Distant Lands

This is my final blog post, as today I am returning to Australia. I have had an incredibly amazing six weeks in Japan, and learnt so much about the identity and culture of this country as well as that of my own. Though I am not ready to return to the tedium of normal life, I am prepared for a new adventure, that which lies in Australia.

The kindness and welcoming attitude of my host family helped me to settle in to Japan so smoothly, and I really do view my place in 桜新町 as a second home. I think that I have achieved my goals for this exchange, to immerse myself in the language and culture of Japan. And I also think that it is only when you are amid a culture other than that of your own that you are truly able to evaluate that of your home. 

What did I learn in Japan? I learnt that the people are kind, crazy, intelligent. That if you make an effort they will support you in every way that they can and put aside their life to improve yours. I learnt that there’s this tiny island, and it’s got the most amazing people. And that even though this island is so far ahead, it still knows how to respect where it came from.

I learnt that friends you make here are friends for life, and also that those friends don’t care if you don’t speak perfectly. And that doing one small favour for someone can lead to an iron strong friendship.

I learnt that, just because I had lost my voice, I didn’t have to lose myself. Though I couldn’t always express myself, I always communicated. I didn’t stop being me. I didn’t want my host family to get to know a shadow of who I am, because I was too scared to try.

I also learnt that it is important to remember where you come from. Sure, I’m not here representing Australia, but for those people who have had little exposure to Australia, I am their link. Make of it what you will – what do you want the world to think of your country? And I think that I want people to know the truth. The good things, the bad things, but to also remember that I am just one person in a country of 23 million. I am not Australia, merely a reflection of its culture and society.

I learnt that everyone has an いきがい, a reason for living. For some its work or children or anything and everything in-between. What’s the reason you get up in the morning?

Mine? I’m about to begin a new adventure.

-H

Last night we visited a prison restaurant for dinner. It was incredibly scary, and revealed to me how, though Japanese people may seem shy and reserved, they are always ready to try weird and wacky things. The restaurant was located underground, and to enter the eating area we had to first go through an abandoned haunted house, which really set the mood.

Upon entering, we were greeted by a policewoman, who promptly handcuffed me and dragged us to our cell. Each eating area is designed as a cell, complete with door and cracked walls. There is a table and whilst the door is always unlocked, it remains shut {unless you need the bathroom – of course}. All of the staff are dressed as prisoners and are incredibly spooky yet kind.

Our meal began with us ordering drinks, all of which were served in beakers, and accompanied by a complimentary non-alcoholic shot, coloured purple. Then we began to receive dishes, the most interesting was Russian roulette takoyaki. Unfortunately I ended up with the takoyaki filled with really hot sauce – but I’m kind of glad I did, less octopus for me!

About halfway in to our meal sirens started, the lights flicked on and off and an announcement was made – in 10 minutes a monster will come. There were several sound and light effects to set the mood, and then the lights turned back on and dinner resumed. This warning is to ensure customers are not out of their cell during the show.

10 minutes later all of the lights went out, scary sound effects and screams began and a black light turned on. This light made everybody’s teeth, lips and eyes glow eerily, and set the mood. I won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say we were visited by a few creatures of the night, and my host mother ended up on the floor.

Afterwards I expected the festivities to end, but as we were finishing our meal another announcement played over the speakers – Holly sama, omedetou! My lovely host family had taken me out for a surprise thank you party! The police woman entered out cell, accompanied by other members of staff and a man dressed as a skeleton. He held an amazing cake with sparklers, and we all took photos before digging in. It was such a lovely thought and so much fun – though quite frightening.

Before leaving, 夏帆 and I took a quick trip to the bathroom. My advice: Never. Go. Alone. In the cubicle a creepy girls voice scream and says things like ‘help me’, or ‘they’re coming’. So I recommend that the weak willed find a friend for toilet journeys, or perhaps consider waiting until you leave.

Overall it was a hectic an amazing experience, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. After all, where else can you get locked up and fed by a skeleton?

-H

A few days ago I woke up and the world was white, a quick peek out of my window revealed that everything was covered in a blanket of snow. It finally snowed in Tokyo! For the entire duration of my exchange I have been wondering about this ‘phenomenon’. Well, perhaps it is not that to those who live here, but for somebody like me, who lives in a city where it never snows, it was a really new and exciting experience.

School was half cancelled so I made use of my extra time and went outside in the dark. It was really beautiful to watch the world come to life in this snow globe, and the sun made the snow sparkle even more. The snow fell in blankets of untouched snowy plain, at least until you got to the main road, where it was riddled with footprints. Heaven forbid snow should prevent anyone from going to work.

Ironically, it did., My whole train line was down, and with a three hour wait 夏帆、浩子 and I retreated back to the house to do some homework and eat sweets. After several attempts made by 義人 to enter the train station {there was a line outside about 300 people long} we gave up and waited for further news. There was a very small earthquake, and I learned that whilst most foreigners think it is best to get under a table during an earthquake, most Japanese just tweet {not through experience of course, the earthquake was rather small}.

Finally, at 11:30, there was a huge announcement, heard from inside our house. We were able to enter the train station and waited for a further 40 minutes before boarding and incredibly packed train. Both train and people were covered in snow, packed in so tightly you could barely breathe. And all that I could think about was how lucky it is that I am here now, because this would surely never happen in Melbourne.

We arrived at school 4 and a half hours late.

-H

Japan has an abundance of themed cafes and restaurants where you can visit your favourite fantasy land whilst dining on food in that theme. Recently, 夏帆 and I visited the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Café in Harajuku. I had no idea what to expect, having never been to a themed café such as this before, and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived.

The whole café is underground, and to get there you must walk down a staircase decorated like wonderland. Seating in the café is on an immobile carousel, and large books with excerpts from the novel rest on the walls. The staff are dressed as either Alice or the Mad Hatter, and work hard to keep you in the Wonderland mood, explaining your food and its relevance and significance in the world of Alice and the Mad Hatter's tea party.

The most popular food choices are the set meals, where you can choose a main {think Cheshire Cat spaghetti or Card pizza} which is made up to look like one of the characters, have access to the drink bar – featuring a plethora of drinks as well as several bizarre and wonderful tea varieties - , as well as a dessert plate. This will cost around 1500 円, so about $15AUD.

My one piece of advice is to get there early, at around 11:00am, as the café is so popular that coming during the lunchtime rush may see you lining up for a while. When you are in the café, allow yourself to be pulled in to wonderland, and make sure to take plenty of photos! There really is a different atmosphere and mood, and while some might find it slightly creepy and Disney-esque, others {like 夏帆} really enjoys immersing themselves in the world of their favourite book or movie.

-H

With just one week left in Japan I am eager to tie up all loose ends and make the most of what little time I have left. Today 桜 and I taught English classes all day – covering aspects of Indigenous Australian History as well as talking about Australia and Japan as a whole. It was really tiring and I have come to appreciate how much work actually goes in to teaching. Making a class plan, executing it, improving it, and then doing in 4-5 times over is incredibly hard, so for all those teachers out there, I definitely appreciate your dedication to your craft.

Yesterday I borrowed Far From The Maddening Crowd from the library, and am really enjoying reading it on the way to school. After school finished today, 夏帆 and I rushed to Harajuku to meet Nick and Keiko, my family friends, for lunch. The two took us out for Gyoza at an amazing restaurant, and afterwards we visited Magnolia, a cupcake shop that originated in Tokyo. All of the food was so delicious and, best of all, cheap!

We then walked from Harajuku to Shibuya, to meet 桜, as she is staying over tonight. Once everyone was home we all studied together until dinner time, and then feasted on various Japanese dishes, such as red bean soup and mochi.

It is so interesting to reflect on my time here, and though short, I believe that it has had a large impact on the way I view Japanese people, as well as Japan as a whole. I hope that, I too, have been able to somewhat bridge the gap between Australia and Japan, if only a little. If I can change one person’s view of Australia, make them more aware of the world around them, or if I can help one person learn one phrase in English, I will be content that I have fulfilled the purpose of my stay. 

-H

Over the short period of time that I have been here, I’ve learnt that the topics covered in Japanese subjects differ greatly to those in Australia. The stream I am currently in is based on Humanities, and involves classes like Modern and Old Chinese and Japanese literature, Modern and Imperial History and English communication, to name a few. As many of these subjects are not offered in Australia, I am eager to learn as much as I can during my stay – but the question remains, how can one learn Japanese and new content simultaneously?

The answer is actually pretty simple. Whilst in class, I will focus on Japanese, taking down all notes and trying to pick up as much as I can. Listening to teachers present a class will help you to become familiar with a more formal style of speaking – used for presentations and speeches, and different to Imperial Formal or incredibly polite speech. I think that the most important thing in all of my classes is Kanji. Being able to write Kanji correctly will enable you to identify it later, and make your handwriting more legible. One of my History teachers at the moment has incredibly lazy handwriting {Kanji for産業革命 can look like a bunch of scribbles} , and it is so difficult to make notes from.

Once at home, I will review my notes with a Kanji dictionary, so that I have a basic knowledge of the topic, before going to discuss with my host father. My host father is incredibly smart and keen to learn English, so he has a massive vocabulary. We will go through my notes and he will correct any wrong translations, as well as helping me to put my notes in to context. In addition to this, my host mother sometimes provides more insight, especially for Imperial subjects, as she was raised at the Yutoku Inari Shrine and is very knowledgeable about those topics.

It can be easy to sit up the back of the classroom and just let your mind wander, but the purpose of your exchange is to improve your Japanese and broaden your views of the world, so who wouldn’t take the opportunity to learn when abroad. Topics like the Meiji Bunka era, and the Industrial Revolution of Japan are not taught at my school, and in addition to this, a foreign perspective on a situation {especially history} can be very different. Make the most of the opportunity and learn for the fun of it {if only for once}!

-H

Before I begin, I’d like to define the term “best”. According to my Japanese friends, the ‘best’ {suburb} indicates popularity, accessibility, and resources available. This is by no means a definitive list, but merely an indication of a few desirable areas to live in, for different age groups. Each of the three areas I have chosen has its pros and cons, as does every suburb, but I’d like to share these, if only to communicate the desires of Japanese for a living area – via a Japanese high school student {夏帆}

20s
The first area is targeted towards those in their 20s, young adults who are attending university or working. Apparently, the most desirable area for these people is Kitchijoujin. At the moment, this suburb is incredibly trendy. It holds lots of good cafes and small shops, as well as various department stores. There are also many parks in the area, making it an attractive spot. However, the price of property is incredibly high – leaving me to wonder how young people starting out can afford to live in this area. Nevertheless, it is, at least, the most desirable living area for people of this age range.

30s-40s
The next age group I am going to touch on is 30s-40s. People in this age range will have slightly more mature tastes, and most will be working or starting a family. Apparently a popular spot is Ebisu. It has many fashionable buildings, as well as lots of pubs and bars. 夏帆 tells me that this makes it more suitable for that age range. In addition to this, the area is popular because lots of actors live there. So perhaps people are moving to this area in the hopes of spotting their favourite celebrity?

Family
The last category I think is important is family. 夏帆 recommends Sakurashinmachi. This area is especially good for smaller children as the streets are filled with cartoon characters from the popular anime Sazae san. There are various parks and shrines nearby, making for easy days out. In addition to this, there are many small shops to visit, with large department stores just a little further out. This suburb is only 4 train stops from Shibuya, making getting to school more convenient for school-aged kids.

Though I haven’t covered every age or category, I believe that these three groups I have chosen target the times when people are most likely to be moving. Again, these are only the trendy suburbs at the moment, and I am by no means implying that other suburbs or areas are lesser or uninhabited. Happy House Hunting!

-H