Sunday, March 13, 2022
Tips for Australians when Travelling Overseas
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Ghibli Park in Aichi
Ghibli Park in Aichi
The theme park is set to open on 1 November 2022, just in time for the reopening of Japan to overseas tourists. The sprawling attraction is located at Expo Memorial Park in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture.
The 7.1-hectare park will feature attractions from iconic
films such as Mononoke Village from Princess Mononoke, and the castle from Howl’s
Moving Castle. The experience will be enhanced with Ghibli themed cafes,
restaurants, and playgrounds.
The theme park will be divided into five different areas:
Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Mononoke’s Village, Valley of Witches
and Dondoko Forest.
The Entry to Ghibli Park via the Elevator Tower |
The facility will initially open with 3 areas which are the Hill of Youth, Ghibli's Grand Warehouse and Dondoko Forest. The other two areas will open in the near future with Mononoke's Village scheduled to open in 2023 and the Valley of Witches in March 2024.
The lush green park was the site of the 2005 Aichi World
Expo, so it is a perfect match for the nature of the famous flicks.
Hill of Youth
Located near the north entrance of the park, this area is modeled after the settings of "Whisper of the Heart" (1995) and "The Cat Returns" (2002). The highlight here is the recreation of the World Emporium, the antique shop from Whisper of the Heart. The attention to detail in the shop is amazing with food in the refrigerator and even trash in the garbage bin.
The World Emporium at the Hill of Youth |
The Cat Returns |
Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse
This large indoor area covering 9,600 square meters is home to
an exhibition room, a children’s playground, shops, restaurants, and a small
theatre. The idea of this area is to allow visitors to immerse themselves in the whimsical worlds of Ghibli and interact with famous scenes from the movies. You can see the Iron Giant from "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" (1986) and take a virtual train ride with Kaonashi from "Spirited Away" (2001).
Ghibli's Grand Warehouse |
The Iron Giant from Laputa |
Dondoko Forest
Dondoko Forest is dedicated to the film "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) with a 5-meter-tall wooden Totoro that visitors can actually climb inside.
Dondoko Forest |
A five-meter-tall wooden Totoro at Dondoko Forest |
The highlight of the Dondoko Forest area is walking through Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbor Totoro, which was set in a rural landscape from the Showa period (1926-1989). The attention to detail in the house is amazing with period-specific furniture and items. There are actual real items from the 1950's here including newspapers and books. Part of the fun is looking around and discovering all the small details.
Satsuki and Mei's House from My Neighbor Totoro |
Real Show Era items inside the house |
Mononoke’s Village
Mononoke’s Village will feature a real-life recreation of
Tatara-ba, the irontown depicted in the movie "Princess Mononoke" (1997). The beautiful scenery will
transport you back in time to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) of Japanese
history, where the movie is set.
Mononoke's Village (Photo: ©Studio Ghibli) |
Valley of Witches
The Valley of Witches draws inspiration from films that
feature protagonists with magic powers such as "Howl’s Moving Castle" (2004) and "Kiki’s Delivery Service" (1989).
It will be home to a real-life, 16-meter-tall replica of
Howl’s Moving Castle, including moving cannons resembling eyeballs.
Howl's Moving Castle (Photo: ©Studio Ghibli) |
Entry to the Expo Memorial Park is free but visitors will need to reserve tickets in order to enter each of the five areas.
Adult tickets for Ghibli's Grand Warehouse cost 2,000 yen on weekdays and 2,500 yen on weekends, while entry to the Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest is 1,000 yen at all times. The fees for children are half-price.
This will be no ordinary theme park. You will not find rollercoasters or death-defying rides here, but simply a fantasy world, where you can feel part of your favourite Ghibli movie.
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Writers Read Their Early Sh*t Podcast
We talked about
the world of online travel writing along with a range of interesting topics
such as the coolest places to visit in Japan and whether Aussie space-rockers
The Church are the best band to ever come out of Australia. We also had a
chance to delve into some of my very early blog writing.
Today,
Jason has returned the favour by guest posting on Japan Australia to tell us
all about his wonderful new podcast, but before we get into all of that, let’s
find out a little about the man himself.
Jason was
born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, and grew up in the Okanagan
Valley. He received his BA from UBC in 1995 and moved to Japan, where he taught
English to students of all age groups. He also bartended, edited scientific
journals, officiated at hundreds of weddings, played bass in a KISS tribute
band, made amateur films, won his debut boxing match by TKO in the second
round, and traveled extensively in Japan, the rest of Asia and Europe. His
first book, “My Hand’s Tired & My Heart Aches: Letters from Japan
1995-2005,’ was published by Kalamalka Press in 2005.
A young Jason Emde in the middle |
Now, let’s hear from Jason about the inspiration for the Writers Read Their Early Sh*t podcast.
The idea for the Writers Read Their Early Sh*t podcast
first came to me while I was working on my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing
and happened to read a poem I wrote in elementary school about a tree. It
wasn’t much of a poem (“Emphatic!” reads my teacher’s only comment) and I
realized—or remembered—that all writers, famous and obscure, are probably sitting
on treasure troves of undeft early work, shitty first drafts, and undeveloped
and unsophisticated efforts, all of it stuck in a box in some closet or drawer.
I know I am: there are whole filing cabinets back in my hometown overflowing
with frothing journals, notebooks full of utterly pretentious waffle and
twaddle, stacks of mind-humpingly primitive poetry, and old letters full of
flatulent bombast and smut. Some of those early attempts and experiments, I
thought, might do at least three things when exposed to the air: provide a
charming autobiographical snapshot of the writer, with space for entering into
friendly relations with early ineptitude or artistic immaturity; encourage
considering everything an experiment,
and release some artistic pressure; and do their splendid to entertain. Early,
unripe work might provide an opportunity to confront a former version of
oneself, and maybe even forgive him or her, and it might delight and divert
other artists, no matter what stage of the game they’re at. That, in any case,
was the idea.
I launched the podcast in the
summer of 2021 and have interviewed—and vastly enjoyed the early sh*t of—poets
like Sarah Tsiang and James Tyler Russell, songwriters like David White and
Dave Antich (otherwise known as DJ Max in Tokyo, who provides all of the
podcast’s music), memoirists like Victoria Taylor, novelists like Adam Lewis
Schroeder, and travel writers like John Asano from Japan Australia. One
legendary episode featured my sister, Alison Emde, reading gems from her teenage
journals. The conversations so far have been freewheeling and funny and
unpretentious and intimate and moving, fueled by a love of language, a
fascination with craft, and a kind of broad-minded sympathy. There have also
been digressions into such things as literary pilgrimages, the best and worst
punctuation marks, macrame soap holders, secretly rooting for the monkey, how
The Church is (possibly) the best band Australia ever produced, why Japan is so
ace, and kabuki thunder-rockers KISS. I’m very much looking forward to talking
to more writers of all kinds (and all levels of success and achievement) and
exploring the occasionally unruly pleasures of their early, wet-behind-the-ears
work.
You can listen to all the episodes of the podcast at the Writers Read Their Early Sh*t podcast page, and give Jason and the podcast a follow on both Facebook and Instagram.
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Study Japanese with Nihongo Master
I have been studying Japanese for over 20 years now and in my time, I have discovered a lot of helpful books, amazing websites, and useful applications to make that studying process that little bit more fun and engaging.
The biggest challenge for me has always been trying to stay
motivated when being bogged down in all the books. I truly believe that one of
the best ways to stay motivated is by having fun with the language. After all,
you are more likely to remember something and retain it if you are enjoying the
study process while having a blast.
I am also a very competitive person and like to test myself
by setting goals, whether that be an upcoming Japanese test, or simply beating
my friends in Japanese.
One of the best resources that I have found for studying
Japanese is Nihongo Master, a fantastic Japanese learning website to help you
study Japanese in a fun and easy way.
Here are a few reasons why I like Nihongo Master:
The curriculum has been designed by native Japanese
instructors, so you know that you are getting the best Japanese possible. People new to the Japanese language, can start with the introductory lessons to learn the basics of reading, writing and speaking Japanese. There
are hundreds of lessons for all levels of language learners from beginners to
advanced.
The audio is also produced by native Japanese speakers, which is perfect to get your pronunciation just right and sounding natural. You can listen to the correct pronunciation from the audio, then use the microphone button to record your own pronunciation of the word or sentence and compare it to the native speaker by playing back your voice. It is a really cool way to improve your pronunciation. I found it really useful for nailing those hard to say words or phrases.
The drills allow you to learn in the fastest way possible. As your studying accelerates new drills unlock. The learning is also
supported by periodic quizzes, a key to help challenge and motivate your
language acquisition.
One of the best features for me is the Kanji look-up
dictionary. This dictionary contains over 150,000 words and 13,000 kanji and is
a great tool to look up Japanese words, or English words to find the correct
Japanese equivalent.
Users can also print and customize handy character practice
sheets and study word lists.
The site is set up like a competition with points and achievements making it challenging as well as highly motivating. As you take the drills and quizzes, you score points based on how well you do. Earn enough points and you will soon move up to the next level.
The website also has a blog, which is useful for anyone looking for how-to articles, Japanese cultural tips, Japanese language lessons and much more.
They have some really interesting articles on learning Japanese such as “How to Shorten the Time to Learn Japanese” and “Top 10 Japanese Animal Noises you should learn right now!”
Nihongo Master also have their own YouTube channel and a popular podcast to help you learn Japanese on the go.
If you are looking to learn Japanese, improve your current Japanese level, or simply just need some extra motivation like me, Nihongo Master is the right tool for you.
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Starbucks Japan 47 Jimoto Frappuccino
We here at Japan Australia are huge fans of Starbucks Frappuccinos. Theses icy cold blended frozen drinks are perfect for the hot summers in Japan.
For a limited time only, Starbucks Coffee
Japan will release 47 new Frappuccino drinks, one for each of the 47
prefectures in Japan. The drinks will feature local ingredients to help strengthen
its ties with local communities.
The Seattle-based coffee chain come up
with the idea to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of its first
foray into the Japanese market. The first Starbucks open in the upmarket Ginza district
of Tokyo in 1996.
The special lineup is called “47 Jimoto
Frappuccino”. Jimoto means hometown in Japanese. Baristas will be drawing on
local expertise throughout Japan to bring special flavours and combinations
that are the pride of each local area. The Frappuccinos are inspired by the local food and culture of each area.
Some of the Frappuccinos that instantly
catch the eye include:
Miyagi Prefecture, which is famous for zunda (sweet edamame paste). This drink
features sweetened mashed edamame paste and matcha green tea.
Tottori Prefecture, which is famous for its sand dunes. Baristas created a creamy
caramel drink that resembles the famous sand dunes.
Aichi Prefecture, which is famous for Ogura toast (thickly sliced toast topped
with sweet red bean paste). This Nagoya specialty comes to life as a frappuccino
with sweet red bean sauce, coffee, chocolate chips, and whipped cream.
Starbucks 47 JImoto Frappuccino will be
available from June 30 to August 3, in a tall size only for 682 yen (USD$6.20).
Which flavour would you like to try? Please leave your answer in the comments below.
Visit the Starbucks Coffee Japan website for more details.
Saturday, July 3, 2021
Mount Fuji Reopens to Climbers
Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji reopened on Thursday, July 1 to climbers for the summer season after being closed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Yoshida trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of Japan’s highest peak was opened with strict virus countermeasures in place. It is the most popular of the four routes up the 3,776-meter World Heritage Site.
Japan’s
national symbol was officially named a UNESCO World Heritage site on June 22,
2013.
There are stringent measures in place as part of efforts to
reduce the risk of coronavirus infections. Visitors will be asked to fill out
health check forms and have their temperature checked before being allowed to
climb the mountain.
The Fuji Subaru Line, a tollway running halfway up the
mountain is usually open 24 hours but has shortened its operating hours from 3
a.m. to 6 p.m. to reduce the number of climbers who try to make quick overnight
ascents.
Mountain lodges along the trail have also taken measures to
help prevent the spread of infections. These include installing partitions in
sleeping areas and limiting the number of people allowed to stay in order to
follow social distancing rules.
Last year in 2020, both Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures closed
all four routes for the first time since 1960 in response to the coronavirus
pandemic.
Friday, May 28, 2021
Sumiyaki Charcoal Roasted Coffee
Most of you already know that I am an Aussie in Japan and hence the name of this blog, Japan Australia. Some of you might also know that I am originally from Melbourne in Australia, one of the coffee capitals of the world.
Melbourne’s love affair with coffee started back in the 1950’s with the arrival of Italian and Greek immigrants. A whole generation of immigrants brought their European-style espresso machines to Melbourne, starting a coffee culture and way of life for Melburnians.
Living in rural Japan, it’s been a lot harder to cure my coffee fix. The Gifu/Aichi area of central Japan, where I live is well known for its coffee shops, but it has been hard to find a good cuppa.
The Japanese Coffee Company offers premium coffee that is not available anywhere else in the world. Recently they started a new product, Sumiyaki Charcoal Roasted Coffee and being a huge coffee lover, I just had to give it a try.
Sumiyaki means charcoal roasted in English and has been a hidden treasure in Japan since 1933. This unique Japanese method of roasting coffee beans enhances the taste and aroma. Binchotan charcoal is used to roast the beans due to its high steady heat and long burning time, which produces a unique flavour of coffee.
The coffee is roasted in Hokkaido by Sapporo Coffee Kan. The low temperatures and humidity in Japan’s northernmost prefecture are perfect for coffee brewing.
You can purchase a variety of different coffee blends from the Japanese Coffee Company from single origin and blended coffee to certified organic and decaffeinated.
We ordered the Colombia Arabica Caturra Pital Mountain Single Origin Premium Coffee and had the choice of grinding the beans ourselves or having them pre-grinded for us.
The Taste Test
The coffee has a wonderful rich aroma thanks to the unique sumiyaki roasting method. The coffee has a strong, bold full-bodied taste that is not too powerful and bitter. There is a smooth, smokey aftertaste with no unpleasant bitterness. It was delicious to drink. This is one coffee that certainly has a unique flavour profile and background.
If you are looking to try a truly unique premium coffee that is only available in Japan, check out the Japanese Coffee Company’s Sumiyaki Charcoal Roasted Coffee blends.