teased as a kid and his desire to trust everyone. He expresses gratitude for the companionship of Y/N and Dog-san, and Y/N is touched.

The text indicates the passage of a two hours’ walk to Shibuya. Y/N, Gaston, and Dog-san check into the Hilltop Hotel. Again, Y/N forgets what happens at this point in the book and is not sure whether to warn Gaston about possible embarrassment or danger.

Y/N sees Prostitute and General Tojo lookalike come through the door as Gaston checks into the hotel with the maid. Y/N thinks about how the man looks like General Tojo from World War II, whom they learned about from an IB senior taking HL Contemporary History.

The text indicates that ten minutes have passed. Gaston and Y/N both need to use the bathroom and start to step into the hallway. Y/N and Gaston see Prostitute run through the corridor. She tells Y/N and Gaston, “I hate Ame-kō, get out of my way!” General Tojo lookalike is heard shouting, “HEY!” and he and the maid approach the room. The Prostitute runs into Y/N and Gaston’s room, and Gaston runs in after her. The Prostitute begs Y/N and Gaston for help.

Y/N and Gaston hear the “shōben” conversation down the hallway. Gaston understands shōben to mean urinating, but Y/N is unsure what they mean.

The player has the option to:

* > Do nothing and let General Tojo guy and the maid catch Gaston
* > Go start a conversation with General Tojo lookalike and the maid to distract them as both Gaston and the Prostitute escape

If Y/N does nothing, the Prostitute jumps through the window with Gaston’s assistance and her cry of pain alerts General Tojo lookalike and the maid to her escape. Y/N and Gaston are scolded by General Tojo lookalike for being “ignorant foreigners” and he demands Y/N and Gaston to pay for his clothes. The hotel manager talks him out of this but kicks out Y/N, Gaston, and Dog-san with a full refund.

If Y/N chooses to distract General Tojo lookalike and the maid, Y/N asks General Tojo lookalike what is going on. The maid, sympathetic to your status as a foreigner, explains that the prostitute has stolen General Tojo lookalike’s clothing. General Tojo angrily tells Y/N that they are an ignorant, stupid American and that they should stay out of his business. They open the door to Y/N and Gaston’s room, but Gaston, Dog-san, and Prostitute have all vanished without a trace. General Tojo lookalike and the maid keep looking for Prostitute, and Y/N quietly sneaks out of the hotel to find Gaston.

Dejected and having to place to go, Gaston and Y/N wander the streets of Shibuya when a man in a black coat asks for help with his car. The player is presented with choices once again:

* > Ignore the stranger
* > Help the stranger with his car

If the player chooses to ignore the stranger, Y/N and Gaston continue to look for a place to sleep for the night, but will end up sleeping on the road and are taken by police in the morning because of their homelessness.

If the player chooses to help the stranger, Y/N and Gaston follow him into a dark alleyway where they are told to fix the front tire of his car. The man orders Y/N and Gaston to get a toolbox out of his trunk to help them, but is also instructed to pull out an item covered in a black cloth and hand it to the man. The man takes it and another man in the front seat orders them to sit down. Y/N and Gaston are threatened to sit in the car and they are kidnapped by the man in the black coat. The object in the black cloth falls out and is revealed to be a colt pistol.

### Part 3:

Y/N, Gaston, and Endo exit the car driven by Endo’s driver to the coffee shop in the Ginza where they have arranged to meet Kanai. Endo brings Y/N and Gaston into the coffee shop after Kanai enters and sits down. Endo introduces himself as part of a “Cultural Exchange Society” and follows up on their phone call regarding what kind of Caucasian girl would “suit him.” He introduces Gaston as “Mr. Sade” and Y/N as “Mx. Henderson,” the people in charge of this society. Kanai expresses disbelief at the prospect of white prostitutes in Tokyo, and Endo and Kanai have a hushed, unintelligible conversation. Gaston blinks and shakes his head furiously to attempt to show Kanai that he was at the coffee shop against his will. Endo tells Kanai that he will need to follow him, pays the bill for the coffee, and urges Y/N not to try anything and to keep Gaston in check.

Endo leads Kanai, Y/N, and Gaston to a loud construction site. Kanai asks where the women are, and Endo asks Kanai if he looks familiar to him. Endo then reveals that Kanai framed his brother. Kanai begs for mercy and a chance to tell his side of the story, and after having a coughing fit, Endo moves to shoot Kanai. Endo is influenced by Gaston’s pleading and Kanai’s cries for mercy, but he shoots anyway.

Nothing happens–the bullets have been removed. Endo tries to shoot two more times and nothing happens. Kanai takes the opportunity to retreat.

Endo sees Y/N’s disbelief and realizes Gaston took out the bullets. Endo begins to hit and kick Gaston mercilessly. When Gaston still tries to follow Endo, Y/N tries to get Gaston to leave Endo alone and go away as he gets more violent. Endo finally knocks out Gaston and gruffly tells Y/N to go away and not return. Y/N, horrified that Endo would go this far, rushes off to find medical care.

The text indicates that a few days have passed. Y/N, now drifting aimlessly through Japan, has boarded a train with a stop at Yamagata. Y/N wakes up from a nap just before the Yamagata station is announced, and Y/N sees Gaston sitting across from him. Y/N asks, surprised, “Gaston, what are we doing here? Where are we going?” Gaston only replied that they were in search of Endo because he was planning on killing another. Y/N and Gaston get off of the train and go to every inn in the area asking if there is anyone with the name of Endo staying there, neither of them realizing that he could have registered himself under a different name. Exhausted, they both ask a policeman for a man with the name of ‘Kobayashi’- Endo’s next target. The policeman directs them to Kosho-machi, the red light district and tells them that Kobayashi can be found there. Both Y/N and Gaston travel to the district and find a house that has a sign that says “Kobayashi - Land Surveyor”. Gaston looks inside a window to see if anyone is home, and Endo is there seemingly waiting for someone.

Kobayashi appears and is seen showing Endo a piece of parchment, both of them laughing amicably in a fashion that old friends would. Gaston was confused, “Y/N Endo doesn’t have the same hatred in his eyes, I don’t understand,” he says to Y/N. Y/N takes a look for themselves and confirms Gaston’s confusion. Endo is then seen getting up and leaving the house. Gaston runs up to Endo after letting him walk around 10 yards leaving Endo in shock that he and Y/N have managed to find him.

It is now the morning of Kobayashi’s escorting of Endo up the mountain and into the swamp. Endo was coughing up blood the previous night, so Gaston was even more adamant about following him up the mountain. Y/N insisted on going as well but Gaston urged them not to, because he knew there was bound to be another death.

The narrative shifts back into one without Y/N and Endo, Kobayashi, and Gaston are rendezvousing when Gaston is handed a shovel, some rope, and ordered to follow. “You’ve made up?” Gaston asks cheerfully, then begins to whistle. Endo immediately stops him and they continue in silence. While walking, Kobayashi asks Endo in a voice loud enough for Gaston to hear, “are you sure you can trust that foreigner? I don’t distrust him but…” Endo tells Kobayashi that he’s the one giving orders and to just follow, and threatens him with a colt. A long trek later, the three come across a shack where Gaston intends on going in search of water, but Kobayashi interjects that a foreigner might arouse too much suspicion. Kobayashi goes in place of Gaston and retrieves some orange soda.

The trio now arrive at a pond they need to cross. Kobayashi is ordered to cross it but Gaston goes instead. When Gaston is too far in, he realizes that the muddy water is pulling him in and is unable to free himself. Gaston does not know how to swim. This is when a battle ensues between Kobayashi and Endo. Endo tries calling out to Gaston but is attacked by Kobayashi using a shovel, and continues to strike at Endo’s hand which is gripping his colt, after making him fall over. Endo manages to get back up but drops his colt in the process. Both men are panting and fighting in desperation as Gaston struggles to get out of the water. Kobayashi manages to reach the colt and attempts to break with his shovel, while also trying to hit Endo who is sidestepping to dodge each blow. Endo slowly leads Kobayashi into the muddy water to reduce his agility and increase the resistance of the ground on his shovel when Gaston manages to get in between the two. Kobayashi takes another strike but the shovel lands on Gaston’s head. Driven by fear and the sight of Gaston’s blood, Kobayashi continually hits Gaston with his shovel giving Endo enough time to grab the colt and shoot Kobayashi with it.

Endo falls over and Gaston manages to protect Endo’s body after having taken multiple blows from a shovel and fallen into the pond twice after getting hit in the head. Out of sheer fear, Kobayashi drops his shovel and runs away.

A cutscene is then played. Takamori and Tomoe are shown going through Gaston’s things and discovering his notebook. They find a couple sentences written in a different language and translate them. Gaston wanted to be a Mission Seminary but had failed his exams 3 times. He had written in his journal, “Still, I must go to Japan.”

The game then ends.

## Characters

### Main characters

* **Gaston Bonaparte** (ガストン・ボナパルト)
	+ Played by: George Smith
	+ A happy-go-lucky Frenchman who travels to Japan, surrounded by nationalistic ignorance. He is unconditionally trusting and always trusts that someone is doing good. He wants to see the best in everyone around him, even if they are not inherently or outwardly good.
* **Y/N** (選手)
	+ Played by: The Player
	+ Originally a student in an IB English class who manages to fail all of their quizzes on the book *Wonderful Fool*. After school, they happen to collide with a white truck and wake up in a visual novel adaptation of *Wonderful Fool*.
* **Tomoe Higaki** (檜垣 巴)
	+ Played by: Li Xiuzhen
	+ A shrewd, independent model woman of Japan. She is Takamori's younger sister by six years, though she seems to be the responsible and prudent one. Initially disappointed and discriminatory towards Gaston.
* **Takamori Higaki** (檜垣 高森)
	+ Played by: Kento Chento
	+ Former pen-pal of Gaston. Despite being Tomoe's older brother, he is perpetually lazy and a spendthrift. He also selfish and uses Gaston's good nature to defend himself.
* **Endo** (遠藤)
	+ Played by: Nishibori Kairu
	+ A deeply troubled gangster with tuberculosis. His brother was executed after being wrongly accused of a war crime. He seeks revenge against the superiors who framed his brother.

### Other named characters

**Part 1**:

* **Mr. Not-Peña** - Y/N's IB English teacher. He is infamous for his numerous quizzes.
* **Sailor** - A man who lets Gaston and Y/N know that they have arrived in Tokyo on the *Vietnam*.
* **Dog-san/Napoleon** (犬さん) - A mongrel dog that Gaston befriends on the whim. He follows Gaston on his journey throughout Japan.
* **Nishino** - A thug who tries to sell Gaston 'beautiful pictures of Japan,' when in reality they are pornography. When he is rejected, he brings other thugs to pursue Y/N, Gaston, Tomoe, and Takamori through Shinjuku.
* **Osako** (大迫) - Tomoe's effeminate coworker at Disanto Trading Company. He fetishizes France for its 'perfect' culture and aesthetic.

**Part 2**:

* **General Tojo Lookalike** - A guest at the Hilltop Hotel, who supposedly bears a great resemblance to General Tojo. He has his wallet stolen by the prostitute.
* **Maid** - Accompanies the General Tojo Lookalike.
* **Prostitute** - A seemingly lowly woman who befriends Gaston after a misunderstanding.
* **Endo's Unnamed Older Brother** - The brother who was framed for his crimes. Endo is to avenge him.

**Part 3**:

* **Kanai** (金井) - One of Endo's brother's superiors who is pursued by Endo. He is lured by the notion of white prostitutes.
* **Kobayashi** (小林) - Another superior of Endo's brother, also pursued by Endo. Assumes that Endo knows what happened thirteen years ago at the swamp.

## Gameplay

The visual novel has players interact with characters from the book and immersed in the story. It is single player and occasionally gives the player choices to make that determine the fate of their character and those around them. The pacing of the dialogue and events can be chosen by the player.

## Development/Global Issue: Nationalism

### **Part 1:**

* **Expectations** - Specifically, Tomoe’s expectations of Takamori. She creates a rift between herself and him, her closest family member. While Takamori still has the friendship of his coworkers, Tomoe seems to only see Osako at work. In short, she is lonely. The isolation she created through herself by setting material expectations of what a man should be limits her happiness.
* **The Fundoshi Incident** - The contrast in how Takamori and Tomoe respond to Gaston’s simple mistake highlights the tensions of nationalism. One viewpoint is to be utterly disgusted and horrified by Gaston's innocent mistake, which stems from a place of judgment against foreigners. The alternative is to listen to how Gaston had been deceived, then empathize with him by putting yourself then his shoes.
* **An "Aquarium” Coffee Shop** - Where we first glimpse Osako’s true personality and mixed feelings towards Gaston. The Francophiles of post-World War II Japan glorify all things French to a ridiculous extent. While Osako’s character is not seen everyday, his interactions with Gaston are foolish. Osako is selectively blind when analyzing cultures and nationalities, seeing only what he wants to see, just like holding extreme prejudices against a certain group can distort another’s actual perception of them.

### **Part 2:**

* **I Hate Ame-kō** - One of the Prostitute’s first lines, the phrase Ame-kō is a specific opprobrium used for Americans. This is a reference to the world war Japan and the US were opposite sides on a few decades before. The prostitute may hold this shallow, nationalistic bias, but it speedily falls, almost impressively. Once Gaston is kicked out of the hotel, the prostitute leads this trusting man to her back alley. The prostitute is able to judge Gaston based on his actions and intentions (helping her get away for no other reason except that he saw she was anxious back at the hotel), creating a new image of him that isn’t based on a stereotype.
* **Shōben** - Language barriers and translation failures. Gaston is unaware that shōben has two meanings: to wet the bed, or for a prostitute to steal the wallet and maybe clothes of her client. This common misunderstanding can happen in any context, so what varies is how the two parties react when it inevitably happens. Gaston himself is sorry but knows it is an honest mistake. A step down from this forgiveness level is the manager of the hotel, who politely sides with General Tojo lookalike and follows through with the harsh consequences: kicking him onto the street. Tojo himself holds the least empathy for the mistake: he implies someone who doesn’t understand Japanese should stay out of others’ business. But should it really be expected for a foreigner to know that specific meaning of a single word?

### **Part 3:**

* **Kobayashi’s Distrust of Gaston** - Across the world, nationalism creates distrust with others of different nationality and race, and xenophobia is a perfect example. Xenophobia creates distrust in others and a warped perception of being. Kobayashi acts xenophobic towards Gaston by constantly doubting his trust even when Endo is reminding him that Gaston would not run away. Kobayashi thinks time and time again that Gaston would not be trusted by others (not letting Gaston ask for water at the shack) or if he is even trustworthy enough to bring into the mountains with Endo. There is also a recent loss in average trust across some of the most prominent countries around the globe. In South Africa, Spain, and the United states, there was an average loss of 8% social trust over the past four centuries from 1980-2020. This decline in social trust includes the trust across racial groups which Kobayashi is perpetuating with his distrust of Gaston.

### Demos

A couple of short demos were released on the 24th of November, which was to mainly test the game's mechanics on Nintendo eShop.

## Reception

*Famitsu* gave *Welcome to Japan* scores of 9/9/8/8 out of 10, for a total score of 34/40. The game sold 152,045 physical units in its first week.

## Soundtrack

The *Welcome to Japan* soundtrack, it contains 69 tracks on 3 CDs. It was released on December 12th, 2022 in the US, and was rereleased on Spotify.

## Character popularity poll

1. Dog-san/Napoleon
2. Gaston Bonaparte
3. Endo
4. Takamori Higaki
5. Tomoe Higaki
6. Prostitute
7. Y/N
8. Maid
9. Osako
10. Nishino

## Gallery

### Logo

The main logo for Wonderful Fool: Welcome to Japan!
## References

### Works Cited

Darity, W.A., Jr. ed. (2008) 'Xenophobia' in International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd ed., vol. 9, Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA, 158-161, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045303004/GPS?u=brewste&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=df99c526 [accessed 12 Dec 2022].

HEARN, J. (2007), National identity: banal, personal and embedded. Nations and Nationalism, 13: 657-674. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8129.2007.00303.x

Holmberg, S, Rothstein, B. Trusting other people. J Public Affairs. 2017; 17:e1645. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1645

Imai, T., & Imai, A. (2019). Cross-Ethnic Self-Disclosure Buffering Negative Impacts of Prejudice on International Students’ Psychological and Social Well-Being. Journal of International Students, 9(1), 66–83. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i1.279

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