Tsukie Akizawa
essayist
I have moved in Australia with my Japanese husband since 2002.
After a half-year homestay experience at a Bed and Breakfast in New South Wales just myself, I joined a winery in Queensland where my husband got a job.
I now live in Cairns with family.
My hobbies are baking and handicrafts such as crochet and origami.
I am also a mother with children in high school, and is the number one fan of the pictures they draw.
9.10.2024
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
Culinary freedom
1・physical strength
As usual, I am still in the middle of decluttering.
We decided to have a garage sale and decided to start with an assortment of mainly Japanese comics and general merchandise.
A garage sale is a popular event in Australia where people display their unwanted items in a corner of their home to be bought, usually by neighbours or acquaintances.
This time, as the items were mainly Japanese, we only announced the event to friends, acquaintances and Japanese language groups on social networking sites, and omitted putting up signs by the side of the main road.
In addition to Japanese people, there were unexpected visitors, such as a neighbour who wandered by and an Aussie man who wanted Japanese books for his Japanese mother-in-law.
The products that were left there (and most of them are still there) have moved venues and turned online. I am currently in the process of creating a set of products that I think will be of interest and finding time to register them.
My friend's hair salon has the novel and people who don't know us have seen it (thank you).
To be honest, I still don't know where we are going with the clearance of our belongings.
The shelves where the items are stored and the freestanding closets we bought to replace the walls will have to leave this house, but how can we advertise them to reach the people who might want them? I have to think about things like this (although I enjoy such time).
I have to keep working while doing physical work, so I need to build up my strength.
When I was thinking about this, I heard from a friend that there is a person who holds cooking classes using minor grains.
Speaking of minor grains, weren't they something that common people used to eat when rice was a luxury item in old Japan? Would it give me strength?
2・Millet cooking classes
About six years ago, I bought a set of five-grain rice in Japan, which I simply mixed with rice.
One day back then, when I was in my early twenties, I had a lovely grain rice lunch set at a restaurant somewhere near Shin-Gifu station. It was delicious and left a lasting impression in my memory.
I was in a ruffled mood and tried to cook five-grain rice, but the non-white rice was unpopular with my family at the time and I was unable to continue.
Recalling such memories, I decided to participate in the project because even if I made it, my family might not eat it, but I still wanted to eat it! I decided to do it.
The Minor Grain Cooking teacher is a senior mum who I knew as a yoga teacher but had never had the chance to talk to before. She has been learning and practising various diets in search of a healthy diet since her children were born.
Such a stoic person says that she has become very healthy since she met this grain diet.
I eat meat, white food (refined food), processed food, vegetarian food, whatever I like, so I think of myself as a person who has no restraint when it comes to food.
Would it be okay to talk to someone who trains her body in yoga and is so selective about what she eats?
I was worried for a moment, but then I heard from the teacher, who is always putting her heart and soul into everything she does,
‘I want you to try and incorporate a few minor grains into your own life, I want you to know about them.’
I was able to relax, learn about the cooking process and have lunch made by the teacher.
3・guilty feelings
By the way, have you ever heard the phrase ‘Guilt Free Food’ when you are exposed to information on healthy eating?
The term seems to have gained recognition since the popularity of Bliss Balls, which originated in Australia and are made entirely from fruit and nuts, with no sugar, flour or additives.
I seem to remember seeing Bliss Balls around the time I started seeing them in the shops.
Is it a term for people who are concerned about not being able to stop eating sweets? That was about the extent of my awareness.
Later, I began to question ‘guilt-free’ in the sense of not harming my body. This is because I started to hear about the environmental damage and labour exploitation caused by food.
While the ‘guilt arrows’ for high calories, sugar, gluten, etc. are only pointed at your own body, the arrows are pointed outside yourself and your family when it comes to contributing to the environmental destruction created by the food you eat and the issue of forced labour, including child labour.
Since becoming aware of this,
‘It's a guilt-free snack with no sugar or fats.’
I became extremely confused when I was exposed to this kind of information.
It just feels like a light-hearted flirtation with ‘Mild feeling of guilt.’, where I gave in to my temptation and ate it even though I knew I shouldn't have.
If it's only good enough for me, is it good enough for you?
That guilt is only self-centred if you don't apply it to the rest of the world!
However, some people have a history of not being able to work on themselves, for example, with eating disorders. If they cannot work on themselves, they cannot afford to worry about the world around them.
Various thoughts crossed my mind.
At one point, I even wished the expression would stop.
Over time, I have come to think that the perspective that the word ‘guilt’ is treated too lightly may just be ‘my point of view’. Each person has their own process and past, which means that the ‘guilt’ to look at is at a different stage for each person.
When I started to feel this way, I was finally able to calm down.
It is just that it is difficult to understand each person's world and stage from a list of words like ‘guilt’.
4・Now let's return to the main subject
We are in the process of decluttering our home, but a new friend has arrived (and I don't mean the travel bag).
They are ‘Minor Grain Cooking’, which I learnt at a cooking class.
Luckily, there is a weighing shop nearby, so I can buy small quantities and try different things. The storage containers are empty bottles that have been accumulating in the kitchen.
Once again, I think about how many different things come out of the back of the shelves.
These jars, which I thought were of a tricky size, are seeing the light of day thanks to grains, and I have no doubt that they will continue to be useful until just before I go back to Japan. You could say that it was a good thing I hoarded them.
So far, I have only made soup with millet, rice with minor grains, amazake made from rice with minor grains, and kimchi made from that amazake.
The reaction of the family, which I was worried about, was not as bad as I expected.
The key point would be to take the stance that ‘there is always grains rice, you can have it if you want’, rather than saying ‘I want you to stop eating white rice and switch to grains rice’. I learnt from my daughter's reaction that appearance is important when it comes to soups and other cooking methods.
When things at home are a bit more settled, I would like to try some new dishes.
There are many different types of minor grains, each with its own characteristics, so it seems fun to think about combinations and cooking methods. This freedom is probably the reason why the teachers are so excited to talk to us.
I'm not a big fan of extremism, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to learn about grains, which seem to be able to coexist as a part of our lives.
And as ever, I want to make sweets using sugar, flour, rice flour, honey, dairy products and eggs as usual. I want to make yummy things.
I also heard that if I keep eating grains, my food preferences will change.
If future me changes, that would be interesting too.
7.1.2024
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
What we can call “Shu katsu”
Face the things
I am in the process of decluttering.
Yes, I am selling and throwing away things in my house bit by bit.
As one might generally imagine, a family with children has a lot of stuff.
Like our Australian friends around us, we want to buy our children common books and toys, and at the same time teach them about the culture and events of our roots in Japan.
We have a trampoline in the garden, bicycles, rollerblades and various balls in the garage, and musical instruments, comics, craft items and stuffed animals all over the house. The school also sends back textbooks, notebooks and artwork from their studies every year.
If we returned to Japan temporarily, we would go on a shopping spree.
On flights back to Australia, I used to weigh between 100 and 120 kilos worth of luggage, and at the same time used sea mail to send toys, manga and old story sets.
New Year's Day, Setsubun, Girls' Day, Children's Day, Christmas and birthdays.
Seasonal packages were thoughtfully and regularly sent by our family in Japan, and we were excited to open the boxes each time they arrived.
The family had a good time together, celebrating the events.
The tiger cat brothers have recently been added to the family, too,
Cat towers and catwalks have taken over a corner of the living room.
Of course, we, the parents, have our own history,
We also have a variety of baggage of our own.
As a result of continually satisfying our desires, our homes are overflowing with stuff.
But,
If you just have a lot of stuff, it's not really a problem.
Each item has its own memories and can be seen as part of what makes up who you are. As long as you think something is important, you should keep it close by, right?
It,
developed into a situation where we had to face things and think about disposing of them.
My family will be returning to Japan this year.
Local markets
From May to December last year, I participated in a stall at the local Sunday market, which is held once a month. Just to check the layout, it is a lively event with as many as 180 shops, both professional and amateur, temporarily lined up.
I opened an easy-going hobby shop in collaboration with a friend who sells crocheted goods.
For some time I had a secret ambition to sell the children's drawings as greeting cards. So I set up a stall at the 2022 Christmas Craft Market, but unfortunately sales were nil.
So, we thought that if we could open a market stall next time, it would be a good idea to procure character goods and Japanese-style items from Japan and put them on display together to attract attention. We have stuffed toys and other items that our children used in the past at home, so we thought, "Why don't we sell some of the unwanted items from home as well?
At the time, it wasn't yet time to sell because we were going back home. ......
As my children got older, they spent more time with 'screens' rather than 'things', and I began to notice things that I thought were probably time to say goodbye to, given their age.
At first, I put old books and toys from their primary school days on the shop floor.
Children's deals seemed to stop them in their tracks, and people who liked anime picked up the merchandise.
I was a little touched when I saw a girl of about upper secondary school age hugging a stuffed toy of a Japanese anime character not sold here, even though it was second-hand, and negotiating with her parents to get it as a birthday present this year.
Feeling good about it, I put up a slightly different range of second-hand items as well.
The most responsive and quick-selling items were guitars.
Three guitars for children and adults, accessories and amplifiers.
Each one had its own buyers and quickly disappeared.
Despite the fact that the Nintendo Classic Mini series was a Japanese version, an Aussie uncle said, "Don't worry, it's okay. The kids are learning Japanese at school" and happily took it home.
The small plastic dress-up doll collections that were popular about seven years ago, now only available new at a premium, were scoured for information remaining online to determine their names and rarity, and then made packages to identify them as second-hand and put them on display. We made so many that we didn't sell them all, but it was good to see so many people enjoying choosing them.
As an aside, I really wanted to sell homemade sweets to the public at the market.
The same market five years ago had a variety of amateurs selling their favourite handmade goods, but in recent years the conditions have become more stringent.
Now, on the other hand, I was disappointed that some things did not sell at all, but I decided to put those online as well.
In truth, there was some resistance to the idea of 'selling' rather than 'giving away' unwanted items.
However, many people are selling second-hand items online, putting their own prices on them.
Looking at them, I thought.
I felt a sense of resistance when I looked at them.
I felt much less resistance to the idea.
Billiard cues and balls, an electronic piano, two bicycles, a Koinobori, camping equipment and craft items were sold online. I don't really like chatting to people I don't know, so I put a few things out there and see what happens.
There is still a mountain of stuff I want to sell or get rid of.
Just one suitcase
When we first set foot on the Australian shores in 2002, my luggage consisted of a large suitcase and a backpack. My husband's entire luggage consisted of a cylindrical gym bag called a drum bag and a backpack.
As my residence permit changed from a working holiday to a business visa and then to a permanent residence permit, the number of things in my home increased.
When I settled in Japan again, I wanted to go back to only one suitcase and a backpack, as I did last time, for the luggage I was bringing with me.
In reality, I would have to send a few boxes of luggage separately, but even then it shouldn't be on the scale of a move.
This time, the separation is not about 'choosing what sparks joy!',
"Is it really worth bringing back to Japan?"
The decision needs to be made strictly on the basis of "Is it really worth bringing back to Japan?".
First, I intend to get rid of most of my kitchen utensils, as I can get by in Japan.
I'm still keen on my favourite baking utensils, especially baking moulds, but they probably won't be the right size.
I'm going to get the right tools for the Japanese environment.
Stuff in the garage, I don't need it.
No furniture, bedding, toiletries or cleaning products.
Enough cosmetics and clothes for a trip should be fine.
What about the Japanese novels and comics that line the bookshelves?
I will have to have a final discussion with my family, but they are all things that I can easily get in Japan. If I really need them, I will buy them all again.
Even if I don't have them with me, I can read them in libraries and manga cafés.
I think it would be more effective use to find someone in Australia who wants them.
Japanese CDs and DVDs are distressed.
Nowadays, with subscribe, you can watch and listen to a lot of them.
Unless I really need something as my collector's item, I'll give it up.
I used to be a 'things before travel' type of person, so it's hard for me to let go of things I bought because I thought they were nice,
But this is where you have to be determined!
What to do with paper documents related to household finances?
I should scan the ones that look important and store them in the cloud or .......
Someday, I will need to make time to face them one at a time.
Good luck, myself!
The most difficult to judge are printed photographs, letters and children's diaries and artwork (growth records).
Oh what a 、、、、 problem.
Only my son is moving to a city in the state, not Japan, and he too will be moving with minimal luggage. There will be no 'Australian family home' and I hope he can build a new life with as much luggage as he can manage.
We are beginning to clean up after 22 years of life in Australia.
Could this be,
I'm beginning to think that this might be what we call 'Shu katsu(making preparations for one's death)’.
'Shu katsu’ activities at a time when we are slightly past the turning point of our lives.
Maybe a bit like the 'one-half coming of age ceremony' that is said to be held in Japanese primary schools.
"Never leave a bird in the lurch."
'More beautiful than when you arrived'.
We are,
We will be the lightest people who deserve to start a new life in Japan!
As I was typing this text, a text message rang on my MacBook.
It was a notice of a VIP's early sale.
June is the end of the Australian financial year and many businesses hold major sales to generate sales during the year.
Jump to the website
and click
on a product.
No, you see,
It's a travel bag.
It's a tote bag that fits into the handle of a suitcase.
You can take up to two pieces of luggage on board the plane.
A backpack and a tote bag, isn't that just right?
It's a very convenient bag for everyday use too.
With my pocket money, I buy it. ............
4.15.2024
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
Hello Japan
Notification of moving in
My son, who graduated from high school, is currently living in Japan.
The plan is for him to experience life in Japan during this time, as his higher education has been staggered a little. Until now, he has only stayed in Japan on trips, for three weeks at a time at most.
This time, he will be staying mainly at my in-laws' house for nearly three months.
He has Japanese citizenship, so anyway, I told him first of all, 'make sure you register your move-in at the city council'. I told him that when he entered Japan, he should get an entry stamp in his passport for this thing.
As it is now common to use automated gates when entering the country, the stamp proving entry is apparently designed to be stamped by deliberately asking for it to be stamped. This is one of the document required when moving in.
Carrying his stamped passport, the son went to the city hall with his grandparents. They reported to us that, unfortunately, they could not transfer in.
He was told that if he did not plan to stay in the country for more than a year, the transfer application would not be accepted.
My son is in a situation where he has never had a Japanese address, although his 'principal domicile is in Japan'.
This means that although his body is currently in Japan and he lives there, he is a Japanese national who does not belong to any part of Japan. His current address is still the same as it was when he registered his birth abroad, and although he is a Japanese citizen, he is only treated as a traveller.
He said
'I don't have to have a health insurance card’, or
'If I work part-time, I might have to pay tax',
but it didn't work. (leaving aside whether he earn enough to have to pay tax).
If it's "planned", why not just say "I'll live here for a year" and then move out, saying "my plans have changed after all"? It might seem like a good idea. But how many people can do that despite having a return ticket?
I ended up being told by the city council in the core city that 'you are a temporary resident'.
Wisdom tooth
He cannot register as a resident.
What that means is that, first of all, they cannot join the 'National Health Insurance'.
In Australia, he has regular check-ups at his dentist's office.
During a visit some time ago, my son was recommended to have his wisdom teeth removed all at once when he graduates from high school.
He had to go to the larger hospital (hosptial) and be hospitalised for a day to have four of them removed under general anaesthesia. The rough estimate was about AUS 3800. Even with our family's voluntary health insurance.
When I got the quote I thought.
I could buy a return plane ticket and see a dentist in Japan and I would surely get change.
I didn't see the need to remove four at once right now, and I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of having to undergo general anaesthesia for wisdom teeth.
It was discussed that he should go to a dentist in Japan and live there for a while.
He is staying in Australia for further education and does not plan to live in Japan, so this would be a good opportunity for him.
If he could use his health insurance with a certificate of residence, he would not need travel insurance.
As a result, such an optimistic plan did not materialise and he had to pay for a check-up at his own expense.
And a Japanese dentist simply told to him
'There's no need to do anything now, not yet.'
Part-time job
If he cannot register as a resident, a situation may arise where he cannot find a part-time job, even if he wants to do work experience.
Generally, many employers require a certificate of residence as proof of identity, and in the case of my son, he is 17 years old, so they also need to verify his age. His passport shows his nationality and age, but does not prove his address in Japan.
Then open a bank account.
This is hopeless.
Not so long ago, he could open a bank account by writing his Japanese address in the 'current address field' of his passport. However, his passport is new and does not have a 'current address column'. In that case, he would have to submit a certificate of residence, but since that does not exist, there is nothing he can do.
There are probably few part-time jobs that pay cash nowadays. If they are bad enough, they may even be asked to open an account at a designated bank. Without a bank account, it is not difficult to imagine how difficult it would be to process the paperwork for the salary.
My son seems undeterred by this situation and is sending in his CV, but his part-time work experience in Japan is now hopeless.
Even the Japanese
As a Japanese national, I thought that as long as my son I lived in Japan, he would be entitled to the same rights as those currently living in Japan.
However, there was a limit to the minimum period of stay.
For example, my husband and I live in Australia as permanent residents, but as we are only permanent residents, we do not have the right to vote.
Even though our stay has been over 20 years, we live with the feeling that we are 'visiting' because we intend to return to Japan.
On the other hand, I had assumed that my son would be able to exercise all his rights regardless of which country he lived in, as he is a national of both countries.
However, I have learnt this time that it is not a simple matter.
It can't be helped.
If that is the case, I want my son to enjoy his time in Japan.
I am writing this,
I am the one who urges my son to do something.
"Why don't you do some volunteer work?"
It can't be helped.
Mothers are greedy.
2.10.2024
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
Cyclone Jasper
Damage caused by torrential rain
About two weeks before the Noto earthquake at New Year's, Cairns was hit by a cyclone.
The cyclone itself was not that big, and weakened after heavy winds and several power outages. However, the rain clouds remained stagnant and the city was hit by record-breaking rainfall, which is said to occur only once every 100 years.
Flooding damage occurred in areas such as the coastal area where our house is located.
It has been 10 years since we moved into our current house, and the only damage we have experienced so far from torrential rain is that the area was isolated because the main road was flooded. Moreover, the water receded in one day and we were back to normal the next day.
Neighbours who have lived here for decades have only experienced that much damage, and were surrounded by optimistic predictions that they would be fine this time as well.
However, the cyclone, which recorded the highest rainfall in history, flooded not only roads but also houses.
When people started to evacuate, the road in front of our house became a river.
The water flowing down the road gradually rose to the level of the river, and the fear of approaching our building.
Electricity was cut off and internet connections, including smartphone signals, were almost completely destroyed. Our source of information, a portable radio, was calling out the name of the area where our house is located.
However, as a result, our house escaped flooding damage to the house.
Instead, part of the coastal road was pushed out to sea, creating a new channel from the river. Presumably, thanks to this loophole, the water that had been flowing along the road moved all the way to the sea.
The street where our house is located was spared from damage because of this waterway.
The residents said to each other.
time series
The cyclone left us stuck for approximately one week, from Wednesday 13 to Monday 18 December. Here is a brief timeline of events.
Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 December
Cyclone hits a little north of Cairns.
There are several power outages, but they are restored later in the day.
Due to strong wind and rain, it was deemed impossible to go to work from our home.
15 Dec (Friday)
The rainfall is still intermittent, although it has changed to a tropical depression and the rainfall has slowed.
On this day, the university entrance test results were also released in Queensland, so a friend of my son's drove over from another area.
There were concerns about rising water levels due to the King Tide, but conditions appeared to be mobile on this day during the week of disaster.
Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 December
The term 'record rainfall' begins to be used.
The cyclone, which transformed into a tropical depression, remained stagnant and dumped huge amounts of rain over the past two days. We hear unheard of units of rainfall of 2 metres.
Major roads are repeatedly closed and opened.
Stories of residents evacuating the area begin to emerge, and I read on social media that families of acquaintances living in the area have climbed onto their roofs and waited for rescue.
At noon on Sunday, planned power cuts are implemented, probably to prevent power leaks due to flooding. At the same time, it is difficult to obtain information via the internet. The water supply is only as thick as a string.
And on Sunday night, when we were frightened by the flooding in our house, the road along the coast, a short distance from our house, collapsed.
18 Dec (Mon)
The rain has almost stopped and the sky is overcast.
Relieved that their homes were spared from flooding, but as we drove through the area to see what was happening, we saw vehicles and houses that still bore the marks of flooding.
There were a number of major roads that were heavily damaged.
The main road from our home area to the city was somehow passable, but it was covered in mud. We were told by officials that we would not be able to return to our homes immediately once we were outside, probably due to the restoration work.
Tuesday 19 December
With free access to the main road into town (residents only), I evacuate to my accommodation, my workplace, and prepare to go to work the next day.
Water and electricity return to my home at night. Mobile phone signal interference improves, but internet at home did not return until the end of the year.
In addition, my husband's workplace was in the opposite direction to the city and the road was closed, making it difficult for him to go to work until the weekend.
evacuation
When it was raining, I kept wondering about whether we should evacuate or not.
Emergency alerts were of course received,
To higher ground if it is safe to move.
Or to a higher level of housing.
If you feel your life is in danger, call us!
If the flooding has started,
if the water level is rising rapidly,
they will feel their lives are in danger and seek evacuation.
However, if I leave my home, where nothing has started yet, and if I leave my house, the roads are so muddy from the torrential rain that I cannot walk on them.
Under these conditions, I have no choice but to decide that it is safer to stay at home.
I had no choice but to remain calm and watch.
As a result, damage to their homes was spared.
The state of power and almost no water supply was also resolved in about three days.
However, this was only the result of the situation, and while we were forced to suffer inconvenience, we did not know how long this situation would continue.
Anxiety for not knowing was a constant companion.
Our house is not equipped with solar panels, a generator or a water storage tank.
When the water supply stopped running, the toilet was flushed with water from the bathtub, but how often should it be flushed?
To what extent can we trust this toilet, which was almost backed up when the water level was rising on the road in the first place?
We idled the car to charge our phones, but how long will the petrol last?
How carefully should the gas in a portable cassette stove for cooking be used?
How should we eat the food in the fridge that is not energised and the food in the pantry?
Even though they had prepared disaster reserves, they were unsure how to use them effectively and systematically.
At the same time, however, the fact that in another area close by, electricity, water and internet access existed as normal provided emotional support.
There is a sense of security that rescue can be expected in times of emergency.
After a week of being shut in, we drove beyond the muddy residential areas and along the road towards the city.
As we passed a bridge on the highway, which floods every few years, and came to an area with a petrol station and an animal shelter, the landscape suddenly changed.
There, the road surface was no longer covered in brown mud, and everyday life was the same as before.
The shopping centre where we stopped to do our evacuation shopping was bustling with Christmas shoppers. Muddy private cars parked in the car park looked out of place.
It was almost forgotten in the affected areas, but it was soon to be Christmas time.
What I can do
Coinciding with the record rainfall, one of our two cars broke down for a completely different reason.
We had to wait almost a week for the road service, which we have subscribed to for many years, to tell us that our address was a disaster area and could not be entered. It was eventually in mid-January when my husband's car was repaired and ready for use, even though we were lucky.
Nevertheless, we still have a house that we can live in as soon as the infrastructure returns and we still have one working car.
Living in the same area as the affected residents, I strongly felt that I should now be on the side of the volunteers. The fact that I was fine gave rise to a feeling of being unable to do the opposite.
However, during the week, I constantly looked for reasons to convince myself that I couldn't go to work and felt sorry for myself, so I prioritised my work (which turned out to be good, as the workplace was short-staffed for a variety of reasons).
My husband and I are both currently working two jobs, so it was unsettling to juggle going to work with just one car. It was helpful that the children's schools were on summer break and we didn't need to drop them off and pick them up.
We decided that the only thing we could do was not to accept the relief supplies that were being distributed in the immediate area, but to be on the receiving end of the supplies and to make our own way in life.
The support I could give as an individual was not a prominent enough thing.
However, it is important not to overreach yourself.
Some guests at the accommodation workplaces were unable to return home immediately after the disaster closed the roads.
Infrastructure that was restored at an unexpectedly fast pace was also only possible because of the people working there.
I want to believe that I am helping someone by doing my job.
12.10.2023
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
High School Graduation
My 17-year-old son recently graduated from high school.
The end of the school year in Australia is in December, but my son's high school finished with a graduation ceremony in late October, about a month earlier than other schools. We as parents received a rose and a letter from him at the ceremony.
As you can imagine, I was thinking back to when he was four years old, when he first started attending his preparatory year of primary school. It was somewhat emotional to think that my son, who had started school for the first time carrying a large backpack with Thomas the Locomotive on it, was finally starting on the path he had chosen for himself.
I am half anxious and half trusting, especially as we are likely to be out of the country with my husband and I, who plan to return to Japan at some point.
I want my son to act the way I want him to act in his life.
In this article, I would like to share some of the things that I, as a high school graduate in Japan, felt were different about Australian high school life.
Part-time job
Part-time work becomes possible at around age 13, although there are some differences between states. (In Japan, it is only after compulsory education is completed.)
At the age of 15, I have the impression that many children are working, even if only temporarily.
In particular, the staff of fast food restaurants are so busy that I only see high school kids and the elders who organise them, and I am indebted to them as a user of the restaurant.
Employment is most likely to be casual, but it seems to be more common to say 'find a part-time job'.
Schools do not prohibit it like in Japan, and when there is a school-related event that is expensive, such as a trip to Sydney or a ski trip to New Zealand, the teacher may say, "Now, work hard and save up for a part time job!”
When I started high school in Japan, I could have worked in a supermarket, but the school wouldn't give me permission. (I suppose other kids worked well and secretly.)
I still feel frustrated about that, so I envy the environment where I can work fairly and honestly.
It is common for CVs here to include 'references' information from previous employers, so having a part-time job at an early age can be useful for future job hunting. Work experience at a young age seems to be considered as one of one's skills.
Driver's licence
In Japan, it is rare to obtain a driving licence before graduating from high school.
However, there is a smattering of children here who practice on-road driving with the help of their parents when they reach the state-recognised age. (There are also driving schools.)
In Queensland, children can go out for road practice at the age of 16, and can try for their full licence at 17. This means that the earliest children can get a driving licence as early as grade 11.
It is encouraging to see some children driving to school when they get their licences, but on the other hand, you want to wish them well.
(Imagine. High school students who pick up several friends after school and drive to a fast-food restaurant in a hurry.)
We have not heard of schools banning them here either (perhaps there are exceptions, such as in strictly private schools), and it is easy to see that it is their (and their parents') responsibility.
Young drivers tend to have a longer beginner's mark period and higher voluntary insurance, but even so, a few parents here and there are happy that they no longer have to take their children to and from school, lessons and part-time jobs, making their lives easier.
Graduation party
High school graduation parties are probably best known for the US prom, but they are also celebrated with great fanfare in Australia, where they are called 'formals'.
This year, our son will participate from our home, I had heard some informations from a senior mum about this formal.
For example,
if a man and a woman are attending as a pair, the man should have a corsage with matching flowers,
or a limousine (LIMO) to get to the venue should be booked early or it will run out,
or the family should dress up even if they are not going to the venue.
I was shuddering at how much preparation was needed, but thankfully (for the parents), they said they would attend as a close-knit group rather than in pairs. No flower corsages were needed and the car was also provided by the group's parents. My son only needed a suit and shoes.
My son's school rented a convention centre where international conferences are held, and the students walked onto a blue carpet, the school's colour, instead of a red carpet, to enter the venue. They drive up to this carpet in a chauffeur-driven car, which is glamorous and looks like a car fair. In fact, some car enthusiasts seem to want to show off their cars at the formal.
The party itself was naturally alcohol-free as it was a school event, although there was a mix of 18-year-olds who could drink. We, as parents, did not see inside the venue, but it seemed to be one of the endings of their high school life and they were able to share some happy memories. After the after-party with his friends, it was midnight when I was called to pick him up.
It was also a day when I felt "even a horse's coat can be a costume" when I saw my son, who is usually so absent-minded, looking so dignified in his suit.
Gap year
Once they have graduated from high school and decided on their next higher education, they learned that it is not absolutely necessary to enrol at the same time.
Depending on the university and course of study, it is possible to delay the start of school for up to one year.
This is known as a 'gap year' and allows students to work as hard as they can to save money, travel or simply take a break before going on to higher education.
Not all students who study at universities and other institutions are recent high school graduates, but many adults and international students as well, so there may be several entry periods during the year to accommodate them.
We hear that many students leave the university in their first year here because of the difficulty of the assignments.
I think it is a 'gentle grace period' for those children who think they are not ready.
Our family will also be taking some gap year period. He is hoping to go on to further education in a more urban area rather than Cairns, so we will be looking for housing etc. slowly.
Our family moved from Ipswich to Cairns the year before our son started primary school.
I think this was the moment when we steered our lives away from the 'winery' work that had led to our permanent residence in Australia, and towards a life focused on raising our children.
In the first place, was it a coincidence that my husband and I were granted permanent residence two weeks before this son (our first child) was born?
It seems as if he was born prepared to live in Australia as a Japanese child.
We would like to loosely support him in his future life.
10.15.2023
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
Autumn furlough
1 Toyama
In September, in the lingering summer heat, I was back in Japan again.
This time it was a girls' trip for my daughter and me.
The only places we visited were Osaka, where the plane arrives and departs, and Toyama, my parents' home.
After graduating from high school, I left my parents' home for further education.
I only went south from Hokuriku to Tokai, but the Japanese Alps in between were unexpectedly high, and I had more than a little culture shock.
From the Sea of Japan side, where cloudy skies are the order of the day, to the Pacific side, where there are clearly more sunny days.
From a prefecture where the number of TV channels finally increased to three commercial stations when I moved out, to a prefecture where all stations were originally available.
From the area of my parents' house, which was at the edge of the city and the prefecture, with nothing but rice paddies and factories, to the prefectural capital, which is somewhat bustling even at the edge of the city.
In the past, it has been my husband's parents' home where we have decided to stay longer during our furloughs from Australia. This is because it is the area where we got married and it is easy to make plans to see friends.
I remember staying for about a week when my mother passed away.
However, it was unusual for me to stay at my parents' house in Toyama for ten days.
It is not that my family is not close.
In fact, I think we are on the better side.
This time is a rare chance for me to spend a long time with my own family, whom I was born and raised with, something I have not been able to do before.
2 Buddist vegetarian cuisine
I didn't have any specific plans, but I knew where I wanted to go in Toyama.
The information came from watching a video website.
We were born and raised in an old Japanese house.
It no longer exists as it was demolished when I was a university student, but in that house our family held many Buddhist services.
At Buddhist ceremonies, even children of a certain age are served a full meal.
The food served was a meatless vegetarian meal, but the three-coloured kuzukiri (kudzu starch noodles) that always appeared with the meal was impressive because of its sweet sauce. Although the meals were similar to vegetarian food, the kuzukiri had never appeared on the table.
The video website introduced dishes such as that three-coloured kuzukiri, as well as itokoni(vegetables boiled in miso), yogoshi(A dish of boiled vegetables chopped finely and stir-fried with miso.) and filled ganmodoki(deep-fried tofu mixed with thinly sliced vegetables). These dishes are said to be vegetarian dishes unique to the Tonami region.
They are said to be served in an old house restaurant.
I had given up on being able to eat the food unless I attended the Buddhist memorial service, but I could go to this restaurant and enjoy it. I didn't want to miss this chance.
My sisters also seemed interested.
3 Farmhouse Restaurant OHKADO
At lunchtime on a weekday, my two sisters and I, who had combined our days off, visited an antique restaurant in a dispersed village.
The map showed a location in the middle of a rice field, which made us a little uneasy, but the Ohkado Somen Museum stood next to our destination, so we parked the car, relieved that it was probably on a route for tourists to visit.
I remember that my mother used to give me this Ohkado somen after I started living alone. This somen is too long as it is, so it needs to be broken when boiling,
I only realised then that it was a speciality of Tonami City.
I had been mistaken for a long time, as there is also a region called Daimon(using same Kanji word) in Toyama Prefecture.
Upon entering the restaurant, the interior is a converted dwelling that evokes a sense of nostalgia.
We were seated at a table and chairs arranged on tatami mats with a view of the garden.
At lunchtime, you can enjoy traditional dishes without meat.
There were many dishes that my sisters and I, who have lived in the countryside, enjoyed, such as Ohkado somen and yubeshi, as well as the three-coloured kuzukiri, which we were looking for.
Yubeshi is an agar dish called yubisu in my family.
It is a soy sauce-based soup with beaten egg, hardened with agar. Dried shiitake mushrooms are used to make the broth, which is also used as a garnish as it is. This dish can be deliciously chilled in the fridge during the hot summer months and left indoors during the winter months.
My mother's yubisu contained shredded ginger, which accentuated it. I thought again that it was my mother's recipe, as it was not in the restaurant Yubeshi.
The meal was also accompanied by matcha salt tempura, which added a touch of glamour.
Would there have been tempura at the memorial service?
However, vegetable tempura is a dish that my mother used to make, so this lunch resulted in more talk about my mother's cooking in memory of us.
The traditional dishes that my mother used to make, such as yubisu, kaburazushi(Narezushi of amberjack and turnip) and namasu(dish of raw fish and vegetables seasoned in vinegar), have apparently been taken over by my younger sister.
While enjoying the dishes, I wanted to learn my mother's taste in due course.
4 AZUMADACHI
The layout of the old private house restaurant was very similar to the Japanese house we grew up in.
When you enter the house from the customer entrance, there is a hall and a Buddhist room on the left-hand side. The part facing the garden is a series of antechamber-like rooms of two to three tatami mats, which were actually places for monks to rest during Buddhist services.
The restaurant's website mentions the term 'azumadachi'.
It is said to be a form of traditional house often found in the Tonami Plain.
An internet search shows a facility called the Tonami Dispersed Village Museum, which has a floor plan, which is quite similar to the layout of the first floor of this traditional building.
The Buddhist room was decorated with a magnificent altar, typical of Toyama Prefecture, the alcove to the left of the altar was also the same.
My parents' house had a large hall of about 20 tatami mats, and I remember running around in it as if it were an indoor playground when we were small children.
Our 'birthplace' is no longer there, but seeing such a traditional house that still exists today brought back fond memories, and the three sisters could not stop chattering.
5 Everyday life
The purpose of the trip was for my daughter to experience a Japanese junior high school.
It lasted four days, but we were accepted at a busy time between the club's rookie competition and the 14-year-old's challenge (work experience).
I travelled with my daughter to school and back, my father asked me for a small errand, my nephew proudly cooked pasta for me, and I cooked dinner with my sisters.
I was able to spend time focusing on 'everyday life'.
I was again surprised by the Toyama dialect on the radio, and I tried my best to speak in the local language. I think I had forgotten a lot of it, but it still seemed new to my daughter.
Being exposed to the atmosphere of "my hometown" reminded me of my roots.
I was also a little nervous when I came into contact with Japanese schools.
(The rule for pedestrians was to walk on the right side of the road, wasn't it?)
What did I think when I lived in Japan?
With these thoughts in mind, I am conscious that I am Japanese after all and will probably return to this country.
8.5.2023
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
The job of housekeeping
1.
Housekeeping
Hearing these words,
"Oh, you mean the people who clean the accommodation."
How many of you can immediately understand it?
At least when I first heard it I thought it was a family accounting thing, and I only started using the term when I was in the position of a hotel room cleaner myself.
(Cairns is a tourist destination, so many people understand it...)
Yes, everyone seems to know about it, but it is a surprisingly unknown job.
That is housekeeping.
Housekeeping is essentially a repetitive job.
It can be said that they are professionals in repetitive tasks.
'Cleaning is my job.'
This is easily confused with.
For example, if the cleaning is done by a contractor at the time of vacating a rental, the dirt accumulated by each individual from their own use must be restored to a state where the next tenant can move in comfortably. There will be a lot of work to remove the dirt while minimising damage to the equipment, using a variety of chemicals, tools and techniques, depending on the situation.
The type of work you sometimes see on Japanese Youtube videos (or maybe that's just me).
Housekeeping cleaning, however, is the same, up to the point where "staff will clean up areas where each individual has made their own mess", but always in the same place and with a finer frequency of intervention.
In hotels, this is daily, and even in the type of accommodation where the guests clean the rooms, regular cleaning should take place once a week.
This frequency prevents the build-up of dirt.
Sometimes I am asked about effective cleaning methods for stubborn stains etc., but I cannot give a very useful answer.
If I had to say, "If you clean it all the time, I think you'll be fine".
If we could do that, we wouldn't all be in trouble.
2.
My experience as housekeeping staff includes six and a half years at an exclusive hotel, several times assisting as temporary staff at three different hotels, a few months assisting at a backpacker inn, and nearly two years at the accommodation for people receiving medical care, where I currently work.
If you've never actually worked on a job, it probably won't ring a bell, so I'll give you a brief rundown of one day when I was working in a hotel.
First thing in the morning, you receive a list of the rooms you will be responsible for today.
(In the hotel where I worked, it was a one-man cleaning crew.)
The number of rooms allocated to you per day can go up or down, but it is around 12 to 14 rooms. This number is a mixture of rooms that have been checked out and rooms that are in use, as the hotel also cleans rooms that are in use every day (I am told in the industry that the standard is five hours for 12 rooms). The rooms that have already been checked out are prioritised and cleaned as they go along.
Cleaning includes disposing of dirty items, vacuuming and dusting, polishing bathrooms, checking that equipment such as televisions is in good working order, making beds and preparing towels for the next group of guests. If you don't have enough sheets or towels on hand, you have to prompt them, and if you don't have enough papers or cups in the room, you have to run around to get them.
Once all the rooms are in order, the day is finally over.
Neatly and without mistakes so that there are no complaints from guests. But also to finish as much as possible within the indicated time so that there are no complaints from the management.
With all these conflicting demands on our shoulders, we have to repeat the same work every day for as many rooms as possible, so it is no wonder that we are professionals at repetitive tasks.
As you can see, the chemicals used for cleaning are specific to each hotel, so this is not the same as a 'let's try this new chemical for this stain' type of cleaning.
It is an environment where people can face each day with a new spirit, with no work to take home, but the repetitive tasks are physical, so they come slowly to the body. Only a few people would not complain of chronic pain in their arms, palms, back and knees. They are also in the hospitality industry and may receive harsh words from guests.
It is a job that requires both physical and mental strength, as it is completely behind the scenes of the hotel, but also requires good customer service.
3.
When I resigned from the hotel, I knew I would not go back to housekeeping.
Because I had set myself the challenge of increasing what I could do each day to see how clean I could get it done in time, I felt that I had done all I could do and that I was tired of doing physical labour already.
However, at the temporary employment agency that I registered with for a bridge job, all I was introduced to were housekeeping jobs, despite the fact that I had obtained a licence to handle alcohol so that I could be called for food and beverage work.
I thought about how I had become a lanky person during the periods when I was not physically active. When I was at the hotel, I was so thin that my parents were worried about me, so gaining some weight was not a problem, but when I thought back to the days when I was racy and moving, I felt like I had become self-defeating.
And because it was decided that, unlike hotels where entertainment is the main focus, medical accommodation is more in the public interest, I eventually returned to housekeeping work, which I continue to do to this day.
'Every day, while cleaning the shower booths.
'Why do I keep doing this job?'
I think.
I am not the type of person who exercises spontaneously, so it could be 'because I can exercise while earning an income' or 'because I like repetitive, simple tasks'.
Cleaning work is 'easy to see the rewards' because the results are visible as long as you do it, and 'I might be able to help people who are recuperating'.
And my housekeeping colleagues are always kind.
The actual workload is about 3-4 hours a day, so it is less physically demanding than in hotels, but it is difficult to live on this alone. Therefore, I also have another job twice a week. This is another physical job, which is also quite hard.
However, both are behind-the-scenes jobs that society cannot run smoothly without someone else doing them.
I find myself thinking, "That's why I work," and I find myself being a pain in the ass.
When I was in the hotel, the words "I have to quit" were constantly in my head as I wiped the window sashes, but at the moment I'm asking myself, "Why am I still doing this job?" I think I will continue with my current housekeeping job for a while longer.
6.10.2023
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
Happenings met in Japan
1. Yokohama's banned uncle
For two and a half weeks from the end of March, we a family of four travelled to Japan for the first time in five years with our two middle and high school children.
We went around Osaka and Nara, Kanazawa and Toyama, Tokyo and Yokohama, Gifu and Aichi, and then back to Cairns, and had some interesting experiences during that intense time.
Firstly, I would like to write about the man I met in Yokohama.
On our way from Tokyo to Gifu, we visited our friends living in Yokohama.
A couple of friends run a takoyaki (octopus dumplings) restaurant that serves alcohol, and they opened their restaurant earlier than usual to accommodate our arrival time and waited for us.
‘It's been a long time’
‘I feel at home here by the river’
While we were chatting and eating delicious takoyaki, a man wandered up on a bicycle.
'Can I have a pint of draught beer?'
He ordered, and spoke to us as a matter of course.
At first he talked about this area of Yokohama.
I tried my best to listen to him, thinking that it was a rare opportunity to meet a local person, but he gradually began to talk more and more about himself, saying things like 'during the war, my parents, my siblings...'.
He then began to talk about how his family used to go abroad, perhaps because of the location of Yokohama,
“We are from overseas too”
But he didn't respond to my words and didn't stop talking about himself.
At first I think we were all listening, but then I realised I was the only one facing to him.
'My brother and sister were born in different countries and I still don't know what my own parents did for a living (grin).'
When it comes to the story, is it finally getting bad?
Just when I was getting worried that he might not let me go, my friend interrupted me and said, "Give us a break".
My friend said that he was a famous banned uncle in the neighbourhood.
He has been rejected after putting on a one-man show of stories that may or may not be false or true in various restaurants.
Well, was he happy because I was listening the story seriously?
I was impressed by the way he spoke very vividly.
Although it was interesting to meet someone unusual, I have to say that it was still a pity that the time I spent rejoicing in seeing my friend was much shorter because of it.
2. Capsule Hotel
In Nagoya, we had arranged to meet up with some friends from our university days.
We were a group of six good friends who attended a small university in Gifu.
Usually scattered across the Kanto, Chugoku and Tokai regions, they gathered together on the occasion of my temporary return to Japan.
With six of us, it has been difficult for all of us to get together at once, due to our different life stages and simple lack of schedules.
I was also unable to attend the wedding (due to lack of money at the time), or to participate in the trips to Takayama and Hong Kong.
When was the last time we all got together?
'When we say goodbye, it's always as if we'll see each other again tomorrow.'
It has been a long time since we last talked like that.
It can't be helped that someone is missing, let's rejoice that we are now getting together.
I think that was the feeling.
This time, however, all six could meet together, as we had long hoped.
The team that lived far from home decided to stay in Nagoya.
‘I've heard there is a good place to stay’
A friend who lives in Nagoya introduced us to a "capsule hotel with various facilities".
It was the type of accommodation where a variety of things were provided without the need to bring anything, such as a free 'big bath', soft drinks, alcohol in the evening hours, rice and miso soup, etc.
Despite the fact that capsule hotels are a unique and unusual form of accommodation in Japan, none of us had ever stayed in one, and neither had my friend who introduced us this accomodation.
Sounds interesting!"
So we booked it for three people, but on the day we checked in and only found out the truth.
We were not allowed to talk in the sleeping area where the capsules are located!
This is a place where other users do not know when other users are sleeping 24 hours a day.
Please be quiet!
Moreover, after seeing the capsule, my friend and I confessed to each other that we were "claustrophobic". (When we got inside the capsule, it was surprisingly okay.)
The cooler we got, the more we wondered why we booked it.
My friend from Nagoya, who asked me for a good place to stay, is self-employed and travels all over the country. I believe that she may have introduced it to me as convenient for her.
At the booking stage, everyone was flabbergasted, including me.
'You got accommodation? Good, good, relief."
It couldn't be helped.
Seeking a place to stay, we move to the floor where drinks and snacks are available, but is it a wake? It is so quiet that you would think it was a wake. Wearing loungewear and holding the drink or snack they want in one hand, the visitors wander around on their own. We are a group of three among them. The smell of cigarettes wafts from the smoking room at the back.
Basically, the overwhelming majority of customers use the area alone, so lively group customers seemed to be shunned. We speak in a mosquito-like voice.
The locker room and the main bathroom were normal places to talk, but not places to stay for long, right?
We had gathered here to talk endlessly, but were forbidden to do so. We reflected on the fact that we would never use a capsule room except for solo travellers, and our expectations for the 'adult excursion (Noritake Forest and planetarium)' scheduled for the following day grew.
3. Souvenirs
The final part of a trip to Japan is the luggage!
Sending cardboard boxes of clothes, books, food and other items from my husband's parents' house to the airport post office in advance and getting them on the plane is the most important mission every time.
When the children were small, toys were added to the boxes, so there were sometimes 10 boxes in total.
This time, as well, I first prepared five cardboard boxes and checked the post office website, and to my surprise, the airport branch had disappeared.
I had never used it before, but I knew it existed, a private luggage collection service counter.
This one was open and I was able to specify the address. What a relief. I was able to pick up my baggage free of charge and, at the end of the day, I was able to buy an extra cardboard box to put the souvenirs I would buy at the airport.
Okay, now we're going shopping! But there are no 'shops'!
Convenience stores, souvenir shops, bookshops, 100-yen shops and various speciality shops were there five years ago.
All this and more during the pandemic,
Oh, dear, oh dear,
Almost all shops were closed.
It was not a case of hesitating to buy souvenirs at the Shinkansen kiosks because they would become luggage for the journey.
At the baggage claim counter, packing tape was also sold in sets with boxes, perhaps because the 100s shops had gone?
Barely found was a convenience store and one pharmacy each between the areas under construction.
The pharmacy had a small amount of souvenirs.
I finally saw the light at the pharmacy, as I had been careless and thought I could just buy souvenirs at the airport.
4. the very last
Okay, the luggage is ready.
Let's check it in!
The Jetstar counter is..,
Where's the Jetstar counter?
It's not here.
The electronic board shows that our flight is marked C2 or something.
What was that? Did KIX have a Terminal 2?
Are low-cost airliners going there?
To get to Terminal 2 at Kansai International Airport, passengers had to take a free private bus.
To get to the bus stop, we took the lift down to the ground level and walked a little.
When the bus arrived there, we unloaded six cardboard boxes and two suitcases from the cart and placed them on the bus.
Once off the bus, we picked up the cart again, reloaded our luggage and went inside Terminal 2.
Woman: 'I don't see any Jetstar counters here.'
“[......]"
Returned to bus stop at Terminal 2. Long queue. Everyone's luggage was compact.
We had given up hope of getting on the first bus, but there was a man who took care of us and told us to get on and load our luggage too.
Thank you, you have saved us from the depths of despair.
Thank you.
Here, family unity was put to the test.
No one complains and did our job.
Those who were standing where the luggage could be placed are asked to give up some of their space.
The bus returned to Terminal 1.
Then we take our luggage off the bus again. We pick up the cart that I thought we had left behind earlier and put it back on. Take the lift back to the departure hall of Terminal 1 again.
Would we have lost nearly an hour?
By then, the Jetstar sign appeared at counter C and there was a queue of passengers waiting to be accepted.
I know that it was a move we did not have to make.
I was just relieved that we made it in time.
I had a meaningful time on this trip to Japan.
I was impressed by the Japanese food I ate as soon as I got off the plane, was overwhelmed by the number of foreign tourists at tourist attractions but felt a sense of familiarity, walked around without a face mask with a sense of excitement, and managed to make it to the cherry blossom season. We made a shared album of photos taken by each of the four family members, rode the limited express Shirasagi with just the children, ate a whole of a snow crab each, Ghibli, Akihabara, supporting my fave, family and friends.
We had a few spicy experiences, but it will all be memories later.
Now, let's get back to our daily life in Cairns.
4.10.2023
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
At Cairns International Airport
1. temporary return to my country
I am in the boarding area at Cairns International Airport with my family, waiting for the time to board the plane.
Today is the last day of the children's first term, but I have informed the school that we will start the holiday one day earlier and start the second term two days later.
We think we have made a hard-working schedule that doesn't miss much school, which is a common trend in Australia.
This is the first time in about five years for our family to visit Japan, as our plans to return temporarily in 2020 have turned out to be a mirage!
Excited, thrilled and slightly anxious.
When we last returned to Japan, my daughter was in the third grade and my son was in the first year of junior high school.
Five years on, of course, my daughter is now in the second year of junior high school and my son is now in the third year of high school.
I am a little troubled to think that I have spent so much time in Australia at an age when they have clear memories of the country.
2. Boarding area
After completing check-in procedures, they went through the baggage check and then followed the departure procedures.
I was amazed at the mechanised departure procedures and was reminded of the growth of the children, who are already able to complete the procedures on their own.
One of my son's friends travels alone on domestic journeys with plane connections, while another child is studying in the UK and has taken an international flight alone.
You were able to ride the limited express train "Shirasagi" with just the children!
I don't think they are young enough to be praised for this, but they are a very boxy bunch, so please forgive me if my emotional boiling point is low.
After immigration formalities, the direction in which to proceed is through the duty-free shop. Once through there, there are only three souvenir shops and one café left to wait.
I think there used to be a sushi roll shop, but was that in a major city airport ......?
I only come here occasionally and my memory is hazy.
In the only café, there was a constant queue of people wanting coffee and snacks, and we were the first to get in line.
Even though international travel has become active again, the souvenir shops that remain closed make you realise that there was a pandemic in the intervening years. I had never even set foot in a shop that sold sheepskin mats and UGG boots (warm boots made from wool), but I was selfish enough to think that they were not there, and I wanted to see their products.
When the children were young, I bought picture books, children's books and drawing books from the bookshop here to prepare them for their time on board.
It was also a long time ago that we prepared candy for them to lick during take-off and landing so that they would be able to pull their ears out, and that they would run and wriggle around in the open air until just before boarding to tire themselves out and fall asleep more easily on board.
Now, everyone is ready to kill time on their own, making use of their own smartphones and devices. By the way, I am writing essays and taking photos here, as you can see.
3. Coins from other countries
When I come to the airport, there is one thing I always do.
That is to donate coins from other countries.
When I was working as a housekeeper in a hotel, the natural collection was foreign coins, which I had to deal with.
It is money and I want to do it properly, but there is no effective way to use it.
Finding people from each country and giving them away was also a tedious task. It was then that I found a destination for the coins at the airport.
It was a donation box in the boarding area.
Not only Australian dollars, but money from many other countries was normally in there. Every time I went back to Japan, I decided to put the money here.
This time, for my first international trip in five years, I still had coins with me that had nowhere else to go. Just before the pandemic, I quit my job at the hotel itself, so it wasn't a huge amount.
I put them in a donation box just now and finally got the weight off my shoulders.
When I looked at where the donation was going, it said 'Flying Doctor'.
It is a service that uses air routes to transport people with sudden illnesses in remote areas where there are no hospitals nearby.
I think it's a small amount of coin, but I'm happy if it helps someone, even if it's just a little bit.
It's also a great way to feel like you've done something useful while travelling.
If you are a traveller with some Australian dollars left over, it might be a good idea to make a small donation at the end of your trip.
Now it's almost boarding time.
I am going to enjoy myself now so that I can tell a good souvenir story to my friends and staff at work who sent me off with a "Have a safe trip"!
I've heard that the cherry blossoms in Japan are already in full bloom, so I'll have to wait until I arrive to see if I can make it.
2.8.2023
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
barefoot
1. Easy Going
The other day, a woman came into the supermarket to do her shopping and said, 'It's so cold'.
It is midsummer in Cairns, so it is hot outside, and inside the supermarket where the food is sold, the air conditioning works that much better. Our children are cold and bring long sleeves when shopping, even in summer. I wondered if she was the same and casually looked at her feet to see she was barefoot. I'm sorry, but if you feel the cold floor directly on your feet, it's no wonder you're cold.
I held back the part where I wanted to point this out.
Barefoot may be a culture in Australia, especially in Cairns, where it is always summer.
With a free swimming pool in the city centre, it is a common sight to see people walking around the city in rough clothes such as swimming costumes and bare tops, and many people also wear sandals on their feet. Some are even barefoot. I don't think it's that they don't have the money to buy shoes.
Why?
I don't have any expert knowledge on the subject, but it is not at all surprising in a country where people are said to have an easy-going spirit.
The scene of barefoot, shoe-wearing and sandal-wearing people mingling in the streets seems to symbolise a place where you can live without having to stand on your elbows.
Does it bother you so much that I'm barefoot? It doesn't matter either way. Some might even say.
It doesn't matter if you are an adult, a child or a person of any gender if you walk barefoot outside.
A search for 'barefoot in Australia' yields a lot of interesting articles and images. Many Japanese are surprised and say 'huh'.
On the other hand, during working hours, it may be stipulated that footwear must be worn at all times.
Wearing work boots for personal safety is probably at the top of the list, but once at my workplace I was explicitly told that accidents while I was shoeless would not be covered by my on-the-job insurance.
That was when I was working as a housekeeper in a hotel, and although the job did not involve carrying very heavy items, they may have been concerned that I might fall over with my shoes off.
It is natural to want to take off footwear when it is free time, especially if you are told not to take it off at work.
I thought back to how it is in Japan.
Whenever I go outside for a moment, whether on the balcony or not, I always have some footwear with me. That was the case at least until 20 years ago that I can remember.
The house I grew up in was an old Japanese house and the toilet was on the other side of the family entrance. So I always wore sandals when I went to the toilet, and in connection with toilets, I even had my own slippers in the small bathroom in the flat I moved into as a university student.
I think the awareness of not wanting to get my feet dirty was ingrained in me without my knowing it.
Even though Australia is a tolerant country where no one cares if you come barefoot to the supermarket for shopping, there are still places where you will be refused entry. It is not possible to enter high-end restaurants with dress codes, and for safety reasons, even DIY shops will reject you.
I don't know how it happened, but my husband once drove the car, unusually barefoot, even though we weren't going to the sea, and got out and tried to enter a DIY shop. He got out and tried to enter the DIY shop, and was refused entry by the staff stationed at the entrance, who told him to put on his footwear again.
He hurried to a nearby supermarket, bought a pair of flip-flops and got away with it, but it was a moment that put the brakes on his careless head on his day off.
It was also a moment when I felt I had been living in Australia for a long time.
2. In the case of children
The top thing that children forget at their friends' houses and other places where they go to play is their footwear.
I always make sure they don't forget their bags with swimming gear, water bottles, devices, etc., but often they would have a bit of fun at the end of the day and get into the car barefoot.
On days when I thought I wouldn't forget them today, the next time we were saying goodbye and the parents were talking to each other and I realised that my child was back to barefoot, I couldn't blame them.
'Did you put your shoes on?' has become a watchword for both the receiving and the picking-up parties.
On days when they go directly from school to a friend's house, if they forget to do so, "I don't have shoes for school tomorrow!" This can cause a situation.
In such cases, I asked the parents to leave the forgotten shoes at the front door, so that I could stop by and change them on the way to school.
It's not easy for parents to make ends meet, really.
It is a very common feeling for children to play outside barefoot, and even if they initially wear them in the park or garden, they find themselves taking them off. In my opinion, it is a wisdom of life not to buy them expensive ones, because if they forget them in the park, etc., they are unlikely to find them.
Even in the kindergarten my daughter attended, looking back at the photos again, she played barefoot.
However, this all changed when they entered primary school.
They are taught to wear shoes from around 9am to 3pm.
The youngest child was only four and a half years old.
In the early grades, some children spend more time sitting on the floor than sitting on chairs in the classroom, and I hear that some children throw tantrums because they want to take their shoes off.
The preparatory year is also a time for children to gradually get used to these rules.
Even I wear shoes to work, but as soon as I get into the car to go home, I change into the sandals I always have with me. I don't go barefoot, but it's good for my feet to feel a sense of freedom that the work is done.
I remember that when I was in primary school, there was a period of 'barefoot exercise' in the warmer months, when we could go barefoot on the school grounds and in the graveled courtyard. Walking on the gravel was as painful as a foot mat, but I remember it was fun.
The liberating feeling of barefoot will sometimes also be felt 'earthing', connecting with the earth. The benefit of being barefoot as a child, when the senses are sensitive, was something that was recognised in Japanese school education.
However, our family has always forbidden children to go barefoot when walking in town.
This is because there are often dangerous objects on the ground, such as pieces of broken alcohol bottles. This may seem a little overprotective, but we believe it will help them to become more aware of the dangers.
3. Aren't you barefoot?
I have only been sarcastic once because I was wearing sandals.
It happened at a playgroup (a playgroup for pre-school children).
There is a facility that is used by different playgroups on different days from Monday to Friday, and I usually joined the Japanese playgroup there.
One day, a woman I met was the leader of another day of the week and invited me to come and play.
The group was made up of people who shared her educational policy, which calls for a natural approach, and only toys made of wood and other natural materials were allowed to play with. The group seemed to enjoy kneading bread dough together at the beginning and eating the baked bread for lunch. I also felt a sense of familiarity because I bake bread at home.
When we went to play, she knew where the plastic toys were and she wanted to open them and I had to do my best to stop her and invite her to play outside.
In the process, a woman asked, "Is this a group where anyone is allowed to come?" I heard a woman's voice asking the question, clearly aware of my presence.
It seemed to be the rule that parents and children were to spend time barefoot at the place, and I didn't know this, and I had been wearing sandals the whole time. It could have looked like someone who refused to go barefoot and connect with nature had blundered into the group.
I joined the group out of interest, but realised early on that it was too demanding for my family, so her question was a good start and I decided to leave before lunch was served.
I have had books on education policies that this group shares for some time, but have never been able to put them into practice in real life.
My only experience of rejection for not going barefoot was also a reaffirming experience that perhaps I was in a slightly different group in terms of orientation to my family, who lived a life surrounded by so-called toys and showing television.
4. Thickness of the skin of the foot
When I temporarily returned to Japan and was blessed with the opportunity to play with my friend's children
'They really go barefoot, don't they?'
I was told. There was an interesting contrast between my friend's two children playing on the playground equipment with their shoes on and my two children playing barefoot. I think they all eventually played barefoot.
When I see children playing in Cairns parks in their footwear, especially if they are in full socks and sneakers, I wonder "Are they tourists?". Recently, my child's age has increased and the opportunities to go to the park have decreased dramatically, and due to the pandemic restrictions, I haven't seen any travellers for a while.
It makes me feel warm and fuzzy to think that there will be more opportunities for local children and travelling children to cross paths again in the future.
And so on and so forth, but I have to confess that we are not quite there yet. We have to confess that we have not yet reached that level, as the barefooters here seem to be able to walk on hot roads and seem to be fine with even the slightest obstacle.
In fact, the thickness of the skin on their feet may be one of the factors that will help them survive in the coming survival race.
If that is the case, then I would be able to walk on the artificial grass in the garden and say, "Hot! Hot!" I still have a lot of training to do.
12.15.2022
DAYS/ Tsukie Akizawa Column
Green and Gold
Busy December to realise
1. Second job
This time a year ago, I had more time on my hands.
My new job at the time was cleaning accommodation for people and their families who had come from remote areas to receive medical care in Cairns.
Having cleaned hotel rooms for six and a half years, I always had the impression that cleaning jobs were always short-staffed, but at this workplace, you only need to work for three or four hours to finish a day's work.
Fellow cleaning staff also basically leave after three hours. Of course, there are days when the workload is heavy, but they finish in a short time by making creative arrangements, such as carrying over the work to the next day.