Relaxed in Tasmania
Now, I’m teaching English in junior high school as part of the practice teaching I have to do. The other day, I talked to the students in the class about my homestay in Tasmania, which reminded me of the good time I had in Australia about two years ago.
In Tasmania, I lived in Losney with my host mother and my friend Tomoko. When we got up in the morning, it was cool and we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery from the window; I will never forget the fine view. Before dinner, we often took a walk around our house or on the beach and took many photos of this beautiful island. While walking along the seashore, we saw many people enjoying themselves. Some of them were couples and some were parents and children; all of them looked so happy.
On holidays, we enjoyed climbing a mountain, visiting a flower garden and going for a drive in the host mother’s car. We enjoyed our holidays as much as possible. If it was a fine day, we spread a carpet in the garden around the house and took a nap there. After that, we made sandwiches putting cheese between two slices of toast and ate them outside the house. When I was in Tasmania, I felt relaxed and quiet. Life was easy.
Here in Japan, I’m very busy studying, working part time, and doing many other things. Even if I have some free time, I don’t go climbing, go for a drive, nor take a walk around the house. My life in Japan is the opposite of life in Tasmania. When I collect my memories of Tasmania or look at the photos I took, it is as if it were a dream. What is the difference between life in Tasmania and life in Japan? I saw Tasmanian people who really enjoyed their lives, but the Japanese people, including myself, always seem to be pushed for time. I should enjoy my life more in Japan.
Comments
Hey Voz,
You wouldn’t like the beach very much, but swing by if you happen to be in Japan!
Masami — how is/was the practice teaching going? Is it as tough as everyone keeps saying?
Relaxing is important for us, isn’t it?
Though I really want to visit somewhere to feel relaxed, maybe Tasmania, or other beautiful islands, I can’t because of my work. I suppose there are many who agree with me. Then I recommend you to buy a grapefruit incense or perfume. They make your stress go away. When I took an aroma therapy, I found that grapefruit was very good for me. Why don’t you try?
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Many Japanese people I’ve met share your feelings regarding the contrasting lifestyles between Japan and Australia. I’ve not been to Losney—only to Hobart and the places between there and Cradle Mountain, but I can imagine it as a quiet small town. Tasmania has a headspace quite apart from the mainland, and in particular from Sydney where I live which is another faceless city. A good friend of mine once said that Australia is all about lifestyle but it has no “life”. What he meant was that because Australians tend to stay in their comfort zone, they don’t venture too far and that is not so good.
But what you have written about Austalians doing many things outdoors is absolutely true. We tend to view our country as a huge playground that is there to be discovered. We like to get amongst it, get dirty and really experience it—go camping, walking, swimming, cycling—“time out” from the serious things in life is a national pastime. Many Japanese people I’ve met are swept away with this. And the wide, open spaces. Not so much in Tasmania, which is quite compact, but the vast distances of nothingness is a novel thing to many Japanese.
My family surfs every day. We have met many people from Japan who are attracted to the surfing culture for the same reasons. It is all about enjoying this day, this wave, these people. I think we are programmed to think like that from an early age. We just make the time. It’s all about balance between work and play, and even high-rolling executives in the big money game think like this. I’ve seen the enjoyment many tourists find in scubadiving and golf down under—it opens up a new world and way of thinking.
But ultimately, travel to new places is about the sharing of ideas. I’ve learnt many new things from Japanese friends about a whole range of subjects ranging from food to architecture to a quiet respect for things.
I’d love to travel to Japan someday. The lifeguard at my local beach, Maroubra, goes there each Summer and always has great stories to tell. Our lifestyles are very different but so many aspects of both lifestyles are completely harmonious.