Is Being Born in the Countryside a Life Handicap? 5ch Weighs In: ‘Even in the City, No Talent Means No Edge’

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A debate kicked off on 5ch after a post asked, “Are you saddled with a handicap in life just by being born in the countryside?” Counterarguments cited Shohei Ohtani as an example, arguing that “even people born in the city are handicapped for life if they lack talent,” while others floated concrete relocation plans like “countryside until elementary school, then Tokyo from university onward.” Opinions split between environment and innate talent.

1Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 09:54:04.39
Real talk.
2Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:02:48.63
All you've got is what your parents gave you.
Sucks to be you guys.
5Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:05:53.52
Ohtani-san was born in the sticks of Tōhoku (northeastern Japan), wasn't he? It's all about talent. Even if you're born in the city, if you've got no talent you'll carry that handicap your whole life.
6Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:09:37.83
Feels like a lot of popular idols are from the countryside too.
27Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:37:14.61
>>6
Just experiencing Tokyo in your early teens puts you on a whole different level.
7Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:15:41.81
Depends on how rural we're talking.
Koharu's or Haru-san's hometown would count as a real handicap.
10Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:17:54.66
I never get why some people even bother living out there.
Even more so if you've only got one parent.
11Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:19:09.76
Guess you just got unlucky…
You're stuck wearing the "country bumpkin" label for life.
12Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:19:52.09
As long as you've got internet, even a total shut-in can pull in like 900,000 yen a month.
There's no real handicap between city and countryside.
21Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:30:41.86
No matter how much money you have, there's nothing to do out in the countryside, right?
Gonna build yourself a castle or something? (lol)
22Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:33:06.80
What is there even to do in the city?
24Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:34:49.22
Was gonna list out my own situation but it's pretty grim so I'll skip it.
Even in the countryside, if you've got good parents and siblings, I think you can be plenty happy.
26Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:35:36.98
I'm jealous of people who grew up in the countryside.
Swimming in a river like this every day in summer…
the best childhood.
28Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:37:17.81
>>26
If you actually lived nearby, you'd get sick of it fast.
29Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:38:05.43
Not having crappy air is the biggest perk.
31Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:39:20.17
Like father like son (frog's kid is a frog) — and a country kid's a country kid.
32Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:39:29.72
What's the deal with people who live in Tokyo, are obsessed with an idol, but never go to the actual events? That's what I always think, living way out in the sticks myself.
34Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:40:54.59
It's rough when just doing your fan activities (otaku activities) turns into an all-or-nothing expedition.
35Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:41:42.26
>>28
The ocean never gets old. According to a guy from a remote island, there's no pool so you swim in the sea instead. No arcades either, so he used to swim with sharks every day for fun.

Way too jealous. Experiencing that as an adult versus experiencing it as a kid are totally different things.
39Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:43:36.00
>>35
Probably just because there's nothing else to do…
36Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:41:55.03
With the internet these days, the gap really gets exposed, huh.
37Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:42:25.88
Can't help it if you grew up in the countryside.
Crowds make your heart race and get scary (lol)
40Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:43:53.86
But then again, most elites in every field are country folk, right?
42Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:44:37.13
>>40
In the city, if you don't run with the herd you get treated like an outcast, so talent never gets a chance to develop.
41Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:44:34.68
>>39
There's no fun in this world that beats swimming with sharks in the ocean.
44Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:45:26.09
>>41
That might just make you the weird one…
43Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:45:15.61
Wish I'd grown up somewhere like this.
Since I couldn't play in places like this as a kid,
I go all the time now that I'm an adult.
46Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:46:35.20
>>44
It's totally normal to get drawn to nature as you get older.
If anything, my interest in cities has faded.
48Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:47:32.46
People whose only identity is "I live in Tokyo" are the ones I actually feel sorry for.
49Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 10:48:11.12
The countryside's got nothing but nasty bugs.
Crawling with them.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Being born in the countryside saddles you with a handicap in life, right?

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