Holidays! Simply hearing the word makes me feel happy and relaxed.

I think people in every country feel the same way. However, different people have their own ideas about what is a good holiday.

Many people in Japan enjoy traveling around Japan during the holidays. Australians are the same way. They enjoy traveling around Australia and it’s easy to see why. Australia has many different terrains, including beautiful beaches, off-coast islands, interesting deserts for camping or stargazing, rivers, mountains, and stylish cities.

Some Australians like to go overseas for holidays. Bali is a top tourist destination because it is not far away from Australia. It is only a few hours by plane. Also, as anyone who has been to Bali knows, Indonesia excels in hospitality and tourism, as they are some of its main industries. As a result, Balinese hotels, tourist sites, food, etc. are all crafted to fit Western tastes, so vacationing there is very comfortable for Australian people.

The next most popular place to visit is the USA. America is certainly not convenient to travel to from Australia—it takes a minimum of 21 hours in transit to get there! But the country is vast and diverse enough that there is “something for everyone.” If you like nature and the outdoors, you could visit Big Sur or Yellowstone National Park. If you like cool cities, try San Francisco, Las Vegas, or New York. Some people love road trips—renting a car with friends and driving across America. America is also comfortable to visit, because Americans and Australians share many cultural values and speak the same language.

The third most popular place for Australians to travel for holidays is New Zealand. New Zealand has all the convenience of domestic travel- only a 3.5 hours plane ride from Melbourne! But the population is a fraction of Australia so it is peaceful and relaxing. In addition, New Zealand has some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. There are plants, animals and terrains that do not exist in Australia, so in spite of being convenient for travel, vacationing in New Zealand feels like an escape to another world!

Do you think you’d like to go to any of these countries? Why or why not?

Recently, most of my Japanese friends have been talking about how it’s Cherry Blossom in Japan. Some of them have naturally asked me about Australian flowers.

The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is Australia’s national flower. The Golden Wattle blooms in spring, – beginning September – in Australia, with large fluffy, yellow, sweet smelling flower heads. Each Golden Wattle flower head is a bunch of many tiny flowers. Acacias are popularly called Wattle.
The Golden Wattle tree, is a shrub of about 4-8 metres.

I’m living back in the state of Victoria now, which is where I have lived the largest part of my life. So, I identify with it as ‘my home state’. The pink form of Common Heath, Epacris impressa, was proclaimed the floral emblem of Victoria on 11 November 1958. Victoria was the first Australian State to give official recognition to such an emblem. Go Victoria!

I wonder if Aichi has a provincial flower?

Autumn is here!

Autumn in Australia actually starts on March 1st, so it’s been Autumn here for more than 2 weeks already. Like all our seasons, it lines up neatly with the start of the month. This is different from most countries in the Northern Hemisphere e.g. Japan and America, which have their seasons starting between the 20-23rd of the same months.

Unlike Japan, most Australian forests are made up of evergreen trees, which means their leaves don’t change colour like the leaves of deciduous trees. So, the signs of autumn arriving are not as obvious. There are some places where the change is similar though. There are many vineyards here, and the leaves of grapevines change colour and can be very beautiful.

There is a very different sign of Autumn in Australia that is perhaps more noticeable in everyday life – the approach of Easter and the change in the supermarkets. At Easter time, we eat chocolate Easter eggs and Easter bunnies (rabbits), and in preparation for this, the supermarkets all dedicate a lot of shelf space to the sale of brightly wrapped Easter chocolates.

What do you associate with the arrival of autumn? How about of spring? Does it seem strange to you to imagine Autumn in March?

While I lived in Japan I’d see junior high school students studying furiously every year to pass exams to get into their preferred high schools. This was unusual to me, as in Australia, students generally don’t do that at all. Mostly, they just go to the high school nearest their house. Quite often, junior and senior high schools are the same place so students don’t have to change schools at all.

There are some exceptions. Some parents choose to send their children to private schools, which are more expensive than state schools. Also, a growing number of students are home schooled.

When it comes to high school students studying to get into university however, things are much more like they are in Japan. High school students are much more stressed about their future. One difference is that students’ scores from the internal tests and assignments of their high school classes are used to rank their eligibility to enter universities. Generally, each university doesn’t have its own tests like many do in Japan. Another difference is that the most important final tests for Australian high school students are in November.

One final thing of note: It is quite common for people to attend university later in life in Australia. For example, after high school, some may forego university and instead take up a trade, travel the world, or start a family. Then when they are in their 30s or 40s, go back to university and complete their degree. These are called “non-traditional students” or “mature-age students” in Australia, but they are common. I rarely heard of this happening in Japan. Around 40% of Australian tertiary students are between 25-64 years old. As a matter of fact, my mother went to back to university in her late 30s to study to be a high school teacher!

What do you imagine when you hear the word “romantic”?

For English speakers, the word “romantic” carries the image of a happy couple, enjoying a date in a beautiful location. Maybe there is wine, good food, laughing and light-hearted flirting. February 14, Valentine’s Day, is one of the most romantic days of the year! It is a day that celebrates romantic love. Restaurants, parks, and movie theaters in Australia will be crowded with couples on that day.

In Japan, people celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving presents or chocolate to all their favoured coworkers and friends. But Valentine’s Day in Australia is mostly just for partners in a romantic relationship. In addition to romantic dinners, couples in love in Australia might give each other chocolates, roses, bottles of wine, or cards. (If you give chocolates to every girl you know for Valentine’s Day, you may find yourself in a bit of trouble J )

Of course, not everyone is in a romantic relationship. Many people are single, windowed, divorced, or uninterested in romantic relationships (And everyone deserves a day especially for eating chocolate!). So, some people decide to celebrate other types of love on Valentine’s day, such as love for friends and family. In addition to couples at restaurants, you may see groups of young women out, dressed up in their most beautiful clothes, having a “Gal*-entines Day” celebration. They might even buy each other cards, roses, champagne and desserts in order to say “I am thankful to have you as my friend.”

Whether you have a new crush on* someone at school, are in love with your spouse of many years, or just thankful for the love of your best friends, make sure to tell your loved ones “Happy Valentine’s Day” today!

*Gal- slang word for girl.

*To have a crush on- when you like or are attracted to someone you know

Last Friday was Australia Day, forming the Australia Day long weekend.
There were all kinds of celebrations, parades and community events. Australia Day itself was a pleasant 28 degrees but two days later on Sunday it go up to 38 degrees – so hot!

Some people have a tradition of eating Australian foods on Australia day. I had some friends visiting from America so I found a bakery and had them try some Lamingtons. They are cubes of sponge cake layered with jam, dipped in a chocolate sauce and covered with coconut. They were well received but I can’t vouch* for their healthiness.

Not everyone was light hearted and happy though. There were some big marches and protests by the Australian Aboriginal people and those sympathetic to their cause. They took to the streets to raise awareness of racism and native land rights.

*to vouch for – to guarantee something or someone, to assert that it is true based on personal experience

For many countries, New Year’s Eve is the most important holiday. It represents a new start, a chance to reflect on our lives at the end of a trip around the sun, before beginning another. Australians love celebrating the New Year just as much as everyone else!

In almost every area in Australia, whether it is a city or a rural town, there is an exciting way nearby to celebrate the New Year. If you are an Australian who lives in a rural place, chances are you will meet up with a few of your friends on New Year’s Eve for a barbecue, bring some beer, and stay up until midnight. When the clock strikes “12:00” you’ll just make a lot of noise — bang on pots and pans, sound alarms, sing song, or run around your neighbourhood to welcome the New Year. Fireworks are illegal for individual use in Australia. Even so, you might still see a few rebels lighting them up in parks or anywhere far from buildings.

In the cities, there are always exciting New Year’s Eve events to attend. If in Sydney, be sure to catch the sparkling fireworks display by the Opera House. On the Gold Coast, there are more than 30,000 fireworks set off in time with music during the annual lights display. Melbourne’s fireworks festival is held on the banks of the Yarra River and has a “carnival theme” — rides, musicians, and entertainers of all sorts are there for the celebration of the new year. All the way over in Western Australia, Perth has a yearly street party, where thousands of families gather to enjoy watching street performers, outdoor movies, and the best indie and rock bands. No matter the city, everyone is excited to eat and celebrate with loved ones as they welcome the New Year!

December 25 is an exciting day around the world. But 24 hours goes by pretty quickly! In order to extend the excitement many countries, including Australia, begin to create a Christmas feel several weeks before Christmas Day. In English, we call this “getting into the Christmas spirit.” It can be done by baking Christmas treats, reading traditional Christmas stories with family, listening to Christmas music, putting up the Christmas tree, and decorating houses inside and outside.

Sometimes, entire cities will “get into the Christmas spirit” and adorn government buildings, schools, churches, and entire neighbourhoods in lights. In Australia during Christmas season, families and friends like to drive around in the evening to look at these displays of lights. They can be very impressive!

As you might expect, many Christmas lights displays are in the shape of Santa, snowmen, the nativity, reindeer, or snowflakes. But these may not feel quite right to Australians, who have Christmas during the hottest time of the year! So we make sure to include some crocodiles, kangaroos, or other very Australian things.

In my city of Melbourne, the town hall is decked out* in Christmas lights. Other cities decorate their most iconic buildings or areas too, as you can see in this picture of the Sydney opera house.

A recent problem Australians have encountered with Christmas illuminations is that they use a LOT of energy. As with other nations in the world, Australia is experiencing an energy crisis, and many families are trying to find ways to cut their energy usage. So what is a Christmas-loving family to do? Use solar panels, of course! Warm, sunny southern-hemisphere summers bring lots of light with them. Many families use solar panels instead of traditional electricity. But if you do not have solar panels installed at your house, not to worry. It’s pretty easy to buy solar-charged Christmas lights. Place them outside your house during the daytime, and they will be ready to use by night!

**To be decked out = fully, impressively decorated.

What do you think of when you hear the word “Christmas”? Snow? Santa? Pine trees and sweaters and reindeer? That may be a good image of Christmas in Japan or America, but in Australia, Christmas day is usually 30 degrees celcius or hotter! It’s too hot to even THINK about sweaters!

Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. As a result, Christmas falls in the middle of Summer in Australia. Not to worry, though – of course we still celebrate it. We just do it in different ways.

Like many western Northern Hemisphere countries, Christmas is still a very special time to gather with friends and family, share a meal, and give presents. We still enjoy lighting decorations and putting up a Christmas tree in our homes. We still exchange presents among family members. Because of Australia’s European heritage, we still have the same Christmas songs, and a few of the same dishes at Christmas dinner. We eat turkey and potatoes, and have Christmas fruit cake for dessert.

But since it is so hot, we also have lighter options for Christmas dinner. Seafood is a popular choice. Christmas is at the beginning of summer vacation for school children, so some families go camping or have a barbecue on the beach. Also, the story that we tell our children is that Santa’s reindeer have a rest when he arrives in Australia, and he switches his sleigh to kangaroos (He also changes into some Summer clothes!).

Don’t worry, though. Living in Australia doesn’t mean missing out on cozy, winter-themed celebrations of Christmas. Sometimes Australians have “Christmas in July.” July is the coldest month of the year, so we gather with friends to have hot, mulled-wine, roasted ham, fresh bread rolls, and hot pie for dessert. While “Christmas in July” is not a national holiday like December 25, I am excited to live in a country where there are 2 chances for Christmas every year!

When you go to the supermarket, what is important to you about the food you are choosing? Price? Convenience? Health value? Deliciousness?

Is it important to you to buy organic foods?
 

In Japan I sometimes saw organic produce at the supermarket, and I understand there is a small segment of the population that is passionate about buying and eating organic food. (This article says that organic foods are about 0.4% of the total food market in Japan, although this was in 2014).
 

 
 
 
I had gotten used to eating natural (non-organic) food in Japan, and it was no problem. However, when I returned to Australia, I observed that there had been a massive upsurge in organic food since I had left, so I decided to check out the reasons behind this.

 
 
 
 
I learned that there are numerous reasons to eat organic food:
 

-Food tastes better without chemicals
-Your body is healthier without chemicals
-Your body can absorb nutrients better without chemicals
-In order to avoid unwanted hormones, antibiotics, and drugs that are given to livestock, and exist in our meat products.
-To protect the environment. Chemicals have a detrimental effect on the land around them, and, although the process is very complicated, contribute to global warming.
-To support local farmers who cannot compete with large supermarket chains
-To protect the future for our children, who will be affected by global warming.

Organic food in Australia is sometimes (though not always) more expensive than non-organic. But for me, it seems the benefits of buying organic are worth the cost. Would you buy organic? Why or why not?

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Interesting fact: Australia has the largest area of organic farm land in the entire world – 22 million hectacres, according to this article.