My brother is a "Shut In" and I sponsored his trip to Japan

I wish I had never done this.<br><br>From a young age, my brother developed an obsessive passion for Japan. I can't remember where it came from, but there was always this burning desire on his part to visit "the Land of the Rising Sun." We shared a room together as kids, and I distinctly remember how he would plaster his side of the room with posters of Japanese villages and landscapes.<br><br>As the years went by, his fascination never really faded. In fact, it probably even intensified. He learned to speak Japanese fluently, spent hours a day browsing anime forums and watching Japanese media, and even made some Japanese friends online. He became a talented cook of traditional Japanese dishes, and even put a lot of effort into replicating "traditional Japanese Sashimi" from scratch. I always thought that was creepy, but he laughed it off and said I just didn't understand.<br><br>We both grew up not too far from each other in the same small town, and his lifestyle never really changed after he got out of school. My parents were always concerned about him being a "shut in," but as you can imagine, my parents aren't really tech-savvy. They just didn't understand that he was connecting with all sorts of people online, and that he was happy on his own.<br><br>I don't want to make it seem like he was some kind of hermit. He had his own car, a job at a Chinese restaurant, and a small network of friends that he'd meet up with every now and then. So even if he was a hermit, he was a pretty functional one. And he just really enjoyed spending time alone.<br><br>I guess I just never realized how deep his passion was for Japan, until the day he knocked on my door, grinning from ear to ear, tears of joy streaming down his face. I opened the door and he said:<br><br>"Thank you, bro. I don't know what to say. I've always wanted to go to Tokyo, and I never thought I'd have the chance. I love you for this. I'll never forget it."<br><br>I had given him a round trip ticket to Japan for Christmas, and I guess he'd finally saved up enough money for the trip. He was set to leave in a few days, and he came over to use my computer to print out some last minute documents. I offered to go with him, but he politely declined and said he'd rather go on his own. I was surprised, but also figured he deserved to have this experience on his own terms. I just didn't want him to feel uncomfortable if I came along.<br><br>I didn't hear from him for a while, which didn't seem like a big deal. I was busy, and he was probably just taking time to settle in. He did send me an e-mail the day after he got there, saying that he'd arrived safely, but didn't mention much else.<br><br>It wasn't until a few days later that I started to worry. I called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Figuring that maybe he didn't have international calling, I shot him a text message. I waited a few hours, but he didn't respond. I tried again and again, and at one point, I received a strange response in Japanese that I couldn't understand. I translated it, and was horrified by what I saw:<br><br>"I am dead, but I have found what I've been looking for. It's the Happy Ending I've always wanted."<br><br>Weirded out by this cryptic message, I immediately called his friends to see if they'd heard from him. None of them had, and they were all just as confused as I was. So I did the only thing I could do: I called my parents, and told them what was happening.<br><br>My parents immediately said they'd call the police, but they warned me that I shouldn't expect anyone to care, since my brother was an adult and wasn't technically "missing." I told them I understood, and that they should just focus on getting in contact with him. A few hours passed and they called me, saying that the police were trying to contact the authorities in Tokyo, and that they'd let me know if they received any updates.<br><br>I was worried sick. I couldn't focus on work, didn't sleep for almost two days, and couldn't stop thinking about all the terrible things that could have happened to him. I thought about him getting mugged and beaten. I thought about him getting stuck in a ditch somewhere. I thought about him getting in a bad accident. But as the days went by, none of those things ended up being true.<br><br>The truth was much stranger.<br><br>Three days after I'd last heard from him, the police finally got a response out of the Tokyo authorities. The police called me and said they'd found my brother safe and sound at a Karaoke bar in Tokyo. They said he was perfectly happy, and that he'd been there for almost six days.<br><br>They told me that every day, he'd come in at the same time, always wore the same clothes, and always ordered the same drink. He'd always go to the same room and perform the same song: "Hitori Matsuri" by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. The owners couldn't figure out how he was paying his tab, since he never brought any money, but they were too afraid to confront him about it. They'd tried multiple times, but he'd always just smile, bow politely, and change the subject.<br><br>Apparently, he was being friendly, and would always sing duets with the patrons, but they'd never seen him interact with anyone for more than fifteen minutes. He always seemed to have a new partner for every song, and he'd never once brought the same friend up onto the stage.<br><br>The police said they'd never encountered a case like this, and that they were confused as to how he was paying to stay in Japan. His bank account was almost empty, and it didn't seem like he was earning any money while he was there. They told me that he seemed happy, but that they were going to ask him to leave the country. I asked if they could just let him stay there, since he was being friendly and not bothering anyone, but they said it was not their decision to make.<br><br>They said they'd try to contact me after they picked him up, but that I shouldn't expect to hear from them for a long time. They put the phone down and that was it.<br><br>That was almost nine months ago.<br><br>I never heard back from them, and my brother never came back to the United States. I called the Chinese restaurant, and they said he'd quit his job unexpectedly, right before he left for Japan. My parents said they'd received a letter from him a few months later, saying that he was staying in Tokyo with a "friend" and that he had no plans on coming back. My mom told me that he'd said "I've found what I've been looking for," and that he was finally happy.<br><br>He's never made any effort to contact me, and I've given up trying to get in touch with him. I figured I shouldn't interfere with whatever it is he's doing. But I do hope he's happy. I wish I had never given him that ticket, but I'm glad he's found his true home.<br><br>I still sometimes wonder what happened to him in Tokyo. Some days I'm afraid he'll never come back.<br><br>But other days, I'm really happy for him.<br><br>[EDIT] I'm blown away by all the support and comments I've been getting. It's been really touching to see so manyCryptic messages and weird e-mails aren't like him at all, and that was pretty much what tipped me off that something was wrong. As for his friends, I'm not really sure. I'm pretty sure he only had one close friend, and it was an online friend that he'd met years ago. I've heard him mention her from time to time, but I don't know much about her. I think the Japanese authorities might have been able to contact her, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't even know her name. I have to admit, I do sometimes wonder if she might have had something to do with what happened to him, but it's not really my business.<br><br>I should clarify that when I said I'd "given up" trying to contact him, it's because it's impossible to contact him. From what I understand, he goes straight to voicemail every time, and my texts are always met with those creepy automatic messages. I've tried calling him from different numbers, and even asking my friends to give it a shot, but it seems like he's just set straight to voicemail. I really miss him, and sometimes I wish I had never given him that ticket. I'm very happy for him, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I've lost a best friend. I hope that makes sense.<br><br>I don't know if anyone has any insight as to what might be happening to him, but if you do, I'm all ears. I'd appreciate any advice at this point.